More indictments in fake-drug scandal
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - A Dallas County grand jury returned additional perjury indictments Friday against two fired Dallas police officers implicated in the department's 2002 fake-drug scandal.
Former Narcotics Division officer Eddie Herrera was indicted on two counts of perjury, and officer Mark De La Paz was indicted on one count.
The pair are accused of wrongdoing related to their roles in the scandal, in which dozens of mostly Mexican immigrants were wrongly jailed on drug charges based on fake evidence.
WFAA-TV first reported about an investigation into the arrests on Dec. 31, 2001, and the scandal began unfolding in early January 2002.
News from the Lone Star State
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Prayer, money aid missing hiker's family
By LINDA LEAVELL / DallasNews.com
RICHARDSON, Texas - North Texas Jewish community members are rallying around the family of a hiker who disappeared two weeks ago near Mount Everest with prayers and fund-raising efforts to offset the costs of the search.
Trevor Stokol, 25, set out on July 22 on what was to be a brief hike to take photographs of the mountain. After he did not return, his traveling companion and others began looking for him, then reported his disappearance to U.S. authorities in Kathmandu.
Stokol’s father, Richardson optometrist Arnold Stokol; his mother, Barbara; and sister, Jodi, have traveled to Nepal to help coordinate the search, which has involved numerous sherpas and expert Australian mountaineer Andrew Lock, among others.
The Stokols have links to several Dallas area congregations.
“They’re connected to a lot of different people in the community,” said Rabbi Robert Haas at Temple Shalom in Dallas, who offered a prayer for Stokol at last Friday night’s service. “The word got around.”
On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions’ office arranged for high-tech searching equipment to be shipped to the U.S. Embassy in Nepal.
As of Friday, the searchers were revitalizing their efforts under Lock’s direction, but had no new clues about Stokol’s whereabouts. “The next phase of the search, I expect, to be very methodical, thorough and efficient,” said David Kovar, director of 1st Special Response Group, an international search and rescue team involved in coordinating U.S. efforts.
Kovar acknowledged that a professional search can cost “a fabulous amount of money.” A one-week effort to find Robert Bogucki, who got lost in the Australian desert, cost the nonprofit $30,000, two-thirds for airfare alone. Bogucki was found alive after 34 days, Kovar said.
In the Stokols’ case, the family spent its own money getting to Nepal. The sherpas earn about $30 per day, and the Stokols are using up to 30 a day, in addition to paying Lock. Helicopters may cost up to $600 per hour. Communications, lodging, food and other incidentals also require money, Kovar said.
A fund to offset some of the expense associated with the extensive search has been established with the 1st Special Response Group. Already, $500 has been sent in via the Internet, and Kovar expected more to arrive in the mail in the next few days.
The Stokols attend Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas. At services tonight and Saturday morning, congregants will receive a flier pointing them to a Web site with updates about the search and information about the fund, according to an assistant to the head rabbi.
Garry Kahalnik, president of Congregation Beth Torah, said he and his wife have been friends with Trevor’s parents, Arnold and Barbara, for many years. Kahalnik’s daughter attended Solomon Schechter Academy with Trevor.
“I know that Barbara and Arnie are very, very connected with a number of different Jewish organizations,” he said, adding that the Stokols also are part of the tightly knit South African Jewish community. “Last Shabbat, we did do a prayer from the bimah for Trevor for a safe recovery.”
“This whole thing is just a nightmare,” Kahalnik said.
After eight months of travel across India and Southeast Asia, Stokol was days away from returning to North Texas to enter the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He is a 2002 graduate of Emory University.
Tax-deductible donations may be made to 1SRG, Trevor Stokol Fund, P.O. Box 230, Moffett Field, Calif., 94035.
Meanwhile, the Richardson Rotary Club, where Dr. Stokol has been a member since 1982, has established a separate fund, according to longtime friend and past president John DeMattia. Donations may be made to Richardson Rotary, with a notation that they are for the Stokol Assistance Fund, and mailed to Rotary Club, P.O. Box 832224, Richardson, Texas, 75083-2224.
By LINDA LEAVELL / DallasNews.com
RICHARDSON, Texas - North Texas Jewish community members are rallying around the family of a hiker who disappeared two weeks ago near Mount Everest with prayers and fund-raising efforts to offset the costs of the search.
Trevor Stokol, 25, set out on July 22 on what was to be a brief hike to take photographs of the mountain. After he did not return, his traveling companion and others began looking for him, then reported his disappearance to U.S. authorities in Kathmandu.
Stokol’s father, Richardson optometrist Arnold Stokol; his mother, Barbara; and sister, Jodi, have traveled to Nepal to help coordinate the search, which has involved numerous sherpas and expert Australian mountaineer Andrew Lock, among others.
The Stokols have links to several Dallas area congregations.
“They’re connected to a lot of different people in the community,” said Rabbi Robert Haas at Temple Shalom in Dallas, who offered a prayer for Stokol at last Friday night’s service. “The word got around.”
On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions’ office arranged for high-tech searching equipment to be shipped to the U.S. Embassy in Nepal.
As of Friday, the searchers were revitalizing their efforts under Lock’s direction, but had no new clues about Stokol’s whereabouts. “The next phase of the search, I expect, to be very methodical, thorough and efficient,” said David Kovar, director of 1st Special Response Group, an international search and rescue team involved in coordinating U.S. efforts.
Kovar acknowledged that a professional search can cost “a fabulous amount of money.” A one-week effort to find Robert Bogucki, who got lost in the Australian desert, cost the nonprofit $30,000, two-thirds for airfare alone. Bogucki was found alive after 34 days, Kovar said.
In the Stokols’ case, the family spent its own money getting to Nepal. The sherpas earn about $30 per day, and the Stokols are using up to 30 a day, in addition to paying Lock. Helicopters may cost up to $600 per hour. Communications, lodging, food and other incidentals also require money, Kovar said.
A fund to offset some of the expense associated with the extensive search has been established with the 1st Special Response Group. Already, $500 has been sent in via the Internet, and Kovar expected more to arrive in the mail in the next few days.
The Stokols attend Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas. At services tonight and Saturday morning, congregants will receive a flier pointing them to a Web site with updates about the search and information about the fund, according to an assistant to the head rabbi.
Garry Kahalnik, president of Congregation Beth Torah, said he and his wife have been friends with Trevor’s parents, Arnold and Barbara, for many years. Kahalnik’s daughter attended Solomon Schechter Academy with Trevor.
“I know that Barbara and Arnie are very, very connected with a number of different Jewish organizations,” he said, adding that the Stokols also are part of the tightly knit South African Jewish community. “Last Shabbat, we did do a prayer from the bimah for Trevor for a safe recovery.”
“This whole thing is just a nightmare,” Kahalnik said.
After eight months of travel across India and Southeast Asia, Stokol was days away from returning to North Texas to enter the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. He is a 2002 graduate of Emory University.
Tax-deductible donations may be made to 1SRG, Trevor Stokol Fund, P.O. Box 230, Moffett Field, Calif., 94035.
Meanwhile, the Richardson Rotary Club, where Dr. Stokol has been a member since 1982, has established a separate fund, according to longtime friend and past president John DeMattia. Donations may be made to Richardson Rotary, with a notation that they are for the Stokol Assistance Fund, and mailed to Rotary Club, P.O. Box 832224, Richardson, Texas, 75083-2224.
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Friday is frantic in Frisco
By KAREN OSTERGREN, JANELLE STECKLEIN and JONATHAN TJARKS / DallasNews.com
FRISCO, Texas - Mix shopping, a soccer stadium and Swedish style. Add lots of traffic and construction. Throw in some Texas summer heat.
That’s the recipe for one frenetic Friday in Frisco.
At Pizza Hut Park, the $80 million complex that includes 17 soccer fields adjacent to a 21,193-seat stadium that will host FC Dallas, workers were busy with thousands of last-minute details. The pro team’s first game there will be Saturday night.
At nearby Stonebriar Centre, bargain-conscious shoppers were scouring the aisles for back-to-school apparel, lured by the promise of saving $8.25 on every $100 they spend during the seventh annual sales tax holiday weekend.
And congestion around the mall already would be considerable on a tax-free holiday weekend. But then Ikea, the Swedish furniture and home furnishings store, opened to great fanfare Wednesday. Already, thousands of customers have jammed into the giant blue and yellow building on the northeast corner of State Highway 121 and the Dallas North Tollway.
Construction workers, shoppers, store workers, soccer players and team officials -- these are their stories:
Behind schedule, but...Controlled chaos. It’s the only way to describe the scene at Pizza Hut Park.
With opening day less than 36 hours away and a local soccer tournament in the outlying fields, construction workers sweating from the fierce sun are everywhere.
Groundbreaking began over a year and a half ago, but like any self-respecting large-scale construction project, things are behind schedule.
The goal for completion is no longer opening day Saturday, but the homecoming game for the local high schools, Oct. 1.
“There will be ongoing construction, but after the next six weeks, it will be nothing noticeable to the fans,” FC Dallas president Greg Elliott said.
The outside, with construction material everywhere and parking lines still wet from paint, gives the impression of something opening next year.
Inside the stadium, things are more complete.
“When we bring fans inside, they are stunned at what we were able to do,” Elliott said. “It’s an entire rebirth of an organization. We’re thrilled. It’s been a long time coming.”
Happy retailer: Tax -free weekend isn’t just about good deals for shoppers. It’s also good news for retailers.
Jennifer Hancock, store manager at Bebe, said the store is expecting to benefit from the mall’s extended hours Friday through Sunday.
“There’s more traffic in the mall, so we’ll feed off that,” Hancock said.
Even FC Dallas hopes to capitalize on the crowds this weekend. The team has been advertising for its new stadium, which opens Saturday, through a kiosk in the mall all summer.
“We’re hoping there will be some bigger crowds here,” said Jose Lizardo, who was working the kiosk Friday morning.
Relief from the heat: For the past two days, temporary Ikea worker Sandy Gird has been pushing carts under the hot Texas sun.
On Friday, Gird, a 59-year-old retiree, got some relief from the heat after he was assigned to work the water tent handing out free bottles of water to thirsty Ikea customers.
“I’m a people person,” he said. “I enjoy interaction.”
He must really enjoy what he’s doing to stand out in temperatures reaching near 100 degrees Friday.
To stay refreshed out in the heat, Gird said he drinks 25 percent Gatorade and 75 percent water, puts ice in the back brim of his hat, and tucks a white rag dipped in ice water into the back of his hat. He tops it all off with sunscreen.
Gird said his motto out there is “hydrate or die.”
Tax-free weekend? As shoppers streamed into the mall Friday, they passed sale posters in almost every store window. The brightly colored balloons and banners left only one question in the minds of some shoppers:
What’s tax-free weekend?
“We moved here from Florida recently. It’s unreal,” said Diana Steward, 52.
Jim Sullivan and his family came from St. Louis for a family reunion. The four women in the family wanted to go shopping, he said, so they were lucky they came in the morning instead of waiting a few hours. He had no idea it was a big sale weekend.
“We just thought we’d stop by,” he said.
Calm in the storm: Despite the crush of people and activity, the most surprising thing about the scene at Pizza Hut Park is how confident and calm the higher-ups are.
“That’s the way it goes,” said Frisco assistant fire marshal Don Fernandez about the seemingly endless things to be done. “All the real work has already been done. This is just the external stuff.”
Fernandez, who has been supervising construction, said the seemingly last-minute construction is nothing unusual.
