Police Officer Arrested On Indecent Exposure Charge
FLOWER MOUND, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A Flower Mound police officer is off the force after he was arrested for alleged indecent exposure.
Investigators said Jason Taylor exposed himself to a woman in a gas station parking lot last month when he was not on duty.
Taylor is out of jail on bond after his arrest on Wednesday.
News from the Lone Star State
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TexasStooge
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TexasStooge
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New search for missing woman
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
DENTON COUNTY, Texas — The search for a Sanger woman who has been missing since Dec. 28 focused on the home of her estranged husband Friday morning.
More than a dozen law enforcement officers from the Texas Rangers, the FBI and the Denton County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant on the rural property of Charles Stobaugh, who is the last person known to have seen Katherine Stobaugh before she disappeared.
Police said Mrs. Stobaugh had gone to visit her husband to discuss divorce plans, but she never returned home to her son and daughter, who live nearby.
She wasn't reported missing until Jan. 3.
Mr. Stobaugh told investigators that his wife left his home after they talked. He said he found her car in the driveway the next morning.
Denton County sheriff's investigators and the Texas Rangers have said they suspect foul play in the case. Charles Stobaugh is described as a "person of interest."
He has denied that he had any role in his wife's disappearance. While present when Friday's search began, he subsequently left the property.
An intensive search has thus far turned up no sign of Katherine Stobaugh. Her family has posted a reward fund of $60,000 for the 43-year-old schoolteacher.
Chris Munday, the woman's brother, said the family is relieved that investigators have finally gained access to Charles Stobaugh's home.
Katherine Stobaugh is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds, with sandy hair and green eyes. She wears glasses and was wearing a gold necklace and earrings.
The Denton Record-Chronicle contributed to this report.
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
DENTON COUNTY, Texas — The search for a Sanger woman who has been missing since Dec. 28 focused on the home of her estranged husband Friday morning.
More than a dozen law enforcement officers from the Texas Rangers, the FBI and the Denton County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant on the rural property of Charles Stobaugh, who is the last person known to have seen Katherine Stobaugh before she disappeared.
Police said Mrs. Stobaugh had gone to visit her husband to discuss divorce plans, but she never returned home to her son and daughter, who live nearby.
She wasn't reported missing until Jan. 3.
Mr. Stobaugh told investigators that his wife left his home after they talked. He said he found her car in the driveway the next morning.
Denton County sheriff's investigators and the Texas Rangers have said they suspect foul play in the case. Charles Stobaugh is described as a "person of interest."
He has denied that he had any role in his wife's disappearance. While present when Friday's search began, he subsequently left the property.
An intensive search has thus far turned up no sign of Katherine Stobaugh. Her family has posted a reward fund of $60,000 for the 43-year-old schoolteacher.
Chris Munday, the woman's brother, said the family is relieved that investigators have finally gained access to Charles Stobaugh's home.
Katherine Stobaugh is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds, with sandy hair and green eyes. She wears glasses and was wearing a gold necklace and earrings.
The Denton Record-Chronicle contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Shocking E-Mails Shed Light On Prisoner Abuse Case
Spc. Charles Graner Is Accused Ringleader Of Prisoner Abuse
FORT HOOD, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Military jurors began deliberating the fate of Spc. Charles Graner Jr. on Friday after a prosecutor told them that the defendant and other Abu Ghraib guards beat up and humiliated detainees at the Baghdad prison simply for the fun of it.
In his closing argument, Capt. Chris Graveline, one of the prosecutors, recounted incident after incident of alleged abuse, buttressing many with photos and video taken inside the prison in November 2003, to make the case that Graner was a sadistic soldier who took pleasure in seeing detainees suffer.
The panel of four Army officers and six senior enlisted men began their deliberations at late morning. On each of the five charges, seven of the jurors must vote to convict for Graner to be found guilty in the court-martial.
"It was for sport, for laughs," Graveline told jurors. "What we have here is plain abuse. There is no justification."
Defense lawyer Guy Womack countered that his client and other Abu Ghraib guards were under extreme pressure from intelligence agents to use physical violence to prepare detainees for questioning.
"It was a persistent, consistent set of orders," said Womack. "To soften up the detainees, to do things so we can interrogate them successfully in support of our mission. ... We had men and women being killed."
Graner, a 36-year-old reservist from Uniontown, Pa., is the first soldier to be tried on charges arising from the prison scandal. He is charged with conspiracy, assault, dereliction of duty and committing indecent acts and could get 17½ years in a military prison.
Womack reminded jurors that Saddam Hussein was not yet in U.S. custody when the alleged abuse happened.
"There was somebody very important on everybody's mind," he said. "Wouldn't it be logical to have your interrogators use pressure to get information to try to find him?"
Womack described the notorious photos taken inside the prison as "gallows humor" arising from unrelenting stress felt by the Abu Ghraib guards.
He also tried to plant the seed that Graner and the other low-level guards were being used in a cover-up to protect Army officers once those photos went public.
Among other things, Graner is accused of stacking naked detainees in a human pyramid and later ordering them to masturbate while other soldiers took photographs. He also allegedly punched one man in the head hard enough to knock him out, and struck an injured prisoner with a collapsible metal stick.
Graner did not testify during the four-day trial, which included testimony from three guards who had made plea deals with prosecutors.
Two other guards are awaiting trial, along with Pfc. Lynndie England, a clerk at Abu Ghraib who last fall gave birth to a baby believed to be fathered by Graner.
Womack said Thursday that there was no need for Graner to tell his version of what went on inside the prison because his other witnesses were so effective in making the case.
The final two witnesses testified that intelligence officers wanted detainees roughed up, and that they praised guards for their performance.
Graveline used some of Graner's own e-mails as evidence of how much he enjoyed the pain he inflicted on detainees. In one e-mail, he described beating on prisoners as "a good upper-body workout, but hard on the hands."
The e-mail messages were given to jurors Tuesday. The New York Times, which said it got them from a person close to the defense, reported that they were sent to Graner's family and friends, including his young children.
"The guys give me hell for not getting any pictures while I was fighting this guy," said the message with the photograph of the howling detainee, according to the Times.
A photo of him stitching a detainee's wound had the note, "Things may have gotten a bit bad when we were asking him a couple of questions. O well," and a message with a similar photo read, "Not only was I the healer, I was the hurter. O well life goes on," the Times reported.
In his presentation, Graveline cited an earlier comment by Womack, who sought to play down the pyramid incident by saying that cheerleaders build pyramids every day.
The prosecution said that might be a valid comparison if the cheerleaders were stripped naked and roughed up first.
But Womack said there was nothing wrong with stripping what the prisoners, whom he termed "hardened terrorists," and stacking them into a pyramid to control them.
"They did it in a safe manner so nobody would get hurt ... It was an ingenuous move," he said. "If there was anything wrong, it was that they took a picture and they were smiling."
Spc. Charles Graner Is Accused Ringleader Of Prisoner Abuse
FORT HOOD, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Military jurors began deliberating the fate of Spc. Charles Graner Jr. on Friday after a prosecutor told them that the defendant and other Abu Ghraib guards beat up and humiliated detainees at the Baghdad prison simply for the fun of it.
In his closing argument, Capt. Chris Graveline, one of the prosecutors, recounted incident after incident of alleged abuse, buttressing many with photos and video taken inside the prison in November 2003, to make the case that Graner was a sadistic soldier who took pleasure in seeing detainees suffer.
The panel of four Army officers and six senior enlisted men began their deliberations at late morning. On each of the five charges, seven of the jurors must vote to convict for Graner to be found guilty in the court-martial.
"It was for sport, for laughs," Graveline told jurors. "What we have here is plain abuse. There is no justification."
Defense lawyer Guy Womack countered that his client and other Abu Ghraib guards were under extreme pressure from intelligence agents to use physical violence to prepare detainees for questioning.
"It was a persistent, consistent set of orders," said Womack. "To soften up the detainees, to do things so we can interrogate them successfully in support of our mission. ... We had men and women being killed."
Graner, a 36-year-old reservist from Uniontown, Pa., is the first soldier to be tried on charges arising from the prison scandal. He is charged with conspiracy, assault, dereliction of duty and committing indecent acts and could get 17½ years in a military prison.
Womack reminded jurors that Saddam Hussein was not yet in U.S. custody when the alleged abuse happened.
"There was somebody very important on everybody's mind," he said. "Wouldn't it be logical to have your interrogators use pressure to get information to try to find him?"
Womack described the notorious photos taken inside the prison as "gallows humor" arising from unrelenting stress felt by the Abu Ghraib guards.
He also tried to plant the seed that Graner and the other low-level guards were being used in a cover-up to protect Army officers once those photos went public.
Among other things, Graner is accused of stacking naked detainees in a human pyramid and later ordering them to masturbate while other soldiers took photographs. He also allegedly punched one man in the head hard enough to knock him out, and struck an injured prisoner with a collapsible metal stick.
Graner did not testify during the four-day trial, which included testimony from three guards who had made plea deals with prosecutors.
Two other guards are awaiting trial, along with Pfc. Lynndie England, a clerk at Abu Ghraib who last fall gave birth to a baby believed to be fathered by Graner.
Womack said Thursday that there was no need for Graner to tell his version of what went on inside the prison because his other witnesses were so effective in making the case.
The final two witnesses testified that intelligence officers wanted detainees roughed up, and that they praised guards for their performance.
Graveline used some of Graner's own e-mails as evidence of how much he enjoyed the pain he inflicted on detainees. In one e-mail, he described beating on prisoners as "a good upper-body workout, but hard on the hands."
The e-mail messages were given to jurors Tuesday. The New York Times, which said it got them from a person close to the defense, reported that they were sent to Graner's family and friends, including his young children.
"The guys give me hell for not getting any pictures while I was fighting this guy," said the message with the photograph of the howling detainee, according to the Times.
A photo of him stitching a detainee's wound had the note, "Things may have gotten a bit bad when we were asking him a couple of questions. O well," and a message with a similar photo read, "Not only was I the healer, I was the hurter. O well life goes on," the Times reported.
