News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

What's killing fish in a Dallas creek?

By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - City environmental officials are seeking clues to help solve a mystery in a Northeast Dallas neighborhood.

Hundreds of fish have died over the past two days in Briar Creek, near the 6400 block of Patrick Drive. It's a stream that eventually flows into White Rock Lake.

Residents who live along the creek love its scenic beauty, but sometime Wednesday the water turned dark and developed a foul smell, and fish began dying.

"We've always eaten fish out of here, and we've always been able to swim in it," said Gigi Ekstrom of the area's homeowners association. "It's pretty serious."

Environmental officials said they don't know what's causing the problem, but readings revealed oxygen levels in the water to be quite low, causing the fish to suffocate.

City workers have now drained much of the creek, and are checking to see if a sewer line that runs below much of the creekbed may have sprung a leak.

"We're going to stay with it as long as it takes until we find out what it is," said Dallas Wastewater official Ricky Bates. "But as far as our lab tests go, they don't show any sewer (waste), no oxygen and a little chlorine."

18 months ago, area homeowners raised $250,000 and had the waterway dredged and stocked with fish. Now, they say if the city is responsible for the latest problems, they'd like to be compensated.

"Our hope is that the city will re-stock the lake for us once they resolve whatever the issue is," said homeowner Lawrence Martin.

Officials said they have also been testing the water at the point where the creek terminates into White Rock Lake, and so far have found no contamination there.

They added that they'd like to see a good rainstorm come along to flush the creek out, and then see if the problem reoccurs.

[TexasStooge]

Houston officer shot in face

By REGGIE AQUI / KHOU-TV

HOUSTON, Texas - Police are searching for three suspects after a Houston police officer was shot in the face early Friday morning.

Officer Raul Montelago was shot during a traffic stop in northeast Houston on the Eastex freeway at Bostick, near Tidwell.

Officer Montelago saw a car traveling at a high rate of speed, nearly 86 mph, at about 3:30 a.m.

He was able to pull the car over and went to speak to the people in the car.

He obtained the drivers license of the driver. Shortly after that, the driver allegedly fired a shot that struck the officer in the face.

"The bullet struck the high cheekbone area on the left side and traveled around the cheekbone, it's our understanding, and exited out behind the left ear," said HPD Capt. Dwayne Ready.

A police chase occurred after the shooting and police found the Toyota Corolla at Liberty Rd. at North Loop.

One of the suspects, the driver, is being sought by police is Wendell Roy Mitchell.

The alleged shooter has a record with Harris County including two outstanding warrants. One warrant is for felony possession of a firearm and the other is for evading arrest. Officer Montelago was to undergo surgery to remove bullet fragments from his cheek and was in stable condition.

[TexasStooge]

City may drop suit over Ford police cars

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - News 8 has learned the City of Dallas is discussing whether to end a boycott of Ford Crown Victoria police cruisers that began following the fiery death of an officer over two years ago.

The city attorney is planning to brief the council in executive session next week regarding the issue. Some of the options that will be discussed include the possibility of ending the city's boycott of the vehicles, and also a plan to pull out of a class-action lawsuit against Ford.

The city filed suit against the carmaker after officer Patrick Metzler died when his car was hit from behind and caught fire in October 2002. Since then, the city has been in a long feud with Ford, and decided to begin purchasing Dodge Intrepids for their new police fleet.

Sources said the city is now interested in purchasing new, redesigned Crown Victorias that are equipped with fire suppression systems.

[TexasStooge]

Takeover Bandit enters guilty plea

Man was first arrest from shootout in Richardson and Plano

By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News

SHERMAN, Texas – A member of the Takeover Bandits has pleaded guilty to his role in a rolling police shootout through Richardson and Plano last year.

Guadalupe Mercado Fajardo, 32, pleaded guilty to eight federal charges Thursday and is expected to plead guilty to state charges as well.

Mr. Fajardo will serve 40 years in federal prison for bank robbery, carjacking and using weapons during the crimes, according to the Thursday’s plea agreement. There is no opportunity for parole.

“Instead of taking a chance at the unknown, we decided to take this option,” said Mr. Fajardo’s attorney, Paul Johnson. “He had so much exposure with all these cases.”

Mr. Johnson said he expects his client to face a life sentence once state charges are brought, including attempted capital murder, aggravated robbery and carjacking.

Mr. Fajardo, 32, was the first arrest and conviction from the notorious gang of robbers, which has eluded authorities for years, FBI officials said. The gang is suspected in as many as 60 armed robberies, including more than six bank heists since 2002.

