Recruitment accusations lead to team suspensions
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
CARROLLTON, Texas — Four African-American girls and their coach, Bill Franey, were suspended from the Carrollton Christian Academy's varsity basketball team after Franey was accused of offering improper inducements to get them to join the school.
The team's only Hispanic player was also suspended, but was reinstated on appeal.
Franey said he never recruited the students or offered them anything. "I raised money for minority students, and some were basketball players," he said.
The parents of the children also angrily denied the accusations. Renita Alexander said her daughter chose the school for its academics last year, and her daughter became the senior class president, which encouraged her friends to come.
"I hate for it to always come down to race, but it appears like you got four black kids all of a sudden on one team, must be something wrong," Alexander said.
The varsity team has also been forced to forfeit 27 wins.
"It rips a big part out of me," said D'Andrala Alexander, one of the suspended students. "I love this school."
The director of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools said the decision was not racial and that the board found Carrolton Christian Academy in violation.
Dr. Alex Ward, Carrollton Christian Academy's headmaster, said the violation was technical, and the punishment was over the top.
"Because of the loose structure of the inducement rule, it appears they can interpret it the way they want to," Dr. Ward said.
Carrollton Christian Academy's appeal has been denied, which forced them to start the playoffs without three starters.
"I just feel like my whole team is suffering for something [I was] alleged to do [and] that I didn't do," Franey said. "That just adds insult to injury."
The NAACP is considering a lawsuit for the other four players.
However, Alexander's next game will likely be at Washington University in St. Louis, where she received a full academic scholarship and plans to major in pre-med.
News from the Lone Star State
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TexasStooge
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North Texans cash in on energy deregulation
By MACIE JEPSON / WFAA ABC 8
Since the deregulation of energy four years ago, independent energy companies have popped up across the area, and some North Texans have found a way to make money convincing consumers to join them.
Molly Brietenfeld is a stay at home mom who spends very little time at home.
"I have two girls," she said. "One is in college and one is in the third grade. I am active in my church [and] I do a lot of volunteering there."
She also said her busy life can be expensive too, so when a friend asked her to come on board selling energy she hopped on board.
"I'm just your average Plano mom, wife, volunteer and friend, and if I can do this anybody can do it," Brietenfeld said.
More and more people are making money off the deregulation of energy in Texas by selling for independent energy companies.
While Reliant Energy uses mass marketing, smaller companies like Ignite uses the warm market approach and sell to friends and family.
To work for Ignite, Brietenfeld shows potential clients how to save money on electricity, signs ten up and then finds three people who also want to make money.
"I don't have to have employees," Brietenfeld said. "I don't have to do billing and collecting. It's a one time service that helps people and helps me, and it's just being at the right place at the right time."
Joel Claybrook is a CPA who said he is making more money selling Ignite energy.
Claybrook built a team of eight associates ten months ago and his team is now 3,000 strong now.
"[I] made over $150,000, and that's on a part-time basis," Claybrook said of his residual checks. "My personal goal is to have a residual income in excess of $100,000 a month."
The market is wide open with 74 percent of Texas residents still using the more expensive TXU Energy as their energy provider.
By MACIE JEPSON / WFAA ABC 8
Since the deregulation of energy four years ago, independent energy companies have popped up across the area, and some North Texans have found a way to make money convincing consumers to join them.
Molly Brietenfeld is a stay at home mom who spends very little time at home.
"I have two girls," she said. "One is in college and one is in the third grade. I am active in my church [and] I do a lot of volunteering there."
She also said her busy life can be expensive too, so when a friend asked her to come on board selling energy she hopped on board.
"I'm just your average Plano mom, wife, volunteer and friend, and if I can do this anybody can do it," Brietenfeld said.
More and more people are making money off the deregulation of energy in Texas by selling for independent energy companies.
While Reliant Energy uses mass marketing, smaller companies like Ignite uses the warm market approach and sell to friends and family.
To work for Ignite, Brietenfeld shows potential clients how to save money on electricity, signs ten up and then finds three people who also want to make money.
"I don't have to have employees," Brietenfeld said. "I don't have to do billing and collecting. It's a one time service that helps people and helps me, and it's just being at the right place at the right time."
Joel Claybrook is a CPA who said he is making more money selling Ignite energy.
Claybrook built a team of eight associates ten months ago and his team is now 3,000 strong now.
"[I] made over $150,000, and that's on a part-time basis," Claybrook said of his residual checks. "My personal goal is to have a residual income in excess of $100,000 a month."
The market is wide open with 74 percent of Texas residents still using the more expensive TXU Energy as their energy provider.
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TexasStooge
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Dallas ISD to discuss hiring illegal immigrants
Hurdle in using these bilingual teachers: U.S. law prohibits it
By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas' school district has a shortage of bilingual teachers.
DISD trustee Joe May knows where he can find a lot of people who speak Spanish fluently and are already in the country. And he'd like to put them to work.
But there's at least one big hurdle: The school district cannot knowingly hire illegal immigrants because it's against federal law.
Mr. May wants to amend that so the district can hire illegal immigrants who are college-educated and can qualify for the district's emergency teaching certification program. The issue will be discussed at the school board's policy briefing today.
Mr. May believes that amending the law would help alleviate a shortage of bilingual teachers. DISD hopes to fill more than 400 bilingual teaching positions next school year.
"We're paying for DISD people to go over" to other countries to recruit bilingual teachers, Mr. May said. "It makes sense if we set up shop over here. We can build an employment base in our own market."
Some Dallas Independent School District trustees said they look forward to discussing the issue while others are treading cautiously. The district's attorneys will also participate in the discussion at today's meeting.
"I'm open to listening to the legal points they might make," trustee Hollis Brashear said. "But I don't know if we can discuss something that involves not complying with U.S. law."
Trustee Jerome Garza said it's an interesting topic that should be discussed.
"We as trustees can no longer solve problems like we did 10 years ago," Mr. Garza said. "We have to be innovative."
For Mr. May, no idea is too far-fetched. Last year, he successfully pushed a proposal, initially greeted with considerable skepticism, that requires some principals to become bilingual. The issue divided blacks and Hispanics and received nationwide attention.
DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said Mr. May's kind of grass-roots effort is how laws are changed. He said the hiring proposal is something he could support as long as it's done legally.
Dr. Hinojosa said he empathizes with young children who enter the U.S. illegally with their parents and find their job prospects limited in adulthood.
"It wasn't their fault they were brought here," Dr. Hinojosa said. "Their parents brought them."
But the proposal may become, even briefly, a lightning rod for the national debate over illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants number in the millions. A temporary worker plan proposed by President Bush recently has come under fire. The plan would grant visas to many undocumented immigrants, in hopes that it would stem the tide of people entering the U.S. illegally to work. It would also allow law enforcement to focus more on homeland defense.
Federal officials responded Monday to questions about Mr. May's proposal by reciting the current law.
"It's illegal to knowingly hire or continue to employ illegal aliens," said Carl Rusnok, regional communications director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Unless you're in this country legally, it's illegal for you to work."
Under federal law, employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers face criminal prosecution and substantial fines.
Some districts, including DISD, go abroad to recruit bilingual teachers and help applicants obtain their work visas.
But getting a work visa isn't an option for illegal immigrants already here, said Maria Elena Garcia-Upson, regional communications manager for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"While we empathize and sympathize with these individuals, there is an orderly fashion in which one can immigrate to this country," Ms. Garcia-Upson said.
John Keeley, director of communications for the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit group that seeks to have fewer immigrants in the U.S., said Mr. May's proposal sends the wrong message to students.
"Within the education community, you expect a higher degree for the rule of the law," he said.
But Joe Campos, executive manager of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said DISD should push to get the residency requirement waived.
"They can be good productive citizens," Mr. Campos said. "Why not give them the opportunity?"
Mr. May believes it's time to change laws to address illegal immigrants who have been in the U.S. for years.
"They're basically American people when you get down to it," he said.
Hurdle in using these bilingual teachers: U.S. law prohibits it
By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas' school district has a shortage of bilingual teachers.
DISD trustee Joe May knows where he can find a lot of people who speak Spanish fluently and are already in the country. And he'd like to put them to work.
But there's at least one big hurdle: The school district cannot knowingly hire illegal immigrants because it's against federal law.
Mr. May wants to amend that so the district can hire illegal immigrants who are college-educated and can qualify for the district's emergency teaching certification program. The issue will be discussed at the school board's policy briefing today.
Mr. May believes that amending the law would help alleviate a shortage of bilingual teachers. DISD hopes to fill more than 400 bilingual teaching positions next school year.
"We're paying for DISD people to go over" to other countries to recruit bilingual teachers, Mr. May said. "It makes sense if we set up shop over here. We can build an employment base in our own market."
Some Dallas Independent School District trustees said they look forward to discussing the issue while others are treading cautiously. The district's attorneys will also participate in the discussion at today's meeting.
"I'm open to listening to the legal points they might make," trustee Hollis Brashear said. "But I don't know if we can discuss something that involves not complying with U.S. law."
Trustee Jerome Garza said it's an interesting topic that should be discussed.
"We as trustees can no longer solve problems like we did 10 years ago," Mr. Garza said. "We have to be innovative."
For Mr. May, no idea is too far-fetched. Last year, he successfully pushed a proposal, initially greeted with considerable skepticism, that requires some principals to become bilingual. The issue divided blacks and Hispanics and received nationwide attention.
DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said Mr. May's kind of grass-roots effort is how laws are changed. He said the hiring proposal is something he could support as long as it's done legally.
Dr. Hinojosa said he empathizes with young children who enter the U.S. illegally with their parents and find their job prospects limited in adulthood.
"It wasn't their fault they were brought here," Dr. Hinojosa said. "Their parents brought them."