In his presentation, Graveline cited an earlier comment by Womack, who sought to play down the pyramid incident by saying that cheerleaders build pyramids every day.
The prosecution said that might be a valid comparison if the cheerleaders were stripped naked and roughed up first.
But Womack said there was nothing wrong with stripping what the prisoners, whom he termed "hardened terrorists," and stacking them into a pyramid to control them.
"They did it in a safe manner so nobody would get hurt ... It was an ingenuous move," he said. "If there was anything wrong, it was that they took a picture and they were smiling."
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rainstorm
TexasStooge wrote:Students: Teacher Let Kids Run Wild, Pick Own Grades
No Homework, No Tests Given; Teacher Let Students Learn On Their Own, Students Say
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A Fort Worth teacher is under investigation after students say she let students run wild in class and pick their own grades.
"We had radios on ... radios, cell phones," Sisters Tonita and Brittiney Johnson said. They said there was no homework, and there were no tests.
"A few people would dance," Tonita said.
They said the teacher didn't teach them, since it was an advanced algebra class and she would let the students learn on their own.
An entire semester went by and for the final six weeks of the class, the teacher gave many students F's.
"It doesn't hurt anybody but the kids. They're supposed to be there to learn and they can't learn if nobody is teaching them," parent Charles Johnson said.
"I'm still upset because the grade is still going to be on my report card, and my GPA is going to drop real low," student Tonita Johnson said.
The F's were a big surprise, they say, considering the grades they got in the first six weeks.
"She was like, 'Write on a piece of paper what grade you think you deserve, what grade you want.' I picked a 92 ... I got a 92 on my report card," Tonita Johnson said.
"I didn't think she'd actually give it to us, so I picked an 80, and I got an 80," Brittiney Johnson said.
The district suspended the teacher while it investigates and said it is taking the matter very seriously.
"It's plain and simple. She shouldn't be a teacher," Charles Johnson said.
govt schools in action!!
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TexasStooge
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Abu Ghraib 'ringleader' convicted
By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News
FORT HOOD, Texas – A military jury decided Friday that Spc. Charles Graner Jr. is guilty of all five charges against him for abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Spc. Graner's attorneys had argued that he was following orders from intelligence personnel to soften up detainees for interrogation, orders he believed to be legal.
A fellow guard had testified that they thought they were helping save American lives.
But the all-male jury of four Army officers and six enlisted men decided that Spc. Graner is not a patriot but a criminal.
"There is no justification," Capt. Chris Graveline said Friday in the prosecution's closing arguments. "It was for sport, for laughs. ... It was all about their own sexual depraved humor."
Testimony in the sentencing phase began immediately and will resume this morning. Spc. Graner, who did not testify in the initial phase, is expected to do so today.
He faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, demotion to the rank of private and a dishonorable discharge. His title previously had been changed to specialist from corporal
The 36-year-old Army reservist from Uniontown, Pa., is the bespectacled man flashing a thumbs-up behind a pyramid of naked detainees in the pictures that surfaced last spring. One detainee labeled him the "primary torturer" at Abu Ghraib.
He was accused of beating the prisoners in his care, gleefully stacking them into the pyramid, forcing them to masturbate and posing them in acts of simulated fellatio, among other incidents.
The photographs sparked international outrage and nine Pentagon investigations.
The weeklong trial confirmed that the activities at Abu Ghraib were as ghastly as the pictures indicated – or worse – but ended up shedding little new light on whether the detainee abuse was ordered and encouraged by superior officers. Not one officer testified.
Spc. Graner stood at attention as his parents clutched each other in the audience. He stared straight ahead without expression as a panel member on his periphery read the verdict.
Spc. Graner, who had pleaded not guilty, was the first to stand trial in a general court-martial for the Abu Ghraib abuses after several others struck plea bargains.
"He was doing his job, because it was helping our mission in Iraq," Guy Womack, Spc. Graner's civilian attorney, said in his closing statement.
To powerful effect, the prosecution quoted from his e-mails to family and friends and from his statements to fellow military police.
"A good upper-body workout, but hard on the hands" was the title of a personal e-mail Spc. Graner sent with a picture of himself cocking a fist in front of a detainee.
"These are the words of Spc. Charles Graner Jr. These are the words that give a frame to the photos taken at Abu Ghraib," Capt. Graveline said.
"Fortunately, the accused does not have the final word on the abuses at Abu Ghraib. It comes from you, in your verdict. It will speak volumes to the Army, it will speak volumes to the country, and volumes to the world," Capt. Graveline said.
"The true word about the abuses at Abu Ghraib is guilty as charged."
The jury agreed with him, but the defense said the truth about who shared responsibility would not be reached with this case.
Claiming that violent and sexually degrading tactics were authorized to extract information, Mr. Womack told the panel: "The U.S. government and the MIs [military intelligence personnel] and all the chain of command say 'We didn't know anything about that,' and you know that was a lie."
The judge, Col. James Pohl, had indicated in pre-trial hearings last month that dozens more soldiers and officers were being investigated and could soon be charged.
Two commanders that the defense had wanted to query, Col. Thomas Pappas, the head of the intelligence brigade, and Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, the top intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib prison, are under investigation and declined to testify.
Mr. Womack had argued unsuccessfully for Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez's appearance. He said the general's order that interrogations in Iraq should be conducted as aggressively as possible, right up to the edge of the law, "shows how the ball started rolling downhill."
But Col. Pohl said it was Spc. Graner who decided to step beyond what the law allowed. Spc. Graner was charged with aggravated assault, indecent acts, dereliction of duty, conspiracy and mistreatment of detainees. One of the assault specifications was reduced to battery, and he was declared not guilty on eight of the 25 accusations of dereliction of duty.
After sentencing, he will be held at the county jail in Belton pending transfer to a military prison and the appeals process.
The verdict sets a difficult precedent for the three other reservists from the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company expected to stand trial at Fort Hood in coming months, Pfc. Lynndie England, Sgt. Javal Davis and Spc. Sabrina Harman.
It capped a week of troubling testimony for the defense of Spc. Graner, whose trial was marked by testy exchanges between his civilian attorney and the judge and damaging testimony from witnesses on both sides.
Two of the most compelling witnesses to offer evidence in support of Spc. Graner appeared on Thursday before the defense unexpectedly rested its case.
Sgt. Kenneth Davis said what he saw one night at Tier One of the Abu Ghraib prison a few weeks after he arrived in Iraq was an "eye opener." Afterward, he told his platoon leader, "military intelligence is doing some pretty weird things with naked detainees."
Military intelligence officers had handcuffed two naked detainees together in a lurid forced embrace, their arms behind each other's backs.
Another detainee accused of assisting in a sexual assault of an Iraqi teenager was brought in and ordered to strip. When the detainee refused, Sgt. Davis, a military policeman, heard the intelligence officers order Spc. Charles Graner Jr., "Make him undress."
The man immediately complied after Spc. Graner shouted in a voice that frightened even his fellow military policemen, Sgt. Davis said.
"Confess, confess!" they started screaming at the detainees, who were made to "low crawl" naked on the floor through cold water, testimony showed.
Megan Ambuhl, who worked the night shift with Spc. Graner, testified Thursday that interrogators ordered them to "soften up" and "break" detainees.
She was praised, she said, for humiliating male detainees as they showered and helping extract information from a detainee called "Al Qaeda" by running the hooded prisoner into a wall.
But the prosecution questioned her credibility by revealing for the first time that she too was a former lover of Spc. Graner, who is thought to be the father of Pfc. England's son, born in October.
And Ms. Ambuhl, who was separated from the Army in exchange for her guilty plea, had lied to Army investigators about erasing photographs from her computer.
Her friends and co-defendants in the courtroom grew emotional as Ms. Ambuhl spoke about the close bonds they had formed in Iraq, bonds that grew during the investigation.
The prosecution was unsympathetic. Referring to the infamous picture of Spc. Graner grinning behind the pyramid of naked detainees, Capt. Graveline said, "This cannot become the recruitment poster for the United States Army."
By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News
FORT HOOD, Texas – A military jury decided Friday that Spc. Charles Graner Jr. is guilty of all five charges against him for abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.
Spc. Graner's attorneys had argued that he was following orders from intelligence personnel to soften up detainees for interrogation, orders he believed to be legal.
A fellow guard had testified that they thought they were helping save American lives.
But the all-male jury of four Army officers and six enlisted men decided that Spc. Graner is not a patriot but a criminal.
"There is no justification," Capt. Chris Graveline said Friday in the prosecution's closing arguments. "It was for sport, for laughs. ... It was all about their own sexual depraved humor."
Testimony in the sentencing phase began immediately and will resume this morning. Spc. Graner, who did not testify in the initial phase, is expected to do so today.
He faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, demotion to the rank of private and a dishonorable discharge. His title previously had been changed to specialist from corporal
The 36-year-old Army reservist from Uniontown, Pa., is the bespectacled man flashing a thumbs-up behind a pyramid of naked detainees in the pictures that surfaced last spring. One detainee labeled him the "primary torturer" at Abu Ghraib.
He was accused of beating the prisoners in his care, gleefully stacking them into the pyramid, forcing them to masturbate and posing them in acts of simulated fellatio, among other incidents.
The photographs sparked international outrage and nine Pentagon investigations.
The weeklong trial confirmed that the activities at Abu Ghraib were as ghastly as the pictures indicated – or worse – but ended up shedding little new light on whether the detainee abuse was ordered and encouraged by superior officers. Not one officer testified.
Spc. Graner stood at attention as his parents clutched each other in the audience. He stared straight ahead without expression as a panel member on his periphery read the verdict.
Spc. Graner, who had pleaded not guilty, was the first to stand trial in a general court-martial for the Abu Ghraib abuses after several others struck plea bargains.
"He was doing his job, because it was helping our mission in Iraq," Guy Womack, Spc. Graner's civilian attorney, said in his closing statement.
To powerful effect, the prosecution quoted from his e-mails to family and friends and from his statements to fellow military police.
"A good upper-body workout, but hard on the hands" was the title of a personal e-mail Spc. Graner sent with a picture of himself cocking a fist in front of a detainee.
