New surveillance system targets Deep Ellum crime
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police have a message for criminals: Beware, because you never know just who might be watching.
A new visual surveillance system developed by a Plano company is being tried out in Deep Ellum.
This weekend, the popular entertainment district east of downtown will be hopping. Supporters of the University of Tennessee and Texas A&M will be partying it up before and after the Cotton Bowl, and of course on Friday night for New Years' Eve festivities.
But among the thousands of folks who come to have fun, a few might want to cause trouble. Police have maintained a visible presence on the streets, but now they can spot unruly visitors and criminals from above via surveillance cameras - a new system which could become a key weapon in the fight to reduce crime.
"(It's) to ensure there is a lack of anonymity for committing crimes and engaging in criminal activity," said Dallas police chief David Kunkle.
About 20 cameras have been installed outside three clubs in Deep Ellum in a month-long test. The cameras capture activity on the street; using the Internet, police and club owners can watch what's going on even after the fact. All video is saved on a server.
"They can look at this live, or after the fact in the archives - and they can do all of this remotely," said Carol Van Zandt-Jones of Virtual Surveillance, the firm who is providing the trial.
The surveillance capability could prove to be the best deterrent, said Deep Ellum resident and business owner Jackson Fulgham. Fulgham said the high-resolution pictures, even in the dark, can help catch and convict crooks.
"Let's say they're breaking into a car on the street," Fulgham said. "I might just want to pull that one up. By clicking on it I can e-mail it right to Chief Kunkle's office."
Fulgham has had a test system on his building since Christmas, and has put it to use. He recently heard something on the roof, but instead of calling police, first he took a look for himself.
"I was able to take this - just by clicking a button - and pan it quickly, and look at the top of my roof or my neighbors' roofs and see if anybody was up there," he said.
As it turned out, nobody was, but it eased his concerns and saved police officers a trip.
News from the Lone Star State
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Granger vows fight to protect Lockheed's Raptor
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - The F/A-22 Raptor fighter jet supports well over 1,000 jobs at Fort Worth's second-largest employer, Lockheed Martin.
Pentagon officials want to cut funding for the Raptor to offset increasing costs of war and rising budget deficits - but they'll have to go through Congress to do it.
Each Raptor costs more than $250 million. The Air Force plans to buy 277, although it originally wanted three times that many, and now the Pentagon wants that number to be cut even more to save money.
Congresswoman Kay Granger has fought for the Raptor ever since she went to Washington eight years ago.
"It's going to be a fight," she said.
The Air Force currently has about 30 Raptors, although one of them crashed on Monday. Granger said the F-22 is vital to America's security.
"We're listening to the military," Granger said. "The military says we have to have these programs; that's who I listen to."
Jay Miller is writing a book on development of the F-22. He said if the Pentagon cuts production, the cost per plane will shoot up.
"This is a very vulnerable program," Miller said. "That unit cost will easily break $300 million. That's astronomical, and virtually impossible to justify."
Miller said the F-22 could lose support for another reason.
"The issue is that if those numbers are reduced down to 150 (or) 160 airplanes, the Air Force stands back and says, 'what good is this airplane to us? What can we do with 150 to 160 FA-22's?' The answer is, not a whole lot."
The Raptor was hatched in the years before record deficits and the war on terror. It quite possibly can lick anything else in the air, but first it must survive another budget battle.
Said Granger, "Are these programs still necessary for our national defense? The answer resoundingly is, absolutely they are."
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - The F/A-22 Raptor fighter jet supports well over 1,000 jobs at Fort Worth's second-largest employer, Lockheed Martin.
Pentagon officials want to cut funding for the Raptor to offset increasing costs of war and rising budget deficits - but they'll have to go through Congress to do it.
Each Raptor costs more than $250 million. The Air Force plans to buy 277, although it originally wanted three times that many, and now the Pentagon wants that number to be cut even more to save money.
Congresswoman Kay Granger has fought for the Raptor ever since she went to Washington eight years ago.
"It's going to be a fight," she said.
The Air Force currently has about 30 Raptors, although one of them crashed on Monday. Granger said the F-22 is vital to America's security.
"We're listening to the military," Granger said. "The military says we have to have these programs; that's who I listen to."
Jay Miller is writing a book on development of the F-22. He said if the Pentagon cuts production, the cost per plane will shoot up.
"This is a very vulnerable program," Miller said. "That unit cost will easily break $300 million. That's astronomical, and virtually impossible to justify."
Miller said the F-22 could lose support for another reason.
"The issue is that if those numbers are reduced down to 150 (or) 160 airplanes, the Air Force stands back and says, 'what good is this airplane to us? What can we do with 150 to 160 FA-22's?' The answer is, not a whole lot."
The Raptor was hatched in the years before record deficits and the war on terror. It quite possibly can lick anything else in the air, but first it must survive another budget battle.
Said Granger, "Are these programs still necessary for our national defense? The answer resoundingly is, absolutely they are."
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Lack of enforcement may rain on Dallas' new sprinkler rules
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - If you're that guy who waters his lawn during downpours or the lady who irrigates her garden when snow is falling, take heed: Dallas is ready to fine you.
Or not.
A new ordinance requiring residents to have automatic rain/freeze shut-off sensors on their landscape watering systems goes into effect Saturday. The city says it will slap violators with a $250 fine after an initial warning. Fines double for subsequent violations, up to $2,000.
But some City Council members worry that the new ordinance, originally adopted three years ago, is effectively unenforceable.
The city's code enforcement department is depleted by the recent firing of more than two dozen workers for misconduct. And similar ordinances already adopted by the council – including watering restrictions during summer months, the city's restaurant smoking ban and a pooper-scooper law – have yielded few citations.
"I don't know how they're going to enforce it. It's going to be overwhelming for the city," council member Bill Blaydes said. "It's going to be neighbors calling the city on their neighbors."
Council member Lois Finkelman says most residents should realize that the communitywide benefits of installing a sensor – lower water prices, conservation – outweigh the bother.
"But we certainly can't check up on everybody," Ms. Finkelman said. "There's an assumption and hope in passing the ordinance that people will take on the responsibility of following the ordinance themselves."
Sensors are designed to automatically shut off water irrigation systems during rain or cold snaps.
Lack of staff
Considering the lack of code enforcement staff, meter readers will aid in Dallas' ordinance enforcement effort, said Yvonne Dupré with Dallas Water Utilities.
"The city of Dallas doesn't have the staff to go door to door," Ms. Dupré said. But the city will routinely monitor residents who received a $50 city-sponsored rebate for installing a rain/freeze sensor, she said.
"We want to make sure people we've paid have done what we've paid them to do," Ms. Dupré said.
Acting City Manager Mary Suhm added: "Although it is a concern that we're rebuilding the code department right now, the awareness of conservation in Dallas is high. It's going to be OK. Like any ordinance, the enforcement goes on a complaint-and-observation basis, and that's fine."
Thousands of residents applied for the city's sensor reimbursement offer, city officials said. The program ends Friday, giving still-sensorless residents two more days to cash in, Ms. Dupré said.
Dallas is first among its most populous municipal neighbors, Arlington and Fort Worth, to require sprinkler sensors.
Fort Worth officials are considering some form of sprinkler sensor mandate as part of the city's conservation plan discussions, said Mary Gugliuzza, a water department official.
Allen's water conservation ordinance "recommends" but does not require sprinkler sensors for automatic irrigation systems. But, like Dallas, Allen offers a $50 rebate to property owners who install them.
Booming business
Regardless of whether Dallas enforces its law, the ordinance is a cash cow for Harold Been, managing partner of Dallas-based Pioneer Sales, which manufactures irriGuard, a wireless irrigation system shut-off device.
Thanks in large part to Dallas' ordinance, Mr. Been says his company is on pace to sell 5,000 irriGuard units by next summer after introducing them in July. Base price for the irriGuard system plus installation is $238.
"We've had a real influx of requests in the last few weeks," Mr. Been said. "We've had trouble keeping up."
Mr. Blaydes, for his part, still worries that Dallas will have trouble keeping up with the enforcement of its own laws.
"They're going to have problems," he said. "It's a good idea. I like it. They're just literally going to have to count on folks to abide by the law by themselves."
Staff writer Stella Chavez contributed to this report.
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - If you're that guy who waters his lawn during downpours or the lady who irrigates her garden when snow is falling, take heed: Dallas is ready to fine you.
Or not.
A new ordinance requiring residents to have automatic rain/freeze shut-off sensors on their landscape watering systems goes into effect Saturday. The city says it will slap violators with a $250 fine after an initial warning. Fines double for subsequent violations, up to $2,000.
But some City Council members worry that the new ordinance, originally adopted three years ago, is effectively unenforceable.
The city's code enforcement department is depleted by the recent firing of more than two dozen workers for misconduct. And similar ordinances already adopted by the council – including watering restrictions during summer months, the city's restaurant smoking ban and a pooper-scooper law – have yielded few citations.
"I don't know how they're going to enforce it. It's going to be overwhelming for the city," council member Bill Blaydes said. "It's going to be neighbors calling the city on their neighbors."
Council member Lois Finkelman says most residents should realize that the communitywide benefits of installing a sensor – lower water prices, conservation – outweigh the bother.
"But we certainly can't check up on everybody," Ms. Finkelman said. "There's an assumption and hope in passing the ordinance that people will take on the responsibility of following the ordinance themselves."
Sensors are designed to automatically shut off water irrigation systems during rain or cold snaps.
Lack of staff
Considering the lack of code enforcement staff, meter readers will aid in Dallas' ordinance enforcement effort, said Yvonne Dupré with Dallas Water Utilities.
"The city of Dallas doesn't have the staff to go door to door," Ms. Dupré said. But the city will routinely monitor residents who received a $50 city-sponsored rebate for installing a rain/freeze sensor, she said.
"We want to make sure people we've paid have done what we've paid them to do," Ms. Dupré said.
Acting City Manager Mary Suhm added: "Although it is a concern that we're rebuilding the code department right now, the awareness of conservation in Dallas is high. It's going to be OK. Like any ordinance, the enforcement goes on a complaint-and-observation basis, and that's fine."
