News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

Thieves Make Off With Large Jewlery Heist

FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Police Sunday investigated another daring jewelry heist, as two thiefs made off with more than $500,000 in stolen gems, NBC 5 reported.

The latest jewelry store robbery was Saturday night at the Jared's on South Hulen Street in Fort Worth.

Investigators said the armed men entered the store just before closing time wearing ski masks and forced the customers and employees into the back of the store while they gathered the loot.

The robbery is similar to Zales Jewelry Store robbery in Fort Worth earlier this year and the robbery of another Jared's in Plano late last year, police said.

Police said the robbers knew what they were looking for and took only the high dollar items.

No one was hurt.

[TexasStooge]

Democrats Lawsuit Against Republican Group Goes To Trial

AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE CBS 42) - A civil lawsuit filed by five Democrats who lost elections in 2002 is set to reach a courtroom Monday.

The Democrats have sued Texans for a Republican Majority treasurer Bill Ceverha.

The trial centers on allegations that Republicans illegally raised and spent corporate money in the 2002 elections.

Evidence that may emerge this week could affect a Travis County grand jury investigation that's resulted in indictments against three top fund-raisers for U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

The trial before state District Judge Joe Hart is expected to last a week.

[TexasStooge]

Police Searching For Assault Suspects

AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE CBS 42) - Austin police are looking for three suspect in a downtown assault.

Witnesses say early Saturday morning a driver sped up and hit two people in a parking lot at 8th and Trinity.

One of the victims was seriously injured.

Witnesses also say three white men were inside.

The car is a maroon Mitsubishi four-door with front and rear end damage and possibly windshield damage.

If you have information about this case, call Austin Police.

[TexasStooge]

Texas Ten Commandments Case Heads To US Supreme Court

AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE CBS 42) - The case of the Ten Commandments monument at the Texas capitol heads to the nation's highest court.

The US Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case next week.Thomas Van Orten of Austin says the display is an unconstitutional promotion of religion.

But Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott warns that nixing the display could lead to chiseling religious quaotations off government buildings across the country.

[TexasStooge]

Austin Mayor Announces Divorce

AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE CBS 42) - Austin Mayor Will Wynn and his wife, Anne Elizabeth, have announced that they are ending their 12-year marriage.

The announcement came from the mayor's office. The couple says their parting is amicable and based on continued mutual support and respect.

[TexasStooge]

Crime Stoppers Offers Reward For Couple's Attacker

HOUSTON, Texas (KPRC NBC 2) - Officials need the public's help finding the intruder who attacked an elderly couple inside a west Houston home, Local 2 reported Friday.

Investigators said the masked intruder gained access to the Geneva Quigley's home in the 13000 block of Holly Lynn Lane, which sits inside a gated community, on Jan. 30 at about 7 p.m. when she stepped outside to check on her cat.

"I had just let the cat out the back door, shut the door and immediately heard a (crashing noise). I thought, 'What did the cat do?' I opened the door and (the intruder) was as close to the door as he could possibly be and forced his way in," Quigley said.

Officials said the intruder, whose entire body was covered in clothing, threatened Quigley and her companion, Bill Carpenter, with bodily harm if they did not cooperate with his demands.

"He put me down on my face, he tied my legs together," Quigley said. "Bill said to him, 'Don't hurt her!' (The intruder) said, 'Shut up or I'll kill you!'"

Quigley and Carpenter were not harmed during the robbery but told officials the intruder stole cash and jewelry, including a valuable ring given to Quigley by her late husband.

"This particular ring is the last ring given to me by my deceased husband," Quigley said.

Police said they have very few descriptions about the intruder because he was covered head-to-toe in black clothing. They are hoping that someone will see Quigley's ring in a pawnshop, which could lead them to the thief.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to arrests and convictions in this case.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (713) 222-TIPS.

[TexasStooge]

Police Arrest 2 Men In Crime Rampage

HOUSTON, Texas (KPRC NBC 2) - Two men accused of sexually assaulting dozens of Houstonians in a violent rampage police described as heinous and twisted were behind bars Friday, Local 2 reported.

Police called Joseph Fontenot, 33, a heinous rapist who sexually assaulted and robbed both women and men.

"The complainant would either be getting out of a car or going into a home. The suspect would approach her very aggressively with a gun and want (the person) to strip of his or her clothing," Houston Police Department Officer Julie Hardin said.

Investigators said Carlos Mendez, 20, confessed to being Fontenot's robbery accomplice by helping him use the victims' stolen credit cards.

But, investigators said it was Fontenot's increasing violence that worried them. They said he would kidnap his victims and put them in the trunk of a car and transport them, and that he would sexually assault female and male victims with objects.

"Some were so deviant and so disgusting that that is what made us come to light with knowing that all of these crimes were the same," Hardin said.

Angela Vera, an Upper Kirby resident, said she keeps her Great Dane close or walks with someone else whenever she leaves her apartment, which is in a complex where two victims live.

"We've been really worried. My husband won't let me out after dark without the dog or him," Vera told Local 2.

Police believe there are more victims because the victims might be embarrassed to come forward because of what happened to them during the assault and that they may fear for their life because their attackers threatened to kill them if they told police.

