Houston's Conrad Murray On Trial

Michael Jackson doctor trial opens with explosive photos of the dead pop star:His siblings quietly watch

Prosecutors opened by showing this picture of Michael Jackson just after hedied.
Photo via ABC News.com
The involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray started Tuesday in LosAngeles.
Photo via ABC News.com
Prosecutors also played an alarming recording of Jackson speaking to Murray inheavily slurred tones.
Photo via ABC News.com

Media watchers like HLN have bet on the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray becoming a tabloid spectacle, and in the first day of the trial, the prosecution delivered plenty of fodder.

The Houston-based doctor is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of his patient, pop star Michael Jackson. For his opening statement, Los Angeles prosecutor David Walgren displayed a never-before-published photo of Jackson dead on a hospital gurney, and later compared the photo with one taken 12 hours earlier as Jackson rehearsed for his upcoming "This Is It" concert series.

"What you will learn through the evidence is that what happened during that time frame is that the acts and omissions of Michael Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, directly led to his premature death at the age of 50," Walgren told the jury. Prosecutors also played a tape of Jackson recorded by Murray just over a month before Jackson's death, in which the singer's speech was almost unintelligibly slurred.

Jackson's death was ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office, caused by lethal levels of the anesthetic propofol in his system, working in conjunction with two other sedatives. The defense opened by arguing that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose while Murray was away in the bathroom.

"Dr Murray provided propofol for sleep for two months for Michael Jackson. For those two months, Michael Jackson slept, he woke up, and he lived his life. He went to work, and he continued with what he felt he needed to do," said defense lawyer Ed Chernoff. "The evidence is not going to show you that Michael Jackson died when Dr Murray gave him propofol to sleep. What he evidence will show you, is that Michael Jackson died when Dr Murray stopped."

If convicted, Murray could face up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical license.

Jackson's parents and siblings LaToya, Janet, Jermaine, Randy, Rebbie and Tito quietly attended the hearing. Jackson's children were not present and are not expected to testify.

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Prosecutors introduced a voice recording of Jackson that Murray made on May 10, 2009, showing the singer under the influence of "unknown agents":

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are you happy?

Houston continues sad streak as one of the 'unhappiest' U.S. cities

Photo by Damaris Martin on Unsplash

Even with a poor ranking, you still shouldn't ask us to "smile more."

A new nationwide study analyzing the happiest cities in America has determined Houston is slightly happier than it was last year, but it still appears to be one of the unhappiest U.S. cities in 2026.

Houston currently ranks as the 128th happiest U.S. city. Last year, it was No. 151.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Houston across the three key dimensions:

No. 107 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 148 – Income and employment
No. 158 – Community and environment

Despite its low ranking, Houstonians are working hard to improve their city's quality of life year after year, whether its through opening new restaurants, inviting Houston-born stars to perform at the rodeo, or having a strong job market. We also have some of the best museums, a diverse culinary scene, and iconic institutions like the Johnson Space Center. And considering that people keep moving here, Houston must be happier than other places.

Having a good job and a fun social life can qualify as factors that measure happiness, but WalletHub separately emphasized that making more money doesn't necessarily mean "more" happiness.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Elsewhere in Texas
The Dallas suburb Plano and its residents' happiness far outshines the rest of Texas, according to WalletHub. Plano ranked as the 16th happiest U.S. city, and the No. 1 happiest statewide. Austin was the only other Texas city to rank among the top 50, landing in the No. 39 spot.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 70 – Irving
No. 92 – Garland
No. 106 – Grand Prairie
No. 111 – Dallas
No. 113 – Fort Worth
No. 119 – Arlington
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

reports san antonio wallethub

Houston's Conrad Murray On Trial

Michael Jackson doctor trial opens with explosive photos of the dead pop star:His siblings quietly watch

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