News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

Private Info Remains On Computer After Deleting

Software Can Erase Files From Hard Drive

DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- What happens to personal information stored on your computer when you throw it away or donate it? You might think hitting the delete button erases your files, but an enterprising criminal can retrieve them with little effort.

In fact, your old computer can be a virtual gold mine for identity thieves, according to Lance Sloves, a computer expert at Dallas-based Computer Forensic Services.

We enlisted Sloves' help to tear into an old computer we bought at the Salvation Army.

The computer's former owner, Wendy Meyers, thought she had completely erased the information Sloves easily located.

"I was able to find her husband's name, address, Social Security number, date of birth," he said.

He also succeeded in retrieving credit card accounts.

"I had no idea. I thought if you erased everything, it was erased," she said.

However, Sloves proved that simply deleting computer files doesn't erase them from a computer hard drive.

In an ironic twist, Meyer is already dealing with the effects of identity theft. In fact, thieves used her name to pass hundreds of bogus checks.

"Your whole life is turned upside down," she said.

And it could have happened again -- maybe even to her father, who was the computer's original owner.

Sloves found his information on the computer as well, including his Social Security number and an American Express credit card number with an expiration date.

"I thought I was going to be doing a good deed for someone less fortunate, but then to have it come back and hurt one of my family members -- it could have been very devastating," Meyer said.

Meyer is not alone, though. In fact, NBC 5 purchased another computer at a different Salvation Army, where we found every credit card and bank account number ever associated with the previous owner.

In fact, NBC 5 even discovered that she has $136,000 in savings.

For Department of Defense-approved software that will erase files from your hard drive, please click on the link below. Consumers may choose to download a free version or purchase copies.

[TexasStooge]

Witnesses describe weekend with murder suspect

By Melody McDonald, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - When Lance Kirk headed out the door on the afternoon of May 24, 2003, he told his friend, Quinton Solomon, that he was going to get a truck.

But when Kirk returned, Solomon testified Friday, Kirk had a 2002 silver Infiniti, a cellphone and credit cards -- and it was time to party.

"I was just happy, ready to go," Solomon testified.

Solomon said they spent the remainder of the Memorial Day weekend cruising in the car, talking on the cellphone and using the credit cards on gasoline, food and clothes at Foot Locker.

The party ended May 28, 2003, when Kirk was arrested in the robbery and fatal shootings of Joan and Robert Griswold, who lived in the 7100 block of Francisco Drive.

Kirk is on trial in Joan Griswold's slaying. If convicted of capital murder, he will receive an automatic life sentence. He also has been charged in the death of Robert Griswold.

Prosecutors Richard Bland and Miles Brissette, Tarrant County assistant district attorneys, maintain that Kirk and Solomon were getting ready for a party when Kirk left his mother's house on Sleepy Ridge Circle. They contend that he walked to the Griswolds' home and fatally shot the couple and left in Joan Griswold's car.

Prosecutors contend that he acted alone.

Kirk, who is being defended by Brett Boone, said in one statement that he went with a friend and another "dude," whose name he did not know, to the Griswolds' house that evening. He said that he went inside and introduced himself to Robert Griswold, then was told by his friend to go back outside.

He said he was sitting in the car when he heard gunshots. His friend later let him borrow the Infiniti and use the phone and credit cards, Kirk said in a statement.

On Friday, jurors heard from Solomon, his two brothers, Patrick and Kendrick, and from Jennifer Page, the mother of Kirk's baby.

All said they rode around with Kirk in the Infiniti over the Memorial Day weekend, but all had different impressions on where Kirk got the car.

Quinton Solomon testified that Kirk told him he got the car from his "homeboy." Patrick Solomon testified that Kirk told him the car belonged to his uncle.

Page said Kirk told her he had bought it for $800. Kendrick Solomon testified that Kirk told him two "white boys" who were seen leaving the Griswolds' home gave him the Infiniti's keys.

Testimony is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the 372nd District Court.

[TexasStooge]

ALL'S FAIR IN FEUD

Students victorious over faculty, staff in TCU 'Sex Feud'

By Matt Frazier, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Sex Feud Survey says - ding - TCU students know more about intimate relations than their professors.

The two groups competed Thursday in a take-off of the TV game show Family Feud. The game was part of activities at Texas Christian University in support of Sexual Responsibility Week and V-Day, which is dedicated to ending violence against women.

"We all know that this is a really controversial topic," said Alana Villegas, education chair for Hyperfrogs student club, which put on the event. "But if you are old enough to do it, then you are old enough to be responsible about it."

The students won, 6-3, their fourth consecutive victory over the faculty.

Questions included: Where is the best place to meet someone of the opposite sex? Where is the best place to hide a condom? And what does "No" mean?

Pamphlets on sex and sexual behavior were available for the audience.

[TexasStooge]

Trial Date Set In Murder Of Baylor's Patrick Dennehy

WACO, Texas (KEYE CBS 42) - A judge in Waco has set a June 13th trial date for a former Baylor basketball player accused of killing an ex-teammate.