Thousands of residents applied for the city's sensor reimbursement offer, city officials said. The program ends Friday, giving still-sensorless residents two more days to cash in, Ms. Dupré said.
Dallas is first among its most populous municipal neighbors, Arlington and Fort Worth, to require sprinkler sensors.
Fort Worth officials are considering some form of sprinkler sensor mandate as part of the city's conservation plan discussions, said Mary Gugliuzza, a water department official.
Allen's water conservation ordinance "recommends" but does not require sprinkler sensors for automatic irrigation systems. But, like Dallas, Allen offers a $50 rebate to property owners who install them.
Booming business
Regardless of whether Dallas enforces its law, the ordinance is a cash cow for Harold Been, managing partner of Dallas-based Pioneer Sales, which manufactures irriGuard, a wireless irrigation system shut-off device.
Thanks in large part to Dallas' ordinance, Mr. Been says his company is on pace to sell 5,000 irriGuard units by next summer after introducing them in July. Base price for the irriGuard system plus installation is $238.
"We've had a real influx of requests in the last few weeks," Mr. Been said. "We've had trouble keeping up."
Mr. Blaydes, for his part, still worries that Dallas will have trouble keeping up with the enforcement of its own laws.
"They're going to have problems," he said. "It's a good idea. I like it. They're just literally going to have to count on folks to abide by the law by themselves."
Staff writer Stella Chavez contributed to this report.
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City To Residents: Pull Plug On Holiday Decorations By Monday
1970 Law States Decorations Must Be Down By First Monday In Jan.
FARMER'S BRANCH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Farmer's Branch residents have 48 hours after New Year's Eve to take their Christmas decorations down.
A law dating back to 1970 states no decorations can go up before the fourth Monday in November and they must come down by the first Monday in January.
"Procrastinators as we are, they ought to give us at least to the end of January," resident Karl Staberg said.
"They're about making this a great place and they're not to get on to people for their decorations," Cindy Goodspeed said.
The city gives reminder letters in February, residents who don't comply by April get a ticket.
1970 Law States Decorations Must Be Down By First Monday In Jan.
FARMER'S BRANCH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Farmer's Branch residents have 48 hours after New Year's Eve to take their Christmas decorations down.
A law dating back to 1970 states no decorations can go up before the fourth Monday in November and they must come down by the first Monday in January.
"Procrastinators as we are, they ought to give us at least to the end of January," resident Karl Staberg said.
"They're about making this a great place and they're not to get on to people for their decorations," Cindy Goodspeed said.
The city gives reminder letters in February, residents who don't comply by April get a ticket.
Last edited by TexasStooge on Thu Dec 30, 2004 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Police: Red-Light Runner Injures Police Officer
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A Fort Worth police officer is recovering after he was hurt Wednesday night in a car accident.
Officers said the driver made an illegal turn in front of the police car and ran a red light at the intersection of Alta Mesa and McCart Avenue.
The impact crumpled the front ends of both cars, hurting both drivers.
Emergency crews said the injuries are not life threatening.
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A Fort Worth police officer is recovering after he was hurt Wednesday night in a car accident.
Officers said the driver made an illegal turn in front of the police car and ran a red light at the intersection of Alta Mesa and McCart Avenue.
The impact crumpled the front ends of both cars, hurting both drivers.
Emergency crews said the injuries are not life threatening.
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Airline To Ring In New Year With New Struggles
US Airways Begging Employees To Work Without Pay This Weekend
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- It may not be a happy New Year for US Airways, with customers still searching for their Christmas luggage, the airline is now struggling for its very survival.
There are still piles of luggage stacked at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport's Terminal B.
Now the airline is begging its employees to work for free this weekend to avoid another holiday travel disaster.
They're trying to entice employees to volunteer their labor with the reminder that if they don't lower labor costs immediately, they'll probably begin liquidating assets within weeks.
Record numbers of employees called in sick over the Christmas travel holiday, and then a computer malfunction caused bags to get mixed up and not enough people were working to straighten out the mess.
Even a smooth weekend doesn't guarantee anything at this point for the troubled airline and it's employees.
US Airways Begging Employees To Work Without Pay This Weekend
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- It may not be a happy New Year for US Airways, with customers still searching for their Christmas luggage, the airline is now struggling for its very survival.
There are still piles of luggage stacked at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport's Terminal B.
Now the airline is begging its employees to work for free this weekend to avoid another holiday travel disaster.
They're trying to entice employees to volunteer their labor with the reminder that if they don't lower labor costs immediately, they'll probably begin liquidating assets within weeks.
Record numbers of employees called in sick over the Christmas travel holiday, and then a computer malfunction caused bags to get mixed up and not enough people were working to straighten out the mess.
Even a smooth weekend doesn't guarantee anything at this point for the troubled airline and it's employees.
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Search On For Stolen SUV After Man Badly Beaten
Police: Pair Takes SUV At Gunpoint
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Carrollton police are on the hunt for a stolen SUV, taken from a man Wednesday morning at gunpoint.
The victim was inside his 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe in the 2500 block of Blanton, when a man and a woman forced their way inside his vehicle.
The pair badly beat the driver who remained hospitalized Thursday.
"This last one involving violence really gets us concerned. The other two had no shooting or injury," Sgt. David Sponhour said.
The stolen SUV has Texas license plates X32-XJB.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Police: Pair Takes SUV At Gunpoint
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Carrollton police are on the hunt for a stolen SUV, taken from a man Wednesday morning at gunpoint.
The victim was inside his 1996 Chevrolet Tahoe in the 2500 block of Blanton, when a man and a woman forced their way inside his vehicle.
The pair badly beat the driver who remained hospitalized Thursday.
"This last one involving violence really gets us concerned. The other two had no shooting or injury," Sgt. David Sponhour said.
The stolen SUV has Texas license plates X32-XJB.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
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4-Alarm Apartment Fire Leaves 40 Homeless
Fire Burns Several Apartment Units In Irving
IRVING, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Investigators are looking for the cause of a four-alarm Irving apartment fire that left 40 people homeless Wednesday evening.
The fire burned several units at the Garden Park Apartments.
The blaze started in a second story unit and quickly spread to the attic, officials said.
"When I walked into the room engulfed in fire, the curtains the wall were all on fire," fire victim Wayne Weatherford said.
Everyone made it out of the building safely.
Four families will relocate to vacant apartments on the property, the Red Cross will help others find new homes.
Fire Burns Several Apartment Units In Irving
IRVING, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Investigators are looking for the cause of a four-alarm Irving apartment fire that left 40 people homeless Wednesday evening.
The fire burned several units at the Garden Park Apartments.
The blaze started in a second story unit and quickly spread to the attic, officials said.
"When I walked into the room engulfed in fire, the curtains the wall were all on fire," fire victim Wayne Weatherford said.
Everyone made it out of the building safely.
Four families will relocate to vacant apartments on the property, the Red Cross will help others find new homes.
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COLLEYVILLE: PIPE BOMB FOUND IN PARK
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) - pipe bomb and left it in a Colleyville park. Officers say a jogger found the pipe bomb at the park on Bedford Road.
Police and firefighters say the bomb was packed with enough explosives to severely hurt or kill a person. Explosives experts detonated the bomb which sent shrapnel flying 300 feet into the air in every direction. The Colleyville fire marshal says the jogger picked up the bomb which was not the right thing to do.
After the bomb was detonated, investigators searched the surrounding area to find any clues about who left the bomb in the park.
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) - pipe bomb and left it in a Colleyville park. Officers say a jogger found the pipe bomb at the park on Bedford Road.
Police and firefighters say the bomb was packed with enough explosives to severely hurt or kill a person. Explosives experts detonated the bomb which sent shrapnel flying 300 feet into the air in every direction. The Colleyville fire marshal says the jogger picked up the bomb which was not the right thing to do.
After the bomb was detonated, investigators searched the surrounding area to find any clues about who left the bomb in the park.
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MANSFIELD: SUSPICIOUS DEVICE FOUND AT WAL-MART
MANSFIELD, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- A Wal-Mart in Mansfield, south of Arlington, was evacuated after a suspicious device was found in a bathroom. Federal agents and firefighters evacuated employees and customers at the store on Walnut Creek.
People waited outside while experts examined the device. After several hours, federal agents took the package away for further investigation. Customers and employees were allowed back inside.
The bomb squad was at another Wal-Mart in Plano after a man robbed a bank inside, and then left a package behind. The store was cleared, as the bomb squad inspected the package. The suspicious object did not have explosives or other harmful material inside. No one was hurt in the holdup.
MANSFIELD, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- A Wal-Mart in Mansfield, south of Arlington, was evacuated after a suspicious device was found in a bathroom. Federal agents and firefighters evacuated employees and customers at the store on Walnut Creek.
People waited outside while experts examined the device. After several hours, federal agents took the package away for further investigation. Customers and employees were allowed back inside.
The bomb squad was at another Wal-Mart in Plano after a man robbed a bank inside, and then left a package behind. The store was cleared, as the bomb squad inspected the package. The suspicious object did not have explosives or other harmful material inside. No one was hurt in the holdup.
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R.L. THORNTON MURDER
DALLAS, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- A man is dead after he was shot during a robbery at a Dallas apartment complex. Police say two men were approached by two suspects who demanded money. One victim gave them his money, but the other man had no cash.
The robbers shot him him in the arm and chest and took off in a late 90's model black dodge pick-up. The man was taken to the hospital but died shortly after. Police say the suspects may be responsible for another robbery earlier in the evening.
DALLAS, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- A man is dead after he was shot during a robbery at a Dallas apartment complex. Police say two men were approached by two suspects who demanded money. One victim gave them his money, but the other man had no cash.
The robbers shot him him in the arm and chest and took off in a late 90's model black dodge pick-up. The man was taken to the hospital but died shortly after. Police say the suspects may be responsible for another robbery earlier in the evening.
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Ex-Plano mayor battles dueling legacies
Will Jack Harvard be remembered as felon or Plano mastermind?
By LEE POWELL / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas – Jack Harvard once was big: the mayor of an upstart suburb destined for riches, with a wheeler-dealer personality to match.