“You should have seen it two weeks ago," said Fernandez, who also helped with the construction on the Frisco RoughRiders’ stadium. "People who drove by thought there was no way we could get it done."
As he shows off every aspect of the new stadium, workers drill in seat bottoms, even off the floors and pour concrete. Is there no last-second panic and anxiety?
“No, I don’t have a worry in the world,” Fernandez said, chuckling.
Friday busy, but wait until Saturday: Tax-free weekend may be one of the busiest three-day shopping periods in Texas, but only the most serious shoppers are willing to get up early on a Friday morning to beat the crowds.
They are the experienced shoppers, the ones who got caught in the tax-free rush last year and are determined not to make the same mistake again.
“One year we went on a Saturday, and by about noon, it was just pandemonium,” Mike Sherwood said.
Kelley Patton agreed that Saturday would be the busiest day of the weekend. Patton, a store manager at Occhali de Sole, a sunglass kiosk in the mall, has watched tax-free weekend unfold for several years.
“It’s going to be crazy on Saturday. A lot of people will be out and off of work,” she said.
“Come early, leave early and get everything you need in one trip” is the mantra for these tax-free early birds.
“I went two days last year, and I’m sure not doing that again,” laughed Pam Wilson, mother of three.
Taking advantage of the buzz: Two Frisco RoughRiders interns have taken advantage of the Ikea buzz.
Ryan Marsland, 23, and Dustin Smalley, 26, were already sent up under a tent Friday morning in the Rough Riders/Ikea overflow lot selling Dr Pepper and 7 UP products to thirsty IKEA guests and passing out pocket-sized RoughRiders schedules.
Marsland and Smalley said they have been selling drinks since Ikea opened Wednesday and will continue to do so through the weekend. They said they sold a lot of drinks on Wednesday, but Thursday was a slower day.
Smalley said people-watching is the best part of sitting in the scorching heat.
In fact, Marsland said people - especially the elderly - will join them under the RoughRiders tent to take advantage of the scarce amounts of shade available out in the parking lot while someone is getting their car for them.
Mothers and daughters shopping together could be seen entering and exiting IKEA on Friday morning.
Elaine and Jennie Hyland were just one of the pairs.
Both women, who drove over from Coppell, were shopping for things for Jennie’s new apartment.
Elaine, 51, who used to shop at the IKEA in London before moving to the United States, said she was really surprised about traffic being relatively light in Frisco. She said she thought she was going to need a helicopter to get near IKEA.
“The traffic wasn’t any worse than it normally is,” she said.
Elaine, 18, also said parking wasn’t really a problem for them either, which surprised her.
However, the women said they had planned to arrive earlier Friday so they would miss the bulk of the crowds and traffic expected to flood IKEA this weekend.
On the field, Pizza Hut Park feels like the soccer pavilion it was sold as. The grass is lush and green, the nets of the goals flutter in the wind, and soccer balls crisscross the air.
But the FC Dallas players practicing there are in the oasis of a furious storm of activity. A soccer ball flies over the goal and into the unfinished concert stage at the south of the field.
“It’s a work in progress, but everyone knows that,” said David Wagenfuhr, 23. “It’s a big improvement over the Cotton Bowl, I’m very excited.”
And the players, only there for the second time, are almost unanimous in their praise of the new facility.
“When you walk inside, it takes your breath away,” said Simo Valakari, a 32-yearold midfielder. “It already feels like home.”
JOHN BANKS / DallasNews.com
Frisco assistant fire marshal Don Fernandez says the seemingly last-minute construction at Pizza Hut Park is nothing unusual.
KAREN OSTERGREN / DallasNews.com
The food court at Stonebriar Centre was packed Friday as shoppers took advantage of the sales tax holiday weekend.
By KAREN OSTERGREN, JANELLE STECKLEIN and JONATHAN TJARKS / DallasNews.com
FRISCO, Texas - Mix shopping, a soccer stadium and Swedish style. Add lots of traffic and construction. Throw in some Texas summer heat.
That’s the recipe for one frenetic Friday in Frisco.
At Pizza Hut Park, the $80 million complex that includes 17 soccer fields adjacent to a 21,193-seat stadium that will host FC Dallas, workers were busy with thousands of last-minute details. The pro team’s first game there will be Saturday night.
At nearby Stonebriar Centre, bargain-conscious shoppers were scouring the aisles for back-to-school apparel, lured by the promise of saving $8.25 on every $100 they spend during the seventh annual sales tax holiday weekend.
And congestion around the mall already would be considerable on a tax-free holiday weekend. But then Ikea, the Swedish furniture and home furnishings store, opened to great fanfare Wednesday. Already, thousands of customers have jammed into the giant blue and yellow building on the northeast corner of State Highway 121 and the Dallas North Tollway.
Construction workers, shoppers, store workers, soccer players and team officials -- these are their stories:
Behind schedule, but...Controlled chaos. It’s the only way to describe the scene at Pizza Hut Park.
With opening day less than 36 hours away and a local soccer tournament in the outlying fields, construction workers sweating from the fierce sun are everywhere.
Groundbreaking began over a year and a half ago, but like any self-respecting large-scale construction project, things are behind schedule.
The goal for completion is no longer opening day Saturday, but the homecoming game for the local high schools, Oct. 1.
“There will be ongoing construction, but after the next six weeks, it will be nothing noticeable to the fans,” FC Dallas president Greg Elliott said.
The outside, with construction material everywhere and parking lines still wet from paint, gives the impression of something opening next year.
Inside the stadium, things are more complete.
“When we bring fans inside, they are stunned at what we were able to do,” Elliott said. “It’s an entire rebirth of an organization. We’re thrilled. It’s been a long time coming.”
Happy retailer: Tax -free weekend isn’t just about good deals for shoppers. It’s also good news for retailers.
Jennifer Hancock, store manager at Bebe, said the store is expecting to benefit from the mall’s extended hours Friday through Sunday.
“There’s more traffic in the mall, so we’ll feed off that,” Hancock said.
Even FC Dallas hopes to capitalize on the crowds this weekend. The team has been advertising for its new stadium, which opens Saturday, through a kiosk in the mall all summer.
“We’re hoping there will be some bigger crowds here,” said Jose Lizardo, who was working the kiosk Friday morning.
Relief from the heat: For the past two days, temporary Ikea worker Sandy Gird has been pushing carts under the hot Texas sun.
On Friday, Gird, a 59-year-old retiree, got some relief from the heat after he was assigned to work the water tent handing out free bottles of water to thirsty Ikea customers.
“I’m a people person,” he said. “I enjoy interaction.”
He must really enjoy what he’s doing to stand out in temperatures reaching near 100 degrees Friday.
To stay refreshed out in the heat, Gird said he drinks 25 percent Gatorade and 75 percent water, puts ice in the back brim of his hat, and tucks a white rag dipped in ice water into the back of his hat. He tops it all off with sunscreen.
Gird said his motto out there is “hydrate or die.”
Tax-free weekend? As shoppers streamed into the mall Friday, they passed sale posters in almost every store window. The brightly colored balloons and banners left only one question in the minds of some shoppers:
What’s tax-free weekend?
“We moved here from Florida recently. It’s unreal,” said Diana Steward, 52.
Jim Sullivan and his family came from St. Louis for a family reunion. The four women in the family wanted to go shopping, he said, so they were lucky they came in the morning instead of waiting a few hours. He had no idea it was a big sale weekend.
“We just thought we’d stop by,” he said.
Calm in the storm: Despite the crush of people and activity, the most surprising thing about the scene at Pizza Hut Park is how confident and calm the higher-ups are.
“That’s the way it goes,” said Frisco assistant fire marshal Don Fernandez about the seemingly endless things to be done. “All the real work has already been done. This is just the external stuff.”
Fernandez, who has been supervising construction, said the seemingly last-minute construction is nothing unusual.
“You should have seen it two weeks ago," said Fernandez, who also helped with the construction on the Frisco RoughRiders’ stadium. "People who drove by thought there was no way we could get it done."
As he shows off every aspect of the new stadium, workers drill in seat bottoms, even off the floors and pour concrete. Is there no last-second panic and anxiety?
“No, I don’t have a worry in the world,” Fernandez said, chuckling.
Friday busy, but wait until Saturday: Tax-free weekend may be one of the busiest three-day shopping periods in Texas, but only the most serious shoppers are willing to get up early on a Friday morning to beat the crowds.
They are the experienced shoppers, the ones who got caught in the tax-free rush last year and are determined not to make the same mistake again.
“One year we went on a Saturday, and by about noon, it was just pandemonium,” Mike Sherwood said.
Kelley Patton agreed that Saturday would be the busiest day of the weekend. Patton, a store manager at Occhali de Sole, a sunglass kiosk in the mall, has watched tax-free weekend unfold for several years.
“It’s going to be crazy on Saturday. A lot of people will be out and off of work,” she said.
“Come early, leave early and get everything you need in one trip” is the mantra for these tax-free early birds.
“I went two days last year, and I’m sure not doing that again,” laughed Pam Wilson, mother of three.
Taking advantage of the buzz: Two Frisco RoughRiders interns have taken advantage of the Ikea buzz.
Ryan Marsland, 23, and Dustin Smalley, 26, were already sent up under a tent Friday morning in the Rough Riders/Ikea overflow lot selling Dr Pepper and 7 UP products to thirsty IKEA guests and passing out pocket-sized RoughRiders schedules.
Marsland and Smalley said they have been selling drinks since Ikea opened Wednesday and will continue to do so through the weekend. They said they sold a lot of drinks on Wednesday, but Thursday was a slower day.
Smalley said people-watching is the best part of sitting in the scorching heat.
In fact, Marsland said people - especially the elderly - will join them under the RoughRiders tent to take advantage of the scarce amounts of shade available out in the parking lot while someone is getting their car for them.
Mothers and daughters shopping together could be seen entering and exiting IKEA on Friday morning.
Elaine and Jennie Hyland were just one of the pairs.
Both women, who drove over from Coppell, were shopping for things for Jennie’s new apartment.
Elaine, 51, who used to shop at the IKEA in London before moving to the United States, said she was really surprised about traffic being relatively light in Frisco. She said she thought she was going to need a helicopter to get near IKEA.
“The traffic wasn’t any worse than it normally is,” she said.
Elaine, 18, also said parking wasn’t really a problem for them either, which surprised her.
However, the women said they had planned to arrive earlier Friday so they would miss the bulk of the crowds and traffic expected to flood IKEA this weekend.
On the field, Pizza Hut Park feels like the soccer pavilion it was sold as. The grass is lush and green, the nets of the goals flutter in the wind, and soccer balls crisscross the air.
But the FC Dallas players practicing there are in the oasis of a furious storm of activity. A soccer ball flies over the goal and into the unfinished concert stage at the south of the field.
“It’s a work in progress, but everyone knows that,” said David Wagenfuhr, 23. “It’s a big improvement over the Cotton Bowl, I’m very excited.”
And the players, only there for the second time, are almost unanimous in their praise of the new facility.
“When you walk inside, it takes your breath away,” said Simo Valakari, a 32-yearold midfielder. “It already feels like home.”
JOHN BANKS / DallasNews.com
Frisco assistant fire marshal Don Fernandez says the seemingly last-minute construction at Pizza Hut Park is nothing unusual.
KAREN OSTERGREN / DallasNews.com
The food court at Stonebriar Centre was packed Friday as shoppers took advantage of the sales tax holiday weekend.
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Family escapes burning Fort Worth home
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - A fire early Friday morning nearly wiped out a Fort Worth family with five young sons.