Carlton Dotson, 22, is charged with murder in the 2003 shooting death of Patrick Dennehy, 21. The victim's body was found in a field a few miles from the Waco campus. If convicted, Dotson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Dotson last fall was sent to a mental hospital after a defense psychologist, state psychiatrist and court-appointed independent psychiatrist agreed he was incompetent for trial.

The defendant was returned to jail last week after a hospital psychologist said Dotson was competent but must continue with psychiatric care and take anti-psychotic drugs. Authorities have refused to discuss a motive for the slaying.

[TexasStooge]

Popular pet painkiller has serious side effects

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Not long ago King Billy the Golden Retriever was so stiff with arthritis, a veterinarian said to put him down.

"He had so much life in him I said I just can't do that." So owner Vince Sharkey put his old pal on a non-steroid painkiller called Rimadyl.

"Before I had him on Rimadyl, he was not even able to walk," Sharkey says. "He would drag his back half of his body. The moment we got him on Rimadyl, he was back to being his normal self again."

But then there's the other side. The 2-year-old Saint Bernard named Honor.

"He'd been sitting in my lap. And he looked up at me, and he died," says owner Lynne Bradburn.

Pfizer, the maker of Rimadyl, warns of rare but serious side effects. Since 1997, the company has logged some 18,000 reported adverse effects, including 2,300 deaths.

But that's out of more than a billion doses given to 15 million dogs.

Mansfield veterinarian Roger Kendrick prescribes Rimadyl more than almost any other drug. "I think it's an excellent drug," Dr. Kendrick says.

Houston-area veterinarian Bob Rogers is an outspoken critic of Rimadyl. He blames veterinarians for overdosing dogs, mixing incompatible medicines, or giving Rimadyl to dogs that already have liver or kidney problems.

"Clients should be warned of the side effects," Dr. Rogers says.

The problem, he says, is too many veterinarians get too much information from drugmakers and not independent sources.

"I think there's a huge conflict of interest when a drug company comes to town, buys dinner, gives a sales pitch, and vets get continuing education for that."

Pets, like their owners, are living longer and taking more drugs. Unlike their owners, though, they can't ask what those drugs will do to them.

Veterinarians say all dogs who get Rimadyl and similar drugs need to be screened for liver and kidney problems, and closely monitored for tummy trouble.

It can give dogs years of extra life, but it's not completely risk-free.

[TexasStooge]

Train derails in San Marcos

SAN MARCOS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – About 200 residents of this central Texas town were evacuated after seven cars of a train carrying at least residual amounts of hazardous materials derailed late Friday night, officials said. No injuries were reported.

Homes within a 1,000-foot area of the 10:30 p.m. derailment were evacuated, Stephanie Garcia, assistant to the city manager, said early Saturday morning.

The cause of the derailment of the 109-car Union Pacific train, traveling from Houston to San Antonio, was not immediately known, said Mark Davis, Union Pacific spokesman.

Four of the cars contained last contained sulfuric acid, which is harmful to the skin, and one car last contained at least some xylene, a flammable liquid, he said. Davis said that there was probably some of the chemicals left in the cars. The other two cars contained scrap paper, he said.

He said that there's a small leak of whatever was left in the car containing xylene.

"This is what they call an empty tank car, but there could have a couple hundred gallons left in it," Davis said.

The derailed cars were in the middle of the train.

He said that the evacuation was a precaution.

[TexasStooge]

No new kids for Texas Tomorrow

Tomorrow Fund freeze continues because of rising tuition rates

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – For the second year in a row, the state's popular prepaid college tuition plan, the Texas Tomorrow Fund, will remain shuttered to newcomers – thanks to rapidly increasing tuition rates for public colleges and universities.

Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn said the $1.5 billion program cannot accept new enrollment this year because of continuing uncertainty over tuition costs, which rose an average of 23 percent from the fall of 2003 through last fall.

"I regret tremendously that that the board had to suspend the program for another year," Ms. Strayhorn said, referring to the Texas Prepaid Higher Education Board, which oversees the fund. The comptroller chairs the board.

"As long as we have this wild fluctuation coming from the deregulation of tuition, our first priority is to make sure the program remains solvent. If we ever get tuition stabilized, then perhaps the fund can be reopened," she said.

Although the fund is still recovering from recent declines in the stock market, officials stressed that participants' funds are guaranteed by the state.

Deregulation

Tuition at Texas' public universities is rising sharply after the Legislature and Gov. Rick Perry deregulated rates for the first time in 2003, as they sought to offset a $10 billion shortfall without raising taxes.

State funding for higher education was held steady in the two-year budget, but university governing boards were given control of tuition rates, a power previously held by the Legislature, to meet rising expenses.

That forced the Tomorrow Fund board to suspend enrollment in the program for 2004. Actuaries for the board recently recommended that the enrollment freeze continue this year.

"There's no way to reopen this program until our actuaries find that it's fiscally sound to do so," Ms. Strayhorn said.

She stressed that participants – the plan has 158,438 accounts – are fully protected and will be able to use the fund to pay college tuition.

