News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

Fort Worth Diocese settles sex-abuse suit

Bishop admits no wrongdoing in hiring priest accused in past

By BROOKS EGERTON / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH, Texas - The Fort Worth Catholic Diocese has agreed to pay more than $4 million to settle a sex-abuse lawsuit involving a priest whom Bishop Joseph Delaney hired despite a documented 20-year history of misconduct with minors elsewhere.

Bishop Delaney admitted no wrongdoing in the suit, but it's clear he knew the risks of employing the Rev. Thomas Teczar. The bishop's own notes, surrendered in the suit, say the priest admitted to him before starting work in 1988 that he was "attracted to adolescents in every way, including sexually."

At that time, Father Teczar had been out of work for four years after repeated abuse allegations led to his removal from ministry in Massachusetts and inpatient therapy at a clergy treatment center. He pledged his personal assets to the Fort Worth Diocese in case it was ever sued over his actions, according to church records surrendered in the lawsuit.

Yet the diocese said on its Web site Friday that "there were no allegations of sexual misconduct" against the priest when he came to Fort Worth.

The Web statement added: "When he left the area in 1993 the diocese had no knowledge of sexual misconduct on his part."

Diocese officials declined to comment beyond the statement, which also said that "to the extent Father Thomas Teczar may have injured anyone," Bishop Delaney was "sincerely regretful."

The bishop knew that the priest was building friendships with young people while working in the diocese, a 1991 memo released in the lawsuit showed. Father Teczar "admitted it was inappropriate" and said he would stop, the memo said.

Bishop Delaney has previously told The Dallas Morning News that Father Teczar disclosed, shortly before returning to his home state of Massachusetts, "that he was being accused of not having reported the sexual abuse of a child to the authorities of Eastland County. ... His attorneys assured me they were in touch with the authorities there, who were willing to drop the investigation if Father Teczar left the state."

Authorities in Eastland County have denied any such deal existed. The west-central Texas county is part of the Fort Worth Diocese.

Authorities said the priest, who had been leading parishes in the area, fled after refusing to answer questions from a grand jury investigating abuse allegations against two of his adult friends, who were convicted and sentenced to long prison terms. Witnesses alleged that Father Teczar had been sexually involved with the adults and had urged one of them to destroy pornographic Polaroids of young victims.

Rape charge

Eastland County authorities have said they suspected Father Teczar in 1993 of also abusing children but heard no complaints from possible victims then. In 2002, prosecutors charged him with the 1990 rape of a 12-year-old boy.

Father Teczar has pleaded not guilty to that charge and is free while it remains pending. He has not worked as a priest since 1993 and did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

The complainant in the criminal case is one of two accusers in the civil suit that the diocese has settled. He and the other accuser both lived in Eastland County but knew Father Teczar outside church.

One of the plaintiffs will receive $2.75 million and the other $1.4 million. Their attorneys are Tahira Khan Merritt of Dallas and Daniel Shea of Houston.

Before ordination

Father Teczar's troubled history predates his 1967 ordination as a priest, according to court records. Among other things, he was fired from an orphanage after giving a 9- or 10-year-old boy a bath and was kicked out of two seminaries.

After becoming a priest in the Diocese of Worcester, Mass., he was transferred repeatedly, sometimes under threat of legal action. One bishop knew about "a trail of damaged youngsters" in a community where police "threatened to find a reason to arrest him," according to diocesan correspondence.

Worcester permanently removed Father Teczar from ministry in 1984 and sent him to the treatment center. The allegation that led to his removal resulted in a 1991 conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Bishop Delaney told The News in 1998 that he knew little about the priest's past, except for the treatment-center stay and the conviction.

[TexasStooge]

Oak Cliff club owner won't go quietly

Landlord wants her to soundproof walls or move; she may sue

By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Her year-old jazz club in the Bishop Arts District might be thriving, but Brooklyn owner Lorna Tate is singing the blues.

In the latest sound off on Seventh Street, Ms. Tate's landlord, Jim Lake Cos., said she must pay to insulate her north Oak Cliff club immediately or move out.

"I think we're going to have to take them to court," Ms. Tate said. "We just can't walk away from our $200,000 investment here and start all over with nothing."

Ms. Tate was first notified by letter in December about noise complaints and given 30 days to turn down the volume or leave. Although attorneys on both sides have been negotiating for months, Ms. Tate said they've found no harmonious solution.

