News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

4-alarm fire razes apartments

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Flames raced through an apartment building in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas Tuesday morning.

Residents reported hearing explosions when the fire broke out about 5:30 a.m. in Building B at the Glen Oaks complex in the 8300 block of Skillman Street.

Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said at least 16 apartments in the building were a total loss. The cause of the four-alarm fire was under investigation.

Firefighters said their first priority was alerting residents to the danger at a time when most of them could be expected to be asleep.

Tequila Williams watched helplessly as her apartment burned. "Where do I go from here? Everything is gone," she said.

A tearful 17-year-old tenant told News 8 she never would have known about the fire had it not been for the emergency personnel racing from door-to-door.

Another resident, Dee Hodge, said this is the third fire since she moved in. "There was one in the back—that was a four-alarm fire. There was one above me less than three months ago."

No injuries were reported in Tuesday's blaze.

The American Red Cross was preparing to provide help to displaced tenants.

"We'll find a new place to stay; we'll be okay," Williams said.

[TexasStooge]

Murder suspect ends standoff

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - A three-hour standoff between police and a man wanted for a convenience store robbery and murder ended peacefully early Tuesday with the suspect's surrender.

Police surrounded the apartment of Marcus Hunter, 27, at the Oakdale Townhomes in the 4600 block of Samuell Blvd. shortly after midnight.

Hunter turned himself in to police at 4:40 a.m.

Investigators wanted to question Hunter in connection with a deadly holdup at the Buy-N-Go convenience store in Lake Highlands last Wednesday. Store clerk Mohammad Yasin was shot in the chest and later died.

Police said surveillance video showed the gunman in the video waiting for a customer to leave before pulling the trigger on Yasin—then calmly walking around the counter and grabbing cash from the register.

The man fled with three accomplices in a white Ford Crown Victoria.

Hunter was also expected to be questioned in connection with a carjacking incident in the 3800 block of Overton Road last month. The car's owner, Delaron Taylor, 31, was found mortally wounded in his abandoned car with a gunshot wound to the chest.

The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

At long last, local gal wins 'Bachelor'

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - After one of the more tortured courtships in Bachelor history, actor Charlie O'Connell picked McKinney nurse Sarah Brice, 24, on Monday's live season finale of the fading ABC reality franchise.

The 30-year-old brother of the more famous Jerry O'Connell insisted on two months of semi-off-camera dating before picking Ms. Brice over Warwick, R.I., salon coordinator Krisily Kennedy, 25, a former Miss Rhode Island. He still didn't propose marriage, continuing the series' poor track record of transferring reality-TV romance to the non-televised world.

Ratings for this season's Bachelor hit historic lows.

Manuel Mendoza contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

High-speed chase races through Fort Worth, Arlington

By REBECCA RODRIGUEZ / WFAA ABC 8

FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth police are investigating a high-speed chase that ended with a violent crash in Arlington on Sunday night.

The accident, at the intersection of Fielder Road and Southwood Boulevard, has left many residents wondering why officers continued the chase through their quiet neighborhood.

"I saw the helicopter right when I was driving in, and I was wondering why there was a Fort Worth police helicopter over here," said witness Mike Trujillo. 'Ten seconds later, I found out why."

That's when the car being chased by Fort Worth officers through the Arlington neighborhood hit another car. The suspect's car then went airborne, clipping the roof of Dolores Stephens' house.

"The house just shook," said Stephens. "It just sounded like a bomb ... it was crazy."

The chase began in east Fort Worth after 29-year-old Michael Price refused to pull over. It moved onto interstate 30 and into Arlington at speeds over 100 miles an hour.

A train momentarily stopped the chase, but a few minutes later police caught up in the neighborhood where the accident happened. Arlington police were never notified the chase had moved into their jurisdiction, which is usually done as a matter of protocol. Fort Worth police are now investigating why Arlington police were not notified.

"On these vehicle pursuits, just like use-of-force incidents, we do routinely review those," said Fort Worth Police Lt. Dean Sullivan. "So as far as whether there were any policy violations, it is just too early to tell."

People who live in the neighborhood think the chase got out of control.

"Everything just happened so fast," Stephens said. "My whole house was surrounded by police cars and I didn't know what was going on."

"I really seriously don't think there is a need to have that many cars coming down that fast," Trujillo said. "There are plenty of kids in this neighborhood."

The person driving the car hit by the suspect was former Dallas County prosecutor Clark Birdsall, whose injuries were not considered life-threatening.

[TexasStooge]

This is sick!
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Substitute teacher accused of fondling

Plano: He's suspected of photographing 1 girl, showing others material

By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO, Texas – A former Plano substitute teacher is accused of photographing and fondling a 15-year-old girl and showing sexually explicit photos to two other teenage girls, court documents obtained Monday show.

All three incidents occurred within the last three weeks on the grounds of Williams High School, according to court records.

Jason Pearce, 31, was fired by the Plano Independent School District after officials heard the allegations, but Plano administrators have declined to discuss what may have happened between the girls and Mr. Pearce.

They also said they would not immediately answer questions about what background checks are used for substitutes, how long Mr. Pearce subbed in Plano schools or whether there had been previous complaints about him.

Mr. Pearce, who lives in Richardson, could not be reached for comment. Calls to his house asking to speak with him or his attorney were not returned.

Police are investigating whether other girls were photographed or shown sexually explicit photos by Mr. Pearce.

"That remains a possibility," said Plano police spokesman Carl Duke. "There might be [more victims]."

Mr. Pearce is also a substitute teacher for the Richardson school district. District spokeswoman Jeanne Guerra said that there are no complaints against Mr. Pearce there and that the district has nothing to investigate.

Police began investigating Mr. Pearce last week when they were told he showed two girls, both 15 years old, photos of four "young women" performing sexual acts with each other, court documents show. Another picture showed a man receiving a sexual act "from two unidentified white females." Mr. Pearce told the girls he was the man in the photo, the documents say.

The girls were not shown the photos at the same time, records indicate.

While investigating those allegations, police found pictures of a minor in sexual positions while conducting a search of Mr. Pearce's backpack. They reported finding the photos inside a green photo album. Mr. Pearce told police the girl's identity.

Records indicate Mr. Pearce took the photos after he summoned the girl to a classroom on May 3. When interviewed by police, the girl said that when she arrived, Mr. Pearce took out a camera and asked her to remove her shirt and bra.