But the proposal may become, even briefly, a lightning rod for the national debate over illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants number in the millions. A temporary worker plan proposed by President Bush recently has come under fire. The plan would grant visas to many undocumented immigrants, in hopes that it would stem the tide of people entering the U.S. illegally to work. It would also allow law enforcement to focus more on homeland defense.
Federal officials responded Monday to questions about Mr. May's proposal by reciting the current law.
"It's illegal to knowingly hire or continue to employ illegal aliens," said Carl Rusnok, regional communications director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Unless you're in this country legally, it's illegal for you to work."
Under federal law, employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers face criminal prosecution and substantial fines.
Some districts, including DISD, go abroad to recruit bilingual teachers and help applicants obtain their work visas.
But getting a work visa isn't an option for illegal immigrants already here, said Maria Elena Garcia-Upson, regional communications manager for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
"While we empathize and sympathize with these individuals, there is an orderly fashion in which one can immigrate to this country," Ms. Garcia-Upson said.
John Keeley, director of communications for the Center for Immigration Studies, a nonprofit group that seeks to have fewer immigrants in the U.S., said Mr. May's proposal sends the wrong message to students.
"Within the education community, you expect a higher degree for the rule of the law," he said.
But Joe Campos, executive manager of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said DISD should push to get the residency requirement waived.
"They can be good productive citizens," Mr. Campos said. "Why not give them the opportunity?"
Mr. May believes it's time to change laws to address illegal immigrants who have been in the U.S. for years.
"They're basically American people when you get down to it," he said.
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TexasStooge
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2 Dallas hospitals rated tops
UT Southwestern, Baylor listed in national survey
By BOB MOOS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - If you need to go into the hospital and you live in Dallas, you'll get some of the best care in the country at Baylor University Medical Center and UT Southwestern University Hospitals.
That's according to the latest survey of the nation's 5,122 nonfederal hospitals by Health Grades Inc., a health care ratings company in Golden, Colo.
The company released a list Monday of the top 5 percent of hospitals in the country in terms of patient care. Of those 277 hospitals, 15 are in Texas, including the two in Dallas. The hospitals weren't ranked.
Hospital report cards are getting more attention as consumers are paying higher out-of-pocket expenses for health care.
"Consumers are demanding more information to make the best decisions about their care," said John Gavras, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council.
Mr. Gavras said such ratings will only grow in importance as Medicare and other insurers begin basing their hospital payments on the quality of care.
"Hospitals with good patient outcomes will be rewarded with higher reimbursements, and those with bad outcomes will be penalized with lower payments," he said.
For its latest survey, Health Grades studied the Medicare records of 39 million patient visits from 2002 to 2004, looking at the outcomes of 26 inpatient procedures.
Those included varied procedures, such as back and neck surgeries, coronary bypass surgeries, hip replacements and prostatectomies.
Health Grades didn't break down which hospitals excelled in which areas, and it said it made adjustments to account for the fact that some hospitals tend to get sicker patients.
Attention to patients
"We're honored to have this distinction," said Dr. Irving Prengler, vice president of medical affairs at Baylor University Medical Center. "But it doesn't come as a surprise."
Dr. Prengler said Baylor has invested heavily in improving care, creating "rapid response teams" of nurses to head off major problems when patients first show signs of trouble.
Sharon Riley, chief executive officer of UT Southwestern University Hospitals, said her institution pays close attention to the "satisfaction surveys" patients complete before they're discharged.
"We really try to follow up on the comments that our patients make about the quality of their care," she said. "We're constantly learning how to do things better."
And though Health Grades didn't rank the 277 hospitals, it did draw a distinction between that group of elite hospitals and all others.
Samantha Collier, Health Grades' vice president of medical affairs, said her company's latest survey shows a widening "quality chasm" between the top hospitals and others.
"There are big differences in hospital care," she said. "The public needs to do its homework."
Lives at stake
The Health Grades survey found that patients are 27 percent less likely to die at the nation's top 277 hospitals than at other medical centers.
They're also 14 percent less likely to develop complications at those elite hospitals, the study said.
"Almost 153,000 lives might have been saved if all U.S. hospitals had performed at the level of the top institutions over those three years," Ms. Collier said.
That total includes 7,400 patients who had chronic pulmonary disease, 17,200 who suffered heart attacks, 19,500 who had strokes and 32,300 who had pneumonia.
Mr. Gavras said that Health Grades does a "credible job" of rating hospitals' care but that consumers will want to look at other surveys to gain a complete picture.
One of the most notable is the Web site Medicare and a broad alliance of health care providers launched last year to help people compare the quality of care at America's hospitals.
U.S. News & World Report also compiles a list of the nation's top hospitals.
Barbara Muntz, vice president for performance improvement at Arlington-based Texas Health Resources, said consumers should consult with their doctors about choosing a hospital.
"All of this information is useful, but it should be considered only a starting point," she said.
Mr. Gavras said hospital ratings will become even more valuable once they're drawn from up-to-date electronic medical records instead of administrative reports that are three or four years old.
"At the moment, it's not an exact science, but we're getting there," he said.
UT Southwestern, Baylor listed in national survey
By BOB MOOS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - If you need to go into the hospital and you live in Dallas, you'll get some of the best care in the country at Baylor University Medical Center and UT Southwestern University Hospitals.
That's according to the latest survey of the nation's 5,122 nonfederal hospitals by Health Grades Inc., a health care ratings company in Golden, Colo.
The company released a list Monday of the top 5 percent of hospitals in the country in terms of patient care. Of those 277 hospitals, 15 are in Texas, including the two in Dallas. The hospitals weren't ranked.
Hospital report cards are getting more attention as consumers are paying higher out-of-pocket expenses for health care.
"Consumers are demanding more information to make the best decisions about their care," said John Gavras, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council.
Mr. Gavras said such ratings will only grow in importance as Medicare and other insurers begin basing their hospital payments on the quality of care.
"Hospitals with good patient outcomes will be rewarded with higher reimbursements, and those with bad outcomes will be penalized with lower payments," he said.
For its latest survey, Health Grades studied the Medicare records of 39 million patient visits from 2002 to 2004, looking at the outcomes of 26 inpatient procedures.
Those included varied procedures, such as back and neck surgeries, coronary bypass surgeries, hip replacements and prostatectomies.
Health Grades didn't break down which hospitals excelled in which areas, and it said it made adjustments to account for the fact that some hospitals tend to get sicker patients.
Attention to patients
"We're honored to have this distinction," said Dr. Irving Prengler, vice president of medical affairs at Baylor University Medical Center. "But it doesn't come as a surprise."
Dr. Prengler said Baylor has invested heavily in improving care, creating "rapid response teams" of nurses to head off major problems when patients first show signs of trouble.
Sharon Riley, chief executive officer of UT Southwestern University Hospitals, said her institution pays close attention to the "satisfaction surveys" patients complete before they're discharged.
"We really try to follow up on the comments that our patients make about the quality of their care," she said. "We're constantly learning how to do things better."
And though Health Grades didn't rank the 277 hospitals, it did draw a distinction between that group of elite hospitals and all others.
Samantha Collier, Health Grades' vice president of medical affairs, said her company's latest survey shows a widening "quality chasm" between the top hospitals and others.
"There are big differences in hospital care," she said. "The public needs to do its homework."
Lives at stake
The Health Grades survey found that patients are 27 percent less likely to die at the nation's top 277 hospitals than at other medical centers.
They're also 14 percent less likely to develop complications at those elite hospitals, the study said.
"Almost 153,000 lives might have been saved if all U.S. hospitals had performed at the level of the top institutions over those three years," Ms. Collier said.
That total includes 7,400 patients who had chronic pulmonary disease, 17,200 who suffered heart attacks, 19,500 who had strokes and 32,300 who had pneumonia.
Mr. Gavras said that Health Grades does a "credible job" of rating hospitals' care but that consumers will want to look at other surveys to gain a complete picture.
One of the most notable is the Web site Medicare and a broad alliance of health care providers launched last year to help people compare the quality of care at America's hospitals.
U.S. News & World Report also compiles a list of the nation's top hospitals.
Barbara Muntz, vice president for performance improvement at Arlington-based Texas Health Resources, said consumers should consult with their doctors about choosing a hospital.
"All of this information is useful, but it should be considered only a starting point," she said.
Mr. Gavras said hospital ratings will become even more valuable once they're drawn from up-to-date electronic medical records instead of administrative reports that are three or four years old.
"At the moment, it's not an exact science, but we're getting there," he said.
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TexasStooge
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Aviation audit could hurt Dallas' borrowing ability
Accounting errors could scare off investors as city mulls $1 billion bond
By TANYA EISERER and KATIE FAIRBANK / The Dallas Morning News
Internal and external auditors are engaged in a high-stakes re-examination of the Dallas Aviation Department's books, checking for sloppy accounting that could hurt the city's efforts to borrow money.
Experts say any mistakes found in the financial reports could point to a breakdown in Dallas' accounting processes and shake confidence in the reliability of the city's audited financial statements. At issue is whether there are errors involving the money in cash reserves. In the worst-case scenario, investors could be scared off from buying the city's bonds.
The examination was launched after city officials were unable to answer questions posed by The Dallas Morning News and city auditors about the 2004 audited financial report.
The questions about the Aviation Department's accounting come as the city mulls when to ask voters to approve a bond issue worth as much as $1 billion to pay for a variety of projects. The interest rate of the bonds will be determined to a large extent by the confidence investors have in the city's financial dealings.
"It's a big deal," said Wayne Shaw, an expert in financial disclosure at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business. "It just suggests a breakdown somewhere in the system."
City auditors and the auditing firm KPMG are doing the review. KPMG declined to comment, citing client confidentiality. The review encompasses audited reports from several years.
"They're looking at '03, '04 and '05, so they can make sure that '05 accurately represents the true financial situation," said assistant city auditor Paul Garner.
Dave Cook, the city's chief financial officer, said last week that he met with KPMG and the firm had concluded its work, finding no problems with the 2004 report.