The blaze destroyed their home in the 2900 block of Santa Fe Trail, along with pets, cars and many belongings, but they are thankful they have their lives and great neighbors.
"I couldn't get this window open, so I busted it out with my fist," father Carlos Gonzalez said, recalling how he got back in the house to rescue his children.
One by one, Gonzalez handed four of his five sons out the window to the waiting arms of neighbors. Mother Tarra Gonzalez, her baby and a nanny escaped through the front door.
"I was scared of the fire, and it got in my mouth," said one of the children.
"They were still in their beds, and I could hear them saying 'help us, help us, Da Da,'" Carlos said.
The family didn't know then, but the fire started in the garage, possibly in a van. It quickly became a desperate situation inside as smoke filled the house.
"I came down the hallway and opened that door, and all the smoke came through," said fire victim Tarra Gonzalez.
They lost their rental house, two cars, belongings and five of their eight puppies - yet the family made it out with only a few scrapes.
Neighbors have brought food and helping hands, and offered cars and cash.
"They've taken over, and have been such a blessing," said the childrens' grandmother Tarra Cox.
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - A fire early Friday morning nearly wiped out a Fort Worth family with five young sons.
The blaze destroyed their home in the 2900 block of Santa Fe Trail, along with pets, cars and many belongings, but they are thankful they have their lives and great neighbors.
"I couldn't get this window open, so I busted it out with my fist," father Carlos Gonzalez said, recalling how he got back in the house to rescue his children.
One by one, Gonzalez handed four of his five sons out the window to the waiting arms of neighbors. Mother Tarra Gonzalez, her baby and a nanny escaped through the front door.
"I was scared of the fire, and it got in my mouth," said one of the children.
"They were still in their beds, and I could hear them saying 'help us, help us, Da Da,'" Carlos said.
The family didn't know then, but the fire started in the garage, possibly in a van. It quickly became a desperate situation inside as smoke filled the house.
"I came down the hallway and opened that door, and all the smoke came through," said fire victim Tarra Gonzalez.
They lost their rental house, two cars, belongings and five of their eight puppies - yet the family made it out with only a few scrapes.
Neighbors have brought food and helping hands, and offered cars and cash.
"They've taken over, and have been such a blessing," said the childrens' grandmother Tarra Cox.
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TexasStooge
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City plan commissioner to resign
Dallas: Developer's wife loses bid to delay deportation to China
By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Ralph Isenberg, a wealthy real-estate developer who threatened a hunger strike to keep his Chinese wife from being deported, says he plans to resign from the Dallas City Plan Commission.
Mr. Isenberg said that after a frank discussion with Mayor Laura Miller, who had appointed him to the commission, he realized it would be "the right thing to do" for the city.
He also apologized to "my family, my friends, my business associates and the citizens of Dallas" for disclosing private details of his family life.
"I was in a highly agitated state with the thought of my family being broken up," he said late Friday. "It distracted from the real issue, which is keeping a mother and her baby together."
Ms. Miller said she would be looking for a new appointee next week to fill Mr. Isenberg's position.
"Because Ralph is very busy taking care of his family, he and I have agreed that he will be leaving the City Plan Commission," Ms. Miller said.
"The whole thing is unfortunate. He is a very sweet man who has a lot of problems."
Mr. Isenberg, who said Friday that his doctors had told him not to go on a hunger strike, has been fighting his wife's immigration case since they met about three years ago in Dallas.
Mrs. Isenberg, whose Chinese name is Yanhong Hu, was a former massage parlor worker who had been arrested on prostitution charges, incarcerated for immigration violations and ordered deported in absentia when she missed a hearing.
The Isenbergs have said the prostitution and immigration charges were unfounded.
They later agreed she would voluntarily leave the country by Aug. 15 and adjust her immigration status abroad, but then a doctor said their newborn was too young to travel to China.
Immigration authorities were not swayed.
"I thought that immigration control's job was to capture terrorists. I never knew that their job was to separate mothers and babies," Mr. Isenberg said Friday after receiving word that his latest request for a six-month extension had been denied.
U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions and numerous other political and business leaders had lobbied immigration officials on the Isenbergs' behalf because of their newborn daughter, Niraya.
Mr. Isenberg said he is convinced his family is being dealt with harshly because he complained that his wife was mistreated while she was incarcerated in a detention facility in Haskell, Texas.
Paul Hunker III, chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Dallas, said the allegation is untrue.
"The government and Ms. Isenberg had an agreement. Instead of deporting her for prostitution and fraud, we let her voluntarily leave, and she's not willing to leave," he said.
The latest rejection letter reads: "Happily, Niraya appears to be a healthy newborn. ... It does not appear to me that it would harm Niraya to travel to China." It was signed by Nuria T. Prendes, field office director of the Dallas ICE office.
Mrs. Isenberg said she was embarrassed by accounts of her personal life detailed in the media by her husband. Mr. Isenberg said that he was so distraught over his wife's reaction that he had to be hospitalized for high blood pressure and that doctors ordered him to call off plans for a hunger strike.
Mr. Isenberg vowed Friday to continue fighting to keep his family together.
"We're a family, and we remain a family. We've already had to overcome some pretty tough adversities. We are bound and determined to overcome this as well," he said.
Mr. Isenberg's two adult daughters said Friday that they were outraged their father was portraying himself as a family man. His longtime marriage to their mother disintegrated when Mr. Isenberg met Yanhong Hu.
In a letter sent to The Dallas Morning News, Rachel Isenberg Waguespack of Minneapolis and Sarah Isenberg Games of Austin said, "This is not the story of a woman being unfairly deported by Immigration but a story about a wealthy man who was unsuccessful at getting rules bent or broken for his personal benefit."
In an interview, Ms. Isenberg Games was less strident.
She said she had not shunned her father because of his relationship with Nicole. It was he who shunned her, she said, and hadn't spoken to her or her young son since October.
"I had real concerns about Nicole in the beginning," she said. "But I've always tried to support my father."
In fact, Ms. Isenberg Games said she was sympathetic to their immigration predicament.
"I can understand a person trying to fight like crazy to save what is important to him," she said. "I don't think she's a threat to society."
Mr. Isenberg said he "made mistakes" with his first family.
"I do not claim to have always been the family man I am now," he said Friday. "I concur with my daughters that they perhaps got shortchanged by their father, but that's something I have to live with.
"I am, in fact, a loving and caring father and husband today."
Mr. Hunker said he thought there was a reasonable chance the State Department would approve Mrs. Isenberg's application for permanent residency in the U.S. because she is the wife and mother of American citizens.
In the meantime, Mr. Isenberg hopes his wife can wait for her visa in another country because he fears mistreatment by Chinese authorities.
But Mrs. Isenberg has long been weary of the ordeal. "Sometimes I think, 'Oh, I'm tired, let's give up and just move to China.'
"But no," she said, "we keep fighting."
Dallas: Developer's wife loses bid to delay deportation to China
By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Ralph Isenberg, a wealthy real-estate developer who threatened a hunger strike to keep his Chinese wife from being deported, says he plans to resign from the Dallas City Plan Commission.
Mr. Isenberg said that after a frank discussion with Mayor Laura Miller, who had appointed him to the commission, he realized it would be "the right thing to do" for the city.
He also apologized to "my family, my friends, my business associates and the citizens of Dallas" for disclosing private details of his family life.
"I was in a highly agitated state with the thought of my family being broken up," he said late Friday. "It distracted from the real issue, which is keeping a mother and her baby together."
Ms. Miller said she would be looking for a new appointee next week to fill Mr. Isenberg's position.
"Because Ralph is very busy taking care of his family, he and I have agreed that he will be leaving the City Plan Commission," Ms. Miller said.
"The whole thing is unfortunate. He is a very sweet man who has a lot of problems."
Mr. Isenberg, who said Friday that his doctors had told him not to go on a hunger strike, has been fighting his wife's immigration case since they met about three years ago in Dallas.
Mrs. Isenberg, whose Chinese name is Yanhong Hu, was a former massage parlor worker who had been arrested on prostitution charges, incarcerated for immigration violations and ordered deported in absentia when she missed a hearing.
The Isenbergs have said the prostitution and immigration charges were unfounded.
They later agreed she would voluntarily leave the country by Aug. 15 and adjust her immigration status abroad, but then a doctor said their newborn was too young to travel to China.
Immigration authorities were not swayed.
"I thought that immigration control's job was to capture terrorists. I never knew that their job was to separate mothers and babies," Mr. Isenberg said Friday after receiving word that his latest request for a six-month extension had been denied.
U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions and numerous other political and business leaders had lobbied immigration officials on the Isenbergs' behalf because of their newborn daughter, Niraya.
Mr. Isenberg said he is convinced his family is being dealt with harshly because he complained that his wife was mistreated while she was incarcerated in a detention facility in Haskell, Texas.
Paul Hunker III, chief counsel for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Dallas, said the allegation is untrue.
"The government and Ms. Isenberg had an agreement. Instead of deporting her for prostitution and fraud, we let her voluntarily leave, and she's not willing to leave," he said.
The latest rejection letter reads: "Happily, Niraya appears to be a healthy newborn. ... It does not appear to me that it would harm Niraya to travel to China." It was signed by Nuria T. Prendes, field office director of the Dallas ICE office.
Mrs. Isenberg said she was embarrassed by accounts of her personal life detailed in the media by her husband. Mr. Isenberg said that he was so distraught over his wife's reaction that he had to be hospitalized for high blood pressure and that doctors ordered him to call off plans for a hunger strike.
Mr. Isenberg vowed Friday to continue fighting to keep his family together.
"We're a family, and we remain a family. We've already had to overcome some pretty tough adversities. We are bound and determined to overcome this as well," he said.
Mr. Isenberg's two adult daughters said Friday that they were outraged their father was portraying himself as a family man. His longtime marriage to their mother disintegrated when Mr. Isenberg met Yanhong Hu.
In a letter sent to The Dallas Morning News, Rachel Isenberg Waguespack of Minneapolis and Sarah Isenberg Games of Austin said, "This is not the story of a woman being unfairly deported by Immigration but a story about a wealthy man who was unsuccessful at getting rules bent or broken for his personal benefit."
In an interview, Ms. Isenberg Games was less strident.
She said she had not shunned her father because of his relationship with Nicole. It was he who shunned her, she said, and hadn't spoken to her or her young son since October.
"I had real concerns about Nicole in the beginning," she said. "But I've always tried to support my father."
In fact, Ms. Isenberg Games said she was sympathetic to their immigration predicament.
"I can understand a person trying to fight like crazy to save what is important to him," she said. "I don't think she's a threat to society."
Mr. Isenberg said he "made mistakes" with his first family.
"I do not claim to have always been the family man I am now," he said Friday. "I concur with my daughters that they perhaps got shortchanged by their father, but that's something I have to live with.
"I am, in fact, a loving and caring father and husband today."
Mr. Hunker said he thought there was a reasonable chance the State Department would approve Mrs. Isenberg's application for permanent residency in the U.S. because she is the wife and mother of American citizens.
In the meantime, Mr. Isenberg hopes his wife can wait for her visa in another country because he fears mistreatment by Chinese authorities.
But Mrs. Isenberg has long been weary of the ordeal. "Sometimes I think, 'Oh, I'm tired, let's give up and just move to China.'
"But no," she said, "we keep fighting."
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Fire 'series of very unfortunate events'
Forklift operator broke sprinkler, started fire fixing it
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - First the sprinklers went off. Then the fire started.
Authorities said Friday that the careless use of a welding torch and a series of "unfortunate events" caused a six-alarm fire that destroyed a northwest Dallas industrial warehouse Thursday night.