While he was taking photos, she said, Mr. Pearce rubbed her breasts and "ran his finger down the front of her pants." The photos depict the girl simulating a sex act.

Mr. Pearce turned himself in to the Collin County sheriff's office on Friday. He was released from jail the same day on an $80,000 bond, jail records show.

Mr. Pearce was charged with sexual performance of a child and indecency with a child, both felonies, and two Class A misdemeanor charges of displaying harmful material to a minor.

He faces up to 20 years in prison on the indecency with a child charge. The others carry lesser penalties.

No previous criminal record for Mr. Pearce could be found.

Staff writer Kristine Hughes contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Massive alligator spotted in Grand Prairie pond

By JOHN PRONK and DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Some young people thought they saw a large alligator swimming in a Grand Prairie pond over the weekend.

As it turns out, they were right.

Kasey Aldridge's daughter was trailriding near the old gravel pit off West Oakdale Road and Sandy Lane, about a mile northwest of Lone Star Park. Aldridge said she was skeptical when her daughter first mentioned the alligator, though she isn't prone to exaggerate.

"She said that he flipped over on his side, and she could see him," she said.

Aldridge grabbed her video camera and went to investigate. She saw the alligator swimming about 30 yards from shore; a look at her video shows the mature gator as it swam away from the crowd that gathered to watch.

Richard Rector also saw the alligator.

"You could see the whole thing - all the way across," he said.

Alligators do survive in North Texas, although they are not native here. Grand Prairie animal services manager Jennifer Vuitel said the alligator either swam up the Trinity River or was a pet which grew too big to handle and was dumped at the site.

"Certainly, it's a nuisance," Vuitel said. "I wouldn't consider it much of a danger, except this area is used for recreation."

Rector operates a stable down the road called "Country in the City", but he said this is a little more country than even he bargained for.

"We've seen bobcats, we've seen wild hogs, pretty much everything - but no alligators," he said. "Our children go over there riding and swimming, but they're not allowed over there right now until they get it figured out."

City animal control officers said the alligator - at between 9 and 11 feet long - is a bit out of their league in terms of size, so they are consulting with Texas Parks and Wildlife officials. Options include trapping the gator and moving it far from a residential population, killing it, or posting warning signs and leaving it alone. The wildlife experts also said there's a good possibility there is more than one in the pond.

"We really don't want to have, say, small children perhaps chucking stones in the gravel pit ... even swimming in it, when there's an 11-foot alligator there," Vuitel said.

[TexasStooge]

'She's always been such a fighter'

By SHERRY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News

COPPELL, Texas - After four long years of fighting breast cancer, Sheila Wessenberg has begun to worry that she has reached the beginning of the end.

Tucked into a recliner in her living room, the 46-year-old Coppell mother has lost the edge that propelled her to panhandle on suburban street corners two years ago, when her husband lost his job and the family gave up its health insurance. Her desperate act won the attention of the local and national news organizations.

But the cancer kept spreading.

Last weekend, Mrs. Wessenberg was home from the hospital after two major surgeries in a month to remove tumors from her liver, colon, abdomen and neck. She was still bandaged, exhausted and using an oxygen tank at the insistence of a home-health nurse.

But perhaps the most profound sign of this new and worsening stage of her illness was the presence of her six siblings, three brothers and three sisters, who showed up to surprise her and to help her husband, Bob Wessenberg, care for her.

As each sibling arrived, most of them from New York, Mrs. Wessenberg became her former exuberant self, followed quickly by a collapse from the exertion.

"It's such a joy that comes out of you when you hear their voices at the door," she said. "It's so overwhelming."

Her family was shaken last week when one of Mrs. Wessenberg's doctors gave her three months to live. It wasn't the first time she'd received such a grim deadline, but it seemed more threatening because she had undergone such aggressive treatment recently.

"We were all in denial, I think, because Sheila has beaten everything that's been thrown at her so far," said Lori Beshears, Mrs. Wessenberg's oldest sister, who drove up from Seabrook, a Houston suburb. "She's always been such a fighter."

Free treatment

Mrs. Wessenberg's breast cancer was diagnosed in May 2001. She resorted to panhandling two years later because her husband lost his six-figure job as a computer programmer. They already had downsized their lives and sold everything of value. Finally, they were forced to give up their expensive health insurance, and Mrs. Wessenberg abandoned chemotherapy during a second round of treatment.

"The doctor wouldn't treat me without the coverage," she recalled. "And the drugs weren't doing anything anyway."

Fighting cancer became only one of the family's many battles. With help from friends, family and strangers, they scraped up enough money to hang on to their modest home and their vehicles.

And Mrs. Wessenberg's medical fortunes improved in late 2003 after a Dallas Morning News story on her plight brought an offer of free cancer treatment from Dr. Dennis Birenbaum, founder and medical director of Patients Comprehensive Cancer Center in Carrollton. Under his guidance, Mrs. Wessenberg has undergone extensive radiation, near-constant chemotherapy and several surgeries since January 2004.

Dr. Birenbaum said Monday that he was not giving up, as long as she was not ready to give up.

"We're going to change her protocol, but we have to wait a couple weeks until she has her strength back," he said. "We've come this far. We're not going to stop as long as she's got some quality of life left."

For the kids

Mrs. Wessenberg had shown extraordinary stamina for a patient with stage-four cancer, the most severe category, her doctor said. She has bounced back from each treatment largely because her children, Amy, 8, and Alex, 5, were waiting for her at home, she said.

"I'm doing this for my kids. I want to be here for them," she said. "And I am so grateful that Dr. Birenbaum is willing to chase every tumor in my body."

But these aggressive treatments, which some doctors consider excessive, are taking a toll on her. A month ago, doctors removed a large cancerous tumor and about 25 percent of her liver. The following week, another large tumor was discovered obstructing her colon, requiring a second surgery that cost her a third of that organ.

And, to make matters worse, yet another tumor was detected near her left kidney, causing her considerable back pain. The news of the spreading tumors quickly fanned out through Mrs. Wessenberg's family, causing all her siblings to converge on Coppell.

"You don't know what's going on when you're hearing all this over the phone," said Christopher Sabbagh, a younger brother, who made his first trip to Texas from his home in New York City.

"I kind of felt like this was the last time I was going to get to see her," he said, explaining his hasty visit. "I felt like I had to come and say goodbye."

It would have been a somber occasion but for the siblings' propensity to tease one another and crack jokes to relieve the tension. Mrs. Wessenberg, who has been known to wake up laughing from anesthesia, also remained true to her sense of humor.