"We have now confirmed that our 2004 financial records are correct. We're very comfortable," said Mr. Cook. "September 2004 had no errors."
When contacted by The News on Monday, Maria Alicia Garcia, director of Dallas' office of financial services, said KPMG decided to continue digging deeper after meeting with city auditors.
"Until KPMG finishes their work, we won't know what the numbers are," Mr. Garner said.
The cash balances with the Aviation Department in 2004 have been called into question. Previously audited records indicate that $52.79 million, or all of the department's cash reserve, could be used in any manner the department wanted.
But a letter written Sept. 8, 2005, by aviation director Kenneth Gwyn to Lori Palmer, a consultant for the Love Field Citizens Action Committee and a former City Council member, stated something different. The total amount of the cash reserves is the same, but Mr. Gwyn wrote that only $11,845,343 was nonrestricted, or available for any use.
Bond rating agency Standard & Poor's noted last year that Aviation Department management reported an "unrestricted cash position in 2004, which remains strong at $14.1 million" with a total of $46 million.
Mr. Cook said he can't explain why there are three sets of numbers for the same time period, but he believes the $52.79 million number is right.
"I stand by our September 2004 audited financial reports. I have no questions about their validity," he said.
Mr. Cook believes there may have been "conservative" errors in previous audited reports.
"We may have misclassified in the early years and showed some assets as restricted when they needed to be unrestricted. We're not looking into that," he said.
Cash reserves might be restricted, for example, if the money must be used for a specific purpose.
SMU's Mr. Shaw said the city needs to thoroughly investigate the discrepancies.
"If you're indicating assets as being unrestricted and available for general use when they're not, that's a big deal," he said. "If they miss ... basic things, how well are they doing on the complicated stuff?"
The review should take only a few weeks because city staff and KPMG are expected to release the 2005 audited financial statement in March. Mr. Garner, the assistant city auditor, said that if mistakes are found in earlier years, they would most likely be corrected in that statement.
Mr. Cook's decision to look only at 2004, rather than examine possible mistakes in earlier years, is "problematic," said Mr. Shaw.
"It's almost disappointing. If you found some other things that could suggest problems, once you're in the big muddy you might as well clean it up," he said. "Until you figure out what it is you're not doing right in your system, you can never guarantee yourself that it won't happen again."
The Aviation Department, a stand-alone business entity, oversees Love Field, Executive Airport in southern Dallas and the Convention Center heliport. Love Field accounts for nearly all of the department's revenues and expenses.
The department historically has broken even or run surpluses. But a review by The News showed it had about a $20 million combined shortfall for fiscal 2003 and fiscal 2004. Those shortfalls resulted in a drop in the airport's bond rating and prompted an inquiry by city auditors.
City staffers say the shortfalls resulted from the commercial air traffic decline, debt payments on a new parking garage and a loss on the sale of old equipment. They also say the shortfalls haven't been a concern because there was plenty of money in cash reserves, the same funds now being reviewed.
The shortfalls mean the department is relying on cash reserves to meet the financial requirements of the $59 million loan taken to build the parking garage at Love Field.
Relying upon the cash surplus isn't in keeping with the "spirit of the covenant," which is part of the loan agreement, said Mark Gergen, a University of Texas law professor with experience in bond contracts.
"You're eating your seed corn," he said. If the department can't meet the rate covenant out of current revenues, "then what do you do after you've exhausted your surplus?" Mr. Gergen said.
The Aviation Department's Mr. Gwyn said there is no danger of using all the surplus because there is plenty available in the reserve.
Should the department's financial condition deteriorate and it couldn't make its debt payments, bond insurer Ambac Financial Group Inc. could be forced to step in.
Mr. Cook said the city meets the bond covenant.
Peter Stettler, an airport analyst with Fitch Ratings, said the rate covenant on the parking garage is "weaker than the industry norm" because typically cash reserves can't be added into the calculations.
Under the rate covenant for the loan on Love Field's parking garage, the Aviation Department is supposed to set rates and charges high enough to pay its operating and maintenance expenses plus 1.25 times its debt service.
By not doing so, it allows the department to charge tenants at the airport less, said Mr. Stettler.
"For a short period of time, that's not necessarily a bad thing," Mr. Stettler said. "It does get a little problematic if they do that over two or three years because you are weakening your balance sheet."
Mr. Cook was unsure what fiscal years the city used its cash surplus to meet the conditions of the rate covenant. He said he did not see a need to make the calculation each fiscal year because he believes the Aviation Department has plenty of cash on hand.
At the request of The News, city officials found that since at least fiscal 2002, the Aviation Department has depended on cash balances to meet the conditions of the rate covenant.
Accounting errors could scare off investors as city mulls $1 billion bond
By TANYA EISERER and KATIE FAIRBANK / The Dallas Morning News
Internal and external auditors are engaged in a high-stakes re-examination of the Dallas Aviation Department's books, checking for sloppy accounting that could hurt the city's efforts to borrow money.
Experts say any mistakes found in the financial reports could point to a breakdown in Dallas' accounting processes and shake confidence in the reliability of the city's audited financial statements. At issue is whether there are errors involving the money in cash reserves. In the worst-case scenario, investors could be scared off from buying the city's bonds.
The examination was launched after city officials were unable to answer questions posed by The Dallas Morning News and city auditors about the 2004 audited financial report.
The questions about the Aviation Department's accounting come as the city mulls when to ask voters to approve a bond issue worth as much as $1 billion to pay for a variety of projects. The interest rate of the bonds will be determined to a large extent by the confidence investors have in the city's financial dealings.
"It's a big deal," said Wayne Shaw, an expert in financial disclosure at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business. "It just suggests a breakdown somewhere in the system."
City auditors and the auditing firm KPMG are doing the review. KPMG declined to comment, citing client confidentiality. The review encompasses audited reports from several years.
"They're looking at '03, '04 and '05, so they can make sure that '05 accurately represents the true financial situation," said assistant city auditor Paul Garner.
Dave Cook, the city's chief financial officer, said last week that he met with KPMG and the firm had concluded its work, finding no problems with the 2004 report.
"We have now confirmed that our 2004 financial records are correct. We're very comfortable," said Mr. Cook. "September 2004 had no errors."
When contacted by The News on Monday, Maria Alicia Garcia, director of Dallas' office of financial services, said KPMG decided to continue digging deeper after meeting with city auditors.
"Until KPMG finishes their work, we won't know what the numbers are," Mr. Garner said.
The cash balances with the Aviation Department in 2004 have been called into question. Previously audited records indicate that $52.79 million, or all of the department's cash reserve, could be used in any manner the department wanted.
But a letter written Sept. 8, 2005, by aviation director Kenneth Gwyn to Lori Palmer, a consultant for the Love Field Citizens Action Committee and a former City Council member, stated something different. The total amount of the cash reserves is the same, but Mr. Gwyn wrote that only $11,845,343 was nonrestricted, or available for any use.
Bond rating agency Standard & Poor's noted last year that Aviation Department management reported an "unrestricted cash position in 2004, which remains strong at $14.1 million" with a total of $46 million.
Mr. Cook said he can't explain why there are three sets of numbers for the same time period, but he believes the $52.79 million number is right.
"I stand by our September 2004 audited financial reports. I have no questions about their validity," he said.
Mr. Cook believes there may have been "conservative" errors in previous audited reports.
"We may have misclassified in the early years and showed some assets as restricted when they needed to be unrestricted. We're not looking into that," he said.
Cash reserves might be restricted, for example, if the money must be used for a specific purpose.
SMU's Mr. Shaw said the city needs to thoroughly investigate the discrepancies.
"If you're indicating assets as being unrestricted and available for general use when they're not, that's a big deal," he said. "If they miss ... basic things, how well are they doing on the complicated stuff?"
The review should take only a few weeks because city staff and KPMG are expected to release the 2005 audited financial statement in March. Mr. Garner, the assistant city auditor, said that if mistakes are found in earlier years, they would most likely be corrected in that statement.
Mr. Cook's decision to look only at 2004, rather than examine possible mistakes in earlier years, is "problematic," said Mr. Shaw.
"It's almost disappointing. If you found some other things that could suggest problems, once you're in the big muddy you might as well clean it up," he said. "Until you figure out what it is you're not doing right in your system, you can never guarantee yourself that it won't happen again."
The Aviation Department, a stand-alone business entity, oversees Love Field, Executive Airport in southern Dallas and the Convention Center heliport. Love Field accounts for nearly all of the department's revenues and expenses.
The department historically has broken even or run surpluses. But a review by The News showed it had about a $20 million combined shortfall for fiscal 2003 and fiscal 2004. Those shortfalls resulted in a drop in the airport's bond rating and prompted an inquiry by city auditors.
City staffers say the shortfalls resulted from the commercial air traffic decline, debt payments on a new parking garage and a loss on the sale of old equipment. They also say the shortfalls haven't been a concern because there was plenty of money in cash reserves, the same funds now being reviewed.
The shortfalls mean the department is relying on cash reserves to meet the financial requirements of the $59 million loan taken to build the parking garage at Love Field.
Relying upon the cash surplus isn't in keeping with the "spirit of the covenant," which is part of the loan agreement, said Mark Gergen, a University of Texas law professor with experience in bond contracts.
"You're eating your seed corn," he said. If the department can't meet the rate covenant out of current revenues, "then what do you do after you've exhausted your surplus?" Mr. Gergen said.
The Aviation Department's Mr. Gwyn said there is no danger of using all the surplus because there is plenty available in the reserve.
Should the department's financial condition deteriorate and it couldn't make its debt payments, bond insurer Ambac Financial Group Inc. could be forced to step in.
Mr. Cook said the city meets the bond covenant.
Peter Stettler, an airport analyst with Fitch Ratings, said the rate covenant on the parking garage is "weaker than the industry norm" because typically cash reserves can't be added into the calculations.
