14-year-old: Teacher was 'slutty'
By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - During his second day on the stand, a 14-year-old Colleyville boy offered more details about his sexual encounters with his teacher whom he described as “slutty.” The boy also testified that he did not provide full information to investigators.
Dawn Reiser, 30, a former seventh-grade teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Grapevine, is on trial for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child.
Prosecutors said Ms. Reiser had sex with the boy in June 2004.
The Dallas Morning News generally does not publish the names of alleged sexual assault victims.
Ms. Reiser took copious notes throughout the testimony of her former student, barely exchanging glances with him. Her attorney, Sam Cammack, says the allegations are the fantasies of a pubescent boy who had fallen for his teacher.
The boy, who was 13 at the time of the alleged assault, denied having a crush on his teacher.
“She said she liked me,” he testified at Criminal District Court No. 2 in Fort Worth.
The boy conceded that he did not tell police all of the details about the affair.
“It was very uncomfortable talking to them,” he told Mr. Cammack during two hours of questioning Tuesday.
“I just answered the questions that they asked,” he said
The teen testified that he and Ms. Reiser had sexual encounters at a park near his house. He also said they had sex at her Euless home while her husband was at work.
While he was away at camp last summer, he said Ms. Reiser sent letters that referred to their sexual encounter.
“She said, ‘That was great.’ All nine times that we had sex.”
The boy also testified about Ms. Reiser’s classroom behavior.
He said he thought his teacher dressed inappropriately for class and bought him candy for his birthday. But she also would allow her students to skip class and play cards, the teen said.
He told the jury of six men and six women that he thought his teacher was a flirt.
“She was slutty at school,” the teen said.
During one class, Ms. Reiser played Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” song on a computer and told another boy, “This is for you.”
“I looked up the lyrics for myself,” he said.
The teen, who completed eighth grade at Holy Trinity, said most of the school’s students know about Ms. Reiser who was arrested more than a year ago.
And, they know of his involvement with her, he said.
“It makes me uncomfortable,” the teen said. “It’s personal. I didn’t mean for it to happen.”
He said parents of his classmates will not allow him to socialize with their daughters.
“They think I’m too experienced so they don’t trust me around their daughters,” he said.
If convicted, Ms. Reiser faces a life sentence for the aggravated sexual assault charge. Indecency with a child carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
News from the Lone Star State
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Decision time near for homeless project
Dallas: Sept. 7 is council deadline to call $15.7 million bond vote
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The Dallas City Council will discuss today the possibility of a $15.7 million bond election this fall to pay for a new center to replace the city's overcrowded and inadequate homeless shelter.
The new homeless facility would cost at least $18.7 million plus undetermined land expenses. Voters approved $3 million for the center in 2003.
Mayor Laura Miller said Tuesday that she is eager for the city to schedule a Nov. 8 bond election to pay for the project. The council would have to put the item on the ballot by Sept. 7.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's long overdue," she said. "It's a crisis, and we have to deal with it immediately."
But the project has detractors.
The council voted in April on a site at the southeastern edge of downtown. In June, about 24 business representatives signed a letter to the council saying that the plan would hurt revitalization. City Council member Bill Blaydes said Tuesday that he would ask the council to find a different location.
"Putting that in the center of what you are trying to redevelop does not work," he said.
The proposed facility is more than double the size of the existing resource center, where up to 300 people sleep on the tile floor or parking lot each night and receive few services. The number of homeless people was 6,000 in Dallas County during the latest count – and officials say that number continues to grow.
The project would offer expanded social services including job and housing assistance and temporary shelter. It also could include an outdoor pavilion where homeless people who resist services could sleep – though caseworkers would encourage treatment. Dallas County has 1,000 chronic homeless with severe mental illnesses or addictions.
Council member Pauline Medrano, whose district includes the proposed project site, said she supports the downtown location because homeless people already congregate there for services and are not likely to seek help at a site outside that area.
"We're a city of compassion, and we want to see our city move forward. We must do something for our homeless," she said.
But the new center must be a better neighbor than the current Day Resource Center, where surrounding business owners complain of people urinating and sleeping on their properties, council member Gary Griffith said.
"We need to make it clear as a city there are certain behaviors that are not going to be tolerated," he said. "Those who can work with us, we want to work with them."
Tom Dunning, the city's homeless czar and head of the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness that researched plans for the new facility, said the project would aid downtown redevelopment.
"This will enable the police to have a place to bring people who are sleeping on the streets, urinating, defecating and aggressively panhandling on the streets," he said.
In addition to construction costs, the city estimates it would cost $2.6 million a year to staff the facility, slated to open in April 2008. The city might consider bids from private organizations seeking to run the project. The Dallas Homeless Neighborhood Association has said it won't support a bond unless the city hires someone else to run the facility.
The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, a coalition of homeless service providers, supports the downtown location.
"There are obvious gaps in the system, and that's what this homeless assistance center will hopefully address," said Cindy Honey, the group's executive director.
Meanwhile, Larry Hamilton of Hamilton Properties, who represents a coalition of downtown property owners, said he hopes the council will reconsider the site.
"Leaving the proposed homeless shelter downtown would be a huge obstacle to revitalizing the central core of the city," he said.
In the meantime, the city's lease on the Day Resource Center building at Ervay and Cadiz streets ends Jan. 31, 2006. The city is trying to extend that lease but also is looking into an alternative site.
Dallas: Sept. 7 is council deadline to call $15.7 million bond vote
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The Dallas City Council will discuss today the possibility of a $15.7 million bond election this fall to pay for a new center to replace the city's overcrowded and inadequate homeless shelter.
The new homeless facility would cost at least $18.7 million plus undetermined land expenses. Voters approved $3 million for the center in 2003.
Mayor Laura Miller said Tuesday that she is eager for the city to schedule a Nov. 8 bond election to pay for the project. The council would have to put the item on the ballot by Sept. 7.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's long overdue," she said. "It's a crisis, and we have to deal with it immediately."
But the project has detractors.
The council voted in April on a site at the southeastern edge of downtown. In June, about 24 business representatives signed a letter to the council saying that the plan would hurt revitalization. City Council member Bill Blaydes said Tuesday that he would ask the council to find a different location.
"Putting that in the center of what you are trying to redevelop does not work," he said.
The proposed facility is more than double the size of the existing resource center, where up to 300 people sleep on the tile floor or parking lot each night and receive few services. The number of homeless people was 6,000 in Dallas County during the latest count – and officials say that number continues to grow.
The project would offer expanded social services including job and housing assistance and temporary shelter. It also could include an outdoor pavilion where homeless people who resist services could sleep – though caseworkers would encourage treatment. Dallas County has 1,000 chronic homeless with severe mental illnesses or addictions.
Council member Pauline Medrano, whose district includes the proposed project site, said she supports the downtown location because homeless people already congregate there for services and are not likely to seek help at a site outside that area.
"We're a city of compassion, and we want to see our city move forward. We must do something for our homeless," she said.
But the new center must be a better neighbor than the current Day Resource Center, where surrounding business owners complain of people urinating and sleeping on their properties, council member Gary Griffith said.
"We need to make it clear as a city there are certain behaviors that are not going to be tolerated," he said. "Those who can work with us, we want to work with them."
Tom Dunning, the city's homeless czar and head of the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness that researched plans for the new facility, said the project would aid downtown redevelopment.
"This will enable the police to have a place to bring people who are sleeping on the streets, urinating, defecating and aggressively panhandling on the streets," he said.
In addition to construction costs, the city estimates it would cost $2.6 million a year to staff the facility, slated to open in April 2008. The city might consider bids from private organizations seeking to run the project. The Dallas Homeless Neighborhood Association has said it won't support a bond unless the city hires someone else to run the facility.
The Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, a coalition of homeless service providers, supports the downtown location.
"There are obvious gaps in the system, and that's what this homeless assistance center will hopefully address," said Cindy Honey, the group's executive director.
Meanwhile, Larry Hamilton of Hamilton Properties, who represents a coalition of downtown property owners, said he hopes the council will reconsider the site.
"Leaving the proposed homeless shelter downtown would be a huge obstacle to revitalizing the central core of the city," he said.
In the meantime, the city's lease on the Day Resource Center building at Ervay and Cadiz streets ends Jan. 31, 2006. The city is trying to extend that lease but also is looking into an alternative site.
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Council member pushes gay rights charter change
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
Exclusive: Dallas City Council members will resume work on strong mayor charter amendments for November's election.
But one council member wants voters to consider something else - protection for gay and lesbian city employees.
From the people who patrol the streets to those who catch loose dogs, all 13,000 men and women who work for the City of Dallas have protection in the city charter against employment discrimination based on race, gender, political or religious opinions or affiliations.