Plano was little more than a bedroom community before Mr. Harvard manhandled, sold and cajoled it into modern form – today, the region's fourth-largest city, a multibillion-dollar economic power home to the likes of J.C. Penney and Frito-Lay.
The city got on the map with the help of the four-term mayor, who wore a watch with the city's logo on its face and drove a car with "PLANO" license plates.
Things have a way of changing, though. An indictment, a trial and prison can mess with a legacy.
More than four years removed from prison and almost a decade from the public eye, Jack Harvard, 58, wants people to remember him for the good he brought Plano.
That's tough, when the banker-turned-politician-turned-felon-turned-real-estate-broker knows he is not the most popular guy in town. Even today, some former colleagues and acquaintances have few kind words for the guy, not wanting to be publicly linked with him in any way.
In some ways, Mr. Harvard was the right man for Plano at the right time. He came to the city in 1975, a 28-year-old Dallas banker drawn to Plano's inexpensive housing and good schools. In 1983, he helped form a bank. Money was to be made – mountains of it – because the coming thousands would need homes, banks, even cable TV.
A zoning battle over, what else, a big-box store in the neighborhood launched his political career.
By 1977, Mr. Harvard was on the Plano City Council. By 1982, he was mayor of a city cresting 72,000 people.
Plano was growing up.
And if anyone even contemplated Plano and planned to bring jobs, Jack Harvard wanted to talk. Negotiations produced deals.
Mr. Harvard brought people together, so things got done. In clipped tones infused with a drawl, he gushes about accomplishments. He credits others, too.
"My job is a catalyst," he said recently, his Chevy pickup shooting down the Bush Turnpike (its creation a point of satisfaction). "You know, get from one place to another."
There were small details. Securing scads of parkland. Building first-rate roads, foreseeing a future when Central Expressway would not be the only highway through town. A growing city needs a bigger city hall. How about a logo? A contest helped find one.
All the while, Mr. Harvard helmed Willow Bend National Bank. His job as chairman and mayor fit nicely: They involved almost constant people contact, drumming up business for the bank, being the city's public face.
EDS. J.C. Penney. Frito-Lay. Southland Life. The names roll off Mr. Harvard's tongue while passing through the corporate campus sprawl of Legacy in western Plano.
All uttered like a proud father touting his children.
He helped lure many of them here. Even persuaded a local family to give up their namesake, dropping Carpenter Road for Legacy Drive.
By 1990, Mr. Harvard seemed gunning for a fifth term as mayor. But he surprised supporters by saying no: a new business venture needed more time; he was tired.
Some in the city were talking about federal authorities poking around Willow Bend Bank. Then there was Mr. Harvard's divorce and remarriage to his younger bank secretary, a turnoff to some.
Willow Bend eventually failed, and the bank closed. It cost taxpayers an estimated $25 million.
In 1992, Mr. Harvard tried a political comeback – a Texas Senate seat – but ended up third. Taking the spot was Florence Shapiro, who served under Mr. Harvard on the City Council and succeeded him as mayor.
Trouble
Then in October 1994, trouble.
A 14-count indictment tied to activity at the failed bank alleged a range of wrongs amounting to bank fraud, from accepting a bribe to using a blank cashier's check to buy his house.
"When it happened, I had to go have my attorney call and find out, 'What did I do?' " Mr. Harvard said. "Because I didn't understand what they were talking about."
The trial came the following year in Sherman. It was a web of intrigue, with tales of an Indonesian lumber investment and sham transactions.
A jury convicted Mr. Harvard of six federal counts; he was sentenced to seven years.
In a later indictment involving former Mayor David McCall Jr., Mr. Harvard pleaded guilty and received a concurrent sentence. Feds said he provided false information relating to a loan from Plano Savings and Loan, helmed by Mr. McCall. Two mayors from the same city ended up behind bars.
"I was convicted of things that I didn't do," Mr. Harvard said this summer, dwelling on the government's bank fraud case against him. "I have not done anything that was illegal."
Prominent Washington defense lawyer Abbe Lowell represented Mr. Harvard. It is the only complex federal criminal case he has lost, Mr. Lowell said.
"I still wake up thinking about it in the night sometimes," said the lawyer, who represented House Democrats in the Clinton impeachment hearings. "It should not have been."
Yet the government's co-counsel, Michael Savage, said the case was about looking in the bank's checkbook to follow the money. The bank misrepresented the substance of transactions to regulators, making their jobs impossible.
"Mr. Harvard felt he was above the law," said Mr. Savage, now with the U.S. attorney's office in the Western District of North Carolina in Charlotte. "Rules applying to other bankers and banks did not apply to him."
Mr. Harvard was in prison almost four years in Fort Worth. He lost weight and bulked up. His wife and kids saw him every Monday and Friday.
Parole came after that, with supervision ending in 2004 .
He still is paying on more than $1 million in restitution; most of it has been paid or settled, Mr. Harvard said.
"The restitution is something I don't owe. And it irritates me every time I go to write a check," he said. "But you know what? I do what is right to make my life go on."
Prevailing legacy
It still may be too soon to judge Mr. Harvard's time in office. Those were formative years in the city's life, to be sure.
Talk to friends of Jack's, and he gets credit for helping create modern-day Plano.
"He was aggressive as mayor in pursuing the things he and the council thought would be a benefit to the city," said Plano lawyer David McCall III, who occasionally handles closings for companies that Mr. Harvard represents. He is the son of David McCall Jr., who was pardoned last year by President Bush before passing away.
Though not publicly, Mr. Harvard with his trim beard, all gray, still commands a presence. Some acquaintances talked to Mr. Harvard before talking to The Dallas Morning News about Mr. Harvard, as if asking permission. He says they were not given any instructions about what to say or not say.
Mr. Harvard's call list includes Pastor Gerald Brooks of the Grace Outreach Center in Plano. They speak often. Mr. Brooks was with him during the trial and later testified in Mr. Harvard's pursuit to reclaim his real estate license.
"I do think Jack has changed how he keeps score," said Mr. Harvard's longtime friend and pastor. "And I think he's changed it where relationships are more important than achievements."
Yet there are others who say Mr. Harvard's troubles did not surprise. He was just that kind of person. Their descriptions of him are not always kind. A crook. A scoundrel.
There is resentment because Mr. Harvard sullied the city's image.
But none want to say so publicly.
Mr. Harvard had his real estate license revoked while in prison. With a lawyer's help, he asked for it back. Eventually, the Texas Real Estate Commission reinstated the broker license – an action commission staff recommended against.
"The Commission is not satisfied that Jack Charles Harvard would conduct his real estate business with honesty, trustworthiness and integrity" as required by the state Real Estate License Act, a hearing document said in 2001.
Plano Realtor Mike Brodie, an appointee of the governor's, chaired the commission at the time. He says he stepped down during Mr. Harvard's hearing to avoid any appearance of conflict.
The two did not do business together, Mr. Brodie says, but he knew Mr. Harvard during his time as mayor.
For now, Mr. Harvard says, the real estate business is booming at The Nash Group. ("NASH" are the initials of his second wife, Nancy. She works there along with Stan Sewell, a former Carrollton City Council member.)
The firm's territory is mostly North Dallas and Collin and Denton counties, all commercial projects, brokering and developing property. One large project is McKinney Ranch, a more than 500-acre spread in that Collin County sweet spot near the State Highway 121 corridor.
The firm's suite of offices is in a colonial-style building in Addison.
A wall in Mr. Harvard's office is not unlike one found in a senator's office.
Here is a picture of Jack Harvard with Vice President George Bush. Nearby, there is an article from The New York Times about upstart Plano. Over there, a plaque from the Chamber of Commerce. Mixed in are a few works with the scrawls of children; Mr. Harvard has four daughters, three grown.
No more politics
His political ambitions are over, Mr. Harvard says.
He is not into the social scene. Many Jack Harvard sightings happen in area restaurants, people who know him say.
Outside of work, free time is spent with family or on a daughter's ranch in central Texas.
Invitations to groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings do not come. A big disappointment was not being there for openings of the Dallas North Tollway extension and Bush Turnpike.
"And yet I had felt like I probably did as much or more than anybody else in getting those roads built," Mr. Harvard says. "Nancy knows the reason."
His wife sits a few feet away.
"Politics," she says.
He proudly displays a lifetime pass on DART, thanks for his early service on its board. Those invitations still arrive.
Mr. Harvard knows politicians are careful about who they talk to, because of perceptions.
"And I'm not considered the guy to talk to in that respect," he said. "You know, 'He's a convicted felon.' "
Pride, though, comes in ticking off accomplishments. Even small details like "Plano, TX" appearing on a Frito-Lay truck.
The chance to leave has come up. Moving away would undoubtedly be better, as much as he's been beaten up, Mr. Harvard says.
Plano's dealmaker stays.
"I love Plano. I always have and always will. There's a large part of me that's still here. And always will be. I'm a survivor, so forth."
Will Jack Harvard be remembered as felon or Plano mastermind?
By LEE POWELL / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas – Jack Harvard once was big: the mayor of an upstart suburb destined for riches, with a wheeler-dealer personality to match.
Plano was little more than a bedroom community before Mr. Harvard manhandled, sold and cajoled it into modern form – today, the region's fourth-largest city, a multibillion-dollar economic power home to the likes of J.C. Penney and Frito-Lay.
The city got on the map with the help of the four-term mayor, who wore a watch with the city's logo on its face and drove a car with "PLANO" license plates.
Things have a way of changing, though. An indictment, a trial and prison can mess with a legacy.
More than four years removed from prison and almost a decade from the public eye, Jack Harvard, 58, wants people to remember him for the good he brought Plano.
That's tough, when the banker-turned-politician-turned-felon-turned-real-estate-broker knows he is not the most popular guy in town. Even today, some former colleagues and acquaintances have few kind words for the guy, not wanting to be publicly linked with him in any way.
In some ways, Mr. Harvard was the right man for Plano at the right time. He came to the city in 1975, a 28-year-old Dallas banker drawn to Plano's inexpensive housing and good schools. In 1983, he helped form a bank. Money was to be made – mountains of it – because the coming thousands would need homes, banks, even cable TV.