Mr. Fajardo admitted using an automatic AK-47 to rob American First National Bank in Richardson before shooting at police officers during the car chase that followed on Nov. 4, according to documents filed with the northern district’s federal court.

[TexasStooge]

Massive fight erupts at middle school

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - A large-scale fight involving dozens of students prompted Dallas police to surround a middle school Thursday afternoon.

A Dallas ISD spokesperson said the initial scuffle started just after 1:00 p.m. at Comstock Middle School, in the 7000 block of Hodde Street in southeast Dallas.

The fight spilled onto the outside of the school, and that's when officers arrived on scene to break up the crowd. Police said 16 students were detained for questioning.

No one was seriously injured, and officials have not released what started the fight.

Officers remained outside the school all afternoon as a precaution should other fights break out.

[TexasStooge]

Officer who ignored pleas disciplined

By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas police disciplinary panel took action Thursday against an officer who ignored the pleas of a woman in need.

Officer Glenn Thompson, a five-year DPD veteran, was enjoying an early-morning meal inside of a locked fast food restaurant earlier this year when Kristina Johnson knocked on the door seeking assistance.

Johnson was on her way home from work when her car stalled near the restaurant. She said Thompson ignored her requests for help, and returned to his meal.

"He told me no, he couldn't help me, and he said no I couldn't use the phone, (and) no he couldn't watch me as I walked down the dark street," Johnson said. "He just shrugged his shoulders ... and walked away."

Following a two-hour hearing on Thursday, a disciplinary panel agreed that Thompson violated general orders, and placed him on 28 days unpaid leave.

"When we fail to respond, that is totally unacceptable by our officers," said DPD Lt. Jan Easterling.

[TexasStooge]

Suspect arrested in 1986 FW slaying

FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Authorities said they arrested a suspect in the nearly 19-year-old rape and slaying of an eleven-year-old girl in her North Texas home.

Fort Worth police said Juan Segundo is a former friend of Vanessa Villa's family who attended the girl's wake.

Investigators say DNA taken from the girl's body matched that of the 42-year-old Segundo. They say he's a convicted felon who previously served time in prison for burglary and drunken driving.

He was arrested at his Johnson County home south of Fort Worth on a capital-murder warrant. He's held in the Mansfield Jail with bail set at $300,000.

Police say the 1986 break-in at the Villa home where the girl was strangled is strikingly similar to two crimes Segundo was convicted of in the years since her slaying.

[TexasStooge]

Texas projected to grow by 12 million by 2030

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Texas is expected to gain more than 12 million people by 2030 to continue ranking as the nation's second most-populous state, according to census projections released Thursday.

Population should increase by almost 60 percent between 2000 and 2030 in Texas. That would make Texas the fourth fastest-growing state in the country, behind Nevada, Arizona and Florida, the Census Bureau said.

Only California was predicted to have more people than Texas within 25 years while Florida is projected to replace New York at No. 3. Texas' population was 20.9 million as of the 2000 census and was estimated at 22.5 million last year.

Like California, a high birthrate and migration will lead to the population increase in Texas, said Texas state demographer Steve Murdock.

"Growth is always a double-edge sword," Murdock added. "It means there will be opportunities in the private sector, but on the other side, it puts a strain on infrastructure."

The Census Bureau projections mirror those of the Texas State Data Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio, which forecast Texas' population to soar to 25 million by 2010, and 51.7 million by 2040.

Three states -- Florida, California and Texas -- were expected to account for nearly half of the country's population growth between 2000 and 2030, the Census Bureau said.

Together, the South and West should account for 88 percent of the nation's projected population growth. The number of people living in the South and West was expected to increase to 65 percent in 2030 from 58 percent in 2000.

For the same period, the share of population living in the Northeast and Midwest was predicted to decline from 42 percent to 35 percent.

In 2000, all states reported having more residents younger than 18. But by 2030, 10 states will have more residents who are 65 and older.

[TexasStooge]

Man called therapist before killing

Despite 2 phone alerts to police, Euless father killed daughter, himself

By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News

EULESS, Texas – In the hours before he fatally shot his daughter and then himself, Johnny Khanthalangsy made a desperate call to his psychiatrist telling of homicidal and suicidal thoughts.