The plan, formally known as the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan, allows Texans to lock in the cost of college tuition and mandatory fees at today's prices for their children or grandchildren, either through installment payments or a lump sum. Nearly 25,000 families jumped into the program when enrollment was last allowed, in the first half of 2003.

Mr. Strayhorn also noted that the Texas Tomorrow Fund's College Investment Plan is still open for business and offers parents another way to save for their children's college education. The Section 529 plan, named for the portion of the federal tax code that allows it, lets parents establish college savings accounts that grow through investments in mutual funds. The earnings are not subject to federal taxes.

"Our 529 Plan is going great," Ms. Strayhorn said. The program has enrolled 13,600 participants since its inception in 2002.

Most states have a Section 529 college-savings program, but only about 20 have prepaid tuition plans, and a handful of those, including Texas and Virginia, have suspended enrollment the last few years because of rising tuition rates and mediocre returns on investments. Colorado terminated its program, and Florida is expected to freeze enrollment this year if lawmakers there deregulate college tuition.

Texas' program was scrutinized two years ago by the State Auditor's Office, which found that the fund was $226 million in the hole mainly because of the downturn in the stock market beginning in 2001. About two-thirds of the fund's $1.5 billion in assets is invested in equity mutual funds.

State auditors criticized the fund's managers for being too optimistic about investment returns, noting that their economic assumptions exceeded those of comparable prepaid tuition plans and two state retirement plans.

A brighter Tomorrow?

Andy Ruth, manager of the Texas Tomorrow Fund, said the picture has brightened somewhat since then thanks to better returns on investments in 2004. The fund is currently about 11 percent short of what it would need to meet all its obligations.

"Compared with other prepaid tuition plans, we are at the high end of the range," he said. "Very few states are in better shape than Texas, and most are below us.

"Our board is confident that over the long term we will have more than adequate assets to meet our obligations."

Mr. Ruth said his office still fields many inquiries from parents wondering how soon the program will resume, and he has no doubts there would be a rush to enroll if the program reopened.

Senate Education Committee Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, would like to see that happen, but she is not sure if the program can return by 2006.

"In better economic times, it could probably come back, especially if we get a handle on our tuition and the way our institutions are using their authority to set tuition rates," Ms. Shapiro said. "Until we get to a more stable point, it is going to be hard to predict the future of the Tomorrow Fund and how much it will need to fulfill its obligations."

Noting that many legislators are unhappy with the rate hikes imposed by university governing boards, the senator said she will push legislation that would place new requirements on schools wanting to hike tuition.

"If they don't meet the criteria for raising tuition, then we would put a freeze on their rates," she explained. "The basic question for us is: When do we say enough is enough?"

Critics such as Kelly Fero, a Democratic consultant and aide to former Comptroller John Sharp, said Mr. Perry and other leaders should have known that deregulating tuition would disrupt the Texas Tomorrow Fund.

"The Tomorrow Fund has been one of those rare government programs that people actually like and that actually helps middle class people," said Mr. Fero, who helped Mr. Sharp create the program in 1996.

"Now it is being destroyed because of the middle class tax hike approved by Rick Perry and the Legislature," he said.

Robert Black, a spokesman for the governor, said Mr. Perry is working to increase financial aid for Texas students. He argued that tuition rates in the state still compare favorably with rates in other states.

"One of Governor Perry's priorities, as outlined in his budget, is increasing funding for student financial aid so that we can meet the needs of more Texas college students," Mr. Black said. "Even with tuition deregulation, Texas public universities are still one of the greatest values in the country."

[TexasStooge]

Police: Man threatened 14-year-old

Neighbor, Haltom City girl fought before her slaying, records show

By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News

HALTOM CITY, Texas – A 19-year-old man described as a "person of interest" in the slaying of Lan Thuan Bui threatened the girl last month, according to police documents.

The 14-year-old Haltom City girl, whose funeral is this morning, died Monday from stab wounds to her chest and neck. Her body was found bound and gagged outside a courtyard in the Waldemar Apartments in Haltom City.

Police issued an arrest warrant affidavit Friday for Gustavo Flores, who lived at Waldemar, not far from the apartment Lan shared with her family.

According to the affidavit, Mr. Flores ran into the girl and one of her male friends Jan. 15.

"She was wearing a jacket that may have belonged to a member of his family," said Haltom City police Detective Terry Stayer.

Mr. Flores told Lan to take off the jacket or "I will ... kill you."

But in a videotaped interview conducted early Tuesday with WFAA-TV (Channel 8), Mr. Flores denied having a "beef" with the girl.

He said police picked him up for questioning Tuesday. Investigators asked him "if I would have killed her, and I said no," Mr. Flores said.

He said he told officers that he was in Azle the day her body was found.

Three police bloodhounds tracked a scent Wednesday night from bindings used to tie Lan's hands to an apartment Mr. Flores once shared with his family at Waldemar. Mr. Flores lived at another apartment in the complex.

Mr. Flores' attorney, William Reagan Wynn, could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, police say no suspect has been identified in the slaying.

As the investigation continues, police are learning more about Lan.

Detective Stayer said the popular teen was involved in "little neighborhood squabbles."