Investigators said that Fontenot and Mendez are both married with pregnant wives. They also said the stolen credit cards were used to buy baby items for their wives and purchase electronics that they could sell.

[TexasStooge]

HPD Officer Pleads Guilty To Sexually Assaulting Suspect

HOUSTON, Texas (KPRC NBC 2) - A Houston police officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop was forced to give up his badge Friday.

Charlie Loftin Jr. pleaded guilty Friday to official oppression and misconduct.

Prosecutors said Loftin handcuffed a woman in December 2003 and told her if she did not perform a sexual act on him that she would go to jail.

Besides losing his job, Loftin also received a one-year probation, a $750 fine and 100 hours of community service.

[TexasStooge]

Man, 20, Charged With Carrying Drugs, Gun On School Campus

HOUSTON, Texas (KPRC NBC 2) - A man was arrested and placed behind bars Friday for bringing drugs and a loaded gun onto a southeast Houston high school's campus.

The 20-year-old suspect was charged with illegally carrying a weapon on school property and drug possession.

A Houston Independent School District officer spotted the car in the parking lot of Jones High School, located at 7414 St. Lo, Tuesday afternoon.

A drug-detection dog searched the car and found ammunition, a loaded pistol and marijuana.

[TexasStooge]

New faces seeking to bridge gap

Changing demographics complicate the landscape for 3 new black representatives in Tarrant County

By David Sedeno, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Donavan Wheatfall is in a hurry. He gives himself six years to help correct decades of discrimination suffered by African-Americans in his southeast City Council district.

Marc Veasey has no time to act like a freshman. As a new member of the Legislature, he vows to push hard for residents in his predominantly minority district.

Roy C. Brooks has done his internship. He served as the administrator for Dionne Bagsby, the 16-year incumbent he recently replaced on the Commissioners Court. Now he wants to create his own legacy in the sprawling Precinct 1.

Wheatfall, Veasey and Brooks are the newest faces of black leadership in Tarrant County. They are quick to credit the work done in the past 50 years by their predecessors -- elected officials and community leaders.

"I firmly believe that we all stand on the shoulders of the giants of our past who have advanced the causes of this community," said Brooks, 55, whose father, Dr. Marion Brooks, was a civil rights pioneer in Texas.

Yet they stand ready to use their own education, skills and vision to help African-Americans today. And they recognize that their challenge is different, their constituency is much more diverse and the problems are much more complex.

History, they know, will judge them not only for their work helping African-Americans but on how they brought together diverse constituencies.

In the past 10 years, blacks who replaced whites in east and southeast Fort Worth are themselves being replaced by Hispanics, including many illegal immigrants, who are seeking education, health care, political representation and leadership roles.

In the past, many elected officials merely paid lip service to black and Hispanic constituents because the groups lacked voting power. But with redistricting and single-member districts came empowerment, and all politicians -- no matter their race and ethnicity -- have become more accountable to all constituents.

"We realize that we can't be just the leaders for blacks, but for everyone in our districts," said Wheatfall, a computer consultant. "I have to represent everyone because economic development knows no color."

Wheatfall, 28, who defeated six-year Councilman Frank Moss for the District 5 seat last year, said decades of neglect -- from Jim Crow-era laws to home-loan discrimination known as redlining -- have led to infrastructure problems and other maladies in his district.

He has given himself only a few years to encourage new development. He has met with various neighborhood associations and church groups to come up with a plan.

"If we can't provide adequate education for our citizens and basic human services ... then we are failing not only this generation but future generations," he said. "That issue is no longer just an issue of color; it's an issue of the haves and the have-nots, those who historically have had access to capital and those who have not."

Blacks were the majority in council District 5 in 1990. By 2000, however, Hispanics made up 19.4 percent of the population -- up from 7.4 percent -- and blacks made up 46.6 percent.

A microcosm of the change can be found at Greater Mt. Tabor Christian Center, which has a congregation of 1,000.

The Rev. E.L. Bowman, its senior pastor, said the church's demographics have changed dramatically since the early days of the civil rights movement.

"Forty years ago, the only people we had in our church were blacks, and I thought that was all that was necessary," Bowman said. "Now our membership has at least three or four nationalities, not only Hispanics but also Asians.

"I don't see numbers or colors anymore. I am concerned about saving souls."

Brooks' county post means an even broader constituency. He represents Anglos, African-Americans and Hispanics, staunch Republicans and loyal Democrats. Anglos still make up the largest percentage of the population, but the percentage of Hispanics jumped from 9.6 in 1990 to 19.5 in 2000.

His job was made easier, he said, by the 13 years spent as Bagsby's administrator.

"You have to stay connected with the constituency, but the way you stay connected with African-Americans is not necessarily the way you stay connected with Anglos and Hispanics," said Brooks, who speaks to an array of church and community groups, among others, when invited.

"Leadership requires persistence over the long haul," he said. "People tend not to be trustful of people who they see as just being blips on the radar screen."

Veasey, too, has experience in politics. He once worked for Rep. Martin Frost, D-Dallas.

Veasey, 34, who defeated eight-year veteran Glenn Lewis in the Democratic primary last year, said economic development and social issues are so important to Fort Worth's District 95 that he can't take a back seat in the Legislature.