Under the rate covenant for the loan on Love Field's parking garage, the Aviation Department is supposed to set rates and charges high enough to pay its operating and maintenance expenses plus 1.25 times its debt service.
By not doing so, it allows the department to charge tenants at the airport less, said Mr. Stettler.
"For a short period of time, that's not necessarily a bad thing," Mr. Stettler said. "It does get a little problematic if they do that over two or three years because you are weakening your balance sheet."
Mr. Cook was unsure what fiscal years the city used its cash surplus to meet the conditions of the rate covenant. He said he did not see a need to make the calculation each fiscal year because he believes the Aviation Department has plenty of cash on hand.
At the request of The News, city officials found that since at least fiscal 2002, the Aviation Department has depended on cash balances to meet the conditions of the rate covenant.
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TexasStooge
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Texas parties running on empty
GOP starts campaign year in debt; Democrats have a little money
By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – The state political parties were pretty much broke at year's end, with the Democrats barely keeping their heads above water and the Republicans swimming in a shallow pool of red ink.
Three finance reports provided to state and federal agencies indicate that the Democrats had more than $8,000 at the end of 2005, while the Republicans had almost $130,000 in cash, but listed bills and debts of $277,000.
That's not to say the party's over. Both are fundraising and have nine months before the November general election, when they will need the gathered cash to pay for voter registration drives, phone banks, political polling and mailings to help their slate of candidates.
But for the dominant Republican Party, which controls every statewide office, what's on the public books is particularly troubling to some GOP stalwarts.
"There's clearly a problem," said former chairman Tom Pauken, who said he and others have been trying to get the party leadership to be more open about its finances.
He said they have been saying that the money situation is fine but have declined to open budget discussions to the rank-and-file.
"Everything seems very secretive," Mr. Pauken said. "It's almost like a bunker-mentality."
Former Dallas County GOP chairman Nate Crain, who could challenge state chairwoman Tina Benkiser for her post, said he also is having a hard time understanding where the GOP debt is coming from.
"This is not a good sign for our state party and its health," he said.
He said many Republicans are frustrated with the broad answers that party leaders have offered on finances. "Their mantra was that we have plenty of money," Mr. Crain said. But without an enormous fundraiser, "I fail to see how they can be a major player in the elections," he said.
Repeated calls to Ms. Benkiser and executive director Jeff Fisher were not returned. The party has not had a full-time public information officer for several months.
As for the Democrats, officials said they have a small cash balance and acknowledge, "we don't have much money."
But they remain optimistic.
State reports spanning from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2005 show the Democratic Party actually outdid the Republican Party in fundraising. But in federal accounts, the GOP garnered four times as much.
Most of the Democratic Party money – $107,000 of the $243,000 raised in its state account – came from the Texas Democratic Trust, a political committee funded by two trial lawyers, Fred Baron and Russell Budd.
"The Texas Democratic Trust is a group of Democrats who believe in their party and are tired of the cronyism and corruption that has infiltrated Texas under the regime of Tom DeLay and Rick Perry," said spokeswoman Amber Moon. "We appreciate every penny of it."
While many of the party's traditional large donors have defected to the independent gubernatorial campaign of Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Ms. Moon said she still expects that the party will raise enough contributions to be a force in the upcoming elections.
"We're confident we'll have enough money to support all our candidates," she said.
The state parties help in grass-roots work through registration and getting voters to the polls. But they also can target and give contributions to candidates who are struggling in close races, especially those contests low on the ballot. In legislative races, for instance, state party contributions have played major roles.
If the parties are strapped for cash, the better-financed statewide campaigns might have to dig into their own pockets to identify voters, promote the party ticket, support the phone banks and get their voters out on election day, experts said.
Fred Lewis, director of the campaign finance reform group, Campaigns for People, said some of the lackluster fundraising could be a function of it being early in the election cycle, or because there aren't very many competitive races to catch voters' attention.
"The statewide races, except for governor, are not going to be much of a race," Mr. Lewis said. For those 10 swing legislative races, if the parties cannot step in, he said, a handful of political action committees could take up the funding slack.
"This is not 2002. There's no dream team," he said. "And I suspect the parties are using corporate and union money in a more limited way."
In 2002, conservative groups spent millions in corporate donations, leading to indictments against the Texas Association of Business and three men connected to Texans for a Republican Majority. It is illegal in Texas to use corporate or union donations for political purposes.
And in November, the state Republican Party avoided prosecution by signing an agreement with Travis County Attorney David Escamilla to comply with state law on corporate contributions. The party acknowledged improperly spending $65,000 in corporate cash.
Meanwhile, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle last month subpoenaed 2002 financial records from the party.
"This is not good news," said Mr. Pauken, citing the drain of legal bills.
He also said that when he was chairman in the 1990s, there were splits in the emerging party. He sparred with then-Gov. George W. Bush, prompting his political advisor Karl Rove to discourage donors from giving to the party; still the party avoided debt and had a strong grass-roots campaign, Mr. Pauken said.
"I would have thought it would be a lot easier for this group to raise money than when I was party chairman," Mr. Pauken said. "It doesn't auger well, and it could mean that we're going to have a harder time than people expect in the November elections."
GOP starts campaign year in debt; Democrats have a little money
By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – The state political parties were pretty much broke at year's end, with the Democrats barely keeping their heads above water and the Republicans swimming in a shallow pool of red ink.
Three finance reports provided to state and federal agencies indicate that the Democrats had more than $8,000 at the end of 2005, while the Republicans had almost $130,000 in cash, but listed bills and debts of $277,000.
That's not to say the party's over. Both are fundraising and have nine months before the November general election, when they will need the gathered cash to pay for voter registration drives, phone banks, political polling and mailings to help their slate of candidates.
But for the dominant Republican Party, which controls every statewide office, what's on the public books is particularly troubling to some GOP stalwarts.
"There's clearly a problem," said former chairman Tom Pauken, who said he and others have been trying to get the party leadership to be more open about its finances.
He said they have been saying that the money situation is fine but have declined to open budget discussions to the rank-and-file.
"Everything seems very secretive," Mr. Pauken said. "It's almost like a bunker-mentality."
Former Dallas County GOP chairman Nate Crain, who could challenge state chairwoman Tina Benkiser for her post, said he also is having a hard time understanding where the GOP debt is coming from.
"This is not a good sign for our state party and its health," he said.
He said many Republicans are frustrated with the broad answers that party leaders have offered on finances. "Their mantra was that we have plenty of money," Mr. Crain said. But without an enormous fundraiser, "I fail to see how they can be a major player in the elections," he said.
Repeated calls to Ms. Benkiser and executive director Jeff Fisher were not returned. The party has not had a full-time public information officer for several months.
As for the Democrats, officials said they have a small cash balance and acknowledge, "we don't have much money."
But they remain optimistic.
State reports spanning from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2005 show the Democratic Party actually outdid the Republican Party in fundraising. But in federal accounts, the GOP garnered four times as much.
Most of the Democratic Party money – $107,000 of the $243,000 raised in its state account – came from the Texas Democratic Trust, a political committee funded by two trial lawyers, Fred Baron and Russell Budd.
"The Texas Democratic Trust is a group of Democrats who believe in their party and are tired of the cronyism and corruption that has infiltrated Texas under the regime of Tom DeLay and Rick Perry," said spokeswoman Amber Moon. "We appreciate every penny of it."
While many of the party's traditional large donors have defected to the independent gubernatorial campaign of Carole Keeton Strayhorn, Ms. Moon said she still expects that the party will raise enough contributions to be a force in the upcoming elections.
"We're confident we'll have enough money to support all our candidates," she said.
The state parties help in grass-roots work through registration and getting voters to the polls. But they also can target and give contributions to candidates who are struggling in close races, especially those contests low on the ballot. In legislative races, for instance, state party contributions have played major roles.
If the parties are strapped for cash, the better-financed statewide campaigns might have to dig into their own pockets to identify voters, promote the party ticket, support the phone banks and get their voters out on election day, experts said.
Fred Lewis, director of the campaign finance reform group, Campaigns for People, said some of the lackluster fundraising could be a function of it being early in the election cycle, or because there aren't very many competitive races to catch voters' attention.
"The statewide races, except for governor, are not going to be much of a race," Mr. Lewis said. For those 10 swing legislative races, if the parties cannot step in, he said, a handful of political action committees could take up the funding slack.
"This is not 2002. There's no dream team," he said. "And I suspect the parties are using corporate and union money in a more limited way."
In 2002, conservative groups spent millions in corporate donations, leading to indictments against the Texas Association of Business and three men connected to Texans for a Republican Majority. It is illegal in Texas to use corporate or union donations for political purposes.
And in November, the state Republican Party avoided prosecution by signing an agreement with Travis County Attorney David Escamilla to comply with state law on corporate contributions. The party acknowledged improperly spending $65,000 in corporate cash.
Meanwhile, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle last month subpoenaed 2002 financial records from the party.
"This is not good news," said Mr. Pauken, citing the drain of legal bills.
He also said that when he was chairman in the 1990s, there were splits in the emerging party. He sparred with then-Gov. George W. Bush, prompting his political advisor Karl Rove to discourage donors from giving to the party; still the party avoided debt and had a strong grass-roots campaign, Mr. Pauken said.
"I would have thought it would be a lot easier for this group to raise money than when I was party chairman," Mr. Pauken said. "It doesn't auger well, and it could mean that we're going to have a harder time than people expect in the November elections."
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TexasStooge
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Weather, added attractions help stock show set record
Fort Worth: Weighing rules for junior steer show led to 2 disqualifications
By LAURIE FOX / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas – Attendance at this year's Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show and Rodeo set a record as favorable weather and expanded attractions lured visitors.
Officials said 955,800 visitors attended the 24-day run of Fort Worth's largest annual event. That compares with the 941,100 visitors last year who attended stock show events and exhibits at the Will Rogers Memorial Center on the city's west side.