"There's a lot of people in that complex that had friendships with Lan Bui," Detective Stayer said. "There were also people she had upset in the past."

Police are interviewing at least 12 people who have emerged as "persons of interest" in the case and are awaiting test results on evidence taken from one of the apartments. Investigators are also awaiting lab results to determine whether the 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted.

Meanwhile, residents at the apartment complex said the homicide has left an uneasiness that has made them re-evaluate their safety.

Brittany Cates, 18, now walks around the neighborhood with family members or close friends.

"It's just not safe to walk around here by yourself," she said.

She joined others Friday at a makeshift memorial near the site where Lan's body was found.

Lan's 18-year-old sister, Lacey Lerma, relit candles Friday that had been placed alongside stuffed animals and flowers.

"The candles, they keep us going," Mrs. Lerma said. "We won't be comfortable until police say who it is."

Christine Garcia, 14, a friend of Lan's who told police she found the body, said every night somebody brings something to the memorial.

"It's so hard," she said. "I hope they catch the person who did it."

Meanwhile, Mr. Flores is in the Haltom City jail with bail set at $100,000 after being arrested Tuesday on suspicion of threatening to assault a man with a switchblade in the Jan. 15 incident.

Schepps Dairy has offered a $10,000 reward in connection with an arrest and indictment in Lan's slaying.

Anyone with information is asked to call Haltom City police at 817-222-7000.

[TexasStooge]

Two cash discoveries sized up

Cases at Fort Worth, Dallas schools not related, police believe

By TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH, Texas - A bag of cash that was reportedly found behind Fort Worth's Handley Middle School earlier this week sent some students on a spending spree.

Fort Worth police are still investigating but said Friday that the incident is nothing like what happened last month in South Dallas when an elementary student found tens of thousands of dollars near his school, J.J. Rhoads Learning Center.

"This is so far removed from Dallas you can't draw a comparison," said Lt. Mark Krey, a spokesman for the Fort Worth Police Department. "No threats have been made, and no one officially or unofficially has made claim to the money."

In the Dallas incident, at least one student was allegedly abducted and beaten by a man who police say is a drug dealer. Others were allegedly threatened because the money was shared with other students who may have spent it.

Two men accused in the incident have turned themselves in to Dallas police.

Fort Worth police reported one similarity in this week's incident: One student shared the money with other students who spent the cash, estimated to be about $5,000.

"We have approximately 10 students that may have touched the money," said Lt. Krey, adding that a seventh-grade student claimed to have found the bag of money, in $100 bills, on Tuesday behind the school trash bin.

School officials and police were notified after a parent found $100 in her child's belongings and contacted the school, police said.

"We have recovered about $900, a Sony PlayStation 2 and a cellphone," said Lt. Krey, adding that police will attempt to recover as much as possible.

In an effort to find the money's owner, criminal offense and lost property records were checked to see whether a similar amount was reported lost or missing, but no similarities were found.

Security patrols were increased at the campus Friday, but police said there were no incidents or reports of threats. Security is expected to return to normal Monday.

Valerie Robertson, spokeswoman for the Fort Worth school district, said that attendance at Handley Middle School was normal Friday and that there were no more absences than usual.

Police and school district officials said they do not expect to discipline or punish the students because they have broken no rules and committed no crime.

"They found some money, and they spent it," Ms. Robertson said. "What they didn't spend, they turned in."

[TexasStooge]

Community helps family of 10 start over

By MARK WROLSTAD / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - The holiday season usually starts early and ends late in the Dickinson household, a testament to the family's religious foundation as well as to the excitement and fascination generated by so many kids under one worn roof.

This winter, though, has brought a sort of Christmas without end for Ed Dickinson and his nine children, whose mother died of cancer nearly five years ago.

An army of benefactors has pushed the spirit of giving well into the new year, beyond the piles of much-appreciated presents and wall-to-wall renovations at the Wylie home, which had taken a beating without regular repairs or serious cleanings.

Some ongoing gifts – the kind without ribbons – may have the potential for changing young lives with organization, responsibility and love.

"With the children, we're showing them how to share the work, trying to establish some individual habits and discipline that will become routine," said Paul Guta of Prestonwood Baptist Church. His Bible group was looking for a needy family to help at Christmas and ended up extending counseling to a warm and devoted household struggling with loss, its size and a lack of order.

"If we can go the extra step besides giving just gifts and toys, but give them personal attention, one-on-one," Mr. Guta said, "I think that's a bigger gift we can give them that's not material and that will make a real difference."

The waves of contributions – more than $20,000 in renovations and gifts – began just after Thanksgiving when The Dallas Morning News told the story of the Dickinsons and their faith-filled home, where an emptiness persists despite the crowding.

Despina Dickinson, a Romanian immigrant and the effervescent center of the family, died at 37 in the summer of 2000. Her inoperable cancer was discovered less than a year earlier, just after the birth of her ninth child.

The five girls and four boys are now ages 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 19, and the passing years placed strains on the home as well as the house.

Crissy, feeling the stress of constant babysitting as the oldest, had disagreements with her father and moved out before starting college. Now, her teenage brothers' grades have become a concern.