A zoning battle over, what else, a big-box store in the neighborhood launched his political career.
By 1977, Mr. Harvard was on the Plano City Council. By 1982, he was mayor of a city cresting 72,000 people.
Plano was growing up.
And if anyone even contemplated Plano and planned to bring jobs, Jack Harvard wanted to talk. Negotiations produced deals.
Mr. Harvard brought people together, so things got done. In clipped tones infused with a drawl, he gushes about accomplishments. He credits others, too.
"My job is a catalyst," he said recently, his Chevy pickup shooting down the Bush Turnpike (its creation a point of satisfaction). "You know, get from one place to another."
There were small details. Securing scads of parkland. Building first-rate roads, foreseeing a future when Central Expressway would not be the only highway through town. A growing city needs a bigger city hall. How about a logo? A contest helped find one.
All the while, Mr. Harvard helmed Willow Bend National Bank. His job as chairman and mayor fit nicely: They involved almost constant people contact, drumming up business for the bank, being the city's public face.
EDS. J.C. Penney. Frito-Lay. Southland Life. The names roll off Mr. Harvard's tongue while passing through the corporate campus sprawl of Legacy in western Plano.
All uttered like a proud father touting his children.
He helped lure many of them here. Even persuaded a local family to give up their namesake, dropping Carpenter Road for Legacy Drive.
By 1990, Mr. Harvard seemed gunning for a fifth term as mayor. But he surprised supporters by saying no: a new business venture needed more time; he was tired.
Some in the city were talking about federal authorities poking around Willow Bend Bank. Then there was Mr. Harvard's divorce and remarriage to his younger bank secretary, a turnoff to some.
Willow Bend eventually failed, and the bank closed. It cost taxpayers an estimated $25 million.
In 1992, Mr. Harvard tried a political comeback – a Texas Senate seat – but ended up third. Taking the spot was Florence Shapiro, who served under Mr. Harvard on the City Council and succeeded him as mayor.
Trouble
Then in October 1994, trouble.
A 14-count indictment tied to activity at the failed bank alleged a range of wrongs amounting to bank fraud, from accepting a bribe to using a blank cashier's check to buy his house.
"When it happened, I had to go have my attorney call and find out, 'What did I do?' " Mr. Harvard said. "Because I didn't understand what they were talking about."
The trial came the following year in Sherman. It was a web of intrigue, with tales of an Indonesian lumber investment and sham transactions.
A jury convicted Mr. Harvard of six federal counts; he was sentenced to seven years.
In a later indictment involving former Mayor David McCall Jr., Mr. Harvard pleaded guilty and received a concurrent sentence. Feds said he provided false information relating to a loan from Plano Savings and Loan, helmed by Mr. McCall. Two mayors from the same city ended up behind bars.
"I was convicted of things that I didn't do," Mr. Harvard said this summer, dwelling on the government's bank fraud case against him. "I have not done anything that was illegal."
Prominent Washington defense lawyer Abbe Lowell represented Mr. Harvard. It is the only complex federal criminal case he has lost, Mr. Lowell said.
"I still wake up thinking about it in the night sometimes," said the lawyer, who represented House Democrats in the Clinton impeachment hearings. "It should not have been."
Yet the government's co-counsel, Michael Savage, said the case was about looking in the bank's checkbook to follow the money. The bank misrepresented the substance of transactions to regulators, making their jobs impossible.
"Mr. Harvard felt he was above the law," said Mr. Savage, now with the U.S. attorney's office in the Western District of North Carolina in Charlotte. "Rules applying to other bankers and banks did not apply to him."
Mr. Harvard was in prison almost four years in Fort Worth. He lost weight and bulked up. His wife and kids saw him every Monday and Friday.
Parole came after that, with supervision ending in 2004 .
He still is paying on more than $1 million in restitution; most of it has been paid or settled, Mr. Harvard said.
"The restitution is something I don't owe. And it irritates me every time I go to write a check," he said. "But you know what? I do what is right to make my life go on."
Prevailing legacy
It still may be too soon to judge Mr. Harvard's time in office. Those were formative years in the city's life, to be sure.
Talk to friends of Jack's, and he gets credit for helping create modern-day Plano.
"He was aggressive as mayor in pursuing the things he and the council thought would be a benefit to the city," said Plano lawyer David McCall III, who occasionally handles closings for companies that Mr. Harvard represents. He is the son of David McCall Jr., who was pardoned last year by President Bush before passing away.
Though not publicly, Mr. Harvard with his trim beard, all gray, still commands a presence. Some acquaintances talked to Mr. Harvard before talking to The Dallas Morning News about Mr. Harvard, as if asking permission. He says they were not given any instructions about what to say or not say.
Mr. Harvard's call list includes Pastor Gerald Brooks of the Grace Outreach Center in Plano. They speak often. Mr. Brooks was with him during the trial and later testified in Mr. Harvard's pursuit to reclaim his real estate license.
"I do think Jack has changed how he keeps score," said Mr. Harvard's longtime friend and pastor. "And I think he's changed it where relationships are more important than achievements."
Yet there are others who say Mr. Harvard's troubles did not surprise. He was just that kind of person. Their descriptions of him are not always kind. A crook. A scoundrel.
There is resentment because Mr. Harvard sullied the city's image.
But none want to say so publicly.
Mr. Harvard had his real estate license revoked while in prison. With a lawyer's help, he asked for it back. Eventually, the Texas Real Estate Commission reinstated the broker license – an action commission staff recommended against.
"The Commission is not satisfied that Jack Charles Harvard would conduct his real estate business with honesty, trustworthiness and integrity" as required by the state Real Estate License Act, a hearing document said in 2001.
Plano Realtor Mike Brodie, an appointee of the governor's, chaired the commission at the time. He says he stepped down during Mr. Harvard's hearing to avoid any appearance of conflict.
The two did not do business together, Mr. Brodie says, but he knew Mr. Harvard during his time as mayor.
For now, Mr. Harvard says, the real estate business is booming at The Nash Group. ("NASH" are the initials of his second wife, Nancy. She works there along with Stan Sewell, a former Carrollton City Council member.)
The firm's territory is mostly North Dallas and Collin and Denton counties, all commercial projects, brokering and developing property. One large project is McKinney Ranch, a more than 500-acre spread in that Collin County sweet spot near the State Highway 121 corridor.
The firm's suite of offices is in a colonial-style building in Addison.
A wall in Mr. Harvard's office is not unlike one found in a senator's office.
Here is a picture of Jack Harvard with Vice President George Bush. Nearby, there is an article from The New York Times about upstart Plano. Over there, a plaque from the Chamber of Commerce. Mixed in are a few works with the scrawls of children; Mr. Harvard has four daughters, three grown.
No more politics
His political ambitions are over, Mr. Harvard says.
He is not into the social scene. Many Jack Harvard sightings happen in area restaurants, people who know him say.
Outside of work, free time is spent with family or on a daughter's ranch in central Texas.
Invitations to groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings do not come. A big disappointment was not being there for openings of the Dallas North Tollway extension and Bush Turnpike.
"And yet I had felt like I probably did as much or more than anybody else in getting those roads built," Mr. Harvard says. "Nancy knows the reason."
His wife sits a few feet away.
"Politics," she says.
He proudly displays a lifetime pass on DART, thanks for his early service on its board. Those invitations still arrive.
Mr. Harvard knows politicians are careful about who they talk to, because of perceptions.
"And I'm not considered the guy to talk to in that respect," he said. "You know, 'He's a convicted felon.' "
Pride, though, comes in ticking off accomplishments. Even small details like "Plano, TX" appearing on a Frito-Lay truck.
The chance to leave has come up. Moving away would undoubtedly be better, as much as he's been beaten up, Mr. Harvard says.
Plano's dealmaker stays.
"I love Plano. I always have and always will. There's a large part of me that's still here. And always will be. I'm a survivor, so forth."
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TexasStooge
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Flu shot eligibility expanded
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - More people in Dallas County will be eligible for flu shots, beginning Monday.
Dallas County Health and Human Services will offer shots to people ages 50 and older, out-of-home caregivers and people who have household contact with those who could develop severe health complications from the flu.
The agency, at 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Shots are $15 for adults and $5 for children, or $10 for children if it's their first visit. Adults on Medicare or Medicaid will receive a shot for free.
At-risk guidelines until today only encompassed adults 65 and older. Other groups eligible for flu shots include children ages 6 to 23 months and people ages 2 to 64 with chronic medical conditions.
Call 214-819-6001.
Christy Robinson contributed to this report
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - More people in Dallas County will be eligible for flu shots, beginning Monday.
Dallas County Health and Human Services will offer shots to people ages 50 and older, out-of-home caregivers and people who have household contact with those who could develop severe health complications from the flu.
The agency, at 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Shots are $15 for adults and $5 for children, or $10 for children if it's their first visit. Adults on Medicare or Medicaid will receive a shot for free.
At-risk guidelines until today only encompassed adults 65 and older. Other groups eligible for flu shots include children ages 6 to 23 months and people ages 2 to 64 with chronic medical conditions.
Call 214-819-6001.
Christy Robinson contributed to this report
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TexasStooge
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Police uncover mail theft ring
Four arrested, charged with forgery; identity theft may be motive
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
Detectives are investigating allegations of mail theft, identity theft and forgery possibly involving hundreds of victims across three North Texas counties.
Four people are in custody, and police are looking for at least one other person in connection with the crimes.
Denton police detective Gary Moors faces many hours on the phone notifying hundreds of victims of an alleged mail theft operation. The three-month investigation has so far uncovered victims in Denton, Collin and Tarrant counties.
"We're calling to make sure and double check to see if there was any other mail that might have been missing from your mailbox," Moors said.
Police said a paper trail helped lead Moors and Detective Rachel Fleming to the four suspects, who were arrested and charged with forgery.
"We started getting some mail fraud - people that were stealing from mail boxes where people would put out their outgoing mail and someone would come by and steal it," said Denton Police spokesman Jim Bryan.
Officers recovered piles of mail at a Denton apartment.
"These are like greeting cards that were in the mail, some checks ... there's a Home Depot card," Moors said.
