News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

This is a thread of news from the State of Texas (Mostly in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex and surrounding North Texas Cities) from various news sources such as WFAA ABC 8, KDFW Fox 4, KXAS NBC 5, The Dallas Morning News, Star-Telegram etc. This is much similar to Mark(TWW)'s Australian Press thread.

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4 Dallas firefighters injured in crash

Pickup runs into engine parked on freeway to protect rescue crew

By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News

Four Dallas firefighters were injured Thursday night in southeast Dallas after a pickup struck their engine as it sat parked on a freeway protecting a rescue crew.

The accident happened about 10:30 p.m. on eastbound U.S. Highway 175 at the interchange with Interstate 635.

Two Dallas Fire-Rescue engines, Nos. 9 and 51, were parked at the scene of a minor traffic accident when the engine at the rear was struck from behind by the truck.

"It was a massive collision, sending the engine slightly airborne," said Capt. Jesse Garcia of Dallas Fire-Rescue.

The four firefighters, whose names were not released, were taken to Baylor University Medical Center. They were listed in stable condition, Capt. Garcia said, and were expected to be released overnight.

"There were no lives lost in this accident, so we were very fortunate," said Capt. Garcia, who said the driver of the truck was in critical condition at Parkland Hospital.

Alcohol may have been a factor in the accident, Capt. Garcia said.

"I don't believe there was any attempt to stop," he said.

Capt. Garcia said his department used to send out just one engine to protect rescue crews but has added a second.

He said, "This is the reason why we made a policy to send out two engines."

[TexasStooge]

Paddling on hold in DISD

School board approves 2-month moratorium to study discipline issue

By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News

The Dallas school board banned paddling in schools at Thursday night's meeting – at least temporarily.

Trustees voted to implement a two-month moratorium on corporal punishment to allow administrators to come up with a proposal to ban paddling and provide alternatives to discipline students. Such a proposal would still require broad approval.

Trustee Ron Price, who supports paddling, suggested the moratorium that took the place of a recommendation to immediately ban paddling in the district.

"This gives our administration the opportunity to go back and study these issues ... and bring forth a legitimate plan," he said.

The moratorium passed in a 6-2 vote. Trustees Hollis Brashear and Lew Blackburn abstained, and Joe May was absent.

The issue has split the board. Mr. Brashear, who supports paddling, accused his colleagues of not properly posting the corporal punishment item on the agenda. An attorney for the district disagreed.

The number of parents in the district who have signed forms allowing their children to be paddled has dwindled. As of last week, 453 parents had given consent, compared with 3,335 last year.

Trustee Ken Zornes, who opposes corporal punishment, said it has had permanent harmful effects on children. He said even one child harmed is too many.

"How can we take that risk?" Mr. Zornes said.

[TexasStooge]

Dallas, FW combine for marketing push

By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8

Dallas and Fort Worth hope a joint promotion campaign will bring in more tourist dollars.

Both cities are going after the leisure market: vacationers who will begin traveling next spring.

A new commercial produced by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau will debut New Year's Eve on the big screen in New York's Times Square, and on television during the Cotton Bowl game.

35 miles away, Fort Worth is selling itself with a brand-new video also produced by its Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

But now, the two cities plan to promote the area, not just individually but together as a team, for a better tourism payoff. The simple catchphrase? "Visit Dallas Fort Worth."

"'Dallas-Fort Worth', that (name) is what we're known for," said the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau's Doug Harman. "We'll just stick with that."

"There are all kinds of 'metropolitan' this and that," Harman said.

More than 20 million people visit D-FW each year, yet San Antonio grabs the lion's share of tourist dollars when it comes to individual Texas cities. Combine Dallas and Fort Worth, and state tourism officials report the area will rank #1.

"We're simplifying the message," said Harman.

Keeping it simple, they believe, will keep those tourists coming.

[TexasStooge]

Willie Nelson debuts Austin steakhouse

By KAREN BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas – The roadhouse was filled with Texas legends, but none of them could outshine the Red-Headed Stranger – particularly when he brandished the steak knife.

Willie Nelson turned an ordinary ribbon-cutting into a classic Texas party Thursday, bringing several tour buses and a couple of hundred friends to join him in slashing through the red ribbon at his new Texas Roadhouse steakhouse in South Austin.

It was the first public appearance he's made at one of the franchises he partly owns, having decided in 2003 to help promote the restaurants after years of eating their pork chops and home fries.

"I like to be associated with anything that says Texas," said the Lone Star icon, sitting in his corner booth as waiters and waitresses in bandannas and braids carried potato skins and Lone Star beers past the table.

The singer, who lives near Dripping Springs, said he's been eating at Texas Roadhouse restaurants for ages and noticed that they were "always filled with positive energy" – no matter which of the 20 locations he's dined at over the years.