They had discussed hiring a sound engineer to monitor the noise levels, but Ms. Tate's attorney, Barbara Nicholas, received an e-mail Wednesday saying her client must begin building a soundproofing wall or face the music.

"Our patience, Barbara, has grown thin, and is getting thinner and thinner as complaints routinely are being called in by Bishop Arts District tenants," Jim Lake's attorney, Kirk Newsom, wrote in the e-mail.

"Quite frankly, there really is no reason to have further monitoring as there now exists plenty of solid evidence of the continuing improper, objectionable and unpleasant noise emanating from you client's premises."

Mr. Newsom did not return calls for comment, and Barbara Boazman, property manager for Jim Lake, said she would not discuss the situation until an agreement has been made.

Ms. Tate said she has replaced the sound equipment in her club and asked musicians to quiet down since the initial warning. But the noise disturbances have continued, said Hal Dantzler, co-owner of a neighboring restaurant, Hattie's.

Hattie's is two doors down from Brooklyn and is named as the "primary complainant" in a letter between the attorneys. Mr. Dantzler said the vibrations created by Brooklyn's amplifiers can be felt and heard in his restaurant, which is already noisy because of the old building's architecture and the echo of diners' voices.

Mr. Dantzler said his restaurant has not participated in the negotiations between Jim Lake officials and Ms. Tate. And he said he does not want Brooklyn – which has attracted new customers to the Bishop Arts District – to close.

"At no point have we said – written or verbally – that we want them out of there. We don't, but at the same time, we don't want the vibrations," he said Thursday evening.

"I don't want them to go, but I don't want to just roll over."

Ms. Tate said she has visited Hattie's several times and does not believe her club adds much noise to the restaurant's environment.

Although her lease says she cannot make loud or unpleasant noises, Ms. Tate said she did not sign that portion of the document. She said the landlord knew her club would rock before it even moved in.

"It's apparent they want us to leave," Ms. Tate said. "If Jim Lake wanted this to work out, he'd just put up the wall."

Ms. Tate said the sound wall, which would be built between Brooklyn's immediate neighbor and Hattie's, would cost about $6,000. She said she doesn't know whether the landlord would help pay the cost.

If the wall does not sufficiently block the music after it is built, Brooklyn would have to leave the property within 120 days, according to a proposal Mr. Newsom sent to Ms. Tate's lawyer in March.

"They want us to spend all this money," Ms. Tate said, "and they don't even know if the wall's going to work."

Dallas City Council member Elba Garcia, who represents the arts district, would not comment because the fight is between a tenant and landlord, not the city.

She's a frequent patron of Hattie's and Brooklyn, she said.

"I think both places are great," Dr. Garcia said, "and I hope they can work it out."

[TexasStooge]

Eight shot at Dallas nightclub

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Eight people were hospitalized early Monday after shots rang out at a nightclub in southeast Dallas.

Police said the violence erupted after proprietors of the Country Cowboy club in the 9000 block of Bruton Road told patrons to go home.

"Apparently, something happened in the club that caused the owner to close the club," said Dallas police Sgt. Lawrence Nichols. "Apparently, the suspects were angered over having to leave the club early, and retaliated."

Nichols said someone in the parking lot fired a shot; when that gunfire was returned a melee ensued.

Seven victims were taken to Baylor University Medical Center for treatment; the eighth went to a medical facility in Mesquite.

None of the injuries was said to be life-threatening. The victims included both men and women.

The two gunmen remained at large. One person was arrested at the scene for interfering with a police investigation.

Police said the Country Cowboy club is frequented by relatively young partygoers and has a history of gang activity.

[TexasStooge]

Parker Co. checks up on sex offenders

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE

WEATHERFORD, Texas - Registered sex offenders in Parker County can soon expect a visit from sheriff's deputies looking to verify their residence.

The random checks come after a convicted sex offender in Florida was arrested for the murder of a nine-year-old girl.

The sound of children at play is alluring to predators looking for opportunities to seize in seconds. In the blink of an eye, a child could vanish.

Parker County Sheriff's Deputy Robert Moore is tracking down registered sex offenders one by one.

"This is one I haven't been able to contact yet," Moore said. "Hopefully we can."

He and other deputies were asked by the sheriff to verify that all 130 of the county's registered sex offenders are living where they're supposed to be.

"We owe it to the citizens and the young people of this county," said Sheriff Larry Fowler.

After Florida nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped and murdered, allegedly by a convicted sex offender, Fowler decided to start knocking on doors and checking up on offenders in his county.