"I've been eating like a pig all day," she announced to the new arrivals. "I had oatmeal and a gallon of orange juice for breakfast. You're not going to believe what I'm eating for lunch."

Upon his arrival, Mr. Sabbagh took charge of the kitchen, frying Italian sausage, peppers and onions for the family, and then baked a ziti casserole for later. He also noticed that his sister was struggling to sit comfortably in an overstuffed chair. Without asking, he slipped out of the house and returned with a new La-Z-Boy recliner.

Mrs. Wessenberg was delighted with her new perch and spent the rest of the weekend in the living room, the center of attention whether she was sleeping, calling out orders or making people laugh.

"I've got terrible indigestion," she announced at one point. "How can I have indigestion if I don't have digestion?"

Nancy Ingle, the visiting nurse, assured Mrs. Wessenberg that although she has lost part of her colon, most of her digestion was occurring in her intestines.

"You need to pour the fluids in her," Ms. Ingle told the family. "She looks good. She's talking. Her heart's beating. But you don't want her to end up dehydrated in the emergency room."

Much uncertainty

The seriousness of Mrs. Wessenberg's condition did not escape the family members, despite the shared laughter. More solemn discussions took place outside on the back patio as Bob Wessenberg tried to explain what he and the children were going through.

"The kids are doing pretty well," he said. "They've been involved in this for four years. Alex has never known his mom to be healthy. Amy might remember, but this is just the way it is."

As Mr. Wessenberg struggled to keep their lives as normal as possible, he was torn over how much the children needed to understand about their mother's worsening health and the possibility of her dying soon.

"Sheila told Amy last week that 'Mommy's going to live with Jesus,' and Amy became very angry," Mr. Wessenberg said. "I asked Sheila not to tell the kids anything until she knows something for sure. The kids live in a week's time frame. If something doesn't happen in a week, they're very confused."

There were no easy answers, of course.

Likewise, the Wessenbergs' financial struggles have not eased. Mr. Wessenberg, who has found assorted short-term jobs in the last three years, has a line on two positions but no final commitment or starting date.

Mrs. Wessenberg, who now qualifies for a modest disability payment from Social Security each month, worried aloud about losing their house if they can't make the property-tax payments. One of their cars may be repossessed soon.

"People have been wonderful to us over the years," Mrs. Wessenberg said. "It's hard to believe we're still in this much trouble."

In a house bursting with worries, large and small, it finally seemed easiest just to concentrate on feeding everybody.

"Is there any ziti left?" Mrs. Wessenberg asked. "Let's just have everyone eat something."

[TexasStooge]

Jobs from center not there; funding is

Exclusive: Texas Energy Center got state money for posts that don't yet exist, and it may score millions more

By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Energy Center, a nonprofit consortium that received $1.6 million from the state to create jobs, has earned credit from the governor's office for jobs that do not yet exist, from companies already based in the Houston area.

The approach appears to contradict the stated purpose of the Texas Enterprise Fund, which was designed to be a "deal closing fund" that Texas could use when it faces competition from other states for attractive jobs.

And if the jobs are permanently approved, that could help the center, a public-private partnership focused on energy innovation, meet its September deadline for creating 100 jobs – an accomplishment that could earn the center another $2 million from the state.

Phil Wilson, Gov. Rick Perry's deputy chief of staff, said the approval is preliminary until the state audits the energy center's operations in September. He said the state is trying to nurture the center, which is competing to manage hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funds if Congress approves broad energy legislation that has been pending for years.

"We are going to work toward the federal energy bill and continue to recruit other companies," Mr. Wilson said.

So far, the governor's office has approved about 63 energy center jobs, according to state records and officials. Most of those jobs are to be created by companies already based in or near Houston.

Herb Appel, the energy center's acting director, did not respond to a request for an interview. But among the companies that agreed to locate at the energy center, none said they entertained competing offers from other states.

Steve Knox, CEO of Alpine Energy, said his company wanted to locate in Texas because it is exploring for nonconventional sources of natural gas deposits, such as the Barnett Shale in North Texas. In Houston, his company would be closer to researchers who are looking for such nonconventional reservoirs.

"We didn't even pursue any [other office space] once we found out about the energy center," Mr. Knox said. "It seemed like, from a technical standpoint, the perfect solution for us."

Most of the grants from the $295 million enterprise fund have gone to companies that agreed to move employees to Texas from other states, or to significantly expand their operations in Texas. The fund gave $20 million to Countrywide Financial after the company agreed to hire 7,500 new employees, mostly in Richardson.

Contracts typically specify job-creation targets for companies receiving money, with requirements that part of the grant be repaid if they fall short. Ultimately, the governor's office decides whether the jobs count as newly created.

Mr. Perry is pushing the Legislature to replenish the enterprise fund and to approve a separate, $300 million fund for emerging technology. The House and Senate have agreed to put about $270 million more in the enterprise fund. Lawmakers have not found the money for the emerging technology fund, which would not be tied to job creation.

"Remember what happened with the enterprise fund last time – it was not funded until the last day of session," Mr. Wilson said. "I think that we'll see something like that come out as they finish up the budget."

Center's beginnings

When it was created two years ago, the energy center, in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, was envisioned as a place where researchers and businesses would come together to explore new sources of energy. It was an early recipient of money from the governor's fund, which the Legislature authorized in 2003.

But the center has lost its executive director and been hampered by the slow progress of the federal energy bill. The legislation would allocate $150 million annually from federal royalties to help businesses research ways to recover oil and natural gas on land and in ultra-deep water.

The federal funds would be managed by the Research Partnership for Securing Energy for America, a group of business and academic interests that was an early tenant of the energy center.

Without that federal infusion, the center's leaders have tried to create jobs by luring businesses to the center's two floors of office space at favorable rents.

Mr. Wilson acknowledged that creating jobs has been "challenging at times."

"I've spent more time on this. It ought to be a full-time job," he said.

Largest contributor

The single-largest contributor to the 63 jobs is First Genesis, an information-security company that has agreed to hire 30 new employees. First Genesis also will move its existing personnel to the energy center's campus, said Joe Chirco, its chief operating officer.

The company has so far hired about five new employees. Mr. Chirco said First Genesis would hire up to 30 total because its placement at the center puts it closer to new clients for its data security applications. But, he said, the jobs would not be filled until the end of the year at the soonest.