Thursday was no exception. In fact, it was overflowing with good vibes.

Surrounded by music-industry heavy hitters, fan club presidents, sister Bobbi and the guy he's played cards with for the last 30 years, Willie didn't play a chord on Wednesday, and he didn't sing a note.

But he sat for hours at "Willie's Corner," signing autographs, posing for pictures and reminiscing with old friends.

"He used to call me at the radio station in the middle of the night and say, 'Put me on the air,' " said late-night country deejay Gwyneth "Dandalion" Seese. "Do you know what that did for my career?"

On the wooden walls all around, icons of music and Texana gazed out from hand-painted murals by Kentucky artists David Carter and David Soileau: Gene Autry, Lance Armstrong, Bob Dylan, Gabby Hayes, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Lightnin' Hopkins, Ray Price and George Jones.

Legends all. And with Willie in the house, they were in great company.

[TexasStooge]

FW baby found submerged in tub

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

FORT WORTH, Texas — A 911 operator and a fast-acting neighbor worked to save the life of a baby Thursday morning after she was found submerged and unconscious in a bathtub.

Police and witnesses said the 9-month-old girl had been left alone in the tub with a 21-month-old boy for an unknown period of time at the Caville Place Apartments in East Fort Worth.

Police said the children's mother was distracted and in and out of the apartment while trying to get a broken window repaired.

A neighbor who was in the building found the girl unconscious. "One of the children had been completely submerged under water and was not breathing at the time when the call was made to 911," said police spokesman Lt. Daniel Garcia.

"They received some instructions from the 911 operator and they were able to perform CPR," Garcia added, saying that some vital signs were restored before emergency medical technicians arrived to rush the child to a hospital.

The girl was alive when she left the scene, but there was no further word on her condition.

Police were questioning the children's mother and the neighbor.

The boy was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

[TexasStooge]

JFK items among stolen evidence recovered by police

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA-TV

Dallas police on Thursday released information about a stolen gold mine of historical evidence uncovered inside a Dallas apartment late last year.

Authentic photos and documents from the Kennedy assassination and the Bonnie and Clyde case, taken from the Dallas police property room in the late 1960s, were found in the hands of a convicted drug dealer.

Among the items recovered was an authentic fingerprint card of Jack Ruby, who shot and killed Kennedy assassination suspect Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement of the Dallas City Jail on November 24, 1963, two days after the president's death.

"He was missing part of one finger and part of one digit, and they weren't able to take that, so they typed in a notation that it was not missed, but that that particular digit was not there to be printed," Dallas Police Senior Cpl. Jess Lucio said.

Also found were rarely-seen photos of Lee Harvey Oswald, a diagram used by investigators to piece together the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and other items.

"This photo was taken by the FBI and developed for our department, and it's a photo of Oswald's property that was recovered at the rooming house where he rented a room on Beckley Avenue," Lucio said.

The evidence was found during a drug raid of a Dallas apartment on Mockingbird Lane back in March 2003. Police said while the evidence was recovered a year ago, it was only recently released by the court.

Authorities arrested 30-year-old Michael Ropollo, who claimed he got the items from a relative who used to work at the police department. Police don't believe Ropollo's story; they're not sure how someone simply walked out of the department's property room with the items.

"There were many people in the identification division that would have had access to this," Lucio said.

Police said they also recovered pictures of Bonnie and Clyde.

"We have a photo believed to be of Clyde Barrow at his autopsy where he was being embalmed," Lucio said.

Lucio said the department hopes one day to open a museum and display the items so they'll never disappear again.

[TexasStooge]

Religion OK at Plano ISD parties

School district ordered to allow religious items at winter break parties

By KIM BREEN / The Dallas Morning News

SHERMAN, Texas – Plano schools must allow students to hand out whatever religious messages they want at winter break parties celebrated today, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Paul Brown issued a temporary restraining order against the school district, prohibiting it from interfering with students who hand out items with religious viewpoints, as long as they don't cause a disruption. Parents can also give materials to other parents.

Attorneys for Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute obtained the restraining order on behalf of parents and students who are suing the district, alleging discriminatory violations of free-speech rights.

The case stems from a winter break party last year. Jonathan Morgan, then a third-grader at Thomas Elementary, was not allowed to hand out a candy cane pen with a Christian message attached.

A lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that while Jonathan had to leave his pens on a table for classmates to pick up, students at the party with secular presents were allowed to hand out their packages. The lawsuit cites similar incidents.

Federal inquiry

Also Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department notified attorneys that it is investigating the assertions in the case as well. The department is conducting a preliminary inquiry, according to a letter sent to Liberty Legal Institute.

"We stress that the Department has not made any determination about the merits of the allegations but is simply conducting a preliminary inquiry into the matter," the letter states.