In Florida, while authorities charged sex offender John Couey with failure to register a change of address, he faces a more serious charge of capital murder for Lunsford's death.

"That incident in Florida, plus a couple in Grand Prairie and Arlington in this area, prompted me to take a serious look at the sex offender registration here in this county," Fowler said.

County deputies discovered three sex offenders disappeared, so felony warrants will be issued for their arrest. Meanwhile, they'll continue trying to verify other addresses.

Some local residents say they rest easier knowing deputies are keeping track of the offenders.

"It makes me feel a little bit safer for my kids to be out here," said resident Gary Higginbotham.

The department plans to make periodic, random checks so that deputies get to know the offenders - and offenders know they're being watched.

[TexasStooge]

Woman jailed in daughter's death

By ISABEL ROJAS / Al Día

DALLAS, Texas - A 2-year-old Dallas girl is dead after being immersed in hot water, and her 19-year-old mother is in jail on charges of injury to a child, authorities said.

The girl, Rosa María Estrada, was admitted to Parkland Memorial Hospital on Tuesday suffering from severe burns from her toes to her chest. According to a police report filed by Officer Glen K. Slade, Parkland physicians described the burns as nonaccidental and resulting from immersion.

The girl died Friday, and her death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner's office, according to relatives who grieved for the 2-year-old during a rosary at Calvary Funeral Home. Rosa María's body is scheduled to be taken today for burial in the town of Moncada, Mexico, according to the funeral home.

Her mother, Leticia Rico, of the 6000 block of Abrams Road, remained Sunday at Lew Sterrett Justice Center.

Ms. Rico's other children, boys ages 6 months and 4 years, were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services pending a hearing, relatives said.

At the funeral home Sunday, friends and relatives of Ms. Rico and Alonzo Estrada, the father of all three of her children, struggled to make sense of the incident.

"Despite her age, she was an exemplary mother. It's hard to believe a thing like this would happen," said Gustavo Coss, one of Alonzo Estrada's relatives.

Ms. Rico "is a very calm, responsible woman," said Sergio López, a family friend. "This has to be a misunderstanding."

[TexasStooge]

Study: Clerks snub obese shoppers

Retail spokesman says it's not discrimination, it's just rudeness

HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – Even though she's been a model, an author and small-business owner, Catherine Schuller said some sales clerks still see her only as an overweight woman who is out of place in their stores.

"I was once in a store and asked for the plus-size section. The clerk said, 'Why would I know that?' It's like I was insulting her," said Ms. Schuller, who runs CurveStyle: Reshaping Fashion, a New York consulting firm. "I tend not to want any help from sales associates."

A small Rice University study details some of the unpleasant experiences of overweight shoppers. The study suggests sales clerks subtly discriminate against obese shoppers unless they think the customer is trying to lose weight.

But the world's largest retail trade association said the study proves only that some sales clerks are rude.

The research, conducted over five years, was done in three phases and focused on a large Houston mall. The shoppers visited smaller stores; no department stores or restaurants were included.

In the first phase, 10 white women played the role of a customer in four scenarios: casually and professionally dressed average-weight shoppers, and casually and professionally dressed obese shoppers. Those posing as obese participants wore a prosthetic that made them appear to be a size 22.

The obese shoppers reported greater levels of interpersonal discrimination, with the ones casually dressed facing the most rejection. The subtle forms of discrimination included less eye contact, more rudeness, hostility and unfriendliness, said Eden King, one of the study leaders.

"That kind of subtle discrimination is more challenging and potentially more harmful," said Ms. King, a Rice graduate student in psychology.

In the second phase, seven women acted as either obese or healthy-weight shoppers. They also carried either a diet cola or an ice cream drink and told store employees whether or not they were trying to lose weight.

Obese shoppers with the ice-cream drink reported the greatest amount of discrimination, Ms. King said.

The third phase of the research involved interviews with 191 white women, who were not involved in the study, about their shopping experiences in general. Obese women said they faced more discrimination, spent less time and money in the store and would probably not return.

But Scott Krugman, spokesman for the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C., said he doesn't think the study clarifies whether the store employees were actually discriminating against the obese shoppers or whether they were just rude across the board.

"Discrimination happens in all walks of life, and it's wrong," he said. "If this behavior is happening, retailers want to know."

Mr. Krugman said the women carrying drinks might have been treated poorly because the store may have forbidden food or beverages.