"In the documents we sent, we don't expect to reach that goal in August. We expect to reach it by December 31," Mr. Chirco said.

In at least one case, the energy center was credited with creating two positions that existed before the company agreed to place employees in the center.

Three jobs at Alpine Energy were included in the energy center's total. Mr. Knox, the company's CEO, said two of those employees "have been employed over the last 12 months."

Tom Moccia, former vice president of business development for the energy center, said that contradicts the direction he was given when he was recruiting new businesses to the center.

"I was told these had to be new jobs, not 'I'm getting lease space pretty cheap and we'll move some jobs over there,' " Mr. Moccia said. "That is not what the state wanted. Unless they are new jobs, they don't count."

Mr. Wilson said he would re-examine the Alpine jobs to see whether they merit certification. But "if the energy center had a role in bringing those companies to build synergy ... then they would be qualified," he added.

Like most of the companies that recently signed leases at the energy center, Alpine agreed to sublease space for about six months.

"It's a good short-term solution for us," Mr. Knox said. "We are still hopeful of establishing a presence in the Houston area, and this helps us do that."

Mr. Appel, who said this month that it is too early to judge the energy center, has said previously that the outfit was created to spur research, not create jobs.

Mr. Moccia said that demand continues to hurt the energy center. When he was recruiting companies, he said, they told him they were cutting jobs, not creating them.

"If we continue to talk about a jobs program, it's going to get bogged down," Mr. Moccia said. "If the energy bill does not pass, and the deep-water thing does not go, that is another nail in the box."

[TexasStooge]

Trial of man accused of taping dog's snout to begin

By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News

DENTON, Texas – A construction worker accused of taping a dog's mouth shut – leading to the dog's death – is an animal lover who was trying to fashion a muzzle on Bull, a 1-year-old black Labrador retriever, the man's attorney said Monday.

"They are not going to be able to prove to you that Rick hurt this dog knowingly or intentionally," attorney Derek Adame said during opening statements in the trial of Richard Swift, 43.

The Colony man is accused of wrapping duct tape around Bull's snout, mouth and neck on July 14. The dog was euthanized later that day after suffering heat stroke.

Dogs cool down by panting because they do not sweat like humans.

Prosecutors say that Mr. Swift's actions were inappropriate and directly led to Bull's death.

"The issue is: Is this cruelty? Is this the torture of an animal?" prosecutor Tony Paul said. "I will say to you now that this is not an appropriate method in which to train a dog not to bark."

If convicted of the state jail felony, Mr. Swift could face up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Shelley Bailey, a humane officer for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who is expected to testify today, said the SPCA has received "tons" of correspondence from people angry about the incident.

"You should have seen some of the letters," she said Monday. "People were saying he should hang for this."

Matt Shovlin, one of the prosecutors, said his office received several hundred letters and e-mails – a response he said is very rare.

"We just tried a capital murder case, where someone was killed, and we didn't hear a thing," he said.

Ms. Bailey said Mr. Swift told her he taped the dog's mouth shut to teach Bull "a lesson" because the dog was barking while he was trying to sleep.

Mr. Paul told jurors, many of whom said they have owned dogs, that Bull was so far into heat exhaustion by the time neighbors found him that "he couldn't even drink."

Mr. Swift left Bull in his back yard that afternoon, but somehow he got out. Neighbor Stephen Gillis called police after he saw Bull running through the neighborhood.

"He was in pretty bad shape," Mr. Gillis said.

The dog ran toward another neighbor, Glenda Sanchez, who was carrying groceries into her house at the time. She said Bull collapsed at her feet. She and her family got scissors to cut the tape, which she said had been wrapped around his snout about three times.

"It was so thick, it was hard to cut through," she said.

By the time SPCA dispatched Ms. Bailey, the dog was not responding to her attempts to cool him off.

"He had blood blisters on his lip," she said. "He was pretty screwed up."

Ms. Bailey said Mr. Swift told her that he put the duct tape on Bull but that he appeared extremely concerned when she told him the dog had escaped, collapsed and possibly could die.

Mr. Swift then drove the dog to its veterinarian. But Bull was euthanized later that day at a 24-hour veterinary clinic in Plano.

County records show Mr. Swift has had several arrests since 1993, including convictions for theft, manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance and assault causing bodily injury.

[TexasStooge]

MKT route favored for rail line

By Dave Moore / Denton Record-Chronicle Staff Writer

DENTON, Texas - The proposed Dallas-to-Denton commuter train line is picking up momentum, and it’s heading directly toward downtown Denton.

More than 70 people crowded the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in Denton Monday night to learn that the Missouri Kansas Texas right of way is the path rail consultant URS Corp. prefers for connecting Denton with Dallas. That line would end near the corner of Bell Avenue and Hickory Street in Denton, about a quarter-mile east of the Courthouse on the Square. It would share its path of travel with the Denton Branch Rail Trail.

Monday’s crowd appeared split into three groups: Denton residents who favor the plan; Denton, Corinth and Lake Dallas residents who are concerned that reviving the old line will disrupt their neighborhoods and endanger their children; and Denton residents who feel the public hasn’t been properly informed of what’s heading its way.

The meeting was the second to last informational public meeting about the Denton County Transportation Authority’s plans to build a rail line — estimated to cost between $238 million and $511 million — to reduce the congestion and pollution on Interstate 35E.

The authority was created by a countywide vote on Sept. 13, 2003, with a majority of the voters in Denton, Lewisville and Highland Village approving. The DCTA has been collecting its 1/2-cent sales tax since January 2004 and has been holding public meetings and forums to gauge public sentiment for years. While the 1/2-cent issue didn’t pass in Corinth, that didn’t deter many of the city’s residents from showing up at Tuesday’s meeting.

Some asked if the train line could be moved out of Corinth and run parallel to I-35E, to move it away from neighborhoods.

The URS study estimates doing so would boost the price of the project by $20 million, to which some Corinth residents replied that it was the cost of doing the project right. Many complained that their children would be endangered by train traffic and that their peace would be interrupted by train whistles.

But Denton City Council member Pete Kamp argued that combining the state’s plans to widen I-35E with the rail project would mean costly negotiations for right of way with the Texas Department of Transportation, and could put extraordinary delays on both projects.

“I think this would delay the route to Denton by three years and would delay I-35 from being widened,” Kamp said. She said it would be easier to go with the existing railroad right of way, which is already publicly owned. Kamp said the downtown train station could also help revitalize downtown Denton, playing a role similar to DART’s Mockingbird Station, which features an arts cinema, several restaurants, apartments and stores.