Dallas Council Member Angela Hunt said she wants to add sexual orientation to that list.
"I think it's an important statement to let all members of Dallas know and be confident that our city respects and ensure non-discrimination for all of our residents," Hunt said.
Dallas already has a gay rights ordinance banning discrimination in housing and the workplace. But Hunt said in today's political climate stronger protection is needed.
"Ordinances can be changed simply by a majority vote of the city council," she said. "Changing a charter requires a referendum. It's a much more complex process. It's a much more permanent protection."
Dallas has one of the largest gay populations in the country, still Hunt's proposal could face tough a touch challenge in November.
A state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage may end up on the same ballot, driving religious conservatives to the polls.
But veteran political consultant Carol Reed said they may not be the force many think with no major political candidate driving the issue.
"This may be important to some but for the average voter this is not real high on the scale of things that are important," Reed said.
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
Exclusive: Dallas City Council members will resume work on strong mayor charter amendments for November's election.
But one council member wants voters to consider something else - protection for gay and lesbian city employees.
From the people who patrol the streets to those who catch loose dogs, all 13,000 men and women who work for the City of Dallas have protection in the city charter against employment discrimination based on race, gender, political or religious opinions or affiliations.
Dallas Council Member Angela Hunt said she wants to add sexual orientation to that list.
"I think it's an important statement to let all members of Dallas know and be confident that our city respects and ensure non-discrimination for all of our residents," Hunt said.
Dallas already has a gay rights ordinance banning discrimination in housing and the workplace. But Hunt said in today's political climate stronger protection is needed.
"Ordinances can be changed simply by a majority vote of the city council," she said. "Changing a charter requires a referendum. It's a much more complex process. It's a much more permanent protection."
Dallas has one of the largest gay populations in the country, still Hunt's proposal could face tough a touch challenge in November.
A state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage may end up on the same ballot, driving religious conservatives to the polls.
But veteran political consultant Carol Reed said they may not be the force many think with no major political candidate driving the issue.
"This may be important to some but for the average voter this is not real high on the scale of things that are important," Reed said.
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At Ikea, line forms to the left
By ALAN MELSON / WFAA.com
FRISCO, Texas - People flocked by the thousands to opening day at the newest Ikea store in Frisco on Wednesday morning, stuffing parking lots and forming a long line that stretched around the building.
Ikea employees lined the entry into the store as the first shoppers crowded through the doors at 9 a.m., banging plastic noisemakers together and shouting encouraging words in a cacophony of sound that echoed off the walls.
"If we don't stick together we'll lose each other, because this is chaos," one shopper told News 8. "That totally wigged me out, coming in with all those things banging (together)."
The new store at the Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121 marks the Swedish retailer's first foray into North Texas, and a gathering of people awaiting the opening formed late Tuesday night outside the Frisco store. They're a bit late, though, compared to the first arrival - 33-year-old Victoria Carson-Barnes of Weatherford, who has waited outside the store since last week and was slated to receive a $2,500 store credit for being first in line.
With more than 200 locations worldwide and another Texas location in Houston, Ikea has developed a reputation as one of the largest ready-to-assemble furniture companies around. The chain prides itself on clean, modern design and parts that are easy for the average consumer to put together.
April Kinser of DallasNews.com contributed to this report.
WFAA ABC 8
Aerial views showed full parking lots at the new store Wednesday morning.
By ALAN MELSON / WFAA.com
FRISCO, Texas - People flocked by the thousands to opening day at the newest Ikea store in Frisco on Wednesday morning, stuffing parking lots and forming a long line that stretched around the building.
Ikea employees lined the entry into the store as the first shoppers crowded through the doors at 9 a.m., banging plastic noisemakers together and shouting encouraging words in a cacophony of sound that echoed off the walls.
"If we don't stick together we'll lose each other, because this is chaos," one shopper told News 8. "That totally wigged me out, coming in with all those things banging (together)."
The new store at the Dallas North Tollway and State Highway 121 marks the Swedish retailer's first foray into North Texas, and a gathering of people awaiting the opening formed late Tuesday night outside the Frisco store. They're a bit late, though, compared to the first arrival - 33-year-old Victoria Carson-Barnes of Weatherford, who has waited outside the store since last week and was slated to receive a $2,500 store credit for being first in line.
With more than 200 locations worldwide and another Texas location in Houston, Ikea has developed a reputation as one of the largest ready-to-assemble furniture companies around. The chain prides itself on clean, modern design and parts that are easy for the average consumer to put together.
April Kinser of DallasNews.com contributed to this report.
WFAA ABC 8
Aerial views showed full parking lots at the new store Wednesday morning.
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Man sues UNT police for assault
Former student says officers slammed his head on his vehicle
By Donna Fielder / Denton Record-Chronicle
DENTON, Texas - A former University of North Texas student has filed a civil rights lawsuit against three UNT police officers, alleging they slammed his head onto the trunk lid of his car and charged him with assault to cover up their own actions.
Gus Livingston Elliott, now a 21-year-old student at Texas State University-San Marcos, alleges in the suit filed Friday in 158th District Court that Sgt. Greg Prickett and Officers Mark Linnell and Harold Hitt broke one of his front teeth and caused a cut on his chin that required five stitches on Aug. 16, 2003, after stopping him on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
The suit asks for an unspecified amount of damages and attorney’s fees, but Denton attorney Richard Gladden, who filed the suit, said Tuesday that actual damages would exceed $50,000, and he believes punitive damages are called for.
“As a citizen, I’m concerned that police are willing to lie,” Gladden said. “These particular officers felt like they were free to do absolutely what they wanted to without recriminations.”
UNT Assistant Police Chief Ed Reynolds declined comment, saying it was university policy not to comment on pending litigation.
According to the suit, Prickett stopped Elliott in the early morning hours after he allegedly stopped past the stop line at a blinking red light. Prickett performed field sobriety tests and decided to charge Elliott with DWI. Elliott told Prickett then and still maintains that he had not been drinking that night, Gladden said.
A police videotape of the arrest shows the three officers converging on Elliott and his head slamming onto the trunk lid of his car. Prickett wrote in his police report that Elliott “began to fight and headbutted” Linnell, causing a cut above the officer’s eye and Elliott’s injuries.
They charged Elliott with aggravated assault on a peace officer.
The Denton County District Attorney’s office reduced the charge to resisting arrest and subsequently dropped that charge as well, according to court documents.
“After viewing the videotape, it has been determined that this case should not be prosecuted. The State cannot make a prima facie case on the charge of resisting arrest,” according to the motion to dismiss filed by prosecutor Lisa Decker.
In a subsequent plea bargain, Elliott pleaded guilty to obstructing the roadway in lieu of the DWI charge and received 12 months deferred adjudication probation, according to county records.
Former student says officers slammed his head on his vehicle
By Donna Fielder / Denton Record-Chronicle
DENTON, Texas - A former University of North Texas student has filed a civil rights lawsuit against three UNT police officers, alleging they slammed his head onto the trunk lid of his car and charged him with assault to cover up their own actions.
Gus Livingston Elliott, now a 21-year-old student at Texas State University-San Marcos, alleges in the suit filed Friday in 158th District Court that Sgt. Greg Prickett and Officers Mark Linnell and Harold Hitt broke one of his front teeth and caused a cut on his chin that required five stitches on Aug. 16, 2003, after stopping him on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
The suit asks for an unspecified amount of damages and attorney’s fees, but Denton attorney Richard Gladden, who filed the suit, said Tuesday that actual damages would exceed $50,000, and he believes punitive damages are called for.
“As a citizen, I’m concerned that police are willing to lie,” Gladden said. “These particular officers felt like they were free to do absolutely what they wanted to without recriminations.”
UNT Assistant Police Chief Ed Reynolds declined comment, saying it was university policy not to comment on pending litigation.
According to the suit, Prickett stopped Elliott in the early morning hours after he allegedly stopped past the stop line at a blinking red light. Prickett performed field sobriety tests and decided to charge Elliott with DWI. Elliott told Prickett then and still maintains that he had not been drinking that night, Gladden said.
A police videotape of the arrest shows the three officers converging on Elliott and his head slamming onto the trunk lid of his car. Prickett wrote in his police report that Elliott “began to fight and headbutted” Linnell, causing a cut above the officer’s eye and Elliott’s injuries.
They charged Elliott with aggravated assault on a peace officer.
The Denton County District Attorney’s office reduced the charge to resisting arrest and subsequently dropped that charge as well, according to court documents.