"These are the words of Spc. Charles Graner Jr. These are the words that give a frame to the photos taken at Abu Ghraib," Capt. Graveline said.
"Fortunately, the accused does not have the final word on the abuses at Abu Ghraib. It comes from you, in your verdict. It will speak volumes to the Army, it will speak volumes to the country, and volumes to the world," Capt. Graveline said.
"The true word about the abuses at Abu Ghraib is guilty as charged."
The jury agreed with him, but the defense said the truth about who shared responsibility would not be reached with this case.
Claiming that violent and sexually degrading tactics were authorized to extract information, Mr. Womack told the panel: "The U.S. government and the MIs [military intelligence personnel] and all the chain of command say 'We didn't know anything about that,' and you know that was a lie."
The judge, Col. James Pohl, had indicated in pre-trial hearings last month that dozens more soldiers and officers were being investigated and could soon be charged.
Two commanders that the defense had wanted to query, Col. Thomas Pappas, the head of the intelligence brigade, and Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, the top intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib prison, are under investigation and declined to testify.
Mr. Womack had argued unsuccessfully for Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez's appearance. He said the general's order that interrogations in Iraq should be conducted as aggressively as possible, right up to the edge of the law, "shows how the ball started rolling downhill."
But Col. Pohl said it was Spc. Graner who decided to step beyond what the law allowed. Spc. Graner was charged with aggravated assault, indecent acts, dereliction of duty, conspiracy and mistreatment of detainees. One of the assault specifications was reduced to battery, and he was declared not guilty on eight of the 25 accusations of dereliction of duty.
After sentencing, he will be held at the county jail in Belton pending transfer to a military prison and the appeals process.
The verdict sets a difficult precedent for the three other reservists from the Maryland-based 372nd Military Police Company expected to stand trial at Fort Hood in coming months, Pfc. Lynndie England, Sgt. Javal Davis and Spc. Sabrina Harman.
It capped a week of troubling testimony for the defense of Spc. Graner, whose trial was marked by testy exchanges between his civilian attorney and the judge and damaging testimony from witnesses on both sides.
Two of the most compelling witnesses to offer evidence in support of Spc. Graner appeared on Thursday before the defense unexpectedly rested its case.
Sgt. Kenneth Davis said what he saw one night at Tier One of the Abu Ghraib prison a few weeks after he arrived in Iraq was an "eye opener." Afterward, he told his platoon leader, "military intelligence is doing some pretty weird things with naked detainees."
Military intelligence officers had handcuffed two naked detainees together in a lurid forced embrace, their arms behind each other's backs.
Another detainee accused of assisting in a sexual assault of an Iraqi teenager was brought in and ordered to strip. When the detainee refused, Sgt. Davis, a military policeman, heard the intelligence officers order Spc. Charles Graner Jr., "Make him undress."
The man immediately complied after Spc. Graner shouted in a voice that frightened even his fellow military policemen, Sgt. Davis said.
"Confess, confess!" they started screaming at the detainees, who were made to "low crawl" naked on the floor through cold water, testimony showed.
Megan Ambuhl, who worked the night shift with Spc. Graner, testified Thursday that interrogators ordered them to "soften up" and "break" detainees.
She was praised, she said, for humiliating male detainees as they showered and helping extract information from a detainee called "Al Qaeda" by running the hooded prisoner into a wall.
But the prosecution questioned her credibility by revealing for the first time that she too was a former lover of Spc. Graner, who is thought to be the father of Pfc. England's son, born in October.
And Ms. Ambuhl, who was separated from the Army in exchange for her guilty plea, had lied to Army investigators about erasing photographs from her computer.
Her friends and co-defendants in the courtroom grew emotional as Ms. Ambuhl spoke about the close bonds they had formed in Iraq, bonds that grew during the investigation.
The prosecution was unsympathetic. Referring to the infamous picture of Spc. Graner grinning behind the pyramid of naked detainees, Capt. Graveline said, "This cannot become the recruitment poster for the United States Army."
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TexasStooge
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City fires new salvo in war against sex biz
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - In the latest salvo in Dallas' on-going war against illegally operating sexually-oriented businesses, the city attorney's office has blocked an adult bookstore from opening near Children's Hospital on the Stemmons Expressway. A one-time boot store on Stemmons was to have been the newest Fine Arts Bookstore.
The city has stepped up enforcement against sexually-oriented businesses several times in the past, with varying degrees of success.
"At this point it is not resolved," city attorney Madeline Johnson said, "We're still having discussions with them. We're talking with them."
The city's sexually-oriented business ordinance says adult book stores, nude bars and other establishments must be at least 1,000 feet from schools, churches, hospitals and residential areas. The book store, Johnson said, is somewhere between 700 and 800 feet. The bookstore's owners dispute the city's decision and the math. They claim the business "dotted every I and crossed every T on the business application," and is more than 1,000 feet from the hospital.
Mayor Laura Miller has long fought the city's sex industry, especially along I-35 and near Love Field. "Sexually-oriented businesses have played games with the law and looked for loopholes and actually spent a lot of time deceiving us about what they are and what they do behind their doors," she said.
The city has promised a new round of stepped-up enforcement. "We are convinced that these businesses have some very questionable things going on," Johnson said.
"The business owners can be on notice that we know they're there. We know what's going on and we are going to do something about it."
"I think it is perfectly appropriate that we make it not very easy to open sexually-oriented businesses, because of our history with that industry," the mayor added.
The promise of increased police and code enforcement action will certainly win support from many residents near the sexually-oriented businesses. But the clubs and other adult stores have been just as aggressive, filing numerous lawsuits or simply moving to new locations.
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - In the latest salvo in Dallas' on-going war against illegally operating sexually-oriented businesses, the city attorney's office has blocked an adult bookstore from opening near Children's Hospital on the Stemmons Expressway. A one-time boot store on Stemmons was to have been the newest Fine Arts Bookstore.
The city has stepped up enforcement against sexually-oriented businesses several times in the past, with varying degrees of success.
"At this point it is not resolved," city attorney Madeline Johnson said, "We're still having discussions with them. We're talking with them."
The city's sexually-oriented business ordinance says adult book stores, nude bars and other establishments must be at least 1,000 feet from schools, churches, hospitals and residential areas. The book store, Johnson said, is somewhere between 700 and 800 feet. The bookstore's owners dispute the city's decision and the math. They claim the business "dotted every I and crossed every T on the business application," and is more than 1,000 feet from the hospital.
Mayor Laura Miller has long fought the city's sex industry, especially along I-35 and near Love Field. "Sexually-oriented businesses have played games with the law and looked for loopholes and actually spent a lot of time deceiving us about what they are and what they do behind their doors," she said.
The city has promised a new round of stepped-up enforcement. "We are convinced that these businesses have some very questionable things going on," Johnson said.
"The business owners can be on notice that we know they're there. We know what's going on and we are going to do something about it."
"I think it is perfectly appropriate that we make it not very easy to open sexually-oriented businesses, because of our history with that industry," the mayor added.
The promise of increased police and code enforcement action will certainly win support from many residents near the sexually-oriented businesses. But the clubs and other adult stores have been just as aggressive, filing numerous lawsuits or simply moving to new locations.
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TexasStooge
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Man, it seems that the city of Oak Cliff can't get out of the news.
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2 slain at salon in Oak Cliff
3rd woman critically injured in stabbing; robber flees scene
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
OAK CLIFF, Texas - Police were seeking a robber who fatally stabbed two women at an east Oak Cliff beauty salon Friday night. A third woman was critically wounded in the attack.
Officers arrived at Chely's Beauty Salon at Beckley and Louisiana avenues after the robbery was reported.
"The first officer found a female cut several times," Dallas police Lt. Jan Easterling said.
That woman, who had called police, was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
Police found the other two women dead inside the shop, which also sold jewelry, neighbors said. All of the women had been cut multiple times.
"It appears that there was a struggle," Lt. Easterling said.
The names of the victims had not been released. Friends and family of the shop's owner waited for hours in the cold fearing their loved one was one of the victims.
"I can't believe it. I don't even know what to say," said Gustavo Aranda, who had gotten his hair cut at the shop at least every other week for several years. "She was very down to earth, very helpful and a very giving person. She often talked about her church experiences."
Neighbors said they think the salon was targeted.
"It must have been someone who knew their schedule," said Eugene Castell, who lives across the street and sometimes buys sodas from the shop. Another neighbor said the store is open until 9 p.m. Dallas police described the suspect as a Latino man about 5 feet 5 inches tall with a chubby build wearing a baseball cap. They do not know how the man fled.
The slayings came after a quadruple homicide Thursday night at a Red Bird-area apartment complex and the same day Dallas police announced a major initiative to reduce murders in the city. Friday's slayings brought the number of homicides in the city to 11 this month.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Dallas police at 214-671-3661.
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2 slain at salon in Oak Cliff
3rd woman critically injured in stabbing; robber flees scene
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
OAK CLIFF, Texas - Police were seeking a robber who fatally stabbed two women at an east Oak Cliff beauty salon Friday night. A third woman was critically wounded in the attack.
Officers arrived at Chely's Beauty Salon at Beckley and Louisiana avenues after the robbery was reported.
"The first officer found a female cut several times," Dallas police Lt. Jan Easterling said.
That woman, who had called police, was taken to Methodist Dallas Medical Center.
Police found the other two women dead inside the shop, which also sold jewelry, neighbors said. All of the women had been cut multiple times.
"It appears that there was a struggle," Lt. Easterling said.
The names of the victims had not been released. Friends and family of the shop's owner waited for hours in the cold fearing their loved one was one of the victims.
"I can't believe it. I don't even know what to say," said Gustavo Aranda, who had gotten his hair cut at the shop at least every other week for several years. "She was very down to earth, very helpful and a very giving person. She often talked about her church experiences."
Neighbors said they think the salon was targeted.
"It must have been someone who knew their schedule," said Eugene Castell, who lives across the street and sometimes buys sodas from the shop. Another neighbor said the store is open until 9 p.m. Dallas police described the suspect as a Latino man about 5 feet 5 inches tall with a chubby build wearing a baseball cap. They do not know how the man fled.