Their dad, a soft-spoken 46-year-old from North Dakota whose life is consumed by prayer and church, his kids and his manufacturing job, is raising them with assistance from some in-laws, but knows that he and the children can use more help.

"I'm praying about that," he said, while quietly marveling at the recent outpouring of support from strangers. "It's fantastic."

People across the country sent presents and money and offered services.

The gifts, at least 150 of them, wouldn't all fit around the tree, Mr. Dickinson said.

Johnny, the youngest boy, got a bicycle and wagon. Little sister Samantha loves her new dolls.

One couple delivered rollerblades, skateboards, helmets and kneepads for each child.

One man gave the family $2,000 anonymously. "I'm in a position where I can help people," he said in a brief phone interview, his voice choking with emotion. "I can't imagine what that man goes through, and the children, too."

Mr. Dickinson was almost without words. "That's very generous," he said. "I wish I could send him a thank-you."

A pediatric dentist in Wylie offered the family years of free dental work, including braces.

"We've already been there four or five times," Mr. Dickinson said. "It's a real blessing."

Many people suggested that the family apply to a network TV show for one of its "home makeovers," but a local remodeling company sprang to action instead.

The nearly 6-year-old home's light walls and carpet had darkened beneath busy paths of hands and feet. The stairway handrail had been down for a year; neglected furnishings, woodwork and appliances needed a hundred repairs.

"The whole house had fingerprints all over it," laughed Jimmie Gibbons, the office manager at Restoration Park Cities, which tackled most of the interior renovation with up to 14 workers at one time. "We cleaned everything that there possibly was to clean."

That included the window shades, the bathrooms and the kitchen, replacing towels and linens and painting every wall.

"I didn't recognize it," 14-year-old Stephanie said of the house. "I just kept saying, 'Wow!' "

New beige carpeting went in a couple weeks ago. Other donors repaired windows and the air conditioner and bought a new washer and dryer.

"We were asking each other, 'Will it stay clean?' " Ms. Gibbons said. "We hope it does, but we feel like we have done what God wanted us to do and what we felt we needed to do to make them have a new beginning."

As one of 11 siblings, Ms. Gibbons said that in big families "sometimes there's anger and resentment because there are so many children. You wish you could be more normal."

Her two parents had all they could handle, she said, and the stress on a single parent and on children after losing their mother could be overwhelming.

"The family needs good female figures to talk with the kids and mentor and help them with their feelings through all of this," she said.

Following the volunteers' advice, the family pitches in on a new daily cleaning schedule.

"We have a stain remover for the carpet now and we've already had to use it about 20 times," Stephanie said. "We're not experts on all that stuff, obviously."

The home's conversion is "a second chance," Mr. Dickinson said. "Things kind of got out of control and out of order. Now we can start over and take advantage of this opportunity."

Beyond the lessons in folding clothes and cleaning, women and men from Prestonwood Church are starting mentoring sessions with the entire family, Mr. Guta said.

The Dickinsons have had no other counseling.

"We've got a nine-player baseball team, and now we've got to teach them the game," he said. "We want to encourage a total working family unit that will set discipline and examples as each child develops so they can carry that on through life."

[TexasStooge]

Site on I-35W is eyed for mall

By Heather Landy, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - The largest shopping center developer in the nation is eyeing 250 acres in a fast-growing area of north Fort Worth to build an outdoor mall.

Simon Property Group wants to build west of Interstate 35W and north of U.S. 287, setting up a race for development with Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood company, which has several nearby retail projects on the drawing board.

In a presentation this week to the Fort Worth City Council's Economic Development Committee, Simon asked the city for $11.5 million for road improvements around the site, including a westward extension of North Tarrant Parkway through the property.

Construction of Presidio Vista, which sits in a tax-increment financing district, could begin as early as this year, Simon told city officials. The first phase of the project, which would include a movie theater and at least 15 large retail tenants, would create 3,500 new jobs, the developer said. Simon, based in Indianapolis, already owns several properties in North Texas, including North East Mall and the Shops at North East in Hurst, Irving Mall in Irving and Golden Triangle Mall in Denton.

"The I-35 corridor is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, growth corridors in the country," Simon spokesman Les Morris said. "We're working with varied department stores that expressed interest [in Presidio Vista]. The retailers see the same things we do in terms of the growth in the area and are excited to get there."

Simon's project collides with retail projects planned by Perot's group. Hillwood officials have announced some anchor tenants for The Shops at Circle T Ranch in Westlake, about 10 miles northeast of Simon's proposed site. They say that work on that project, which has been postponed several times in recent years, could start as early as mid-2005.

Hillwood also has plans for a large shopping complex directly across I-35W from the Simon site to front its Heritage and Park Glen residential developments. The Presidio Vista plan throws into question whether north Fort Worth could support two major projects.

"Probably not at the same time," said Mike Berry, president of Hillwood Properties. "As the market grows over a period of time, there probably would be enough critical mass created to support retail. But I'm not sure that two projects of that scale can go up" together in the near future.

