Thief steals home
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
FRISCO, Texas - Frisco police called a thief's robbery a new twist on identity theft. Not only did the suspect steal a homeowner's identity, but the criminal also stole her house as well.
The Cook family recently vacated their Frisco home. James Cook's job took him to Florida and his wife Paula went to Oklahoma to care for her sick mother. When they returned to check on the house they found someone had changed the locks.
"We didn't have any idea of what was going on," James Cook said. "We had no idea."
The story got even more bizarre when a man showed up at their front door and claimed he owned the Cook's house. He said he had put a $12,000 down payment on the home to someone named Carlos Ramirez.
The Cooks said they then went to the Denton County Courthouse to check their warranty deed. That's when they discovered someone forged Paula Cook's maiden name and transferred the deed to a Carlos Ramirez.
"It was very shocking and outrageous," Cook said. "It put us in shock that someone could just change the warranty deed without our acknowledgement."
Now the Cooks must go to court to prove that they are the rightful owners of their own house.
Frisco police said while identity theft is on the rise, they have never seen a case quite like this one and that it is making it very difficult to determine how and why it happened.
"The only thing we can do is work it very diligently to try to get who's responsible for this and put them in jail," said Sgt. Gina McFarlin.
Police said they believe the culprits obtained Cook's social security number, driver's license number and a copy of her signature.
"We were in disbelief that someone would be that ignorant to do something so flagrant in violation of the law," Cook said.
Cook said he feels something is wrong with a system where someone can go to the Denton County Courthouse and fraudulently change the name on a deed so easily without the rightful owners even knowing.
News from the Lone Star State
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Woman says she witnessed sting aimed at Hill
By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - As allegations of corruption continue to swirl at Dallas City Hall, a new figure has emerged. Venita Benitez said she bore witness to an attempted FBI sting on a prominent businessman and a Dallas City Council member.
"There are tapes...there will be indictments," Benitez said. "Without a shadow of a doubt, things did happen."
Benitez, a minority business consultant, said she can confirm reports of an attempted FBI sting that targeted prominent businessman Comer Cottrell and City Council member Don Hill. Hill is one of several individuals whose homes and offices were raided in June as part of an FBI corruption investigation.
Benitez said she sat in on a meeting this spring where a group of business men, which included Bill Fisher, Kevin Dean and Ron Ferguson, approached Cottrell and herself. She said they asked Cottrell, the former owner of Pro-Line cosmetics company, to use his influence to entice council member Hill to vote their way on an affordable housing deal. Benitez said she immediately objected and tried to call and inform Hill.
"All I was trying to do was stop the meeting with Mr. Fisher, Mr. Dean and Mr. Ferguson because it was a totally unfair meeting," she said.
Cottrell has since told the Dallas Morning News that he was asked to offer a quarter million dollar bribe to Hill, but said he turned it down. According to Benitez, it was a good thing he did.
Benitez said the FBI had come to her and that they had gotten a wire tap of the meeting from Fisher.
However Fisher, the owner of Odyssey Residential Holdings, said he can neither confirm nor deny his involvement with the FBI.
Benitez also said that all sorts of money is being distributed at City Hall but she said she doesn't know of any elected officials who have accepted bribes. No one has yet been implicated by the FBI.
By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - As allegations of corruption continue to swirl at Dallas City Hall, a new figure has emerged. Venita Benitez said she bore witness to an attempted FBI sting on a prominent businessman and a Dallas City Council member.
"There are tapes...there will be indictments," Benitez said. "Without a shadow of a doubt, things did happen."
Benitez, a minority business consultant, said she can confirm reports of an attempted FBI sting that targeted prominent businessman Comer Cottrell and City Council member Don Hill. Hill is one of several individuals whose homes and offices were raided in June as part of an FBI corruption investigation.
Benitez said she sat in on a meeting this spring where a group of business men, which included Bill Fisher, Kevin Dean and Ron Ferguson, approached Cottrell and herself. She said they asked Cottrell, the former owner of Pro-Line cosmetics company, to use his influence to entice council member Hill to vote their way on an affordable housing deal. Benitez said she immediately objected and tried to call and inform Hill.
"All I was trying to do was stop the meeting with Mr. Fisher, Mr. Dean and Mr. Ferguson because it was a totally unfair meeting," she said.
Cottrell has since told the Dallas Morning News that he was asked to offer a quarter million dollar bribe to Hill, but said he turned it down. According to Benitez, it was a good thing he did.
Benitez said the FBI had come to her and that they had gotten a wire tap of the meeting from Fisher.
However Fisher, the owner of Odyssey Residential Holdings, said he can neither confirm nor deny his involvement with the FBI.
Benitez also said that all sorts of money is being distributed at City Hall but she said she doesn't know of any elected officials who have accepted bribes. No one has yet been implicated by the FBI.