The slayings came after a quadruple homicide Thursday night at a Red Bird-area apartment complex and the same day Dallas police announced a major initiative to reduce murders in the city. Friday's slayings brought the number of homicides in the city to 11 this month.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Dallas police at 214-671-3661.
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Drug link made in 4 deaths
Shootings in Red Bird area still under investigation
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police detectives spent Friday piecing together details about this year's first quadruple slaying, which they say was the result of a drug-fueled gunbattle at a Red Bird-area apartment.
Authorities think the shootout began Thursday night when two men from Laredo showed up at the apartment of another man and his associate. The dead men left behind an unknown quantity of cash and drugs in the apartment, which belonged to one of the victim's girlfriends.
"We strongly believe all the victims were targeted," Police Chief David Kunkle said. "It appears to be drug-related. Drugs and weapons were seized at the scene. We're still counting rounds."
The Dallas County medical examiner's office identified the dead men as Chateto Brown, 27, of Dallas; Troy Lee Dorn Jr., 26, of Garland; and Elihu Hernandez, 30, and Alejandro Pena, 18, both of Laredo.
Shell casings from at least three guns littered the crime scene at the Providence on the Park apartments in the 8500 block of Old Hickory Trail. Investigators were conducting tests Friday to determine who shot whom.
"I don't know of anyone who knows of a survivor, but I suspect there was one or more," said Sgt. Ken Sprecher, a homicide supervisor. "We're still trying to determine what happened."
About 5:25 p.m., police responded to 911 calls reporting shots fired at the apartment complex. Officers quickly found Mr. Brown's body on a second-floor landing. Soon after, officers realized that three other men were dead inside one of the nearby apartments.
That apartment belongs to Mr. Brown's girlfriend, police said, and was where the incident began. Authorities theorize that the two Laredo men showed up to see Mr. Brown and Mr. Dorn. At some point, things went sour.
"You can only speculate why those four people were in the same apartment," Sgt. Sprecher said. "Were they business associates or business rivals? If they were rivals, it was a turf deal. If they were associates, someone ripped someone else off. There's nothing concrete yet."
Neighbor Lashond Nelson said she started noticing suspicious activity in front of building No. 6, where the shootings occurred, about a month ago.
"There were fancy cars pulling up, and I thought there were drug dealers messing with the ladies," Ms. Nelson said.
Ms. Nelson was leaving to run errands about 5 p.m. Thursday when she and her aunt noticed an older-model gray Nissan Maxima passing nearby.
"It circled around here about three or four times," Ms. Nelson said.
When she returned from her errands about 5:30 p.m., police had surrounded the building. The management of the apartment complex expressed sympathies for the victims' families and said it is cooperating with police.
Police said they need more people to share what they know about the four men and what they might have observed Thursday night.
"We're always actively pursuing people who have information about any violent crime," Sgt. Sprecher said. "We want people to be courageous and come forward and tell us what they saw or heard, and not be intimidated by what has taken place. Justice will be served by cooperating with us."
Staff writer Holly Yan contributed to this report.
Shootings in Red Bird area still under investigation
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police detectives spent Friday piecing together details about this year's first quadruple slaying, which they say was the result of a drug-fueled gunbattle at a Red Bird-area apartment.
Authorities think the shootout began Thursday night when two men from Laredo showed up at the apartment of another man and his associate. The dead men left behind an unknown quantity of cash and drugs in the apartment, which belonged to one of the victim's girlfriends.
"We strongly believe all the victims were targeted," Police Chief David Kunkle said. "It appears to be drug-related. Drugs and weapons were seized at the scene. We're still counting rounds."
The Dallas County medical examiner's office identified the dead men as Chateto Brown, 27, of Dallas; Troy Lee Dorn Jr., 26, of Garland; and Elihu Hernandez, 30, and Alejandro Pena, 18, both of Laredo.
Shell casings from at least three guns littered the crime scene at the Providence on the Park apartments in the 8500 block of Old Hickory Trail. Investigators were conducting tests Friday to determine who shot whom.
"I don't know of anyone who knows of a survivor, but I suspect there was one or more," said Sgt. Ken Sprecher, a homicide supervisor. "We're still trying to determine what happened."
About 5:25 p.m., police responded to 911 calls reporting shots fired at the apartment complex. Officers quickly found Mr. Brown's body on a second-floor landing. Soon after, officers realized that three other men were dead inside one of the nearby apartments.
That apartment belongs to Mr. Brown's girlfriend, police said, and was where the incident began. Authorities theorize that the two Laredo men showed up to see Mr. Brown and Mr. Dorn. At some point, things went sour.
"You can only speculate why those four people were in the same apartment," Sgt. Sprecher said. "Were they business associates or business rivals? If they were rivals, it was a turf deal. If they were associates, someone ripped someone else off. There's nothing concrete yet."
Neighbor Lashond Nelson said she started noticing suspicious activity in front of building No. 6, where the shootings occurred, about a month ago.
"There were fancy cars pulling up, and I thought there were drug dealers messing with the ladies," Ms. Nelson said.
Ms. Nelson was leaving to run errands about 5 p.m. Thursday when she and her aunt noticed an older-model gray Nissan Maxima passing nearby.
"It circled around here about three or four times," Ms. Nelson said.
When she returned from her errands about 5:30 p.m., police had surrounded the building. The management of the apartment complex expressed sympathies for the victims' families and said it is cooperating with police.
Police said they need more people to share what they know about the four men and what they might have observed Thursday night.
"We're always actively pursuing people who have information about any violent crime," Sgt. Sprecher said. "We want people to be courageous and come forward and tell us what they saw or heard, and not be intimidated by what has taken place. Justice will be served by cooperating with us."
Staff writer Holly Yan contributed to this report.
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Overall crime down, slayings up 9.5%
By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Crime dropped 4 percent in Dallas last year, but the number of murders and burglaries rose. The police chief on Friday pledged to more than double the cuts in crime this year with aggressive plans to take guns and drugs off the streets.
Auto thefts and vehicle burglaries, two crimes targeted last year in city initiatives, fell sharply. But homicides increased by about 9.5 percent last year from 2003, with police reporting 244.
Preliminary statistics show that the number of reported rapes – 588 – was the lowest since 1975, and the number of auto thefts – 15,881 – was the lowest in 20 years. But the number of burglaries of homes and businesses hit a level not seen since 1992.
Police Chief David Kunkle said the decline in overall crime was only a start.
"What we have done for 2005 – we're going to set a goal of reducing serious crime by 10 percent in the city of Dallas and homicide by 20 percent," he said.
But there are signs that Dallas has a tough fight ahead.
As city leaders were vowing to cut crime, homicide detectives were trying to solve a quadruple homicide that occurred the night before at a Red Bird-area apartment complex. And detectives were investigating a double slaying Friday night that occurred during a robbery at an East Oak Cliff beauty salon. Already in 2005, 11 homicides have been reported in the city.
Although full-year crime numbers are not yet available for other major U.S. cities, statistics through November show that Dallas is poised to have the highest crime rate among the nine cities with more than a million residents for the seventh consecutive year.
"I refuse to believe that in the city I see, that Dallas should have one of the highest crime rates in the country," Chief Kunkle said.
The chief announced plans to target drug houses and train officers to intercept illegal guns. Among the strategies:
•Adding 50 more officers on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., especially in the southern sector.
•Parking patrol cars in front of suspected drug houses and looking for lawful reasons to stop people going into those houses.
•Using civilian officers to respond to low-priority 911 calls, such as vehicle burglaries, so that sworn officers can focus on violent crimes, such as shootings.
•Creating additional volunteer and off-duty officer patrol programs, common in northern Dallas, in the southern sector.
•Using ballistics-tracking technology to link criminals to guns used in crimes.
•Assigning plainclothes officers to conduct stings of the underground gun market and to watch suspected drug houses more than they have in the past.
Chief Kunkle also said the department would increase cooperation among gang, narcotics, homicide and assault units to better connect the dots between murders, shootings and violent threats.
Standing beside the chief after his monthly meeting with city officials, Mayor Laura Miller applauded his efforts.
"We have a different Dallas Police Department than it was a year ago, and that is why we can set the kind of goals that the chief is setting today," she said.
A year ago, city leaders were in the middle of their search for a new police chief to replace Terrell Bolton, who was fired in August 2003, in part because of his response to reports that Dallas had the highest big-city crime rate.
The department was mired in low morale and questions over leadership, recruiting and job transfers.
The City Council and a special prosecutor appointed by the Dallas County district attorney's office were just beginning their investigations into the 2001 fake-drug scandal – in which sheetrock made to look like drugs was planted on innocent people by informants.
Crime initiatives, announced more by city officials than police officials, focused on property crimes with ordinances aimed at abandoned shopping carts and signs reminding drivers to lock their cars, take their keys and hide their belongings.
Chief Kunkle's appointment in May garnered national attention.
Shortly after he began work, the chief reorganized the department to make it easier to move resources quickly to target crime.
He demoted deputy and assistant chiefs who were seen by some officers as poor leaders. He also began to promote a new community policing plan, which would hold officers accountable for cutting crime in a small area rather than answering 911 calls across a larger division.
On Friday, Chief Kunkle said the city was trying to make the 911 system more efficient so that sworn officers wouldn't spend as much time on nonviolent crimes in which the suspect has left the scene.
"It could be on Friday and Saturday nights on calls that get put way down on the priority list, we tell the complainant that your incident won't get responded for three or four or five hours," he said.
Response times are slow compared with national standards, especially in high-crime areas. For example, officers on average take more than 10 minutes to respond to priority calls, such as shootings, in southeast Dallas, police records show.
The slow response times have concerned some residents, who say their calls for drug dealing and prostitution often go unanswered.
But Ms. Miller said cutting crime should be everyone's responsibility.
"If guns and drugs are the thing, then the officers have to know where the guns and drugs are," the mayor said. "The citizens have to realize that they can help with that, and we're listening more than ever before."
Ms. Miller said she was optimistic.
"2004 was putting the tools and people in place to fight crime," she said. "2005 is going to be bringing the crime down."