Shortly before 9 p.m., a forklift operator at a Foamex warehouse at 2855 Century St. broke a sprinkler head, releasing countless gallons of water throughout the building.
"He made the decision to repair the sprinkler head himself, so he got some welding equipment," Dallas Fire Rescue Capt. Jesse Garcia said. "He mistakenly believed that because water had accumulated in the warehouse, there was a minimal chance of fire."
The employee tried to weld the steel back together with the welding torch, but a stray spark ignited a piece of foam.
As the fire began to spread, the employee panicked and tried to fight the fire himself.
"We think he used water from the ground, with a pail or some other container," Capt. Garcia said. "He probably wasted a lot of time. , It was a series of very unfortunate events. The fire got really intense, really quickly."
The fire escalated to six alarms and required more than 110 firefighters. Two of the firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, but no other injuries were reported.
The warehouse was destroyed, along with more than a million pounds of carpeting and foam products.
Investigators originally thought chemicals fueled the nine-hour fire, but most of the plant's chemicals were stored in an adjacent building that sustained only exterior burns.
"It was mimicking a chemical fire," Capt. Garcia said. "The foam was tightly packaged, and when it comes undone, the foam instantly ignited."
Capt. Garcia said calling 911 immediately and having a fire extinguisher handy are the best defenses for a preventing a massive fire.
The plant manager could not be reached for comment, but Capt. Garcia said the manager was optimistic about reopening at another location soon.
Jay Green, a former employee at the facility, said employees had to be extremely careful with the foam and nearby chemicals.
"There's no smoking in that place because a flick of a flame could do that," Mr. Green said as he watched the fire from the street.
Staff writer Paul Meyer contributed to this report.
Forklift operator broke sprinkler, started fire fixing it
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - First the sprinklers went off. Then the fire started.
Authorities said Friday that the careless use of a welding torch and a series of "unfortunate events" caused a six-alarm fire that destroyed a northwest Dallas industrial warehouse Thursday night.
Shortly before 9 p.m., a forklift operator at a Foamex warehouse at 2855 Century St. broke a sprinkler head, releasing countless gallons of water throughout the building.
"He made the decision to repair the sprinkler head himself, so he got some welding equipment," Dallas Fire Rescue Capt. Jesse Garcia said. "He mistakenly believed that because water had accumulated in the warehouse, there was a minimal chance of fire."
The employee tried to weld the steel back together with the welding torch, but a stray spark ignited a piece of foam.
As the fire began to spread, the employee panicked and tried to fight the fire himself.
"We think he used water from the ground, with a pail or some other container," Capt. Garcia said. "He probably wasted a lot of time. , It was a series of very unfortunate events. The fire got really intense, really quickly."
The fire escalated to six alarms and required more than 110 firefighters. Two of the firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, but no other injuries were reported.
The warehouse was destroyed, along with more than a million pounds of carpeting and foam products.
Investigators originally thought chemicals fueled the nine-hour fire, but most of the plant's chemicals were stored in an adjacent building that sustained only exterior burns.
"It was mimicking a chemical fire," Capt. Garcia said. "The foam was tightly packaged, and when it comes undone, the foam instantly ignited."
Capt. Garcia said calling 911 immediately and having a fire extinguisher handy are the best defenses for a preventing a massive fire.
The plant manager could not be reached for comment, but Capt. Garcia said the manager was optimistic about reopening at another location soon.
Jay Green, a former employee at the facility, said employees had to be extremely careful with the foam and nearby chemicals.
"There's no smoking in that place because a flick of a flame could do that," Mr. Green said as he watched the fire from the street.
Staff writer Paul Meyer contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Trooper graduates honor trainee
Fallen man's badge given to family during ceremony
By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – On a day of joy and relief, 120 new state troopers picked up their badges and flung their hats, celebrating their graduation from the state's demanding police academy and the beginning of a new life on the road.
But for one family, it was a reminder of a life that ended too soon, and a badge that will never be worn.
Christy Carty, whose husband died after being hit during a full-contact fighting drill at the academy, collected the badge that Jimmy Ray Carty Jr. would have worn. As Ms. Carty and her son, Bryce, stood on stage Friday, hundreds of family members of new troopers stood in applause.
"It was very touching," said Albert Rodriguez, commander of the Texas Department of Public Safety training academy. "It was the badge that was due to him as a commissioned officer."
Like Mr. Carty, the men and women who graduated Friday long dreamed of becoming state troopers. To do so, they endured a grueling academy where training days begin at 4 a.m. and end at 8 p.m. Some recruits drop as much as 30 pounds during their 26 weeks at the academy.
The full-contact fighting drill that claimed the life of Mr. Carty is practiced first thing in the morning. So are the five-mile runs, push-ups and sit-ups.
After the rigors of academy life, many troopers are eager to begin their careers.
"I can't wait to get out there," said Trooper Aaron Fritch, a 23-year old from Santa Fe, near Galveston.
Family members cheered as the new troopers accepted their badges. After months of wearing spartan academy clothes, they dressed in the trooper's signature uniform – wide-brimmed cowboy hat, the brown uniform they call "Texas tan," a blue tie and red arm patch.
Afterward, the troopers hugged their families and shook hands with classmates they might never see again.
As a condition of employment, troopers agree to accept a transfer to any position or station that commanders decide. Many troopers relocate several times.
"It is almost like being in a military family," said Tela Mange, a department spokeswoman.
Trooper Fritch is headed for Dickens, a town of 332 people in West Texas. He'll work closely with the local sheriff's department, and many people will view him as the best-trained officer in the area, DPS officials said.
"In Houston, Dallas, some of those places, you are just another cop carrying a gun," Col. Thomas A. Davis Jr., the department's director, told the troopers. "You get out in these small towns, you are the police. You are going to be called upon because of your training, because of your integrity, because of your experience, and, hopefully, because of your standing in the community."
More than half of the 120 troopers have previous military or law enforcement experience. Many have gone through boot camps or other police academies, which helped them during the rigorous DPS training.
Trooper Dy Norng recently returned from duty in Iraq. He applied to both the Dallas Police Department and DPS, but DPS hired him first, said his brother-in-law Kung Seng, who is a Dallas officer.
"This job is probably a little tougher because he has to cover a bigger area with fewer officers to help," Cpl. Seng said.
When the recruits emerge from field training in about six months, many will patrol their areas alone. That is one reason many troopers insist the fighting drill is essential: Most troopers do not have the luxury of calling for quick backup.
Ms. Carty, who declined to comment Friday, has said she believes her husband's death was preventable. She has urged that DPS redesign its fighting drill.
Mr. Carty suffered a brain injury as he fought another recruit on May 19, and he later died at an Austin hospital.
According to DPS, 36 recruits have suffered concussions in the last eight years.
Although recruits wear headgear, doctors caution headgear does not prevent concussions and other brain injuries. A blow to the head can cause the brain to move within the skull, regardless of padding outside the head.
At the graduation ceremony on Friday, the fighting drill was a subject unspoken. Cmdr. Rodriguez declined to talk about its future.
"We are going to look at the whole program," he said.
Although the academy graduated its largest class ever, and all recruits passed the state licensing exam on their first try, many troopers said it had been a difficult two months since Mr. Carty's death.
"It was tough losing a good friend," Trooper Fritch said. "But he will always be with us."
Fallen man's badge given to family during ceremony
By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – On a day of joy and relief, 120 new state troopers picked up their badges and flung their hats, celebrating their graduation from the state's demanding police academy and the beginning of a new life on the road.
But for one family, it was a reminder of a life that ended too soon, and a badge that will never be worn.
Christy Carty, whose husband died after being hit during a full-contact fighting drill at the academy, collected the badge that Jimmy Ray Carty Jr. would have worn. As Ms. Carty and her son, Bryce, stood on stage Friday, hundreds of family members of new troopers stood in applause.
"It was very touching," said Albert Rodriguez, commander of the Texas Department of Public Safety training academy. "It was the badge that was due to him as a commissioned officer."
Like Mr. Carty, the men and women who graduated Friday long dreamed of becoming state troopers. To do so, they endured a grueling academy where training days begin at 4 a.m. and end at 8 p.m. Some recruits drop as much as 30 pounds during their 26 weeks at the academy.
The full-contact fighting drill that claimed the life of Mr. Carty is practiced first thing in the morning. So are the five-mile runs, push-ups and sit-ups.
After the rigors of academy life, many troopers are eager to begin their careers.
"I can't wait to get out there," said Trooper Aaron Fritch, a 23-year old from Santa Fe, near Galveston.
Family members cheered as the new troopers accepted their badges. After months of wearing spartan academy clothes, they dressed in the trooper's signature uniform – wide-brimmed cowboy hat, the brown uniform they call "Texas tan," a blue tie and red arm patch.
Afterward, the troopers hugged their families and shook hands with classmates they might never see again.
As a condition of employment, troopers agree to accept a transfer to any position or station that commanders decide. Many troopers relocate several times.
"It is almost like being in a military family," said Tela Mange, a department spokeswoman.
Trooper Fritch is headed for Dickens, a town of 332 people in West Texas. He'll work closely with the local sheriff's department, and many people will view him as the best-trained officer in the area, DPS officials said.
"In Houston, Dallas, some of those places, you are just another cop carrying a gun," Col. Thomas A. Davis Jr., the department's director, told the troopers. "You get out in these small towns, you are the police. You are going to be called upon because of your training, because of your integrity, because of your experience, and, hopefully, because of your standing in the community."
More than half of the 120 troopers have previous military or law enforcement experience. Many have gone through boot camps or other police academies, which helped them during the rigorous DPS training.
Trooper Dy Norng recently returned from duty in Iraq. He applied to both the Dallas Police Department and DPS, but DPS hired him first, said his brother-in-law Kung Seng, who is a Dallas officer.
"This job is probably a little tougher because he has to cover a bigger area with fewer officers to help," Cpl. Seng said.
When the recruits emerge from field training in about six months, many will patrol their areas alone. That is one reason many troopers insist the fighting drill is essential: Most troopers do not have the luxury of calling for quick backup.
Ms. Carty, who declined to comment Friday, has said she believes her husband's death was preventable. She has urged that DPS redesign its fighting drill.
Mr. Carty suffered a brain injury as he fought another recruit on May 19, and he later died at an Austin hospital.
According to DPS, 36 recruits have suffered concussions in the last eight years.
Although recruits wear headgear, doctors caution headgear does not prevent concussions and other brain injuries. A blow to the head can cause the brain to move within the skull, regardless of padding outside the head.
At the graduation ceremony on Friday, the fighting drill was a subject unspoken. Cmdr. Rodriguez declined to talk about its future.
"We are going to look at the whole program," he said.
Although the academy graduated its largest class ever, and all recruits passed the state licensing exam on their first try, many troopers said it had been a difficult two months since Mr. Carty's death.
"It was tough losing a good friend," Trooper Fritch said. "But he will always be with us."
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TexasStooge
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Detective's husband arrested
Dallas: Police say spouse of officer tried to steal car's converter
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas robbery detective's husband was arrested this week – for robbery.
Police said Darryl Taylor, 40, of Cedar Hill and another man were trying to steal the catalytic converter off a 1995 Toyota Tercel. The car was abandoned Wednesday afternoon after one of its tires blew out in the 1300 block of North Stemmons Freeway.
When Glendens Bazuaye, who caught a ride from friend, rode back to fix his ailing car, he confronted the two men busily toiling away underneath. Their tools, including a portable generator to operate an electric saw, were scattered about.