“After viewing the videotape, it has been determined that this case should not be prosecuted. The State cannot make a prima facie case on the charge of resisting arrest,” according to the motion to dismiss filed by prosecutor Lisa Decker.
In a subsequent plea bargain, Elliott pleaded guilty to obstructing the roadway in lieu of the DWI charge and received 12 months deferred adjudication probation, according to county records.
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Bipolar Garland woman missing
GARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Authorities are searching for a missing 19-year-old Garland woman, who is bipolar and said to have the mental capacity of an 11-year-old.
Jessica Nicole Rasure has been missing since 8 a.m. Thursday. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with a rose on the back, black shorts with white stripes, white sneakers and a Winnie the Pooh backpack, police said.
Rasure also may have a checkbook, Social Security card and other identification with her. The missing woman has blue eyes and brown hair, weighs 150 pounds and is 5 feet tall.
Rasure has not taken her medication since her disappearance and may be aggressive and dangerous upon contact, police warned.
Photo of Jessica Nicole Rasure
GARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Authorities are searching for a missing 19-year-old Garland woman, who is bipolar and said to have the mental capacity of an 11-year-old.
Jessica Nicole Rasure has been missing since 8 a.m. Thursday. She was last seen wearing a white T-shirt with a rose on the back, black shorts with white stripes, white sneakers and a Winnie the Pooh backpack, police said.
Rasure also may have a checkbook, Social Security card and other identification with her. The missing woman has blue eyes and brown hair, weighs 150 pounds and is 5 feet tall.
Rasure has not taken her medication since her disappearance and may be aggressive and dangerous upon contact, police warned.
Photo of Jessica Nicole Rasure
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Massive ID theft ring busted
By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Police in North Texas have broken up an identity theft ring that led to the purchase thousands of dollars in merchandise with stolen credit card numbers.
Authorities in Forest Hill said it's one of the biggest identity theft rings ever busted in the region.
Late Wednesday afternoon, police filled two patrol cars full of documents that had been seized at a gas station along Interstate 20. A former employee there allegedly stole more than 600 credit and debit card numbers, and then attempted to make more than $21,000 in online purchases using two computers - also taken by police as evidence.
Forest Hill police officer Cory Downey lost more than $400 from his debit account, and had to wait several weeks to get the money back.
"It's bad that somebody can work so hard for something, and get it taken away within a night," Downey said.
The former gas station employee, 22-year-old Deniece Washington, is now in custody, along with Melvin Jones, 26, of Fort Worth. Police also issued a warrant for 22-year-old Jennifer Perkins. Officials said all three were allegedly part of the identity theft ring
"Basically, if you can imagine something you could buy online, they probably bought it," said Forest Hill Police Sgt. Dan Dennis. "Clothes, shoes, small appliances, electronics, DVD movies ..."
Stephanie Fant lost more than $700 when the thieves stole her debit card number.
"It is terrifying to know that someone can just go inside and not even have an ID to figure out if that is you or not, and just rack up charges," Fant said.
Dennis said the arrests should come as a warning to others thinking about trying anything similar.
"Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the country," Dennis said.
WFAA ABC 8
Police confiscated dozens of boxes of evidence during the bust.
By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Police in North Texas have broken up an identity theft ring that led to the purchase thousands of dollars in merchandise with stolen credit card numbers.
Authorities in Forest Hill said it's one of the biggest identity theft rings ever busted in the region.
Late Wednesday afternoon, police filled two patrol cars full of documents that had been seized at a gas station along Interstate 20. A former employee there allegedly stole more than 600 credit and debit card numbers, and then attempted to make more than $21,000 in online purchases using two computers - also taken by police as evidence.
Forest Hill police officer Cory Downey lost more than $400 from his debit account, and had to wait several weeks to get the money back.
"It's bad that somebody can work so hard for something, and get it taken away within a night," Downey said.
The former gas station employee, 22-year-old Deniece Washington, is now in custody, along with Melvin Jones, 26, of Fort Worth. Police also issued a warrant for 22-year-old Jennifer Perkins. Officials said all three were allegedly part of the identity theft ring
"Basically, if you can imagine something you could buy online, they probably bought it," said Forest Hill Police Sgt. Dan Dennis. "Clothes, shoes, small appliances, electronics, DVD movies ..."
Stephanie Fant lost more than $700 when the thieves stole her debit card number.
"It is terrifying to know that someone can just go inside and not even have an ID to figure out if that is you or not, and just rack up charges," Fant said.
Dennis said the arrests should come as a warning to others thinking about trying anything similar.
"Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the country," Dennis said.
WFAA ABC 8
Police confiscated dozens of boxes of evidence during the bust.
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Dallas PD anticipates large grants
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The Dallas Police Department will soon be on the receiving end of a giant grant.
The police department needs more officers, better equipment and more cars. The department also needs new helicopters. It has one of the oldest fleets in the nation. So far, City Hall hasn't been able to provide the tax dollars to fund all the department's needs. But a grant from two foundations should help them fulfill their wish list.
Chief David Kunkle has been leading an effort to get private funds. Thursday morning, the department will receive one of the largest grants in the 52-year history of the Communities Foundation of Texas. And it is the largest donation ever from the Caruth Foundation Fund.
"Well, I think what it really does is that it allows the council more flexibility with tax payer funds to support the department in manpower as opposed to equipment," said Gary Griffith, Dallas City Council member.
City officials predict better equipment and more officers on the streets will bring down the city's notoriously high crime rate. And a safer city means more economic development.
"The business community knows that, so they know they are helping economic development when they help reduce the crime rate," Griffith said.
A major announcement is expected Wednesday. Kunkle has requested his entire command staff be present for the ceremony.
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The Dallas Police Department will soon be on the receiving end of a giant grant.
The police department needs more officers, better equipment and more cars. The department also needs new helicopters. It has one of the oldest fleets in the nation. So far, City Hall hasn't been able to provide the tax dollars to fund all the department's needs. But a grant from two foundations should help them fulfill their wish list.
Chief David Kunkle has been leading an effort to get private funds. Thursday morning, the department will receive one of the largest grants in the 52-year history of the Communities Foundation of Texas. And it is the largest donation ever from the Caruth Foundation Fund.
"Well, I think what it really does is that it allows the council more flexibility with tax payer funds to support the department in manpower as opposed to equipment," said Gary Griffith, Dallas City Council member.
City officials predict better equipment and more officers on the streets will bring down the city's notoriously high crime rate. And a safer city means more economic development.
"The business community knows that, so they know they are helping economic development when they help reduce the crime rate," Griffith said.
A major announcement is expected Wednesday. Kunkle has requested his entire command staff be present for the ceremony.
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Plano man dies in motorcycle wreck
RICHARDSON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A motorcycle accident which left one man dead shut down part of Central Expressway in Richardson for hours Wednesday morning.
Police said around 3:30 a.m., Plano resident Clint Eubanks lost control of his motorcycle in the northbound lanes near Arapaho Road, and was then hit by several cars.
Eubanks, 29, was not wearing a helmet, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said he may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time.
RICHARDSON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A motorcycle accident which left one man dead shut down part of Central Expressway in Richardson for hours Wednesday morning.
Police said around 3:30 a.m., Plano resident Clint Eubanks lost control of his motorcycle in the northbound lanes near Arapaho Road, and was then hit by several cars.
Eubanks, 29, was not wearing a helmet, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said he may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time.
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Man accuses Dallas firefighter of discrimination
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - An internal affairs investigation is underway against a Dallas Firefighter who is accused of discriminating against a Mexican-American man who speaks little English.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department regularly distributes electric fans to Dallas citizens who might need them on hot days. Late last month, Javier Hernandez went to Fire Station 11 on the 3000 block of Cedar Springs near his apartment.
He said there the firefighter rejected his requests and made his feelings of Hernandez's lack of English known in very blunt terms.
"The humiliation is too great," Hernandez said. "If I had the money I would have gone directly to Target."
Hernandez said he has been out of work recently. And with the temperatures regularly hitting the high 90s, he wanted to participate in the city's program to get a free electric fan to help cool his small apartment.
"He told me very clearly, he pointed his finger in my face and said, 'You're in the United States and you need to speak English,'" he said.
Hernandez filed a formal complaint with Internal Affairs. The city said the accused firefighter is a veteran with a good record and this case may be a big misunderstanding. However, they said they are taking the charges seriously.
"We want to ascertain exactly what was said by our firefighter," said Capt. Jesse Garcia.
The story also raises larger questions for police and firefighters about communicating with citizens who speak limited English. Twenty percent of Dallas Firefighters are bilingual and a Spanish speaking dispatcher is on duty 24 hours a day.
"This is made aware of to all our firefighters so they could use them," Garcia said. "And it even includes on site interpreters in the form of bilingual firefighters."