The Simon site is where Dell Computer once planned a corporate campus before the project evaporated when the dot-com bubble burst. Legacy Capital, a Dallas land firm, bought the tract from Dell two years ago. It now plans to sell Simon the acreage.

Simon plans to invest more than $800 million in new development around the country over the next four years, most to be spent on open-air centers.

The tenant mix at Simon's outdoor malls varies. At Firewheel Town Center in Garland, scheduled to open in October, shoppers will find Dillard's, Barnes & Noble, Old Navy and Pier 1 Imports. At The Domain in Austin, slated to open in 2007, the company is working on a master-planned community with residential units, a pedestrian promenade, a theater, and retailers including Foley's and Neiman Marcus.

Simon would not disclose the type of tenants that it wants to bring to Presidio Vista.

Outdoor malls have replaced traditional, enclosed malls as the preferred format of developers around the country. Several have already sprung up in Tarrant County, including Southlake Town Square and Fort Worth's University Park Village.

"What the open-air malls are doing are creating a stronger sense of place," said Ian Pierce of The Weitzman Group, a commercial real estate firm in Dallas. "It's this whole trend of new urbanism."

The site picked for Presidio Vista is one of the fastest-growing residential areas of the Metroplex, said David Brown, director of the Dallas-Fort Worth region for Metrostudy, a housing analysis firm.

Prospective retailers often consider the number of homes, income levels and other demographic data within a 6-mile radius from a potential site when measuring the suitability of a project, Brown said. The area around the proposed Presidio Vista site had 4,700 housing starts last year, more than the roughly 3,000 starts each in Frisco and McKinney, Brown said. And there are more to come. Metrostudy counts 26,000 lots planned around the Simon site.

By the company's estimate, the area's population has jumped to about 180,000, up 40 percent from the 128,000 counted for the 2000 Census. "That's an increase of about 50,000 people and that's what attracts retailers," Brown said.

Much of the residential development was spearheaded by Hillwood, which built several planned communities in the area to complement its Alliance industrial park, where more than 20,000 people are employed.

"With the kind of critical mass that has been generated through the Alliance program, the market is right for retail -- significant retail," Hillwood's Berry said.

Hillwood hopes to break ground by mid-year on Circle T in Westlake, a regional mall being developed with General Growth Properties. Foley's, Dillard's and an AMC cinema have committed to anchor the project. Lone Star Crossing is a planned development of hotels, restaurants and stores to surround Cabela's, the hunting and fishing superstore that will open in May at I-35 and Texas 170.

At Heritage, Hillwood plans to develop between 1 million and 1.4 million square feet for big-box retail, specialty shopping, residential units, office space and a movie theater in a village atmosphere. Hillwood and its partner on the project, Fort Worth-based retail developer Trademark Cos., have been negotiating with potential tenants but have not yet announced any deals.

Berry expects Simon to court many of the same retailers as Hillwood.

"Ultimately, the tenants are going to decide which project happens," Berry said. "There are only so many merchants out there."

The city will also have a say. Simon's proposed project sits in a tax-increment financing district that was created to fund the North Tarrant Parkway interchange with I-35W. In a TIF, the property value of a piece of land is frozen, and tax revenue generated by higher property values from new development is used to repay the costs of streets, sidewalks, sewers and other public improvements in the district.

Any money generated by the North Tarrant Parkway TIF is currently slated to pay back about $5 million in loans that the city received from Hillwood and Legacy Capital. The two landowners lent the money to match state funds to speed up construction of the interchange.

In its proposal to the city and the TIF board, Simon said it wants the TIF to reimburse the $11.5 million that Simon plans to spend to on roads and interchanges for the Presidio project.

The TIF board meets Friday and is considering the request. But it wants to examine the potential impact on other infrastructure projects in the TIF before deciding to add Simon's request, said Tom Higgins, the city's economic and community development director.

"We always worry that a project isn't going to develop the way we hope it is, but the Simon request, which has not been granted yet, would have virtually no risk to the city," Higgins said. If the TIF board approves Simon's request, it will then go before the City Council for a vote, Higgins said.

Hillwood, which has worked with Legacy Capital on thoroughfare planning and cooperative road planning, hopes the city and prospective tenants will throw their support behind the Heritage retail project because much of the needed infrastructure is already in place on the east side of I-35W, Berry said.

"The city is going to win either way," Berry said. "But if the revenue off each project were the same, and I have lots of debt service on one side and little debt service on the other side, then that tax revenue is flowing back to me a lot quicker."

Simon and Legacy began planning the project in December 2003 and have been talking with city officials for several months, said Steve Saxon, a Legacy Capital partner.

Legacy Capital owns or has options on about 310 acres at and around the proposed Presidio site. The firm plans to sell 250 acres to Simon for the mall, and will find other uses for the remaining 20 percent.

"The portion we would hold onto would be on Harmon Road, and we'll be trying to plan that with Simon to make sure that it is a complementary use," Saxon said.

Staff Writers Andrea Jares, Andrea Ahles and Anna Tinsley Contributed to This Report.

[TexasStooge]

A LESSON IN LEARNING

By John Gutierrez-Mier, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Students at Manuel Jara Elementary clapped in unison, chuckled and sang along with author John Archambault, who visited the north Fort Worth school Friday morning.