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Dallas man killed in home invasion
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police were searching for several suspects wanted in connection with a deadly home invasion in Oak Cliff early Friday.
Detectives said several armed suspects wearing masks kicked in the door of a home in the 600 block of Woodbine Ave. When police arrived, they found a body in a closet.
"We basically found one male shot inside the residence, shot multiple times. He was deceased on the scene," said Dallas police Sgt. Kenneth Lecesne. "There were also two other adults in the residence and one small baby."
Lecesne said those three were unhurt. Their names were not released.
Police did not issue a description of the suspects.
The incident is being investigated as a home invasion murder.
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police were searching for several suspects wanted in connection with a deadly home invasion in Oak Cliff early Friday.
Detectives said several armed suspects wearing masks kicked in the door of a home in the 600 block of Woodbine Ave. When police arrived, they found a body in a closet.
"We basically found one male shot inside the residence, shot multiple times. He was deceased on the scene," said Dallas police Sgt. Kenneth Lecesne. "There were also two other adults in the residence and one small baby."
Lecesne said those three were unhurt. Their names were not released.
Police did not issue a description of the suspects.
The incident is being investigated as a home invasion murder.
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Couple hit by car outside Fort Worth bar
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A Grand Prairie woman was killed and a companion was seriously hurt Thursday after a night out on the town in Fort Worth.
Police said Cinda Lee and a companion were leaving a bar in the 2500 block of East Belknap Street at 10 p.m. when they were hit by a car.
Lee, 43, was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.
The man was taken to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital in critical condition. His name was not released.
Police said the driver of the car was not drunk. No charges had been filed.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A Grand Prairie woman was killed and a companion was seriously hurt Thursday after a night out on the town in Fort Worth.
Police said Cinda Lee and a companion were leaving a bar in the 2500 block of East Belknap Street at 10 p.m. when they were hit by a car.
Lee, 43, was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.
The man was taken to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital in critical condition. His name was not released.
Police said the driver of the car was not drunk. No charges had been filed.
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Couple suspected of dog fighting operation
By REBECCA RODRIGUEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Police said they believe they busted part of an underground dog fighting operation Thursday that runs across North Texas and into neighboring states.
When police went into the home of Erick Wright, 33, and Karina Wright, 30, to remove pit bulls and arrest their owners, they found the animals chained in the backyard in what a neighbor described as "horrible condition."
Allen Smith said he personally got a glimpse off the animals over a fence and said what he saw wasn't pretty.
"...When you see pit bulls - no ears, fresh scars and their ribs showing - common sense tells you that they are dog fighting," Smith said.
The couple have been charged with possession of fighting dogs and cruelty to animals. The underground industry is what one police officer called cruel.
"It is very brutal to see dogs fight," said Jennifer Gabbert, Benbrook Police Department. "It is a brutal sport."
Gabbert said those involved in the dog fighting underground are connected and very serious about their criminal business.
"People who are into it are into it very heavy," she said. "...They have their connections - or known acquaintances in other areas - and they basically stay within the realms of who they know they can trust."
The Wrights are back home after the arrest and declined to speak to News 8. However, their neighbor didn't hesitate to express his feelings on the suspected dog fighting industry next door.
"Oh, I think they should be taken out in the street and beaten personally," Smith said. "Anybody that makes a living off the misery of another animal doesn't deserve to be classified as human."
By REBECCA RODRIGUEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Police said they believe they busted part of an underground dog fighting operation Thursday that runs across North Texas and into neighboring states.
When police went into the home of Erick Wright, 33, and Karina Wright, 30, to remove pit bulls and arrest their owners, they found the animals chained in the backyard in what a neighbor described as "horrible condition."
Allen Smith said he personally got a glimpse off the animals over a fence and said what he saw wasn't pretty.
"...When you see pit bulls - no ears, fresh scars and their ribs showing - common sense tells you that they are dog fighting," Smith said.
The couple have been charged with possession of fighting dogs and cruelty to animals. The underground industry is what one police officer called cruel.
"It is very brutal to see dogs fight," said Jennifer Gabbert, Benbrook Police Department. "It is a brutal sport."
Gabbert said those involved in the dog fighting underground are connected and very serious about their criminal business.
"People who are into it are into it very heavy," she said. "...They have their connections - or known acquaintances in other areas - and they basically stay within the realms of who they know they can trust."
The Wrights are back home after the arrest and declined to speak to News 8. However, their neighbor didn't hesitate to express his feelings on the suspected dog fighting industry next door.
"Oh, I think they should be taken out in the street and beaten personally," Smith said. "Anybody that makes a living off the misery of another animal doesn't deserve to be classified as human."
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Prognosis uncertain for famous Plano snake
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - Katy is by no means an ordinary snake.