In his ruling, Judge Brown said the plaintiffs in the case had shown a "likelihood they will prevail" on some of the points raised in the lawsuit.

"It's obviously a great first step," said Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for Liberty Legal Institute. "He recognizes there have been violations."

Attorneys for the school district argued in court that a restraining order was unnecessary because administrators already had decided to let students and parents hand out what they wish during the winter break parties. Many of those parties have been held.

The district sent notices clarifying the rules home with students Thursday. Deputy Superintendent Danny Modisette testified at the hearing in Sherman that the district had not previously notified parents about the change from last year's celebrations but had notified principals at a Dec. 1 meeting.

Attorneys for the parents and students argued that the district notified parents only because of the lawsuit. Mr. Modisette testified that the notices went out to clarify the rules for parents after media reports about the lawsuit.

Aside from the notices, the district's Web site also features details, and e-mails were sent to parents who signed up for an electronic messaging system. The restraining order also requires notices to be posted today at each school that holds a party.

The order also stipulates that Jonathan's parents, Doug and Robin Morgan, may distribute religious messages to other parents at the party, which they were prohibited from doing last year.

"I think it's great news for the parents and students of PISD," said Mr. Morgan, who attended the hearing with his wife. "We're going to let Jonathan do what he wanted to do a year ago."

Not a first

Today's party won't be the first time Jonathan has handed out religious materials. His family received permission to do so on Valentine's Day, Mr. Modisette testified.

In January, Superintendent Doug Otto told principals that students would be prohibited from handing out personalized Valentine's Day cards. Instead the students could leave the card in boxes on their desks for classmates to pick from. After parents complained, administrators reversed the decision.

Mr. Shackelford said that even though the district again decided to allow students to distribute what they wish, the standing policy must be changed to make sure students' rights are not violated.

The lawsuit cites several allegations from parents, including a student who was not allowed to pass out pencils on her birthday because they featured Christian messages. Other students said they weren't allowed to invite classmates to church events. Attorneys for the district have said they were not aware of the allegations before this week.

District policy says materials that aren't controlled by the school may not be distributed in hallways or classrooms. Instead, materials can be left in a central location at the school.

Richard Abernathy, the school district's attorney, said the policy is flexible. The district decided the winter break parties would be "non-instructional" time this year, and so the materials would not disrupt class.

[TexasStooge]

After the holiday bash, who's liable?

By KIMBERLY DURNAN / WFAA.com

The managers at Continental Equipment Co. in Dallas wanted their employees to socialize, bond and enjoy a steak dinner after a year of hard work. But they also wanted to make sure everyone drank responsibly at the open bar and got home safely.

“We had a hotel less than half a mile away and we offered rooms,” said Gayle Mortola, manager for corporate affairs. “People carpooled with a designated driver and we had a police officer that helped us watch as people left. Lots of food helps. Everyone gets full on dinner and doesn’t drink as much.”

While the company took measures to ensure its employees didn’t drink and drive, nothing in Texas law requires a party host, whether a business or individual, be responsible for guests who overindulge, said Dallas attorney James Whalen of Burleson, Pate and Gibson.

The decision stems from a 1993 Bexar County case, in which a motorcyclist was injured by a drunken driver. The Texas Supreme Court said there was no common law duty to avoid making alcohol available to guests who will be driving.

“There is no social host liability,” Whalen said. “If you have a party at your house someone gets drunk, leaves and hurts someone or themselves, you don’t have any liability. The Supreme Court of Texas said there is no duty on the homeowner to make sure their guests are sober when they leave. You have a moral obligation, but not a legal one.”

Because an employer is the host of company parties, the same precedent applies, Whalen said.

“The hotel may be on the hook,” he said. “Servers or commercial providers can’t serve obviously intoxicated persons. They have a duty to stop serving, but an employer is like a social host.”

Social hosts are not even legally responsible for underage drinkers who leave a party and get into a drunken driving crash, even though the act of serving the alcohol to the minor would be illegal, Whalen said.

“I was kind of surprised there wouldn’t be any liability,” he said. “Adults I can understand, but minors, that is kind of interesting.”

Whether or not party hosts are liable, they still are morally obligated to keep roadways safe, said Mary Kardell, executive director for the Metroplex chapter of MADD.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s last year, Dallas police issued 599 citations to drunken drivers and Plano issued 1,000, Kardell said. This year, local police officers are focusing on Interstate 75 because of its access to bars and restaurants.

The Dallas Police Department’s DWI Task Force has made 300 arrests since Nov. 17 and plans to keep its initiative going until Jan. 11.

Kardell said the Metroplex chapter, which serves 11 counties, helped 810 victims’ families deal with tragedy last year.

“When our phone rings, it’s never a pleasant conversation,” she said. “We deal with victims where the mom, dad, grandmother and granddaughter were all killed. It’s so unbelievably horrible and your life is never the same.”