A few days later, Hernandez got not one, but two donated fans. A department Chaplin heard about the controversy and came through.
Hernandez said he is grateful.
"I respect him as a firefighter," he said. "I'm very hurt, but I also have great respect for firefighters and what they do."
The firefighter at Station 11 is expected to tell investigators his side of the story soon and if he is cleared, department officials still want it known that these type of remarks are not tolerated.
The Dallas Fire Department said there is a distribution of free fans. For those in need call 311.
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - An internal affairs investigation is underway against a Dallas Firefighter who is accused of discriminating against a Mexican-American man who speaks little English.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department regularly distributes electric fans to Dallas citizens who might need them on hot days. Late last month, Javier Hernandez went to Fire Station 11 on the 3000 block of Cedar Springs near his apartment.
He said there the firefighter rejected his requests and made his feelings of Hernandez's lack of English known in very blunt terms.
"The humiliation is too great," Hernandez said. "If I had the money I would have gone directly to Target."
Hernandez said he has been out of work recently. And with the temperatures regularly hitting the high 90s, he wanted to participate in the city's program to get a free electric fan to help cool his small apartment.
"He told me very clearly, he pointed his finger in my face and said, 'You're in the United States and you need to speak English,'" he said.
Hernandez filed a formal complaint with Internal Affairs. The city said the accused firefighter is a veteran with a good record and this case may be a big misunderstanding. However, they said they are taking the charges seriously.
"We want to ascertain exactly what was said by our firefighter," said Capt. Jesse Garcia.
The story also raises larger questions for police and firefighters about communicating with citizens who speak limited English. Twenty percent of Dallas Firefighters are bilingual and a Spanish speaking dispatcher is on duty 24 hours a day.
"This is made aware of to all our firefighters so they could use them," Garcia said. "And it even includes on site interpreters in the form of bilingual firefighters."
A few days later, Hernandez got not one, but two donated fans. A department Chaplin heard about the controversy and came through.
Hernandez said he is grateful.
"I respect him as a firefighter," he said. "I'm very hurt, but I also have great respect for firefighters and what they do."
The firefighter at Station 11 is expected to tell investigators his side of the story soon and if he is cleared, department officials still want it known that these type of remarks are not tolerated.
The Dallas Fire Department said there is a distribution of free fans. For those in need call 311.
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TexasStooge
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Thieves target North Texas ATMs
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
ALLEN, Texas — North Texas authorities said identity thieves have found an innovative way to access your bank information.
They are installing equipment on legitimate bank ATMs to capture card and PIN numbers. The technique is used to steal thousands of dollars.
The practice—called "skimming"—is becoming a widespread problem across the nation, including Collin County.
While skimming has actually been around for awhile, thieves are getting more creative with the practice. Authorities said an organized team of criminals lurk around a targeted ATM and wait for customers to withdraw money. They move in after the customer leaves, and take what is left in the account.
Taru Hunter made trips to the ATM for cash, unaware that thieves could easily drain his account with a device that can copy his personal information.
"That ain't cool," Hunter said. "That's scary."
Collin County Sheriff's officials issued an alert to warn citizens and businesses to watch out for suspicious looking devices that might be attached right on top of the ATM slot that reads the card.
"It actually downloads your info from your card," explained Allen police Capt. Robert Flores. "There's a lot of information on this magnetic strip on your card that downloads onto this device."
Allen police confiscated a skimming device from an ATM, but never caught the thieves. Some criminals will sit nearby in a car and receive the information transmitted wirelessly.
They even use small wireless cameras to capture PIN numbers as they're being entered. Police said thieves will then reproduce cards and checks to cash in.
Hunter recently had his wallet stolen. He knows the fear of becoming a victim—and the frustration of trying to protect his personal information.
"[I set up] fraud alerts and I put out red flags," Hunter said. "And it's just been hectic and has left me under stress."
Collin County authorities are urging citizens and businesses to be on alert and report any suspicious behavior to the bank or to police.
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
ALLEN, Texas — North Texas authorities said identity thieves have found an innovative way to access your bank information.
They are installing equipment on legitimate bank ATMs to capture card and PIN numbers. The technique is used to steal thousands of dollars.
The practice—called "skimming"—is becoming a widespread problem across the nation, including Collin County.
While skimming has actually been around for awhile, thieves are getting more creative with the practice. Authorities said an organized team of criminals lurk around a targeted ATM and wait for customers to withdraw money. They move in after the customer leaves, and take what is left in the account.
Taru Hunter made trips to the ATM for cash, unaware that thieves could easily drain his account with a device that can copy his personal information.
"That ain't cool," Hunter said. "That's scary."
Collin County Sheriff's officials issued an alert to warn citizens and businesses to watch out for suspicious looking devices that might be attached right on top of the ATM slot that reads the card.
"It actually downloads your info from your card," explained Allen police Capt. Robert Flores. "There's a lot of information on this magnetic strip on your card that downloads onto this device."
Allen police confiscated a skimming device from an ATM, but never caught the thieves. Some criminals will sit nearby in a car and receive the information transmitted wirelessly.
They even use small wireless cameras to capture PIN numbers as they're being entered. Police said thieves will then reproduce cards and checks to cash in.
Hunter recently had his wallet stolen. He knows the fear of becoming a victim—and the frustration of trying to protect his personal information.
"[I set up] fraud alerts and I put out red flags," Hunter said. "And it's just been hectic and has left me under stress."
Collin County authorities are urging citizens and businesses to be on alert and report any suspicious behavior to the bank or to police.
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TexasStooge
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West Nile victim's family warns of dangers
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Tarrant County family said they want to warn others about the West Nile Virus. Their loved one, a homeless man, was the county's first and only West Nile victim this year.
Living on the streets, Michael Zehar's family has worried for years that the middle brother of six would be attacked. However, they never imagined a mosquito would cause this kind of suffering. It nearly killed the 42-year-old father.
It all started in June in East Lancaster where he said he remembered only about four or five mosquito bites.
After the bites, he started getting hot he said. He remembers the fever and headaches seven weeks ago. After that, he was sent to two hospitals and it has continued to escalate and lead to encephalitis, a coma and tracheotomy.
Now in a nursing home, his brother and sister-in-law aren't sure he will make it.
He was healthy before the bites and now he has meningitis and gowns and gloves are needed to visit him.
"It's getting to the point where you open the door and you're afraid to go out because you're afraid you'll get bitten by mosquitoes," said Billy Zehar, the victim's brother.
The victim's sister-in-law said she is now worried for her children
"When it comes to 9:00 at night, we make sure my kids are in," said Barbara Zehar, the victim's sister-in-law.
However, cases have decreased in Tarrant County and there are few who get as sick as Zehar.
"So, it's only about one in 100 people who get West Nile virus who end up in the hospital," said Dr. Elvin Adams, Tarrant County health director.
She also said 80 percent of the people exposed to West Nile, those bitten by West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes, never get it. And only 19 of the 20 who do get sick actually only experience mild symptoms, much like cold or flu-like symptoms.
Those who are most at risk are the elderly and very young. No one has ever died from West Nile Virus in Tarrant County.
But the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition said there are 5,300 homeless people living on the Tarrant County. Forty percent live unsheltered and are more susceptible to West Nile Virus.
The Tarrant County Public Health Department has asked for donations of insect repellent to provide to the homeless. They said they hope a large company might come forward with the donation.
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Tarrant County family said they want to warn others about the West Nile Virus. Their loved one, a homeless man, was the county's first and only West Nile victim this year.
Living on the streets, Michael Zehar's family has worried for years that the middle brother of six would be attacked. However, they never imagined a mosquito would cause this kind of suffering. It nearly killed the 42-year-old father.
It all started in June in East Lancaster where he said he remembered only about four or five mosquito bites.
After the bites, he started getting hot he said. He remembers the fever and headaches seven weeks ago. After that, he was sent to two hospitals and it has continued to escalate and lead to encephalitis, a coma and tracheotomy.
Now in a nursing home, his brother and sister-in-law aren't sure he will make it.
He was healthy before the bites and now he has meningitis and gowns and gloves are needed to visit him.
"It's getting to the point where you open the door and you're afraid to go out because you're afraid you'll get bitten by mosquitoes," said Billy Zehar, the victim's brother.
The victim's sister-in-law said she is now worried for her children
"When it comes to 9:00 at night, we make sure my kids are in," said Barbara Zehar, the victim's sister-in-law.
However, cases have decreased in Tarrant County and there are few who get as sick as Zehar.
"So, it's only about one in 100 people who get West Nile virus who end up in the hospital," said Dr. Elvin Adams, Tarrant County health director.