The Plano resident is the oldest-living Burmese python on record, and she's a celebrity: nearly every student who has attended the district's schools in the last 30 years knows her well.
"She's solid, she's real," said Jim Dunlap, curator of the Living Materials Center that is part of Plano ISD's Holifield Science Learning Center. "You can look at these screens all day long, and it's totally different when you're sitting here like this and you've got her in your hand."
Katy hasn't eaten in two years. It's common for old snakes stop eating for a long time, but she has now lost 50 pounds and her prognosis is not good. So, on Thursday, Plano veterinarian Ted Staph came to the Outdoor Learning Center to hand-feed her.
"Our goal here is to keep Katy as happy and healthy as we can," Staph said. "Most of her problems are associated with old age."
Ana Gonzales of the Plano Television Network is producing a Katy tribute. She first met the python at Hughston Elementary 25 years ago.
"That's what made the most impression to me, that I could actually see it and feel it and learn from that experience and use all my senses instead of seeing it in a cage with a heat lamp," Gonzales said.
"She has become a treasure," Dunlap said. "She exemplifies natural history teaching in the biggest way."
Dunlap said parting with Katy won't be easy, but she'll leave a long legacy of lessons on science and on life.
"Snakes treat everyone equally," he said.
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - Katy is by no means an ordinary snake.
The Plano resident is the oldest-living Burmese python on record, and she's a celebrity: nearly every student who has attended the district's schools in the last 30 years knows her well.
"She's solid, she's real," said Jim Dunlap, curator of the Living Materials Center that is part of Plano ISD's Holifield Science Learning Center. "You can look at these screens all day long, and it's totally different when you're sitting here like this and you've got her in your hand."
Katy hasn't eaten in two years. It's common for old snakes stop eating for a long time, but she has now lost 50 pounds and her prognosis is not good. So, on Thursday, Plano veterinarian Ted Staph came to the Outdoor Learning Center to hand-feed her.
"Our goal here is to keep Katy as happy and healthy as we can," Staph said. "Most of her problems are associated with old age."
Ana Gonzales of the Plano Television Network is producing a Katy tribute. She first met the python at Hughston Elementary 25 years ago.
"That's what made the most impression to me, that I could actually see it and feel it and learn from that experience and use all my senses instead of seeing it in a cage with a heat lamp," Gonzales said.
"She has become a treasure," Dunlap said. "She exemplifies natural history teaching in the biggest way."
Dunlap said parting with Katy won't be easy, but she'll leave a long legacy of lessons on science and on life.
"Snakes treat everyone equally," he said.
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Miller speech tackles FBI probe, Wright
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas Mayor Laura Miller addressed several controversial issues during an unofficial "State of the City" address Friday morning, including the accusations swirling around the FBI probe of Dallas City Hall figures and the potential repeal of the Wright Amendment.
Miller gave the speech to the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, a group representing friendly territory for the mayor. Many North Dallas residents have long supported Miller, and see eye-to-eye with her on a variety of issues.
In her remarks, the mayor's unhappiness over the failure of her effort to remove Plan Commissioner D'Angelo Lee from his post was evident, but she reassured the audience she is determined to restore public trust in City Hall. Miller said she plans a series of reforms aimed at dramatically changing the way the City Council and the Plan Commission conduct business.
"I want you to know that before anything gets resolved with the FBI, your City Council will take very, very clear steps towards restoring public trust and preventing the kinds of things that are currently alleged in the newspaper," Miller said. "I think that's going to be very good work, and very good for our city."
Miller also discussed the Wright Amendment, and her concern over the impact its potential repeal will have on Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and the airlines based in North Texas. However, she admitted that it's a free market, and with Southwest and American being savvy companies she believes they'll both figure out how to live with the outcome.
Watch News 8 Midday at noon for more on this story.
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas Mayor Laura Miller addressed several controversial issues during an unofficial "State of the City" address Friday morning, including the accusations swirling around the FBI probe of Dallas City Hall figures and the potential repeal of the Wright Amendment.
Miller gave the speech to the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, a group representing friendly territory for the mayor. Many North Dallas residents have long supported Miller, and see eye-to-eye with her on a variety of issues.
In her remarks, the mayor's unhappiness over the failure of her effort to remove Plan Commissioner D'Angelo Lee from his post was evident, but she reassured the audience she is determined to restore public trust in City Hall. Miller said she plans a series of reforms aimed at dramatically changing the way the City Council and the Plan Commission conduct business.
"I want you to know that before anything gets resolved with the FBI, your City Council will take very, very clear steps towards restoring public trust and preventing the kinds of things that are currently alleged in the newspaper," Miller said. "I think that's going to be very good work, and very good for our city."