While police departments are cracking down on North Texas roads, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has stepped up efforts to stop bars and restaurants from serving too much booze.

“Since September we’ve intensified our undercover efforts to detect intoxicated patrons and the clubs that are selling to those people. They are not getting drunk on their own. Somebody is selling to those people,” Capt. David Alexander said. “We take actions, file criminally against the bartender and take administrative action against the alcoholic permit to suspend it. We are going to try to stop the DWI (offender) before he gets in the car.”

Most bartenders try to be responsible and not serve people who are drunk, said David Craver, president of the National Bartenders Association. He offers advice on cutting off a patron, which is never popular, he said.

One idea is to take the intoxicated person’s friends aside and make it a “team effort.”

“If you do cut someone off, offer them something else,” he said. “If they are drinking screwdrivers, offer them orange juice and say, ‘Why don’t we leave the vodka out of this one?’ and try to let them down easy.”

Throwing a safe and responsible holiday party isn’t difficult, said Richardson resident Cheryl Brown, who has hosted an annual Christmas party for the last seven years.

“In the early days we had to keep an eye on everyone,” she said. “But as we get older and we all have kids to get home to, people are more careful about drinking.”

She says she always offers a lot of food and doesn’t make drinking the focus.

“We have it later in the night, so there isn’t much time to get drunk,” she said. “We do a gift exchange, which takes about an hour and people are distracted and not refilling their drinks. It’s not about drinking, it’s about getting together and seeing people you may only see once a year.”

[TexasStooge]

Now arriving: Video on demand

Comcast introducing instant-viewing service in Dallas area

By CRAYTON HARRISON / The Dallas Morning News

Comcast Corp. plans to introduce today a service to the Dallas area that lets viewers select movies and TV programs for instant viewing around the clock.

The service, called video on demand, has been one of the cable industry's biggest investments in the last few years as it tries to keep subscribers from moving to satellite dishes and other competitors.

Comcast digital cable subscribers won't be charged extra for most on-demand video, which includes sports, movies, children's shows and music videos. The company hopes that the service will entice more customers to switch to digital cable, a more expensive service than traditional cable that takes advantage of the billions of dollars of upgrades Comcast has made to its networks.

Comcast already provides video on demand in a few other metropolitan markets. The early reaction from customers has been encouraging, said Michael Cleland, area vice president for Comcast's Dallas market.

"We know that people love this service. The usage and enthusiasm is great," he said.

But it's too early to provide statistics on usage patterns, he said.

Video on demand works by streaming digital video data over the cable network from the operator's servers. Because it's a stream, viewers don't have to wait for the program to download.

As with digital video recorders such as TiVo, viewers who get on-demand programs can pause, rewind and fast-forward through the shows.

Satellite dish companies and cable companies, including Comcast, lease digital video recorders to subscribers.

Those devices also allow viewers to choose when they want to watch shows, but video on demand gives viewers programming options they wouldn't get on any channel, such as older TV show episodes and even guitar lessons, Mr. Cleland said.

Available only to digital cable subscribers. Digital cable begins at $55 a month. Most programming included. Video on demand will also be available at no extra charge for subscribers to premium channels such as HBO and Showtime.
________________________________________________________

COMING ATTRACTIONS IN THE DFW METROPLEX:

Today:

Addison

Allen

Arlington

Bedford

Carrollton

Cedar Hill

Cockrell Hill

Coppell

DeSoto

Euless

Farmers Branch

Flower Mound

Frisco

Garland

Grand Prairie

Grapevine

Hutchins

Irving

Lewisville

McKinney

Rowlett

The Colony

Early '05:

Dallas

Mesquite

Plano

Richardson

SOURCE: Comcast

[TexasStooge]

Plano mom thanked God after attack

She told Plano officer she felt she had to sever daughter's arms

By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News

McKINNEY, Texas – The day Dena Schlosser admitted cutting off the arms of her 10-month-old daughter, she looked "dazed" and repeatedly said "praise God, thank you God" as she waited in her Plano living room for officers to take her to jail, court documents show.

Mrs. Schlosser, 35, told Plano police Officer David Tilley she amputated Margaret's arms at the shoulders because "I felt like I had to." She did not elaborate when Officer Tilley asked her why she had to. The night before, Mrs. Schlosser had told her husband she wanted to "give her child to God," records show.

Mrs. Schlosser's mother and stepfather, Connie and Mick Macaulay, attribute her actions on Nov. 22 to postpartum psychosis coupled with her religious beliefs and the influence of self-proclaimed apostle and prophet Doyle Davidson. Mrs. Schlosser is charged with capital murder.

The Macaulays say Mr. Davidson, leader of Water of Life Church in Plano, had undue power over Mrs. Schlosser. Mr. Davidson is known to "lay hands" on people in an attempt to heal them and says he can drive out the devil. He teaches that women possess a Jezebel spirit and that the Ten Commandments are not for the righteous.

