CA to Grant Inmate Laborers Early Release: In an effort to combat severe overcrowding, California prison officials have agreed to make thousands of inmate laborers eligible for early release.  The Associated Press reports that roughly 4,300 inmates who work as janitors, cooks, and groundskeepers in prisons across the state will start earning two days off their sentence for every day they spend behind bars with 'good behavior.' A group of federal judges will need to approve the proposal before any inmates are made eligible for early release.

Mexican Man Charged in Recent Texas Killing: A Mexican man is in custody and facing murder charges after authorities say he kidnapped and murdered a mechanic over an alleged debt.  Ildefonso Ortiz of Breitbart reports that police believe 38-year-old Juan Miguel Miranda, along with a group of other men, kidnapped the victim from his home and shot him to death on the side of a rural road in a Texas city near the Mexican border.  Police believe the kidnapping may be in response to a debt over drugs, human smuggling, or illicit activity.  This is the third kidnapping murder in the area since October.

Texas Legislature Looks to Expand Gun Rights: Lawmakers in Texas have proposed several bills which would expand the rights of gun owners.  Fox News reports that one of the proposed bills would allow residents to openly carry handguns in public.  Current law permits the public display of long guns such as rifles and shotguns, but not handguns.  Texas adopted laws permitting concealed weapons in 1995.  Since then, more than 800,000 people have obtained their concealed handgun license.