Mr. Khanthalangsy, 24, called his therapist about 1:15 a.m. Sunday. However, the counselor said he did not hear the message until nine hours later. When the psychiatrist heard the message, he placed a 911 call to Euless police – the second of three that the department received concerning Mr. Khanthalangsy and his daughter.

About two hours after that, about noon Sunday, Mr. Khanthalangsy shot his 4-year-old daughter, Mya Lina, in the head with a 9 mm handgun while holding her on his lap at the Brenda Lane home he shared with his parents. He then killed himself.

Lt. Steve Eskew said police properly followed procedure in both calls for welfare checks.

"Unless there are exigent circumstances, we can't go in," he said. "Everyone told us everything was fine and everything was all right."

Euless police on Thursday released a tape of the call that led to a second welfare check on the father and daughter before the shooting.

Police had made the first visit when the girl's mother, Lina Nguyen, called them to tell them Mr. Khanthalangsy had threatened to kill the girl and himself.

Then a man described by police as Mr. Khanthalangsy's psychiatrist told a dispatcher that he had spoken with a suicidal Mr. Khanthalangsy.

"He said his family was there, but they were not aware of what was going on," the man told the dispatcher.

"He did say that he thought about taking his own life and taking his daughter's life. And that he did have a gun or had access to a gun," the man said on the tape.

About 11 a.m., three different officers went to the home on the second visit. They said they were able to see an adult male and a female child through an open second-story window of the home, the report said.

"The adult male stated his name was Johnny, and he responded to questions. Johnny refused to come to the door to talk with officers but did state his father was home and would answer the door. We were able to get Eddie Khanthalangsy [Mr. Khanthalangsy's father] to open the door and talk with officers about his son's welfare."

Eddie Khanthalangsy refused to allow officers inside his home, the report said. He locked the door but returned a few minutes later, saying his son and granddaughter were fine.

"Eddie stated Johnny did not have a gun and that he was not barricaded in his room," the report said.

A similar scene had played out when Ms. Nguyen called police at 11:46 p.m. Saturday. She said Mr. Khanthalangsy, her ex-boyfriend, told her she would never see their daughter again.

"He's not intoxicated. He's really lost his mind," Ms. Nguyen told police.

Police were dispatched to the two-story brick home one minute after Ms. Nguyen's call.

Officers said they observed Mya and her father through a second-story window.

Police said Mr. Khanthalangsy told them he wanted to cooperate with officers but was afraid of being taken to jail.

"Johnny stated that he and the child were fine," police said in their report. "He further advised that he and the mother was making allegations to strengthen her position in a custody battle."

As they did after the second response, officers left the home after receiving assurances that the father and daughter were safe.

"Since the child was not harmed and did not appear to be in any imminent danger and Johnny appeared to be in a stable mind-set, officers cleared from the scene," the report said.

The final tape is a 911 call Mr. Khanthalangsy's sister made Sunday.

"I think my brother just shot himself," she said.

[TexasStooge]

Fur is flying over Dallas bat houses

Rasansky sticks neck out, opposes shelters that teen built in Glen Cove Park

By GROMER JEFFERS JR. / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas City Council member Mitchell Rasansky is having a ball poking fun at a North Dallas Boy Scout who built three bat houses at Glen Cove Park.

"He's not from North Dallas," Mr. Rasansky said of the 14-year-old boy who built the bat sanctuaries as part of an Eagle Scout project. "He's actually from Transylvania."

Last Wednesday, Mr. Rasansky, who wants the bat houses removed, showed up at City Hall wearing a plastic bat on his lapel and sporting plastic vampire fangs.

But the father of the 14-year-old Boy Scout isn't laughing.

Ira Richardson said the controversy created by Mr. Rasansky's remarks has embarrassed and ridiculed his son, who was only trying to meet qualifications for his Eagle Scout badge.

"He's a minor child who has learned a tough civic lesson about the political leadership in this city," said Mr. Richardson, who declined to name his son. "I don't know Mr. Rasansky, and I don't want to know him. He's used my kid as the butt of his jokes. He's used his phobia to politicize what would otherwise be a good public works project."

Chasity McReynolds, a spokeswoman for the Boy Scouts' Circle Ten Council, said that the bat house at Glen Cove Park was a good idea and that Mr. Richardson's son would get his Eagle Scout badge.

"They didn't just go down to the park and start putting up bat houses," she said. "He did a great job with the project, especially on the conservation side, and we're proud of what he did."

Parks Department officials, who approved placement of the bat houses in the park over a year ago, also are standing by the boy's project. But they said Mr. Rasansky's public opposition to the houses may cause them to move the structures to a more remote area of the park.