She also said 80 percent of the people exposed to West Nile, those bitten by West Nile Virus carrying mosquitoes, never get it. And only 19 of the 20 who do get sick actually only experience mild symptoms, much like cold or flu-like symptoms.
Those who are most at risk are the elderly and very young. No one has ever died from West Nile Virus in Tarrant County.
But the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition said there are 5,300 homeless people living on the Tarrant County. Forty percent live unsheltered and are more susceptible to West Nile Virus.
The Tarrant County Public Health Department has asked for donations of insect repellent to provide to the homeless. They said they hope a large company might come forward with the donation.
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TexasStooge
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- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Legislative logjam blocking textbooks
With funding in limbo, schools scramble to find some subject materials
By ROBERT T. GARRETT and TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – As Texas schoolchildren begin returning to the classroom next week, many will find tattered old textbooks used for years – while glossy new replacements gather dust in warehouses in the Dallas area and Lubbock.
Millions of new textbooks for foreign language, health, art and music classes cannot be delivered to school districts because the Legislature, caught in a stalemate over school finance for months, hasn't authorized their purchase.
Principals and teachers are busy scraping up as many old textbooks as they can find, preparing to double and triple up on certain materials and photocopying pages where there aren't enough books to go around.
In the Lewisville school district, textbook coordinator Bonnie Isom has been shipping truckloads of damaged books – some nearly 15 years old – to a bookbinding company in Waco for repair.
"We have close to 10,000 foreign-language books alone that were supposed to be replaced this year, but we can't order them," Ms. Isom said. The shortage has been aggravated by the district's growing enrollment.
Ms. Isom said "class sets" of textbooks will be common in many foreign language and health classes in Lewisville schools this year. Instead of getting their own copies, students in several classes will share a set of books.
Similar stopgap measures are under way in hundreds of districts frustrated by the Legislature's inaction.
Caught in the middle
The State Board of Education approved the new books in November, and districts began placing orders this spring. But delivery was postponed after lawmakers held up nearly $300 million in textbook funds while they searched high and low for new money for education – and to help pay for a House Republican leader's plan to give each student a laptop computer.
Teachers, school administrators and the roughly two dozen affected textbook publishers complain that book money has become mired in a larger political struggle.
"It's frustrating all the way around," said Beth Smith, a longtime German teacher at Plano Senior High School. She is one of 110 foreign-language teachers in the Plano district who spent weeks this summer overhauling lesson plans to fit the new books, CDs and videos they expected to use this fall.
"There's a comfort level when you know what books you're going to be teaching from, and right now, that comfort level for the teachers is not there," Ms. Smith said.
Cliff Avery, executive director of the Textbook Coordinators Association of Texas, which represents school district employees in charge of books, said districts are having trouble getting extra copies of books so outdated that they're out of print.
"A lot of our people are turning to the used-book market because they have nowhere else to go," he said.
Republican leaders hoped that by withholding the money for books, they would add momentum to school finance and tax-swap bills they've been working on all year. But those measures have stalled, with no agreement in sight.
Some lawmakers, fearing they will anger parents, now want to sever the textbook money from the two big bills and allow the Texas Education Agency to hurriedly take textbook orders and rush shipments to schools, even though it would be too late for the start of classes.
A bill to fund the books and teacher raises has been introduced in the Senate, but it's unclear whether there's any life left in the current special legislative session, the second of the summer.
"We'll just see what happens when the voters go to the polls in 2006," said Geraldine Miller of Dallas, chairwoman of the state board of education. "They just might remember this. It's the most egregious thing I've ever heard of."
Political maneuvering
The wrangling over textbooks grew out of a money shortage and one lawmaker's vision of a high-tech world.
In 2003, as they confronted a $10 billion budget shortfall, the Legislature and Mr. Perry delayed by a year the scheduled purchase of books for vocational and technical, business education, home economics, technology applications and English as a second language courses.
Looking ahead to this year, when they knew they would have to play catch-up, lawmakers also told the state board to delay by one year the next generation of math textbooks, which originally were to reach classrooms in fall 2006. The move created a ripple effect, delaying all future book replacements by a year.
In this year's regular legislative session, lawmakers passed and Mr. Perry signed an emergency spending bill that included $340 million for textbooks and instructional materials that had been delayed in 2003.
Early in that session, Rep. Kent Grusendorf, the Arlington Republican who heads the House education committee, wanted to withhold some of the additional $295 million for foreign language, music, art and health books, and let school districts choose between traditional texts and his favored approach – course materials delivered on laptops and other computers.
"We live in a world driven by technology," Mr. Grusendorf said. "This is the future. If we want to maximize education in Texas, technology is the key."
His counterpart in the Senate, Plano Republican Florence Shapiro, insisted the state had an obligation to pay for books it had nudged publishers to prepare. Still, she was unable to free up the money because of House resistance.
With funding in limbo, schools scramble to find some subject materials
By ROBERT T. GARRETT and TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – As Texas schoolchildren begin returning to the classroom next week, many will find tattered old textbooks used for years – while glossy new replacements gather dust in warehouses in the Dallas area and Lubbock.
Millions of new textbooks for foreign language, health, art and music classes cannot be delivered to school districts because the Legislature, caught in a stalemate over school finance for months, hasn't authorized their purchase.
Principals and teachers are busy scraping up as many old textbooks as they can find, preparing to double and triple up on certain materials and photocopying pages where there aren't enough books to go around.
In the Lewisville school district, textbook coordinator Bonnie Isom has been shipping truckloads of damaged books – some nearly 15 years old – to a bookbinding company in Waco for repair.
"We have close to 10,000 foreign-language books alone that were supposed to be replaced this year, but we can't order them," Ms. Isom said. The shortage has been aggravated by the district's growing enrollment.
Ms. Isom said "class sets" of textbooks will be common in many foreign language and health classes in Lewisville schools this year. Instead of getting their own copies, students in several classes will share a set of books.
Similar stopgap measures are under way in hundreds of districts frustrated by the Legislature's inaction.
Caught in the middle
The State Board of Education approved the new books in November, and districts began placing orders this spring. But delivery was postponed after lawmakers held up nearly $300 million in textbook funds while they searched high and low for new money for education – and to help pay for a House Republican leader's plan to give each student a laptop computer.
Teachers, school administrators and the roughly two dozen affected textbook publishers complain that book money has become mired in a larger political struggle.
"It's frustrating all the way around," said Beth Smith, a longtime German teacher at Plano Senior High School. She is one of 110 foreign-language teachers in the Plano district who spent weeks this summer overhauling lesson plans to fit the new books, CDs and videos they expected to use this fall.
"There's a comfort level when you know what books you're going to be teaching from, and right now, that comfort level for the teachers is not there," Ms. Smith said.
Cliff Avery, executive director of the Textbook Coordinators Association of Texas, which represents school district employees in charge of books, said districts are having trouble getting extra copies of books so outdated that they're out of print.
"A lot of our people are turning to the used-book market because they have nowhere else to go," he said.
Republican leaders hoped that by withholding the money for books, they would add momentum to school finance and tax-swap bills they've been working on all year. But those measures have stalled, with no agreement in sight.
Some lawmakers, fearing they will anger parents, now want to sever the textbook money from the two big bills and allow the Texas Education Agency to hurriedly take textbook orders and rush shipments to schools, even though it would be too late for the start of classes.
A bill to fund the books and teacher raises has been introduced in the Senate, but it's unclear whether there's any life left in the current special legislative session, the second of the summer.
"We'll just see what happens when the voters go to the polls in 2006," said Geraldine Miller of Dallas, chairwoman of the state board of education. "They just might remember this. It's the most egregious thing I've ever heard of."
Political maneuvering
The wrangling over textbooks grew out of a money shortage and one lawmaker's vision of a high-tech world.
In 2003, as they confronted a $10 billion budget shortfall, the Legislature and Mr. Perry delayed by a year the scheduled purchase of books for vocational and technical, business education, home economics, technology applications and English as a second language courses.
Looking ahead to this year, when they knew they would have to play catch-up, lawmakers also told the state board to delay by one year the next generation of math textbooks, which originally were to reach classrooms in fall 2006. The move created a ripple effect, delaying all future book replacements by a year.
In this year's regular legislative session, lawmakers passed and Mr. Perry signed an emergency spending bill that included $340 million for textbooks and instructional materials that had been delayed in 2003.
Early in that session, Rep. Kent Grusendorf, the Arlington Republican who heads the House education committee, wanted to withhold some of the additional $295 million for foreign language, music, art and health books, and let school districts choose between traditional texts and his favored approach – course materials delivered on laptops and other computers.