"As a freshman, you are supposed to be seen and not heard," said Veasey, who keeps his constituents informed with an e-mail newsletter. "But there are a group of freshman legislators, and we have been very visible. We're pushing forward, especially on the credit-score issue for insurance and health care for children."

In 1990, only 8 percent of the House district was Hispanic. In 2000, it was 20.6 percent Hispanic.

On Feb. 17, Veasey held his fifth town hall meeting since being elected. He hosted Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, who proposed a state income tax as the best solution for the state's school finance problems.

A tense exchange during the question-and-answer session provided a glimpse at the complexities and emotions of the issues facing legislators.

A Fort Worth teacher told Shapleigh that a state income tax would be unfair because illegal immigrants wouldn't pay income taxes but would expect their children to be educated.

That angered Juan Yzgana, 70, who said that the teacher was wrong and that Shapleigh was insensitive for using the term "illegal aliens."

"I have walked these streets, and there are people who have jobs, own their homes and their cars," Yzgana said. "And you, sir, I would have thought you were a more astute politician than to use the term 'alien.' What's an alien? That's someone from outer space."

Shapleigh apologized, and many in the audience of about 100 agreed that all children should be entitled to public education.

In an interview later, Yzgana said the increasing number of Hispanics in Texas should force elected officials such as Brooks, Veasey and Wheatfall to take notice. Many of the children of immigrants are born in the United States and thus are citizens.

"I would tell these gentlemen that they've got to open their eyes," Yzgana said. "These children of illegal immigrants are going to grow up one day, and they will be able to vote, and you are going to need them on your side."

[TexasStooge]

Five-block street fix gets under way soon

By Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Workers will begin ripping rustic red bricks out of Camp Bowie Boulevard in coming weeks as they begin the historic street's final phase of renovation.

About five blocks' worth -- from Eldridge Street to Interstate 30 -- will be torn up, reinforced and topped with new brick, said Jim Deeter, the city's project manager.

"It's an old street," Deeter said. "The brick is starting to crack and wear out. ... It's in bad shape, rough to drive on and time to be replaced.

"In the end, it's not going to be as smooth as concrete or asphalt, but it will be smoother than what's out there."

This is the last phase of work on the road, which was once a key thoroughfare to a World War I Army training camp. The work stalled when funds ran out, but the project got a $3 million boost from voters last year as part of the city's bond package.

The old red Thurber bricks that now make up the street are no longer produced and will be salvaged for reuse whenever possible, officials said. New red Acme bricks will be used as well.

Curbs and gutters also will be replaced. Aging water and sewer lines along the roadway have already been replaced, officials said.

"This will be so attractive," said Brandy O'Quinn, president of Historic Camp Bowie, a nonprofit group created to oversee the corridor's redevelopment. "It should really pull a lot of people to the area."

Camp Bowie Boulevard and many other roads in Fort Worth were covered with bricks in the 1920s. Over the years, however, many of the other roads were paved over to accommodate heavier traffic.

But residents near Camp Bowie fought to preserve the divided median, antique street lighting, head-in parking in some spots -- and the distinctive bricks.

Work is expected to be finished around Thanksgiving so that it won't interfere with Christmas shopping, O'Quinn said.

The work will be divided into four phases:

• The Prevost Street intersection and a stretch from Merrick Street to El Campo Avenue.

• Prevost Street to Merrick Street.

• Penticost Street to Eldridge Street.

• El Campo Avenue to Penticost Street.

Motorists should expect detours and delays, Deeter said.

"We will have signs directing the public around to back streets," he said. "Motorists should slow down and watch the barricades."

After the construction is completed, workers with Historic Camp Bowie Inc. and the city will plant trees along the new stretch, install 17 benches and put in vintage lights.

"Camp Bowie will take on a whole new look," O'Quinn said. "Camp Bowie is back."

[TexasStooge]

Fort Worth school transfer limits still in place

By Cynthia L. Garza, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas -- It's a "one in, one out" rule again for student transfers to Arlington Heights and Paschal high schools for the 2005-06 school year.

Long waiting lists for students wanting to get into Paschal and Arlington Heights led the Fort Worth school board to institute the rule five years ago, to ensure that the schools don't exceed enrollment capacity.

Parents can begin requesting transfers to a school other than the assigned home school beginning Tuesday.

Because of the clamor to get students into the two high schools with strong academic reputations, Fort Worth school district officials "want all parents to have the information so that every student has the opportunity to choose the school," said Sue Guthrie, assistant superintendent for secondary school management.

Parents must first get on a waiting list at the schools before they can apply for the transfer. The way it works is simple: If a student transfers from one of the schools, another student can move into that student's spot.

Once they are on the waiting list, parents will then complete all of the necessary paperwork at the home school and the transfer school.

"If the parents want [their child] to go out, I certainly ask them for the reasons," Southwest High School Principal Laura Williams said.

Some parents say they transfer because of family tradition, but the first answer is usually "academics," she said. So Williams tries to explain to parents that while it may not have been the case in the past, most of the high schools in the district offer the same rigorous Advanced Placement courses as Arlington Heights and Paschal.

Most of the high schools also have special-interest programs, such as Eastern Hills High School's law and government program or North Side High School's medical professions program.

"We tell them about the other options, but most of the parents have made up their mind that that's where they want their children to go," Paschal Principal Sharon Meng said.