Staff writer Jason Trahan contributed to this report.
By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Crime dropped 4 percent in Dallas last year, but the number of murders and burglaries rose. The police chief on Friday pledged to more than double the cuts in crime this year with aggressive plans to take guns and drugs off the streets.
Auto thefts and vehicle burglaries, two crimes targeted last year in city initiatives, fell sharply. But homicides increased by about 9.5 percent last year from 2003, with police reporting 244.
Preliminary statistics show that the number of reported rapes – 588 – was the lowest since 1975, and the number of auto thefts – 15,881 – was the lowest in 20 years. But the number of burglaries of homes and businesses hit a level not seen since 1992.
Police Chief David Kunkle said the decline in overall crime was only a start.
"What we have done for 2005 – we're going to set a goal of reducing serious crime by 10 percent in the city of Dallas and homicide by 20 percent," he said.
But there are signs that Dallas has a tough fight ahead.
As city leaders were vowing to cut crime, homicide detectives were trying to solve a quadruple homicide that occurred the night before at a Red Bird-area apartment complex. And detectives were investigating a double slaying Friday night that occurred during a robbery at an East Oak Cliff beauty salon. Already in 2005, 11 homicides have been reported in the city.
Although full-year crime numbers are not yet available for other major U.S. cities, statistics through November show that Dallas is poised to have the highest crime rate among the nine cities with more than a million residents for the seventh consecutive year.
"I refuse to believe that in the city I see, that Dallas should have one of the highest crime rates in the country," Chief Kunkle said.
The chief announced plans to target drug houses and train officers to intercept illegal guns. Among the strategies:
•Adding 50 more officers on Friday and Saturday nights between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., especially in the southern sector.
•Parking patrol cars in front of suspected drug houses and looking for lawful reasons to stop people going into those houses.
•Using civilian officers to respond to low-priority 911 calls, such as vehicle burglaries, so that sworn officers can focus on violent crimes, such as shootings.
•Creating additional volunteer and off-duty officer patrol programs, common in northern Dallas, in the southern sector.
•Using ballistics-tracking technology to link criminals to guns used in crimes.
•Assigning plainclothes officers to conduct stings of the underground gun market and to watch suspected drug houses more than they have in the past.
Chief Kunkle also said the department would increase cooperation among gang, narcotics, homicide and assault units to better connect the dots between murders, shootings and violent threats.
Standing beside the chief after his monthly meeting with city officials, Mayor Laura Miller applauded his efforts.
"We have a different Dallas Police Department than it was a year ago, and that is why we can set the kind of goals that the chief is setting today," she said.
A year ago, city leaders were in the middle of their search for a new police chief to replace Terrell Bolton, who was fired in August 2003, in part because of his response to reports that Dallas had the highest big-city crime rate.
The department was mired in low morale and questions over leadership, recruiting and job transfers.
The City Council and a special prosecutor appointed by the Dallas County district attorney's office were just beginning their investigations into the 2001 fake-drug scandal – in which sheetrock made to look like drugs was planted on innocent people by informants.
Crime initiatives, announced more by city officials than police officials, focused on property crimes with ordinances aimed at abandoned shopping carts and signs reminding drivers to lock their cars, take their keys and hide their belongings.
Chief Kunkle's appointment in May garnered national attention.
Shortly after he began work, the chief reorganized the department to make it easier to move resources quickly to target crime.
He demoted deputy and assistant chiefs who were seen by some officers as poor leaders. He also began to promote a new community policing plan, which would hold officers accountable for cutting crime in a small area rather than answering 911 calls across a larger division.
On Friday, Chief Kunkle said the city was trying to make the 911 system more efficient so that sworn officers wouldn't spend as much time on nonviolent crimes in which the suspect has left the scene.
"It could be on Friday and Saturday nights on calls that get put way down on the priority list, we tell the complainant that your incident won't get responded for three or four or five hours," he said.
Response times are slow compared with national standards, especially in high-crime areas. For example, officers on average take more than 10 minutes to respond to priority calls, such as shootings, in southeast Dallas, police records show.
The slow response times have concerned some residents, who say their calls for drug dealing and prostitution often go unanswered.
But Ms. Miller said cutting crime should be everyone's responsibility.
"If guns and drugs are the thing, then the officers have to know where the guns and drugs are," the mayor said. "The citizens have to realize that they can help with that, and we're listening more than ever before."
Ms. Miller said she was optimistic.
"2004 was putting the tools and people in place to fight crime," she said. "2005 is going to be bringing the crime down."
Staff writer Jason Trahan contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Two Die During High-Speed Police Chase
Van Wreckage Closes DART Track
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A man and woman fleeing from police in a stolen van died Friday in a dramatic crash in Dallas.
The early afternoon chase happened when police spotted a unoccupied stolen van at in a motel parking.
While officials were making arrangements to recover the vehicle, the unidentified pair jumped into the van and fled at high speeds.
Police pursued the couple during a brief chase that ended at East Ledbetter and Lancaster when the van clipped a nearby vehicle and crashed into a streetlight.
The male driver and female passenger were killed immediately.
Witnesses said the crash happened in an instant.
"You blink -- it happened that fast," Oscar Blunt said. "He hit that car and spun out of control, wrapped around this pole here, and it was all over from that point there."
Despite the high speeds, police said that when the van clipped the other vehicle, the driver inside was not harmed.
"He is fine. He's being treated here at the scene. And when [investigators] are done interviewing him ... he'll be allowed to leave," Lt. Jan Easterling said.
No innocent bystanders were hurt, police said.
A DART light-rail track at the scene of the crash was temporarily closed for debris removal.
Police did not release the identities of the deceased.
Van Wreckage Closes DART Track
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A man and woman fleeing from police in a stolen van died Friday in a dramatic crash in Dallas.
The early afternoon chase happened when police spotted a unoccupied stolen van at in a motel parking.
While officials were making arrangements to recover the vehicle, the unidentified pair jumped into the van and fled at high speeds.
Police pursued the couple during a brief chase that ended at East Ledbetter and Lancaster when the van clipped a nearby vehicle and crashed into a streetlight.
The male driver and female passenger were killed immediately.
Witnesses said the crash happened in an instant.
"You blink -- it happened that fast," Oscar Blunt said. "He hit that car and spun out of control, wrapped around this pole here, and it was all over from that point there."
Despite the high speeds, police said that when the van clipped the other vehicle, the driver inside was not harmed.
"He is fine. He's being treated here at the scene. And when [investigators] are done interviewing him ... he'll be allowed to leave," Lt. Jan Easterling said.
No innocent bystanders were hurt, police said.
A DART light-rail track at the scene of the crash was temporarily closed for debris removal.
Police did not release the identities of the deceased.
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TexasStooge
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Shots fired at FW councilman's house
FORT WORTH, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) - The home of a Fort Worth City Council member who supports police anti-gang efforts and other crime prevention was targeted by gunfire for the second time in six months.
Councilman Jim Lane said he and his wife, Janet, were asleep in their house early Sunday morning when they were awakened by a loud noise. He said they later found where a bullet had passed through a wooden panel of the front door and hit the wall between the couple's foyer and the dining area behind it.
Lane said the gunfire, like an attack in early August when police said at least six shots were fired, was intentional. Police have not made any arrests nor determined a motive.
One person interviewed by police following the summer gunshots told investigators he thought the Lanes' residence could have been targeted by mistake.
Witnesses said bullets blasted out a glass storm door and embedded in the wood at the front of the house on Aug. 8. Three gunshots penetrated the home. At the time, Lane was supporting expansion of the Fort Worth Police Department's gang unit. The plan was adopted two days later.
Lane said he is not abandoning his century-old house. "Like I said before, I'm not leaving; they are," he said.
He also has supported a crime control and prevention district. Created by voters in 1995, it gathers revenue through a half-cent sales tax to bolster the city's anti-crime efforts.
An election on whether to continue the district begins with early voting that begins Thursday.
FORT WORTH, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) - The home of a Fort Worth City Council member who supports police anti-gang efforts and other crime prevention was targeted by gunfire for the second time in six months.
Councilman Jim Lane said he and his wife, Janet, were asleep in their house early Sunday morning when they were awakened by a loud noise. He said they later found where a bullet had passed through a wooden panel of the front door and hit the wall between the couple's foyer and the dining area behind it.
Lane said the gunfire, like an attack in early August when police said at least six shots were fired, was intentional. Police have not made any arrests nor determined a motive.
One person interviewed by police following the summer gunshots told investigators he thought the Lanes' residence could have been targeted by mistake.
Witnesses said bullets blasted out a glass storm door and embedded in the wood at the front of the house on Aug. 8. Three gunshots penetrated the home. At the time, Lane was supporting expansion of the Fort Worth Police Department's gang unit. The plan was adopted two days later.
Lane said he is not abandoning his century-old house. "Like I said before, I'm not leaving; they are," he said.
He also has supported a crime control and prevention district. Created by voters in 1995, it gathers revenue through a half-cent sales tax to bolster the city's anti-crime efforts.
An election on whether to continue the district begins with early voting that begins Thursday.
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TexasStooge
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AA losses may approach $1 billion
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
DFW INT'L AIRPORT, Texas - Fort Worth-based American Airlines is expected this week to report a loss approaching $1 billion for 2004.
The 25,000 American employees in North Texas are wondering if that will lead to more job cuts.
2005 is beginning with more passengers flying AA, happy with the recent big fare cuts on domestic flights.
"People are starting to come back to American now that Delta has fallen off or whatever," said passenger Chase Weber. "Since they dropped down the prices, a lot of people are going to start coming back to American."
Despite the good times for passengers, the airline is expected to announce the bad news about its 2004 finances on Wednesday. Wall Street financial analysts estimate American could lose about $930 million for 2004. Additionally, 2005 doesn't look profitable either - but AA officials say they know what's ahead.
"Well, lower costs raise revenue," said Dan Garton, American executive vice president. "That's a pretty simple formula but very hard to achieve."
American's competition is keeping fares low, and jet fuel prices keep costs climbing, so the "lower costs" part of the equation will definitely be a challenge.