However, Chris Crandall, a psychology professor at the University of Kansas who has tracked attitudes toward the overweight for the last 20 years, said the Rice findings are typical.

"To reduce anti-fat prejudice, we have to tell people how much the problem is due to genetics and physiology and how it has less to do with willpower," he said. "But that flies against the American way of thinking about things."

Allen Steadham, spokesman for the International Size Acceptance Association in Austin, said the study's findings should be a call to action.

"Overweight people feel embarrassed when discriminated against, and they want to forget it," he said. "We as consumers have to connect with the businesses and make our needs known."

[TexasStooge]

Baby critically hurt in Fort Worth gunfire

By MATT STILES / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH, Texas — A baby boy was shot and critically injured Saturday evening—an apparent unintended victim in what police say was a rolling, gang-related shootout in Fort Worth.

Police believe people in two vehicles exchanged gunfire just before 7 p.m. on McKenzie Street in a neighborhood not far from Texas Wesleyan University.

A bullet, believed to be from a handgun, struck the baby once in the abdomen while he was in the front yard of a nearby home in the 2800 block of Avenue J.

He was taken Cook Children's Medical Center in critical condition.

"Apparently, the house was not the target," said Lt. Dean Sullivan, a Fort Worth police spokesman. "These two cars were shooting at each other…. It was a rolling gun battle."

Lt. Sullivan said one of the vehicles had gang-related markings.

No one else was injured, and detectives from the department's gang unit were still investigating what happened and searching for the shooters.

[TexasStooge]

Fire damages Highland Park home

HIGHLAND PARK, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Fire early Sunday damaged a multi-million dollar home in Highland Park.

Thick smoke filled the two-story structure in the 3600 block of Maplewood Drive when firefighters arrived around 3:30 a.m.

Investigators said the fire spread to the walls and attic of the house. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

No one was hurt.

The 8,200 square foot home, built in the 1920s, is valued at more than $3 million.

Firefighters from University Park and Dallas assisted Highland Park in battling the blaze.

[TexasStooge]

Police: E-mails exaggerate crime at mall

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

ARLINGTON, Texas — For the second time in as many weeks, police are looking for a gunman who robbed a shopper outside The Parks at Arlington shopping center.

The timing is bad because police say they're also battling Internet rumors that wildly exaggerate crime at the popular mall.

Daylight and a busy parking garage didn't deter the gunman on Saturday, who got away with a woman's purse around noon.

The circumstances are similar to what happened to another shopper in The Parks' covered parking area last week. "It was my daughter's friend that got held at gunpoint," said Sharon Potter. "They asked for her purse. She said, 'No.' He said, 'Give it to me.' She said, 'No.' He cocked the gun to her."

Last week's holdup helped feed an Internet rumor frenzy. "I got a couple e-mails from friends about problems at The Parks," said Patty Wood.

Residents are passing on e-mail warnings about 10 robberies at the shoping center, but police say there have been only five incidents—including the latest one.

One of the holdups was a purse-snatching at a nearby restaurant.

Some of the e-mails mention five sexual assaults. Police report only one: An alleged date rape in which the victim declined to pursue charges.

It's always a good idea to be aware of your surroundings, but police complain that the e-mails are causing problems for them and for the mall. Police say crime is actually down, while security is up, including a special detail of officers and 80 security cameras.

Some of the e-mails sent to News 8 imply some kind of cover-up to keep mall crime out of the news; others encourage recipients to make some noise.

Police hope people getting and sending the e-mails will check the crime statistics, which are available online at the Arlington Police Web site.

[TexasStooge]

Workers remove graffiti from highway signs

By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Texas Department of Transportation crews closed several lanes of traffic on two Interstate highways in downtown Dallas Saturday morning to clean up ugly, unwanted graffiti on traffic signs.

TXDoT crews were successful in removing spray-painted slogans from several signs on I-30, I-35 and access roads.

Dallas city leaders and state transportation officials are concerned about the growing problem of graffitti across Dallas. They say this vandalism is not related to gangs, but rather to "taggers" who are driven by ego.

"I don't understand why they're doing that," said Dallas motorist Robert Hodge Jr. "I don't know if people just have nothing else to do."

Another driver, Josh Dann, is concerned about how visitors view Dallas. "It looks kind of crappy for our city to have grafitti on our street signs."

The transportation agency the cleanup is a more cost-efficient alternative to replacing defaced signs that have a price tag up to $40,000 each.

TXDoT said work crews would return Sunday morning to deal with more of the mess.