Miller also discussed the Wright Amendment, and her concern over the impact its potential repeal will have on Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and the airlines based in North Texas. However, she admitted that it's a free market, and with Southwest and American being savvy companies she believes they'll both figure out how to live with the outcome.
Watch News 8 Midday at noon for more on this story.
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Dallas police shoot assault suspect
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - Dallas police were involved in a shooting Friday morning while attempting to serve a warrant in north Duncanville.
Around 11 a.m., undercover officers were pursuing an aggravated sexual assault suspect near the intersection of Wheatland and Cedar Ridge roads. The suspect, who police said was armed with a pistol, bolted from officers and ran into nearby Lakeside Park.
While officers searched the rugged terrain, Duncanville police assisted by locking down Hastings Elementary School on the south side of the park as a precaution.
Officers located and confronted the suspect. The suspect was hit when shots were fired.
The suspect was taken by CareFlite to a local hospital in unknown condition.
Watch WFAA.com and News 8 at Five for more on this story.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - Dallas police were involved in a shooting Friday morning while attempting to serve a warrant in north Duncanville.
Around 11 a.m., undercover officers were pursuing an aggravated sexual assault suspect near the intersection of Wheatland and Cedar Ridge roads. The suspect, who police said was armed with a pistol, bolted from officers and ran into nearby Lakeside Park.
While officers searched the rugged terrain, Duncanville police assisted by locking down Hastings Elementary School on the south side of the park as a precaution.
Officers located and confronted the suspect. The suspect was hit when shots were fired.
The suspect was taken by CareFlite to a local hospital in unknown condition.
Watch WFAA.com and News 8 at Five for more on this story.
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Pioneering fetal surgery in Houston
HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - As tiny Garrett Jorgensen turns 3-weeks-old Friday only a few bandages will give away his rough entry into the world -- an entry that almost didn't happen.
Just three weeks shy of his due date, a tumor had overtaken two-thirds of Garrett's small chest cavity, shoving his heart to the opposite side of his chest, cramping his lungs to the point where neither would have been able to expand after birth and causing his belly to fill with fluid as his heart began to fail.
Garrett was dying inside his mother's womb and if he didn't perish before birth, he would have moments after, Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye said late Thursday.
Emergency surgery was performed July 29 on the 7-pound fetus while still in his mother's womb. He was born during the surgery.
Olutoye, a pediatric surgeon known affectionately as "Dr. O" at the Texas Center for Fetal Surgery, said it is the first time fetal surgery has been performed to remove that type of tumor.
Garrett's mother, Ellen Jorgensen, was sedated and an incision made into her swollen belly. One team of doctors concentrated on her while another on her unborn son.
Doctors partially delivered Garrett's head and right arm so they could get access to his chest cavity.
"While still attached to the mom, still getting oxygen through the placenta, we were then able to operate on this mass," Olutoye said. Doctors pulled the mass outside Garrett's chest so his lungs would have room to expand. He was then separated from his mother and taken into another room, where the tumor was completely removed and the surgery completed.
"It was a pretty substantial endeavor," Olutoye said Thursday night at Texas Children's Hospital, where he visited Garrett. The infant slept peacefully in his mother's arm and didn't even wake when Olutoye took his turn holding the newborn.
"This is a very new tumor that we do not understand the biology, so we are going to be following Garrett for a very, very long time to see how that plays out," the surgeon said. "The intriguing thing about it is, it is a tumor that is still getting a lot of people stumped in terms of what exactly it is."
Olutoye, however, said Garrett had improved enough to go home with his mom to Round Rock on Friday.
The large mass was discovered in July and Jorgensen's doctor in Austin referred her to the Houston fetal surgery center, which opened last year. It is similar to others established in San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia.
The Houston center is a collaborative effort by Texas Children's Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine -- all located within the Texas Medical Center.
"It is just incredible to think doctors can do that," Ellen Jorgensen said of the surgery which saved her son's life. "We didn't do it the easy way the first time, definitely not. But once you have been pregnant all this time -- you have done everything that you are supposed to and find out, 'Oh, well he might not make it,' -- you have got to do what you can."
The 37-year-old first-time mom is pleased with the outcome and doesn't like to think about what could have happened.
"It was very emotional, but a true blessing," she said. "And now he has got all of his tubes out and we get to hold him every day and spoil him rotten and cuddle with him -- the whole deal."
It's been a gratifying experience for Olutoye as well.
"Garrett is a child that may not have made it to term had we not intervened, and may not have survived without the intervention we did," the surgeon said. "It is really exciting to see him doing so well."
AP
Pediatric surgeon says this is the first time fetal surgery has been performed to remove that type of tumor.
HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - As tiny Garrett Jorgensen turns 3-weeks-old Friday only a few bandages will give away his rough entry into the world -- an entry that almost didn't happen.
