Texas military rape trial halted
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — A military judge on Friday halted the rape trial of an officer accused in the assault an Air Force Academy cadet whose civilian rape counselor has refused to hand over records of their conversations.
1st Lt. Joseph Harding will, however, be tried on a charge of indecent assault against another Academy cadet, said the judge, Col. David Brash, who did not elaborate on his ruling. The indecent assault charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The rape charge carried a maximum life term.
Brash's ruling was in response to a defense motion to stop the trial. Defense attorney David Sheldon said access to the counselor's records were necessary for a fair trial.
“Obviously, we believe it was the correct ruling by a military judge,” Sheldon said.
An attorney for the woman in the rape case, Jessica Brakey, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.
Harding, a pilot trainee stationed at Columbus AFB, Miss., is accused of raping Brakey in 2000 and of an indecent assault against another cadet in 1999. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
The counselor, Jennifer Bier, of Colorado Springs, has been threatened with arrest for refusing to hand over records of her sessions with Brakey. Bier's attorneys say she will not give up the subpoenaed records, which she considers confidential, and that they will file an emergency appeal if she is arrested.
A provision of military law protects an accuser's communication with psychotherapists.
Sheldon's ruling came after a lengthy closed hearing on the defense motion that began Wednesday.
The indecent assault case, in which Harding is accused of trying to force the female cadet to touch his genitals.
News from the Lone Star State
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Highway pedestrian deaths a growing concern
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - Police are noticing a disturbing trend when it comes to fatal car accidents on highways.
Out of 68 deadly car accidents in Fort Worth in 2004, 23 involved pedestrians.
So far this year, six of the 28 people who have died in accidents have been pedestrians. The latest victim was a 13-year-old boy, run over by a state trooper on Tuesday.
Even before the teenager was killed trying to cross Loop 820 this week, police were trying to figure out what they could do to keep pedestrians off highways.
"We've sent out e-mails to all the officers; the idea is to be aware of it," said Fort Worth Police Sgt. Don Hanlon. "We've told officers any time we've got people on the freeway, we need to try to get them off the freeway."
But by the time officers see someone crossing a freeway, it's almost always too late to respond. At highway speed, it takes only about three seconds for a car to cover the length of a football field.
Hanlon deals with victims on both sides, including innocent drivers who often feel guilty for causing a death they couldn't avoid.
"I go to every fatality on the freeway," Hanlon said. "We get calls all the time from people who want counseling, and to talk to the family, try to apologize and say how sorry they are their loved one was killed."
As mentioned in the statistic above, one-third of all traffic deaths in Fort Worth last year were pedestrians. That's more than enough for police to issue another reminder: it's not just dangerous to walk on a freeway, it's illegal.
Said Hanlon, "There's no pedestrians allowed on freeways whatsoever."
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - Police are noticing a disturbing trend when it comes to fatal car accidents on highways.
Out of 68 deadly car accidents in Fort Worth in 2004, 23 involved pedestrians.
So far this year, six of the 28 people who have died in accidents have been pedestrians. The latest victim was a 13-year-old boy, run over by a state trooper on Tuesday.
Even before the teenager was killed trying to cross Loop 820 this week, police were trying to figure out what they could do to keep pedestrians off highways.
"We've sent out e-mails to all the officers; the idea is to be aware of it," said Fort Worth Police Sgt. Don Hanlon. "We've told officers any time we've got people on the freeway, we need to try to get them off the freeway."
But by the time officers see someone crossing a freeway, it's almost always too late to respond. At highway speed, it takes only about three seconds for a car to cover the length of a football field.
Hanlon deals with victims on both sides, including innocent drivers who often feel guilty for causing a death they couldn't avoid.
"I go to every fatality on the freeway," Hanlon said. "We get calls all the time from people who want counseling, and to talk to the family, try to apologize and say how sorry they are their loved one was killed."
As mentioned in the statistic above, one-third of all traffic deaths in Fort Worth last year were pedestrians. That's more than enough for police to issue another reminder: it's not just dangerous to walk on a freeway, it's illegal.
Said Hanlon, "There's no pedestrians allowed on freeways whatsoever."
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Home invasion suspect strikes again?
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The suspect involved in a string of home invasions may also be responsible for a new violent crime. Sources within the Dallas police said they are looking into the possibility that during a home invasion the suspect raped two women.
Police said the armed and violent man has been involved in eight home invasions and two car jackings that began May 20. They also said he may have used a shotgun to kill 50-year-old Cleofas Zapata on June 2 in Plano.
The first incident occurred in North Dallas and since then has spread across to four other cities including Coppell, Garland, Plano and Richardson
According to a Dallas police report, on June 14 a man entered an apartment on University Boulevard. He then pointed a shotgun at the victims and told them to wake up, demanded money and their car keys.
The report said he then ordered one victim to provide sex and sexually assaulted the second victim.
In the past several weeks, Dallas police issued warnings and talked about the importance of catching the suspect.
"As the home invasion robbings are increasing, the suspect is getting more violent," said Sr. Corporal Jamie Kimbrough, of the Dallas Police Dapartment. "That is why we are trying to find these suspects."
In addition to the latest incident involving the rapes, police said the suspect shot two women in Coppell and Dallas.
"When the mother of two of the girls wouldn't be quiet, he forced her into the back bedroom and he started beating her up," said Angela Rodriguez, the victim's friend.
Police said the suspect has worn a blue or red bandana over the lower part of his face and has typically targeted black or Hispanic women. They also said they need to catch him before anyone else gets hurt.
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The suspect involved in a string of home invasions may also be responsible for a new violent crime. Sources within the Dallas police said they are looking into the possibility that during a home invasion the suspect raped two women.
Police said the armed and violent man has been involved in eight home invasions and two car jackings that began May 20. They also said he may have used a shotgun to kill 50-year-old Cleofas Zapata on June 2 in Plano.
The first incident occurred in North Dallas and since then has spread across to four other cities including Coppell, Garland, Plano and Richardson
According to a Dallas police report, on June 14 a man entered an apartment on University Boulevard. He then pointed a shotgun at the victims and told them to wake up, demanded money and their car keys.
The report said he then ordered one victim to provide sex and sexually assaulted the second victim.
In the past several weeks, Dallas police issued warnings and talked about the importance of catching the suspect.
"As the home invasion robbings are increasing, the suspect is getting more violent," said Sr. Corporal Jamie Kimbrough, of the Dallas Police Dapartment. "That is why we are trying to find these suspects."
In addition to the latest incident involving the rapes, police said the suspect shot two women in Coppell and Dallas.
"When the mother of two of the girls wouldn't be quiet, he forced her into the back bedroom and he started beating her up," said Angela Rodriguez, the victim's friend.
Police said the suspect has worn a blue or red bandana over the lower part of his face and has typically targeted black or Hispanic women. They also said they need to catch him before anyone else gets hurt.
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Dallas ISD budget doesn't include raises
Board preserves homestead exemption, OKs cutting positions
By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The Dallas school board approved a $1.027 billion budget Thursday that preserves the school district's homestead exemption but leaves employees without pay raises.
Trustees approved the budget after hearing pleas from a dozen or so employees on why a raise was needed. Numerous cuts were made to balance the budget, including eliminating 277 positions through attrition.
"We're certainly disappointed that we weren't able to give the salary increase to our employees," new Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said after the meeting. "I can certainly empathize with what they feel. I don't blame them for being upset."
At least one trustee and a teachers association president criticized the board for not supporting Dr. Hinojosa's attempt to provide an employee raise.
"It's so unfair with his first budget proposal that the board wasn't able to support him in giving our teachers a well-deserved raise," trustee Ron Price said during a break after the budget was approved. "This is the saddest day in a long time."
At the meeting, Aimee Bolender, president of the Alliance AFT teachers association, thanked Dr. Hinojosa for his efforts to get employees a 2 percent salary increase. She said that trustees failed to support Dr. Hinojosa in his first initiative.
"He may be asking himself what the board meant when it committed to supporting his leadership," Ms. Bolender said.
Trustees had been split on doing away with the exemption. This budget year was particularly difficult as the district braces for an estimated $27.6 million reduction in state funding with no room to increase the tax rate for operating expenses. The district's tax rate, like that of many districts, is at the legal limit of $1.50 per $100 of assessed property value.
The 2005-06 budget is about $9 million less than last year's.
If trustees had eliminated the district's 10 percent homestead exemption, it would have raised homeowners' tax bills but netted the district $26 million to pay for additional expenses, including the raises and the ability to better balance spending among campuses.
District administrators used various methods to cut costs. In addition to eliminating positions through attrition, the district offered eligible employees incentives to retire, and 221 accepted. The budget also reduces teacher supply stipends from $250 to $200 annually.
Dr. Hinojosa wasn't in place when the bulk of the budget was being created.
But some employees had hoped he could persuade a majority of trustees to cut the homestead exemption for raises.
Mr. Price said he would have liked to have seen at least a 5 percentage-point reduction in the homestead exemption to help pay for raises.
Board President Lois Parrott said she was happy that trustees passed a balanced budget. She was also hopeful the current legislative session on school finance would provide the district some relief.
"We're hopeful that the state Legislature will come back and help us get a raise for teachers," Dr. Parrott said.
But some employees say the board could have found a way to provide salary increases. Some of them showed up at Thursday's meeting wearing green as a symbol of their solidarity.
Teacher Mark Harrington thanked the trustees during the meeting for expressing sympathy and understanding for not providing raises. But he said that won't pay his bills.
"Teachers with 15 to 20 years live paycheck to paycheck," Mr. Harrington said. "We're dedicated individuals who love the profession."
Board preserves homestead exemption, OKs cutting positions
By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The Dallas school board approved a $1.027 billion budget Thursday that preserves the school district's homestead exemption but leaves employees without pay raises.
Trustees approved the budget after hearing pleas from a dozen or so employees on why a raise was needed. Numerous cuts were made to balance the budget, including eliminating 277 positions through attrition.
"We're certainly disappointed that we weren't able to give the salary increase to our employees," new Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said after the meeting. "I can certainly empathize with what they feel. I don't blame them for being upset."
At least one trustee and a teachers association president criticized the board for not supporting Dr. Hinojosa's attempt to provide an employee raise.
"It's so unfair with his first budget proposal that the board wasn't able to support him in giving our teachers a well-deserved raise," trustee Ron Price said during a break after the budget was approved. "This is the saddest day in a long time."
At the meeting, Aimee Bolender, president of the Alliance AFT teachers association, thanked Dr. Hinojosa for his efforts to get employees a 2 percent salary increase. She said that trustees failed to support Dr. Hinojosa in his first initiative.
"He may be asking himself what the board meant when it committed to supporting his leadership," Ms. Bolender said.
Trustees had been split on doing away with the exemption. This budget year was particularly difficult as the district braces for an estimated $27.6 million reduction in state funding with no room to increase the tax rate for operating expenses. The district's tax rate, like that of many districts, is at the legal limit of $1.50 per $100 of assessed property value.