"We live in a world driven by technology," Mr. Grusendorf said. "This is the future. If we want to maximize education in Texas, technology is the key."
His counterpart in the Senate, Plano Republican Florence Shapiro, insisted the state had an obligation to pay for books it had nudged publishers to prepare. Still, she was unable to free up the money because of House resistance.
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TexasStooge
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Schools prize top marks in rating game
State sorts districts into 4 categories, but critics point to bigger picture
BY HOLLY K. HACKER / The Dallas Morning News
If home values are all about three words – location, location, location – then school values boil down to four:
Exemplary, recognized, acceptable, unacceptable.
Those simple labels are applied annually to Texas' public schools based on a complex formula that takes into account student scores on standardized tests, dropouts and high school graduation rates.
The ratings, which were released this week, spark passion, discussion – and sometimes obsession.
Teachers and parents celebrated in areas where schools experienced a bump up in the hierarchy. Other parents had questions after seeing their schools slide. Even real estate agents got in on the act.
"Out here it means everything," said Tom Grisak, a Realtor who works in Allen. His area includes the tiny Lovejoy Independent School District, whose two campuses earned top marks for 2005. Mr. Grisak posted the good news on his company Web site Tuesday.
"To say that both schools are exemplary, that is a huge selling factor. I can't tell you what an asset that is," he said. With homes in the area priced at more than $500,000 on average, families demand quality schools, Mr. Grisak said.
When the news isn't so good, educators end up more like company executives explaining a drop in stock prices.
The Coppell Independent School District saw its rating fall from "recognized" to "acceptable," and individual school ratings dropped at nine of 14 campuses. Two schools tumbled two notches: Coppell High from "recognized" to "unacceptable," and Coppell Middle North from "exemplary" to "acceptable."
Coppell ISD officials struck back Tuesday with a news release and statement on the district's home page: "The recently released [state] ratings do not accurately reflect the quality of education in the Coppell Independent School District." Officials, who said they plan to appeal the ratings for the district and three campuses, said they were hurt by Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills scores from a small group of students – those with disabilities.
The state factored in TAKS scores for students with disabilities for the first time this year.
Experts say the ratings frenzy is understandable, if not always sensible.
"Ultimately, what drives it is parents and educators want good schools," said Michael Sayler, an associate dean at the University of North Texas' college of education. State ratings offer an overview of how well schools are doing, he said.
Badge of honor
Schools and districts wear high ratings like badges of honor. They trumpet their "exemplary" or "recognized" status on banners, at community meetings, and on letterheads and Web sites. Meanwhile, districts rated unacceptable for two consecutive years face sanctions, including the possibility of a forced merger with another district. Wilmer-Hutchins is the only district in that situation.
Still, the labels hide nuances. A school might have had an influx of immigrant students, posing new challenges for teachers. Scores might have increased on the TAKS, but not enough to earn a higher rating.
Plus, ratings often say just as much about the children attending the school as the job teachers are doing: Schools that serve poor children, for several reasons, tend to perform worse than their wealthier counterparts.
Case in point: The most affluent schools (where no more than one in five children are poor) represent just 12 percent of all schools in Texas, but they make up 60 percent of campuses rated "exemplary" this year.
Complicating matters, the state made it harder to pass the TAKS this year, making students answer more questions correctly.
Nancylyn Davis, who has two children at Coppell High, said she knew the ratings would be calculated differently this year but had no idea how much it would affect the district.
"Was it a surprise? You bet," Ms. Davis said. But that doesn't put her children's education at risk, she said. She expressed full confidence in the district.
"This rating does not change that," she said.
In Grapevine, parent Kathy Candaleria said she thinks the lower rating given this year to the Grapevine-Colleyville district – "acceptable" instead of "recognized" – may hurt its perception among some people. But Ms. Candaleria said she doesn't put that much stock in the ratings, which depend mostly on test scores.
"I don't believe in all this testing," Ms. Candaleria said.
Property values
Jim Fite, president of Century 21 Judge Fite Realtors, said homebuyers study school reports and ratings. Some will gravitate toward districts with higher marks from the state, he said.
Poor ratings could hurt the real estate market in some districts, Mr. Fite said.
At Ebby Halliday Realtors, agent Kay Weeks advises homebuyers to visit a school and meet the principal. Ask about extracurricular activities, she suggests, and find out if parents are involved.
"You really can't look at these ratings as the be-all, end-all," Ms. Weeks said. "If there were more criteria for people to look at rather than just what the state puts out, I think it would be a lot more helpful."
Staff writers Marissa Alanis, Herb Booth, Kim Breen and Stella Chavez contributed to this report.
State sorts districts into 4 categories, but critics point to bigger picture
BY HOLLY K. HACKER / The Dallas Morning News
If home values are all about three words – location, location, location – then school values boil down to four:
Exemplary, recognized, acceptable, unacceptable.
Those simple labels are applied annually to Texas' public schools based on a complex formula that takes into account student scores on standardized tests, dropouts and high school graduation rates.
The ratings, which were released this week, spark passion, discussion – and sometimes obsession.
Teachers and parents celebrated in areas where schools experienced a bump up in the hierarchy. Other parents had questions after seeing their schools slide. Even real estate agents got in on the act.
"Out here it means everything," said Tom Grisak, a Realtor who works in Allen. His area includes the tiny Lovejoy Independent School District, whose two campuses earned top marks for 2005. Mr. Grisak posted the good news on his company Web site Tuesday.
"To say that both schools are exemplary, that is a huge selling factor. I can't tell you what an asset that is," he said. With homes in the area priced at more than $500,000 on average, families demand quality schools, Mr. Grisak said.
When the news isn't so good, educators end up more like company executives explaining a drop in stock prices.
The Coppell Independent School District saw its rating fall from "recognized" to "acceptable," and individual school ratings dropped at nine of 14 campuses. Two schools tumbled two notches: Coppell High from "recognized" to "unacceptable," and Coppell Middle North from "exemplary" to "acceptable."
Coppell ISD officials struck back Tuesday with a news release and statement on the district's home page: "The recently released [state] ratings do not accurately reflect the quality of education in the Coppell Independent School District." Officials, who said they plan to appeal the ratings for the district and three campuses, said they were hurt by Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills scores from a small group of students – those with disabilities.
The state factored in TAKS scores for students with disabilities for the first time this year.
Experts say the ratings frenzy is understandable, if not always sensible.
"Ultimately, what drives it is parents and educators want good schools," said Michael Sayler, an associate dean at the University of North Texas' college of education. State ratings offer an overview of how well schools are doing, he said.
Badge of honor
Schools and districts wear high ratings like badges of honor. They trumpet their "exemplary" or "recognized" status on banners, at community meetings, and on letterheads and Web sites. Meanwhile, districts rated unacceptable for two consecutive years face sanctions, including the possibility of a forced merger with another district. Wilmer-Hutchins is the only district in that situation.
Still, the labels hide nuances. A school might have had an influx of immigrant students, posing new challenges for teachers. Scores might have increased on the TAKS, but not enough to earn a higher rating.
Plus, ratings often say just as much about the children attending the school as the job teachers are doing: Schools that serve poor children, for several reasons, tend to perform worse than their wealthier counterparts.
Case in point: The most affluent schools (where no more than one in five children are poor) represent just 12 percent of all schools in Texas, but they make up 60 percent of campuses rated "exemplary" this year.
Complicating matters, the state made it harder to pass the TAKS this year, making students answer more questions correctly.
Nancylyn Davis, who has two children at Coppell High, said she knew the ratings would be calculated differently this year but had no idea how much it would affect the district.
"Was it a surprise? You bet," Ms. Davis said. But that doesn't put her children's education at risk, she said. She expressed full confidence in the district.
"This rating does not change that," she said.
In Grapevine, parent Kathy Candaleria said she thinks the lower rating given this year to the Grapevine-Colleyville district – "acceptable" instead of "recognized" – may hurt its perception among some people. But Ms. Candaleria said she doesn't put that much stock in the ratings, which depend mostly on test scores.
"I don't believe in all this testing," Ms. Candaleria said.
Property values
Jim Fite, president of Century 21 Judge Fite Realtors, said homebuyers study school reports and ratings. Some will gravitate toward districts with higher marks from the state, he said.
Poor ratings could hurt the real estate market in some districts, Mr. Fite said.
At Ebby Halliday Realtors, agent Kay Weeks advises homebuyers to visit a school and meet the principal. Ask about extracurricular activities, she suggests, and find out if parents are involved.
"You really can't look at these ratings as the be-all, end-all," Ms. Weeks said. "If there were more criteria for people to look at rather than just what the state puts out, I think it would be a lot more helpful."