W.R. Watt Jr., the stock show president and general manager, said show-goers continued to discover events during the first week, which helped increase the number of visitors.
The stock show expanded to 24 days several years ago and added a week of new presentations, such as the ranch rodeo, Jerry Diaz's "Best of Mexico Celebracion" and Bulls Night Out.
Mr. Watt said several of those shows were sold out.
"You could tell people were having a good time when they were here," Mr. Watt said. "And Mother Nature was kind to us this year."
He said an effort to increase Hispanic attendance also paid off as the crowds that jammed the barns and midway included many Hispanic families.
A record of almost 25,000 head of livestock was entered for the show. The junior heifer and junior steer shows also set records.
A new policy of weighing winning animals in this year's junior steer show resulted in two disqualifications.
Diuretics can sometimes be used to reduce water weight and mask an animal's true weight before a competition. A heavier animal competing in a lower class could have a competitive edge.
Officials weighed the first- and second-place winners in each junior steer class in the wake of three disqualifications because of drug use last year. The animals' post-show weight was compared with their weight when they arrived. If the animal weighed 5 percent more after the competition, it was disqualified.
Other animals have been subject to post-competition weighing in years past, but this is the first year that the procedure has been added to the junior steer show. The weigh-ins will supplement the stock show's drug-testing program.
The program requires a urine sample be taken immediately after the show and sent to a lab at Texas A&M University. Last year's tests revealed drugs in some winning animals. This year's results will take several weeks.
By the end of March, stock show officials will close out the books, totaling the number of livestock entries and sales. The stock show board has its annual meeting in April. Immediately after that, planning starts for next year.
Fort Worth: Weighing rules for junior steer show led to 2 disqualifications
By LAURIE FOX / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas – Attendance at this year's Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show and Rodeo set a record as favorable weather and expanded attractions lured visitors.
Officials said 955,800 visitors attended the 24-day run of Fort Worth's largest annual event. That compares with the 941,100 visitors last year who attended stock show events and exhibits at the Will Rogers Memorial Center on the city's west side.
W.R. Watt Jr., the stock show president and general manager, said show-goers continued to discover events during the first week, which helped increase the number of visitors.
The stock show expanded to 24 days several years ago and added a week of new presentations, such as the ranch rodeo, Jerry Diaz's "Best of Mexico Celebracion" and Bulls Night Out.
Mr. Watt said several of those shows were sold out.
"You could tell people were having a good time when they were here," Mr. Watt said. "And Mother Nature was kind to us this year."
He said an effort to increase Hispanic attendance also paid off as the crowds that jammed the barns and midway included many Hispanic families.
A record of almost 25,000 head of livestock was entered for the show. The junior heifer and junior steer shows also set records.
A new policy of weighing winning animals in this year's junior steer show resulted in two disqualifications.
Diuretics can sometimes be used to reduce water weight and mask an animal's true weight before a competition. A heavier animal competing in a lower class could have a competitive edge.
Officials weighed the first- and second-place winners in each junior steer class in the wake of three disqualifications because of drug use last year. The animals' post-show weight was compared with their weight when they arrived. If the animal weighed 5 percent more after the competition, it was disqualified.
Other animals have been subject to post-competition weighing in years past, but this is the first year that the procedure has been added to the junior steer show. The weigh-ins will supplement the stock show's drug-testing program.
The program requires a urine sample be taken immediately after the show and sent to a lab at Texas A&M University. Last year's tests revealed drugs in some winning animals. This year's results will take several weeks.
By the end of March, stock show officials will close out the books, totaling the number of livestock entries and sales. The stock show board has its annual meeting in April. Immediately after that, planning starts for next year.
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TexasStooge
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Ex-officer accused in arson-murder case
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE
WAXAHACHIE, Texas — A former North Texas police officer is under arrest in connection with a case of arson and murder.
Investigators said Dennis Hickman worked for the Cockrell Hill police department at the time of the crime, which took place in Waxahachie.
Hickman, 30, is jailed in Waxahachie, charged with arson after a man's body was found inside a burning vehicle.
The victim was discovered last Oct. 2, when patrol officers spotted a Lincoln Navigator on fire in a Waxahachie cemetery.
They found the body of Miguel Angel Martinez, 30, of Dallas, inside the vehicle. Police said Officer Hickman allegedly participated in the arson.
Police said Martinez was stabbed to death before the body was burned. Three other people have been charged with murder, and the FBI is also involved in the investigation.
Hickman was not only a police officer in Cockrell Hill, he also served about five years on the Waxahachie police force and was a peace officer at Southern Methodist University.
Cockrell Hill police Chief Catherine Smit said she was stunned by Hickman's arrest. "When I first heard about it... just absolutely sick," she said.
Smit hired Hickman in September, 2005. He was an officer in training at the time of the alleged arson and murder.
"We had no clue," Smit said. "I mean, there were no signs at all."
Hickman left the Cockrell Hill police department about a month after the Martinez murder. Hickman said he needed to take care of personal family issues.
Hickman had no record of major discipline problems in any of the other departments where he had worked.
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE
WAXAHACHIE, Texas — A former North Texas police officer is under arrest in connection with a case of arson and murder.
Investigators said Dennis Hickman worked for the Cockrell Hill police department at the time of the crime, which took place in Waxahachie.
Hickman, 30, is jailed in Waxahachie, charged with arson after a man's body was found inside a burning vehicle.
The victim was discovered last Oct. 2, when patrol officers spotted a Lincoln Navigator on fire in a Waxahachie cemetery.
They found the body of Miguel Angel Martinez, 30, of Dallas, inside the vehicle. Police said Officer Hickman allegedly participated in the arson.
Police said Martinez was stabbed to death before the body was burned. Three other people have been charged with murder, and the FBI is also involved in the investigation.
Hickman was not only a police officer in Cockrell Hill, he also served about five years on the Waxahachie police force and was a peace officer at Southern Methodist University.
Cockrell Hill police Chief Catherine Smit said she was stunned by Hickman's arrest. "When I first heard about it... just absolutely sick," she said.
Smit hired Hickman in September, 2005. He was an officer in training at the time of the alleged arson and murder.
"We had no clue," Smit said. "I mean, there were no signs at all."
Hickman left the Cockrell Hill police department about a month after the Martinez murder. Hickman said he needed to take care of personal family issues.
Hickman had no record of major discipline problems in any of the other departments where he had worked.
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TexasStooge
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Pedestrian struck and killed on highway
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A pedestrian was struck and killed early Tuesday morning in Southeast Dallas.
Police said the unidentified person was trying to cross C.F. Hawn Freeway at St. Augustine Road when the victim was struck by a car around 6:30 a.m.
No charges were filed against the driver of the car.
The accident investigation caused a traffic backup during a portion of the morning rush hour on the westbound C.F. Hawn service road and exit ramp.
Initial reports incorrectly said the accident victim had been riding a bicycle.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A pedestrian was struck and killed early Tuesday morning in Southeast Dallas.
Police said the unidentified person was trying to cross C.F. Hawn Freeway at St. Augustine Road when the victim was struck by a car around 6:30 a.m.
No charges were filed against the driver of the car.
The accident investigation caused a traffic backup during a portion of the morning rush hour on the westbound C.F. Hawn service road and exit ramp.
Initial reports incorrectly said the accident victim had been riding a bicycle.
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TexasStooge
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Reporter, others wounded in border newsroom attack
By ALFREDO CORCHADO / The Dallas Morning News
A veteran reporter was in critical condition Tuesday after unidentified gunmen walked into a newspaper building with automatic rifles and shot up the lobby before tossing two grenades into the newsroom in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo, the newspaper editor said.
“Nuevo Laredo continues to be the battleground for drug cartels,” said Ramón Cantu Deandar, editor of El Mañana and an afternoon daily, La Tarde. “And reporters continue to get caught in the crossfire. The problem is you don’t know who these assailants are, or why they retaliate against us.”
The reporter, Jaime Orozco Tey of El Mañana, was wounded in the attack Monday evening and was fighting for his life at a local hospital. Mr. Orozco was apparently hit five times by stray bullets, Mr. Cantu said. Other reporters and editors received minor wounds from flying glass and debris, he added.
“The assailants walked into the lobby of the newspaper and yelled, ‘You’re all going to hell,’ and tossed the two grenades and started shooting up the place,” Mr. Cantu said.
The attorney general’s office and the Mexican military, which has had a large presence in the city since last summer, took over the investigation and offered protection for the newspaper staff, Mr. Cantu said. The newspaper remained under armed guard early Tuesday morning. An official at the attorney general’s office, known by the initials PGR in Mexico, confirmed the incident Monday but declined to comment.
Mr. Cantu said he did not know why the newspaper was targeted but said newspaper editors were conducting an internal investigation to determine a possible motive for the shooting.
“But even if we find out why, I’m not so sure we would print it,” Mr. Cantu said. “We live here under a code of self-censorship, and even under those rules we’re vulnerable.”
He added, “What our people really want, especially photographers, are bulletproof vests.”
Attacks against journalists have happened before in Nuevo Laredo and at El Mañana. In January, two El Mañana reporters escaped injury when they were caught in a crossfire between rival gangs. In April 2005, radio reporter Guadalupe “Lupita” García Escamilla died after she was shot nine times by an unidentified assailant as she arrived at work.
In March 2004, Roberto Javier Mora García, El Mañana’s top editor, was stabbed to death. His killing remains under investigation. A suspected assailant, a U.S. citizen, was killed inside a Nuevo Laredo jail.
The latest incident comes as two warring drug cartels fight a bloody battle for control of the I-35 corridor used to transport tons of drugs across the border into the United States.
An average of one person per day has been killed in Nuevo Laredo so far this year, most in drug-related violence, officials have said.