The 2005-06 budget is about $9 million less than last year's.
If trustees had eliminated the district's 10 percent homestead exemption, it would have raised homeowners' tax bills but netted the district $26 million to pay for additional expenses, including the raises and the ability to better balance spending among campuses.
District administrators used various methods to cut costs. In addition to eliminating positions through attrition, the district offered eligible employees incentives to retire, and 221 accepted. The budget also reduces teacher supply stipends from $250 to $200 annually.
Dr. Hinojosa wasn't in place when the bulk of the budget was being created.
But some employees had hoped he could persuade a majority of trustees to cut the homestead exemption for raises.
Mr. Price said he would have liked to have seen at least a 5 percentage-point reduction in the homestead exemption to help pay for raises.
Board President Lois Parrott said she was happy that trustees passed a balanced budget. She was also hopeful the current legislative session on school finance would provide the district some relief.
"We're hopeful that the state Legislature will come back and help us get a raise for teachers," Dr. Parrott said.
But some employees say the board could have found a way to provide salary increases. Some of them showed up at Thursday's meeting wearing green as a symbol of their solidarity.
Teacher Mark Harrington thanked the trustees during the meeting for expressing sympathy and understanding for not providing raises. But he said that won't pay his bills.
"Teachers with 15 to 20 years live paycheck to paycheck," Mr. Harrington said. "We're dedicated individuals who love the profession."
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Broken pipe leads to Tarrant water shortage (Updated)
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - A massive water main break in Fort Worth flooded an intersection along Highway 121 Thursday morning, stranding several drivers, cutting off access to businesses in the area and causing a water shortage in areas served by the line.
The 54-inch line carrying water from the Rolling Hills Treatment Plant broke around 9:30 a.m., and began flooding Beach Street at the southbound 121 service road. Rushing water cascaded across the roads and through parking lots of several fast-food restaurants, causing a large sinkhole in the parking lot of one empty restaurant.
One driver had to be rescued from his vehicle, and other cars could be seen stranded in high water.
Officials said it is early in the investigation, but heat and excessive water consumption may have led to the pipe's rupture.
"Pressures are up in the system, the ground's been dry, soils shift and we haven't had rain in a while," said Fort Worth Water Department spokeswoman Mary Gugliuzza. "It's hard to say for sure, but it's probably a combination of factors. This line is at least 30 years old."
Water officials are pleading for residents in Fort Worth as well as the other affected areas to refrain from outdoor watering until further notice, because of the reduced supply caused by the break.
The water main break affects residents who live north of Loop 820 between Jacksboro Highway on the west and Denton Highway/377 on the east. The broken water main primarily served cities north of Fort Worth that purchased water from the city, including Saginaw, North Richland Hills, Lake Worth, Haltom City, Keller, Westlake, Northlake, Haslet and more.
Drivers are urged to avoid the area until the mess can be cleaned up.
WFAA ABC 8
Collapsing pavement turned a parking lot into a pond.
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - A massive water main break in Fort Worth flooded an intersection along Highway 121 Thursday morning, stranding several drivers, cutting off access to businesses in the area and causing a water shortage in areas served by the line.
The 54-inch line carrying water from the Rolling Hills Treatment Plant broke around 9:30 a.m., and began flooding Beach Street at the southbound 121 service road. Rushing water cascaded across the roads and through parking lots of several fast-food restaurants, causing a large sinkhole in the parking lot of one empty restaurant.
One driver had to be rescued from his vehicle, and other cars could be seen stranded in high water.
Officials said it is early in the investigation, but heat and excessive water consumption may have led to the pipe's rupture.
"Pressures are up in the system, the ground's been dry, soils shift and we haven't had rain in a while," said Fort Worth Water Department spokeswoman Mary Gugliuzza. "It's hard to say for sure, but it's probably a combination of factors. This line is at least 30 years old."
Water officials are pleading for residents in Fort Worth as well as the other affected areas to refrain from outdoor watering until further notice, because of the reduced supply caused by the break.
The water main break affects residents who live north of Loop 820 between Jacksboro Highway on the west and Denton Highway/377 on the east. The broken water main primarily served cities north of Fort Worth that purchased water from the city, including Saginaw, North Richland Hills, Lake Worth, Haltom City, Keller, Westlake, Northlake, Haslet and more.
Drivers are urged to avoid the area until the mess can be cleaned up.
WFAA ABC 8
Collapsing pavement turned a parking lot into a pond.
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Farmersville man found guilty of murder
McKinney: Man could face death for killing young mother
By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
McKINNEY, Texas - After less than 10 minutes of deliberation, a Collin County jury on Thursday found a 21-year-old Farmersville man guilty of capital murder in the strangulation of a young mother.
Moises Sandoval Mendoza, who has confessed to choking 20-year-old Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson and "poking her in the throat" with a knife, did not react when state District Judge Mark Rusch read the verdict.
The same jury will consider his punishment today. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
The audience that packed the courtroom followed the judge's instructions and did not respond to the verdict. But once they left the courtroom, emotion built up during the three-day trial poured from Ms. Tolleson's family members.
Holding one another and sobbing, Ms. Tolleson's mother, father, grandparents and cousins quietly celebrated and mourned. One voice rose from the group: "This is what we wanted."
Pam O'Neil, Ms. Tolleson's mother, said she has mixed emotions about the verdict.
"I am happy. But what keeps going through my mind is: 'I'm a mother, and I lost my daughter.' At the same time, I feel for Moises' mother, any mother who loses a child. It breaks my heart," she said.
Ms. Tolleson's family supports the death penalty for Mr. Mendoza.
The Mendoza family did not want to comment.
Ms. Tolleson disappeared from her home last spring. Ms. O'Neil found Ms. Tolleson's 6-month-old daughter, Avery, alone in the house.
A few days later, Ms. Tolleson's burned body was discovered in a creek bed east of Farmersville after days of searching by family and friends.
Mr. Mendoza's attorney, Juan C. Sanchez, argued that Mr. Mendoza did not commit capital murder.
Capital murder is murder committed during a felony such as kidnapping, burglary, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson or retaliation.
Mr. Sanchez never denied that his client committed murder. But in closing arguments, he said Ms. Tolleson was not the victim of kidnapping, rape or aggravated sexual assault, as the prosecutors had said.
Mr. Mendoza has said that he and Ms. Tolleson had consensual sex that night.
"Is it reasonable to infer and believe that they had some kind of relationship? It might not be the kind of relationship that we and society would call a relationship. It could have been just sex," Mr. Sanchez said.
Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Greg Davis pointed to Mr. Mendoza's confession.
"After choking her down in the cab of the pickup, she said, 'Oh, let's have some sex.' That's what we are supposed to believe?" Mr. Davis asked. "To believe the defendant's story is to throw away common sense."
The prosecution built its case against Mr. Mendoza around videotaped and handwritten confessions, which were given the day after Ms. Tolleson's body was found.
DNA evidence was also brought up in the trial. Ms. Tolleson's blood was found on a pair of Mr. Mendoza's jeans and on the pickup truck he was known to drive.
Mr. Sanchez questioned the validity of that evidence and whether it was contaminated.
Ms. O'Neil wanted to watch the trial of her daughter's accused killer. But she was not in the courtroom for most of the proceeding because she was a witness and not allowed to watch others testify.
But in the end, she said the verdict brought some satisfaction.
"I feel like justice was done," she said.
Walking out of the Collin County Courthouse on Thursday, Ms. O'Neil's cousin, Char Clark, reminded her that it's not quite over.
"There's still phase two whether he lives or dies," Ms. Clark said.
McKinney: Man could face death for killing young mother
By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
McKINNEY, Texas - After less than 10 minutes of deliberation, a Collin County jury on Thursday found a 21-year-old Farmersville man guilty of capital murder in the strangulation of a young mother.
Moises Sandoval Mendoza, who has confessed to choking 20-year-old Rachelle O'Neil Tolleson and "poking her in the throat" with a knife, did not react when state District Judge Mark Rusch read the verdict.
The same jury will consider his punishment today. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
The audience that packed the courtroom followed the judge's instructions and did not respond to the verdict. But once they left the courtroom, emotion built up during the three-day trial poured from Ms. Tolleson's family members.
Holding one another and sobbing, Ms. Tolleson's mother, father, grandparents and cousins quietly celebrated and mourned. One voice rose from the group: "This is what we wanted."
Pam O'Neil, Ms. Tolleson's mother, said she has mixed emotions about the verdict.
"I am happy. But what keeps going through my mind is: 'I'm a mother, and I lost my daughter.' At the same time, I feel for Moises' mother, any mother who loses a child. It breaks my heart," she said.
Ms. Tolleson's family supports the death penalty for Mr. Mendoza.
The Mendoza family did not want to comment.
Ms. Tolleson disappeared from her home last spring. Ms. O'Neil found Ms. Tolleson's 6-month-old daughter, Avery, alone in the house.
A few days later, Ms. Tolleson's burned body was discovered in a creek bed east of Farmersville after days of searching by family and friends.
Mr. Mendoza's attorney, Juan C. Sanchez, argued that Mr. Mendoza did not commit capital murder.
Capital murder is murder committed during a felony such as kidnapping, burglary, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson or retaliation.
Mr. Sanchez never denied that his client committed murder. But in closing arguments, he said Ms. Tolleson was not the victim of kidnapping, rape or aggravated sexual assault, as the prosecutors had said.
Mr. Mendoza has said that he and Ms. Tolleson had consensual sex that night.
"Is it reasonable to infer and believe that they had some kind of relationship? It might not be the kind of relationship that we and society would call a relationship. It could have been just sex," Mr. Sanchez said.
Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Greg Davis pointed to Mr. Mendoza's confession.
"After choking her down in the cab of the pickup, she said, 'Oh, let's have some sex.' That's what we are supposed to believe?" Mr. Davis asked. "To believe the defendant's story is to throw away common sense."
The prosecution built its case against Mr. Mendoza around videotaped and handwritten confessions, which were given the day after Ms. Tolleson's body was found.
DNA evidence was also brought up in the trial. Ms. Tolleson's blood was found on a pair of Mr. Mendoza's jeans and on the pickup truck he was known to drive.
Mr. Sanchez questioned the validity of that evidence and whether it was contaminated.
Ms. O'Neil wanted to watch the trial of her daughter's accused killer. But she was not in the courtroom for most of the proceeding because she was a witness and not allowed to watch others testify.
But in the end, she said the verdict brought some satisfaction.
"I feel like justice was done," she said.
Walking out of the Collin County Courthouse on Thursday, Ms. O'Neil's cousin, Char Clark, reminded her that it's not quite over.
"There's still phase two whether he lives or dies," Ms. Clark said.
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Hurst mom convicted in baby-dumping case
FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) — A Tarrant County jury took less than three hours to decide that Dana Wilson is guilty of attempted capital murder for leaving her newborn baby in a trash container.