Archambault, a nationally known author of children's books, read from his bookBoom Chicka Rock.

He will entertain a decidedly older crowd today at a "Reading Rocks" fund-raising party at the Ridglea Country Club.

The event will benefit the "I Have a Dream" Foundation, which works to increase graduation rates and lower school dropout rates through mentoring, tutoring, counseling and after-school programs.

The nonprofit program operates in several communities across the country, including Fort Worth, where more than 200 children are participating.

[TexasStooge]

Area working on freeway tow plan

By Gordon Dickson, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas - North Texas leaders say they will continue to work on a regionwide plan to forcibly tow disabled vehicles off freeways, even though a similar program in Houston may be forced to shut down.

About three dozen officials from cities across the Metroplex met Friday in Arlington to discuss ways to keep traffic moving. They generally agreed that all area cities should find a way to remove stalled or wrecked vehicles from freeways and shoulders. A policy covering the entire region could be developed later this year.

[TexasStooge]

Friends tell of cruising in stolen car

By Melody Mcdonald, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - When Lance Kirk headed out the door on the afternoon of May 24, 2003, he told his friend Quinton Solomon that he was going to get a truck.

But when Kirk returned, Solomon testified Friday, Kirk had a silver 2002 Infiniti, a cellphone and credit cards -- and it was time to party.

"I was just happy, ready to go," Solomon testified.

Solomon said they spent the remainder of the Memorial Day weekend cruising in the car, talking on the cellphone and using the credit cards on gas, food and clothes at Foot Locker.

[TexasStooge]

Off and running

By Tracey Myers, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Michael Bishop has never been afraid to run.

At Kansas State, Bishop set the rushing record for quarterbacks with 1,314 yards in two seasons. He's run in every league he's played, from the NFL to NFL Europe to the Canadian Football League.

But when Bishop joined the Grand Rapids Rampage in the pass-laden Arena Football League last season, it seemed his arm would be busier than his feet.

Apparently not.

[TexasStooge]

'Apprentice' applicants answer reality-TV casting call, but why?

By Bud Kennedy, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Martha Stewart's helpers are coming to town today, looking for a Texan with the decorating touch to become her very own TV Apprentice.

Maybe The Martha's new version of Donald Trump's NBC hit should be renamed.

Say, The Accomplice?

Hundreds of wannabe Marthas of all ages were expected to line up before dawn for interviews. The winner gets reality-TV notoriety and a $250,000 job with Martha Stewart Living.

Losers get -- no, not "fired." That's Trump's line.

Since Martha is returning to TV from federal prison, maybe she could just say, "You're busted!"

Producers of The Apprentice will host public auditions in Fort Worth on the campus of Texas Christian University, a $21,000-a-year private school with its share of little Donalds and Marthas.

I understand why a reality-TV show wants a few larger-than-life Texas characters. Or maybe a contestant from a college often ranked in the national top 10 for "Most Attractive Students."

My question is, why in the world would anyone line up before dawn on a February morning just for a 1-in-50,000 chance to get fired on national TV?

A college professor who has studied reality TV knew the answer. But he was hesitant to say.

"It's -- it's narcissism," said Derek Kompare, a former TCU radio-television-film professor who now teaches at Southern Methodist University.

He wasn't being critical.

"It goes back to radio and the excitement of being on the radio," he said. "Ever since Survivor" -- another show from producer Mark Burnett -- "this has become a way to achieve celebrity status. Years from now, people will be saying, 'I was on Fear Factor!' "

Amy Henry, 31, of Austin disagreed. Yet as one of the final three contestants fired loudly by Trump in the original Apprentice, the Arlington native and TCU business school graduate is now enjoying a speaking tour and promoting a book, What It Takes.

"I think people do it for the excitement of being involved in a TV show," she said by phone from Austin. "It was the experience of a lifetime."

Kompare said scholars view each reality-TV show as a weekly installment of the American dream.

In a nation where anyone can grow up to be president, "there's this feeling that anyone has a chance to be on a TV show," he said.

"Even the awful people get to be on American Idol. Some of them" -- like William Hung -- "become more famous than the winners."

Kompare did criticize shows like The Apprentice for promoting "style over substance."

"Reality TV leaves the idea that style and making an impression are more important than anything else you bring to the table," he said.

Again, Henry disagreed.

"If people just go in there and put on a show -- if they're just actors or actresses -- that's going to look ridiculous," she said.

"Nobody wants a fake. Somebody like that will never get on TV."

She had this advice for Apprentice applicants today:

"Everybody needs to have their own personal 'sound bites' ready -- the sales pitch that makes them unique," she said.

"Make an effort to be outspoken, but at the same time, real."

Kristina McGann is a casting director for Los Angeles-based Mark Burnett Productions Inc. She'll set up group interviews for anyone with a completed application from the Apprentice Web site.

"We're looking for people with good business sense," she said.

The casting is for both the Stewart show and the new season of Trump shows, The Apprentice 4. The company has come to Dallas twice and wanted some Fort Worth applicants, said Shirley Rasberry of the TCU Neeley School of Business.