After a small ruckus, police arrested Mr. Taylor and Earl Moore, 45, of Dallas and charged them with robbery.
Shortly after the arrest, police commanders were informed of the ironic twist: Mr. Taylor's wife is Detective Tonya Taylor with the robbery unit.
"We're investigating this as we would any other robbery," said Deputy Chief Alfredo Saldana, who heads the Crimes Against Persons Division. "But because of the unique relationship here, it will be assigned to our special investigations unit."
That unit, which handles high-profile and unusually violent crimes, is separate from the robbery unit.
Neither Detective Taylor nor her husband, who was released from the Dallas County Jail on Thursday on $5,000 bail, returned phone calls. Deputy Chief Saldana said his detective is "not under any type of investigation at all" in reference to her husband's robbery charge.
"A cop's husband. I can't believe that," said Mr. Bazuaye, a single parent of two teenagers. "She's probably a good woman, but now the husband is messing all that up."
Mr. Bazuaye's luck has been running short all year. He said someone broke into the church where he is a nondenominational minister a few months ago and took so much he had to shut it down.
"I've been through a lot lately," he said.
Dallas: Police say spouse of officer tried to steal car's converter
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas robbery detective's husband was arrested this week – for robbery.
Police said Darryl Taylor, 40, of Cedar Hill and another man were trying to steal the catalytic converter off a 1995 Toyota Tercel. The car was abandoned Wednesday afternoon after one of its tires blew out in the 1300 block of North Stemmons Freeway.
When Glendens Bazuaye, who caught a ride from friend, rode back to fix his ailing car, he confronted the two men busily toiling away underneath. Their tools, including a portable generator to operate an electric saw, were scattered about.
After a small ruckus, police arrested Mr. Taylor and Earl Moore, 45, of Dallas and charged them with robbery.
Shortly after the arrest, police commanders were informed of the ironic twist: Mr. Taylor's wife is Detective Tonya Taylor with the robbery unit.
"We're investigating this as we would any other robbery," said Deputy Chief Alfredo Saldana, who heads the Crimes Against Persons Division. "But because of the unique relationship here, it will be assigned to our special investigations unit."
That unit, which handles high-profile and unusually violent crimes, is separate from the robbery unit.
Neither Detective Taylor nor her husband, who was released from the Dallas County Jail on Thursday on $5,000 bail, returned phone calls. Deputy Chief Saldana said his detective is "not under any type of investigation at all" in reference to her husband's robbery charge.
"A cop's husband. I can't believe that," said Mr. Bazuaye, a single parent of two teenagers. "She's probably a good woman, but now the husband is messing all that up."
Mr. Bazuaye's luck has been running short all year. He said someone broke into the church where he is a nondenominational minister a few months ago and took so much he had to shut it down.
"I've been through a lot lately," he said.
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TexasStooge
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No-show jurors tell their tales
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Reckoning day was relatively painless for a handful of jury duty no-shows whose June disappearing acts raised a judge's hackles and held up the start of a murder trial.
Their truancy was rewarded with an order to appear before Judge Karen Greene on Friday with an explanation.
Hint to future scofflaws – blame it on the mail. Of the 13 jury-duty skippers who stood before the judge, 10 claimed they never received their initial summons.
That's not hard to believe considering 40 percent of the county's jury summonses typically come back as undeliverable. The judge determined that the remaining three had valid excuses but pledged to perform the exercise in the future to keep everyone on their toes.
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Reckoning day was relatively painless for a handful of jury duty no-shows whose June disappearing acts raised a judge's hackles and held up the start of a murder trial.
Their truancy was rewarded with an order to appear before Judge Karen Greene on Friday with an explanation.
Hint to future scofflaws – blame it on the mail. Of the 13 jury-duty skippers who stood before the judge, 10 claimed they never received their initial summons.
That's not hard to believe considering 40 percent of the county's jury summonses typically come back as undeliverable. The judge determined that the remaining three had valid excuses but pledged to perform the exercise in the future to keep everyone on their toes.
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Threatening note found on Southwest flight forces search
Federal agents detect nothing suspicious after apparent hoax
By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A passenger found a threatening note aboard a Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas Love Field on Friday, causing it to be searched at an isolated part of Houston's Hobby Airport, authorities said.
"A passenger found a note in the seatback of one of the passenger chairs, and the note said something to the effect that there's a bomb on the plane," said Houston FBI spokesman Al Tribble.
The incident appears to be a hoax.
Federal agents interviewed passengers, and bomb-sniffing dogs searched the plane cabin and luggage but had not found anything suspicious by Friday afternoon.
"We'll be working, doing some more investigative work to determine – if we can – the origin of the note," Mr. Tribble said. "I don't know if it was from a previous flight or if it could have happened today."
Southwest Flight 21, carrying 136 passengers and five flight crew members, landed in Houston about 12:30 p.m. It was scheduled to continue to Corpus Christi, but that flight was delayed.
"On occasion, we do find notes with threatening words on them," said Andrea McCauley, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. "At the checkpoint, on the aircraft, we take those words very seriously."
Federal agents detect nothing suspicious after apparent hoax
By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A passenger found a threatening note aboard a Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas Love Field on Friday, causing it to be searched at an isolated part of Houston's Hobby Airport, authorities said.
"A passenger found a note in the seatback of one of the passenger chairs, and the note said something to the effect that there's a bomb on the plane," said Houston FBI spokesman Al Tribble.
The incident appears to be a hoax.
Federal agents interviewed passengers, and bomb-sniffing dogs searched the plane cabin and luggage but had not found anything suspicious by Friday afternoon.
"We'll be working, doing some more investigative work to determine – if we can – the origin of the note," Mr. Tribble said. "I don't know if it was from a previous flight or if it could have happened today."
Southwest Flight 21, carrying 136 passengers and five flight crew members, landed in Houston about 12:30 p.m. It was scheduled to continue to Corpus Christi, but that flight was delayed.
"On occasion, we do find notes with threatening words on them," said Andrea McCauley, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. "At the checkpoint, on the aircraft, we take those words very seriously."
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Were drug-scandal lessons learned?
Audit faults undercover police oversight; deputy chief notes progress
By ROBERT THARP and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Politicians and police commanders pledged "never again" less than a year ago after a stinging city investigation in part blamed poor police supervision for the arrests of dozens of innocent people.
Police brass at that time embraced sweeping reforms that would prevent future disgraces like the 2001 fake-drug scandal. But 10 months later, a draft of an audit obtained by The Dallas Morning News reveals that lax supervision of undercover activities and sloppy paperwork remain concerns.
The audit, circulated within the department last week, concludes that money-handling safeguards continued to be deficient in the narcotics division and in other police units. Auditors warned that the narcotics division's file-handling practices regarding money "increases the risks of misuse and abuse of such funds."
Deputy Chief Julian Bernal, who oversees the narcotics and vice units, said this week that police have in recent weeks moved swiftly to correct many of the problems lingering from the scandal in which crooked police informants profited by setting up the arrests of almost two dozen people on false drug charges.
"Our challenge is to audit, audit, audit," he said. "That's the way we're going to catch problems before they become big problems."
He acknowledged that more work needs to be done.
There's good reason to make sure any lessons learned are not forgotten. The fake-drug scandal might never have happened if a series of reforms after a 1992 inquiry into narcotics division irregularities had gone unimplemented and was ultimately forgotten.
"They've made considerable progress," said Terence Hart, one of two attorneys who oversaw the city's independent investigation into the fake-drugs scandal. But he added, "You'd expect it to be a little less problematic. Hopefully, these things aren't endemic in the system and can be worked out."
It was the report Mr. Hart co-wrote, released in October 2004, that laid out recommendations to avoid a repeat of abuses such as those in the fake-drug cases.
Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle declined to comment in detail about the report but said he agrees with the findings.
"My approach has been to implement the recommendations unless there's a clear reason why it shouldn't be done," he said.
The paperwork problems cited in the audit, Chief Bernal said, "pretty much tracks what we've been seeing, which is a lack of oversight" in narcotics and vice.
"We're still making some minor paperwork mistakes. But by and large, the recommendations that were made by the fake-drug panel are all in place," he said.
Chief Bernal said most of the audit's recommendations have been implemented. That's in addition to policies that have changed since the city panel released its recommendations. The audit team has also been invited to return to check on progress.
Narcotics supervisors now keep close tabs on their detectives' work, he said. Cash payments to informants are documented in detail. Among other things, informants must place a fingerprint on payment reports to prove they received the money.
The city investigation had found that reports detailing the fake-drug cases were so incomplete or illegible that questions still remain about exactly what happened to more than $400,000 in cash payments that former Officer Mark Delapaz said he paid his informants in late 2001.
Chief Bernal said he now reviews informant activities monthly and randomly checks informant files and cash payment records. A higher-level chief reviews similar but less-detailed reports.
But Chief Bernal concedes that the taint of the scandal lingers.
Mr. Delapaz was convicted in April of lying in a search warrant related to one of the bogus arrests and was sentenced to five years in prison. That case is under appeal.
Mr. Delapaz faces more than a dozen other felony charges related to his detective work. Three other former officers also face charges of perjury, forgery or falsifying evidence.
The city has so far paid nearly $8 million in civil lawsuit judgments to victims of the fake-drug scandal.
Concerns raised in that investigation mirrored conclusions raised more than 10 years earlier after an undercover officer was fatally shot during a drug deal, prompting a different inquiry.
That 1992 investigation raised questions about whether detectives had forged informant signatures and misused city money. Calls for reform were then apparently ignored and forgotten, said the city's report from earlier this year.
That special investigation proposed reforms almost identical to those from the fake-drug scandal and the draft audit. Supervisors were told to make sure detectives were following policies, giving close scrutiny to the manner in which informants were paid and regularly requiring undercover detectives to account for cash they carried.
Chief Bernal said that the narcotics division has been rebuilding itself since the fake-drug scandal and that the audit will only help police continue that work. He said all of the reforms effectively double the work within the narcotics division, but he added that they're vital to restoring public confidence.
"I feel we're protecting ourselves from these types of problems and accusations of impropriety," he said. "In order to do that my people are having to work way harder than before."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT THE AUDIT MEANS:
Here are major findings of the draft report of the police narcotics division and cash-handling throughout the department:
Narcotics supervisors had not completed some required checklists inside highly sensitive files documenting work by confidential police informants. Some files were poorly organized.
The concern: Informants' backgrounds may not be properly checked to make sure that their legal status was unchanged and that they were eligible to work.
Status: Police said this week that files have been updated and organized.
A computer database could not keep running accounts of how much money narcotics informants had been paid.
The concern: It would be difficult to tell whether an informant was paid more than is typically allowed – up to $20,000 per year. During the 2001 fake-drug scandal, one informant was paid more than $200,000 in one year without raising questions from supervisors.
Status: Police say the database was fixed after auditors identified the problem.
There was easy access to the department's petty cash vault, where large amounts of cash are kept.
The concern: Theft or mislaid cash.
Status: The layout of the petty-cash room has been revised, and security has been improved.
Procedures for paying confidential informants and handling cash were not uniform among three police units that routinely handle such funds: narcotics, criminal intelligence and vice.
The concern: Inconsistency leaves more potential for abuse. After the fake-drug scandal, investigators could not account for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Status: Narcotics and vice now have the same procedures. The criminal intelligence unit is reviewing the audit's recommendation.
There was no system to independently review the narcotics division's work, leaving police commanders to rely upon the word of subordinates.