The Hurst woman, 25, admitted to giving birth to the unwanted baby alone at her home shortly before Thanksgiving in 2003.
Police said she wrapped the infant in two plastic garbage bags and discarded him in a dumpster behind a strip shopping center in Hurst.
The jury received the case just before nooon Thursday, following three days of testimony.
Wilson's baby survived the ordeal, but doctors testified he is now mentally retarded as a result of oxygen deprivation.
The boy is now in the custody of his maternal grandparents.
File / WFAA ABC 8
A jury convicted Dana Wilson on Thursday.
FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) — A Tarrant County jury took less than three hours to decide that Dana Wilson is guilty of attempted capital murder for leaving her newborn baby in a trash container.
The Hurst woman, 25, admitted to giving birth to the unwanted baby alone at her home shortly before Thanksgiving in 2003.
Police said she wrapped the infant in two plastic garbage bags and discarded him in a dumpster behind a strip shopping center in Hurst.
The jury received the case just before nooon Thursday, following three days of testimony.
Wilson's baby survived the ordeal, but doctors testified he is now mentally retarded as a result of oxygen deprivation.
The boy is now in the custody of his maternal grandparents.
File / WFAA ABC 8
A jury convicted Dana Wilson on Thursday.
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CRIME ALERT: Thieves steal tools from charity
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
MCKINNEY, Texas - Habitat for humanity volunteers said they are heartbroken by the theft of tools they used to help them build affordable housing in McKinney.
This was the second time burglars victimized a charitable organization in the same neighborhood.
North Collin County Habitat for Humanity officials said they believe whoever broke into the trailer knew this was a habitat house.
The home, built for a single mother with three children, was the only home under construction. As a result, most of the organization's power tools were in the trailer nearby.
Volunteers who have donated their time, sweat and labor to build habitat homes said they are upset and confused.
"Instead of working hard for your money and doing what you need to do, they would rather go out stealing," said Maria Barrientez, a Habitat for Humanity volunteer.
The thieves got away with an assortment of power tools from nailers and saws to shears and compressor tanks.
"They have not just stolen from an organization," said Timothy Lee Solano, a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. "They have stolen from people who don't have the power to help themselves."
Solano said he takes the hit personally because he is not just a volunteer; he lives in a habitat home.
"It breaks my heart to think that somebody would take a huge chunk of what we do and use it to their gain at the detriment of people who can't afford to help themselves," he said.
Last summer, burglars broke more hearts in the same neighborhood. The thieves broke into the holy family school across the street from the habitat house and stole $5,000 worth of meat from a freezer.
"It makes you angry," Barrientez said. "It makes you sad and it makes you not want to live on this side of town."
Habitat volunteers are going to continue to build the house. However, with no power tools to complete the job the project will be delayed.
celeste faro/north collin habitat for humanity: "It's very heartbreaking, especially when everyone works so hard to raise the money to build these houses and then people steal the tools that actually make it happen," said Celeste Faro of the North Collin County Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat executives said they don't have money in their budget to buy new tools and hope the community will step forward and help replace them.
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
MCKINNEY, Texas - Habitat for humanity volunteers said they are heartbroken by the theft of tools they used to help them build affordable housing in McKinney.
This was the second time burglars victimized a charitable organization in the same neighborhood.
North Collin County Habitat for Humanity officials said they believe whoever broke into the trailer knew this was a habitat house.
The home, built for a single mother with three children, was the only home under construction. As a result, most of the organization's power tools were in the trailer nearby.
Volunteers who have donated their time, sweat and labor to build habitat homes said they are upset and confused.
"Instead of working hard for your money and doing what you need to do, they would rather go out stealing," said Maria Barrientez, a Habitat for Humanity volunteer.
The thieves got away with an assortment of power tools from nailers and saws to shears and compressor tanks.
"They have not just stolen from an organization," said Timothy Lee Solano, a Habitat for Humanity volunteer. "They have stolen from people who don't have the power to help themselves."
Solano said he takes the hit personally because he is not just a volunteer; he lives in a habitat home.
"It breaks my heart to think that somebody would take a huge chunk of what we do and use it to their gain at the detriment of people who can't afford to help themselves," he said.
Last summer, burglars broke more hearts in the same neighborhood. The thieves broke into the holy family school across the street from the habitat house and stole $5,000 worth of meat from a freezer.
"It makes you angry," Barrientez said. "It makes you sad and it makes you not want to live on this side of town."
Habitat volunteers are going to continue to build the house. However, with no power tools to complete the job the project will be delayed.
celeste faro/north collin habitat for humanity: "It's very heartbreaking, especially when everyone works so hard to raise the money to build these houses and then people steal the tools that actually make it happen," said Celeste Faro of the North Collin County Habitat for Humanity.
Habitat executives said they don't have money in their budget to buy new tools and hope the community will step forward and help replace them.
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Sex assaults may be linked to robberies
Man wearing bandana sought in crime spree in Dallas, suburbs
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Police say a shotgun-toting robber who may be responsible for a string of home invasions, two carjackings and a murder apparently has struck again – this time sexually assaulting two young women in a northeast Dallas apartment.
The June 14 assaults at an apartment in the 5700 block of East University Boulevard are the 10th in what police suspect is a series of attacks by a man who usually wears a red or blue bandana.
The man has carried out robberies in Dallas, Richardson, Garland and Coppell, shooting and injuring two women in Coppell and Dallas.
Plano detectives are investigating whether the same suspect is also responsible for the June 2 shooting death of 50-year-old accountant Cleofas Zapata during a home-invasion robbery at his apartment.
The crimes are believed to have begun May 20 and have been reported near Central Expressway, LBJ Freeway and the Dallas North Tollway – all offering quick getaway opportunities, police said.
In four cases, he has forced people to drive him to an automated teller machine and withdraw cash.
The latest attack, if connected, is another signal that the gunman is growing more bold, said Lt. Jan Easterling, a department spokeswoman.
"There are similarities in the previous attacks and this sexual assault," she said. "We're looking to see if they are related."Police supervisors in the affected cities continue to monitor their daily crime reports to check for more home invasions and carjackings that could be linked to the man.
"They don't appear to be continuing," said Sgt. Kevin Perlich, Richardson police spokesman. "Either they've stopped or have been caught on something else."
All of the crimes in which someone saw the gunman involve him wearing a red bandana. In the latest attack, however, the gunman was wearing a blue one, police said. All other aspects of the case appear to match the others.
At sunrise on June 14, two women awoke to find a shotgun pointed at their heads in their apartment, according to police reports. A blue bandana obscured the lower portion of the gunman's face. "Where's your money and car keys?," the man said.
The women, ages 20 and 21, told him they had no money, and the gunman found none in their wallets, according to the police report.
"This has been a waste of my [expletive] time," the robber reportedly said. He then forced one of the women to wait in the bathroom while he sexually assaulted the other at gunpoint in the living room, according to the police report. He then ordered the other woman out of the bathroom and sexually assaulted her.
He forced both women to wash away evidence and told them to stay in the bathroom for 15 minutes. He stole their cellphones and a $1,200 laptop, then fled the apartment.
Dallas police have set up a 24-hour hotline to accept tips at 214-908-2427 and 214-957-6991. Schepps Dairy has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the crimes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROTECTING YOURSELF:
Tips for protecting yourself from home-invasion robberies:
- Always keep your doors locked, even when you're home.
- Do not open the door to strangers; talk through the door.
- If someone claims to know a family member or friend, ask for specific information.
- If you suspect a burglary or home-invasion robbery is under way as you arrive home, don't go inside; phone 911 from elsewhere.
- Do not keep tall plants or anything that people can hide behind near your door.
SOURCES: Dallas Morning News research; Dallas Police Department
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALSO ONLINE:
Home Invasions Siting Map
Man wearing bandana sought in crime spree in Dallas, suburbs
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Police say a shotgun-toting robber who may be responsible for a string of home invasions, two carjackings and a murder apparently has struck again – this time sexually assaulting two young women in a northeast Dallas apartment.
The June 14 assaults at an apartment in the 5700 block of East University Boulevard are the 10th in what police suspect is a series of attacks by a man who usually wears a red or blue bandana.
The man has carried out robberies in Dallas, Richardson, Garland and Coppell, shooting and injuring two women in Coppell and Dallas.
Plano detectives are investigating whether the same suspect is also responsible for the June 2 shooting death of 50-year-old accountant Cleofas Zapata during a home-invasion robbery at his apartment.
The crimes are believed to have begun May 20 and have been reported near Central Expressway, LBJ Freeway and the Dallas North Tollway – all offering quick getaway opportunities, police said.
In four cases, he has forced people to drive him to an automated teller machine and withdraw cash.
The latest attack, if connected, is another signal that the gunman is growing more bold, said Lt. Jan Easterling, a department spokeswoman.
"There are similarities in the previous attacks and this sexual assault," she said. "We're looking to see if they are related."Police supervisors in the affected cities continue to monitor their daily crime reports to check for more home invasions and carjackings that could be linked to the man.
"They don't appear to be continuing," said Sgt. Kevin Perlich, Richardson police spokesman. "Either they've stopped or have been caught on something else."
All of the crimes in which someone saw the gunman involve him wearing a red bandana. In the latest attack, however, the gunman was wearing a blue one, police said. All other aspects of the case appear to match the others.
At sunrise on June 14, two women awoke to find a shotgun pointed at their heads in their apartment, according to police reports. A blue bandana obscured the lower portion of the gunman's face. "Where's your money and car keys?," the man said.
The women, ages 20 and 21, told him they had no money, and the gunman found none in their wallets, according to the police report.
"This has been a waste of my [expletive] time," the robber reportedly said. He then forced one of the women to wait in the bathroom while he sexually assaulted the other at gunpoint in the living room, according to the police report. He then ordered the other woman out of the bathroom and sexually assaulted her.
He forced both women to wash away evidence and told them to stay in the bathroom for 15 minutes. He stole their cellphones and a $1,200 laptop, then fled the apartment.
Dallas police have set up a 24-hour hotline to accept tips at 214-908-2427 and 214-957-6991. Schepps Dairy has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the crimes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROTECTING YOURSELF:
Tips for protecting yourself from home-invasion robberies:
- Always keep your doors locked, even when you're home.
- Do not open the door to strangers; talk through the door.
- If someone claims to know a family member or friend, ask for specific information.
- If you suspect a burglary or home-invasion robbery is under way as you arrive home, don't go inside; phone 911 from elsewhere.
- Do not keep tall plants or anything that people can hide behind near your door.
SOURCES: Dallas Morning News research; Dallas Police Department
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALSO ONLINE:
Home Invasions Siting Map
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TexasStooge
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Dallas PD chief reflects on first year
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - One year ago Friday, David Kunkle took over as chief of the Dallas Police Department, promising changes and a reduction in crime.