The majority of the students who get on the waiting list at Paschal will not get into the school. In the past, about 100 students on the waiting list were allowed to enroll, while 250 to 350 could not get into the school.

"It's just very hard because so many, many people want to come and they have such wonderful children and you want to take them all, but you can't," Meng said.

Paschal and Arlington Heights high schools are the largest schools in the Fort Worth school district, with about 2,200 and 1,900 students, respectively.

Transfer information

While Paschal and Arlington Heights high schools are the only ones with the "one in, one out" rule for student transfer requests, parents who wish to transfer their child to a school other than the assigned attendance zone school must follow these procedures:

Parents or guardians may request a transfer from the home school principal during March. The deadline for completing transfers is March 31.

Parents must fill out transfer papers at the home school and the transfer school. If a student is moving from elementary to middle school, or middle to high school, the parents must first apply to the principal of their respective home middle or high school.

The home and transfer school principals must approve the transfer request. All transfers are made on a space-available basis.

Source: Fort Worth school district

[TexasStooge]

FW mother shot by boy, 5

Woman in fair condition; child found gun in parents' room

FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) – A 5-year-old boy toting a pistol he found in his parents' bedroom shot his mother in the back Sunday as she worked at the family's home computer.

The woman, whose name was not released, staggered to the next room where her husband was watching their 14-day-old boy, Fort Worth police Lt. Gene Jones said.

"He immediately called 911," he said.

A medical helicopter flew the woman to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, where she was admitted in fair condition shortly after 5:30 p.m., a nursing supervisor said. The woman was still awaiting surgery Sunday night.

The boy suffered a wound to his forehead, apparently from the recoiling 9mm semi-automatic handgun, and was taken by ambulance to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Lt. Jones said. He was treated and released.

Officers responding to the 911 call said the boy spoke with them and seemed to be in good condition, Lt. Jones said.

"It appears that this was an accidental shooting on his part," he said.

The boy found the gun either on or in a bedside nightstand, Lt. Jones said. "In either case, it was in a place accessible to him."

The family moved into their one-story home in the 1600 block of Whispering Cove Trail in South Fort Worth about two and a half years ago, neighbor David Hammons said. The family also has an older daughter, he said.

"They're real nice people," Mr. Hammons said, "and [the mother] had the best-looking flower bed in the neighborhood. They're just real friendly. This is tragic."

Later, after hearing that the woman likely would survive, Mr. Hammons said, "That is such a relief to hear."

The woman's husband, an Army veteran, works as a jailer for the Tarrant County sheriff's office. His job doesn't require that he carry a gun, Lt. Jones said, and the handgun used in Sunday's shooting was not a duty weapon.

Police are investigating the shooting, he said.

Staff writer Michael E. Young contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Jail woes pinned on county

Commissioners defend health oversight, say staffing complaint new

By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - The widespread and worsening health problems in the Dallas County jail, outlined in a new report, stem from years of inaction by county commissioners who neglected to increase spending and staffing to ensure basic care, health advocates and medical officials say.

They also say commissioners didn't provide adequate oversight of health conditions in the jail after awarding a contract to the University of Texas Medical Branch in late 2002 to handle the jail's health programs.

"It's all about money and tax rates. That thinking still dominates the Commissioners Court," said Mike Katz, past president of the National Alliance of Mental Illness' Dallas chapter. "We've always felt the jail's health care programs were understaffed."

The new report on jail health outlines sweeping problems in both the physical jail space and staffing levels, as well as systemic issues that often exacerbate inmates' illnesses and even pose life-threatening risks. The report was funded by the Meadows Foundation and produced by Health Management Associates. The county received the report Feb. 1, but officials have not made it public. The Dallas Morning News obtained a copy last week.

County Judge Margaret Keliher, who requested the independent report, said she was "dissatisfied with UTMB's performance." But she defended the commissioners' oversight, saying UTMB did not report staffing problems until its own study was released in December. Others say the problems existed well before UTMB took over.

Many of the problems stem from severe understaffing of both health care employees and the jail guards who escort inmates for medical services. Because of the huge demand for medical care and the lack of staff, patients seeking medical care sometimes aren't seen by nurses until six weeks later, the study said. Currently, UTMB has 146 budgeted medical staff positions for the jail, but there are nine vacancies. Temporary nurses fill at least five of those positions.

"The problems UTMB inherited have been here for many years. It's been very frustrating," said Dr. Steven P. Bowers, the jail's medical director, who has worked at the jail since 1993. "The number of medical staff has been grossly deficient. The psych staff was in total disarray. They inherited a terrible record system and old medical equipment. The Sheriff's Department has been understaffed for years as well, and that impacts us on the health side greatly."

Dr. Bowers added that, despite his repeated requests over the years for the county to conduct a thorough analysis of the jail's medical staffing needs, UTMB was the first to actually do it.

The university concluded in its December report that the county needed to spend another $2.7 million a year to hire 53 additional health staff, a 40 percent increase over current staffing levels. By contrast, two years earlier UTMB had said it could provide the same level of care as the county had without increasing staff, and it even promised about $600,000 a year in reduced costs.

UTMB study

Ms. Keliher said the UTMB study was the first time she had heard any complaints about staffing needs. Commissioner John Wiley Price said commissioners had been responsive to county requests for improved staffing prior to UTMB's involvement and that the jail had passed certification inspections by the state every year until last year.