[TexasStooge]

Police chase ends in crash; 6 hurt

IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — A police chase ended abruptly Saturday morning when the suspect's vehicle crashed into another car at an Irving intersection. A total of six people were injured.

Officials said a Farmers Branch police officer spotted a suspicious driver and tried to pull him over.

The chase extended into Irving when, around 11 a.m., the suspect's car—a Chevrolet Camaro—collided with a Honda Accord under President George Bush Turnpike at Riverside Drive.

The police car was not involved in the crash.

Two adults in the Honda were injured and taken to hospitals for treatment.

Four people in the Camaro—including two children aged 3 and 6—were hospitalized. The children were taken to Children's Medical Center Dallas with minor injuries.

The adult female passenger in the Camaro suffered a broken leg. The driver was also hurt and taken to a hospital.

Police said the fleeing driver could face several charges, including evading arrest.

Traffic was diverted around the accident site during the cleanup and investigation.

WFAA-TV reporter Steve Stoler in Irving and assignments editor Gerardo Lopez contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Man found shot dead in car

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas police are looking for clues into a mysterious fatal shooting early Saturday.

An emergency call at 2 a.m. alerted police to a car that had plowed into some bushes on the westbound service road of Interstate 30 at East Grand Avenue.

When officers arrived, they noticed three bullet holes in the driver's side window. The driver was dead.

Investigators have not determined whether the man—whose identity was not released—was a victim of road rage.

[TexasStooge]

Need for organ donors greater than ever

By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - April is National Organ Donor Month, but currently the supply of life-saving organs just doesn't meet the demand for transplants.

The topic was addressed Sunday night on ABC's new drama Gray's Anatomy, but real-life stories of death and survival are equally dramatic. Nearly 90,000 Americans need organ transplants, and only about 25,000 will get them.

Eight years ago, cystic fibrosis patient Mike Hyland received a double lung transplant which saved his life. Three years later, he successfully ran a marathon.

"To go from as sick as I was to as healthy as I am now, it's just amazing - absolutely amazing," Hyland said.

He lived because 14-year-old Oscar Beltran of Corpus Christi, who died suddenly from a brain aneurism, had told his mother he wanted to be an organ donor.

"They knew that people's lives were saved, including mine," Hyland said. "He didn't just save my life, he gave me a brand-new life."

Right now, 2,000 people in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are waiting and hoping for a potentially life-saving organ transplant. Unfortunately, there are not nearly enough donors, and only about 800 of them will receive the vital organs they need.

"Absolutely, locally and across the state people are dying every single day waiting for an organ transplant," said Pam Silvestri of the Southwest Transplant Alliance. "That doesn't have to happen."

Baylor transplant surgeon Dr. Marlon Levy wears a green ribbon to make people aware of the great need for organ and tissue donation.

"I believe in it," Levy said. "I think it's terribly important. I've seen its impact, and the miracle it can bring in people's lives."

Hyland also wears a green bracelet, and hopes his story will inspire others to donate their organs.

"I hope I can be a role model for people that are considering a transplant, and those that receive a transplant," he said.

[TexasStooge]

Some Texas cities rank, some don't

Houston is the fattest, El Paso the sweatiest, Dallas the least charitable; so who's bragging now?

By KATIE FAIRBANK / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Texans love to claim bragging rights for being at the top of the heap, but often it ain't nuthin' to brag about.

Lately, cities in the Lone Star State are making Top 10 lists released by magazines, government agencies and charitable groups trying to draw attention.

Sometimes the rankings tout our finer qualities. But just as often, they aren't anything you'd put in the holiday newsletter.

Texas cities are listed as the some of the dumbest, bald- est, most stressful and illiterate places in the country.

Houston takes the cake as the "Fattest City in America," and not surprisingly also one of the worst cities to find a date.

Men's Fitness magazine tapped the city with the biggest-blubber honor in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The publication's methodology included such serious considerations as a Centers for Disease Control's survey showing that more than 23 percent of Houstonians are clinically obese. Less seriously: The number of doughnut shops per capita in Houston is more than twice the national average.

Not wanting to rest on their reputedly large laurels, city leaders put together an aggressive public-relations campaign to make sure residents knew that fat is bad. The campaign worked for a year, dropping Houston to No. 2, behind Detroit in 2004. But pie and gravy won out in the end. The city once again put the "wide" in wide-open spaces when the magazine's annual list came out this year.