Southeast Denton resident Carolyn Phillips said she doesn’t oppose the idea of a train coming through her part of town, but that residents who might be affected should have been better informed about the proposed project. DCTA officials estimate the train line could be completed as early as 2010 or 2011, depending on when Dallas Area Rapid Transit extends its line to Carrollton.

Peg La Point, chairwoman of the local chapter of the Sierra Club, said she favors the MKT route because it would travel on land that’s already publicly owned, and that will give the DCTA more control over any potential nuisance the trains would generate.

“This is going to happen and we need to make this system as safe, quiet and clean as possible,” La Point said. “I think the MKT route is the best way to do it.”

The final public informational meeting is set for 6 p.m. tonight in the Highland Village City Hall police training room, 1000 Highland Village Road.

The DCTA Board of Directors is expected to vote to endorse the MKT alignment at its meeting at 2 p.m. May 26 in the Commissioners Courtroom in the Denton County Courthouse on the Square.

[TexasStooge]

Students: Trade-school degrees don't live up to cost

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - $4.5 billion is a lot of money.

That's how much the nation spends on trade schools and career colleges in government grants and loans each year.

But students say a lot of that money is going to waste on degrees that don't deliver jobs.

Graduation is normally a time to celebrate achievement, but for many graduates of trade schools and career colleges it's a date with disappointment and debt.

Bobby Williams owes $51,629. 13 years ago, he went to the Art Institute of Dallas to learn video production. After spending $14,000, he said the Art Institute gave him little help finding work. On his own, several years after graduation, he did get a job with a San Angelo television station. The best the Art Institute did, he said, was line him up a job as a clerk at Blockbuster.

Time is money. The interest on his loan was adding up, and he couldn't get a good enough job to pay it off.

"I don't know how many cold calls I made," Williams said. "Thousands of resumes."

Art Institute officials declined to be interviewed on camera. The school, however, says it has a vigorous job placement program. For 2003, it claims its graduates earn an average starting salary of over $28,000.

But spokeswoman Kit Johnston told News 8, "Those aren't starting salaries. A lot of the people who come here already have jobs when they enroll."

Kimberly Neyman went to business school at ATI in Hurst. A few weeks before she was to graduate, she said the school notified her of an error in her tuition. She owed them an additional $3,900 for a total of $14,000.

"When I show up in my robe and cap and gown, she tells me, 'You can't walk at graduation because you still owe us money.'"

In addition to her huge debt and never being able to wear her cap and gown, Neyman discovered her ATI credits were not recognized by Texas universities.

"They would not take responsibility for their mistake, so I have to pay for their mistake," Neyman said. "When I left, I found out everything was worthless."

When asked for comment, ATI spokesperson Carli Strength told News 8, "Our company policy is not to talk to the media."

While many trade schools and career colleges are owned by large corporations, up to 90 percent of their income comes from government grants and loans. The Department of Education provides the funds, but in effect for-profit schools control most of the loan process, from counseling to application forms.

"They actually fill them out," said U.S. Rep. Maxine Watters, D-Calif.

Waters and Rep. George Miller are among several in Washington concerned about the practices of some for-profit schools.

"Just putting money out on a stump and having people coming out and take it doesn't assure taxpayers are being well-served," said Miller, D-Calif.

"The fact is, the American taxpayer is getting ripped off big-time," Watters said.

News 8 scheduled an interview with the Department of Education, but hours before it was to take place they canceled due to a "schedule conflict."

"I just think that the department of education has failed in this area," Watters said.

Juan Haley now owes $6,000 for a class he took at Everest College in medical insurance coding and billing.

"I'm angry, because I signed my name on the dotted line to get a better education, and I haven't gotten anything from it," Haley said.

Jennifer Boyes was in the same class, and also owes $6,000.

"A lot of them wanted to know stuff on terminology, and I wanted to know stuff on insurance more," Boyes said.

Boyes was on the dean's list. But both she and Haley said the diplomas they received are worthless, because they learned little in the classroom. Everest College does not guarantee employment for students, but Haley said for several weeks during their six months at the school they had no teacher.

Patrick Kelley taught the medical insurance class at Everest. He said he was initially hired because the school had as many as 50 students with no teacher.

"I met with the director of education and he hired me on the spot," Kelley said. "No credentials, no nothing."

Fifty students translates into $400,000 of tuition. Without a teacher, the school risked losing the flow of federal money. Kelley said he was ultimately fired, he said, for speaking out about conditions at the school.

"The school's gonna do whatever it takes to keep the school in business," he said.

News 8 contacted Everest early last week requesting an interview. They declined, saying they didn't have enough time to respond. In a written statement, they said, "We are committed to doing what is right for our students."

Looking ahead, Bobby Williams doesn't know how he'll do right with his $51,000 school bill. He sees no solution to his case; the only way to solve the whole problem, he said, is for Washington to get involved.

Williams wants to see the federal government crack down on the way schools loan federal money, and what many of them promise.

But the mood in Washington seems to be going the other way. The education bill now before Congress would open the flow of federal money to for-profit schools even further - making more students vulnerable to learning the hard way.

[TexasStooge]

Boy, 4, dies after wandering from home

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

THORP SPRING, Texas - A desperate search for an autistic Hood County boy ended in tragedy Tuesday afternoon.

Dominic Overton, 4, wandered away from his grandparents' home into the rugged woods outside Thorp Spring around 3 p.m. He was found almost three hours later in a nearby creek and died at a hospital.

After Dominic's grandmother called to report him missing, a number of groups and individuals began combing the area. The frantic search both on the ground and in the air involved multiple law enforcement agencies, local residents and even private pilots.

It was nearly six o'clock before a Department of Public Safety helicopter spotted the boy in the creek about a half-mile from the home. Two DPS troopers, both fathers themselves, tried to save him.

"They got out of the helicopter and got in the water, and did CPR," said Lt. Billy Henderson of the Hood County Sheriff's Department.

Dominic was flown by CareFlite helicopter to Cook's Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, where he was pronounced dead.

Those who live near Dominic's grandparents don't understand how it could have happened, especially since gates around the property were closed at the time.

"That's a mystery, because he don't climb and he don't turn doorknobs," said Mike See, a neighbor.

Sheriff's investigators said there is no indication that the boy's death is anything other than a terrible accident.