And Commissioner Mike Cantrell said that the very fact the commissioners hired UTMB to manage the jail showed their responsiveness to try to improve the situation.

"It's very easy to point fingers at the Commissioners Court, but we rely on other people to run the jail," Mr. Cantrell said. "It's not a place we can walk into on a moment's notice. That's been a frustration on my part – we're the outsider looking in. The sheriff runs the jail, and the former sheriff knew what was going on there."

Former Sheriff Jim Bowles lost in a primary last year and left office Dec. 31.

Mr. Cantrell said that, as a result of the new study, "you'll see this court make substantial changes in the jail."

Health care experts suggest that UTMB either underbid the contract or failed to judge accurately the costs of health care at a jail, since its primary experience had been providing care in state prisons, which have a more stable population.

The UTMB study noted that the jail had seen "significant increases in the numbers of chronically ill inmates who need numerous medications," and that "pharmacy expenses are increasing dramatically."

UTMB also said it was "compelled to increase the salary levels of health care workers twice in the past two years in order to attract staff," and that a shift differential was instituted for nursing personnel to encourage staff to work evening, night and weekend shifts.

The university estimated that it had lost $500,000 a year on the contract since it began. In 2004, the county paid UTMB $13.5 million to handle a jail population of about 6,600. Its contract is up for renewal this fall.

Dr. Owen Murray, medical director of correctional health care services for UTMB, said the university does not want to abandon its program in the Dallas jail. "We've certainly learned lessons there," he said. "UTMB sees itself as dedicated to doing correctional health care."

Default provider

Nationally, ill-equipped jails have become the default health-care providers for growing numbers of mentally ill Americans. The trend started decades ago, with the transfer of many mentally ill patients from psychiatric institutions, which had their own problems, to programs in the community. But federal and state budget cuts have hurt many of the community programs, and mentally ill people began showing up on the streets, committing minor violations that landed them repeatedly in jail.

Health advocates say that people often ignore problems in the jail and resist paying higher taxes to fix what they believe has no impact on their lives.

"But these people are your concern," said Vivian Lawrence, criminal justice specialist with the Mental Health Association of Greater Dallas. "Up to 20 percent of people in the U.S. have some form of mental illness, and they are related to someone out in the community. It's not a matter of, 'This issue isn't about us.' It is about us."

She said the money comes out of taxpayers' pockets either way. If the government tries to get by on the cheap, health service ends up deteriorating in the jail, and mentally ill inmates make more trips back to jail and to emergency rooms – added costs that taxpayers must bear.

In Dallas, the pattern of neglect has stretched back years.

Betty Culbreath, former director of the county's Department of Health and Human Services, said that when her department ran the jail's health program in the 1990s, she repeatedly clashed with county commissioners, asking for more staff and getting rebuffed.

In a 2001 report, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards said that statewide "there is little public support for increased jail spending. While the county sheriff is responsible for operating the jail, the county commissioners court is responsible for providing the financial resources necessary to maintain that operation. As a result, the sheriff is often unable to effect those decisions necessary for the proper operation of the institution."

Mentally ill inmates

In a 2002 investigation, the Morning News revealed how mentally ill inmates at the county jail were routinely getting only cursory psychiatric exams and often went without anti-psychotic drugs needed to control behavior.

But when commissioners moved to address the problem, much of their public debate focused on how to maintain care at existing levels, not improve it, and how the new contract with UTMB would save taxpayers money. After the contract was awarded, an oversight committee of three commissioners, medical representatives and health care advocates initially met monthly, then quarterly, but it has not met in about a year."The county commissioners decided this issue was not worth their trouble. They abrogated their responsibility for oversight," said David Kellogg, public policy director of the Dallas mental health association. "They had this committee and just pulled the plug on it."

Mr. Kellogg's complaint about the commissioners' lack of oversight echoes concerns voiced in 2002 by Mr. Price, the only one who voted against granting the jail health contract to UTMB.

Mr. Price argued at the time that the three-year contract did not include performance measures to judge the quality of health care and asked, "How many contracts do we let without having expectations?"

[TexasStooge]

Tyler memorializes slain hero

TYLER, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – Friends remembered Mark Wilson on Sunday as a man who was defending his home when he tried to stop a gunman who opened fire on the Smith County courthouse square.

"He saw evil in the city streets of Tyler and he acted instinctively and decisively to stop it with no regard for his own safety," a friend, Russell Harris, told a crowd of about 200 people who attended a memorial for Mr. Wilson, 52.

He died Thursday afternoon after grabbing his gun and heading to the courthouse square to confront David Hernandez Arroyo Sr., 43, who was armed with an AK-47. Mr. Arroyo killed his ex-wife, Maribel Estrada, 41, and Mr. Wilson and wounded three law enforcement officers and his son.

Mr. Harris and three others who spoke at the memorial said Mr. Wilson loved downtown Tyler. He lived in a second-story loft apartment on the square and just returned home from lunch when the shootings began.

Police credited Mr. Wilson with saving the life of the gunman's son, David Hernandez Arroyo Jr., 21.