Mr. Davidson has said he's done nothing wrong and does not have power over people.

Mrs. Schlosser's attorney, David Haynes, said he is investigating what role religion played in his client's life. He said his client has mentioned a Bible passage from Matthew that reads: "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee. ..."

Mrs. Schlosser, who has been on the antipsychotic medication Haldol since being jailed, told Mr. Haynes she is tired of reading the Bible.

Psychiatrist David Self of Flint, Texas, was appointed by the court to determine by Jan. 21 whether Mrs. Schlosser is competent to stand trial.

The day Margaret – called Maggie by her family – died, Mrs. Schlosser answered the door wearing a green blouse and blue jeans after Officer Tilley knocked three times, according to records. She was holding a kitchen knife with a 9-inch blade. She "had a dazed look in her eyes and blood on the left side of her neck and her shirt and jeans," documents show.

Religious hymns were playing in the background. Officer Tilley pulled away the knife, which was stuck inside her shirt. He then ran down the hall to where Maggie lay in her crib. She was not breathing and the sheets were covered in blood.

Officer Tilley wrote in the arrest summary that Mrs. Schlosser smiled several times during the interview – "just randomly." When asked why she was smiling, Mrs. Schlosser just smiled again, records show.

"I asked her if she knew that she had cut off the baby's arms and she stated that she did," Officer Tilley wrote. "I then asked Schlosser if she was refusing to talk to me about the events of the day, and she nodded her head as to indicate yes."

A Bible in the master bedroom was open to Timothy. Court records do not specify whether the book was I Timothy or 2 Timothy.

Mrs. Schlosser's two other daughters with husband John were safe at an elementary school. The girls, ages 6 and 9, are in foster care while Child Protective Services determines where they should live. The agency said in court records that Mr. Schlosser did not protect Maggie from his wife.

CPS investigated Mrs. Schlosser for neglect six days after Maggie was born in January. The agency said Mrs. Schlosser left the baby alone in the apartment. Mrs. Schlosser was diagnosed with postpartum depression. The case was closed in August after Mrs. Schlosser was deemed stable.

Staff writer Tiara M. Ellis contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Firehouse to exhibit hot trend

New station's design offers accommodations without poles, bunkers

By RUSSELL RIAN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Nostalgic scenes of firefighters bunking together, rushing to the pole and sliding down to hop on the engine as it pulls away may be fading.

Irving has started turning dirt on a new Fire Station No. 6 that's part of a trend in fire station design – separate rooms for firefighters, no poles.

"I think they will love it," Asst. Chief Perry Ray said. "The ones we've talked to love them."

Fewer disturbances to firefighters was the compelling reason for Irving officials to consider the latest trend. Firefighters go to bed at different times, so fewer lights are turned on while others sleep, there's less noise from firefighters who are studying for exams and training, and then there's the whole snoring issue.

But there are other practical reasons that stations have started abandoning the bunker mentality, said Reno, Nev., Fire Captain Johnny Fong, who is also an architect who often consults and judges fire station designs.

"It solves a gender issue, being there are more female firefighters," he said.

It also reduces flare-ups in the thermostat wars. And it offers privacy for firefighters during downtime.

The biggest concern about the change is whether it interferes with camaraderie at the station – everyone in the mission together, Capt. Fong said. But he hasn't found that to be true.

"If camaraderie is a problem, the sleeping arrangements aren't the cause."

Another trend in fire station design is the single-story fire station, which Irving's will be. That, naturally, makes the storied fire pole unnecessary, though some stations still put them in for show, Capt. Fong said.

Irving Chief Paul White said the poles can lead to injuries, particularly during late-night and early-morning calls.

"They [the firefighters] can land on you," he said. "We had broken ankles."

Irving's new 8,794-square-foot building is being constructed just north of the existing facility off Esters Road, north of Highway 183 next to the department's training center. The existing facility dates back to the 1970s and the new $1.43 million replacement was included in the city's 1999 capital improvement bond program.

"They just started working on it and they're doing some of the dirt work," Chief Ray said. "Our builder is planning on all the wet weather we're having. Considering all that, we're considering the middle of June or first of July (for completion)."

The new facility also includes traditional features such as dining and living rooms, along with a kitchen that will include stainless steel countertops. Living areas take up about half the station, with areas for the fire engine and other equipment.

The roughly 20 firefighters at station No. 6 will remain in the existing facility until the new one is built. Then the old building will be knocked down.

[TexasStooge]

Academy students go into the business of education

Pair creates curriculum for 4th- to 8th-graders on free enterprise

By RUSSELL RIAN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Ask kids what they want to be when they grow up and you're likely to hear teacher, fireman, police officer.