Henry's connection didn't hurt.

About 60 TCU business students came to their own separate audition Thursday.

Proving Kompare's criticism about reality TV's lack of substance, one young woman brought a cake to show her decorating skills.

It was cardboard.

Literally.

But it sure had style.

IN THE KNOW

The Apprentice open call

• Those wishing to be interviewed by a casting director for The Apprentice: Donald Trump and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart must get a wristband between 9 a.m. and noon today at the University Recreation Center Rickel Building at 3005 Stadium Drive on the TCU campus.

• Everyone who receives a wristband will be interviewed, beginning at 10 a.m.

• The show requires applicants to be at least 21. You must fill out an application, available online at http://www.nbc.com.

• The show will have call-back interviews through Wednesday.

[TexasStooge]

Father Of Teen Killed Was Known Gang Member

HALTOM CITY, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- On the same day teenager Lan Bui was laid to rest, Haltom City police released details about her father's criminal history. But police said they have no evidence linking the father's past to the teenager's death.

Phu Bui was a known gang member and convicted of killing a Watauga, Texas, man in 1998, according to police records.

"At this point, we don't have any reason to believe her death and father's association with gangs was connected," Terry Stayer of the Haltom City Police Department said. "However, we're not excluding that at this point."

Less than a week ago, on Monday night, Bui, 14, was found stabbed to death at an apartment complex playgound.

Bui was buried Saturday at the Lucas Family Funeral Home in Fort Worth.

On Thursday, the FBI joined Haltom City police in the investigation, and a bloodhound followed the girl's trail to a specific unit within the apartment complex where the girl lived and died.

The FBI brought in the bloodhound, which was given Bui's scent samples from bindings used to tie the girl's wrist, according to a search warrant affidavit.

"She was bound," Haltom City Police spokeswoman Terri Stayer said. "Again, I want to also tell you, in addition to that she was also gagged. Specifics concerning the bounding and the gagging will not be released."

The dog led investigators to the apartment occupied by the mother and stepfather of Gustavo Flores, one of 12 people questioned by authorities in connection with Bui's murder.

Flores, 19, was arrested three weeks ago on an aggravated assault warrant. Police said they have not ruled out Flores as a possible suspect in the girl's killing.

"He's nice to every …," Ericka Gonzales, Flores' fiancé, said, her voice trailing off. "He's nice to people that he knows, people that he likes. He stays with us at our apartment there in Fort Worth (Texas), but he's not ever actually out here. He's loud. He's crazy, crazy as in a fun, happy person. He's real loveable. I mean, I love him."

Police said they questioned Flores' mother and stepfather. No arrests have been made in the case.

[TexasStooge]

Outlet Stores Deliver Diamond Deals

Typical Savings Range From 25 - 50 Percent Off Retail

DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Diamond shoppers take note: the biggest bargains on bling can be found at outlets. In fact, typical savings amount to between 25 to 50 percent off retail prices.

At CR Jewelers, some big baubles can be bought at big discounts.

Store representative Asa Rodriguez pointed out an exceptional bargain on one item, which typically sells for about $90,00, but was tagged at $25,000.

And at Bova Designs, the deals are as sparkling as the diamonds because fewer people get a cut of the sale.

"We don't have middle men. We have an office in Israel. We bring the diamonds directly here," store representative Ilan Baror said.

Outlet stores generally have low overhead, and some sell closeout merchandise. Still, when shopping diamond outlet stores, experts advise that you don't compromise on quality.

They recommend learning "four c's" -- cut, color, clarity and carat weight.

There's also one more 'c' -- certificate.

"The 5th "c" is the most important. What kind of certificate does this stone have," Baror said. "It tells you the cut, the size of the diamond."

Experts also recommend that your diamond is produced by a reputable organization like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

You should also ask about several other things:

Return policies
Layaways
Trade-ins
Warranties

If you do a little homework, you can look brilliant on a budget.

Diamond outlet stores are listed in the Yellow Pages under "diamonds."

[TexasStooge]

Alleged Wrong-Way Driver Killed In Crash

Car Bursts Into Flames

DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A fatal crash happened Friday night in Oak Cliff on Jefferson Boulevard at Colorado, NBC 5 News reported.

Police said the driver was going the wrong way out of downtown Dallas when he slammed into a median.

The car burst into flames and trapped the driver, officials said.

Other drivers stopped and tried to help, but they were forced back by the flames.

[TexasStooge]

Removal of asbestos is set to begin

By Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Lloyd Jones drives by the abandoned Cowtown Inn every day looking for some sign of activity.

He and others in the historic Handley neighborhood are waiting for the removal of asbestos so the dilapidated eyesore can be torn down.

This week, they should finally see some action.

Asbestos-removal crews are expected to set up camp at the boarded-up building at 6855 E. Lancaster Ave.

"It seems like we've been waiting forever," said Jones, president of the Handley Neighborhood Association. "I hate to be skeptical, but it has been three years since I was told it was funded and coming down.

"I've been down this road before," he said. "Now I'll just wait and see."