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ALSO ONLINE:
El Mañana - Official Web Site
By ALFREDO CORCHADO / The Dallas Morning News
A veteran reporter was in critical condition Tuesday after unidentified gunmen walked into a newspaper building with automatic rifles and shot up the lobby before tossing two grenades into the newsroom in the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo, the newspaper editor said.
“Nuevo Laredo continues to be the battleground for drug cartels,” said Ramón Cantu Deandar, editor of El Mañana and an afternoon daily, La Tarde. “And reporters continue to get caught in the crossfire. The problem is you don’t know who these assailants are, or why they retaliate against us.”
The reporter, Jaime Orozco Tey of El Mañana, was wounded in the attack Monday evening and was fighting for his life at a local hospital. Mr. Orozco was apparently hit five times by stray bullets, Mr. Cantu said. Other reporters and editors received minor wounds from flying glass and debris, he added.
“The assailants walked into the lobby of the newspaper and yelled, ‘You’re all going to hell,’ and tossed the two grenades and started shooting up the place,” Mr. Cantu said.
The attorney general’s office and the Mexican military, which has had a large presence in the city since last summer, took over the investigation and offered protection for the newspaper staff, Mr. Cantu said. The newspaper remained under armed guard early Tuesday morning. An official at the attorney general’s office, known by the initials PGR in Mexico, confirmed the incident Monday but declined to comment.
Mr. Cantu said he did not know why the newspaper was targeted but said newspaper editors were conducting an internal investigation to determine a possible motive for the shooting.
“But even if we find out why, I’m not so sure we would print it,” Mr. Cantu said. “We live here under a code of self-censorship, and even under those rules we’re vulnerable.”
He added, “What our people really want, especially photographers, are bulletproof vests.”
Attacks against journalists have happened before in Nuevo Laredo and at El Mañana. In January, two El Mañana reporters escaped injury when they were caught in a crossfire between rival gangs. In April 2005, radio reporter Guadalupe “Lupita” García Escamilla died after she was shot nine times by an unidentified assailant as she arrived at work.
In March 2004, Roberto Javier Mora García, El Mañana’s top editor, was stabbed to death. His killing remains under investigation. A suspected assailant, a U.S. citizen, was killed inside a Nuevo Laredo jail.
The latest incident comes as two warring drug cartels fight a bloody battle for control of the I-35 corridor used to transport tons of drugs across the border into the United States.
An average of one person per day has been killed in Nuevo Laredo so far this year, most in drug-related violence, officials have said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALSO ONLINE:
El Mañana - Official Web Site
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TexasStooge
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2nd suspect pleads guilty in TCU professor's death
By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - Kathleen Latimer, who along with a Fort Worth man abducted and killed a retired college professor, admitted her role in the slaying and pleaded guilty Monday to murder.
Ms. Latimer, 41, is the second person convicted in the 2004 slaying of Laura Lee Crane. Her former boyfriend, Edward Lee Busby Jr. was sentenced to death row in November for his role in Ms. Crane’s death.
The defendant accepted a plea after prosecutors lowered the capital murder charge to murder, said her attorney Danny Burns.
“She pleaded to straight murder,” Mr. Burns said. “She didn’t have to say she intended the death and that was very important to her.”
Ms. Latimer, also of Fort Worth, will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison, officials said.
Mr. Busby, 33, masterminded the Jan. 30, 2004 abduction, prosecutors said. Mrs. Crane, 77, was kidnapped from the parking lot of a southwest Fort Worth grocery store where she had gone to shop.
Mr. Busby duct-taped the former Texas Christian University education professor and along with Ms. Latimer drove her to Oklahoma, officials said. Ms. Latimer was suffocated, officials said.
Mr. Busby and Ms. Latimer were driving Mrs. Crane's car when they were pulled over on a routine traffic.
Mr. Busby led police to Mrs. Crane's body, which had been abandoned alongside Interstate 35 in southern Oklahoma.
By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - Kathleen Latimer, who along with a Fort Worth man abducted and killed a retired college professor, admitted her role in the slaying and pleaded guilty Monday to murder.
Ms. Latimer, 41, is the second person convicted in the 2004 slaying of Laura Lee Crane. Her former boyfriend, Edward Lee Busby Jr. was sentenced to death row in November for his role in Ms. Crane’s death.
The defendant accepted a plea after prosecutors lowered the capital murder charge to murder, said her attorney Danny Burns.
“She pleaded to straight murder,” Mr. Burns said. “She didn’t have to say she intended the death and that was very important to her.”
Ms. Latimer, also of Fort Worth, will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison, officials said.
Mr. Busby, 33, masterminded the Jan. 30, 2004 abduction, prosecutors said. Mrs. Crane, 77, was kidnapped from the parking lot of a southwest Fort Worth grocery store where she had gone to shop.
Mr. Busby duct-taped the former Texas Christian University education professor and along with Ms. Latimer drove her to Oklahoma, officials said. Ms. Latimer was suffocated, officials said.
Mr. Busby and Ms. Latimer were driving Mrs. Crane's car when they were pulled over on a routine traffic.
Mr. Busby led police to Mrs. Crane's body, which had been abandoned alongside Interstate 35 in southern Oklahoma.
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TexasStooge
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3 killed in crash near Houston
HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Three people, including two Prairie View A&M University students, were killed Monday in a head-on crash caused by a car going the wrong way on a freeway, officials said.
One of the vehicles was going east on the westbound lanes of U.S. 290 near Houston, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Department.
A motorist reported a car going the wrong way to 911 operators, but deputies could not reach the area in time to try to prevent a wreck, sheriff's Lt. D.A. Coleman said.
Investigators could not immediately determine which was the wrong-way car, Coleman said. Two male students were in one car and a woman was in the other, but no identities were released, Coleman said.
HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Three people, including two Prairie View A&M University students, were killed Monday in a head-on crash caused by a car going the wrong way on a freeway, officials said.
One of the vehicles was going east on the westbound lanes of U.S. 290 near Houston, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Department.
A motorist reported a car going the wrong way to 911 operators, but deputies could not reach the area in time to try to prevent a wreck, sheriff's Lt. D.A. Coleman said.
Investigators could not immediately determine which was the wrong-way car, Coleman said. Two male students were in one car and a woman was in the other, but no identities were released, Coleman said.
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Bank robbed in West Plano
By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas - Police are investigating the robbery of a West Plano bank Tuesday morning.
The robbery occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. at the Chase Bank branch in the 5900 block of West Parker Road, just east of the Dallas North Tollway.
Police said the suspect is a Hispanic male who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and about 130 pounds. He wore a blue and white flannel jacket and glasses and had a mustache, though police are not sure whether it was real.
The suspect got away with an unknown amount of cash, police said.
By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas - Police are investigating the robbery of a West Plano bank Tuesday morning.
The robbery occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m. at the Chase Bank branch in the 5900 block of West Parker Road, just east of the Dallas North Tollway.
Police said the suspect is a Hispanic male who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and about 130 pounds. He wore a blue and white flannel jacket and glasses and had a mustache, though police are not sure whether it was real.
The suspect got away with an unknown amount of cash, police said.
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Dallas elementary students chat with space station
By ALLISON WISK / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - After applying around five years ago to speak to the International Space Station, current and former DeGolyer Elementary School pupils finally had the chance Tuesday to “ham” it up with NASA astronauts in outer space.
Designated as station K5DES, DeGolyer’s amateur ham radio club is sponsored by art teacher Sanlyn Kent and teaching assistant Richard Aguilar.
DeGolyer, a Dallas Independent School District campus located off Webb Chapel in Northwest Dallas, is one of only a few schools chosen to connect with the International Space Station. Others have been located in Dale, Okla., and Queensland, Australia.
Tuesday’s chat between the astronauts and the children came as part of a joint program between NASA and several amateur radio organizations called ARISS, or Amateur Radio on the International Space Station.
The anticipation was palpable as the kids stared at a computer projection of the space station’s place in orbit, waiting for the tip of its scope to touch Dallas.
“It’s hard not to get a little chill when you hear the International Space Station come through the radio,” said Bob Dickey, call sign AK5V, who served as emcee for the event.
Given just minutes to speak with space station Cmdr. Bill McArthur, the young licensed amateur radio operators were armed with space-related questions, which they shot out at lightning speed before communication faded into static.
Asked sixth-grader Alyssa Kuklinski: “How does it feel when you return to earth, and does anything strange or funny happen to you when you did?”
“You feel very dizzy and weak when you first return to earth,” McArthur said.
“When I came to make a right turn, I couldn’t turn – I could only go straight ahead,” he said to laughter.
Astronaut Owen Garriott was the first to take amateur radio equipment into space in 1983, using his handheld transceiver to talk to his family and other hams worldwide.
Garriott’s positive experiences led NASA and several amateur radio organizations to form a program called SAREX, or Space Amateur Radio Experiment, which gave students a chance to exchange questions and answers with astronauts in orbit. It later was transformed into the ARISS program, according to NASA.
Dallas Morning News staff writer Alan Melson contributed to this report.
By ALLISON WISK / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - After applying around five years ago to speak to the International Space Station, current and former DeGolyer Elementary School pupils finally had the chance Tuesday to “ham” it up with NASA astronauts in outer space.
Designated as station K5DES, DeGolyer’s amateur ham radio club is sponsored by art teacher Sanlyn Kent and teaching assistant Richard Aguilar.
DeGolyer, a Dallas Independent School District campus located off Webb Chapel in Northwest Dallas, is one of only a few schools chosen to connect with the International Space Station. Others have been located in Dale, Okla., and Queensland, Australia.
Tuesday’s chat between the astronauts and the children came as part of a joint program between NASA and several amateur radio organizations called ARISS, or Amateur Radio on the International Space Station.
The anticipation was palpable as the kids stared at a computer projection of the space station’s place in orbit, waiting for the tip of its scope to touch Dallas.