The police investigation led detectives to many victims in one Denton neighborhood, some of whom don't even know their mail is missing.
Gayle Maxson mailed two letters that never reached their destination, so she wants to know if her mail is among those allegedly stolen.
"We have a lot of bills that go out and a lot of checks, and so there's some concerns that something like that might be missing one of these days," Maxson said.
Maxson said she's proud of the police investigation that, according to detectives, is far from over.
Police said more charges could follow as more evidence is uncovered.
Four arrested, charged with forgery; identity theft may be motive
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
Detectives are investigating allegations of mail theft, identity theft and forgery possibly involving hundreds of victims across three North Texas counties.
Four people are in custody, and police are looking for at least one other person in connection with the crimes.
Denton police detective Gary Moors faces many hours on the phone notifying hundreds of victims of an alleged mail theft operation. The three-month investigation has so far uncovered victims in Denton, Collin and Tarrant counties.
"We're calling to make sure and double check to see if there was any other mail that might have been missing from your mailbox," Moors said.
Police said a paper trail helped lead Moors and Detective Rachel Fleming to the four suspects, who were arrested and charged with forgery.
"We started getting some mail fraud - people that were stealing from mail boxes where people would put out their outgoing mail and someone would come by and steal it," said Denton Police spokesman Jim Bryan.
Officers recovered piles of mail at a Denton apartment.
"These are like greeting cards that were in the mail, some checks ... there's a Home Depot card," Moors said.
The police investigation led detectives to many victims in one Denton neighborhood, some of whom don't even know their mail is missing.
Gayle Maxson mailed two letters that never reached their destination, so she wants to know if her mail is among those allegedly stolen.
"We have a lot of bills that go out and a lot of checks, and so there's some concerns that something like that might be missing one of these days," Maxson said.
Maxson said she's proud of the police investigation that, according to detectives, is far from over.
Police said more charges could follow as more evidence is uncovered.
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TexasStooge
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Paralyzed FW officer back on the job
Ramsey shot during 2003 undercover operation, will now work in gang unit
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - The new year brings with it a new job for Fort Worth police officer Lisa Ramsey.
Two years ago, Ramsey was shot and paralyzed while working undercover, and some thought her police career was over.
But she has proven that hard work and humor pay off, as she returned to work Monday as a full-time officer in the department's gang unit.
Ramsey felt anxious as she headed in to her new job.
"I want to be productive," she said. "I don't want to come back and get a free ride, or have too many allowances made for me."
On January 2, 2003, the eight-year veteran was working as an undercover narcotics officer, about to carry out a drug buy and bust at a small grocery store, when the owner mistook her for a robber. She was shot and the bullet lodged in her spine, leaving Ramsey on the brink of death. She would face a grueling period of rehabilitation and recovery.
"It happened to be the day that forever changed my life and my daughter's life, but life goes on," she said.
The Fort Worth Police Gang Unit welcomed Ramsey, who will keep tabs on gang intelligence.
"If I get all the pieces to the puzzle together, then when field officers come in and need information I should have it all ready for them," she said.
A single mother, Ramsey has overcome many challenges as she learned to live in a chair.
"You know there are a lot of things they said I'd never be able to do, and I am capable of doing a lot," she said. "My legs are already holding up to 50% of my body weight, so everything I try I excel at."
Co-workers say Ramsey, whose prognosis was bleak following the shooting, provides inspiration through her drive.
"She's given more than most have here, and it's just good to have her back," said Fort Worth Police Sgt. Marie Ornelas.
"I wasn't even supposed to make it," Ramsey said. "We're just kind of coming full circle now."
Ramsey shot during 2003 undercover operation, will now work in gang unit
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - The new year brings with it a new job for Fort Worth police officer Lisa Ramsey.
Two years ago, Ramsey was shot and paralyzed while working undercover, and some thought her police career was over.
But she has proven that hard work and humor pay off, as she returned to work Monday as a full-time officer in the department's gang unit.
Ramsey felt anxious as she headed in to her new job.
"I want to be productive," she said. "I don't want to come back and get a free ride, or have too many allowances made for me."
On January 2, 2003, the eight-year veteran was working as an undercover narcotics officer, about to carry out a drug buy and bust at a small grocery store, when the owner mistook her for a robber. She was shot and the bullet lodged in her spine, leaving Ramsey on the brink of death. She would face a grueling period of rehabilitation and recovery.
"It happened to be the day that forever changed my life and my daughter's life, but life goes on," she said.
The Fort Worth Police Gang Unit welcomed Ramsey, who will keep tabs on gang intelligence.
"If I get all the pieces to the puzzle together, then when field officers come in and need information I should have it all ready for them," she said.
A single mother, Ramsey has overcome many challenges as she learned to live in a chair.
"You know there are a lot of things they said I'd never be able to do, and I am capable of doing a lot," she said. "My legs are already holding up to 50% of my body weight, so everything I try I excel at."
Co-workers say Ramsey, whose prognosis was bleak following the shooting, provides inspiration through her drive.
"She's given more than most have here, and it's just good to have her back," said Fort Worth Police Sgt. Marie Ornelas.
"I wasn't even supposed to make it," Ramsey said. "We're just kind of coming full circle now."
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TexasStooge
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Journal describes student's stabbing
Man's account says he and Colony teen had discussed her death
By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO, Texas – Frisco police on Monday released the journal of a man who authorities believe stabbed a high school girl with a sword before he shot a police officer and killed himself.
Charles Anthony Owen, 21, describes the Oct. 16 stabbing of Tamara Jobes, 18, and how they talked about her death beforehand.
He never directly writes that The Colony teenager wanted to die, although police say she may have agreed to the killing on the railroad tracks between Frisco and The Colony.
"Two days ago I killed a girl her last name was Jobes," he wrote in his journal, which is filled with misspellings and little punctuation. "She just happened [sic] to be there talking to me the stranges[t] thing to me is the whole time we were talking we talked about death suicide and killing I even got us started on what would happen to us if we died right now I was nice enough to ask if she had anything in her pockets that she didn't want found on her. She said she didn't care ..."
Police say the journal leads them to believe Ms. Jobes wanted to die, but Frisco police Sgt. Gina McFarlin said investigators will never have a complete picture of what happened.
Mr. Owen wrote that he pulled out the sword as they were walking and slowed down to get behind her. He said the two had discussed decapitation because it would be quick. However, he wrote that he went toward her with the sword several times and missed once before stabbing her repeatedly in the back and neck.
Ms. Jobes' body was found the next day. A witness, who Mr. Owen refers to in his journal, told police that he saw the pair near where the girl's body was found. Police traced Mr. Owen to his loft in Sherman.
He shot Frisco police Detective Leah Apple in the hip with a high-powered rifle as officers attempted to serve a murder warrant. He then shot himself.
Detective Apple is still recovering.
Scott Jobes, the student's father, could not be reached for comment Monday. He has previously denied his daughter had a death wish.
"She was not suicidal regardless of what some deranged individual chose to write in his journal to justify her murder to himself," Mr. Jobes has said. "A stable person doesn't stab a girl to death or shoot a police officer."Police had previously declined to release the contents of the journal and writings by Ms. Jobes. They said releasing them would interfere with the investigation. Sgt. McFarlin said she was unsure whether the department would release Ms. Jobes' writings.
Investigators are waiting on lab results to determine whether her DNA is on Mr. Owen's sword, Sgt. McFarlin said.
Mr. Owen never calls Ms. Jobes by her first name in the journal and does not mention how well he knew her. People who lived in his Sherman apartment building said they had seen her there.Mr. Owen wrote that he planned to wait in his apartment until "they come for me." He considered fleeing to Florida and Canada.
The day Ms. Jobes died, Oct. 16, is the only dated entry in the journal. The entry from that day appears to have been written before Ms. Jobes died. It is about about a friend of Mr. Owens who committed suicide three years ago on that date. .
"I don't know what I have become I don't care if I die, but I would rather kill all of you and be killed than to take my own life so if nothing else I will have made someone kill," he wrote. "I still think deep inside me that is afraid to kill."
Man's account says he and Colony teen had discussed her death
By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO, Texas – Frisco police on Monday released the journal of a man who authorities believe stabbed a high school girl with a sword before he shot a police officer and killed himself.
Charles Anthony Owen, 21, describes the Oct. 16 stabbing of Tamara Jobes, 18, and how they talked about her death beforehand.
He never directly writes that The Colony teenager wanted to die, although police say she may have agreed to the killing on the railroad tracks between Frisco and The Colony.
"Two days ago I killed a girl her last name was Jobes," he wrote in his journal, which is filled with misspellings and little punctuation. "She just happened [sic] to be there talking to me the stranges[t] thing to me is the whole time we were talking we talked about death suicide and killing I even got us started on what would happen to us if we died right now I was nice enough to ask if she had anything in her pockets that she didn't want found on her. She said she didn't care ..."
Police say the journal leads them to believe Ms. Jobes wanted to die, but Frisco police Sgt. Gina McFarlin said investigators will never have a complete picture of what happened.
Mr. Owen wrote that he pulled out the sword as they were walking and slowed down to get behind her. He said the two had discussed decapitation because it would be quick. However, he wrote that he went toward her with the sword several times and missed once before stabbing her repeatedly in the back and neck.
Ms. Jobes' body was found the next day. A witness, who Mr. Owen refers to in his journal, told police that he saw the pair near where the girl's body was found. Police traced Mr. Owen to his loft in Sherman.
He shot Frisco police Detective Leah Apple in the hip with a high-powered rifle as officers attempted to serve a murder warrant. He then shot himself.
Detective Apple is still recovering.
Scott Jobes, the student's father, could not be reached for comment Monday. He has previously denied his daughter had a death wish.
"She was not suicidal regardless of what some deranged individual chose to write in his journal to justify her murder to himself," Mr. Jobes has said. "A stable person doesn't stab a girl to death or shoot a police officer."Police had previously declined to release the contents of the journal and writings by Ms. Jobes. They said releasing them would interfere with the investigation. Sgt. McFarlin said she was unsure whether the department would release Ms. Jobes' writings.