After 12 months, Dallas still has the highest crime rate - although it is going down.
Overall, crime in Dallas is down three percent from this time last year. Property crimes are also down about three percent, but murders are up 22 percent.
While he's pleased overall crime is dropping, Kunkle is still disappointed about not reaching some of the goals he set for the department. He took over a department that was demoralized, lacking proper equipment and dealing with the spiraling crime rate.
In his first year, the chief has made some posivitive changes - but he said there is a long way to go.
Kunkle sympathizes with the plight of residents like Rosaura Herrera. A few months ago, thieves broke into Herrera's truck, and she said she's frustrated with crime in her neighborhood.
"They took my stereo in broad daylight out of my truck, and then from there I came running out called police and called 911," Herrera said. "They did not show up until the next day."
Kunkle said in his first year on the job, his greatest disappointment is not increasing police presence on the streets.
"We continue to be too reactionary, and that's because we just don't have enough people and we have too many 911 calls," Kunkle said.
To compensate for the lack of manpower, the chief has reorganized the department, purchased better equipment and vehicles for officers and started new initiatives to crack down on gun and drug crimes.
His efforts have helped lower the overall crime rate, but Kunkle wants it to decrease 10 percent by year's end.
"I am still optimistic that we will make a significant impact this year," the chief said.
Herrera said she hopes the chief is right.
"It's gotten worse, especially in this area and at the park," she said. "Police are never around when you need them."
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - One year ago Friday, David Kunkle took over as chief of the Dallas Police Department, promising changes and a reduction in crime.
After 12 months, Dallas still has the highest crime rate - although it is going down.
Overall, crime in Dallas is down three percent from this time last year. Property crimes are also down about three percent, but murders are up 22 percent.
While he's pleased overall crime is dropping, Kunkle is still disappointed about not reaching some of the goals he set for the department. He took over a department that was demoralized, lacking proper equipment and dealing with the spiraling crime rate.
In his first year, the chief has made some posivitive changes - but he said there is a long way to go.
Kunkle sympathizes with the plight of residents like Rosaura Herrera. A few months ago, thieves broke into Herrera's truck, and she said she's frustrated with crime in her neighborhood.
"They took my stereo in broad daylight out of my truck, and then from there I came running out called police and called 911," Herrera said. "They did not show up until the next day."
Kunkle said in his first year on the job, his greatest disappointment is not increasing police presence on the streets.
"We continue to be too reactionary, and that's because we just don't have enough people and we have too many 911 calls," Kunkle said.
To compensate for the lack of manpower, the chief has reorganized the department, purchased better equipment and vehicles for officers and started new initiatives to crack down on gun and drug crimes.
His efforts have helped lower the overall crime rate, but Kunkle wants it to decrease 10 percent by year's end.
"I am still optimistic that we will make a significant impact this year," the chief said.
Herrera said she hopes the chief is right.
"It's gotten worse, especially in this area and at the park," she said. "Police are never around when you need them."
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TexasStooge
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- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Investigation reveals near-disaster at D/FW
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DFW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Texas - Each week thousands of planes take off and land safely at D/FW International Airport. The air traffic control system's safety record is remarkable.
But an investigation by the Department of Transportation indicates that safety was badly compromised on several occasions in recent years.
In one case, a mid-air collision was averted by just seconds.
The Federal Aviation Administration said air traffic control problems at D/FW Airport are now getting the highest level of attention after the government agreed with veteran controller Anne Whiteman, who disclosed serious safety concerns.
The FAA acknowledged there were at least seven incidents in which planes got dangerously close to one another during the first six months of 2004.
It took Whiteman's persistence to finally got the government's attention—some seven years after her first complaint.
"Every time something happened, I thought, 'Gee, somebody is going to care; somebody is going to put an end to this,'" Whiteman said.
Late last year there was possibly the closest call: A business jet was flying 259 mph at 4,000 feet.
A passenger plane, traveling in the opposite direction, was climbing to the same altitude at 311 mph.
Before evasive action was taken, the two aircraft were less than seven seconds from colliding.
A Dallas Morning News investigation also shows controllers and managers covered up the number of incidents where planes violated each other's airspace.
In the first six months of 2004, only two operational errors were reported. But after an investigation began in June 2004, 36 operational errors were confirmed through the end of the year.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said the problems have been fixed. "We made some real changes in the way we were training, in the way we were setting our expectations for employees," she said. "Of course, some personnel actions had to be taken."
But Whiteman is not convinced. "They dont know 25 percent of the story," she said. "I can take any one incident I reported that the FAA choose to ignore and explain how serious this is."
Several aviation experts contacted by WFAA-TV said Whiteman is a hero for coming forward and risking her career.
The head of the air traffic controller's union said the government needs to create a system so controllers can report close calls without fearing reprisals.
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DFW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Texas - Each week thousands of planes take off and land safely at D/FW International Airport. The air traffic control system's safety record is remarkable.
But an investigation by the Department of Transportation indicates that safety was badly compromised on several occasions in recent years.
In one case, a mid-air collision was averted by just seconds.
The Federal Aviation Administration said air traffic control problems at D/FW Airport are now getting the highest level of attention after the government agreed with veteran controller Anne Whiteman, who disclosed serious safety concerns.
The FAA acknowledged there were at least seven incidents in which planes got dangerously close to one another during the first six months of 2004.
It took Whiteman's persistence to finally got the government's attention—some seven years after her first complaint.
"Every time something happened, I thought, 'Gee, somebody is going to care; somebody is going to put an end to this,'" Whiteman said.
Late last year there was possibly the closest call: A business jet was flying 259 mph at 4,000 feet.
A passenger plane, traveling in the opposite direction, was climbing to the same altitude at 311 mph.
Before evasive action was taken, the two aircraft were less than seven seconds from colliding.
A Dallas Morning News investigation also shows controllers and managers covered up the number of incidents where planes violated each other's airspace.
In the first six months of 2004, only two operational errors were reported. But after an investigation began in June 2004, 36 operational errors were confirmed through the end of the year.
FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said the problems have been fixed. "We made some real changes in the way we were training, in the way we were setting our expectations for employees," she said. "Of course, some personnel actions had to be taken."
But Whiteman is not convinced. "They dont know 25 percent of the story," she said. "I can take any one incident I reported that the FAA choose to ignore and explain how serious this is."
Several aviation experts contacted by WFAA-TV said Whiteman is a hero for coming forward and risking her career.
The head of the air traffic controller's union said the government needs to create a system so controllers can report close calls without fearing reprisals.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Man bilked buyers at Ford dealership
North Richland Hills: Police seek impostor who took cash and fled
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - In retrospect, the deal seemed kind of odd.
There was no paperwork. The man took cash only. He stuffed the wad of bills in his back pocket.
But he was smooth, Kayla Cook said, so she bought the car. She had no idea that the man posing as a salesman at Five Star Ford in North Richland Hills was a fake and that the car she bought was actually stolen.
Since May 4, two customers have met a man at the Ford dealership after seeing attractive ads in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The ads touted 2001 or 2004 cars for less than $4,000.
When Ms. Cook called about a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu for $3,700, she said the man identified himself as an employee of Five Star Ford.
"We thought it was a really good deal because it was at a dealership," Ms. Cook said. "You would be more suspicious if he had been selling it on his own."
But the man was operating on his own, on dealership property. In the first theft, on May 4, a woman and her daughter paid $3,000 in cash for a 2001 Honda Civic. According to a police report, the man "signed the title over to her name and left with the car to get it detailed." She was told the car wouldn't be ready by the end of the day. The next morning, the mother lost contact with the man and realized she had been scammed.
Terry Rich, the general manager of Five Star Ford, said that he was disturbed by the scam but that the dealership was not responsible. He said sales associates are often running around, and nonemployees are often assumed to be potential customers.
"We need to be more aware of who's here," Mr. Rich said. "We have so many businesses coming in and out of here, such as rental car agencies. We are now being more conscious about who's where and what they're doing."
Mr. Rich said he has tried to catch the man posing as his employee.
"I'd love to try to catch this guy. We tried to call him from a cellphone," but the man did not answer.
On June 17, Ms. Cook was browsing through the newspaper while waiting for a tire to be fixed. She wasn't looking for a new car, but when she stumbled on an ad for the 2004 Malibu for $3,700, she couldn't resist. She called the swindler.
"He made it seem like someone else was going to look at it at 4 p.m.," Ms. Cook said.
So she asked her parents to go check out the car while she waited for her tire repair. Her father was so smitten with the deal – now down to $3,000 – that he said they would take it. Ms. Cook hurried over to write a check.
"I was going to pay with a check, but he said no. He said, 'I told my manager you were going to pay cash, and that's what he's going to expect.' "
Ms. Cook went to the bank to get $3,000 in cash and returned. She watched the man stuff the bills in his back pocket.
"We didn't think about it," she said. "When you're there at Five Star Ford, you trust those people."
Ms. Cook and her parents also noticed tools in the trunk and compact discs strewn across the seats of the car.
When asked about the mess, the man said the car had been repossessed from California and he had not had time to clean it.
"He had an answer to everything," Ms. Cook said. "It took less than 15 minutes."
It wasn't till after the man requested a ride to a nearby restaurant that the Cook family began to suspect something was wrong. After dropping the man off, they called police and learned that the car had been stolen from a rental company in El Paso.
Police said they're unsure whether the same man is behind both scams, but the swindles seem similar.
"We don't have a legitimate name," North Richland Hills police Sgt. Ken Bounds said. "We think the names might be aliases."
Anyone with information about the scammer is asked to call North Richland Hills police at 817-427-7000.
North Richland Hills: Police seek impostor who took cash and fled
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - In retrospect, the deal seemed kind of odd.
There was no paperwork. The man took cash only. He stuffed the wad of bills in his back pocket.
But he was smooth, Kayla Cook said, so she bought the car. She had no idea that the man posing as a salesman at Five Star Ford in North Richland Hills was a fake and that the car she bought was actually stolen.
Since May 4, two customers have met a man at the Ford dealership after seeing attractive ads in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The ads touted 2001 or 2004 cars for less than $4,000.
When Ms. Cook called about a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu for $3,700, she said the man identified himself as an employee of Five Star Ford.
"We thought it was a really good deal because it was at a dealership," Ms. Cook said. "You would be more suspicious if he had been selling it on his own."
But the man was operating on his own, on dealership property. In the first theft, on May 4, a woman and her daughter paid $3,000 in cash for a 2001 Honda Civic. According to a police report, the man "signed the title over to her name and left with the car to get it detailed." She was told the car wouldn't be ready by the end of the day. The next morning, the mother lost contact with the man and realized she had been scammed.
Terry Rich, the general manager of Five Star Ford, said that he was disturbed by the scam but that the dealership was not responsible. He said sales associates are often running around, and nonemployees are often assumed to be potential customers.