When told about the teenager's trauma, Mr. Rasansky, a former Boy Scout, had little sympathy.

"I have enough people to take care of in my district. I don't need a colony of bats," he said. "We want people in our parks, not flying mice."

The bat houses were placed in Glen Cove Park in January, part of a project that included a 300-yard nature trail. Three houses rest on the east side of the park's creek, potential nesting places for Mexican free-tailed bats.

Bats are somewhat particular about where they live, experts said, so there's only a 50 percent chance that the houses will attract the flying creatures.

"Where do they want to stay, the Hilton?" Mr. Rasansky asked.

He first raised the bat issue at a recent neighborhood meeting in his northwest Dallas district. Asked whether he planned to visit the park and inspect the houses, he replied, "Am I supposed to take a wooden stake and a cross over there?"

Mr. Rasanky concedes that much of his dislike of bats come from being spooked by Dracula movies as a child. He acknowledges that his jokes and his anti-bat stance have attracted critics.

"One woman wrote me and said she wanted to drive a stake through my heart," Mr. Rasansky said.

Bat expert Ken Duble pointed to the success of bat colonies in Austin as a reason for the council member to rethink his position. During peak season, as many as 1.5 million bats call the Congress Avenue Bridge over Town Lake home, and they consume thousands of pounds of insects.

"That city overcame such ignorance decades ago in opting to allow a now-thriving colony of Mexican free-tail bats to roost unmolested beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge," he said in an e-mail. "Watching their swarm at sundown has become a tourist attraction. ... Any public figure making such remarks in Austin today would be pilloried in the media as the ignoramus he is."

But Mr. Rasansky says he's backed by a silent majority of people who fear being bitten by a bat and contracting rabies. The Scout, he said, should take his houses elsewhere.

"He should put the houses up in his back yard and see what his neighbors think," Mr. Rasansky said.

[TexasStooge]

Past haunts girl found in closet

Mom says adopted daughter happy, but memories remain

By REESE DUNKLIN / The Dallas Morning News

HUTCHINS, Texas - The girl just celebrated her 12th birthday. She loves video games, television and sports. She recruits her adoptive mother to help with her third-grade math homework.

It is a world away from the squalid closet in Hutchins, where she was found in 2001 starving, sexually abused, locked away amid human waste and lice for four years by her birth mother and stepfather.

Memories of that horrifying ordeal – which made national headlines and sparked public outrage – have begun to shake the normalcy the little girl created with her new family.

"It's really hard on her," said Sabrina Kavanaugh, the girl's adoptive mother, speaking at a rare public appearance Thursday. "She's to the point of asking why. Nobody knows."

Mrs. Kavanaugh joined Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott at Children's Medical Center Dallas to discuss ways to prevent child abuse. Mr. Abbott debuted a training video and materials designed to help teachers, law enforcement and child-care workers better identify signs of neglect and abuse.

Texas' child welfare system has been in crisis for years. Child Protective Services caseworkers investigate about five times as many abuse and neglect cases as the national average and labor under high turnover and shrinking budgets.

Mr. Abbott said he was confident that CPS reforms under review in the Legislature would have a positive impact, and he hoped his training initiative would contribute to curbing child abuse.

"The reality is," he said, "child abuse scars the very fabric of this state and families of this state."

Mrs. Kavanaugh and her husband, Bill, had adopted the girl, whose name has been withheld because is a sexual-abuse victim, when she was an infant. But because of a technicality, they were required to return her to her biological mother, Barbara Atkinson.

When the girl was rescued in June 2001 from a closet in her parents' trailer, she weighed just 25 pounds. Mrs. Atkinson told police she locked the girl in the closet, often naked and in the dark, because she ate too much.

CPS had received two complaints against the Atkinson family in the mid-1990s. But officials said they didn't know Mrs. Atkinson's whereabouts until she and her husband, Kenneth Ray Atkinson, were arrested in Hutchins. The two later were sentenced to life in prison, and their five other children were removed from their custody.

These days, the girl is healthy and has grown to more than 4 feet tall. She and her new family try not to think about the past, which is one reason, Mrs. Kavanaugh said, that she rarely gives interviews.

"She's happy where she's at," her mother said. "She's always got a smile on her face."

But in recent months, Mrs. Kavanaugh said, her daughter has begun having flashbacks.

"Her brain is filtering the memories," she said. "It's a rollercoaster ride. We have a lot we have to work through. We haven't touched the icing on the cake of the problems she'll go through."