Investigators are waiting on lab results to determine whether her DNA is on Mr. Owen's sword, Sgt. McFarlin said.
Mr. Owen never calls Ms. Jobes by her first name in the journal and does not mention how well he knew her. People who lived in his Sherman apartment building said they had seen her there.Mr. Owen wrote that he planned to wait in his apartment until "they come for me." He considered fleeing to Florida and Canada.
The day Ms. Jobes died, Oct. 16, is the only dated entry in the journal. The entry from that day appears to have been written before Ms. Jobes died. It is about about a friend of Mr. Owens who committed suicide three years ago on that date. .
"I don't know what I have become I don't care if I die, but I would rather kill all of you and be killed than to take my own life so if nothing else I will have made someone kill," he wrote. "I still think deep inside me that is afraid to kill."
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TexasStooge
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Church favors boots-and-jeans crowd
By LINDA STEWART BALL / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas - The Narrow Trail Cowboy Church in Plano may seem like a study in contradictions to some.
Held beneath a covered patio at the Love and War In Texas restaurant, it attracts more suburban professionals than real rural cowhands.
Yet, it's one of three so-called cowboy churches that have sprung up in Collin County in recent months with moral support from the Collin Baptist Association. Statewide, there are more than 30.
This is a place where folks say they can worship God in pointy-toed cowboy boots or comfy tennis shoes without feeling judged or preached at.
"It's really laid back," said restaurant owner and church co-founder Tye Phelps, who provides a free migas-and-venison-sausage breakfast half an hour before the 9:30 a.m. Sunday service starts. "The people who tend to show up are those who don't feel comfortable in typical church surroundings."
The Narrow Trail Cowboy Church is far from traditional or typical.
For starters, there are no crosses in this Christian church. Neon beer signs cover its rustic wood and stone walls. Picnic tables are the pews, on which folks put their Bibles or steaming cups of java.
And the restaurant's Shiner Texas Music Stage – an unabashed ad for the beer – is the pulpit.
Someone once cracked that the church could use a beer cooler as a baptismal pool.
Given the high cost of land in these parts, churches have been held in some pretty unusual spaces, including storefronts, movie theaters, hotels and schools. But a restaurant/bar?
"It doesn't matter where you are, if you're praising the Lord it can be in a bar or a church," said singer/songwriter Austin Cunningham, one of several country musicians who have performed at the restaurant on a Saturday night and swung back by to play more Gospel-oriented tunes at the church Sunday morning.
His song "The Narrow Trail" was a hit at the first service 10 weeks ago. The lyrics tell of a cowboy who is "lured down a deceptive canyon by a whiskey bottle and saloon girl's smile." The cowboy is trying to stay on a straight and narrow trail.
The congregation quickly claimed the song's title as its own.
"The music is a big part of it," Mr. Phelps said of the church's appeal.
About 30 people, including a handful of children, come each week.
"I love it," said Hoot Gibson, 57, of Frisco, who rides a longhorn steer, sports a handlebar moustache and wears one of the few wide-brimmed hats to church. "Everybody is so friendly," Mr. Gibson said. "It's real personable."
Many said the relaxed and informal fellowship, complete with good-natured ribbing, is a big draw.
They don't pass an offering plate at the Narrow Trail church. A metal bucket marked "tips" sits at the door, where some leave donations.
"We don't want to scare people off," said preacher John Myers, 42, a part-time student at the Dallas Theological Seminary who makes his living selling commercial real estate and restoring buildings.
Though he grew up on a farm/ranch in Kansas, Mr. Myers said he got "citified" and longed to return to his rural roots. He's raising his family in Lucas and was intrigued by the notion of the Cowboy Church he came across in his religious studies.
When he heard Mr. Phelps reminiscing on the radio about cowboy camp meetings he attended in his youth in Kerrville, he knew he had found a kindred spirit.
"It's kind of a new phenomenon, an awakening going on across Texas and the country," Mr. Myers said of the church. "The first one was started up in Nashville ..."
Locally, there are start-up cowboy churches in Celina, Royse City, and the community of Rhea Mills, northwest of McKinney. And more established services in Waxahachie and Fort Worth.
"There are no pretensions, you can just be who you are," said Richard Hagar, director of church-starting for the Collin Baptist Association, which assists 105 churches in Collin County.
Organizers admit that Narrow Trail isn't a "true cowboy church" in the sense that folks have manure on their boots. It's more an Old West attitude.
"There are only a few hats here, and we take them off when we're praying," Mr. Myers said. "It's a church for people who don't care for church.
"I'm looking for people who have been out drinking Friday night and the wife has been saying 'Go to church.' "
He says he seeks to change lives through the scriptures.
So when he takes the stage in his new black cowboy hat and Western shirt, he keeps his message simple and guilt-free: God is love and offers forgiveness through Jesus.
Gerald Johnson, 47, a computer technician, said he was raised Baptist and had been going to a big church but never felt at ease.
"This is a little unorthodox, but it's great," Mr. Johnson said.
Last Sunday, as the rain poured down on the white tent-top attached to the restaurant's patio, the congregation tuned out the swoosh of cars driving by on Plano Parkway. Folks leaned forward to hear the soft-spoken testimony of a McKinney man who recently toured the Holy land and said he stood where Moses once did.
The congregation listened in reverent awe. Mr. Myers followed up with an equally sober prayer.
"This is so wonderful," said Susie Coffman, 51, an executive assistant at Brookhaven College, after a recent Narrow Trail service. "You go away from here feeling like you've been to church. It's uplifting."
By LINDA STEWART BALL / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas - The Narrow Trail Cowboy Church in Plano may seem like a study in contradictions to some.
Held beneath a covered patio at the Love and War In Texas restaurant, it attracts more suburban professionals than real rural cowhands.
Yet, it's one of three so-called cowboy churches that have sprung up in Collin County in recent months with moral support from the Collin Baptist Association. Statewide, there are more than 30.
This is a place where folks say they can worship God in pointy-toed cowboy boots or comfy tennis shoes without feeling judged or preached at.
"It's really laid back," said restaurant owner and church co-founder Tye Phelps, who provides a free migas-and-venison-sausage breakfast half an hour before the 9:30 a.m. Sunday service starts. "The people who tend to show up are those who don't feel comfortable in typical church surroundings."
The Narrow Trail Cowboy Church is far from traditional or typical.
For starters, there are no crosses in this Christian church. Neon beer signs cover its rustic wood and stone walls. Picnic tables are the pews, on which folks put their Bibles or steaming cups of java.
And the restaurant's Shiner Texas Music Stage – an unabashed ad for the beer – is the pulpit.
Someone once cracked that the church could use a beer cooler as a baptismal pool.
Given the high cost of land in these parts, churches have been held in some pretty unusual spaces, including storefronts, movie theaters, hotels and schools. But a restaurant/bar?
"It doesn't matter where you are, if you're praising the Lord it can be in a bar or a church," said singer/songwriter Austin Cunningham, one of several country musicians who have performed at the restaurant on a Saturday night and swung back by to play more Gospel-oriented tunes at the church Sunday morning.
His song "The Narrow Trail" was a hit at the first service 10 weeks ago. The lyrics tell of a cowboy who is "lured down a deceptive canyon by a whiskey bottle and saloon girl's smile." The cowboy is trying to stay on a straight and narrow trail.
The congregation quickly claimed the song's title as its own.
"The music is a big part of it," Mr. Phelps said of the church's appeal.
About 30 people, including a handful of children, come each week.
"I love it," said Hoot Gibson, 57, of Frisco, who rides a longhorn steer, sports a handlebar moustache and wears one of the few wide-brimmed hats to church. "Everybody is so friendly," Mr. Gibson said. "It's real personable."
Many said the relaxed and informal fellowship, complete with good-natured ribbing, is a big draw.
They don't pass an offering plate at the Narrow Trail church. A metal bucket marked "tips" sits at the door, where some leave donations.
"We don't want to scare people off," said preacher John Myers, 42, a part-time student at the Dallas Theological Seminary who makes his living selling commercial real estate and restoring buildings.
Though he grew up on a farm/ranch in Kansas, Mr. Myers said he got "citified" and longed to return to his rural roots. He's raising his family in Lucas and was intrigued by the notion of the Cowboy Church he came across in his religious studies.
When he heard Mr. Phelps reminiscing on the radio about cowboy camp meetings he attended in his youth in Kerrville, he knew he had found a kindred spirit.
"It's kind of a new phenomenon, an awakening going on across Texas and the country," Mr. Myers said of the church. "The first one was started up in Nashville ..."
Locally, there are start-up cowboy churches in Celina, Royse City, and the community of Rhea Mills, northwest of McKinney. And more established services in Waxahachie and Fort Worth.
"There are no pretensions, you can just be who you are," said Richard Hagar, director of church-starting for the Collin Baptist Association, which assists 105 churches in Collin County.
Organizers admit that Narrow Trail isn't a "true cowboy church" in the sense that folks have manure on their boots. It's more an Old West attitude.
"There are only a few hats here, and we take them off when we're praying," Mr. Myers said. "It's a church for people who don't care for church.
"I'm looking for people who have been out drinking Friday night and the wife has been saying 'Go to church.' "
He says he seeks to change lives through the scriptures.
So when he takes the stage in his new black cowboy hat and Western shirt, he keeps his message simple and guilt-free: God is love and offers forgiveness through Jesus.
Gerald Johnson, 47, a computer technician, said he was raised Baptist and had been going to a big church but never felt at ease.
"This is a little unorthodox, but it's great," Mr. Johnson said.
Last Sunday, as the rain poured down on the white tent-top attached to the restaurant's patio, the congregation tuned out the swoosh of cars driving by on Plano Parkway. Folks leaned forward to hear the soft-spoken testimony of a McKinney man who recently toured the Holy land and said he stood where Moses once did.
The congregation listened in reverent awe. Mr. Myers followed up with an equally sober prayer.
"This is so wonderful," said Susie Coffman, 51, an executive assistant at Brookhaven College, after a recent Narrow Trail service. "You go away from here feeling like you've been to church. It's uplifting."