Just three weeks shy of his due date, a tumor had overtaken two-thirds of Garrett's small chest cavity, shoving his heart to the opposite side of his chest, cramping his lungs to the point where neither would have been able to expand after birth and causing his belly to fill with fluid as his heart began to fail.
Garrett was dying inside his mother's womb and if he didn't perish before birth, he would have moments after, Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye said late Thursday.
Emergency surgery was performed July 29 on the 7-pound fetus while still in his mother's womb. He was born during the surgery.
Olutoye, a pediatric surgeon known affectionately as "Dr. O" at the Texas Center for Fetal Surgery, said it is the first time fetal surgery has been performed to remove that type of tumor.
Garrett's mother, Ellen Jorgensen, was sedated and an incision made into her swollen belly. One team of doctors concentrated on her while another on her unborn son.
Doctors partially delivered Garrett's head and right arm so they could get access to his chest cavity.
"While still attached to the mom, still getting oxygen through the placenta, we were then able to operate on this mass," Olutoye said. Doctors pulled the mass outside Garrett's chest so his lungs would have room to expand. He was then separated from his mother and taken into another room, where the tumor was completely removed and the surgery completed.
"It was a pretty substantial endeavor," Olutoye said Thursday night at Texas Children's Hospital, where he visited Garrett. The infant slept peacefully in his mother's arm and didn't even wake when Olutoye took his turn holding the newborn.
"This is a very new tumor that we do not understand the biology, so we are going to be following Garrett for a very, very long time to see how that plays out," the surgeon said. "The intriguing thing about it is, it is a tumor that is still getting a lot of people stumped in terms of what exactly it is."
Olutoye, however, said Garrett had improved enough to go home with his mom to Round Rock on Friday.
The large mass was discovered in July and Jorgensen's doctor in Austin referred her to the Houston fetal surgery center, which opened last year. It is similar to others established in San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia.
The Houston center is a collaborative effort by Texas Children's Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine -- all located within the Texas Medical Center.
"It is just incredible to think doctors can do that," Ellen Jorgensen said of the surgery which saved her son's life. "We didn't do it the easy way the first time, definitely not. But once you have been pregnant all this time -- you have done everything that you are supposed to and find out, 'Oh, well he might not make it,' -- you have got to do what you can."
The 37-year-old first-time mom is pleased with the outcome and doesn't like to think about what could have happened.
"It was very emotional, but a true blessing," she said. "And now he has got all of his tubes out and we get to hold him every day and spoil him rotten and cuddle with him -- the whole deal."
It's been a gratifying experience for Olutoye as well.
"Garrett is a child that may not have made it to term had we not intervened, and may not have survived without the intervention we did," the surgeon said. "It is really exciting to see him doing so well."
AP
Pediatric surgeon says this is the first time fetal surgery has been performed to remove that type of tumor.
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Legislature adjourns special session
AUSTIN, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - The Texas Legislature ended its special session Friday, signaling the close of a fifth failed attempt to restructure the way Texas pays for public education.
The 30-day special session --the third one Gov. Rick Perry has called on the issue -- was required by law to end Friday. Both chambers adjourned before noon.
"The Legislature tried. They worked hard on trying to solve the problems. They just couldn't get there," said Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick.
While many lawmakers have called the school funding issue the most important of their careers, finding an agreeable solution for how to restructure the complex system hasn't been easy. The $33 billion system educates 4.3 million children and every Texas homeowner helps foot the bill by paying school property taxes.
The Legislature also failed in its regular sessions, in 2003 and 2005.
The session fizzled when Craddick earlier this month said the special session had become a waste of time and money and that it didn't appear the Legislature would pass a complete school finance plan.
But Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, fellow Republicans, said they wanted to keep working.
So, the Texas Senate approved a $2.8 billion education spending plan last week that would have given teachers a pay raise, but it was dependent on a separate tax-swap bill that never materialized in the House.
Perry convened the current special session July 21, the day after the previous 30-day session failed without a school funding plan.
The governor may call as many special sessions as he wants. Each can last up to 30 days. Perry has called six special sessions since becoming governor -- three on redistricting and three on education funding.
Texas is under court pressure to change its education finance system, which is largely reliant on local property taxes. Republican leaders also have said they want to replace the existing property-tax dependent system to provide property tax relief.
State District Judge John Dietz last year ruled Texas' school funding method unconstitutional and ordered it changed by October of this year. Lawyers for the state appealed that decision to the Texas Supreme Court.
The high court is expected to rule in the coming weeks or months.
Craddick said the Legislature should wait to review the court's ruling before meeting again. Several senators and Dewhurst said they expect Perry to call them back into session after the court rules.
"Public education is not a compromise issue. The future of our state is our children," said Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville. "I hope that when we return, we'll have thought about what we need to do."