"We need to be more aware of who's here," Mr. Rich said. "We have so many businesses coming in and out of here, such as rental car agencies. We are now being more conscious about who's where and what they're doing."
Mr. Rich said he has tried to catch the man posing as his employee.
"I'd love to try to catch this guy. We tried to call him from a cellphone," but the man did not answer.
On June 17, Ms. Cook was browsing through the newspaper while waiting for a tire to be fixed. She wasn't looking for a new car, but when she stumbled on an ad for the 2004 Malibu for $3,700, she couldn't resist. She called the swindler.
"He made it seem like someone else was going to look at it at 4 p.m.," Ms. Cook said.
So she asked her parents to go check out the car while she waited for her tire repair. Her father was so smitten with the deal – now down to $3,000 – that he said they would take it. Ms. Cook hurried over to write a check.
"I was going to pay with a check, but he said no. He said, 'I told my manager you were going to pay cash, and that's what he's going to expect.' "
Ms. Cook went to the bank to get $3,000 in cash and returned. She watched the man stuff the bills in his back pocket.
"We didn't think about it," she said. "When you're there at Five Star Ford, you trust those people."
Ms. Cook and her parents also noticed tools in the trunk and compact discs strewn across the seats of the car.
When asked about the mess, the man said the car had been repossessed from California and he had not had time to clean it.
"He had an answer to everything," Ms. Cook said. "It took less than 15 minutes."
It wasn't till after the man requested a ride to a nearby restaurant that the Cook family began to suspect something was wrong. After dropping the man off, they called police and learned that the car had been stolen from a rental company in El Paso.
Police said they're unsure whether the same man is behind both scams, but the swindles seem similar.
"We don't have a legitimate name," North Richland Hills police Sgt. Ken Bounds said. "We think the names might be aliases."
Anyone with information about the scammer is asked to call North Richland Hills police at 817-427-7000.
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TexasStooge
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Water restrictions remain during pipe repair
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - Workers in Fort Worth are busy repairing a 54-inch water main which burst Thursday morning, turning the area around it into a lake.
Because of the break, water restrictions for 12 North Texas cities remain in effect.
Crews have worked around the clock to lay 16 feet of new pipe near the scene of the break in the 900 block of North Beach Street. It's been a hot, dirty job for dozens of workers, replacing a worn-out section of pipe that carries water to homes north of Loop 820.
"We have to disinfect the line and flush it out before we're able to put it back in service," said Mary Gugliuzza, spokesperson for the Fort Worth Water Department.
When the big pipe burst, it blew a huge hole in the asphalt and washed away part of North Beach and an adjacent parking lot.
Residents in Saginaw, Keller, Haslet and nine other cities have been asked to stop watering lawns until the water main is working again.
"We know once we get this line in service, once we tell people they can starting watering again, we'll see an increase," Gugliuzza said.
Six blocks of North Beach Street remain closed until at least Tuesday, making it difficult for drivers to reach restaurants and shops in the area.
It's also challenging for people on foot. Lisa Bruce has no car, and to shop she had to make a big detour with her six children and mother.
"The cars are trying to kill everybody, and you can't walk anywhere," Bruce said. "Hopefully they'll fix it as soon as possible."
Again, water officials stress they still need the cooperation of thousands of residents. Don't water your lawns yet, they said, because the repair is not yet complete.
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - Workers in Fort Worth are busy repairing a 54-inch water main which burst Thursday morning, turning the area around it into a lake.
Because of the break, water restrictions for 12 North Texas cities remain in effect.
Crews have worked around the clock to lay 16 feet of new pipe near the scene of the break in the 900 block of North Beach Street. It's been a hot, dirty job for dozens of workers, replacing a worn-out section of pipe that carries water to homes north of Loop 820.
"We have to disinfect the line and flush it out before we're able to put it back in service," said Mary Gugliuzza, spokesperson for the Fort Worth Water Department.
When the big pipe burst, it blew a huge hole in the asphalt and washed away part of North Beach and an adjacent parking lot.
Residents in Saginaw, Keller, Haslet and nine other cities have been asked to stop watering lawns until the water main is working again.
"We know once we get this line in service, once we tell people they can starting watering again, we'll see an increase," Gugliuzza said.
Six blocks of North Beach Street remain closed until at least Tuesday, making it difficult for drivers to reach restaurants and shops in the area.
It's also challenging for people on foot. Lisa Bruce has no car, and to shop she had to make a big detour with her six children and mother.
"The cars are trying to kill everybody, and you can't walk anywhere," Bruce said. "Hopefully they'll fix it as soon as possible."
Again, water officials stress they still need the cooperation of thousands of residents. Don't water your lawns yet, they said, because the repair is not yet complete.
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TexasStooge
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Hurst mom gets 20 years for dumping baby
FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — The Hurst woman who dumped her newborn boy into a trash bin was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.
On Thursday, a Tarrant County jury found Dana Wilson, 25, guilty of trying to murder her baby by placing him in a trash bag shortly after she gave birth in November, 2003—then leaving the bag in a trash container behind a shopping center.
Employees at the center heard sounds from the pile of garbage and rescued the baby.
The boy, who is now 18 months old, suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen during his post-partum ordeal.
Wilson could have received a life sentence.
FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — The Hurst woman who dumped her newborn boy into a trash bin was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.
On Thursday, a Tarrant County jury found Dana Wilson, 25, guilty of trying to murder her baby by placing him in a trash bag shortly after she gave birth in November, 2003—then leaving the bag in a trash container behind a shopping center.
Employees at the center heard sounds from the pile of garbage and rescued the baby.
The boy, who is now 18 months old, suffered brain damage from lack of oxygen during his post-partum ordeal.
Wilson could have received a life sentence.
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TexasStooge
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Fatal wreck snarls Ellis County freeway
WAXAHACHE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - At least five vehicles were involved in a fatal accident on Interstate 35E in Waxahachie Friday afternoon.
The accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the highway on the north side of the Ellis County city.
It was not immediately known how many people were injured or killed.
Aerial views of the scene showed two smaller vehicles were heavily damaged; one of them had caught on fire in the median.
A Rainbo Bread van was on its side and baked goods were scattered on the pavement.
Another sedan and a semi-tractor were also damaged in the crash.
Medical evacuation helicopters and ambulances were summoned to the scene.
Northbound traffic on I-35 was routed to the service road during the investigation, which was expected to take several hours to complete.
WFAA ABC 8
An overturned bread truck (top) and another vehicle were involved in the crash.
WAXAHACHE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - At least five vehicles were involved in a fatal accident on Interstate 35E in Waxahachie Friday afternoon.
The accident happened shortly before 2 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the highway on the north side of the Ellis County city.
It was not immediately known how many people were injured or killed.
Aerial views of the scene showed two smaller vehicles were heavily damaged; one of them had caught on fire in the median.
A Rainbo Bread van was on its side and baked goods were scattered on the pavement.
Another sedan and a semi-tractor were also damaged in the crash.
Medical evacuation helicopters and ambulances were summoned to the scene.
Northbound traffic on I-35 was routed to the service road during the investigation, which was expected to take several hours to complete.
WFAA ABC 8
An overturned bread truck (top) and another vehicle were involved in the crash.
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TexasStooge
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Still a 'Giant'
The film that made West Texas even larger than life turns 50
By DAVID McLEMORE / The Dallas Morning News
MARFA, Texas – Little evidence is left of this town's flirtation with Hollywood save the scrapbooks, mementos and memories indelibly etched in the minds of its residents.
The mockup of Reata – the Victorian-style mansion that was the movie home for Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor during the 1955 filming of Giant – is long gone. A few weathered poles rising from the isolation of ranchland 20 miles west of town mark the spot. Closer in, the wood derrick where James Dean sat in splendid sullenness leans forlornly near a dry creek.
But the production here of Giant 50 years ago – being celebrated in style next Sunday with a special screening – typecast the uninterrupted miles of cactus and blue sky outside Marfa as a mythical Texas ranch. It brought employment to a region devastated by drought along with an up-close encounter with glamour.
And its larger-than-life characters and startling revelations about discrimination helped permanently reshape the world's perception of the Lone Star State.
"The movie altered and reinforced the image of Texas that replaced cattle drives and gun fights at noon with uncouth oil barons challenging the power of cattle ranchers," said University of Texas professor Donald Graham, author of Cowboys and Cadillacs: How Hollywood looks at Texas.
"It was a surprisingly powerful indictment of racism in Texas and is still very affecting to this day," Dr. Graham said.
The specter of racism
Based on Edna Ferber's novel, Giant is a tale of wealth and prejudice spanning two generations of a Texas ranching family. It starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and brooding anti-hero James Dean, who died in a car wreck shortly after filming ended.
The movie also raised the specter of racism in the conflicts between Anglo Texans and their Hispanic neighbors in a new and daring way, Dr. Graham said.
"When I saw the movie as a kid, I was really struck how the Rock Hudson character got beat up in the diner defending insults to his Mexican-American grandchild and daughter-in-law," Dr. Graham said. "The good guy didn't win the fight. But we knew he was right."
For Dallas documentarian Kirby Warnock, Giant captured the essence of West Texas life with amazing accuracy – down to the "white shirts and ties with their 'dress' hats and boots."
"When Rock Hudson refers to his ranch as 'his country,' that's how my grandfather and father spoke about their land in the Big Bend region," Mr. Warnock said. "It's almost religious."
Fifty years later, Giant remains the defining film of Texas, Mr. Warnock said. "Everyone since has borrowed from that movie," he said. "The TV show Dallas would never have existed without Giant."
Before Giant, Hispanics were portrayed either as comical asides, speaking a funny language, or somewhat lazy foreigners. There wasn't much indication that they had roots here.
Such revelations, of course, came later.
Story was a secret
In the summer of 1955, actors and crew working on Giant took over Marfa. And the town didn't object. Like many residents, rancher Bill Shurley signed up to work on the movie set, making "39 a day as 'atmosphere,' " His job was to lean against a tree in the barbecue scene.
But Mr. Shurley said most people in town had no idea "what the story was about" until it came out.
"People were mad about the race relations stuff. But, you know, it was true, sad to say," he added. "And it showed that a man could change his mind about race and fight narrow-mindedness."
A few blocks away, Lucie Garcia, 65, said she was allowed to visit the set – and often did. But her father frowned on her taking part as an extra.
For Ms. Garcia, the movie was about more than just the glamour of the stars – although she developed a life-long crush on James Dean. (Grandson Steven Garcia, 14, of El Paso can attest to it. He's seen the movie at least eight times).
As the fight scene plays out on the living room television set, tears well up in Ms. Garcia's eyes when Rock Hudson is beaten up after defending his half-Hispanic grandchild who has just been insulted.
"We lived through those days and it meant so much to see it shown on the screen," Ms. Garcia said. "In the 1950s, we weren't supposed to talk about discrimination. But this movie let the whole world know."