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TexasStooge wrote:Granger vows fight to protect Lockheed's Raptor
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - The F/A-22 Raptor fighter jet supports well over 1,000 jobs at Fort Worth's second-largest employer, Lockheed Martin.
Pentagon officials want to cut funding for the Raptor to offset increasing costs of war and rising budget deficits - but they'll have to go through Congress to do it.
Each Raptor costs more than $250 million. The Air Force plans to buy 277, although it originally wanted three times that many, and now the Pentagon wants that number to be cut even more to save money.
Congresswoman Kay Granger has fought for the Raptor ever since she went to Washington eight years ago.
"It's going to be a fight," she said.
The Air Force currently has about 30 Raptors, although one of them crashed on Monday. Granger said the F-22 is vital to America's security.
"We're listening to the military," Granger said. "The military says we have to have these programs; that's who I listen to."
Jay Miller is writing a book on development of the F-22. He said if the Pentagon cuts production, the cost per plane will shoot up.
"This is a very vulnerable program," Miller said. "That unit cost will easily break $300 million. That's astronomical, and virtually impossible to justify."
Miller said the F-22 could lose support for another reason.
"The issue is that if those numbers are reduced down to 150 (or) 160 airplanes, the Air Force stands back and says, 'what good is this airplane to us? What can we do with 150 to 160 FA-22's?' The answer is, not a whole lot."
The Raptor was hatched in the years before record deficits and the war on terror. It quite possibly can lick anything else in the air, but first it must survive another budget battle.
Said Granger, "Are these programs still necessary for our national defense? The answer resoundingly is, absolutely they are."
This link provides a little more info:
http://ebird.afis.osd.mil/ebfiles/e20050104344070.html
Wall Street Journal
January 4, 2005
Pg. 3
Defense Cuts Would Strike Lockheed, Northrop
Contractors Stand to Lose Billions of Dollars in Orders As Pentagon Tightens Belt
By Jonathan Karp, Staff Reporter Of The Wall Street Journal
Big defense contractors Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. stand to take the biggest hits from $30 billion in proposed budget cuts as the Pentagon tightens its belt amid the rising cost of the war in Iraq.
Under the proposed cuts, outlined in a recently prepared Pentagon document, Lockheed stands to lose $18 billion of business over the next six years, mostly because of reduced Air Force purchases of the F/A-22 fighter jet. Northrop would lose some $8 billion over the same period as the Navy retires ships and scales back its next-generation fleet.
Lockheed expects overall 2004 sales of $34 billion, while Northrop expects 2004 sales of $29 billion.
The document itemizing the proposed budget cuts was approved Dec. 23 by Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal yesterday.
The proposals are part of a sweeping effort ordered by President Bush to cut the federal deficit. Cuts proposed during wartime could underscore to Congress, which must approve defense spending, the administration's determination to reduce the Pentagon's budget.
Still, word of potential cuts already has aroused opposition on Capitol Hill. The proposals also reveal how Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who entered office aiming to overhaul the U.S. military forces, has had to change tack as the cost of the war in Iraq has grown.
The Pentagon's proposal includes cutting some $55 billion in spending, mostly in the Air Force and Navy, but adding more than $25 billion, mostly in the Army. The proposal was reported yesterday by InsideDefense.com.
Besides cutting a range of weapons programs, the Pentagon proposes slashing $12 billion in contracting support services, even as its contracting practices have come under increased scrutiny.
The proposed budget cuts would take effect in fiscal 2006, which starts Oct. 1, and continue through fiscal 2011. The Pentagon proposes to cut the purchase of Lockheed's F/A-22 fighter by 96 airplanes, or a third of the program, shaving $10.5 billion in costs.
The F/A-22 is a stealth fighter with a longer range at supersonic speeds than current tactical fighter planes. Critics say it is too expensive -- currently around $250 million per plane, including development costs -- and a holdover from Cold War planning to fight the former Soviet Union.
From its Bethesda, Md., headquarters, Lockheed spokesman Tom Jurkowsky said the company "has not been notified of changes to any of our programs. If reductions do occur, most would not take effect for several years and, in the case of the F/A-22, for example, we believe the aircraft will prove its value." Work for the F/A-22 is performed in 43 states, giving it a broad political support base.
The Pentagon proposal included some surprise reductions, also at Lockheed's expense. These include $5 billion from the proposed termination of the C-130J cargo plane and $2.3 billion from scrapping the Joint Common Missile, an air-to-surface weapon for which Lockheed won a contract just last year. Much of the work on F/A-22 and C-130J is done at the company's Marietta, Ga., plant.
Lockheed did receive some consolation: The proposed cuts spare the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which at more than $200 billion is the Pentagon's single largest weapons program.
Los Angeles-based Northrop faces reduced purchases of its DDX destroyer, a new type of amphibious ship and Virginia-class nuclear submarines. Instead of two submarines a year, the Navy would buy just one a year during the six-year span. Such a move also would harm General Dynamics Corp., which divides the submarine production with Northrop.
A Northrop spokesman said the company hasn't been informed of any program changes and declined to comment further, calling the matter "speculative."
Many of the cuts in the Air Force and Navy are being proposed to relieve pressure on the Army, which has borne the brunt of expenses -- and wear and tear -- in Iraq. Under the Pentagon's proposed budget plan, the Army could get $25 billion in extra funds over the next six years, but it isn't guaranteed. The Army's centerpiece program, Future Combat Systems, has been delayed to shift funding to current operations.
Under the newly proposed budget cuts, Boeing Co. would be hit by $5 billion in reductions for missile defense. Boeing leads a team of industry partners in the ground-based portion of the system to intercept enemy missiles. The Chicago-based aerospace giant and its joint-venture partner, Textron Inc., also would lose $1.2 billion in their tilt rotor V-22 Osprey aircraft program, the document says.
In 4 p.m. composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Lockheed fell $1.34 to $54.21, while Northrop declined 71 cents to $53.65.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
House CPS proposal raises cigarette tax
Panel: $1 hike would add workers to save adult, child agencies
By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas should raise cigarette taxes by $1 a pack so it can hire more investigators and crack down on abuse of children and the elderly, a House panel recommended Monday.
The documented failures of Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services to prevent harm to vulnerable Texans can't be tolerated and require swift action, the Human Services Committee said after a yearlong study of the two troubled agencies.
The committee's report warned that Texas is a prime target for a class-action lawsuit that could strip lawmakers and agency officials of control of its child-welfare agency.
"The danger that Texas could lose control of CPS reform through lawsuits and court orders is real," the report says.
The House panel is headed by a Democrat, Rep. Carlos Uresti of San Antonio. All four of the committee's Democrats signed the document; three of its five Republican members signed, while the others were largely absent from meetings because they were running for Congress.
Unlike previous recommendations by a Republican-led House panel on foster care, Senate leaders and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Mr. Uresti's committee specified how to raise more revenue – increase the state's cigarette tax to $1.41 per pack, from 41 cents.
"This emergency situation is costing human lives," Mr. Uresti said. "CPS and APS reform must be a top priority when we meet" this session.
The Human Services Committee would dedicate the $1.5 billion raised from the tax over the next two years to restore "human services spending, with an emphasis on child welfare programs."
The panel did not specify how many caseworkers should be hired, but it suggested that CPS employees' workload should be reduced within 10 years to the level recommended by the Child Welfare League of America. That group calls for child-abuse investigators to have no more than 12 active cases each month; Texas' investigators face an average of 75 cases per month, the panel said.
The head of a parents' rights group countered, though, that expanding the workforce could mean more parents' rights are violated.
"When you add more money and more caseworkers, you tend to get more removals, and that tends to mean more trauma for the children," said Peter Johnston, president of the Texas Center for Family Rights.
The panel also urged caution on a staple feature of the GOP proposals – hiring private agencies to run foster and adoption services.
"Privatization is no cure-all," the House panel warned. "Privatization schemes should be attempted first on a pilot program basis."
At APS, the report urges – without giving specifics – that prosecutions and criminal penalties for abuse of the elderly be strengthened and calls for a legislative review of guardianship services.
Last month, a body of judges, lawyers and experts created to advise state officials on guardianship issues warned of a statewide "crisis" that has left at least 50,000 elderly and disabled Texans without access to guardianship services.
---------------------------------------------------------
OTHER PROPOSALS FOR OVERHAUL
Highlights of state officials' various proposals for revamping child and adult protection services:
SENATE BILL
Privatize child-welfare work, as well as recruitment and management of foster-care providers; require police in large counties to join investigations of potential criminal abuse of children.
COMPTROLLER'S PLAN
Hire private agencies to recruit and train foster parents; boost spending on foster-care enforcement; remove children from therapeutic camps that do not meet permanent licensing regulations.
HOUSE SPECIAL PANEL'S REPORT
Revoke visiting rights for parents lodging false reports of child abuse against the child's other parent; use private agencies to manage cases, as well as to recruit and train foster parents; provide a state-funded lawyer for poor parents before children are removed; force pharmacists to report doctors who prescribe three or more mental health drugs for a child.
HOUSE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
Increase cigarette taxes to hire more caseworkers, encourage a "culture of openness" and provide money to hire more clerical support staff.
STILL TO COME
The state Health and Human Services Commission's recommendations.
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research
Panel: $1 hike would add workers to save adult, child agencies
By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas should raise cigarette taxes by $1 a pack so it can hire more investigators and crack down on abuse of children and the elderly, a House panel recommended Monday.
The documented failures of Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services to prevent harm to vulnerable Texans can't be tolerated and require swift action, the Human Services Committee said after a yearlong study of the two troubled agencies.
The committee's report warned that Texas is a prime target for a class-action lawsuit that could strip lawmakers and agency officials of control of its child-welfare agency.
"The danger that Texas could lose control of CPS reform through lawsuits and court orders is real," the report says.
The House panel is headed by a Democrat, Rep. Carlos Uresti of San Antonio. All four of the committee's Democrats signed the document; three of its five Republican members signed, while the others were largely absent from meetings because they were running for Congress.
Unlike previous recommendations by a Republican-led House panel on foster care, Senate leaders and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Mr. Uresti's committee specified how to raise more revenue – increase the state's cigarette tax to $1.41 per pack, from 41 cents.