The concern: There is potential for abuse without regular, outside oversight. In the fake-drug scandal, supervisors were blamed for poor oversight. Later, one was fired, one demoted and two retired.
Status: Police say they're still considering a way to implement independent oversight.
Some cash payments to informants continued to be approved by supervisors after the fact – a violation of department policy.
The concern: After-the-fact authorization weakens oversight. During the fake-drug scandal, detectives routinely paid informants with little scrutiny from bosses. During the scandal, receipts that informants must sign were inconsistent.
Status: In response to the audit, payments less than $100 can occur with only verbal approval, but written authorization is required by the end of the day.
A cash-counting machine for the department's general petty cash was broken.
The concern: More room for error or missing cash.
Status: The machine has been fixed.
SOURCES: Draft audit, Dallas Morning News research
Audit faults undercover police oversight; deputy chief notes progress
By ROBERT THARP and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Politicians and police commanders pledged "never again" less than a year ago after a stinging city investigation in part blamed poor police supervision for the arrests of dozens of innocent people.
Police brass at that time embraced sweeping reforms that would prevent future disgraces like the 2001 fake-drug scandal. But 10 months later, a draft of an audit obtained by The Dallas Morning News reveals that lax supervision of undercover activities and sloppy paperwork remain concerns.
The audit, circulated within the department last week, concludes that money-handling safeguards continued to be deficient in the narcotics division and in other police units. Auditors warned that the narcotics division's file-handling practices regarding money "increases the risks of misuse and abuse of such funds."
Deputy Chief Julian Bernal, who oversees the narcotics and vice units, said this week that police have in recent weeks moved swiftly to correct many of the problems lingering from the scandal in which crooked police informants profited by setting up the arrests of almost two dozen people on false drug charges.
"Our challenge is to audit, audit, audit," he said. "That's the way we're going to catch problems before they become big problems."
He acknowledged that more work needs to be done.
There's good reason to make sure any lessons learned are not forgotten. The fake-drug scandal might never have happened if a series of reforms after a 1992 inquiry into narcotics division irregularities had gone unimplemented and was ultimately forgotten.
"They've made considerable progress," said Terence Hart, one of two attorneys who oversaw the city's independent investigation into the fake-drugs scandal. But he added, "You'd expect it to be a little less problematic. Hopefully, these things aren't endemic in the system and can be worked out."
It was the report Mr. Hart co-wrote, released in October 2004, that laid out recommendations to avoid a repeat of abuses such as those in the fake-drug cases.
Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle declined to comment in detail about the report but said he agrees with the findings.
"My approach has been to implement the recommendations unless there's a clear reason why it shouldn't be done," he said.
The paperwork problems cited in the audit, Chief Bernal said, "pretty much tracks what we've been seeing, which is a lack of oversight" in narcotics and vice.
"We're still making some minor paperwork mistakes. But by and large, the recommendations that were made by the fake-drug panel are all in place," he said.
Chief Bernal said most of the audit's recommendations have been implemented. That's in addition to policies that have changed since the city panel released its recommendations. The audit team has also been invited to return to check on progress.
Narcotics supervisors now keep close tabs on their detectives' work, he said. Cash payments to informants are documented in detail. Among other things, informants must place a fingerprint on payment reports to prove they received the money.
The city investigation had found that reports detailing the fake-drug cases were so incomplete or illegible that questions still remain about exactly what happened to more than $400,000 in cash payments that former Officer Mark Delapaz said he paid his informants in late 2001.
Chief Bernal said he now reviews informant activities monthly and randomly checks informant files and cash payment records. A higher-level chief reviews similar but less-detailed reports.
But Chief Bernal concedes that the taint of the scandal lingers.
Mr. Delapaz was convicted in April of lying in a search warrant related to one of the bogus arrests and was sentenced to five years in prison. That case is under appeal.
Mr. Delapaz faces more than a dozen other felony charges related to his detective work. Three other former officers also face charges of perjury, forgery or falsifying evidence.
The city has so far paid nearly $8 million in civil lawsuit judgments to victims of the fake-drug scandal.
Concerns raised in that investigation mirrored conclusions raised more than 10 years earlier after an undercover officer was fatally shot during a drug deal, prompting a different inquiry.
That 1992 investigation raised questions about whether detectives had forged informant signatures and misused city money. Calls for reform were then apparently ignored and forgotten, said the city's report from earlier this year.
That special investigation proposed reforms almost identical to those from the fake-drug scandal and the draft audit. Supervisors were told to make sure detectives were following policies, giving close scrutiny to the manner in which informants were paid and regularly requiring undercover detectives to account for cash they carried.
Chief Bernal said that the narcotics division has been rebuilding itself since the fake-drug scandal and that the audit will only help police continue that work. He said all of the reforms effectively double the work within the narcotics division, but he added that they're vital to restoring public confidence.
"I feel we're protecting ourselves from these types of problems and accusations of impropriety," he said. "In order to do that my people are having to work way harder than before."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT THE AUDIT MEANS:
Here are major findings of the draft report of the police narcotics division and cash-handling throughout the department:
Narcotics supervisors had not completed some required checklists inside highly sensitive files documenting work by confidential police informants. Some files were poorly organized.
The concern: Informants' backgrounds may not be properly checked to make sure that their legal status was unchanged and that they were eligible to work.
Status: Police said this week that files have been updated and organized.
A computer database could not keep running accounts of how much money narcotics informants had been paid.
The concern: It would be difficult to tell whether an informant was paid more than is typically allowed – up to $20,000 per year. During the 2001 fake-drug scandal, one informant was paid more than $200,000 in one year without raising questions from supervisors.
Status: Police say the database was fixed after auditors identified the problem.
There was easy access to the department's petty cash vault, where large amounts of cash are kept.
The concern: Theft or mislaid cash.
Status: The layout of the petty-cash room has been revised, and security has been improved.
Procedures for paying confidential informants and handling cash were not uniform among three police units that routinely handle such funds: narcotics, criminal intelligence and vice.
The concern: Inconsistency leaves more potential for abuse. After the fake-drug scandal, investigators could not account for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Status: Narcotics and vice now have the same procedures. The criminal intelligence unit is reviewing the audit's recommendation.
There was no system to independently review the narcotics division's work, leaving police commanders to rely upon the word of subordinates.
The concern: There is potential for abuse without regular, outside oversight. In the fake-drug scandal, supervisors were blamed for poor oversight. Later, one was fired, one demoted and two retired.
Status: Police say they're still considering a way to implement independent oversight.
Some cash payments to informants continued to be approved by supervisors after the fact – a violation of department policy.
The concern: After-the-fact authorization weakens oversight. During the fake-drug scandal, detectives routinely paid informants with little scrutiny from bosses. During the scandal, receipts that informants must sign were inconsistent.
Status: In response to the audit, payments less than $100 can occur with only verbal approval, but written authorization is required by the end of the day.
A cash-counting machine for the department's general petty cash was broken.
The concern: More room for error or missing cash.
Status: The machine has been fixed.
SOURCES: Draft audit, Dallas Morning News research
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Woman seeks dog's demise after attack
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
SACHSE, Texas — Self-described animal lover Lisa Sachse said she now lives with nightmares and painful injuries after a large pit bull lunged at her, grabbing her head in its jaws.
The animal's owner was ordered to remove the dog from the city, but Sachse said that's not enough.
The incident happened next to a business where the dog was confined. Sachse told News 8 the terrifying experience is one she won't soon forget.
"I turned this way—and thank God I did, because he went right for my throat and he got my back," Sachse said. "He had his head in my mouth, and he had me on the ground and had me pinned."
Sachse managed to escape, but only after she suffered painful injuries.
"I had 4 to 5 stitches on my back from his claws, five metal stiches in my head, but more than that—it was the trauma afterwards," she said.
The dog was quarantined, then released to its owner.
Sachse Police Chief Richard Benedict said the dog had been quarantined once before in Collin County for causing a minor injury.
"Following the bite, I issued an order to the owner of the dog to have the dog removed from the city under our vicious animal section of our ordinance," Benedict said.
Sachse worries that a child could be hurt. "I just think this dog needs to be put down," she said. "I don't want him to have the chance to have a third victim."
But Chief Benedict said the city did the most it could do since the dog was registered, had all required shots and was being kept in compliance with city ordinances.
The dog's owner told News 8 his pet is not vicious, but rather a young and aggressive puppy who should not be put down.
He said Sachse walked into an area that was clearly marked with a "Beware of Dog" sign.
Lisa Sachse said she is considering legal action against the city.
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
SACHSE, Texas — Self-described animal lover Lisa Sachse said she now lives with nightmares and painful injuries after a large pit bull lunged at her, grabbing her head in its jaws.
The animal's owner was ordered to remove the dog from the city, but Sachse said that's not enough.
The incident happened next to a business where the dog was confined. Sachse told News 8 the terrifying experience is one she won't soon forget.
"I turned this way—and thank God I did, because he went right for my throat and he got my back," Sachse said. "He had his head in my mouth, and he had me on the ground and had me pinned."
Sachse managed to escape, but only after she suffered painful injuries.
"I had 4 to 5 stitches on my back from his claws, five metal stiches in my head, but more than that—it was the trauma afterwards," she said.
The dog was quarantined, then released to its owner.
Sachse Police Chief Richard Benedict said the dog had been quarantined once before in Collin County for causing a minor injury.
"Following the bite, I issued an order to the owner of the dog to have the dog removed from the city under our vicious animal section of our ordinance," Benedict said.
Sachse worries that a child could be hurt. "I just think this dog needs to be put down," she said. "I don't want him to have the chance to have a third victim."
But Chief Benedict said the city did the most it could do since the dog was registered, had all required shots and was being kept in compliance with city ordinances.
The dog's owner told News 8 his pet is not vicious, but rather a young and aggressive puppy who should not be put down.
He said Sachse walked into an area that was clearly marked with a "Beware of Dog" sign.
Lisa Sachse said she is considering legal action against the city.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
All roads lead to Irving for state's annual transportation conference
Summit to attract lawmakers, experts on highways, rail and air
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - More than 1,000 attendees will talk planes, trains and automobiles in Irving next week.
Members of Congress and national transportation officials are scheduled to attend the eighth annual Texas Transportation Summit, which starts Tuesday at the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas.
The event attracts local, regional and national elected officials and transportation experts who will discuss transportation topics. Scheduled keynote speakers include Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and officials with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Department of Transportation.
City officials brag about the growing importance of the event, which Irving Mayor Herbert Gears described in a letter as "the largest and most comprehensive public policy transportation conference in the nation."
"Most everyone I talk to in various cities knows about this, compliments us on it, comments in a very positive way," Mr. Gears said.
Transportation is important for Irving, which is near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and home to major highways that intersect the city. About a million automobiles enter and exit the city daily, officials estimate.
The summit gives Irving access to officials from around the country who make decisions on transportation funding, said Jim Cline, Irving's public works and transportation director.
"They're also exposed to the region, and they get an opportunity to see the projects and meet the people who are involved," he said.
Sessions will cover a variety of topics, including "Solving Local Transportation Problems with Tolls," "Planning and Financing Airports" and "Freight Rail: What Does the Future Hold?"
The summit will also kick off the 50th-anniversary celebration of the interstate highway system.
For more information, including registration details, visit http://www.texastransportationsummit.com.
Summit to attract lawmakers, experts on highways, rail and air
By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - More than 1,000 attendees will talk planes, trains and automobiles in Irving next week.
Members of Congress and national transportation officials are scheduled to attend the eighth annual Texas Transportation Summit, which starts Tuesday at the Omni Mandalay Hotel at Las Colinas.