You're not likely to hear business executive, marketing rep, management professional or entrepreneur.

"It's not glorified like other things are," said 17-year-old Michael Weaver, who, along with fellow Academy senior Lily Martinez, hopes to change that.

They've developed a business curriculum for elementary and middle school students to introduce free-market theory, business basics and terminology and practical steps such as writing resumes and interviewing skills. Their hope is to see it used in grades four through eight in Irving.

"When you're a child, your big goal is to be a fireman or a policeman, a teacher or a doctor. They don't ever tell you [that] you can be a business person," said Ms. Martinez. "Kids don't know about it. They're not familiar with it. They see it. They're a part of it when they go shopping, but they don't know what's going on."

Their effort comes as national studies show the lack of business knowledge among high school students. A survey conducted by the American Savings Education Council found only 21 percent of students between the ages of 16 and 22 say they have had any exposure to personal finance training in school.

The marketing club students wrote the curriculum, teacher guides and study guides – hundreds of pages of materials altogether – over the summer and are making rounds with principals and district officials to allow teachers to use it in the classroom.

"You can do cool stuff with business and a lot of kids coming out of junior high, they don't see that yet," said Mr. Weaver. "Once they may hear the word business, they may think it's going to be something dull and boring, but the good thing about our program is that it shows how to apply the lessons, which makes people interested."

They've already garnered some $12,000 from area companies backing the project to pay for printing materials.

But the biggest hurdle has been getting it into classrooms. They haven't had a chance yet to present it to students.

The decision to use the materials, considered extracurricular materials by the district, will be up to individual campuses, said Marie Morris, IISD's assistant superintendent of instruction. Materials that are part of the required curriculum have to be approved by the school board.

Principals so far have not shown much interest, the students said.

"Surprisingly, it's a lot easier to work with the people who have money and want to give you money than people you're trying to give the program to for free," Ms. Martinez said. "Getting the curriculum, making a booklet, getting money to distribute it, to make study guides, to make copies for students, that wasn't so much of a big deal. I think the biggest surprise for both of us came when we actually asked our school district to help us implement it and help us teach their students. and I guess they were skeptical about it. ... We're like, 'why not?' "

[TexasStooge]

Fare War Could Take Off As Southwest Expands

Deal Could Bring Southwest Tickets To D/FW Airport

DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- In a $117 million marriage, Southwest Airlines is buying six ATA gates at Chicago's Midway Airport, and it could bring an all out fare-war to North Texas.

The deal is remarkable, not for what might happen at Dallas Love Field where Southwest is based, but for what it could mean across town at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

By all accounts, it's a brilliant business move for Southwest and welcome news for air travelers, who may be about to land on a runway full of lower fares.

By adding six gates in Chicago, Southwest further cements its dominance there, but it is the co-chair agreement with ATA that has analysts buzzing.

Under the deal, the airline could sell tickets in and out of D/FW on ATA, even as Southwest is pushing for fewer restrictions on its flights at Dallas Love Field.

"It's a war ... good news ... competition," Best Fares' Tom Parsons said.

Southwest spokesperson Linda Rutherford stresses none of that has been decided.

"I don't think it's unusual for Southwest. You know we have a 33-year history of zigging when the industry zags and for coming up with creative ways to grow," Rutherford said.

"In another three or four years, I'd just love to see what D/FW looks like. It's going to be a hotbed of deals, it's going to be a hotbed of competition. American knows it's coming, America will be just as competitive, that's the good news," Parsons said.

AirTran Airways, which lost its bid to buy all of ATA's Chicago gates, may now choose to expand at D/FW, which would take the fare war up yet another notch.

[TexasStooge]

Dallas Police Investigate Double Murder, Find SUV

DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Dallas police on Thursday found a Range Rover, which belonged to a victim found shot to death in a double murder Wednesday.

Investigators are poring over the car looking for clues that may help them track down those responsible for the deadly attack.

Two men were found shot to death at about 6 p.m. Wednesday in a shed behind a home in the 9000 block of Winterset Avenue in South Dallas.

One of the men owns the property but it is under renovation.

Family members said they last saw the two men on Tuesday.

[TexasStooge]

FORT WORTH: 82-YEAR-OLD MAN FOUND BEATEN

FT. WORTH, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- An 82-year-old man was found murdered in his home in south Fort Worth. Police found the man in his home in the 7300 block of Pebbleford Road.

Crime scene investigators say it appears 82-year-old Fred Sparks had been beaten. Police say a friend of Sparks called police after she became concerned and went to check on him.

She says she was supposed to meet up with Sparks but then did not hear from him. Police hope an autopsy scheduled for today will provide more clues about what happened and help investigators track down the person responsible for the killing.

[TexasStooge]

This is a follow up to a previous story about a construction worker killed this week.