[TexasStooge]

Officer on Toilet Accidentally Fires Gun

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) - This is one story they'll be telling around the San Antonio Police Department for a long time. An off-duty officer was at a San Antonio auto auction house yesterday when nature called, a police spokesman said.

Officer Craig Clancy strolled to the appropriate facility and was lowering his trousers when his pistol fell from his waistband. When Clancy fumbled for the falling firearm, it went off, twice.

One of the bullets nicked a bit of floor tile into the leg of a man who was washing his hands nearby. That man was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Police internal affairs is investigating.

[TexasStooge]

Woman, 78, wants pipeline firm off land

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

WEATHERFORD, Texas - A North Texas grandmother is standing her ground against a pipeline company that wants to cross her land.

She's up against the law and progress - but she's not backing down.

78-year-old Evelyn Connaway waited for lawmen to force her to let a pipeline company onto her land in Parker County.

"My original intention was to shoot up in the air, and tell them to stay off my property," Connaway said. "My daughter took my gun away from me, so I'm still not going to give them permission. They can take me to jail or shoot me."

The Enbridge Company is burying a 12-mile line to carry natural gas from new drilling in the Barnett Shale. Surveyers marked a 15-foot-wide path near the edge of Connaway's field, or at least they tried to.

"I told them, 'I don't want a pipeline across my property,'" Connaway said. "'Take your flags up and get off.'"

The company offered her about $4,000; she refused. State law lets pipeline companies claim eminent domain, so Enbridge did, and a three-member panel appointed by a judge decided the offer was fair.

"They took away my rights," Connaway said. "They stomped all over them."

A company spokesman said Embridge regrets it couldn't come to a better agreement with Connaway. He said eminent domain was used to acquire other property for the pipeline, but that all the other property owners accepted the offers - all except Evelyn Connaway.

A constable did arrive, but only to tell her pipeline workers weren't coming this day.

"I have a judge's order here," the constable told the woman. "You know I can't pick and choose the laws I enforce."

"I wouldn't shoot you," Connaway replied. "I know it's your job."

Both of them know how this will end. Connaway has already lined up a bail bondsman; she might lose, but she'll make her point known.

[TexasStooge]

Hit-and-run injures boy; driver arrested

GARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - An 8-year-old Garland boy was seriously injured when a driver struck him and fled the scene Friday evening.

The boy was riding his bicycle in the 700 block of Wallace Drive shortly after 7 p.m. when he was hit by a van, Garland Police spokesman Joe Harn said.

The boy was taken by helicopter to Children's Medical Center Dallas; his condition was not known.

The driver of the van was arrested minutes later, after a witness reported the license plate number.

[TexasStooge]

Paralyzed soldier finally returning home

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - An important battle in the Iraq war is closer to victory.

But this particular fight is in Dallas, waged by a veteran of the war against a series of tragic wounds.

His army buddies nicknamed Spc. Kyle Burleson "Burley", very close to a term that accurately describes his spirit.

"I'm just ready to go home," Burleson said.

Since an Iraqi bullet hit him in the neck while on duty in Baghdad last year, he's been paralyzed from the shoulders down. Now, after months of rehabilitation he's leaving the Dallas VA Hospital and returning to his hometown of Springhill, Louisiana.

"(He's) been cooped up since August, so we're ready to go," said his mother Tammy Burleson. "He's gonna taste a little bit of the freedom."

It's been a team effort. Tammy quit her job back home to come to Dallas to be with him. His wife Kristy moved to Dallas from Fort Hood. And she already had a handful: Baby Alex was born after his dad was wounded, and his older sister Allison's still a toddler.

"He's really doing well," social worker Kim Fite said. "He's come a long way."

Since last Thanksgiving, when Kyle had dinner brought to him by his extended family, the Adopt-A-Soldier/I Care Foundation, it's clear he's put on weight. He's also learned to use a voice-activated computer.

Two groups of American Airlines flight attendants devoted themselves to his recovery and have watched his progress.

"We've gotten to know him; we've gotten to know the whole family," said Linky Bier of Adopt-A-Soldier/I Care. "His personality's totally changed; he's in a very good mood."

Now as he heads for home, Kyle's team has a new goal: to refurbish his mother's 100-year-old house in Louisiana to accomodate all he needs to continue his recovery.