"This emergency situation is costing human lives," Mr. Uresti said. "CPS and APS reform must be a top priority when we meet" this session.
The Human Services Committee would dedicate the $1.5 billion raised from the tax over the next two years to restore "human services spending, with an emphasis on child welfare programs."
The panel did not specify how many caseworkers should be hired, but it suggested that CPS employees' workload should be reduced within 10 years to the level recommended by the Child Welfare League of America. That group calls for child-abuse investigators to have no more than 12 active cases each month; Texas' investigators face an average of 75 cases per month, the panel said.
The head of a parents' rights group countered, though, that expanding the workforce could mean more parents' rights are violated.
"When you add more money and more caseworkers, you tend to get more removals, and that tends to mean more trauma for the children," said Peter Johnston, president of the Texas Center for Family Rights.
The panel also urged caution on a staple feature of the GOP proposals – hiring private agencies to run foster and adoption services.
"Privatization is no cure-all," the House panel warned. "Privatization schemes should be attempted first on a pilot program basis."
At APS, the report urges – without giving specifics – that prosecutions and criminal penalties for abuse of the elderly be strengthened and calls for a legislative review of guardianship services.
Last month, a body of judges, lawyers and experts created to advise state officials on guardianship issues warned of a statewide "crisis" that has left at least 50,000 elderly and disabled Texans without access to guardianship services.
---------------------------------------------------------
OTHER PROPOSALS FOR OVERHAUL
Highlights of state officials' various proposals for revamping child and adult protection services:
SENATE BILL
Privatize child-welfare work, as well as recruitment and management of foster-care providers; require police in large counties to join investigations of potential criminal abuse of children.
COMPTROLLER'S PLAN
Hire private agencies to recruit and train foster parents; boost spending on foster-care enforcement; remove children from therapeutic camps that do not meet permanent licensing regulations.
HOUSE SPECIAL PANEL'S REPORT
Revoke visiting rights for parents lodging false reports of child abuse against the child's other parent; use private agencies to manage cases, as well as to recruit and train foster parents; provide a state-funded lawyer for poor parents before children are removed; force pharmacists to report doctors who prescribe three or more mental health drugs for a child.
HOUSE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
Increase cigarette taxes to hire more caseworkers, encourage a "culture of openness" and provide money to hire more clerical support staff.
STILL TO COME
The state Health and Human Services Commission's recommendations.
SOURCE: Dallas Morning News research
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
North Texans pray for tsunami victims
By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News
Many in North Texas are turning to their faith in an effort to reconcile devastation previously off the scale of human imagination.
They went to their temples, churches and mosques, offering and receiving comfort.
"As a human, we are all connected, one way or the other," said Mahesh Shah of Carrollton.
Mr. Shah attended a deepa puja –a prayer of light – Sunday morning at the DFW Hindu Temple in Irving. The Hindu service honored victims of the catastrophic event.
In southwest Dallas, Bishop T.D. Jakes encouraged his congregation at the Potter's House to be thankful.
The tsunamis impacted "Christians and non-Christians, the just and the unjust" alike, he said.
No matter how bad things are in our lives, we are alive and should be thankful, he said. But the living shouldn't feel they are better than those who were killed, but rather know that God extended his "grace and mercy" to the survivors, something to be thankful for.
In DeSoto, the Rev. Gerald Sevick, rector of St. Anne Episcopal Church, offered a similar message of understanding as well as a call to help.
"We may not have all the answers, but we are called to respond. We have a holy response and if we do not respond, we deny the power of our faith that calls us to reach out to those who are suffering and in grief, sharing with them the message that God joins them in the pain that they are experiencing," Father Sevick said.
Episcopal churches nationwide are distributing a special call for giving to the relief effort.
Temple Emanu-El in Dallas is also collecting money for the relief effort. Members can make donations to Temple Emanu-El that will be forwarded to the Union for Reform Judaism in New York, said Macki Ellenbogen, the temple's assistant executive director. The congregation members also have received information on how to donate directly to the New York organization.
In Coppell, the Rev. Dennis Wilkinson, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Coppell, addressed the tragedy and urged parishioners to respond.
"Why in the world do these things happen?" Mr. Wilkinson said. "Where is God when these things happen?
"It's a mystery. ... One of the places that God is, is in the responses people all over the world are making."
On Saturday night in Euless, about 200 people gathered to honor tsunami victims through prayer and song.
Members of Lighthouse Indonesian Church donated more than $6,000 for the relief effort. Some of the money came from children who contributed coins.
The disaster resonates among church members, many of whom have relatives and friends living in Indonesia, parts of which were hit hard by the tsunami.
"It's small-scale, but it's a token of our concern," pastor Eddy Wiriadinata said of the donation . "We feel united. We feel that we're close with our brothers and sisters over there."
Lights were dimmed during the service as members lit candles and sang. They sang about their homeland. And they sang "Amazing Grace." They were accompanied by members who shook angklungs, instruments made of bamboo that emit various pitches.
Some members made their prayers public.
"Please help the kids who have missing parents," one girl said. "Please help them to find their parents again."
"We ask that you bless the victims of the tsunami," one woman said. "Bless them all. Bless their families, and let their faith in this time of sorrow strengthen them."
Syed Danish, events manager and customer service representative with the Islamic Association of North Texas and the Dallas Central Mosque, said his members add the victims to each of their five daily prayers. The Islamic Association is urging donations of money and clothing through its Web site, http://www.iant.com.
Also on Saturday, the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a socio-spiritual organization, gathered to raise funds, pray and sing bhajans for those affected by the tsunami.
"This is a natural disaster of international proportions, and it is the duty of us all to help in whatever way we can," said Jay Patel, who works with the nonprofit BAPS Care International.
The deepa puja Sunday at the DFW Hindu Temple in Irving lasted about one hour and was the beginning of a day of worship.
Across town, the Vajradakini Buddhist Center for Meditation had just completed a 24-hour New Year's meditation event for the tsunami victims.
"As Buddhists, we understand suffering happens all the time," said Gen Kelsang Sangye, resident teacher at the center, before the final prayer session began. "So we make these prayers – as we make prayers every day – to bring an end to the suffering."
Staff writers Eric Aasen, Katie Menzer, Kristen Holland and Tim Connolly and special contributors Regina Burns and Betsy Simnacher contributed to this report.
By JOE SIMNACHER / The Dallas Morning News
Many in North Texas are turning to their faith in an effort to reconcile devastation previously off the scale of human imagination.
They went to their temples, churches and mosques, offering and receiving comfort.
"As a human, we are all connected, one way or the other," said Mahesh Shah of Carrollton.
Mr. Shah attended a deepa puja –a prayer of light – Sunday morning at the DFW Hindu Temple in Irving. The Hindu service honored victims of the catastrophic event.
In southwest Dallas, Bishop T.D. Jakes encouraged his congregation at the Potter's House to be thankful.
The tsunamis impacted "Christians and non-Christians, the just and the unjust" alike, he said.
No matter how bad things are in our lives, we are alive and should be thankful, he said. But the living shouldn't feel they are better than those who were killed, but rather know that God extended his "grace and mercy" to the survivors, something to be thankful for.
In DeSoto, the Rev. Gerald Sevick, rector of St. Anne Episcopal Church, offered a similar message of understanding as well as a call to help.
"We may not have all the answers, but we are called to respond. We have a holy response and if we do not respond, we deny the power of our faith that calls us to reach out to those who are suffering and in grief, sharing with them the message that God joins them in the pain that they are experiencing," Father Sevick said.
Episcopal churches nationwide are distributing a special call for giving to the relief effort.
Temple Emanu-El in Dallas is also collecting money for the relief effort. Members can make donations to Temple Emanu-El that will be forwarded to the Union for Reform Judaism in New York, said Macki Ellenbogen, the temple's assistant executive director. The congregation members also have received information on how to donate directly to the New York organization.
In Coppell, the Rev. Dennis Wilkinson, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Coppell, addressed the tragedy and urged parishioners to respond.
"Why in the world do these things happen?" Mr. Wilkinson said. "Where is God when these things happen?
"It's a mystery. ... One of the places that God is, is in the responses people all over the world are making."
On Saturday night in Euless, about 200 people gathered to honor tsunami victims through prayer and song.
Members of Lighthouse Indonesian Church donated more than $6,000 for the relief effort. Some of the money came from children who contributed coins.
The disaster resonates among church members, many of whom have relatives and friends living in Indonesia, parts of which were hit hard by the tsunami.
"It's small-scale, but it's a token of our concern," pastor Eddy Wiriadinata said of the donation . "We feel united. We feel that we're close with our brothers and sisters over there."
Lights were dimmed during the service as members lit candles and sang. They sang about their homeland. And they sang "Amazing Grace." They were accompanied by members who shook angklungs, instruments made of bamboo that emit various pitches.
Some members made their prayers public.
"Please help the kids who have missing parents," one girl said. "Please help them to find their parents again."
"We ask that you bless the victims of the tsunami," one woman said. "Bless them all. Bless their families, and let their faith in this time of sorrow strengthen them."
Syed Danish, events manager and customer service representative with the Islamic Association of North Texas and the Dallas Central Mosque, said his members add the victims to each of their five daily prayers. The Islamic Association is urging donations of money and clothing through its Web site, http://www.iant.com.
Also on Saturday, the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a socio-spiritual organization, gathered to raise funds, pray and sing bhajans for those affected by the tsunami.
"This is a natural disaster of international proportions, and it is the duty of us all to help in whatever way we can," said Jay Patel, who works with the nonprofit BAPS Care International.
The deepa puja Sunday at the DFW Hindu Temple in Irving lasted about one hour and was the beginning of a day of worship.
Across town, the Vajradakini Buddhist Center for Meditation had just completed a 24-hour New Year's meditation event for the tsunami victims.
"As Buddhists, we understand suffering happens all the time," said Gen Kelsang Sangye, resident teacher at the center, before the final prayer session began. "So we make these prayers – as we make prayers every day – to bring an end to the suffering."
Staff writers Eric Aasen, Katie Menzer, Kristen Holland and Tim Connolly and special contributors Regina Burns and Betsy Simnacher contributed to this report.
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