Staff writers Marissa Alanis, Herb Booth, Kim Breen and Stella Chavez contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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New powers for mayor to go to voters
Dallas: Miller, council agree to put measure on November ballot
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and a majority of the City Council agreed Wednesday to put a "stronger mayor" charter referendum on the November ballot, taking straw votes on the measure's most controversial points during a tense 3 ½-hour discussion.
Council members left a few housekeeping items unfinished but vowed to finalize them before they call the election, an action slated for the Aug. 24 council meeting.
"This will be on the ballot; that's for sure," Ms. Miller said. "Today was a significant day."
The ballot measure would allow the mayor to hire and fire the city manager, and a simple majority of the council would be able to remove the manager.
The mayor and the city manager would prepare the budget and hire the police and fire chiefs. The council would hire the auditor and the finance and budget overview officer – a new position – to serve as a check on the mayor's new powers.
The mayor's annual salary would double to $120,000.
The amendments, if approved by voters in November, would go into effect in 2007.
Council members crafted the measure last spring in an attempt to steal wind from the sails of May's strong-mayor referendum.
That proposal, drafted by Dallas lawyer Beth Ann Blackwood and opposed by all 14 council members, would have eliminated the city manager position and granted the mayor much greater authority.
Ms. Blackwood's proposal was trounced in May, leaving Ms. Miller – its strongest advocate – empty-handed. Ms. Miller said Wednesday that she would support the November ballot measure because it makes two essential changes: allowing the mayor to hire and fire the city manager and giving the mayor a role in hiring the police and fire chiefs.
"This is not a strong mayor," Ms. Miller said after the briefing. "This is giving the mayor some additional, slight powers."
Asked whether she would campaign for the November measure as she campaigned before May's election, the mayor responded, "Absolutely not." And she questioned whether the Dallas Citizens Council and the Greater Dallas Chamber, the two organizations that helped the council craft the proposal, would help sell it to the public.
Despite Ms. Miller's reluctant stamp of approval, she lost two major battles in Wednesday's discussion.
First, she asked the council members to switch the simple majority required to fire the city manager to a two-thirds supermajority.
"I think that having a simple majority to fire is unworkable," she said. "I think the threshold ought to be what it is today, two-thirds."
She was rebuffed in a straw vote.
"We need to present to the voters what we pledged to present with regards to this matter," council member Angela Hunt said. "And we pledged to present a majority vote."
Then Ms. Miller appealed to her colleagues to remove an amendment to double the mayor's salary.
Under the proposed form of government "there is no more workload for the mayor," Ms. Miller said. "If compensation is going to be increased, it should be increased for everybody."
Again, a majority of the council disagreed with her. Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill said that the mayor's responsibilities will be increased under the proposal and that the salary should grow as well.
"I'm hopeful that at one point in time, you're not going to have to have a wealthy person to be the mayor of the city of Dallas," he said.
But in her final fight – to eliminate an amendment that would have made "potential contractors contributing more than $500 to mayoral campaigns" ineligible for non-bid city contracts – Ms. Miller was victorious, at least for the time being.
"To put this kind of restriction on one elected official ... I find very strange and totally inappropriate," Ms. Miller said.
In a straw vote, the council pulled the item out of the proposal for further discussion.
The FBI investigation into corruption at City Hall was the elephant in the room at Wednesday's briefing, the first full meeting of the council since its July recess. And it was particularly obvious during the debate on contributions to mayoral campaigns.
"There were a couple of comments made that were timely," Ms. Miller said. "I think we handled it well."
Dallas: Miller, council agree to put measure on November ballot
By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and a majority of the City Council agreed Wednesday to put a "stronger mayor" charter referendum on the November ballot, taking straw votes on the measure's most controversial points during a tense 3 ½-hour discussion.
Council members left a few housekeeping items unfinished but vowed to finalize them before they call the election, an action slated for the Aug. 24 council meeting.
"This will be on the ballot; that's for sure," Ms. Miller said. "Today was a significant day."
The ballot measure would allow the mayor to hire and fire the city manager, and a simple majority of the council would be able to remove the manager.
The mayor and the city manager would prepare the budget and hire the police and fire chiefs. The council would hire the auditor and the finance and budget overview officer – a new position – to serve as a check on the mayor's new powers.
The mayor's annual salary would double to $120,000.
The amendments, if approved by voters in November, would go into effect in 2007.
Council members crafted the measure last spring in an attempt to steal wind from the sails of May's strong-mayor referendum.
That proposal, drafted by Dallas lawyer Beth Ann Blackwood and opposed by all 14 council members, would have eliminated the city manager position and granted the mayor much greater authority.
Ms. Blackwood's proposal was trounced in May, leaving Ms. Miller – its strongest advocate – empty-handed. Ms. Miller said Wednesday that she would support the November ballot measure because it makes two essential changes: allowing the mayor to hire and fire the city manager and giving the mayor a role in hiring the police and fire chiefs.
"This is not a strong mayor," Ms. Miller said after the briefing. "This is giving the mayor some additional, slight powers."
Asked whether she would campaign for the November measure as she campaigned before May's election, the mayor responded, "Absolutely not." And she questioned whether the Dallas Citizens Council and the Greater Dallas Chamber, the two organizations that helped the council craft the proposal, would help sell it to the public.
Despite Ms. Miller's reluctant stamp of approval, she lost two major battles in Wednesday's discussion.
First, she asked the council members to switch the simple majority required to fire the city manager to a two-thirds supermajority.
"I think that having a simple majority to fire is unworkable," she said. "I think the threshold ought to be what it is today, two-thirds."
She was rebuffed in a straw vote.
"We need to present to the voters what we pledged to present with regards to this matter," council member Angela Hunt said. "And we pledged to present a majority vote."
Then Ms. Miller appealed to her colleagues to remove an amendment to double the mayor's salary.
Under the proposed form of government "there is no more workload for the mayor," Ms. Miller said. "If compensation is going to be increased, it should be increased for everybody."
Again, a majority of the council disagreed with her. Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill said that the mayor's responsibilities will be increased under the proposal and that the salary should grow as well.
"I'm hopeful that at one point in time, you're not going to have to have a wealthy person to be the mayor of the city of Dallas," he said.
But in her final fight – to eliminate an amendment that would have made "potential contractors contributing more than $500 to mayoral campaigns" ineligible for non-bid city contracts – Ms. Miller was victorious, at least for the time being.
"To put this kind of restriction on one elected official ... I find very strange and totally inappropriate," Ms. Miller said.
In a straw vote, the council pulled the item out of the proposal for further discussion.
The FBI investigation into corruption at City Hall was the elephant in the room at Wednesday's briefing, the first full meeting of the council since its July recess. And it was particularly obvious during the debate on contributions to mayoral campaigns.
"There were a couple of comments made that were timely," Ms. Miller said. "I think we handled it well."
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TexasStooge
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Ex-teacher convicted of having sex with boy
Fort Worth: She faces up to life in prison for assault, indecency
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas – A former private school teacher was convicted Wednesday on charges related to a sexual relationship she had last summer with a 13-year-old boy.
Dawn Reiser, 30, faces up to life in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. Ms. Reiser was a seventh-grade teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Grapevine when the offenses occurred.
Sam Cammack, Ms. Reiser's attorney, said he didn't call any defense witnesses because he didn't believe the testimony for the prosecution, including the boy's account, was convincing.
"I didn't believe the prosecution proved its case, but I'll have to accept the jury's decision," he said.
Alana Minton, one of the prosecutors, said Wednesday that she couldn't discuss the case until the trial was over. The boy's family was not available for comment Wednesday.
The boy, now 14, testified that he had sexual encounters with Ms. Reiser at Woodland Hills Park in Colleyville. He also said he had sex with her at her Euless home in June 2004 while her husband was at work.
The Dallas Morning News typically does not publish the names of sexual assault victims.
During his closing arguments, Mr. Cammack said the boy's comments to authorities and testimony were filled with inconsistencies, including the number of times the two had sex.
"If you don't believe he did it nine times, you can't believe he did it one," Mr. Cammack said.
He also said that during interviews with police officers, the teen appeared to be "fishing for an answer."
Ms. Minton said during closing arguments that the boy's testimony was not inconsistent, considering that the assaults happened more than a year ago. Also, she said that love letters sent by Ms. Reiser to the teen clearly showed that the relationship existed.
In the letters, Ms. Reiser mentioned how long it would be until the boy was 18, called him sexy and referred to them "making out."
During the punishment phase, scheduled to continue today, Ms. Reiser's relatives described her as a caring person who would not be a danger to society if given probation.
