Austin, TX
A Texas execution is renewing calls for clemency. It’s rarely granted
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas man set to die this month is at the center of another push for clemency in the U.S., this time backed by several GOP lawmakers and bestselling author John Grisham, who say a father’s 2002 conviction for killing his infant daughter deserves a second look.
Their pleas to spare Robert Roberson, who is set to die by lethal injection on Oct. 17, comes after Missouri and Oklahoma carried out executions last month over calls to grant two condemned men lesser punishments, underlining how rare clemency remains for death row prisoners.
The cases highlight one of a governor’s most extraordinary powers — whether to allow an execution to proceed. In Texas, the state’s parole board and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott have yet to weigh in on Roberson, whose defenders say was convicted based on faulty scientific evidence.
In Missouri, the execution of Marcellus Williams on Sept. 24 reignited calls for transparency in the decision-making process after a prosecutor and the victim’s family had urged Republican Gov. Mike Parson to reduce the sentence. Parson said multiple courts had not found merit in Williams’ innocence claims.
“Capital punishment cases are some of the hardest issues we have to address in the Governor’s Office, but when it comes down to it, I follow the law and trust the integrity of our judicial system,” Parson said in a statement before Williams’ execution.
Clemency is the process that allows a governor, president or independent board to lessen the sentence of a person convicted of a crime. In most states, a state board recommends clemency to the governor before it can be approved.
Clemencies are usually a last push by defendants on death row to have their sentence reduced after all other efforts in the judicial system have failed.
Historically, grants for clemency are rare. Aside from a few mass orders from governors to commute all death sentences in their state, less than two have been granted on average per year since then, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt rejected a recommendation from the state’s parole board to spare the life of Emmanuel Littlejohn life before he was executed. In a 3-2 vote, the board appeared convinced by Littlejohn’s attorneys, who questioned if he or a co-defendant were responsible for a 1992 killing of a store owner.
Stitt — who has granted clemency just once out of the five times the board has recommended it during his nearly six years in office — said in a statement that he did not want to overturn a jury’s decision to execute Littlejohn “as a law and order governor.”
In Missouri, Williams’ execution followed public outcry from the victim’s family and prosecutor last month in a historic week of five executions in a seven-day span.
It’s unclear if Missouri’s Parole Board, which makes confidential recommendations to the governor on clemency requests, advocated for Williams’ execution. Williams’ defense attorneys said those records should be public.
“Transparency is a hallmark of Democracy, and it is woefully missing here,” they said in a statement.
Governors are usually balancing a few things when deciding to commute a sentence, including the severity of a crime or if they’re remorseful, according to Arizona State University law professor Dale Baich, an attorney who has represented people facing execution.
But Baich also suspects other factors can come into play. “I think it all comes down to politics,” Baich said.
Eighty-six state representatives — as well as medical experts, death penalty attorneys, a former detective on the case and Grisham — are supporting Roberson because they believe his conviction was based on faulty scientific evidence.
Roberson was sentenced to death for killing his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis, in 2002. Prosecutors claimed he violently shook her to death from what’s known as shaken baby syndrome. In a letter sent to the board last month, medical professionals claimed that Curtis’ injuries aligned with pneumonia and not shaken baby syndrome.
Prosecutors have claimed that the science of shaken baby syndrome has not changed significantly since Roberson’s conviction and that the evidence against him still holds.
“We want our justice system to work. And I think Texans deserve to know that if a man is going to be executed, that it is right and he is guilty,” state Rep. Lacey Hull, a Republican from Houston who is one of 30 GOP state representatives to support clemency for Roberson, said last week after she and other lawmakers visited Roberson in prison. “And if there’s even a shadow of a doubt that he is innocent, we should not be executing him.”
Some Republicans view Roberson’s case as a parental rights issue about the safeguards that need to be put in place to prevent parents from being falsely accused of child abuse.
Abbott can only grant clemency after receiving a recommendation from the the Texas Board of Pardons and Parole. He has commuted a death sentence only once in nearly a decade as governor.
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Ballentine reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.
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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Austin, TX
Bradlink’s President: Helen Callier to Speak at the University of Texas Austin Readiness Training Program for HUB’s Graduation
AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Bradlink LLC’s president – Helen Callier will speak at the University of Texas at Austin signature IC2 Institute’s Readiness Training Program (RTP) Graduation for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB’s). Helen leads an award-winning SBA small business and industry recognized government contracting firm that provides technical services to various local agencies including Austin Independent School District (AISD).
This training program for HUB’s provides Regional Technical Assistance Resources, reviews government databases to register in and presents information on government contracting. The final session and graduation are designed to motivate the mostly start-up companies to propose and position their firms to win government contracts.
With 20 years of proven industry experience in government contracting, Bradlink is branded as a trailblazer and innovator in providing technical solutions on transit, education and healthcare projects.
Callier says, “It’s truly a privilege to share my firm’s story, insights, and tips on obtaining government contracts with other small businesses. Texas is a great place to start and grow a small business and the sessions the HUB’s have attended place them in a strong position.”
Bradlink’s achievements have been marked by notable projects such as working as a Prime on the 2022 $2.44 billion AISD Bond Program, supporting key projects at Austin Bergstrom Airport, and serving as BIM Lead for the CMAR on the Houston Airport System Hobby International $470 million 7-gate Expansion project.