The House's rejection of an education spending bill and tax bill July 26 dimmed the prospects for passage of a school funding plan this session.
Any tax bill must originate in the House, and Craddick repeatedly said there was not support in the GOP-controlled House for a tax bill.
AUSTIN, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - The Texas Legislature ended its special session Friday, signaling the close of a fifth failed attempt to restructure the way Texas pays for public education.
The 30-day special session --the third one Gov. Rick Perry has called on the issue -- was required by law to end Friday. Both chambers adjourned before noon.
"The Legislature tried. They worked hard on trying to solve the problems. They just couldn't get there," said Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick.
While many lawmakers have called the school funding issue the most important of their careers, finding an agreeable solution for how to restructure the complex system hasn't been easy. The $33 billion system educates 4.3 million children and every Texas homeowner helps foot the bill by paying school property taxes.
The Legislature also failed in its regular sessions, in 2003 and 2005.
The session fizzled when Craddick earlier this month said the special session had become a waste of time and money and that it didn't appear the Legislature would pass a complete school finance plan.
But Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, fellow Republicans, said they wanted to keep working.
So, the Texas Senate approved a $2.8 billion education spending plan last week that would have given teachers a pay raise, but it was dependent on a separate tax-swap bill that never materialized in the House.
Perry convened the current special session July 21, the day after the previous 30-day session failed without a school funding plan.
The governor may call as many special sessions as he wants. Each can last up to 30 days. Perry has called six special sessions since becoming governor -- three on redistricting and three on education funding.
Texas is under court pressure to change its education finance system, which is largely reliant on local property taxes. Republican leaders also have said they want to replace the existing property-tax dependent system to provide property tax relief.
State District Judge John Dietz last year ruled Texas' school funding method unconstitutional and ordered it changed by October of this year. Lawyers for the state appealed that decision to the Texas Supreme Court.
The high court is expected to rule in the coming weeks or months.
Craddick said the Legislature should wait to review the court's ruling before meeting again. Several senators and Dewhurst said they expect Perry to call them back into session after the court rules.
"Public education is not a compromise issue. The future of our state is our children," said Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville. "I hope that when we return, we'll have thought about what we need to do."
The House's rejection of an education spending bill and tax bill July 26 dimmed the prospects for passage of a school funding plan this session.
Any tax bill must originate in the House, and Craddick repeatedly said there was not support in the GOP-controlled House for a tax bill.
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TexasStooge
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Man hospitalized after spraying dies
By ANABEL MARQUEZ / Al Dia
ALLEN, Texas - Edgar Vera, the Peruvian immigrant who ended up in the hospital after an arrest by Allen police, died Friday morning, hospital officials confirmed. He was 45.
The family's attorney, Steve Salazar said Mr. Vera went into a seizure at 1:10 a.m. and his body stopped functioning.
Mr. Vera had been in the Intensive Care Unit at the Medical Center of McKinney since Aug. 4.
On that night, he was parked waiting in front of a relative's house on the 15000 block of Mahogany Dr. when the police arrived after a neighbor called to complain about a suspicious person in the neighborhood.
"As officers attempted to arrest the suspect, he resisted and a struggle ensued," a press release on the the Allen Police Department Web site explains. According to the press release, pepper spray was deployed and at one point Mr. Vera stopped breathing.
Relatives are currently making funeral arrangements and the Peruvian consul in Houston, Eduardo Rivoldi, plans to travel to Arlington and spend time with the family.
By ANABEL MARQUEZ / Al Dia
ALLEN, Texas - Edgar Vera, the Peruvian immigrant who ended up in the hospital after an arrest by Allen police, died Friday morning, hospital officials confirmed. He was 45.
The family's attorney, Steve Salazar said Mr. Vera went into a seizure at 1:10 a.m. and his body stopped functioning.
Mr. Vera had been in the Intensive Care Unit at the Medical Center of McKinney since Aug. 4.
On that night, he was parked waiting in front of a relative's house on the 15000 block of Mahogany Dr. when the police arrived after a neighbor called to complain about a suspicious person in the neighborhood.
"As officers attempted to arrest the suspect, he resisted and a struggle ensued," a press release on the the Allen Police Department Web site explains. According to the press release, pepper spray was deployed and at one point Mr. Vera stopped breathing.
Relatives are currently making funeral arrangements and the Peruvian consul in Houston, Eduardo Rivoldi, plans to travel to Arlington and spend time with the family.
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TexasStooge
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Irving teacher passes on the passion
Instructor begins her 30th year of inspiring students
By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Helen Bradley always knew she wanted to be a teacher.
"My mom said I used to line up my dolls and teach them," Ms. Bradley said.
This school year, she celebrates 30 years of inspiring students. Since September 1976, she has worked her magic in the same small classroom at Nimitz High School in Irving.