Airline officials said they hope revenue goes up from higher fares on international flights, where it doesn't compete with low-cost carriers. They also believe AA will benefit from more people flying domestically.
That leaves cutting costs, and possibly jobs. But representatives for employee groups like the flight attendants' union said the carrier can forget about cutting wages and benefits further.
"We will assist, we will be in partnership, (but) at times that is a conflicted partnership," said Tommie Hutto-Blake of the Association Of Professional Flight Attendants. "We want to turn this company around, but we are going to fight for what we have."
American starts the year with more than $4 billion in cash, and that's good. But some analysts said unless fuel prices drop fast, don't bank on the airline making a profit this year.
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
DFW INT'L AIRPORT, Texas - Fort Worth-based American Airlines is expected this week to report a loss approaching $1 billion for 2004.
The 25,000 American employees in North Texas are wondering if that will lead to more job cuts.
2005 is beginning with more passengers flying AA, happy with the recent big fare cuts on domestic flights.
"People are starting to come back to American now that Delta has fallen off or whatever," said passenger Chase Weber. "Since they dropped down the prices, a lot of people are going to start coming back to American."
Despite the good times for passengers, the airline is expected to announce the bad news about its 2004 finances on Wednesday. Wall Street financial analysts estimate American could lose about $930 million for 2004. Additionally, 2005 doesn't look profitable either - but AA officials say they know what's ahead.
"Well, lower costs raise revenue," said Dan Garton, American executive vice president. "That's a pretty simple formula but very hard to achieve."
American's competition is keeping fares low, and jet fuel prices keep costs climbing, so the "lower costs" part of the equation will definitely be a challenge.
Airline officials said they hope revenue goes up from higher fares on international flights, where it doesn't compete with low-cost carriers. They also believe AA will benefit from more people flying domestically.
That leaves cutting costs, and possibly jobs. But representatives for employee groups like the flight attendants' union said the carrier can forget about cutting wages and benefits further.
"We will assist, we will be in partnership, (but) at times that is a conflicted partnership," said Tommie Hutto-Blake of the Association Of Professional Flight Attendants. "We want to turn this company around, but we are going to fight for what we have."
American starts the year with more than $4 billion in cash, and that's good. But some analysts said unless fuel prices drop fast, don't bank on the airline making a profit this year.
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Damage to gas regulator sparks fires
By MICHAEL REY / WFAA ABC 8
PLEASANT GROVE, Texas - Police are looking for a pickup truck driver who veered off the road and damaged a natural gas regulator in Pleasant Grove late Saturday night, setting off a chain of damaging events and leaving many residents shivering through a cold night.
The incident happened in the 4200 block of Urban Avenue. The truck hit the regulator, which crushed a portion that controls pressure in some of the surrounding gas lines.
"It threw the system out of whack, and so there was more pressure in there than should have been in there," said Ray Granado of Atmos Energy Corp., which recently bought TXU Gas.
The resulting surge in gas pressure to nearby homes resulted in more than 500 calls to 911 late Saturday night. No one was injured, but Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel fought 19 small fires in the neighborhood around Military Parkway and Jim Miller Road after the surge occurred.
"I noticed the gas in the heater and it was getting hotter just automatically," resident William Browning said. "You could hear the gas actually burning stronger."
Browning turned off his heater. At a home several blocks away, the Salazar family didn't realize anything was wrong until they heard a "sizzling sound."
"Suddenly something went 'boom,'" said Diana Salazar. "It exploded, and I called my dad and he came running and he opened the closet, and he said up here it was in flames."
Granado said it was difficult to pinpoint the number of affected residents. Some living close to the accident site had service and heat; others farther away did not. Mr. Granado said the company's workers temporarily evacuated about 30 customers around the accident site.
Dallas-Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Lavender said about 100 firefighters helped battle the mini-blazes.
"We had a mobile command center, so we were actually putting out fires and dispatching fires from a central area close to the location," Lavender said.
Gas pressure returned to normal pressure by midday Sunday. Mr. Granado said service to homes would be restored only after a technician inspected each home's appliances for safety. Atmos hoped to have that task completed overnight.
The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.
By MICHAEL REY / WFAA ABC 8
PLEASANT GROVE, Texas - Police are looking for a pickup truck driver who veered off the road and damaged a natural gas regulator in Pleasant Grove late Saturday night, setting off a chain of damaging events and leaving many residents shivering through a cold night.
The incident happened in the 4200 block of Urban Avenue. The truck hit the regulator, which crushed a portion that controls pressure in some of the surrounding gas lines.
"It threw the system out of whack, and so there was more pressure in there than should have been in there," said Ray Granado of Atmos Energy Corp., which recently bought TXU Gas.
The resulting surge in gas pressure to nearby homes resulted in more than 500 calls to 911 late Saturday night. No one was injured, but Dallas Fire-Rescue personnel fought 19 small fires in the neighborhood around Military Parkway and Jim Miller Road after the surge occurred.
"I noticed the gas in the heater and it was getting hotter just automatically," resident William Browning said. "You could hear the gas actually burning stronger."
Browning turned off his heater. At a home several blocks away, the Salazar family didn't realize anything was wrong until they heard a "sizzling sound."
"Suddenly something went 'boom,'" said Diana Salazar. "It exploded, and I called my dad and he came running and he opened the closet, and he said up here it was in flames."
Granado said it was difficult to pinpoint the number of affected residents. Some living close to the accident site had service and heat; others farther away did not. Mr. Granado said the company's workers temporarily evacuated about 30 customers around the accident site.
Dallas-Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Joel Lavender said about 100 firefighters helped battle the mini-blazes.
"We had a mobile command center, so we were actually putting out fires and dispatching fires from a central area close to the location," Lavender said.
Gas pressure returned to normal pressure by midday Sunday. Mr. Granado said service to homes would be restored only after a technician inspected each home's appliances for safety. Atmos hoped to have that task completed overnight.
The Dallas Morning News contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Fake parking attendants plague West End
By JOLENE DeVITO / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - It's an old problem that has flared up again in Dallas' West End: thieves posing as parking lot attendants.
Police and area business owners said it happens almost every day.
A News 8 crew checking a West End parking lot Sunday caught one man in the act.
The attendant was asked, "You do work for this lot?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You sure I don't pay the machine?"
"No ma'am."
But, he doesn't work for the lot at all. And he even kept at it with the camera rolling.
"Who's your manager?"
"Tom ... uh ... Bosley."
"Tom Bosley? What's Tom's number?"
A woman trying to park in the lot during this conversation turned around and said, "I think I'm going to park somewhere else."
It's a problem that has West End business owners downright frustrated.
"We are trying really hard to make a rebound, a comeback, and we've actually made a lot of progress," said Y.O. Ranch managing partner Tony Street. "There are a lot of new exciting things to see in the area, a lot of new merchants, and something like this is kind of standing in our way."
Despite the warning signs, it's still easy to be taken by the pseudo-attendants. Sometimes they'll wear what looks like a uniform. They even hand out parking stubs - stubs they've simply picked up off the ground.
"Look for the signs," Dallas Police Lt. Thomas Lawrence said. "If it has a sign posted that says 'do not pay the attendant,' do not do that under any circumstances. If anything looks suspicious to you, call us."
But it's a hard crime for police to fight because by the time they reach the scene, the thieves are usually gone.
By JOLENE DeVITO / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - It's an old problem that has flared up again in Dallas' West End: thieves posing as parking lot attendants.
Police and area business owners said it happens almost every day.
A News 8 crew checking a West End parking lot Sunday caught one man in the act.
The attendant was asked, "You do work for this lot?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You sure I don't pay the machine?"
"No ma'am."
But, he doesn't work for the lot at all. And he even kept at it with the camera rolling.
"Who's your manager?"
"Tom ... uh ... Bosley."
"Tom Bosley? What's Tom's number?"
A woman trying to park in the lot during this conversation turned around and said, "I think I'm going to park somewhere else."
It's a problem that has West End business owners downright frustrated.
"We are trying really hard to make a rebound, a comeback, and we've actually made a lot of progress," said Y.O. Ranch managing partner Tony Street. "There are a lot of new exciting things to see in the area, a lot of new merchants, and something like this is kind of standing in our way."
Despite the warning signs, it's still easy to be taken by the pseudo-attendants. Sometimes they'll wear what looks like a uniform. They even hand out parking stubs - stubs they've simply picked up off the ground.
"Look for the signs," Dallas Police Lt. Thomas Lawrence said. "If it has a sign posted that says 'do not pay the attendant,' do not do that under any circumstances. If anything looks suspicious to you, call us."
But it's a hard crime for police to fight because by the time they reach the scene, the thieves are usually gone.
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TexasStooge
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Dallas marks King's birthday with parade
By CHRISTY A. ROBINSON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Marchers and spectators at Dallas' Martin Luther King Jr. birthday parade Saturday celebrated the message of the man: peace and diversity.
"Destructive means cannot bring constructive ends," said a sign carried by Alyn Kally of Mesquite, who marched with North Texas for Justice and Peace.
"It's what Martin Luther King stood for," the 13-year-old said of the slain civil rights leader, who would have turned 76 on Saturday.
Organizers estimated that 6,000 spectators lined the route, which began at City Hall and ended at Fair Park.
The assortment of people who participated in the parade echoed the day's diversity theme.
High school bands, Masons and motorcycle clubs joined peace organizations, drill teams and the Mozartmobile of radio station WRR-FM (101.1). Dignitaries such as Mayor Laura Miller and state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, led the procession, with black cowboys on horseback capping it off.
Parade viewers represented all colors, ages and economic levels.
"This parade should be a gathering of all the races. It's multicultural," Mikel Faheem of the Magnificent Seven riding club in Dallas said as his horse carried him down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Renee Seban of Oak Cliff brought three grandchildren to watch the parade.
"They may not understand at their age what's going on here," she said. "But every year, they'll learn a bit more."
By CHRISTY A. ROBINSON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Marchers and spectators at Dallas' Martin Luther King Jr. birthday parade Saturday celebrated the message of the man: peace and diversity.