[TexasStooge]

Dallas water plan due today

Long-range proposal includes new reservoir, to chagrin of critics

By JIM GETZ / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Every day in Dallas, Irving, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and two dozen other cities in the region, millions of people take showers, water their lawns, hose down driveways and do laundry without ever thinking about where the water comes from.

But the Dallas City Council must, because Dallas Water Utilities supplies them all: 2.3 million people in 27 cities, along with other water customers such as utility districts. The council's policy directions on the city's water sources over the next 55 years will affect residents, businesses and habitat from here to rural East Texas.

After months of study and weeks of public input, a city-hired consultant, Ed Motley of the Chiang, Patel & Yerby engineering firm, will today offer a long-range water plan for Dallas to consider.

It is a mix of conservation, water recycling, tapping into existing reservoirs and the opening of at least one new reservoir by 2060. The strategies chosen will affect water rates in Dallas, dozens of other cities, school districts and major employers, though it is impossible to specify those rates now.

"The two most reliable [sources] we can say are Palestine and Lake Fork," said Mr. Motley, referring to existing lakes to which Dallas will connect in the next decade. "Everything else on the list has a risk that it may not happen. We have tried to develop a plan for Dallas that contains those risks, so they can devise certain strategies."

Environmentalists say they can use Mr. Motley's figures to prove Dallas – and the cities to which it sells water – can get all it needs from existing reservoirs and never have to flood hundreds of additional square miles of rural land to quench the urban region's thirst.

Beth Johnson, who represents the Sierra Club and the Texas Committee on Natural Resources, said of existing reservoirs: "We consider these innocent until proven unworkable. ... We consider [new reservoirs] guilty until proven needed."

A joint meeting of the City Council's Finance and Health, Environment & Human Services committees will hear both sides today at noon. On Wednesday or March 9, the full council could then direct Dallas Water Utilities Director Bob Johnson on a mix of policies to follow.

Mr. Johnson wants to submit the city's plan by mid-March to a regional water planning group of 16 North Texas counties. That regional plan must become part of a state plan by year's end.

The city's joint committee was formed about a year ago, shortly after the full council declined to spend $600,000 to study building the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir, which would flood about 100 square miles in northeast Texas and put at least 200 more square miles off-limits to ranching and logging. That lake could provide Dallas with 100 million gallons a day of the 876 million gallons that Dallas Water Utilities says it will need in the mid-21st century.

Council members also want Dallas – one of the state's highest per-capita water users at 242 gallons a day for residences, businesses and industries – to embrace stronger conservation measures and explore recycling wastewater.

Two weeks ago, city officials outlined a water reuse plan that could eventually save the city 138 million gallons a day, about one-sixth of its future needs. There also is a related conservation plan under which the city would begin installing low-use systems in its own facilities, launching an intensive public-awareness campaign, enforcing code more strictly, and eventually offering water-saving devices to the public.

Mr. Motley and Mr. Johnson agree that conservation and recycling must be major components of a balanced strategy.

But unlike the environmentalists, they believe the strategies can fail. Future councils might not keep up the commitment to conservation, they might not want to finance building pipelines to places that could directly use wastewater, or they might balk at blending wastewater into reservoirs if the public worries about health issues.

For those reasons, they say, the city should keep its options open: It should participate with other water suppliers in a study of the Sulphur River Basin to see about Marvin Nichols and other reservoirs, and it should not close the door on the proposed Fastrill Reservoir south of Lake Palestine. Those options, they have calculated, ultimately could be cheaper than water from existing reservoirs.

But Ms. Johnson says the consultant and Dallas Water Utilities are fudging projections to justify a new reservoir.

She contends the difference in supply and demand will be minimal. If you subtract savings from conservation, she says, that reduces future demand to 824 million gallons a day. If you count all anticipated sources except new reservoirs, Dallas will have 804 million gallons of supply. That leaves only a 20 million-gallon gap.

"Dallas loses more than that every day through leaks," Ms. Johnson said.

[TexasStooge]

Questions surround next flu shot batch

By KIMBERLY DURNAN / DallasNews.com

DALLAS, Texas - Flu shot providers who ordinarily would have pre-ordered their supply for the 2005-06 season say they have been left in limbo until the government determines who will make the vaccine.

“We are hopeful for March, but normally we would be ordering in January,” said Cash Link, manager for ASD Healthcare in Addison, which distributes the vaccine to hospitals, nursing associations and corporations.

So far, only sanofi pasteur, formerly known as Aventis Pasteur, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to make the vaccine. Although federal health officials have said the country needs 100 million doses, sanofi pasteur says it can produce a maximum of 60 million.

“There is a finite amount of vaccine we can make,” company spokesman John Abrams said.

The vaccine, made from chicken eggs, takes months to generate.

Sanofi pasteur began production in December for one of the vaccine strains. But it has not announced its plans for setting prices and taking orders because company executives want to see whether the FDA approves competitors, Abrams said.

“Giving the situation that developed last year, it won’t be appropriate to take orders until we determine what the supply situation is going to be with vaccine,” he said. “We don’t know what the government is going to do, whether they will mandate the vaccine just for high-risk groups.”

In October, Chiron Corp.’s contaminated batches from its British vaccine plant were dumped, leaving the nation with 58 million doses, only half of what was ordered. The government then asked that remaining vaccine go to high-risk patients, but months later announced a surplus when more batches became available.