The city can divert attention by pointing a chubby finger toward El Paso. Old Spice Red Zone antiperspirant says that far West Texas municipality is "The Sweatiest City in America."

"The average El Paso resident produced 1.09 liters of sweat per hour during a typical summer," according to Old Spice. "In a four-hour period, residents of El Paso collectively produced enough sweat to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool."

No surprise there, said Jim Albright, a professor of television production and advertising at the University of North Texas.

"I don't know whether it's true about Houston, but it is about El Paso," he said.

The city's residents might not have noticed the slam because they also are the most illiterate and the nation's second-drunkest, according to Men's Health.

Fortunately, those taunts haven't hurt their self-esteem. Apparently, El Paso is also one of the least-depressed cities in the country, the magazine said.

Dallas doesn't get off the hook either, although our issues seem to be with other people. Basically, we don't seem to like them much.

We are the least charitable of the nation's largest cities and one of the meanest cities in the nation, according to a couple of charity rankings.

Dallas also has had the highest crime rate of the nation's largest cities for seven years running, according to federal crime statistics.

If by this point, you're feeling insulted, don't take it too much to heart. Much of the sourcing and methodology used to create many of the lists is suspect. After all, Austin was selected as the No. 1 City to "Hook Up In" by Axe Deodorant Bodyspray, based on such things as the city's abundance of local bars and lingerie shops.

"We all just like to compare," said Dr. Albright. "It's all very light-hearted – except for the crime statistics."

[TexasStooge]

Lack of salute at issue

Parents object to teacher's e-mail claiming disruption

By RUSSELL RIAN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Parents of an Irving third-grader have filed a complaint to the district over a teacher's e-mail questioning why their son didn't salute the flag during the morning routine.

Regina and Henry Rollins said their son lost a conduct point as a result and that the e-mail from his teacher, with "Can of Worms" in the subject line, was out of line. They have also filed a complaint with local NAACP officials, who say they'll investigate and try to meet with school officials.

"She questioned two things: patriotism and religion. To me that's not any of her business. ... She's asking questions that no one should be asking," said the boy's father, Henry Rollins, a retired Army staff sergeant. "They owe my son a huge apology. I mean big."

School officials said the lost conduct point was not for failing to salute the flag but for disrupting other students. They conceded the e-mail could have been written better.

In the April 6 e-mail, Thomas Haley Elementary teacher Heather Calvert wrote, "I hope I don't come to regret this, but I feel I have to ask a question. Is there a reason why Earlando does not salute the flag each morning or say the school motto? ... I consider myself a very patriotic person. My husband fought in Vietnam. In fact he was on the very last chopper evacuated and actually has possession of the flag that waved on top of the Embassy. If he has religious reasons for not saluting the flag, then I humbly apologize for even asking. Usually, if that's the case, then I know from day one about a student's religious needs and I have them simply slip out of the room or stand quietly. Earlando does not do that."

Ms. Calvert was not at school Friday and could not be reached for comment.

Principal Danny Ward said the district's policy is to allow students to choose whether or not to participate in saluting the flag without repercussions as long as they do not disrupt other students' participation.

District officials also noted privacy concerns and said they could not discuss specifics of the case, including what Earlando allegedly did that was disruptive.

American University professor Jamin Raskin, a constitutional legal scholar who wrote a popular book on students' rights called We the Students, said a 1943 Supreme Court decision clearly allows students to be exempt from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or saluting the flag and that students can't receive "adverse treatment" for not reciting the pledge or saluting.

"I would say the school is skating on thin ice," he said. "His or her reason for not participating is legally irrelevant."

Lane Ladewig, director of campus operations, said the boy was not disciplined for not participating in the pledge. His lack of participation is not considered disruptive by itself. "The teacher was making a plea to the parent to assist her in getting the student not to be disruptive," Mr. Ladewig said. "Sometimes when you type or write something, it can come out a lot different than you intended."

But Mr. and Mrs. Rollins said the e-mail is not simply poorly worded. "She should not have written it better or differently, she should not have written it at all," Mrs. Rollins said. "The reason why he was disciplined is because he didn't get up fast enough to do the Pledge of Allegiance."

She said Earlando has had three written reprimands for talking or not following directions, but has not been in any significant trouble at school. He generally likes school but does not get along with his teacher. They said he routinely does recite the pledge in the morning and is patriotic.

"We would like them not to sweep this under the rug and acknowledge the fact that you do have teachers that make poor choices just the same as children do and quit always blaming the child," said Mrs. Rollins.