"She was with him outside playing," Henderson said. "She went inside for two minutes, came back and he was gone."

[TexasStooge]

Fort Worth bishop announces eventual successor

By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8

FORT WORTH, Texas - Bishop Joseph Delaney with the Fort Worth Diocese of the Catholic Church is celebrating an announcement that will help him as his health continues to fail.

Delaney's battle with pancreatic cancer is beginning to take its toll; he said it's becoming more difficult to fulfill all of his duties, and Tuesday he introduced the monsignor who will eventually become the next head of the diocese.

"I asked the Holy Father for some help some time ago when my health was not good, and it's taken a while," Delaney said.

The delay was due in part to Pope John Paul's passing, and the naming of Pope Benedict. But now, the call has finally been answered.

"It's a real joy for me and a thrill to have a young man come to be not just my assistant, but my coadjutor," the bishop said.

Monsignor Kevin Vann will help Delaney for as long as the bishop decides to remain with Fort Worth Diocese. In the meantime, Vann will transition into becoming the next bishop.

"As you can imagine, I come with a sense of anticipation," Vann said. "More than a little nervousness, but I hope a great sense of humility as well."

Vann hails from a parish in Springfield, Illinois. He was ordained a priest the same year Delaney was ordained a bishop.

"I'm very grateful to Bishop Delaney for his kindness and his friendship and his help to me," Vann said.

Delaney has been fighting cancer for the past two of his 24 years as head of the diocese, but he plans to remain at the helm for as long as his body will allow.

Catholics said Mann's appointment is a move in the right direction.

"Transitionwise, early on, get the people used to the monsignor as to being the bishop," said parishioner Randy Bercegeay.

"I think it's very exciting," said parishioner Kay Fialho. "I'm glad that the bishop is not retiring, of course, and that he could use some help. We'll just see how things go "

Vann will be ordained as a bishop in two months. He said he's counting on prayer, love and support as he makes the transition.

[TexasStooge]

Hit-and-run victim still unidentified despite arrest

By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Pieces of a mystery involving an unidentified hit-and-run victim began to unravel Monday behind the gates of a Kessler Park estate.

Dallas police arrived at the home in the 1600 block of Sylvan Avenue with a warrant to arrest Johnice Parker. Parker, 52, is charged with failure to stop and render aid in the January accident in Oak Cliff, which left the unidentified man dead.

Parker is a world-renowned artist whose work has been commissioned for the set of the Cosby Show, among other notable venues.

But detectives allege the artist dodged police for more than four months. Immediately after the accident, Dallas police impounded the black BMW they thought was involved. Detectives said Parker's attorney told them where to find the car, with a promise to bring her in for questioning.

"We repeatedly did try to make contact with the attorney and the suspect, and we were not able to do so," said Dallas Police Sgt. Vince Aurentz.

Police said they were finally able to arrest Parker when a witness the artist confided in about the accident talked with detectives. News 8 tried to contact Parker at her home but got no response.

Despite the arrest, police said they aren't any closer to identifying the victim. The county buried him in an unmarked grave.

Police are now taking the rare step of trying to help identify the victim by releasing a picture taken after his death.

"I think if someone saw this picture and knew this man, they would be able to identify him," Aurentz said.

Police hope it can solve the final mystery in this case.

[TexasStooge]

Jail computer costs expected to climb

Consultant to fix problematic system could cost $450,000

By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - The problem-plagued new computer system at the Dallas County Jail is about to get more expensive for taxpayers - perhaps by nearly $500,000.

Persistent issues since the system went online in February finally forced county commissioners to take action this week.

"I know it gives some of you heartburn, but at least we're now saying we need help," said county commissioner John Wiley Price.

But that help will be costly. The county estimates hiring another consultant to evaluate the computer system could cost up to $450,000.

"It is Dallas County taxpayers dollars that are going to pay for this," said county judge Margaret Keliher. "We cannot turn away our responsibility."

The system, installed by a company called InfoIntegration, tracks prisoners through the jail and courts. But judges and bond companies complained the system led to errors in cases, and the sheriff's department confirmed some prisoners were kept past their release dates because of inaccurate data.

With costs rising, so are tensions among commissioners. Some dispute whether the problems are caused by the computer, or jail staff.

"We've got a big problem ... a big problem in this system of people inputing information incorrectly," said county commissioner Ken Mayfield.

"You know, basically it's break, fix, break, fix," Price said.

Regardless, handling the computer system is causing harmony to break down.

"A lot of our problems have been caused by ... tampering of, in my opinion, of different commissioners," said commissioner Maurine Dickey.

Price replied, "What the hell do you mean tampering? I was elected!"

"You can talk about what your expertise is, and I'll talk about what mine is," Keliher said.

Commissioners hope to hire the new consultant in a couple of weeks, and get the system evaluation done over the summer.

As of Tuesday, $3 million in taxpayer money has been spent on the jail computer system - and that figure is still climbing.

[TexasStooge]

Man arrested in drowning of kittens

By LINDA STEWART BALL / The Dallas Morning News

TRENTON, Texas - A 62-year-old Fannin County man was arrested Tuesday in connection with the drowning of four kittens in Collin County last Wednesday.

Earl Rutledge of Trenton was held in the Collin County Jail on one count of animal cruelty, according to the Collin County Sheriff's Department. He was released after posting $10,000 bail.

Mr. Rutledge could not be reached for comment.

A Fannin County woman told authorities she was on her way to work last week when she saw a man drop a cardboard box over the Pilot Grove Creek bridge on State Highway 121, about a mile north of Westminster. As she peered over the bridge, she saw a floating box and heard kittens mewing.

Unable to retrieve the box, the 50-year-old woman called authorities for help.

"We're certainly thrilled that somebody came forward and witnessed this alleged animal cruelty, and we're also happy to see that law enforcement officials have taken this act seriously and are pursuing criminal charges," said James Bias, president of the SPCA of Texas.

The drowning is a felony, according to Lt. John Norton of the Sheriff's Department. A conviction would carry a maximum penalty of two years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Prosecution of animal cruelty charges is rare because it is unusual to find witnesses to the crime, officials in the district attorney's office have said.

[TexasStooge]

'Errors' blamed for BP refinery blast

TEXAS CITY, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — "Deeply disturbing" staff errors led to the oil refinery explosion and fire that killed 15 workers and injured more than 170 others, plant operators said Tuesday.