FDA spokeswoman Lenore N. Gelb declined to answer questions related to next season’s flu vaccination production. However, an FDA executive told the Congressional Committee on Government Reform earlier this month that the agency is working to ensure an adequate supply.

Dr. Jesse L. Goodman, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told the committee that the most important factor in determining the adequacy of the supply “will be whether Chiron can correct its manufacturing problems at the Liverpool facility and supply vaccine for the U.S. market.”

“To succeed in this, Chiron is proceeding with extensive improvements that must satisfy both FDA and the U.K. regulatory authority,” he said.

The FDA also is trying to diversify the country’s supply and cut through the red tape to allow new manufacturers into the market for 2005-06, Goodman said.

Making and ordering flu vaccine is an economic risk because demand varies wildly each year. Manufacturers, distributors and clinics do not want to get stuck with leftover vaccine because it cannot be recycled. Each season, the influenza strains differ and a new vaccine must be created.

The wait is frustrating for distributors who want to make sure they get enough to meet demand.

“We can’t pull the trigger until (sanofi pasteur) announces its prices,” said Kit Bacon, spokeswoman for FFF Enterprises, a vaccine distribution company based in California. “We are already receiving requests and we can’t move forward.”

After struggling to get enough vaccine this season, Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Zachary Thompson said he isn’t confident his order will be filled.

“The key is when I order it, will I get it?” he said. “We just need to have enough flu vaccine that will cut down the flip-flopping of one day you have it and the next day you don’t. That doesn’t serve public health.”

Dallas County usually orders 18,000 doses each year but plans to request about 23,000 for 2005.

In 2003, the flu arrived with a vengeance and left early, generating unforeseen demand. This year, the vaccine was limited at the beginning of the season, so many people with no health risks were asked to skip the shot.

Health officials warned that getting a shot late this season would offer no guarantee of protection next winter.

“What we don’t want is for the healthy adults to say, ‘I made it this year so next year I’m not going to take it,’” Thompson said.

The flu outbreak in Dallas County began picking up steam in January. So far, 782 cases have been reported, compared with 352 last year.

Collin County health officials still are assessing flu trends and cycles before they determine how much vaccine to order, spokeswoman Leigh Hornsby said.

Flu demands were high in 2003, so Collin County doubled its 2004 order to 9,000 shots and ended up with about 10,000 total. The county health department has about 500 shots left.

Tarrant County health officials doled out 12,500 shots and expect demand to increase next winter, so they plan to boost the order to 15,000, spokeswoman Vanessa Joseph said.

“If everything works out, we expect to get it in September,” she said.

[TexasStooge]

Report spurs debate on racial profiling

LULAC official says city has a problem; police chief disagrees

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Irving police last year searched Hispanics and blacks more often than whites during traffic stops that resulted in arrests or citations, a Police Department report shows.

Police Chief Larry Boyd said there's no indication that the city has a racial-profiling problem.

But Manny Benavides disagrees. The president of the Irving chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens says Irving still has a "big problem" when it comes to racial profiling.

In stops that led to a ticket or arrest in 2004, Irving police searched 7.2 percent of Hispanics, 6.5 percent of blacks and 4.4 percent of whites. Nearly 2 percent of Asians were searched. No American Indians were searched last year, police records say.

Irving police officers are trained to learn that racially based traffic stops "have no place in modern police work," according to the Police Department report.

But racial profiling exists in Irving, Mr. Benavides said, and police and city officials need to take action.

"The reason we still have this problem is that very few people want to address the issue," he said.

More diversity training for police employees would help, Mr. Benavides said.

He also wants police to spend more time interacting with residents in neighborhoods.

"The police have not been part of the community," he said. "They have been more of an authoritative presence."

But Mr. Benavides applauds the department for sponsoring town hall meetings this month.

Police officials say personnel are trained to properly document traffic stops and receive Spanish language training.

People who believe they've been racially profiled may file a complaint by contacting the department at http://www.irvingpd.com. One complaint was filed last year but was unfounded, said Sgt. Brian Redburn of the department's internal affairs division.

[TexasStooge]

Skaters wheeling, dealing for park

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Skateboarders, skaters and BMX bikers are pumped about plans to build a skate park this fall in southern Irving.

The city plans to spend about $500,000 in bond money on the project at Lively Pointe, a teen center on O'Connor Road.

Many teens have asked city officials about building a skate park, said Casey Tate, park planning superintendent.

"They want to know how come we haven't already built it," he said.

The skate park, which will include volleyball courts, will replace Safety Town, a pint-sized version of a city that's used to teach elementary students about vehicle and pedestrian safety. Safety Town will be moved to Fritz Park during the summer and should reopen in the fall, Mr. Tate said.

City officials had a meeting Thursday and got feedback from a mostly male crowd. Skate park supporters said they want a variety of surfaces on which to practice.

"It can't be lame," said 13-year-old Ryan Baxter.

And they want space for people to watch the action: "We want to see girls hang out," Ryan said.

Currently, skaters and BMX bikers venture outside city limits to find a skate park – or sneak around to various parking lots in Irving. They go to churches, high schools, shopping centers – even City Hall.

"Every time we go somewhere, we get kicked out," said 14-year-old Spencer Johnson.