"Destructive means cannot bring constructive ends," said a sign carried by Alyn Kally of Mesquite, who marched with North Texas for Justice and Peace.
"It's what Martin Luther King stood for," the 13-year-old said of the slain civil rights leader, who would have turned 76 on Saturday.
Organizers estimated that 6,000 spectators lined the route, which began at City Hall and ended at Fair Park.
The assortment of people who participated in the parade echoed the day's diversity theme.
High school bands, Masons and motorcycle clubs joined peace organizations, drill teams and the Mozartmobile of radio station WRR-FM (101.1). Dignitaries such as Mayor Laura Miller and state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, led the procession, with black cowboys on horseback capping it off.
Parade viewers represented all colors, ages and economic levels.
"This parade should be a gathering of all the races. It's multicultural," Mikel Faheem of the Magnificent Seven riding club in Dallas said as his horse carried him down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Renee Seban of Oak Cliff brought three grandchildren to watch the parade.
"They may not understand at their age what's going on here," she said. "But every year, they'll learn a bit more."
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TexasStooge
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Student sues UT fraternity for paralysis
AUSTIN, Texas (AP/The Dallas Morning News) – A former University of Texas fraternity member is seeking $25 million in a lawsuit against the fraternity after being paralyzed following a belly-flop into a wading pool built by his fellow members for a party.
Wesley Holloway, 20, is suing the fraternity for negligence, claiming that Alpha Tau Omega built an unlicensed pool that lacked proper design, lighting, warning signs and other things required under city ordinances, according to the lawsuit.
The fraternity's attorney, Jim Ewbank, said members were told by a city engineer that an inspection wasn't needed.
"All of his frat brothers feel terrible that it happened, but legally speaking, we think that he was responsible for this," Mr. Ewbank told the Austin American-Statesman.
The fraternity doesn't have pool parties any more, Mr. Ewbank said.
In May 2003, the group had filled one of its rooms with foam as a party stunt. They built a pool in the back yard so partygoers could wash off the foam, according to the lawsuit.
The pool contained about a foot of water and was built with hay bales and sheets of plastic, the lawsuit said.
Mr. Holloway's lawyer, Robert Alden, said his client had about four beers before going to the party, where he climbed on top of a picnic table and belly-flopped into the pool. Mr. Alden said Mr. Holloway broke his neck when the top of his head hit a hay bale.
"He was successful in doing a belly-flop and keeping his head up. He didn't know how far he would travel once he hit, or the fact if he hit the hay bales it would break his neck," Mr. Alden said.
Mr. Holloway, a competitive swimmer in high school, had to take a year off from school for physical therapy, Mr. Alden said. He is now paralyzed except for his shoulders and his biceps, the lawyer said.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP/The Dallas Morning News) – A former University of Texas fraternity member is seeking $25 million in a lawsuit against the fraternity after being paralyzed following a belly-flop into a wading pool built by his fellow members for a party.
Wesley Holloway, 20, is suing the fraternity for negligence, claiming that Alpha Tau Omega built an unlicensed pool that lacked proper design, lighting, warning signs and other things required under city ordinances, according to the lawsuit.
The fraternity's attorney, Jim Ewbank, said members were told by a city engineer that an inspection wasn't needed.
"All of his frat brothers feel terrible that it happened, but legally speaking, we think that he was responsible for this," Mr. Ewbank told the Austin American-Statesman.
The fraternity doesn't have pool parties any more, Mr. Ewbank said.
In May 2003, the group had filled one of its rooms with foam as a party stunt. They built a pool in the back yard so partygoers could wash off the foam, according to the lawsuit.
The pool contained about a foot of water and was built with hay bales and sheets of plastic, the lawsuit said.
Mr. Holloway's lawyer, Robert Alden, said his client had about four beers before going to the party, where he climbed on top of a picnic table and belly-flopped into the pool. Mr. Alden said Mr. Holloway broke his neck when the top of his head hit a hay bale.
"He was successful in doing a belly-flop and keeping his head up. He didn't know how far he would travel once he hit, or the fact if he hit the hay bales it would break his neck," Mr. Alden said.
Mr. Holloway, a competitive swimmer in high school, had to take a year off from school for physical therapy, Mr. Alden said. He is now paralyzed except for his shoulders and his biceps, the lawyer said.
Last edited by TexasStooge on Mon Jan 17, 2005 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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TexasStooge
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City fires new salvo in war against sex biz
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - In the latest salvo in Dallas' on-going war against illegally operating sexually-oriented businesses, the city attorney's office has blocked an adult bookstore from opening near Children's Hospital on the Stemmons Expressway. A one-time boot store on Stemmons was to have been the newest Fine Arts Bookstore.
The city has stepped up enforcement against sexually-oriented businesses several times in the past, with varying degrees of success.
"At this point it is not resolved," city attorney Madeline Johnson said, "We're still having discussions with them. We're talking with them."
The city's sexually-oriented business ordinance says adult book stores, nude bars and other establishments must be at least 1,000 feet from schools, churches, hospitals and residential areas. The book store, Johnson said, is somewhere between 700 and 800 feet. The bookstore's owners dispute the city's decision and the math. They claim the business "dotted every I and crossed every T on the business application," and is more than 1,000 feet from the hospital.
Mayor Laura Miller has long fought the city's sex industry, especially along I-35 and near Love Field. "Sexually-oriented businesses have played games with the law and looked for loopholes and actually spent a lot of time deceiving us about what they are and what they do behind their doors," she said.
The city has promised a new round of stepped-up enforcement. "We are convinced that these businesses have some very questionable things going on," Johnson said.
"The business owners can be on notice that we know they're there. We know what's going on and we are going to do something about it."
"I think it is perfectly appropriate that we make it not very easy to open sexually-oriented businesses, because of our history with that industry," the mayor added.
The promise of increased police and code enforcement action will certainly win support from many residents near the sexually-oriented businesses. But the clubs and other adult stores have been just as aggressive, filing numerous lawsuits or simply moving to new locations.
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - In the latest salvo in Dallas' on-going war against illegally operating sexually-oriented businesses, the city attorney's office has blocked an adult bookstore from opening near Children's Hospital on the Stemmons Expressway. A one-time boot store on Stemmons was to have been the newest Fine Arts Bookstore.
The city has stepped up enforcement against sexually-oriented businesses several times in the past, with varying degrees of success.
"At this point it is not resolved," city attorney Madeline Johnson said, "We're still having discussions with them. We're talking with them."
The city's sexually-oriented business ordinance says adult book stores, nude bars and other establishments must be at least 1,000 feet from schools, churches, hospitals and residential areas. The book store, Johnson said, is somewhere between 700 and 800 feet. The bookstore's owners dispute the city's decision and the math. They claim the business "dotted every I and crossed every T on the business application," and is more than 1,000 feet from the hospital.
Mayor Laura Miller has long fought the city's sex industry, especially along I-35 and near Love Field. "Sexually-oriented businesses have played games with the law and looked for loopholes and actually spent a lot of time deceiving us about what they are and what they do behind their doors," she said.
The city has promised a new round of stepped-up enforcement. "We are convinced that these businesses have some very questionable things going on," Johnson said.
"The business owners can be on notice that we know they're there. We know what's going on and we are going to do something about it."
"I think it is perfectly appropriate that we make it not very easy to open sexually-oriented businesses, because of our history with that industry," the mayor added.
The promise of increased police and code enforcement action will certainly win support from many residents near the sexually-oriented businesses. But the clubs and other adult stores have been just as aggressive, filing numerous lawsuits or simply moving to new locations.
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TexasStooge
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Fire raises fears for elderly, disabled
No one hurt, but some tenants unable to flee West Oak Cliff tower
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A fire Sunday at a Dallas Housing Authority high-rise in west Oak Cliff sent residents fleeing when smoke in a trash chute spread to every floor.
There were no injuries, and only minor building damage was reported in the fire at the 12-story Cliff Manor Apartments. Fire officials said it could have been much worse.
Dozens of elderly and disabled residents living on upper floors could not leave the building after elevators were deactivated.
"I was really upset because I knew I couldn't go down all them stairs," said Shirley Hamilton, who uses a cane to walk. She made her way from the 12th floor to the 10th, where she could get fresh air.
"There needs to be a way for the disabled to get out besides going down them stairs," she said.
Dallas Fire-Rescue Lt. Joel Lavender said, "That's something that maybe should be addressed is where do you place tenants when some are non-ambulatory. Maybe they should change it so they live on lower floors.
"When you put all the 'what ifs' into play, we're very fortunate."
Some residents were able to escape the building in the 2400 block of Fort Worth Avenue. Dallas Fire-Rescue crews evacuated others on the first three floors before the fire was put out and the smoke cleared, then went door to door checking on the remaining residents, Lt. Lavender said.
Some of the building's 170 residents complained that some fence gates were chained shut.
Stairwells on the sides of the building open onto a fenced-in yard and parking area. The pedestrian gates were chained, and only residents with access cards could open the vehicle gates.
"If there's a big fire and the building blows up, you're stuck, unless you have a card," said Raymond Walker, a caregiver for one of the residents.
Dallas Housing Authority spokeswoman Michelle Raglon said the agency has policies for fire evacuation as well as determining residents' location in a building, "but I can't cite them for you tonight because I don't have them."
Lt. Lavender said Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention Joe Pierce will look into the situation.
No one hurt, but some tenants unable to flee West Oak Cliff tower
By STEPHANIE SANDOVAL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A fire Sunday at a Dallas Housing Authority high-rise in west Oak Cliff sent residents fleeing when smoke in a trash chute spread to every floor.
There were no injuries, and only minor building damage was reported in the fire at the 12-story Cliff Manor Apartments. Fire officials said it could have been much worse.
Dozens of elderly and disabled residents living on upper floors could not leave the building after elevators were deactivated.
"I was really upset because I knew I couldn't go down all them stairs," said Shirley Hamilton, who uses a cane to walk. She made her way from the 12th floor to the 10th, where she could get fresh air.
"There needs to be a way for the disabled to get out besides going down them stairs," she said.
Dallas Fire-Rescue Lt. Joel Lavender said, "That's something that maybe should be addressed is where do you place tenants when some are non-ambulatory. Maybe they should change it so they live on lower floors.