“It’s hard not to get a little chill when you hear the International Space Station come through the radio,” said Bob Dickey, call sign AK5V, who served as emcee for the event.
Given just minutes to speak with space station Cmdr. Bill McArthur, the young licensed amateur radio operators were armed with space-related questions, which they shot out at lightning speed before communication faded into static.
Asked sixth-grader Alyssa Kuklinski: “How does it feel when you return to earth, and does anything strange or funny happen to you when you did?”
“You feel very dizzy and weak when you first return to earth,” McArthur said.
“When I came to make a right turn, I couldn’t turn – I could only go straight ahead,” he said to laughter.
Astronaut Owen Garriott was the first to take amateur radio equipment into space in 1983, using his handheld transceiver to talk to his family and other hams worldwide.
Garriott’s positive experiences led NASA and several amateur radio organizations to form a program called SAREX, or Space Amateur Radio Experiment, which gave students a chance to exchange questions and answers with astronauts in orbit. It later was transformed into the ARISS program, according to NASA.
Dallas Morning News staff writer Alan Melson contributed to this report.
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Teen dies after found unconscious in school restroom
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A 15-year-old freshman basketball player was pronounced dead on arrival Tuesday night at Methodist Hospital after he was found unconscious in the bathroom at Adamson High School.
The young man was found passed out shortly before a basketball game that he was scheduled to play in, said Donald Claxton, a Dallas Independent School District spokesman.
"Someone went to check on him and they found him unconscious," he said.
More details to come on News 8 at 10:00 p.m.
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A 15-year-old freshman basketball player was pronounced dead on arrival Tuesday night at Methodist Hospital after he was found unconscious in the bathroom at Adamson High School.
The young man was found passed out shortly before a basketball game that he was scheduled to play in, said Donald Claxton, a Dallas Independent School District spokesman.
"Someone went to check on him and they found him unconscious," he said.
More details to come on News 8 at 10:00 p.m.
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Standoff ends in arrest
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Police persuaded an armed gunman who barricaded himself in an East Dallas apartment to surrender peacefully after hours in a standoff.
A fire had erupted after SWAT members threw tear gas canisters inside the apartment shortly before 5:00 p.m.
The fire department was summoned and the area around the Eastfield Village apartments in the 8500 block of La Prada was sealed off as officers worked to win the suspect's surrender.
The incident started at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. The gunman fired shots at police.
Firefighters—shielded by armed police—were at the scene trying to extinguish the flames. A few SWAT team members went inside the apartment, but when the smoke got too heavy they pulled out.
Neighbors said they were terrified.
"They were shouting get back in the house," said apartment resident Kisha Dennie.
Family members said the suspect was released from prison a few months ago.
"He said they are going to have to kill him because he's not going back into prison," said ex-sister-in-law Laden Eberhart, who was on the scene.
Police evacuated residents as they surrounded the block.
Nearby Truett Elementary School was put on lock-down. Around 1400 children go to the school.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Police persuaded an armed gunman who barricaded himself in an East Dallas apartment to surrender peacefully after hours in a standoff.
A fire had erupted after SWAT members threw tear gas canisters inside the apartment shortly before 5:00 p.m.
The fire department was summoned and the area around the Eastfield Village apartments in the 8500 block of La Prada was sealed off as officers worked to win the suspect's surrender.
The incident started at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. The gunman fired shots at police.
Firefighters—shielded by armed police—were at the scene trying to extinguish the flames. A few SWAT team members went inside the apartment, but when the smoke got too heavy they pulled out.
Neighbors said they were terrified.
"They were shouting get back in the house," said apartment resident Kisha Dennie.
Family members said the suspect was released from prison a few months ago.
"He said they are going to have to kill him because he's not going back into prison," said ex-sister-in-law Laden Eberhart, who was on the scene.
Police evacuated residents as they surrounded the block.
Nearby Truett Elementary School was put on lock-down. Around 1400 children go to the school.
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TexasStooge
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New DART lines get $700 million pledge
Federal aid is 'a big deal for Dallas,' will help build NW-SE rail route
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
DART's light-rail expansion plans got a major boost Tuesday when federal officials announced that they will support the transit agency's $700 million funding request to help build the northwest and southeast rail lines.
The amount committed to DART, which will be paid out over a number of years during the rail lines' construction, represents the largest grant devoted to a single transit agency in this year's new funding agreements. DART will get the initial installment of $80 million next fiscal year.
"This is a big deal for Dallas," said Sandy Bushue, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.
Ms. Bushue said that she and other federal officials were impressed with Dallas Area Rapid Transit's commitment to also spend $700 million of its own money to build the 21 miles of rail from Pleasant Grove to Farmers Branch. "It's positive for DART and the citizens of Dallas. It shows the citizens have made a commitment to transit."
Tuesday's announcement came as a pleasant surprise to DART officials, who learned of the $700 million pledge only after a media teleconference call about the federal agency's proposed budget.
"That's just great news," said DART board chairman Mark Enoch. "We're overjoyed. This allows us to continue to meet our promise to folks who need DART services."
Top federal officials say they are comfortable with the merits of DART's request. FTA officials say that after finalizing some details, they expect to send the request in the next few weeks to Congress, where it can be debated for 60 days before a final decision.
Although federal budgets continue to tighten, most FTA funding requests encounter little or no opposition by the time they reach Congress.
The announcement brought bipartisan cheers from local congressional leaders. It was "outstanding news" said U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, the senior Texan on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
"Today's announcement cements DART as a national transit leader," Ms. Johnson said in a statement. "FTA's decision brings us one step closer to improving the overall quality of life for the entire North Texas region."
DART's role, impact
DART's role in moving people around North Texas and in station-area economic development were keys to getting the funding approval, said Chris Paulitz, spokesman for Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
"DART has demonstrated exactly how these projects should be done," he said.
DART worked extensively with federal officials to ensure that its proposal earned solid rankings for cost-effectiveness, financing and other categories. While nothing is certain until the money is in hand, DART's efforts should limit potential questions about its request, said Gary Thomas, DART's president and executive director.
"We've got a good track record, and we've proven we know what we're doing," Mr. Thomas said. "It doesn't hurt that we've had projects ahead of schedule and under budget."
DART has spent about $500 million in federal funds for its existing system. Several years ago, it received federal approval to spend $60 million that it had saved by coming under budget on part of the red line, which runs from west Oak Cliff to Plano. The agency used the money on items including expansion of a Bush Turnpike station parking lot and the purchase of more light-rail vehicles.
The pace of new rail construction should pick up dramatically starting this summer after a three-year lull during which DART built only one mile of light rail.
DART's current system is only partially done, Mr. Thomas said.
"This is really the start of allowing you to go where you want to go," he said. "This starts to bring it all together."
Expansion plans
The 21 miles of light rail that will be built with the help of federal money is less than half of DART's planned expansion over the next seven years.
By 2013, if DART's schedule holds, rail lines also will reach Carrollton, Irving, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Rowlett. When those phases are complete, DART's existing 45-mile rail network will double in size. Three more miles of rail are scheduled to open in south Oak Cliff in 2018.
When complete, the new rail lines will connect with the current system to provide access to two major airports, Dallas' hospital district, American Airlines Center, downtown Dallas, Fair Park and many businesses in surrounding suburbs.
"It's not just new rail lines, but it's how they contribute to ridership throughout the entire DART system," said Sean Libberton, the FTA chief of the agency's analysis division.
Other regions with new funding agreements to be approved this year include Salt Lake City, which will receive $489 million; Portland, Ore., which will receive $334 million; and Denver, which will get $290 million.
Federal aid is 'a big deal for Dallas,' will help build NW-SE rail route
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
DART's light-rail expansion plans got a major boost Tuesday when federal officials announced that they will support the transit agency's $700 million funding request to help build the northwest and southeast rail lines.
The amount committed to DART, which will be paid out over a number of years during the rail lines' construction, represents the largest grant devoted to a single transit agency in this year's new funding agreements. DART will get the initial installment of $80 million next fiscal year.
"This is a big deal for Dallas," said Sandy Bushue, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.
Ms. Bushue said that she and other federal officials were impressed with Dallas Area Rapid Transit's commitment to also spend $700 million of its own money to build the 21 miles of rail from Pleasant Grove to Farmers Branch. "It's positive for DART and the citizens of Dallas. It shows the citizens have made a commitment to transit."
Tuesday's announcement came as a pleasant surprise to DART officials, who learned of the $700 million pledge only after a media teleconference call about the federal agency's proposed budget.
"That's just great news," said DART board chairman Mark Enoch. "We're overjoyed. This allows us to continue to meet our promise to folks who need DART services."
Top federal officials say they are comfortable with the merits of DART's request. FTA officials say that after finalizing some details, they expect to send the request in the next few weeks to Congress, where it can be debated for 60 days before a final decision.
Although federal budgets continue to tighten, most FTA funding requests encounter little or no opposition by the time they reach Congress.
The announcement brought bipartisan cheers from local congressional leaders. It was "outstanding news" said U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, the senior Texan on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
"Today's announcement cements DART as a national transit leader," Ms. Johnson said in a statement. "FTA's decision brings us one step closer to improving the overall quality of life for the entire North Texas region."
DART's role, impact
DART's role in moving people around North Texas and in station-area economic development were keys to getting the funding approval, said Chris Paulitz, spokesman for Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
"DART has demonstrated exactly how these projects should be done," he said.
DART worked extensively with federal officials to ensure that its proposal earned solid rankings for cost-effectiveness, financing and other categories. While nothing is certain until the money is in hand, DART's efforts should limit potential questions about its request, said Gary Thomas, DART's president and executive director.
"We've got a good track record, and we've proven we know what we're doing," Mr. Thomas said. "It doesn't hurt that we've had projects ahead of schedule and under budget."