City officials hope to hire a skate park designer by May. The city hasn't determined whether the park will be geared toward skateboarders, skaters or bikers.

The city plans to have more meetings this year to receive input, Mr. Tate said.

"You have to have the users involved from the beginning of the design so it's useful and reflects their desires," he said.

Danny Chhang says he's excited about the skate park.

"I can't wait for it to be finished," the 19-year-old said. "I'm psyched."

[TexasStooge]

Battle lines forming on school finance

House plan opposed by would-be recipients of its extra $3 billion

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas (Texas Cable News) – House leaders hadn't even put the final touches on their school finance reform package late last week when a blast of hostile e-mails and faxes streamed out across the state.

Hundreds of school districts and leading educator groups said they had seen enough. They'll try to galvanize opposition this week, as a House committee is expected to approve the bill and send it to the House floor today or Tuesday.

It may be the first major school improvement bill in recent memory to draw outright opposition from the very groups and individuals who will be entrusted with improving student achievement under its provisions. And it puts school officials in the unusual position of fighting a bill that, over two years, would spend $3 billion more on Texas schools.

Why? They say it's just not enough money, what with the new programs the bill requires and the state's failure to spend significant new money on schools for several years.

The emotional school finance fight, touching on questions of taxes, fairness and the future of Texas children, could start to come to a head this week. The bill has the backing of Speaker Tom Craddick and other GOP leaders, but once it gets to the House floor, full-press lobbying from all sides will commence.

Typical of the opposition was the fax the Texas Association of Rural Schools sent to its superintendents, urging them to come to the Capitol to voice their displeasure, like angry fire ants pouring out of a mound.

"It's time to see if we have that old sting again," said Bill Grusendorf, the group's executive director and a former superintendent of San Saba schools. "I believe you do."

His alarm was echoed in similar calls to action sent out by associations representing school boards, school administrators and teachers, as well as the Equity Center – the voice for more than 600 low- and medium-wealth school districts.

Rep. Kent Grusendorf – point man for the legislation as chairman of the House education panel and a nephew of the rural schools' chief – is battling as well.

He and Republican leaders held news conferences every day last week to tout the legislation's reforms and argue that it is a significant infusion of money for schools. Even Gov. Rick Perry, who usually stays out of the public fray as legislation is crafted, joined in on one of the news briefings.

"The bottom line for taxpayers, parents and students is that we are proposing more money and more equity [for education] than ever before without raising Texans' net tax burden one cent," Kent Grusendorf said.

His bill calls for a one-third cut in school property taxes, a host of reforms such as merit-based bonuses for teachers, and a $1.5 billion funding increase next year. The property tax cuts would be offset by increases in other taxes, while the extra money would come through spending reductions in state government.

Mr. Grusendorf indirectly acknowledged that educators and many Democratic lawmakers oppose him: When asked whether he thought they would fight the bill on the floor, he instead noted that leading business groups back his measure.

"I'm receiving very, very strong support from the business community across the state," he said. "We're doing what we believe is in the best interests of Texas students."

The opponents each have gripes about various sections of the legislation, but all agree on the bottom line: There's not nearly enough money for schools struggling to save programs and meet increasing standards.

The proposed increase of $1.5 billion a year, which would guarantee a minimum 3 percent increase for all districts, amounts to an inflation adjustment, they say. Last year, the U.S. consumer price index rose 3.3 percent.

Critics say that doesn't come close to what a state judge ruled last year is needed to educate students. Experts testified that the state needed to spend about $4.5 billion a year, and the judge, John Dietz of Austin, cited that testimony in his ruling.

Judge Dietz has given the Legislature until Oct. 1 to fix the state's troubled school finance system. The state Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal but won't do so until after the Legislature adjourns at the end of May.

Beyond the amount of money, the major complaints are stipulations the state would place on most of the new money – such as the incentive pay plans. State teacher organizations are also upset over the lack of a pay raise for teachers and the proposed merit pay system based on test scores.

House Democrats have also objected to provisions in the bill that would limit the amount of local property-tax revenue that wealthy districts would have to share under the state's Robin Hood system. About 22 of those districts – most with small enrollments – would see a huge funding boost. The Highland Park district, for instance, could have about 50 percent more to spend.

"This is a step back from where we want to be going in this state," said Rep. Rene Oliveira, a Brownsville Democrat and vice chairman of the education committee.

Democrats alone could not block approval of the legislation; Republicans hold an 87-63 House majority. But some rural Republicans reportedly have reservations about the measure's impact on their districts.

Republican leaders reject the Democratic criticism, claiming that the bill would put up to 96 percent of students in the same boat financially.

"Those that say otherwise really just want to engage in the politics of class warfare," Mr. Grusendorf said. He added that there "will never be enough money" to satisfy school districts' wish lists.

Other House Republicans insisted that opponents have lost sight of the ultimate goals in education.

"How much we spend is important, but what we spend the money on is more important," said Rep. Bill Keffer, R-Dallas, who cited provisions to make districts more accountable for spending.

Though the battle is taking shape, there's a long way to go. A second bill, to determine how to retool taxes to make up for the property tax cut, will also face intense lobbying.

Plus, Senate leaders, who outlined a preliminary school finance and education improvement proposal in January, are waiting on the lower chamber before resuming their work.