“We’re excited that our Leader has been invited again to speak during UT Austin’s IC2 Institute’s RTP last session and graduation this year. I believe Helen’s business insights will motivate members of the co-hort to execute their growth plans as there are lots of opportunities in Texas to pursue.” Moruf Jimoh, Technical Manager of Bradlink LLC
Bradlink’s President, Helen Callier, has been a driving force in the company’s success. In 2025, Bradlink received numerous industry awards including from the Greater Houston Business Procurement Forum, Tri-County Regional Black Chamber of Commerce and recognized by the Regional Hispanic Contractors Association. Also, in 2023, her influential expertise earned her a prominent spot on page 49 of the SBA Small Business National Resource Guide, showcasing her as a thought leader in the industry.
About Helen Callier
Helen Callier (AKA), B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Prairie View A&M University and graduate on the Goldmans Sachs 10KSB Program, is President of Bradlink LLC, a Technical Services firm and Founder of PermitUsNow, an industry recognized building permitting and expediting firm headquartered in Texas. Recognized as HBJ’s Women Who Mean Business, SBA Women Business Champion, former State of Texas Commissioner of Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and serving as an Advisory Board Tri-County Regional Black Chamber of Commerce. Helen is known as a point guard in the business community. She is a regular blogger for SubContractors USA News, a published author, dynamic speaker and a valuable contributor in the business community in Texas.
About Bradlink LLC
Bradlink LLC, with offices in Houston, Austin and Dallas, Texas, is a technical services firm, with over two decades of experience, provides program management, building design, permit expediting, construction oversight, and facilities support services primarily to government agencies. Clients of Bradlink include the Houston Airport System, JACOBS, Atkins Realis’, Hensel Phelps, Austin ISD, EXP US, and USACE.
Media Contact:
Len Cal
2813129981
[email protected]
SOURCE Bradlink LLC
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Children’s Hospital has launched Austin’s first pediatric medical helicopter, expanding critical care transport services for children across Central Texas.
The Kangaroo Crew helicopter can reach distances of up to 120 nautical miles and is equipped with advanced medical technology and staffed by clinicians who provide ICU-level care during transport, according to the hospital system.
“This investment reflects our commitment to bringing the highest level of specialized care closer to families, reducing distance as a barrier when every minute matters,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shilt, president of Austin and Central Texas for Texas Children’s.
Texas Children’s Hospital has launched Austin’s first pediatric medical helicopter, expanding critical care transport services for children across Central Texas. (Photo: Texas Children’s)
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Texas Children’s is the first pediatric hospital system to operate its own helicopter in Austin. The aircraft serves patients throughout Central Texas and West Texas.
The addition of the Austin helicopter brings Texas Children’s total to two Kangaroo Crew helicopters. The helicopter program launched in February 2025 at Texas Children’s in Houston and has transported hundreds of critically ill patients.
The expansion was funded through donations to Texas Children’s, including contributions from Texas Children’s Ambassadors.
“Through the support of our Ambassadors and other generous donors, we are able to invest in innovations like this helicopter that make an immediate, meaningful difference for families across Central Texas and beyond,” said Ben Renberg, chief development officer of the Office of Philanthropy at Texas Children’s.
A new helicopter will take to the skies over Central Texas on Tuesday. Texas Children’s Hospital has added a helicopter to its Kangaroo Crew intensive care transport team, which previously used only ambulances to bring patients to its Austin facility.
The team will be able to travel 120 nautical miles to pick up a patient. The hospital, which opened almost two years ago, has launched programs that are attracting patients from across Texas and around the country, said Dr. Jeff Shilt, the president of Texas Children’s in Austin. “Having a helicopter for a pediatric hospital is really a differentiator for us.”
The $15 million investment makes Texas Children’s the only hospital — pediatric or adult — in Austin with a dedicated helicopter. The other hospitals use STAR Flight.
The air transport program will expand this summer with a larger helicopter that will seat four in the bay instead of three and fly up to 200 nautical miles. That will take this helicopter beyond Waco, Brownwood, San Antonio and College Station, where this current helicopter can go, to near Dallas, San Angelo, Corpus Christi and Beaumont. Texas Children’s also has a plane that is based in Houston that can carry patients who are much further than 200 nautical miles.
The helicopter also will be used locally when traffic on MoPac Boulevard or Interstate 35 would make an ambulance trip longer than 30 minutes to an hour.
The helicopter’s crew of four pilots, critical care nurses and respiratory therapists is based at the Georgetown Executive Airport, which is seven minutes of flying time to the hospital in North Austin.
Each time the helicopter takes off, a respiratory therapist and a registered nurse travels with it. The medical team has been trained in trauma care and has multiple certifications. They also can bring a patient-specific specialized doctor or nurse practitioner if needed. There is a seat for a guardian to ride with their child.
Inside the helicopter is a miniature intensive care unit with ventilators, monitors and oxygen tanks that can be moved in and out to stabilize a patient in a hospital, during the flight and after landing at the Texas Children’s helipad until the patient is connected to hospital machines.
“We take the ICU to them, stabilizing them and bring them back to a higher level of care,” said Kelley Young, a respiratory therapist with 19 years of critical care team experience working in a helicopter.
The patients are strapped into a sled that is tied down to the helicopter. That sled can be put onto a gurney to take the patient in and out of the helicopter. For smaller patients, such as babies, there are parts that are added to secure them to the sled.
The team is prepared for an emergency, including each having a survival kit on them and an additional one in the helicopter.
“We do a lot of training and a lot of simulations,” said John Samluk, a critical care nurse with the team.
They also can talk to everyone in the helicopter using headsets and call to hospital staff at either end of the journey to relay or receive updates.
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