NightBlogger

KELLEY SHANNON/AP
Texas Democratic Party chairman Boyd Richie endorsed Barack Obama for president Thursday as the final primaries and Texas’ state party convention approach. Richie’s wife, Democratic National Committee member Betty Richie, also endorsed Obama. They are two of Texas’ 32 superdelegates and were among the few remaining who had not committed to either Obama or Hillary Clinton.

Until recently, Boyd Richie had said he had no plans to make an endorsement before the state convention June 6-7, where Clinton and Obama delegates are expected to battle again over pledged caucus delegates. More

LINDSAY WISE
Houston Chronicle
When Andersson killed himself on March 6, 2007, he became one of at least 16 Army recruiters to commit suicide nationwide since 2000. Five of those suicides occurred in Texas, including three at the Houston Recruiting Battalion, where Andersson worked after serving two tours of duty in Iraq.

Roughly one in five U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan reports symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, but only slightly more than half have sought treatment, according to a recently published Rand Corp. study. Of those who did seek care, only about half received minimally adequate treatment, the study found.

Amid increasing concerns about failure to screen, diagnose and treat soldiers with mental health problems adequately, Andersson’s story raises questions about the pressures faced by the growing number of veterans who return from multiple combat deployments to high-stress recruiting assignments back home. Read more