Bill Gives Longer Sentences to Certain Sex Offenders:  The California Senate has approved a bill that would give violent sex offenders who disable their GPS tracking devices longer prison sentences.  Tony Saavedra of the OC Register reports that SB 722, proposed by Sen. Patricia Bates, would make the crime a felony punishable by three years in state prison.  The measure was introduced in response to the arrests of two homeless sex offenders who kidnapped and murdered four women in the Los Angeles area.

Texas Inmate Scheduled For Execution:  A Texas murderer, convicted of killing four men over three decades ago, is scheduled to be put to death Wednesday evening.  Michael Graczyk of ABC News reports that Lester Bower Jr. fatally shot four men at an airplane hangar in 1983 after stealing an airplane he had intended to buy from one of the victims.  In an effort to halt the execution, his attorneys argue that jurors did not have the opportunity to consider that Bower had no previous criminal record, and that the 5^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals used an incorrect legal standard when it denied him an appeal 10 years ago.  Bower will be the eighth person executed by lethal injection in the state this year, and will become the oldest, at age 67.   Update:  The U.S. Supreme Court has denied review of the Fifth Circuit's decision, denied a separate petition for a writ of habeas corpus, and denied stays of execution in both cases.  No dissents are indicated.  The orders are here and here.

Prop. 47 DNA Fix Passes CA Assembly:  Legislation seeking to reform changes made after the passage of Proposition 47 last November was passed by the California Assembly on Tuesday, reauthorizing DNA sample collection for crimes downgraded to misdemeanors.  Jeremy B. White of the Sacramento Bee reports that AB 390 requires law enforcement to collect DNA from persons convicted of certain misdemeanors and for those who have past convictions for violent misdemeanor offenses.  The bill passed 64-2.

Grenade Black Market Uncovered In Border Town:  McAllen, Texas, a city bordering Mexico, is the site of a "bustling" black market for grenades and explosive devices, as revealed during an undercover sting operation.  Ildefonso Ortiz of Breitbart reports that two men were arrested by ATF agents for trying to sell 10 live grenades to a government informant.  Across the border, violence within Mexico's Gulf Cartel is escalating into a "fierce internal struggle," with a series of grenade attacks occurring just last week.