"No matter what she would be required, she would do it," said her father, Robert Briggs.
Other relatives, including her sister and aunt, said they would still trust her to care for their children. They said they don't believe Ms. Reiser is guilty.
The boy's mother said in court that Ms. Reiser violated her trust and hurt her family. She said they are still trying to recover from the damage, including her son's feelings of guilt.
The mother told the jury that when her son first told her about the assault, he fell to the ground and said, "Pray with me and ask God to forgive me."
Fort Worth: She faces up to life in prison for assault, indecency
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas – A former private school teacher was convicted Wednesday on charges related to a sexual relationship she had last summer with a 13-year-old boy.
Dawn Reiser, 30, faces up to life in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child. Ms. Reiser was a seventh-grade teacher at Holy Trinity Catholic School in Grapevine when the offenses occurred.
Sam Cammack, Ms. Reiser's attorney, said he didn't call any defense witnesses because he didn't believe the testimony for the prosecution, including the boy's account, was convincing.
"I didn't believe the prosecution proved its case, but I'll have to accept the jury's decision," he said.
Alana Minton, one of the prosecutors, said Wednesday that she couldn't discuss the case until the trial was over. The boy's family was not available for comment Wednesday.
The boy, now 14, testified that he had sexual encounters with Ms. Reiser at Woodland Hills Park in Colleyville. He also said he had sex with her at her Euless home in June 2004 while her husband was at work.
The Dallas Morning News typically does not publish the names of sexual assault victims.
During his closing arguments, Mr. Cammack said the boy's comments to authorities and testimony were filled with inconsistencies, including the number of times the two had sex.
"If you don't believe he did it nine times, you can't believe he did it one," Mr. Cammack said.
He also said that during interviews with police officers, the teen appeared to be "fishing for an answer."
Ms. Minton said during closing arguments that the boy's testimony was not inconsistent, considering that the assaults happened more than a year ago. Also, she said that love letters sent by Ms. Reiser to the teen clearly showed that the relationship existed.
In the letters, Ms. Reiser mentioned how long it would be until the boy was 18, called him sexy and referred to them "making out."
During the punishment phase, scheduled to continue today, Ms. Reiser's relatives described her as a caring person who would not be a danger to society if given probation.
"No matter what she would be required, she would do it," said her father, Robert Briggs.
Other relatives, including her sister and aunt, said they would still trust her to care for their children. They said they don't believe Ms. Reiser is guilty.
The boy's mother said in court that Ms. Reiser violated her trust and hurt her family. She said they are still trying to recover from the damage, including her son's feelings of guilt.
The mother told the jury that when her son first told her about the assault, he fell to the ground and said, "Pray with me and ask God to forgive me."
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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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Conference to help injured vets recover
Irving: The focus will be on job training, counseling, experiences
By STELLA M. CHÁVEZ / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Daryl Eddings Sr. never saw the bricks coming – the ones that pounded his upper body and left him permanently injured.
The life-changing moment for the Army first sergeant happened when he tried to save his staff sergeant as inmates pelted them at a correctional facility in Karbala, Iraq, in 2003.
He suffered nerve damage in one hand and had to have a hip replaced.
Today, Mr. Eddings will share his experience with other veterans who've returned from the war disabled and are unsure of their life ahead.
His mission: to tell them that life doesn't end.
Nor does it need to become unbearable.
Mr. Eddings, who lives in Fort Worth, is among those expected to attend Texas' first Road to Recovery Conference beginning today and ending Saturday at the D/FW Airport Marriot in Irving.
Organized by the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, the conference is aimed at bringing together resources to help wounded veterans and their families return to a normal life.
The event will include seminars on job training, health benefits and counseling for spouses.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and Texas Rangers manager Buck Showalter are scheduled to speak, as are a number of veterans, including Scott O'Grady, the U.S. Air Force captain whose plane was shot down over Bosnia in 1995.
Since his return to civilian life, Mr. Eddings, 44, has helped create a program called Operation Battle Buddy. It pairs up wounded servicemen and women with a volunteer who can help them understand everything from required paperwork to services available to them and their family.
"The best concept for anybody to get well is a peace of mind," Mr. Eddings said. "To have somebody who's been through what you've been ... you'll trust them faster than you'll trust a doctor."
The country's first conference took place last year in Orlando, Fla.
Doug Plank, executive vice president of the coalition, said he hopes soldiers and their families will find the conference beneficial. He also wants to better understand what needs for injured veterans are not being met.
"It's about information that's empowering and doing it together and understanding that they don't need to be alone in this process," he said.
Tracy Reep became involved with the coalition during his eight-month stay at San Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center, where he had more than 20 surgeries. He was injured when his convoy was ambushed in November 2003. He lost two fingers and his vision in the attack. Vision in his right eye has since been restored.
Mr. Reep now works with the initiative Hire Smart – Bet on a Vet, which helps former military personnel find a job.
"We're trying to prevent these soldiers from becoming homeless," he said. "There are way too many veterans out on the street, and it's sad."
MONA REEDER/Dallas Morning News
Vets Daryl Eddings Sr. (left) and Tracy Reep, both seriously wounded in Iraq, will share their experiences at the forum.
Irving: The focus will be on job training, counseling, experiences
By STELLA M. CHÁVEZ / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Daryl Eddings Sr. never saw the bricks coming – the ones that pounded his upper body and left him permanently injured.
The life-changing moment for the Army first sergeant happened when he tried to save his staff sergeant as inmates pelted them at a correctional facility in Karbala, Iraq, in 2003.
He suffered nerve damage in one hand and had to have a hip replaced.
Today, Mr. Eddings will share his experience with other veterans who've returned from the war disabled and are unsure of their life ahead.
His mission: to tell them that life doesn't end.
Nor does it need to become unbearable.
Mr. Eddings, who lives in Fort Worth, is among those expected to attend Texas' first Road to Recovery Conference beginning today and ending Saturday at the D/FW Airport Marriot in Irving.
Organized by the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, the conference is aimed at bringing together resources to help wounded veterans and their families return to a normal life.
The event will include seminars on job training, health benefits and counseling for spouses.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and Texas Rangers manager Buck Showalter are scheduled to speak, as are a number of veterans, including Scott O'Grady, the U.S. Air Force captain whose plane was shot down over Bosnia in 1995.
Since his return to civilian life, Mr. Eddings, 44, has helped create a program called Operation Battle Buddy. It pairs up wounded servicemen and women with a volunteer who can help them understand everything from required paperwork to services available to them and their family.
"The best concept for anybody to get well is a peace of mind," Mr. Eddings said. "To have somebody who's been through what you've been ... you'll trust them faster than you'll trust a doctor."
The country's first conference took place last year in Orlando, Fla.
Doug Plank, executive vice president of the coalition, said he hopes soldiers and their families will find the conference beneficial. He also wants to better understand what needs for injured veterans are not being met.
"It's about information that's empowering and doing it together and understanding that they don't need to be alone in this process," he said.
Tracy Reep became involved with the coalition during his eight-month stay at San Antonio's Brooke Army Medical Center, where he had more than 20 surgeries. He was injured when his convoy was ambushed in November 2003. He lost two fingers and his vision in the attack. Vision in his right eye has since been restored.
Mr. Reep now works with the initiative Hire Smart – Bet on a Vet, which helps former military personnel find a job.
"We're trying to prevent these soldiers from becoming homeless," he said. "There are way too many veterans out on the street, and it's sad."
MONA REEDER/Dallas Morning News
Vets Daryl Eddings Sr. (left) and Tracy Reep, both seriously wounded in Iraq, will share their experiences at the forum.
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TexasStooge
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1-year-old left in hot car dies
LUBBOCK, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - A one-year-old Lubbock boy is dead after he was left in his mother's car all day.
Police said Joseph Duemer's mother drove to a day care center late Wednesday afternoon, intending to pick up her son - but the day-care staff said Joseph had never been left at the center that day.
The mother then returned to her car and found her son unconscious in the back seat. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.
National Weather Service officials said Lubbock's temperature peaked at 93 degrees Wednesday.
An autopsy is planned on the child. Police are still investigating and have not disclosed the mother's identity; no charges have been filed.
LUBBOCK, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - A one-year-old Lubbock boy is dead after he was left in his mother's car all day.
Police said Joseph Duemer's mother drove to a day care center late Wednesday afternoon, intending to pick up her son - but the day-care staff said Joseph had never been left at the center that day.
The mother then returned to her car and found her son unconscious in the back seat. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.
National Weather Service officials said Lubbock's temperature peaked at 93 degrees Wednesday.
An autopsy is planned on the child. Police are still investigating and have not disclosed the mother's identity; no charges have been filed.
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