COMPANY HAD PREVIOUS SAFETY VIOLATIONS

MELISSA, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Federal investigators say the company excavating a trench that caved in, killing a worker, has been cited for safety violations in the past. The trench collapsed in Melissa, about 40 miles northeast of Dallas, in Collin County.

It took rescuers about 18 hours to recover the body of 47-year-old Cruz Morales. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says Site Concrete Company of Grand Prairie has been fined more than $100,000 over the last four years for safety violations. OSHA says it wants to make sure there were no violations at this latest site.

[TexasStooge]

EBAY HOLIDAY RIPOFF

DALLAS, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Postal inspectors are warning Ebay shoppers of an on-line grinch based in Dallas. Investigators say the man has been convincing E-bay bidders to make side-deals off the auction site. So far he's accused of taking more than $35,000.

He made a mistake though. Investigators say he made a deposit at a Dallas ATM where his picture was taken. Postal inspectors hope someone will turn him in. If you have any information, call the U.S. Postal Inspector at 214-760-4470.

[TexasStooge]

Growers: Fake trees threaten jobs

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

Christmas tree growers are taking aim at the onslaught of foreign fake trees filling living rooms by the millions. Growers warn that artificial trees are taking American jobs, threatening the environment and ruining Christmas traditions.

The Web site of the American Christmas Tree Association features a game where players can repulse the attack of the mutant, foreign fake trees that "suck the spirit out of Christmas."

Almost all artificial trees are made in Asia. The U.S. Census Bureau reported more than $40 million worth of fake fir trees from China were imported this year alone.

The Fort Worth Optimist Club has sold real trees on the same lot for more than 40 years. The profits yield thousands of dollars for children's programs.

"Buy a fresh tree. It just makes the atmosphere different," club member Lawrence Head said. "The people who buy the green trees, they like the smell. They like the tradition."

At Decorators Warehouse in Arlington, Janiece Shelton has seen artificial tree sales soar beyond expectations. Some look real. Others are more trendy. "This is new. Copper is the thing that's in right now," Shelton described. A fully decked out model goes for well over a $1,000.

"Everything is a trade-off," shopper Jim Verstraete admitted. "Artificial trees are easier. Put them up, take them down. And they are safer."

According to the American Christmas Tree Association, American households were evenly split, fake versus real, in 1990. But a decade later, fake trees out-sell real ones 2 to 1.

Tree growers argue that eventually those silk, plastic and metal trees will pile up in landfills, while real trees can be recycled. They say buying imported fake trees is like exporting real American jobs.

For the Fort Worth Optimist Club, the glass is half full. "Certainly we worry about it, but we're going to continue with our program because it's a good fundraiser for us," Head said. Over the past two years, Optimist tree sales are up, in part, they say, because other tree lots have closed.

[TexasStooge]

Wi-Fi coming to Texas campgrounds

By APRIL KINSER / WFAA.com

Thinking of going camping to get away from it all? Think again.

TengoInternet, an Austin-based wireless Internet service provider for campgrounds, and Texas Parks and Wildlife have launched a test program to provide Wi-Fi technology at five state parks: Ray Roberts Lake near Pilot Point, Choke Canyon, Blanco, Balmorhea and Goose Island.

Campers will be able to use the wireless Internet service for free during a promotional period beginning Jan. 1, but will have to pay a small fee starting in the spring.

“We know that the bulk of park visitors come to get away from their computer screens and cell phones and to have that solitude and contact with nature, but we are aware that new technology may be beneficial to our customers,” said Tom Harvey, spokesman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Harvey said campers will be able to access information about the parks and weather and send pictures of their trip. RV travelers may benefit the most, he said.

“They’ll be able to plot their next destination or check out restaurants and other activities in the area,” Harvey said.

Harvey said the cost to the state to set up the technology was “still being finalized.” Officials with TengoInternet did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Ken Kramer, state director for the Sierra Club, said that considering the traffic flowing through Texas’ parks, the added technology shouldn’t make much of an impact on the serenity.

“Given the fact that I already have to contend with generators and radios at some of these parks, I’m not sure Wi-Fi is going to be that much of an imposition,” Kramer said. “We all have to be practical about the fact that technology is spreading to locations that were remote before. What we’re searching for is balance.”

[TexasStooge]

Plano school parties go on

Religious messages make appearance at festivities in Plano

By PAULA LAVIGNE / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO, Texas – The legend of the candy cane turned into a lesson on the First Amendment in the Plano school district Friday.

Nine-year-old Jonathan Morgan handed out gifts with Christian messages during a holiday party.

What might seem like a simple act became another example of public schools' struggle with two parts of the First Amendment – the ban against religious establishment and the guarantee of free speech, attorneys and experts say.