[TexasStooge]

Driver left hanging on High Five ramp

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - An SUV driver lost control and ended up partially hanging over the side of a ramp Friday afternoon above the High Five interchange in North Dallas.

The vehicle was on the ramp from southbound Central Expressway to eastbound LBJ Freeway around 2:30 p.m. when it appeared to veer off the ramp, and ended up with its passenger-side wheels hanging out over the guardrail.

Firefighters said the driver made it out of the SUV with only some bumps and bruises; no one else was injured. A tow truck was called to the scene to clear up the mess.

Traffic backed up along southbound Central while the accident was cleared, but all lanes and the ramp are now open again, and traffic is flowing smoothly.

[TexasStooge]

Dallas ISD boosts security following brawl

By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - The day after a schoolyard brawl, Dallas ISD officials took steps to increase security on all campuses.

District authorities said the potential for on-campus violence like Thursday's incident at Comstock Middle School often increases as the school year comes to an end.

DISD police are keeping a close eye on students at Comstock after the fight sent one student to the hospital with broken ribs, and brought dozens Dallas Police Gang Unit officers to the campus to quell the violence.

"Others who are apparently affiliated with gangs started throwing some punches, and it kind of erupted from there," said DISD spokesman Donald Claxton.

More than a dozen students face disorderly conduct charges, and police filed one assault charge.

Comstock history teacher Harold Williams, a former professional football player, said teachers expect more violence as students anticipate getting out of school.

"I just call it spring fever," Williams said. "We sort of know as teachers and colleagues, we tell each other 'it's springtime' - we can feel these things, we can feel tensions in the air."

DISD officials are taking preventive measures on all campuses, especially during the lunch hours, and as the school day concludes.

"As we move closer to the end of the school year, you will see a significantly increased presence of law enforcement," Claxton said.

In spite of the brawl Williams said comstock students are making academic progress.

"Yesterday's event kind of overshadowed that, but we have a lot of great kids here," he said.

[TexasStooge]

Teen shot in Far North Dallas

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A teen was shot in the back Thursday night at an apartment complex in Far North Dallas.

Police were called to the Kelly Crossing Apartments in the 2600 block of Frankford Road just before 9 p.m.

The 15-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was found near the entrance of the complex. He was rushed to Parkland, where he remained in critical condition Friday morning.

Police are searching for the suspect, who fled the scene.

[TexasStooge]

Lottery jackpot up to $205 million

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP Wire) - The jackpot in the multistate Mega Millions lottery drawing has grown to $205 million.

None of the tickets sold for Tuesday's $168 million drawing matched all five lotto numbers and the Mega Ball; the next drawing will be today.

There were 17 second-prize winners from Tuesday night's drawing, including three in Texas, who matched all five lotto numbers but not the Mega Ball number to win $175,000 each. Also, five Texas players matched four of the five lotto numbers, plus the Mega Ball number. Those tickets are each worth $5,000.

The Texas Lottery marked its first full year of participation in Mega Millions on December 3, 2004. Mega Millions sales in Texas currently total more than $357 million, with over $141 million of that amount going to the state's Foundation School Fund.

"Nothing would make me happier than to see Friday's $205 million jackpot stay here in Texas, just like the $112 million jackpot won in Rowlett on March 1," said Reagan E. Greer, executive director of the Texas Lottery Commission. "But I also want to remind everyone who enjoys the Games of Texas to play responsibly, and remember, it's just a game!"

[TexasStooge]

City steps up anti-mosquito fight

By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8

DENTON, Texas - Spring means mosquito season.

Now, Denton officials are taking steps to gain the upper hand against the dreaded pests before they become a major problem.

Friday's beautiful spring weather brought several moms and their kids to the city's picturesque North Lake Park. However, they weren't enjoying the mosquitoes, who quickly left their mark.

"We already have several bites on our legs this year," said one mom.

"You just hope that they are not carrying anything when they're biting your children," said another.

The number of human cases of West Nile Virus in Denton fell to zero last year, but that's not stopping the city's Environmental Quality Department from staging an all-out attack on mosquitoes.

"Now is a good time for control, simply because now is when the populations are increasing," said the city's environmental quality manager, Ken Banks.

Denton does not spray. Instead, city workers use a combination of mosquito-eating minnows, and biological insecticides. Small briquettes that look like bagels kill mosquito larvae in creekbeds and other moist areas.

Preventing one mosquito from becoming an adult could prevent hundreds more from hatching.

"A typical mosquito may lay 300 to 500 eggs, and can do that two or three times during a season," Banks said.