The event attracts local, regional and national elected officials and transportation experts who will discuss transportation topics. Scheduled keynote speakers include Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and officials with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Department of Transportation.
City officials brag about the growing importance of the event, which Irving Mayor Herbert Gears described in a letter as "the largest and most comprehensive public policy transportation conference in the nation."
"Most everyone I talk to in various cities knows about this, compliments us on it, comments in a very positive way," Mr. Gears said.
Transportation is important for Irving, which is near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and home to major highways that intersect the city. About a million automobiles enter and exit the city daily, officials estimate.
The summit gives Irving access to officials from around the country who make decisions on transportation funding, said Jim Cline, Irving's public works and transportation director.
"They're also exposed to the region, and they get an opportunity to see the projects and meet the people who are involved," he said.
Sessions will cover a variety of topics, including "Solving Local Transportation Problems with Tolls," "Planning and Financing Airports" and "Freight Rail: What Does the Future Hold?"
The summit will also kick off the 50th-anniversary celebration of the interstate highway system.
For more information, including registration details, visit http://www.texastransportationsummit.com.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Downed pilot's tale of survival, faith inspires recovering vets
Irving: O'Grady tells gathering that Bosnia experience changed life
By STELLA M. CHÁVEZ / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas – Scott O'Grady thought he'd died the minute his plane was shot out of the sky over Bosnia.
Unsure of his fate, the F-16 pilot spent the next six days hiding – in the brush, behind rocks or whatever protection he could find – as Serbian forces searched nearby.
Shock, fear and sadness set in. But Mr. O'Grady never gave up.
In fact, that harrowing event 10 years ago proved to be rewarding, the retired U.S. Air Force captain told a group of wounded veterans and their families Friday.
"That entire experience ended up being one of the most positive experiences in my life," Mr. O'Grady told those attending the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes Road to Recovery Conference.
The conference, which is at the D/FW Airport Marriot hotel in Irving through tonight, brings together resources to help injured veterans return to a life of normalcy. There are seminars on job training, medical benefits and rehabilitation services as well as talks by veterans who've been injured during service.
This is the coalition's first Texas conference. A similar event was held last year in Orlando, Fla. Plans are to hold more throughout the country.
For Mr. O'Grady, the conference was a chance to inspire those in the audience.
"I actually look at my experience in combat as a religious experience," he said.
His faith in God gave him strength and put him at peace, he said, as he fought to survive. Ultimately, U.S. Marines rescued him, a moment he described as "the most beautiful sight."
Mr. O'Grady, who lives in Dallas, attends Dallas Theological Seminary, where, he said, he is learning more about his strong faith in God.
Like many at the conference, Sgt. Albert Gonzalez, 36, said he hoped to learn more about job opportunities. If asked to go back to Iraq, he said, he would go, but he adds that he is unsure what the future holds. He injured his back when his convoy was hit in April. Sgt. Gonzalez now receives treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. A second back surgery is scheduled for October.
Dan Smith, volunteer executive director of the coalition's Texas chapter, said local organizers are trying to raise money and provide more services for injured veterans. The reason, he explained, is because often they often fall through the cracks upon returning home. He said it's time-consuming and confusing sometimes to know where to seek help, whether it's retrofitting a house to make it accessible for a disabled person or applying for benefits.
He said one soldier who was blinded in combat wanted to drive again. A coalition supporter heard about his wish and organized a special stock car race in which he was allowed to go up against other drivers. They drove blindfolded.
The soldier won the race, Mr. Smith said.
Army Sgt. Chang Wong, 23, was on patrol when his tank was attacked May 23. He lost both legs below the knee and now uses prosthetics. He is still getting used to them and says therapy has helped.
Attending the conference and hearing Mr. O'Grady's story have given the California native hope.
"Wow," he said. "Six days with no food, no nothing. That's amazing."
Irving: O'Grady tells gathering that Bosnia experience changed life
By STELLA M. CHÁVEZ / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas – Scott O'Grady thought he'd died the minute his plane was shot out of the sky over Bosnia.
Unsure of his fate, the F-16 pilot spent the next six days hiding – in the brush, behind rocks or whatever protection he could find – as Serbian forces searched nearby.
Shock, fear and sadness set in. But Mr. O'Grady never gave up.
In fact, that harrowing event 10 years ago proved to be rewarding, the retired U.S. Air Force captain told a group of wounded veterans and their families Friday.
"That entire experience ended up being one of the most positive experiences in my life," Mr. O'Grady told those attending the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes Road to Recovery Conference.
The conference, which is at the D/FW Airport Marriot hotel in Irving through tonight, brings together resources to help injured veterans return to a life of normalcy. There are seminars on job training, medical benefits and rehabilitation services as well as talks by veterans who've been injured during service.
This is the coalition's first Texas conference. A similar event was held last year in Orlando, Fla. Plans are to hold more throughout the country.
For Mr. O'Grady, the conference was a chance to inspire those in the audience.
"I actually look at my experience in combat as a religious experience," he said.
His faith in God gave him strength and put him at peace, he said, as he fought to survive. Ultimately, U.S. Marines rescued him, a moment he described as "the most beautiful sight."
Mr. O'Grady, who lives in Dallas, attends Dallas Theological Seminary, where, he said, he is learning more about his strong faith in God.
Like many at the conference, Sgt. Albert Gonzalez, 36, said he hoped to learn more about job opportunities. If asked to go back to Iraq, he said, he would go, but he adds that he is unsure what the future holds. He injured his back when his convoy was hit in April. Sgt. Gonzalez now receives treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. A second back surgery is scheduled for October.
Dan Smith, volunteer executive director of the coalition's Texas chapter, said local organizers are trying to raise money and provide more services for injured veterans. The reason, he explained, is because often they often fall through the cracks upon returning home. He said it's time-consuming and confusing sometimes to know where to seek help, whether it's retrofitting a house to make it accessible for a disabled person or applying for benefits.
He said one soldier who was blinded in combat wanted to drive again. A coalition supporter heard about his wish and organized a special stock car race in which he was allowed to go up against other drivers. They drove blindfolded.
The soldier won the race, Mr. Smith said.
Army Sgt. Chang Wong, 23, was on patrol when his tank was attacked May 23. He lost both legs below the knee and now uses prosthetics. He is still getting used to them and says therapy has helped.
Attending the conference and hearing Mr. O'Grady's story have given the California native hope.
"Wow," he said. "Six days with no food, no nothing. That's amazing."
0 likes
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Teacher's old-fashioned weight loss provides lesson for others
Irving: Resolve, doctor's warning put her in motion
By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Teresa Khirallah hopes to beat the odds and keep off her weight – all 200 pounds of it.
In a little more than one year, the Irving teacher dropped from 392 to 189 pounds, her current weight. She did not take diet pills or undergo bariatric surgery. She just decided she had had enough.
"When I turned 30 last year, I decided I did not want to live like this anymore," Ms. Khirallah said. Plus, she had received a warning from her doctor. "He told me if I didn't lose weight, in 10 years I would be wheelchair-bound or dead."
So she started doing research. She found the Structure House, a residential weight-loss clinic in Durham, N.C. The clinic's motto is "Changing Minds, Changing Lives." There are classes about nutrition, exercise and the psychological reasons for eating. She enrolled last July.
Durham has attracted national attention as a "diet capital," according to The Associated Press, because it is home to three major residential clinics.
And because of her weight-loss success, Ms. Khirallah has become a star client and garnered attention from several media outlets, including NBC, CNN, the British Observer and Time of Italy.
In her four weeks at the clinic, she lost 22 pounds. When she returned to Irving, she continued to lose weight by eating well and exercising.
By October, she hit her first milestone: 100 pounds lost. To continue to lose weight, she said, she realized she needed a trainer.
Erin Cooper, the only female trainer at the Sports Club at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, was impressed with Ms. Khirallah's progress.
"She is the most amazing, most dedicated person I've trained," Ms. Cooper said. "She will do anything, and she listens and follows through."
They stay in touch daily, partly because Ms. Cooper wants to be there for Ms. Khirallah even on days they don't work out.
"You become so intertwined with the person you train, and you want to see them succeed," Ms. Cooper said.
With Ms. Cooper's help, Ms. Khirallah reached another goal – marathon running. In April, she ran a half-marathon. She hopes to run a marathon this fall.
"She is in really good shape, with good endurance and a great ability to push herself," Ms. Cooper said.
The caring environment of the club has inspired Ms. Khirallah as much as she inspires the members.
"She is everyone's hope and inspiration," Sports Club member and dietitian Resa Peck said. "She's our idol."
Ms. Khirallah also wants to be an inspiration to her students. She teaches fifth-grade gifted and talented classes at Elliott Elementary in south Irving.
"My kids and even the parents have been through this with me, and they've been great," she said.
Ms. Khirallah thinks her weight gain may have started with a simple outing for ice cream when she was in middle school.
"I didn't win a one-act play competition that I really wanted to win," she said. "But someone said, 'Let's go out for ice cream anyway.' "
From that moment on, she felt food could offer an escape.
She now feels like a new person.
"Everything is easier," she said. "All the emotional energy I spent trying to protect myself because I didn't fit in this world, I can now spend on friends, family, and just living."
RANDY ELI GROTHE/Dallas Morning News
In a little over a year, Teresa Khirallah has lost 203 pounds through diet, exercise and changing the way she thinks about food.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TIPS:
- Teresa Khirallah offers some tips that helped her lose more than 200 pounds:
- Start small.
- Use food as fuel, not to satisfy emotional needs.
- Eat balanced meals.
- Eat whole-grain products.
- Exercise 30 to 50 minutes three to five times a week.
- Ride the crave wave, because the crave will subside.
To reach her, e-mail losetogain@yahoo.com .
Irving: Resolve, doctor's warning put her in motion
By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Teresa Khirallah hopes to beat the odds and keep off her weight – all 200 pounds of it.
In a little more than one year, the Irving teacher dropped from 392 to 189 pounds, her current weight. She did not take diet pills or undergo bariatric surgery. She just decided she had had enough.
"When I turned 30 last year, I decided I did not want to live like this anymore," Ms. Khirallah said. Plus, she had received a warning from her doctor. "He told me if I didn't lose weight, in 10 years I would be wheelchair-bound or dead."
So she started doing research. She found the Structure House, a residential weight-loss clinic in Durham, N.C. The clinic's motto is "Changing Minds, Changing Lives." There are classes about nutrition, exercise and the psychological reasons for eating. She enrolled last July.
Durham has attracted national attention as a "diet capital," according to The Associated Press, because it is home to three major residential clinics.
And because of her weight-loss success, Ms. Khirallah has become a star client and garnered attention from several media outlets, including NBC, CNN, the British Observer and Time of Italy.
In her four weeks at the clinic, she lost 22 pounds. When she returned to Irving, she continued to lose weight by eating well and exercising.
By October, she hit her first milestone: 100 pounds lost. To continue to lose weight, she said, she realized she needed a trainer.
Erin Cooper, the only female trainer at the Sports Club at the Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, was impressed with Ms. Khirallah's progress.
"She is the most amazing, most dedicated person I've trained," Ms. Cooper said. "She will do anything, and she listens and follows through."
They stay in touch daily, partly because Ms. Cooper wants to be there for Ms. Khirallah even on days they don't work out.
"You become so intertwined with the person you train, and you want to see them succeed," Ms. Cooper said.
With Ms. Cooper's help, Ms. Khirallah reached another goal – marathon running. In April, she ran a half-marathon. She hopes to run a marathon this fall.