BP PLC, one of the world's largest oil companies, released its interim report on the March 23 blast at the Texas City plant, which happened during the restarting of a unit that boosts the octane level of gasoline.

"We deeply regret the suffering we have caused," Ross Pillari, president of BP Products North America Inc., said at a news conference. "The core issue here is people not following procedures. If they would have followed procedures, then the accident would not have happened."

Pillari said supervisors and hourly workers faced disciplinary action ranging from written reprimands to termination. He declined to say how many employees would be punished.

"The mistakes made during the startup of this unit were surprising and deeply disturbing," he said in a statement.

The BP investigation determined that the fluid level in the tower of the raffinate splitter, which separates chemicals for gasoline production, was 20 times higher than it should have been.

The report also said water or nitrogen in the tower when the isom unit was restarted may also have caused a sudden increase in pressure that forced hydrocarbon liquid and vapor into the unit's stack.

But investigators still don't know what ignited the resulting vapor cloud.

Earlier theories have suggested that sparks from a running truck engine parked near the unit ignited the cloud.

Investigators found that supervisors seemed to be absent at times during the startup, and crews didn't know who was in charge. supervisors and workers failed to follow written procedures, Pillari said.

He also said there was a six-minute window when any of six supervisors could have sounded an emergency alarm to evacuate the area, but that alarm was never sounded.

Pillari said those supervisors denied "other workers the opportunity to get out of harm's way."

Workers had questioned why the trailers were placed so close to the unit. The trailers were flattened by the explosion, killing or injuring those inside.

Pillari said Tuesday that the trailers were in a low-risk area and that if proper procedure had been followed, the trailers would have been safe.

BP said it was meeting with blast victims' families and attorneys to begin to settle claims against the company.

BP has had 22 fatalities at its plants in the last decade, including the 15 killed in Texas City in March. That number accounts for more than a quarter of those killed in refineries nationwide in that time.

The Texas City refinery processes 433,000 barrels of crude oil a day and 3 percent of the nation's gasoline. The blast was the plant's third accident in a year, following a March 2004 explosion that caused an evacuation and a September accident in which two workers were fatally burned by superheated water.

[TexasStooge]

4-alarm fire razes apartments (Updated)

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Flames raced through an apartment building in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas Tuesday morning.

Residents reported hearing explosions when the fire broke out about 5:30 a.m. in Building B at the Glen Oaks complex in the 8300 block of Skillman Street.

Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said at least 16 apartments in the building were a total loss. The cause of the four-alarm fire was under investigation.

Firefighters said their first priority was alerting residents to the danger at a time when most of them could be expected to be asleep.

Tequila Williams watched helplessly as her apartment burned. "Where do I go from here? Everything is gone," she said.

George Davidson, who has lived at Glen Oaks for three years with his wife, sister, and daughter, said was just getting ready to wash up after returning home from work.

"As soon as I got in the shower, everybody was yelling, 'Fire! Fire! Fire' I said, 'Where, in this building?'"

Davidson said he jumped out of the shower and tried to find some clothes. "All of a sudden, the lights went out. Everything was dark. Smoke was everywhere. It was a bad scene," he said.

Davidson and his family escaped safely. He said their apartment suffered heavy smoke damage.

"It was a big fire," said Cherry Johnson, who said she didn't hear any smoke alarms sounding until the fire was already raging. "I guess God blessed us all, because we're still here; we're still alive."

Another resident, Dee Hodge, said this is the third fire since she moved in. "There was one in the back—that was a four-alarm fire. There was one above me less than three months ago."

No injuries were reported in Tuesday's blaze. A damage estimate was not available.

The American Red Cross was preparing to provide help to displaced tenants. The apartment management was trying to identify vacant units.

"We'll find a new place to stay; we'll be okay," Williams said.

"This is going to be a terrible loss, you know," Davidson added. "We lost the whole building because of the negligence of someone else."

WFAA-TV photojournalist Robert Flagg contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

A cruel twist, a town's embrace

Community lends support after truck driven by future father-in-law kills teen

By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News

MAYPEARL, Texas – The accident at a country crossing killed a high school senior just weeks before his adult life was to begin. But the pain from that small-town collision of lives ran deeper than most.

Charles Hicks Jr. lay dying next to his best friend at the wheel. The tow truck that killed him was driven by Jerry Swindell, his fiancée's father.

The 18-year-old Maypearl High senior proposed to his girlfriend last year. Her father was powerless to avoid the accident that took Charles' life.

"He knows it's not his fault," Jessica Swindell, 17, said of her father. "It was unavoidable."

"We'll all be together someday," Mr. Swindell said forlornly.

Charles Hicks Sr. and his family left Duncanville about six years ago after it got too crowded. They settled near Maypearl, an Ellis County town of about 800 with one high school and at least seven churches.

The winding roads to the town pass ranches, wheat fields and knee-high corn. Hand-lettered signs advertise "Fresh Eggs For Sale" and "Hay Bales $4.00." Across the street from the Hicks home, a horse grazes on a neighbor's lawn.

The Hickses had wanted to live in a place where folks look out for one another. When their son died, Maypearl pulled closer.

After the accident on Mother's Day morning, one girl went from church to church with the news. Townspeople went to the accident scene to pray. They took food to the house and flowers to the grave.

"How wonderful this town has been. The school, the churches, everyone came by the house," said Jerrie Wall, Charles' aunt, who lives in the area.

Maypearl police said the town was stunned to lose one of its children in a car accident. In nearby Waxahachie, people gathered at shop counters and talked in hushed tones about the "little boy" who died.

"With small towns like that it's always a real traumatic incident, especially when young people are killed," said Trooper Bill Werkmeister, who investigated the accident for the Texas Department of Public Safety. "I'm not saying the other accidents don't get to you, but those hurt the most."

Ran stop sign

The two boys had been on their way to church when they shot through a stop sign on pavement wet from rain.

At the intersection where Marion Road ends at FM157 outside of Maypearl, the Buick hit a Ford Explorer. Then Mr. Swindell's tow truck, which had just crested the hill, slammed into the passenger side of the car where Charles was sitting, according to the accident report.

Nearly 700 gathered at Thursday's services, crying and clinging together for strength after yet another young life was taken. Maypearl High had lost another senior in a car accident earlier in the school year, which made Charles' death that much harder.

Charles' mother worried that Mr. Swindell, though physically unharmed in the accident, was in shock.

"Right now, I'm fine. But maybe later when I'm alone," he said, his voice trailing off.