"No one else wanted this room," she said about Room 108. "It's near the lunchroom and used to be so noisy."
The noise has abated because students cannot mill about in the halls as much and because the vents were removed from the doors. But that's only the beginning of the changes since the University of Dallas graduate instructed her first class.
Nimitz High School, on the city's southern limits, used to draw its students from country living.
"Rodeo was big back them, and lots of students would do reports that involved horses," Ms. Bradley said.
Now students come from suburban living and focus more on the current events they study in class.
Ms. Bradley also marvels at today's technology, which not only permeates students' class projects but also makes her job much easier.
"Taking attendance and logging grades used to be time-consuming, but not anymore," she said.
The biggest change over the years has been in the school's ethnic diversity, she said. "It is wonderful to see how the students bring so much to the school," she said about the rich mixture of students.
She is proud of what Nimitz has accomplished through the years. And much of it is because of her devotion and expertise.
This year, three of her Advanced Placement government students swept first, second and third place in KERA's Student Voices program. First-place winner and 2005 Nimitz salutatorian Paige Campbell credits Ms. Bradley for the results.
"She is so wonderful, and she transfers the passion for what she does to us," Paige said.
Paige said some students would complain about all the reading and note-taking, "but when they saw what we learned in her class on our AP exam, they would say, 'Thank you, Ms. Bradley.' "
Senior Patrick Mallon worked with Ms. Bradley on the Citizen Bee program, where he took second in the regional meet and advanced to state.
"She was an awesome coach and spent so much time with us," he said.
He hopes to attend the University of North Texas next year and major in history so he can become a history teacher. "She convinced me history is what I want to study and teach," he said.
Like Patrick, Ms. Bradley was inspired by a teacher – her history professor at the University of Dallas, Dr. June Welch, who died in 1998.
"I loved his approach to teaching," she said. "He captured our interest and never let go."
Senior Kyle Robertson feels the same way about Ms. Bradley.
"She is an amazing teacher, so hands-on, and she made it fun to learn history," he said. "She knew I hated history, but I learned so much from the way she taught."
Patrick agreed that her lecture style was special. "She talked about people and made history almost like a soap opera," he said.
The door to Ms. Bradley's classroom is a testament to her love of her students. Photos of them are plastered on the front and back.
Everyone at Nimitz knows where Ms. Bradley's room is.
Instructor begins her 30th year of inspiring students
By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News
IRVING, Texas - Helen Bradley always knew she wanted to be a teacher.
"My mom said I used to line up my dolls and teach them," Ms. Bradley said.
This school year, she celebrates 30 years of inspiring students. Since September 1976, she has worked her magic in the same small classroom at Nimitz High School in Irving.
"No one else wanted this room," she said about Room 108. "It's near the lunchroom and used to be so noisy."
The noise has abated because students cannot mill about in the halls as much and because the vents were removed from the doors. But that's only the beginning of the changes since the University of Dallas graduate instructed her first class.
Nimitz High School, on the city's southern limits, used to draw its students from country living.
"Rodeo was big back them, and lots of students would do reports that involved horses," Ms. Bradley said.
Now students come from suburban living and focus more on the current events they study in class.
Ms. Bradley also marvels at today's technology, which not only permeates students' class projects but also makes her job much easier.
"Taking attendance and logging grades used to be time-consuming, but not anymore," she said.
The biggest change over the years has been in the school's ethnic diversity, she said. "It is wonderful to see how the students bring so much to the school," she said about the rich mixture of students.
She is proud of what Nimitz has accomplished through the years. And much of it is because of her devotion and expertise.
This year, three of her Advanced Placement government students swept first, second and third place in KERA's Student Voices program. First-place winner and 2005 Nimitz salutatorian Paige Campbell credits Ms. Bradley for the results.
"She is so wonderful, and she transfers the passion for what she does to us," Paige said.
Paige said some students would complain about all the reading and note-taking, "but when they saw what we learned in her class on our AP exam, they would say, 'Thank you, Ms. Bradley.' "
Senior Patrick Mallon worked with Ms. Bradley on the Citizen Bee program, where he took second in the regional meet and advanced to state.
"She was an awesome coach and spent so much time with us," he said.
He hopes to attend the University of North Texas next year and major in history so he can become a history teacher. "She convinced me history is what I want to study and teach," he said.
Like Patrick, Ms. Bradley was inspired by a teacher – her history professor at the University of Dallas, Dr. June Welch, who died in 1998.
"I loved his approach to teaching," she said. "He captured our interest and never let go."
Senior Kyle Robertson feels the same way about Ms. Bradley.
"She is an amazing teacher, so hands-on, and she made it fun to learn history," he said. "She knew I hated history, but I learned so much from the way she taught."