"When you put all the 'what ifs' into play, we're very fortunate."
Some residents were able to escape the building in the 2400 block of Fort Worth Avenue. Dallas Fire-Rescue crews evacuated others on the first three floors before the fire was put out and the smoke cleared, then went door to door checking on the remaining residents, Lt. Lavender said.
Some of the building's 170 residents complained that some fence gates were chained shut.
Stairwells on the sides of the building open onto a fenced-in yard and parking area. The pedestrian gates were chained, and only residents with access cards could open the vehicle gates.
"If there's a big fire and the building blows up, you're stuck, unless you have a card," said Raymond Walker, a caregiver for one of the residents.
Dallas Housing Authority spokeswoman Michelle Raglon said the agency has policies for fire evacuation as well as determining residents' location in a building, "but I can't cite them for you tonight because I don't have them."
Lt. Lavender said Deputy Chief of Fire Prevention Joe Pierce will look into the situation.
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TexasStooge
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Irving residents going to Sri Lanka to aid victims
Group raises $40,000, plans to deliver food, clothing and supplies
By ESTHER WU / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Moved by the devastation of the tsunamis in southern Asia, some Irving residents are heading home to help.
"I missed losing my entire family by just minutes," said Dawood Jameel, who moved to the United States from Sri Lanka in 1982. "Thankfully they are all OK. But I felt so far away from home and so helpless here in the United States. I wanted to do something to help."
Today, Mr. Jameel is headed to Sri Lanka, where he will help deliver food, clothing and supplies.
He will be joined by fellow Irving residents Jaffar Edhi and Atham Aufer, who left Friday afternoon. The Baitulmaal, an Islamic charitable organization based in Irving, is organizing the trip. Hasan Hadj, a former imam at the Islamic Center of Irving, started the Baitulmaal in April.
"We collected close to $40,000 for the tsunami relief," Mr. Hadj said. "And we wanted to use that money wisely to help as many people as possible."
Mr. Hadj asked Mr. Jameel and Mr. Aufer, who also is from Sri Lanka, to help identify what was most needed in their country.
"Then we used local contacts to make direct purchases to make the money go as far as we could," Mr. Hadj said.
Mr. Edhi, an auditor for a major hotel chain, volunteered to help Mr. Jameel and Mr. Aufer oversee the distribution of the supplies.
"I've always wanted to join the Peace Corps," Mr. Edhi said. "So I saw this as an opportunity that I could not turn away from. I want to do what I can to help these people."
The men are scheduled to meet Monday in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, where they will finish procuring and loading supplies and trucks.
Mr. Edhi and Mr. Aufer will travel to the town of Akkaraipattu in the east, while Mr. Jameel will lead another group to Galle in the south.
"On the initial trip, the trucks will carry a total of 75 tons of cement for distribution to people now trying to repair houses damaged by the tsunami," Mr. Jameel said. "There will also be trucks transporting powdered milk, school supplies and shoes. School was supposed to start last week."
Mr. Aufer said the plan is to assess the needs before distributing the supplies.
"I have sent whatever I had in my pockets to my people, but when I called them, they said you need to come and see for yourself what has happened," said Mr. Aufer, who works at a gas station in Irving.
"They said no matter what we are seeing on TV, it was really much worse."
Mr. Hadj said the men will stay at least a week, but they may stay longer.
"We will be sending money as we collect it here," he said. "I'm sure there will be things they need to buy once they are on the ground, and the needs will change as time passes."
Mr. Jameel, a project manager for a local telecom company, is staying with relatives while on this mission.
"My entire family, my brothers, sister and their families had taken my mother to the beach that day," Mr. Jameel said.
He said the family had been playing along the water when a hotel employee ran out to warn everyone that a tidal wave had just struck another part of the coast and was coming their way.
"My family left the beach five minutes before the waves hit. I could have lost my entire family," Mr. Jameel said. "We were so fortunate. How could I not help others?"
Group raises $40,000, plans to deliver food, clothing and supplies
By ESTHER WU / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Moved by the devastation of the tsunamis in southern Asia, some Irving residents are heading home to help.
"I missed losing my entire family by just minutes," said Dawood Jameel, who moved to the United States from Sri Lanka in 1982. "Thankfully they are all OK. But I felt so far away from home and so helpless here in the United States. I wanted to do something to help."
Today, Mr. Jameel is headed to Sri Lanka, where he will help deliver food, clothing and supplies.
He will be joined by fellow Irving residents Jaffar Edhi and Atham Aufer, who left Friday afternoon. The Baitulmaal, an Islamic charitable organization based in Irving, is organizing the trip. Hasan Hadj, a former imam at the Islamic Center of Irving, started the Baitulmaal in April.
"We collected close to $40,000 for the tsunami relief," Mr. Hadj said. "And we wanted to use that money wisely to help as many people as possible."
Mr. Hadj asked Mr. Jameel and Mr. Aufer, who also is from Sri Lanka, to help identify what was most needed in their country.
"Then we used local contacts to make direct purchases to make the money go as far as we could," Mr. Hadj said.
Mr. Edhi, an auditor for a major hotel chain, volunteered to help Mr. Jameel and Mr. Aufer oversee the distribution of the supplies.
"I've always wanted to join the Peace Corps," Mr. Edhi said. "So I saw this as an opportunity that I could not turn away from. I want to do what I can to help these people."
The men are scheduled to meet Monday in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, where they will finish procuring and loading supplies and trucks.
Mr. Edhi and Mr. Aufer will travel to the town of Akkaraipattu in the east, while Mr. Jameel will lead another group to Galle in the south.
"On the initial trip, the trucks will carry a total of 75 tons of cement for distribution to people now trying to repair houses damaged by the tsunami," Mr. Jameel said. "There will also be trucks transporting powdered milk, school supplies and shoes. School was supposed to start last week."
Mr. Aufer said the plan is to assess the needs before distributing the supplies.
"I have sent whatever I had in my pockets to my people, but when I called them, they said you need to come and see for yourself what has happened," said Mr. Aufer, who works at a gas station in Irving.
"They said no matter what we are seeing on TV, it was really much worse."
Mr. Hadj said the men will stay at least a week, but they may stay longer.
"We will be sending money as we collect it here," he said. "I'm sure there will be things they need to buy once they are on the ground, and the needs will change as time passes."
Mr. Jameel, a project manager for a local telecom company, is staying with relatives while on this mission.
"My entire family, my brothers, sister and their families had taken my mother to the beach that day," Mr. Jameel said.
He said the family had been playing along the water when a hotel employee ran out to warn everyone that a tidal wave had just struck another part of the coast and was coming their way.
"My family left the beach five minutes before the waves hit. I could have lost my entire family," Mr. Jameel said. "We were so fortunate. How could I not help others?"
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TexasStooge
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Lack of clues frustrates missing woman's family
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
SANGER, Texas - Relatives of a missing Denton County woman have brought in a Texas search-and-rescue team to help them broaden their search for clues.
The law enforcement investigation into Katherine Stobaugh's disappearance has produced few leads so far, which is fueling frustration among some of her relatives.
The team joined Stobaugh's family this weekend in combing acres of land for the schoolteacher who has now been missing for more than two weeks.
"We're just frustrated, because it just seems like there are no other leads out there," said brother Chris Munday. "We're trying to get as many leads out there as possible to try to look. I just don't feel like enough of an effort has been put out to search for Kathy."
Law enforcement officials searched for clues at a Sanger ranch on Friday where the missing woman's husband Charles Stobaugh lives, and where they said she was last seen.
Yet, relatives feel no closer to finding her.
"I know they're doing their job, but you know they're limited to resources of what they can do," Munday said.
Members of both sides of the family joined the search-and-rescue personnel, who have helped in high-profile search efforts like those for Shirley Genes in Dallas, and Rochelle Tolleson of Farmersville.
"We just wanna find her, and get some kind of resolution," said Charles Stobaugh's uncle Louis Hames.
This weekend, more than 100 people searched a ten-mile radius around the area where Stobaugh was last seen, looking for her purse, a shoe track, a button ... anything that might point them in the right direction.
"People in the Sanger area, if they just went and looked on their own property to check for evidence of Katherine, you never know what you might turn up," said search and rescue volunteer Dana Ames. "It could truly make a difference to this family, and she might be found."
While the police investigation continues, the volunteer search team is mobilizing and growing with more locations scheduled to be searched this week.
"The answers are out there," said Munday. "We just have to get them."
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
SANGER, Texas - Relatives of a missing Denton County woman have brought in a Texas search-and-rescue team to help them broaden their search for clues.
The law enforcement investigation into Katherine Stobaugh's disappearance has produced few leads so far, which is fueling frustration among some of her relatives.
The team joined Stobaugh's family this weekend in combing acres of land for the schoolteacher who has now been missing for more than two weeks.
"We're just frustrated, because it just seems like there are no other leads out there," said brother Chris Munday. "We're trying to get as many leads out there as possible to try to look. I just don't feel like enough of an effort has been put out to search for Kathy."
Law enforcement officials searched for clues at a Sanger ranch on Friday where the missing woman's husband Charles Stobaugh lives, and where they said she was last seen.
Yet, relatives feel no closer to finding her.
"I know they're doing their job, but you know they're limited to resources of what they can do," Munday said.
Members of both sides of the family joined the search-and-rescue personnel, who have helped in high-profile search efforts like those for Shirley Genes in Dallas, and Rochelle Tolleson of Farmersville.
"We just wanna find her, and get some kind of resolution," said Charles Stobaugh's uncle Louis Hames.
This weekend, more than 100 people searched a ten-mile radius around the area where Stobaugh was last seen, looking for her purse, a shoe track, a button ... anything that might point them in the right direction.
"People in the Sanger area, if they just went and looked on their own property to check for evidence of Katherine, you never know what you might turn up," said search and rescue volunteer Dana Ames. "It could truly make a difference to this family, and she might be found."
While the police investigation continues, the volunteer search team is mobilizing and growing with more locations scheduled to be searched this week.
"The answers are out there," said Munday. "We just have to get them."
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