DART has spent about $500 million in federal funds for its existing system. Several years ago, it received federal approval to spend $60 million that it had saved by coming under budget on part of the red line, which runs from west Oak Cliff to Plano. The agency used the money on items including expansion of a Bush Turnpike station parking lot and the purchase of more light-rail vehicles.
The pace of new rail construction should pick up dramatically starting this summer after a three-year lull during which DART built only one mile of light rail.
DART's current system is only partially done, Mr. Thomas said.
"This is really the start of allowing you to go where you want to go," he said. "This starts to bring it all together."
Expansion plans
The 21 miles of light rail that will be built with the help of federal money is less than half of DART's planned expansion over the next seven years.
By 2013, if DART's schedule holds, rail lines also will reach Carrollton, Irving, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Rowlett. When those phases are complete, DART's existing 45-mile rail network will double in size. Three more miles of rail are scheduled to open in south Oak Cliff in 2018.
When complete, the new rail lines will connect with the current system to provide access to two major airports, Dallas' hospital district, American Airlines Center, downtown Dallas, Fair Park and many businesses in surrounding suburbs.
"It's not just new rail lines, but it's how they contribute to ridership throughout the entire DART system," said Sean Libberton, the FTA chief of the agency's analysis division.
Other regions with new funding agreements to be approved this year include Salt Lake City, which will receive $489 million; Portland, Ore., which will receive $334 million; and Denver, which will get $290 million.
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TexasStooge
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Expanded 360 now open north of 183
By MARICE RICHTER / The Dallas Morning News
Additional lanes of State Highway 360 opened Tuesday, making it easier for traffic to move north and south through the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The northbound lanes between State Highway 183 and Mid-Cities Boulevard opened about 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The southbound lanes in the same area are expected to open later this week.
With the opening of the northbound lanes, drivers can travel this freeway from Interstate 20 in Arlington to State Highway 121/State Highway 114 in Grapevine, Texas Department of Transportation officials said.
The section of main lanes between Mid-Cities and State Highway 121/ State Highway 114 was finished last summer. The entire project cost about $39 million.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Live Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse
By MARICE RICHTER / The Dallas Morning News
Additional lanes of State Highway 360 opened Tuesday, making it easier for traffic to move north and south through the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The northbound lanes between State Highway 183 and Mid-Cities Boulevard opened about 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The southbound lanes in the same area are expected to open later this week.
With the opening of the northbound lanes, drivers can travel this freeway from Interstate 20 in Arlington to State Highway 121/State Highway 114 in Grapevine, Texas Department of Transportation officials said.
The section of main lanes between Mid-Cities and State Highway 121/ State Highway 114 was finished last summer. The entire project cost about $39 million.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Live Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse
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TexasStooge
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Teen athlete DOA after collapse at Adamson
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A 15-year-old freshman basketball player was pronounced dead on arrival Tuesday night at Methodist Hospital after he was discovered unconscious in a bathroom at W.H. Adamson High School in Oak Cliff.
The young man, identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner as Jeremy Thomas, was found passed out shortly before a basketball game that he was scheduled to play in around 6 p.m., said Donald Claxton, a Dallas Independent School District spokesman.
The Adamson High School girls' basketball team was playing against Seagoville while the boys' team waited its turn.
Jeremy told his friend he needed to take a restroom break, but never came back.
"Someone went to check on him and they found him unconscious," the friend said.
Dallas police and the Dallas Independent School District were conducting a joint investigation into the death.
There was no blood or any sign of foul play at the scene, police said. However, the death was listed as unexplained pending further review.
Officials said Jeremy Thomas was a popular young man. He played three sports including baseball, football and basketball.
Counselors were sent to the hospital for the family, and will also be on the Adamson High School campus Wednesday for students.
By GARY REAVES / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - A 15-year-old freshman basketball player was pronounced dead on arrival Tuesday night at Methodist Hospital after he was discovered unconscious in a bathroom at W.H. Adamson High School in Oak Cliff.
The young man, identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner as Jeremy Thomas, was found passed out shortly before a basketball game that he was scheduled to play in around 6 p.m., said Donald Claxton, a Dallas Independent School District spokesman.
The Adamson High School girls' basketball team was playing against Seagoville while the boys' team waited its turn.
Jeremy told his friend he needed to take a restroom break, but never came back.
"Someone went to check on him and they found him unconscious," the friend said.
Dallas police and the Dallas Independent School District were conducting a joint investigation into the death.
There was no blood or any sign of foul play at the scene, police said. However, the death was listed as unexplained pending further review.
Officials said Jeremy Thomas was a popular young man. He played three sports including baseball, football and basketball.
Counselors were sent to the hospital for the family, and will also be on the Adamson High School campus Wednesday for students.
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TexasStooge
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Item theft in the friendly skies
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
With hundreds of thousands of air miles behind her, Tracy Hayes flew into new territory as a victim after her things were taken from her checked bags.
Hayes buys clothes for a living as editor of F! Dluxe, the fashion section of the Dallas Morning News owned by News 8's parent company Belo.
"I knew I had all of my receipts [for] most of the stuff that had been purchased on the trip in New York," Hayes said. "So, I had brand new receipts."
While American Airlines reimbursed her for some of the items stolen, she said it wasn't enough for what was taken, some of which had their sales tags still attached.
"With more than $500 worth of merchandise, I got a check for $140," she said.
However, the carrier said Hayes receipts were not verifiable for all her missing items.
"Instead, here's your check, your receipts aren't verifiable, Xeroxed letter [and] file closed," she said.
American Airlines said that wasn't the case and that Hayes is welcome to appeal, which she said she plans to do.
But some believe there's a larger problem these days since airlines aren't the only ones handling bags and paying claims.
Transportation Security Administration screeners have been caught brazenly going through bags in full view of airport security cameras. One screener captured could be seen pocketing a gold bracelet.
News 8 conducted its own test the week before Thanksgiving. News 8 flew all over the country with the same checked luggage to different cities, airports and using different airlines.
Valuables were spread between two bags, which included a portable Game Boy, DVD player, iPod shuffle, video camera, used digital camera and an envelope with $220 in cash.
News 8 flew more than 8,000 miles through the airports where the TSA has paid out the most claims of theft or damage and always checked in at least an hour ahead of time.
Everything was fine for seven legs, until News 8 arrived in Orlando, Florida.
While the photographer's bag made it, others did not. The bag didn't get back to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport until the next morning and only the clothes were inside. All the electronic items were not to be found in the returned bag. A shaving kit was missing as well.
News 8 filed a claim with both American Airlines and the government, but the TSA denied it, despite evidence of a bag search.
American Airlines reimbursed News 8 for everything that's covered, but spelled out the fine print that's on every ticket that lists all items not covered. It was a long list.
"For years, the airlines just accepted everything and paid up," said Terry Trippler, travel expert. "They're not doing that anymore. Times are tough for them and they're being very, very stringent."
Passengers can get caught in the middle of a finger-pointing match.
"The TSA could easily say, 'I didn't do it,'" Trippler said. "The airline can say, 'I didn't do it.'"
The TSA has screened two billion passengers since 2002 and processed only 80,000 claims.
"But when there's a problem, the TSA has a zero tolerance policy," said Andrea McCauley, TSA. "We've let screeners go for taking a WD-40 can, or as little as fifty cents."
The TSA has hidden cameras, they track the bags and all their workers have extensive background checks.
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
With hundreds of thousands of air miles behind her, Tracy Hayes flew into new territory as a victim after her things were taken from her checked bags.
Hayes buys clothes for a living as editor of F! Dluxe, the fashion section of the Dallas Morning News owned by News 8's parent company Belo.
"I knew I had all of my receipts [for] most of the stuff that had been purchased on the trip in New York," Hayes said. "So, I had brand new receipts."
While American Airlines reimbursed her for some of the items stolen, she said it wasn't enough for what was taken, some of which had their sales tags still attached.
"With more than $500 worth of merchandise, I got a check for $140," she said.
However, the carrier said Hayes receipts were not verifiable for all her missing items.
"Instead, here's your check, your receipts aren't verifiable, Xeroxed letter [and] file closed," she said.
American Airlines said that wasn't the case and that Hayes is welcome to appeal, which she said she plans to do.
But some believe there's a larger problem these days since airlines aren't the only ones handling bags and paying claims.
Transportation Security Administration screeners have been caught brazenly going through bags in full view of airport security cameras. One screener captured could be seen pocketing a gold bracelet.
News 8 conducted its own test the week before Thanksgiving. News 8 flew all over the country with the same checked luggage to different cities, airports and using different airlines.
Valuables were spread between two bags, which included a portable Game Boy, DVD player, iPod shuffle, video camera, used digital camera and an envelope with $220 in cash.
News 8 flew more than 8,000 miles through the airports where the TSA has paid out the most claims of theft or damage and always checked in at least an hour ahead of time.
Everything was fine for seven legs, until News 8 arrived in Orlando, Florida.
While the photographer's bag made it, others did not. The bag didn't get back to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport until the next morning and only the clothes were inside. All the electronic items were not to be found in the returned bag. A shaving kit was missing as well.
News 8 filed a claim with both American Airlines and the government, but the TSA denied it, despite evidence of a bag search.
American Airlines reimbursed News 8 for everything that's covered, but spelled out the fine print that's on every ticket that lists all items not covered. It was a long list.
"For years, the airlines just accepted everything and paid up," said Terry Trippler, travel expert. "They're not doing that anymore. Times are tough for them and they're being very, very stringent."
Passengers can get caught in the middle of a finger-pointing match.
"The TSA could easily say, 'I didn't do it,'" Trippler said. "The airline can say, 'I didn't do it.'"
The TSA has screened two billion passengers since 2002 and processed only 80,000 claims.
"But when there's a problem, the TSA has a zero tolerance policy," said Andrea McCauley, TSA. "We've let screeners go for taking a WD-40 can, or as little as fifty cents."
The TSA has hidden cameras, they track the bags and all their workers have extensive background checks.
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