School districts that refuse to put up Christmas trees or prohibit Christian music during winter concerts are doing so because they don't want to be seen as endorsing a particular religion, said Robert Tuttle, a law professor at The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.

In trying to adhere to that part of the First Amendment, they sometimes end up trampling on the part that guarantees freedom of expression, including religious beliefs, he said.

Last year, administrators at Thomas Elementary School in Plano forbade Jonathan to hand out gift bags with candy cane pens and bookmarks explaining the "Legend of the Candy Cane." The legend read, in part, that the red stripe represented "The blood Christ shed for the sins of the world."

On Wednesday, just two days before this year's party, Plano-based Liberty Legal Institute filed a lawsuit against the Plano school district stating it has committed a series of actions over the last year that violated students' right to free speech by banning them from distributing items with religious messages.

The next day, U.S. District Judge Paul Brown issued a temporary restraining order against the school district that prohibited it from interfering with students who wanted to hand out items with religious symbols, as long as they weren't disruptive.

School district attorney Richard Abernathy said the lawsuit was unnecessary because the district had already made plans to allow students to distribute what they wanted at the holiday parties.

A statement from the district indicated that administrators knew of this policy as early as Dec. 1. The district did not send a note home to parents until after Liberty Legal's lawsuit made news.

School district spokeswoman Nancy Long denied all media requests to witness Friday's holiday parties, saying the attention would interrupt the celebrations. She also denied requests by The Dallas Morning News to talk to a principal or teacher about what occurred at the parties.

'His face lit up'

Jonathan's father, Doug Morgan, said he and his wife prepared 22 gift bags with the same candy cane pens and bookmarks from last year and walked an anxious Jonathan to his classroom Friday morning.

"Once he saw they were going to go through with their promise, his face lit up, and he was ecstatic," Mr. Morgan said.

Other parents who left Thomas Elementary School holiday parties weren't necessarily of one mind.

Roshana Golstani said there was nothing that screamed Christmas in her daughters' classrooms. Ms. Golstani, who is Muslim, said that's the way it should be. The children ate and decorated snowmen cookies, she said.

Plano parent Amy Chase said someone passed out fans in her son's kindergarten class with the message: "Smile, Jesus Loves You."

"We're Christians, and I think that's a good message to give out," Ms. Chase said. "It was very refreshing."

But she acknowledged that she was surprised at first.

"I wasn't aware that we could give that stuff out. If I had known, I would have given it out myself," she said.

As Maria Manalaysay, who is Catholic, loaded her 5- and 6-year-old children into her van. She said there was nothing more symbolic in her children's classrooms than gingerbread cookies. But she wasn't sure parents should be encouraged to bring whatever they want.

"It depends on what they bring," said Ms. Manalaysay, adding that it should "not be offensive to anybody."

Treated the same

Hiram Sasser, director of litigation for Liberty Legal, said if governments want to send out a neutral message on religion, they shouldn't treat religious messages or items as if they were obscene.

"One of the things that the kids learned [Friday] is that their religious faith has to be treated the same as everyone else's beliefs that anyone else is trying to disseminate," Mr. Sasser said. "If someone wants to hand out a pencil that says, 'Have a good day,' or hand out a pencil that says, 'Jesus is the reason for the season,' they should be equal in the eyes of the schools and governments."

Mr. Sasser said Liberty Legal would not settle its lawsuit until the district adopts a policy that specifically protects religious expression.

Mr. Abernathy, the district's attorney, said he'd be willing to discuss the issue and said the policy never targeted religion. The policy states that materials not controlled by the school district could not be distributed in hallways or classrooms.

"The Plano ISD ... is not in the business of having to decide what is the establishment of religion. It wants to be educating kids," Mr. Abernathy said.

School districts all over the country are banning religious symbols, including Christmas trees, from adorning hallways and classrooms.

Media reports have described various examples, including two ninth-graders in Plymouth, Mass., who were told they couldn't create cards that said, "Merry Christmas." School officials in Rochester, Minn., scolded two middle school students from saying "Merry Christmas" in a school skit.

Mr. Tuttle, the law professor, said schools are afraid if they allow students to distribute or display religious messages that they'll be seen as supporting a particular religion.

He suggested that if schools want to display Christmas trees and stockings, they should also display symbols of other religious or cultural observances, such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

The Milford Public Schools in Milford, Conn., have been praised for their handling of the holidays. Spokeswoman Kathy Bonetti said the district takes an educational rather than a celebratory approach.

Each school can have presentations, decorations and treats that reflect the religious beliefs of the children in that school, she said. They encourage parents to give lessons on how their family celebrates holidays, she said.

Parents who don't want their children to participate can keep them at home, or school officials will move them to another location during that day's instruction, she said.

"It's really a common sense issue," she said. "Schools should respect and take advantage of the richness of their community."

Staff writer Linda Stewart Ball contributed to this report.