Earlando did not want to discuss the issue but is aware of the dispute, she said.

"He knows what's going on, and he's a little nervous. He's a sweet child, and he doesn't like confusion," she said. "He was concerned about me talking to you and the NAACP, but I told him we are the grown-ups and the parents. This is now our situation to handle and these are your rights."

Mr. Rollins said he hoped to teach all his children an important lesson about standing up for their rights.

"I think they'll learn no one has the right to violate your rights as an American," he said.

Fletcher Yates, vice president of the Irving NAACP, said the organization was investigating and planned to meet with school officials this week. He labeled the e-mail "ridiculous" but said the NAACP has a good relationship with school officials.

"I think we'll probably be able to resolve this," said Mr. Yates, a former Dallas County Schools Board member.

[TexasStooge]

Irving grad awarded Pulitzer

Photographer's photos of Iraq war included in series

By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - His photos capture tumultuous moments of history as well as quiet moments of human dignity. And now he has captured the ultimate journalism award – the Pulitzer Prize.

John Moore, a 1985 graduate of Irving High, and 10 of his fellow AP photojournalists won the coveted prize for their "stunning series of photographs of bloody, year-long combat inside Iraqi cities," according to the Pulitzer board.

"It's pretty cool," he said about the award, "but it's really nice to win it with the others I worked with, especially the five Iraqis who we pretty much trained to be photojournalists."

He said the Iraqis hadn't even heard of the award and "are still trying to figure out what it means."

The Iraqis had to learn the craft under harsh conditions with danger always lurking nearby. Khalil Mohammed, who took the much-published photo of charred, hanging bodies of U.S. contractors, said he was threatened immediately after taking it. He told the AP, "I had to move fast because I saw the situation was very, very dangerous."

Three of the 20 winning photos were shot by Mr. Moore. In one, he portrays the anguish of a caged prisoner who is pleading for solace. In another, a child wearing an expression of weary sadness and a second child showing wide-eyed surprise watch U.S. soldiers at a checkpoint.

The third photo shows an Army nurse giving CPR to an American soldier being wheeled to a hospital in Baghdad. The soldier, who was from Texas, later died.

"Some newspaper readers were upset by this image and said it should not have been used, while others were impressed by the heroism of the nurse and said it brought home the war in a dramatic way that people need to see," Mr. Moore said.

In all his photos, Mr. Moore says he looks for the beauty of the human spirit. "Finding and photographing human dignity within very often undignified environments is what I try to do," he said in a previous interview.

He took his first photography class at Irving High School in the mid-1980s. His teacher was Sherri Taylor, who works for the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

"It was always just a matter of time for John. He just continues to amaze me," she said last week about her former student's talent.

As a high school student, he attended the Interscholastic League Press Conference, and this year he has been invited to give the keynote address. "It's great to go back there now to teach, 20 years later," he said.

Mr. Moore attended the University of Texas in 1985 where he earned a degree in journalism with a minor in psychology. He was able to freelance for the AP while in college and worked for several newspapers during summer breaks. When he graduated, he was hired as an AP stringer based in Nicaragua.

His latest assignment covering the war in Iraq has brought him wide attention. Irving High School has recognized his early Iraq work by having a live link on its Web site through Yahoo Photo.

Irving High principal Carolyn Dowler said she received several calls and e-mails last week celebrating the news. "We are so very excited for John, and especially because he is an Irving High graduate," she said.

His aunt, Lynn Yoas, a nurse at Barton Elementary School, wrote one of those e-mails to Irving High, saying how thrilled she was for her nephew, "a product of our fine school district."

His mother, Jan Moore, agreed. "I'm so proud of what he has achieved," she said.

He has won many awards along the way and six Pulitzer nominations. His work was a runner-up to last year's winners for breaking news photography, Dallas Morning News' Cheryl Diaz Meyer and David Leeson.

Mr. Moore has enjoyed working for the AP, but he's making a change. "I left the AP in March after almost 14 wonderful years with the company, living in different parts of the world including Egypt, Mexico, India, South Africa and Nicaragua," he said.

He will join Getty Images in July and be based in Islamabad, Pakistan, covering South Asia and the Middle East. He will be based there with his wife, Gretchen Peters, a producer for ABC News.

As much as they would like to attend the Pulitzer Prize ceremony May 23 in New York, they have a more pressing concern.

Their first child is expected May 20.