Though relations between Hispanics and Anglos in Marfa were better than in some areas of the state, Ms. Garcia said, there were still tensions. Hispanic kids had to go to separate schools. And when they were admitted to Anglo schools, they were forbidden to speak Spanish.
"I think Giant really opened up doors and maybe helped change some minds," Ms. Garcia said. "I'm glad it's stayed alive."
Right time
The movie's emotional impact resulted from more than simply showing ethnic discord, according to Southern Methodist University historian Ben Johnson. "They weren't depicted as an alien population, as they all too often are today."
Hollywood's arrival in Marfa came at the right time.
A long and severe drought had devastated the cattle market. Ranchers were forced to sell off their herds. The making of Giant meant money in the pockets of virtually everyone in town – either working as extras or selling goods and services to the movie people.
"There is a real love affair between the town and that movie," said Mr. Warnock, the documentarian. "They lived in the reflected glow of Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor and James Dean. That's pretty heady company for anyone."
Valda Livingston, 62, a Marfa Realtor would agree. "It was just an amazing time," she said. "I mean, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor in Marfa? Oh, my!"
Her father provided transportation for the movie crew to and from the set. That gave her a front-row seat on the daily drives. And it earned her a job as an extra in the movie, including the barbecue scene.
"I nearly broke my neck getting behind Rock Hudson in that scene," Ms. Livingston said. "But I made it." She later got to be in the scene on the porch, playing cards with Mr. Hudson.
The proximity with greatness took many forms in Marfa that summer. Armando Rivera, 74, remembers talking with James Dean every morning when the actor stopped in at the New Way Grocery where Mr. Rivera worked.
"He loved to talk, always asking all kinds of questions," Mr. Rivera said. "When he died before the movie came out, it really affected me. He was really a nice guy."
Close to Liz Taylor
Though Mr. Rivera didn't appear in the movie, his mother appeared as one of the Mexican women waiting at the train station for the arrival of the Sal Mineo's character's casket from the war.
And his mother-in-law did laundry for Ms. Taylor, which gave Mr. Rivera's wife, Gloria, an opportunity to get close to greatness.
"One day, my wife went to her mother's and there were all these clothes stacked up, ready for delivery," Mr. Rivera. "She picked up a pair of Elizabeth Taylor's pants and when her mother wasn't watching, she tried them on. She says they fit her good."
The film that made West Texas even larger than life turns 50
By DAVID McLEMORE / The Dallas Morning News
MARFA, Texas – Little evidence is left of this town's flirtation with Hollywood save the scrapbooks, mementos and memories indelibly etched in the minds of its residents.
The mockup of Reata – the Victorian-style mansion that was the movie home for Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor during the 1955 filming of Giant – is long gone. A few weathered poles rising from the isolation of ranchland 20 miles west of town mark the spot. Closer in, the wood derrick where James Dean sat in splendid sullenness leans forlornly near a dry creek.
But the production here of Giant 50 years ago – being celebrated in style next Sunday with a special screening – typecast the uninterrupted miles of cactus and blue sky outside Marfa as a mythical Texas ranch. It brought employment to a region devastated by drought along with an up-close encounter with glamour.
And its larger-than-life characters and startling revelations about discrimination helped permanently reshape the world's perception of the Lone Star State.
"The movie altered and reinforced the image of Texas that replaced cattle drives and gun fights at noon with uncouth oil barons challenging the power of cattle ranchers," said University of Texas professor Donald Graham, author of Cowboys and Cadillacs: How Hollywood looks at Texas.
"It was a surprisingly powerful indictment of racism in Texas and is still very affecting to this day," Dr. Graham said.
The specter of racism
Based on Edna Ferber's novel, Giant is a tale of wealth and prejudice spanning two generations of a Texas ranching family. It starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and brooding anti-hero James Dean, who died in a car wreck shortly after filming ended.
The movie also raised the specter of racism in the conflicts between Anglo Texans and their Hispanic neighbors in a new and daring way, Dr. Graham said.
"When I saw the movie as a kid, I was really struck how the Rock Hudson character got beat up in the diner defending insults to his Mexican-American grandchild and daughter-in-law," Dr. Graham said. "The good guy didn't win the fight. But we knew he was right."
For Dallas documentarian Kirby Warnock, Giant captured the essence of West Texas life with amazing accuracy – down to the "white shirts and ties with their 'dress' hats and boots."
"When Rock Hudson refers to his ranch as 'his country,' that's how my grandfather and father spoke about their land in the Big Bend region," Mr. Warnock said. "It's almost religious."
Fifty years later, Giant remains the defining film of Texas, Mr. Warnock said. "Everyone since has borrowed from that movie," he said. "The TV show Dallas would never have existed without Giant."
Before Giant, Hispanics were portrayed either as comical asides, speaking a funny language, or somewhat lazy foreigners. There wasn't much indication that they had roots here.
Such revelations, of course, came later.
Story was a secret
In the summer of 1955, actors and crew working on Giant took over Marfa. And the town didn't object. Like many residents, rancher Bill Shurley signed up to work on the movie set, making "39 a day as 'atmosphere,' " His job was to lean against a tree in the barbecue scene.
But Mr. Shurley said most people in town had no idea "what the story was about" until it came out.
"People were mad about the race relations stuff. But, you know, it was true, sad to say," he added. "And it showed that a man could change his mind about race and fight narrow-mindedness."
A few blocks away, Lucie Garcia, 65, said she was allowed to visit the set – and often did. But her father frowned on her taking part as an extra.
For Ms. Garcia, the movie was about more than just the glamour of the stars – although she developed a life-long crush on James Dean. (Grandson Steven Garcia, 14, of El Paso can attest to it. He's seen the movie at least eight times).
As the fight scene plays out on the living room television set, tears well up in Ms. Garcia's eyes when Rock Hudson is beaten up after defending his half-Hispanic grandchild who has just been insulted.
"We lived through those days and it meant so much to see it shown on the screen," Ms. Garcia said. "In the 1950s, we weren't supposed to talk about discrimination. But this movie let the whole world know."
Though relations between Hispanics and Anglos in Marfa were better than in some areas of the state, Ms. Garcia said, there were still tensions. Hispanic kids had to go to separate schools. And when they were admitted to Anglo schools, they were forbidden to speak Spanish.
"I think Giant really opened up doors and maybe helped change some minds," Ms. Garcia said. "I'm glad it's stayed alive."
Right time
The movie's emotional impact resulted from more than simply showing ethnic discord, according to Southern Methodist University historian Ben Johnson. "They weren't depicted as an alien population, as they all too often are today."
Hollywood's arrival in Marfa came at the right time.
A long and severe drought had devastated the cattle market. Ranchers were forced to sell off their herds. The making of Giant meant money in the pockets of virtually everyone in town – either working as extras or selling goods and services to the movie people.
"There is a real love affair between the town and that movie," said Mr. Warnock, the documentarian. "They lived in the reflected glow of Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor and James Dean. That's pretty heady company for anyone."
Valda Livingston, 62, a Marfa Realtor would agree. "It was just an amazing time," she said. "I mean, Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor in Marfa? Oh, my!"
Her father provided transportation for the movie crew to and from the set. That gave her a front-row seat on the daily drives. And it earned her a job as an extra in the movie, including the barbecue scene.
"I nearly broke my neck getting behind Rock Hudson in that scene," Ms. Livingston said. "But I made it." She later got to be in the scene on the porch, playing cards with Mr. Hudson.
The proximity with greatness took many forms in Marfa that summer. Armando Rivera, 74, remembers talking with James Dean every morning when the actor stopped in at the New Way Grocery where Mr. Rivera worked.
"He loved to talk, always asking all kinds of questions," Mr. Rivera said. "When he died before the movie came out, it really affected me. He was really a nice guy."
Close to Liz Taylor
Though Mr. Rivera didn't appear in the movie, his mother appeared as one of the Mexican women waiting at the train station for the arrival of the Sal Mineo's character's casket from the war.
And his mother-in-law did laundry for Ms. Taylor, which gave Mr. Rivera's wife, Gloria, an opportunity to get close to greatness.
"One day, my wife went to her mother's and there were all these clothes stacked up, ready for delivery," Mr. Rivera. "She picked up a pair of Elizabeth Taylor's pants and when her mother wasn't watching, she tried them on. She says they fit her good."
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TexasStooge
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Risk of ice damage won't stop shuttle
NASA assessment board says Discovery's threat level 'acceptable'
By BRUCE NICHOLS / The Dallas Morning News
HOUSTON, Texas – NASA managers pronounced the risk of ice damage during a shuttle launch acceptable Friday and said they still expect Discovery to return to space next month as planned.
After hearing a report on the risk, they declined to give an exact probability of such damage. There are too many variables, they said, including whether ice would form on the supercold external fuel tank, whether it would break free and whether it would strike anything.
But after the meeting at Kennedy Space Center to hear a final report from the ice risk team, shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said he was ready to launch.
"At the end of the day, the recommendation from the board was that we were in an acceptable risk posture, and they recommended to me ... that we proceed," Mr. Parsons said. "I accepted that recommendation, and that's where we're headed now."
A formal flight readiness review – the next step up the chain of command – is scheduled next week. After that, a specific launch date could be discussed. The current window in which the shuttle can launch in daylight and link up in orbit with the International Space Station is July 13-31.
Mr. Parsons predicted a launch early in that period, but NASA Administrator Michael Griffin will make the final decision.
One report to Mr. Griffin that's still pending is that of the independent Return to Flight Task Group.
Members are scheduled to issue their final report next week. They're expected to clear all but one of the 15 conditions set by the board that investigated the 2003 accident that caused space shuttle Columbia to disintegrate over Texas as it returned to Earth.
There was disagreement at the group's last meeting about whether NASA has developed a capability to repair its heat shield in orbit, but members said it was unlikely to be a show-stopper.
NASA, which focused early on the insulation that came off the tank and fatally damaged Columbia during re-entry, came late to the ice problem and has been scrambling to deal with it.
Several changes have been made to the external tank, including the addition of a heater. John Muratore, who supervised the ice analysis team, said it had reduced the risk significantly.
NASA assessment board says Discovery's threat level 'acceptable'
By BRUCE NICHOLS / The Dallas Morning News
HOUSTON, Texas – NASA managers pronounced the risk of ice damage during a shuttle launch acceptable Friday and said they still expect Discovery to return to space next month as planned.
After hearing a report on the risk, they declined to give an exact probability of such damage. There are too many variables, they said, including whether ice would form on the supercold external fuel tank, whether it would break free and whether it would strike anything.
But after the meeting at Kennedy Space Center to hear a final report from the ice risk team, shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said he was ready to launch.
"At the end of the day, the recommendation from the board was that we were in an acceptable risk posture, and they recommended to me ... that we proceed," Mr. Parsons said. "I accepted that recommendation, and that's where we're headed now."
A formal flight readiness review – the next step up the chain of command – is scheduled next week. After that, a specific launch date could be discussed. The current window in which the shuttle can launch in daylight and link up in orbit with the International Space Station is July 13-31.