"She is in really good shape, with good endurance and a great ability to push herself," Ms. Cooper said.
The caring environment of the club has inspired Ms. Khirallah as much as she inspires the members.
"She is everyone's hope and inspiration," Sports Club member and dietitian Resa Peck said. "She's our idol."
Ms. Khirallah also wants to be an inspiration to her students. She teaches fifth-grade gifted and talented classes at Elliott Elementary in south Irving.
"My kids and even the parents have been through this with me, and they've been great," she said.
Ms. Khirallah thinks her weight gain may have started with a simple outing for ice cream when she was in middle school.
"I didn't win a one-act play competition that I really wanted to win," she said. "But someone said, 'Let's go out for ice cream anyway.' "
From that moment on, she felt food could offer an escape.
She now feels like a new person.
"Everything is easier," she said. "All the emotional energy I spent trying to protect myself because I didn't fit in this world, I can now spend on friends, family, and just living."
RANDY ELI GROTHE/Dallas Morning News
In a little over a year, Teresa Khirallah has lost 203 pounds through diet, exercise and changing the way she thinks about food.
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TIPS:
- Teresa Khirallah offers some tips that helped her lose more than 200 pounds:
- Start small.
- Use food as fuel, not to satisfy emotional needs.
- Eat balanced meals.
- Eat whole-grain products.
- Exercise 30 to 50 minutes three to five times a week.
- Ride the crave wave, because the crave will subside.
To reach her, e-mail losetogain@yahoo.com .
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Patron's passion for arts lives on
By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Gene Sparks' name fit him well.
The late Irving businessman was the spark behind many community events. He was responsible for starting a much-loved Irving tradition: the Irving Symphony Orchestra's July Fourth performance at Williams Square. He helped start the Irving Community Concert Band, now the Irving Symphonic Band. He served on the Irving Arts Board during planning and construction projects. He also gave his time and energy to the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra and the Entertainment Series of Irving boards.
"Gene was always involved in some project and a difficult person to say no to," his friend Mary Higbee said.
Mr. Sparks died of a heart attack last week at age 80.
To honor his memory and his love of music, several friends are starting a music scholarship fund. The Irving Schools Foundation will handle the funds and present the scholarship at its annual breakfast in the spring.
"Gene enjoyed music and believed in the value of the arts in our lives. Equally as much, he believed in helping others, especially youth," Ms. Higbee said. "The music scholarship is a natural way to honor him and keep his efforts alive."
Checks can be made out to Irving Schools Foundation, Gene Sparks Scholarship (in the memo line), 2621 W. Airport Freeway, Irving, Texas 75062.
Acting out
The last became first this year. West Park Recreation Center's aspiring actors won Irving's annual one-act play competition at the Irving Arts Center on Saturday.
"The kids were thrilled," said play director and recreation specialist Mary Peregrin, "especially since we came in dead last the year before."
Irving's Parks and Recreation Department has offered a summer one-act play class for 39 years. Several rec centers now offer the class.
"It is the first class to fill up," said Darrell Jenkins, who took the class and acted in the plays when he was a kid. He now runs the program.
The plays were judged by Steven Jones of Lyric Stage, city employee Karen Siddall and lighting professional Susan White.
They chose Travis Ponikiewski of Northwest Park Recreation Center as best actor and Mary Amato of West Park Center as best actress. Their all-star cast winners were Miranda Culp, Arun Baskar, Diana Del Rio and Raven Garcia.
Cimarron Park's play came in second.
West Park now keeps the plaque, engraved with its name, for the year.
'This class rocks'
Veteran recreation specialist Maria Seppy of Cimarron Recreation Center once taught one-act play classes. Now her forte is Show Biz Kids, a class that helps budding actors and singers overcome stage fright and adjust to performing.
"I started this class to help kids come out of their shell," she said. "It is so rewarding to see them gain self-confidence."
About 20 children of all ages took part in the summer production on July 29. Shiva Jafaripou, 11, helped with choreography. "I love to sing and dance and hope to be a singer someday," she said.
Konnor Kasky, 7, enjoyed acting and singing in a few numbers. "I like singing because my dad was a singer," he said.
Melisa Guevaia, 13, said she got involved because she likes helping Ms. Seppy and being with other kids.
When the class ended, the children gave Ms. Seppy a T-shirt that read "This class rocks." They signed their names on the shirt and painted it with flags of their native countries, including Brazil, Nigeria, Algeria, Iran, India, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, El Salvador and Mexico.
"I may not wear the shirt because it is so special," Ms. Seppy said.
Fun for piggies
The Guinea Pig Festival is coming to Irving again. For the second year in a row, Jake Beach of Grapevine is holding the event to raise funds for the Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue, an organization that rescues abandoned, neglected and abused guinea pigs.
Run by Julia Hinrichs out of her Double Oak home, the rescue group relies on volunteers to take care of 156 guinea pigs, 10 gerbils, seven hamsters, three hedgehogs and two chinchillas, the rescue group's current residents.
Jake, a guinea pig owner and an animal lover, found the rescue group on the Internet when he was researching resources for unwanted pets. He raised $900 last year and hopes to double the amount this year.
The festival, which includes guinea pig races, contests and a parade, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Metropolex Veterinary Centre, 700 W. Airport Freeway. Call 972-438-7113 or visit http://www.theguineapigrescue.com.
By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Gene Sparks' name fit him well.
The late Irving businessman was the spark behind many community events. He was responsible for starting a much-loved Irving tradition: the Irving Symphony Orchestra's July Fourth performance at Williams Square. He helped start the Irving Community Concert Band, now the Irving Symphonic Band. He served on the Irving Arts Board during planning and construction projects. He also gave his time and energy to the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra and the Entertainment Series of Irving boards.
"Gene was always involved in some project and a difficult person to say no to," his friend Mary Higbee said.
Mr. Sparks died of a heart attack last week at age 80.
To honor his memory and his love of music, several friends are starting a music scholarship fund. The Irving Schools Foundation will handle the funds and present the scholarship at its annual breakfast in the spring.
"Gene enjoyed music and believed in the value of the arts in our lives. Equally as much, he believed in helping others, especially youth," Ms. Higbee said. "The music scholarship is a natural way to honor him and keep his efforts alive."
Checks can be made out to Irving Schools Foundation, Gene Sparks Scholarship (in the memo line), 2621 W. Airport Freeway, Irving, Texas 75062.
Acting out
The last became first this year. West Park Recreation Center's aspiring actors won Irving's annual one-act play competition at the Irving Arts Center on Saturday.
"The kids were thrilled," said play director and recreation specialist Mary Peregrin, "especially since we came in dead last the year before."
Irving's Parks and Recreation Department has offered a summer one-act play class for 39 years. Several rec centers now offer the class.
"It is the first class to fill up," said Darrell Jenkins, who took the class and acted in the plays when he was a kid. He now runs the program.
The plays were judged by Steven Jones of Lyric Stage, city employee Karen Siddall and lighting professional Susan White.
They chose Travis Ponikiewski of Northwest Park Recreation Center as best actor and Mary Amato of West Park Center as best actress. Their all-star cast winners were Miranda Culp, Arun Baskar, Diana Del Rio and Raven Garcia.
Cimarron Park's play came in second.
West Park now keeps the plaque, engraved with its name, for the year.
'This class rocks'
Veteran recreation specialist Maria Seppy of Cimarron Recreation Center once taught one-act play classes. Now her forte is Show Biz Kids, a class that helps budding actors and singers overcome stage fright and adjust to performing.
"I started this class to help kids come out of their shell," she said. "It is so rewarding to see them gain self-confidence."
About 20 children of all ages took part in the summer production on July 29. Shiva Jafaripou, 11, helped with choreography. "I love to sing and dance and hope to be a singer someday," she said.
Konnor Kasky, 7, enjoyed acting and singing in a few numbers. "I like singing because my dad was a singer," he said.
Melisa Guevaia, 13, said she got involved because she likes helping Ms. Seppy and being with other kids.
When the class ended, the children gave Ms. Seppy a T-shirt that read "This class rocks." They signed their names on the shirt and painted it with flags of their native countries, including Brazil, Nigeria, Algeria, Iran, India, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, El Salvador and Mexico.
"I may not wear the shirt because it is so special," Ms. Seppy said.
Fun for piggies
The Guinea Pig Festival is coming to Irving again. For the second year in a row, Jake Beach of Grapevine is holding the event to raise funds for the Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue, an organization that rescues abandoned, neglected and abused guinea pigs.
Run by Julia Hinrichs out of her Double Oak home, the rescue group relies on volunteers to take care of 156 guinea pigs, 10 gerbils, seven hamsters, three hedgehogs and two chinchillas, the rescue group's current residents.
Jake, a guinea pig owner and an animal lover, found the rescue group on the Internet when he was researching resources for unwanted pets. He raised $900 last year and hopes to double the amount this year.
The festival, which includes guinea pig races, contests and a parade, will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Metropolex Veterinary Centre, 700 W. Airport Freeway. Call 972-438-7113 or visit http://www.theguineapigrescue.com.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Keller girl found dead at mom's home
KELLER, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Keller police were trying to determine what caused the death of an 11-year old girl.
Kelsey Roberts was found Friday night at her mother's home in the 1900 block of Stallion Court.
Police said her mother was semi-conscious in another room of the house.
"Apparently the father and mother of this child are separated," said Keller police spokesman Lt. Rex Phelps. "The father came over to pick the child up, and there was no answer at the door."
The father called a family friend who had a key to the home. They found Kelsey and her mother and called police.
Police said there was no sign of forced entry and no sign of obvious trauma to the victims.
The case was being investigated as a possible homicide.
WFAA-TV photojournalist Mike Zukerman contributed to this report.
KELLER, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Keller police were trying to determine what caused the death of an 11-year old girl.
Kelsey Roberts was found Friday night at her mother's home in the 1900 block of Stallion Court.
Police said her mother was semi-conscious in another room of the house.
"Apparently the father and mother of this child are separated," said Keller police spokesman Lt. Rex Phelps. "The father came over to pick the child up, and there was no answer at the door."
The father called a family friend who had a key to the home. They found Kelsey and her mother and called police.
Police said there was no sign of forced entry and no sign of obvious trauma to the victims.
The case was being investigated as a possible homicide.
WFAA-TV photojournalist Mike Zukerman contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Man arrested in his mother's carjacking
RED BIRD AREA (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas police arrested Anthony Miller, 36, about 12:45 p.m. Saturday and charged him with aggravated robbery in the carjacking of his mother Thursday in the parking lot of the Esther's Garden apartments on West Wheatland Road. Mr. Miller was arrested near the intersection of Forney Road and Buckner Boulevard. Senior Cpl. Max Geron said Mr. Miller also is considered a person of interest in the beating death of his girlfriend, 42-year-old Angela Williams. Mr. Miller's mother told police that her son said he killed Ms. Williams. Officers found Ms. Williams' body in the closet of an apartment the pair shared.
RED BIRD AREA (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas police arrested Anthony Miller, 36, about 12:45 p.m. Saturday and charged him with aggravated robbery in the carjacking of his mother Thursday in the parking lot of the Esther's Garden apartments on West Wheatland Road. Mr. Miller was arrested near the intersection of Forney Road and Buckner Boulevard. Senior Cpl. Max Geron said Mr. Miller also is considered a person of interest in the beating death of his girlfriend, 42-year-old Angela Williams. Mr. Miller's mother told police that her son said he killed Ms. Williams. Officers found Ms. Williams' body in the closet of an apartment the pair shared.
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