Hard to talk about

Mr. Hicks said the two men hadn't really talked about the accident. "That would be hard. What can you say?"

At the burial, pastor Kevin Peterson read from Psalm 103: "As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower in a field, for the wind passes over it and it is gone."

As her son's best friend struggled with his wheelchair through the grass toward the coffin, Edie Hicks jumped to her feet. "John-Michael, John-Michael!"

John-Michael LaPierre, almost 17, recently had been released from the hospital, and his arm was in a sling. Charles' parents rushed to his side, and he put his bruised and swollen face in his hands and wept.

The Hickses have known John-Michael since he was a baby. Mrs. Hicks tenderly stroked his hair. The fathers of the two best friends – the one who survived and the one who didn't – lifted John-Michael from the wheelchair and carried him to the casket.

They huddled there with Charles' mother and 7-year-old brother Mason, saying their goodbyes, sometimes tearfully, sometimes joyfully.

"He was a super kid," Mr. Hicks said later. "I didn't have him that long."

At the funeral, Charles' uncle read from his English TAKS essay. Charles had failed the junior-year test almost a half-dozen times and was in danger of not graduating when he gave it one last try a few weeks ago.

Mr. Hicks said he learned the day of the funeral that Charles had aced the test, writing an essay about the comforting love of his parents and girlfriend.

"A feeling that nothing could go wrong is a wonderful feeling to have," he wrote. "Without it, it can leave you empty, fragile and weak."

High school memories

Those who knew Charles said they would miss his teasing smile. Others from his high school wished they had gotten to know the quiet boy better.

His girlfriend recalled the handpicked bouquet of dandelions he gave her recently in a school hallway and his baptism at Life Springs Fellowship Church a week before he died.

Charles and Jessica met in marching band, where he played trombone and she played flute. They started dating last year, though they were opposites in almost every way.

"He was tall; I'm short. He's skinny; I'm fat. He's always shy, and I'm extremely outgoing," she said.

Jessica recalled how it took Charles an hour to tell her that the ring he gave her as a birthday present in November was meant for their engagement.

After graduation, Charles had hoped to work with his father at Dart Container Corp. Instead, Mr. Hicks will walk in cap and gown later this month to accept his son's diploma.

"He earned it. He wouldn't miss that for the world. He worked hard for it," Mr. Hicks said.

At the funeral, band director David Mooney told mourners that when he wants to remember Charles Hicks Jr., he'll look out the window of the Maypearl High band hall.

Charles was laid to rest in the hillside cemetery across the street, where he'll always be near.

[TexasStooge]

Rival contests magnet's rank

Talented-gifted school: Science campus not eligible for top list

By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Two Dallas high schools are battling with a national ranking on the line – and it isn't happening on a football field or basketball court.

The School of Science and Engineering and the School for the Talented and Gifted – magnet schools that share space at Townview Center in Oak Cliff – regularly compete to recruit the brightest minds in the Dallas Independent School District.

But the rivalry was recently taken to a new level when the science and engineering magnet landed the No. 6 spot on Newsweek magazine's "America's Best High Schools" list – ahead of high-performing schools such as Highland Park High School and Carroll High in Southlake. Officials at the talented and gifted magnet, which was not considered based on the list's criteria, cried foul – saying that their competitor also was not eligible.

The rankings, meant to honor schools successful in challenging "average" students, aren't supposed to include schools that enroll more than half of their students based on academic requirements. Both magnets use grades and test scores in the selection process.

"This caught me by surprise," said science and engineering principal Richard White. "I think there's jealousy."

Talented and gifted principal Michael Satarino said his complaint was nothing personal. He said he called Newsweek to find out why his school of about 200 students was excluded.

"I'm not in this to get anybody off the list," Mr. Satarino said. "I just wanted to make sure there was a legitimate reason for us not being on the list."

The magazine ranked schools by taking the number of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams taken in 2004 divided by the number of graduating seniors.

Review planned

Jay Mathews, Washington Post writer and creator of the Newsweek list, said that a review would be conducted "to determine what factors led to the decisions made in Dallas."

"We're looking at it again," Mr. Mathews said of the science and engineering magnet's eligibility. "We made a judgment call. We're going to review that judgment call."

Mr. Mathews, who said the review would be completed in the next couple weeks, added that both schools "are clearly among the very best high schools in the United States."

While both schools now use academic requirements during enrollment, that wasn't always the case, Mr. White said. When Newsweek was compiling its data, Mr. White told the magazine that academic achievement requirements were not in place at the science magnet when last year's graduating class started in 2000-01.

However, the school did receive too many applicants that year and had to make selections based on several factors, including grades, said Carolyn Bailey, an area superintendent over DISD magnet schools. Grades counted for 15 percent of a student's overall score, she said.

The science and engineering school, which has about 400 students, moved to more strict entrance requirements last school year after the end of the district's long-standing desegregation order.

Some educators have questioned the methodology of the Newsweek list, saying it is misleading and not a complete picture of how a school is doing. But the spots are highly coveted by schools.

The atmosphere at Townview Center has been stormy since the rankings were announced. Pride and a recruiting edge are at stake.

Some teachers have hurt feelings, and students from the two schools have ribbed one another as they intermingle on campus.

Gelila Lulseged, a 15-year-old student at the talented and gifted school, said she didn't feel that the magazine was fair to omit her school but allow the science and engineering magnet. While talking about the topic, a student from the competing school walked by holding up six fingers – noting his school's ranking.

"I really don't care for it," Gelila said of the rivalry. "I'm not trying to compete."

Other students embrace the rivalry.

"It almost gives us an extra drive to do better," said Cornell Lacy, a 17-year-old science and engineering student.

Mr. White, the science and engineering principal, remains giddy despite the controversy. He said he's responded to concerns at the talented and gifted school.

Recruiting factor

The principal plans to use the ranking to his advantage.

"They worry about me because I'm a tough recruiter," Mr. White said.

Mr. Satarino, the talented and gifted principal, acknowledged the significance of the list.

"When you are recruiting, it is obvious that you want to have your best out there," he said.

Meanwhile, both schools await an answer from Newsweek.

Mr. Mathews, the list's creator, e-mailed the talented and gifted school last week: "We are reviewing our decision as we always do after the publication of a new list, and will get back to you eventually with a final decision."

Ms. Bailey, the superintendent, said the competition between the schools is healthy – to a point.

"As long as they are not putting the other one down, I live with it," she said.