Mr. Parsons predicted a launch early in that period, but NASA Administrator Michael Griffin will make the final decision.
One report to Mr. Griffin that's still pending is that of the independent Return to Flight Task Group.
Members are scheduled to issue their final report next week. They're expected to clear all but one of the 15 conditions set by the board that investigated the 2003 accident that caused space shuttle Columbia to disintegrate over Texas as it returned to Earth.
There was disagreement at the group's last meeting about whether NASA has developed a capability to repair its heat shield in orbit, but members said it was unlikely to be a show-stopper.
NASA, which focused early on the insulation that came off the tank and fatally damaged Columbia during re-entry, came late to the ice problem and has been scrambling to deal with it.
Several changes have been made to the external tank, including the addition of a heater. John Muratore, who supervised the ice analysis team, said it had reduced the risk significantly.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
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Lotto chief says prizes exaggerated
Director agreed to advertising bigger jackpots to boost sales
By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – The executive director of the Texas lottery said Friday that he approved inflated advertised Lotto Texas jackpots intended to lure more players.
Reagan Greer did not formulate the phony jackpot totals, which came from staff members who said they overstated the amount because they feared stagnant prizes from one drawing to the next would dampen interest in Lotto Texas.
But Mr. Greer confessed to lottery commissioners – his bosses – on Friday that he approved inflated figures four times since last fall, most recently before the June 11 drawing. The admission drew harsh rebuke.
"It goes to truth in advertising and the protection of the consumer," said commission chairman C. Tom Clowe. "When you tell someone you are going to do something in business, you either do it or you don't stay in business very long."
Mr. Clowe, a gubernatorial appointee from Waco, presided over a two-hour public hearing at which he and Commissioner James Cox steadily pulled answers from lottery employees who appeared hesitant to answer questions.
Robert Tirloni, a manager responsible for tracking lottery ticket sales and suggesting an advertised jackpot, acknowledged exaggerating to the public what winning tickets could have paid. "I felt it was critical for the long-term health of the game for the jackpot to increase if there was no jackpot ticket sold," Mr. Tirloni said.
Commissioners leveled their most pointed criticism at Mr. Greer, who said he took a "macro approach" to reviewing staff recommendations. In his words, that meant he did not closely inspect the estimated sales figures, nor did he ask why the lottery would advertise an $8 million jackpot on June 8 when estimated sales were as low as $6.5 million, Mr. Greer said.
Although final sales proved slightly higher than the estimate for that drawing, the winner would still have been shorted nearly $1.3 million.
"That seems to be very questionable as a judgment call on your part," Mr. Clowe told Mr. Greer.
Nor did Mr. Greer advise commissioners that slowing ticket sales could endanger the jackpot. He said his staff first learned of the possibility that sales wouldn't cover an advertised jackpot in March 2004 and that the lottery advertised its first inflated jackpot – $8 million – in late October 2004, before the Nov. 3 drawing.
"Based on what I know now, I should have asked harder questions, and I should have examined that document more closely," Mr. Greer said.
No winners
In none of the four cases – for the drawings of Nov. 3, Feb. 12, June 8 and June 11 – did a player win the jackpot. The lottery was spared the embarrassment of having to explain they could not pay the full jackpot.
Under its rules, the lottery can dip into reserves to cover a shortfall only during the first four drawings after someone wins. After that, the rules say, a winner must be paid 39.1 percent of all ticket sales, regardless of the advertised jackpot. That was the case for all four phony jackpots.
The twice-weekly Lotto Texas drawing has been declining in popularity, according to lottery commission figures. Sales are down almost 40 percent this year from last.
While accepting blame for poor oversight, Mr. Greer said the lottery's mistakes were not malicious and occurred because the agency was not prepared to stop increasing the advertised prize amount, which the agency typically increased by $1 million between drawings if no one won.
The total is typically advertised on billboards and other media around the state.
He said the lottery could make major changes to Lotto Texas to correct the problem. It could eliminate the bonus ball, which players don't like, or reduce the first-draw prize amount from $4 million to $2 million. That would bring the advertised jackpot closer to what early sales tend to be.
Mr. Greer also said the lottery would overcome its hesitance to "freeze jackpots," meaning holding the jackpot constant between drawings.
"Everything is on the table," Mr. Greer said.
Problem uncovered
The lottery froze the jackpot June 11, after Dawn Nettles, a self-styled lottery watchdog from Garland, discovered the problem.
Ms. Nettles said she has preached for years that the lottery's numbers were not adding up.
"I am glad that some of this is getting exposed, but it has not gotten those winners [who were cheated] their money," she said.
Ms. Nettles said she has documented that 50 lottery winners were shorted in their winnings.
Lottery officials initially rejected allegations they had overstated the prize amount. Ms. Nettles, who carefully studies the lottery's sales, complained about prize inflation to the Texas attorney general's office June 6. She said the lottery's actions amounted to false advertisement.
Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for Attorney General Greg Abbott, said his agency's appropriate officers were unavailable Friday to discuss that complaint.
Employee exit
At least one top lottery commission employee has left the agency since news broke that Mr. Greer approved the inflated advertised prize.
Lee Deviney shared responsibility with Mr. Tirloni for recommending the advertised jackpot to Mr. Greer. Mr. Deviney left the agency last week, but officials would not discuss his departure. Mr. Deviney did not return a message left Friday seeking comment.
Mr. Greer, a former Bexar County district clerk, was hired to run the lottery in 2003. Mr. Greer, who had no lottery experience, had headed the GOP's Victory 2002 campaign in Bexar County.
'I take responsibility'
Mr. Greer said he did not know what punishment, if any, to expect from the three lottery commissioners or if he would resign.
"I take responsibility," Mr. Greer said. "I look for solutions. I go down the road."
Mr. Greer could receive another grilling Wednesday, when a state lawmaker plans to hold a hearing to question Mr. Greer and others about the jackpot. Rep. Kino Flores, chairman of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, called the shortfall unacceptable and said the lottery should make its jackpot formulation more transparent for players.
"I wish the lottery would have been more straightforward in coming forward with the information," said Mr. Flores, D-Mission. "Evidently, it took a watchdog to catch it."
Director agreed to advertising bigger jackpots to boost sales
By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – The executive director of the Texas lottery said Friday that he approved inflated advertised Lotto Texas jackpots intended to lure more players.
Reagan Greer did not formulate the phony jackpot totals, which came from staff members who said they overstated the amount because they feared stagnant prizes from one drawing to the next would dampen interest in Lotto Texas.
But Mr. Greer confessed to lottery commissioners – his bosses – on Friday that he approved inflated figures four times since last fall, most recently before the June 11 drawing. The admission drew harsh rebuke.
"It goes to truth in advertising and the protection of the consumer," said commission chairman C. Tom Clowe. "When you tell someone you are going to do something in business, you either do it or you don't stay in business very long."
Mr. Clowe, a gubernatorial appointee from Waco, presided over a two-hour public hearing at which he and Commissioner James Cox steadily pulled answers from lottery employees who appeared hesitant to answer questions.
Robert Tirloni, a manager responsible for tracking lottery ticket sales and suggesting an advertised jackpot, acknowledged exaggerating to the public what winning tickets could have paid. "I felt it was critical for the long-term health of the game for the jackpot to increase if there was no jackpot ticket sold," Mr. Tirloni said.
Commissioners leveled their most pointed criticism at Mr. Greer, who said he took a "macro approach" to reviewing staff recommendations. In his words, that meant he did not closely inspect the estimated sales figures, nor did he ask why the lottery would advertise an $8 million jackpot on June 8 when estimated sales were as low as $6.5 million, Mr. Greer said.
Although final sales proved slightly higher than the estimate for that drawing, the winner would still have been shorted nearly $1.3 million.
"That seems to be very questionable as a judgment call on your part," Mr. Clowe told Mr. Greer.
Nor did Mr. Greer advise commissioners that slowing ticket sales could endanger the jackpot. He said his staff first learned of the possibility that sales wouldn't cover an advertised jackpot in March 2004 and that the lottery advertised its first inflated jackpot – $8 million – in late October 2004, before the Nov. 3 drawing.
"Based on what I know now, I should have asked harder questions, and I should have examined that document more closely," Mr. Greer said.
No winners
In none of the four cases – for the drawings of Nov. 3, Feb. 12, June 8 and June 11 – did a player win the jackpot. The lottery was spared the embarrassment of having to explain they could not pay the full jackpot.
Under its rules, the lottery can dip into reserves to cover a shortfall only during the first four drawings after someone wins. After that, the rules say, a winner must be paid 39.1 percent of all ticket sales, regardless of the advertised jackpot. That was the case for all four phony jackpots.
The twice-weekly Lotto Texas drawing has been declining in popularity, according to lottery commission figures. Sales are down almost 40 percent this year from last.
While accepting blame for poor oversight, Mr. Greer said the lottery's mistakes were not malicious and occurred because the agency was not prepared to stop increasing the advertised prize amount, which the agency typically increased by $1 million between drawings if no one won.
The total is typically advertised on billboards and other media around the state.
He said the lottery could make major changes to Lotto Texas to correct the problem. It could eliminate the bonus ball, which players don't like, or reduce the first-draw prize amount from $4 million to $2 million. That would bring the advertised jackpot closer to what early sales tend to be.
Mr. Greer also said the lottery would overcome its hesitance to "freeze jackpots," meaning holding the jackpot constant between drawings.
"Everything is on the table," Mr. Greer said.
Problem uncovered
The lottery froze the jackpot June 11, after Dawn Nettles, a self-styled lottery watchdog from Garland, discovered the problem.
Ms. Nettles said she has preached for years that the lottery's numbers were not adding up.
"I am glad that some of this is getting exposed, but it has not gotten those winners [who were cheated] their money," she said.
Ms. Nettles said she has documented that 50 lottery winners were shorted in their winnings.
Lottery officials initially rejected allegations they had overstated the prize amount. Ms. Nettles, who carefully studies the lottery's sales, complained about prize inflation to the Texas attorney general's office June 6. She said the lottery's actions amounted to false advertisement.
Jerry Strickland, a spokesman for Attorney General Greg Abbott, said his agency's appropriate officers were unavailable Friday to discuss that complaint.
Employee exit
At least one top lottery commission employee has left the agency since news broke that Mr. Greer approved the inflated advertised prize.
Lee Deviney shared responsibility with Mr. Tirloni for recommending the advertised jackpot to Mr. Greer. Mr. Deviney left the agency last week, but officials would not discuss his departure. Mr. Deviney did not return a message left Friday seeking comment.
Mr. Greer, a former Bexar County district clerk, was hired to run the lottery in 2003. Mr. Greer, who had no lottery experience, had headed the GOP's Victory 2002 campaign in Bexar County.
'I take responsibility'
Mr. Greer said he did not know what punishment, if any, to expect from the three lottery commissioners or if he would resign.