[TexasStooge]

Nokia tops graduation list

Grand Prairie theater would allow ceremonies for all four high schools on a Saturday

By RUSSELL RIAN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING/GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Irving school officials are continuing to eye Grand Prairie's Nokia Theatre for its 2006 graduation ceremonies, despite scheduling changes that would allow it to remain at the Potter's House, where graduations will be this year.

The Nokia allows graduation ceremonies for all four high schools to be held on a Saturday, making it easier for friends and relatives to attend, some board members said.

"I prefer Nokia. For a lot of children, this may be the single biggest event ... so the aunts, the brothers, the sisters, the grandmothers who have to fly in may have to miss a Friday night graduation or a Monday night graduation. I would love to see it all done Saturday," said Trustee Ken Murray. "It's just too important of an event. Grandmothers deserve to be at their grandchildren's graduations."

Irving could hold four ceremonies there on June 3, 2006, at 8:30 a.m., noon, 3:30 and 7 p.m.

If held at the Potter's House, graduations would be at 4 and 8 p.m. Friday, June 2, and 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, June 3.

None of the negotiations would affect this year's graduations, slated over a Friday and Saturday (June 3-4) at the Potter's House, 6777 Kiest Blvd., just southeast of Irving.

Midlothian school officials had reserved the June 3 date at Potter's House in 2006, which would have forced Irving to push its graduation dates to a Monday if ceremonies remained there. Midlothian officials have since withdrawn from the date, said Lane Ladewig, director of Irving's campus operations.

Costs are roughly equal – around $25,000 for two days at Potter's House or a single day at Nokia.

"I think we're pretty much going to be a wash," Mr. Ladewig said.

The Nokia Theatre holds about 6,300, so with about 400 seniors, each could be given up to eight lower balcony tickets and seven upper level tickets. Seating would be assigned, so the 15 seats per student would be split. Officials said they would have to further discuss how tickets would be distributed.

Traffic could also be an issue.

"I am still concerned about the traffic because it is racing season," Superintendent Jack Singley said. "You're going to have whatever crowd is drawn to the racetrack coming down Belt Line Road as well as the graduation traffic."

Racing at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie begins at 1:30 p.m., officials said. Ceremonies typically last about 1 ½ hours.

Still up in the air is whether legislators will mandate some statewide school start and end dates, creating a potential rush on graduation venues and determining when school years end.

[TexasStooge]

Grand Prairie gas leak forces evacuation

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Grand Prairie police and firefighters evacuated residents at the Silverbrook Apartments Monday morning following a natural gas leak.

The gas started spewing from a gas meter in the 2900 block of Alouette Drive after it was hit by a car around 11:40 a.m.

The evacuation area is just west of Grand Prairie Municipal Airport and east of Highway 360.

Representatives from Atmos Energy were at the scene to turn off the gas supply and to determine the extent of the problem.

[kevin]

[TexasStooge]

Clue leads police to murder suspects

By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8

NEWS 8 EXCLUSIVE

DALLAS, Texas - A mysterious clue may have already solved the weekend ambush murder of a Dallas man.

A series of letters and numbers scribbled on the victim's hand have led police to a car, and a pair of suspected killers.

Francisco Lopez, 18, was shot and killed outside his home. Friends and family described his death as a senseless murder.

"I couldn't think of anyone who would hate him, he was a cool guy, always smiling you know," friend Arturo Ramirez said. "He was just a hard worker; he cared about his family, his car, and he had ambition for an 18 year old."

However, when Dallas homicide detectives viewed Lopez's body, they found something curious on the back of his left hand: the combination of letters and numbers, written with a black marker.

"It was fading, but it was clear enough to decipher it," Dallas Police Det. Gil Garza said.

That vital clue led investigators to pull over an older blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and it was at that time officers made a chilling match: the license plate number from the car ... are the same letters and numbers scribbled on the back of the victim's hand.

"Clues like this just don't fall on your lap like this did," Garza said. "It helped make the case."

Dallas police arrested Javier and Reymundo Izaguirre in connection with the murder.

Investigators said Lopez had seen the Monte Carlo circling his home the day before his murder, and wrote down the license plate number, fearing someone wanted to steal his car.

"He was suspicious someone would steal his rims, or the car" Garza said.

Police said Lopez was shot in the chest when he confronted the two suspects after spotting them near his home for a second day.

Though they are devastated by the loss, family and friends said the clue was just indicative of Lopez's quick thinking.

"He always used his head," friend Leonard Rodriguez said. "He was smart when he did that, when he put those numbers on there."