"I take responsibility," Mr. Greer said. "I look for solutions. I go down the road."
Mr. Greer could receive another grilling Wednesday, when a state lawmaker plans to hold a hearing to question Mr. Greer and others about the jackpot. Rep. Kino Flores, chairman of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee, called the shortfall unacceptable and said the lottery should make its jackpot formulation more transparent for players.
"I wish the lottery would have been more straightforward in coming forward with the information," said Mr. Flores, D-Mission. "Evidently, it took a watchdog to catch it."
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TexasStooge
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City cuts budget, so teens cut lawns
By LAURIE FOX / The Dallas Morning News
BEDFORD, Texas – Pickups hauling riding lawn mowers descended on a Bedford Road fire station on a breezy Saturday morning.
Trey Ring and other firefighters didn't know what to make of the volunteer crew who nonchalantly fired up the equipment and started sprucing up the firehouse landscape.
So they hoisted weed trimmers and leaf blowers right along with them.
"What kind of firefighters would we be if we didn't pitch in and help?" Mr. Ring said.
That's the same sentiment that propelled Jacob Brown and Jeff Peterson into free lawn detail for the city of Bedford.
After the city's mowing contracts were cut out of the budget – a victim of a divisive tax rollback election in March – Jacob and Jeff, both 15, stepped in.
They decided that they couldn't let lawns at City Hall, the library and several fire stations become overgrown this summer.
Now, after a few weeks of beating back grass and weeds at city properties throughout Bedford, Jacob and his friends have found a rhythm.
Somehow the buzzing and humming of yard machines lulled months of political rhetoric that seemed to polarize the city after the rollback.
For 20 Saturdays until the end of the fiscal year in September, they have made the city's lawns their own.
Jacob slogged through knee-high grass at City Hall the weekend they started in May.
"The first time we did it, I thought, 'This is going to be a long summer,' " Jacob said. "But it's gotten easier by the week. We're down to three hours. It took us six in the beginning."
Mike Hendrickson, a friend of Jacob, and Jacob's father, David, shelled out $3,000 for a commercial mower. Mr. Brown bought a riding mower at an auction and kicked in leaf blowers and weed trimmers.
Jacob and Jeff recruited several friends to sweat it out with them each week.
"The city became like an aging parent," Mr. Hendrickson said. "Providing for that aging parent became necessary. It's a good civics lesson for all of us."
The group has pulled together 20 volunteers who rotate Saturdays. They mow lawns at the City Hall complex, the nearby library and main fire station one week, and the Bedford Road fire station the next.
Even Jacob's grandparents took a spin with the weed trimmer and leaf blower.
"It's time-consuming, but it's worth it," Jacob said. "It was a way that we could make a difference. Three hours on a Saturday's not a big deal."
But to city officials, the group's mowing efforts – along with fundraisers that allowed the library to stay open longer hours – are a very big deal.
"We have real heartfelt gratitude for what they're doing," said Steve Bass, Bedford's deputy city manager. "They are literally saving the character and aesthetics of the city."
To look at their work, the teens operate like lawn professionals.
Nate Peace expertly guided the riding lawn mower onto the trailer after his mowing stint. Jeff manhandled the intimidating commercial mower in methodical circles around the firehouse lawn.
Nate said he signed up because his friend Jacob can be persuasive.
"But we enjoy being out here with our friends," he said. "It gives you a good feeling after you're finished."
Mr. Brown said the rollback issue has taught his family that "hard times draw people together."
As Mr. Brown watched his son direct the crew and stride around the fire station property with a heavy lawn tool, he smiled.
"I've met a lot of 15-year-olds who just wouldn't be out here," he said. "Kids are amazing. If you throw the opportunity out there, they can surprise you."
The Browns said the one lawn that hasn't benefited from their efforts is their own.
"The back yard's a little deep at our house," Mr. Brown admitted with a grimace.
RICKY MOON/Special Contributor
Jacob Brown of Bedford has enlisted his friends to take care of city yardwork this summer. Bedford's mowing contracts became casualties of a divisive tax rollback election in March, so volunteers have picked up the slack.
By LAURIE FOX / The Dallas Morning News
BEDFORD, Texas – Pickups hauling riding lawn mowers descended on a Bedford Road fire station on a breezy Saturday morning.
Trey Ring and other firefighters didn't know what to make of the volunteer crew who nonchalantly fired up the equipment and started sprucing up the firehouse landscape.
So they hoisted weed trimmers and leaf blowers right along with them.
"What kind of firefighters would we be if we didn't pitch in and help?" Mr. Ring said.
That's the same sentiment that propelled Jacob Brown and Jeff Peterson into free lawn detail for the city of Bedford.
After the city's mowing contracts were cut out of the budget – a victim of a divisive tax rollback election in March – Jacob and Jeff, both 15, stepped in.
They decided that they couldn't let lawns at City Hall, the library and several fire stations become overgrown this summer.
Now, after a few weeks of beating back grass and weeds at city properties throughout Bedford, Jacob and his friends have found a rhythm.
Somehow the buzzing and humming of yard machines lulled months of political rhetoric that seemed to polarize the city after the rollback.
For 20 Saturdays until the end of the fiscal year in September, they have made the city's lawns their own.
Jacob slogged through knee-high grass at City Hall the weekend they started in May.
"The first time we did it, I thought, 'This is going to be a long summer,' " Jacob said. "But it's gotten easier by the week. We're down to three hours. It took us six in the beginning."
Mike Hendrickson, a friend of Jacob, and Jacob's father, David, shelled out $3,000 for a commercial mower. Mr. Brown bought a riding mower at an auction and kicked in leaf blowers and weed trimmers.
Jacob and Jeff recruited several friends to sweat it out with them each week.
"The city became like an aging parent," Mr. Hendrickson said. "Providing for that aging parent became necessary. It's a good civics lesson for all of us."
The group has pulled together 20 volunteers who rotate Saturdays. They mow lawns at the City Hall complex, the nearby library and main fire station one week, and the Bedford Road fire station the next.
Even Jacob's grandparents took a spin with the weed trimmer and leaf blower.
"It's time-consuming, but it's worth it," Jacob said. "It was a way that we could make a difference. Three hours on a Saturday's not a big deal."
But to city officials, the group's mowing efforts – along with fundraisers that allowed the library to stay open longer hours – are a very big deal.
"We have real heartfelt gratitude for what they're doing," said Steve Bass, Bedford's deputy city manager. "They are literally saving the character and aesthetics of the city."
To look at their work, the teens operate like lawn professionals.
Nate Peace expertly guided the riding lawn mower onto the trailer after his mowing stint. Jeff manhandled the intimidating commercial mower in methodical circles around the firehouse lawn.
Nate said he signed up because his friend Jacob can be persuasive.
"But we enjoy being out here with our friends," he said. "It gives you a good feeling after you're finished."
Mr. Brown said the rollback issue has taught his family that "hard times draw people together."
As Mr. Brown watched his son direct the crew and stride around the fire station property with a heavy lawn tool, he smiled.
"I've met a lot of 15-year-olds who just wouldn't be out here," he said. "Kids are amazing. If you throw the opportunity out there, they can surprise you."
The Browns said the one lawn that hasn't benefited from their efforts is their own.
"The back yard's a little deep at our house," Mr. Brown admitted with a grimace.
RICKY MOON/Special Contributor
Jacob Brown of Bedford has enlisted his friends to take care of city yardwork this summer. Bedford's mowing contracts became casualties of a divisive tax rollback election in March, so volunteers have picked up the slack.
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TexasStooge
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Summer heat deadly for kids left in cars
By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8
WAXAHACHE, Texas - Autopsy results have returned, but have not yet been made public, on the death of a 6-month-old girl who died Thursday.
The father forgot he left Mika Michelle Terry in his truck for four hours while working at a church in Maypearl, located in Ellis County. By the time he remembered the child it was too late.
Child Protective Services and Ellis County authorities are investigating.
With a long summer ahead, Dallas Fire-Rescue expects more of these types of tragedies ahead.
"A car can easily reach up to 120 to 130 degrees within minutes," said Capt. Jesse Garcia, Dallas Fire-Rescue. "A newborn can die within minutes."
The death of baby Terry in North Texas was not the only one of its kind. Across the nation, just this month, many children have lost their lives under the sweltering heat.
In Wisconsin, the body of 2-year-old Asia Jones was found inside a day-care van. Authorities estimated the temperature inside the van soared close to 120 degrees.
In Arkansas, a 3-year-old died of heat stroke after being locked for hours inside a day-care van as well.
And in Alabama, 10-month-old twins were left inside a sweltering car parked outside their home. One of the twins died.
"It is difficult to comprehend," Capt. Garcia said. "But unfortunately it is becoming a trend here."
Police have broken car windows to rescue children locked inside. Sometimes parents have risked their children's lives just to run into the store for a quick errand.
"You never ever want to leave a child unattended in the car - not even for a second," said Alan Korn, public police director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.
It is estimated there are 30 deaths a year across the U.S. when children are left alone in cars. Child safety advocates were in Washington last week to lobby Congress to pass legislation that would help reduce that number.
WFAA ABC 8
Two-year-old Asia Jones died inside a van that's temperature rose above 120 degrees.
By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8
WAXAHACHE, Texas - Autopsy results have returned, but have not yet been made public, on the death of a 6-month-old girl who died Thursday.
The father forgot he left Mika Michelle Terry in his truck for four hours while working at a church in Maypearl, located in Ellis County. By the time he remembered the child it was too late.
Child Protective Services and Ellis County authorities are investigating.
With a long summer ahead, Dallas Fire-Rescue expects more of these types of tragedies ahead.
"A car can easily reach up to 120 to 130 degrees within minutes," said Capt. Jesse Garcia, Dallas Fire-Rescue. "A newborn can die within minutes."
The death of baby Terry in North Texas was not the only one of its kind. Across the nation, just this month, many children have lost their lives under the sweltering heat.
In Wisconsin, the body of 2-year-old Asia Jones was found inside a day-care van. Authorities estimated the temperature inside the van soared close to 120 degrees.
In Arkansas, a 3-year-old died of heat stroke after being locked for hours inside a day-care van as well.
And in Alabama, 10-month-old twins were left inside a sweltering car parked outside their home. One of the twins died.
"It is difficult to comprehend," Capt. Garcia said. "But unfortunately it is becoming a trend here."
Police have broken car windows to rescue children locked inside. Sometimes parents have risked their children's lives just to run into the store for a quick errand.
"You never ever want to leave a child unattended in the car - not even for a second," said Alan Korn, public police director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign.
It is estimated there are 30 deaths a year across the U.S. when children are left alone in cars. Child safety advocates were in Washington last week to lobby Congress to pass legislation that would help reduce that number.
WFAA ABC 8
Two-year-old Asia Jones died inside a van that's temperature rose above 120 degrees.
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