Patrick agreed that her lecture style was special. "She talked about people and made history almost like a soap opera," he said.
The door to Ms. Bradley's classroom is a testament to her love of her students. Photos of them are plastered on the front and back.
Everyone at Nimitz knows where Ms. Bradley's room is.
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TexasStooge
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Car runs into Plano bank
PLANO, Texas (WFA ABC 8) - A car crashed into a Plano bank Friday afternoon, injuring three people.
The accident happened around 4 p.m. at a Wachovia Bank branch at the intersection of the George Bush Turnpike at Coit Road.
Police said the driver apparently fell asleep at the wheel. A passenger tried to take control, but was unable to stop the vehicle before it ran into the bank.
The car's three occupants were taken to a local hospital, though officials said their injuries were not life-threatening.
The vehicle ran partially into the building and caused damage to the exterior, but no one in the bank was injured.
PLANO, Texas (WFA ABC 8) - A car crashed into a Plano bank Friday afternoon, injuring three people.
The accident happened around 4 p.m. at a Wachovia Bank branch at the intersection of the George Bush Turnpike at Coit Road.
Police said the driver apparently fell asleep at the wheel. A passenger tried to take control, but was unable to stop the vehicle before it ran into the bank.
The car's three occupants were taken to a local hospital, though officials said their injuries were not life-threatening.
The vehicle ran partially into the building and caused damage to the exterior, but no one in the bank was injured.
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TexasStooge
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Assault suspect fatally shot by police
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - Dallas police were involved in a fatal shooting Friday morning while attempting to serve a warrant in north Duncanville.
Around 11 a.m., undercover officers were pursuing aggravated sexual assault suspect Douglas Blackstone, 24, near the intersection of Wheatland and Cedar Ridge roads. The suspect, who police said was armed with a pistol, bolted from officers and ran into nearby Lakeside Park.
While officers searched the rugged terrain, Duncanville police assisted by locking down Hastings Elementary School on the south side of the park as a precaution.
Officers located and confronted Blackstone, who was hit when shots were fired.
The suspect was taken by CareFlite to Methodist Medical Center, where he was declared dead.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - Dallas police were involved in a fatal shooting Friday morning while attempting to serve a warrant in north Duncanville.
Around 11 a.m., undercover officers were pursuing aggravated sexual assault suspect Douglas Blackstone, 24, near the intersection of Wheatland and Cedar Ridge roads. The suspect, who police said was armed with a pistol, bolted from officers and ran into nearby Lakeside Park.
While officers searched the rugged terrain, Duncanville police assisted by locking down Hastings Elementary School on the south side of the park as a precaution.
Officers located and confronted Blackstone, who was hit when shots were fired.
The suspect was taken by CareFlite to Methodist Medical Center, where he was declared dead.
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TexasStooge
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Texan seeks change for his native Haiti
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The streets are jammed with far more people than cars.
7,000 United Nations peacekeepers now circulate through the capital of this Caribbean nation, where just two months ago kidnappings and murders went hardly noticed.
Four hours northwest of Port-au-Prince, 65-year-old Texan Dumas Siméus has come home to the village of Pont Sonde. He came to tell them that he, a father of three, wants to be their next president - and transform his native land.
Siméus, who founded a multi-million-dollar food industry giant in North Texas, said the hunger for responsible leadership in Haiti called him from his mansion outside Mansfield back to the village where he began an inspirational life.
"My dream is create a Haiti where our brothers and sisters are proud to say they are Haitians," said Siméus. "(A place) where they can work, where they can feel they are part of society."
Haitians are indeed gearing up for a new government. It's been 18 months since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide left the country in a violent coup - and the gang violence, kidnappings and crime haven't stopped since.
The unrest is threatening a planned Presidential election in early November. And you don't have to speak Creole to hear Siméus' hope - or know the citizens' desperation.
Most Caribbean countries make the news during hurricanes, but in Haiti the most destructive storms have been manmade - a turbulent two centuries with winds fueled by unbelievable hunger. The lack of food is only worse in Somalia and Afghanistan, other countries where the governments have vanished into lawlessness.
So how does one go about fixing such a situation?
"It's very, very difficult ... it's broken, Siméus said. "We have to start somewhere."
Siméus started a life of great success in a concrete closet of a house.
"This is my home," he said, looking around the tiny abode with history in his eyes. "This is where my mom was in labor, and that's where I was born; they cut my umbilical cord, dug a hole and put it right there."
His drive took him to the United States, to Howard University and then the University of Chicago. He quickly developed a global resume, leading companies across the continents before starting his own.
Siméus Foods International in Mansfield is the largest black-owned food processing business in the U.S. The multi-million-dollar company produces everything from the breakfast sausage served at Denny's to the suppertime soups of Quizno's Subs.
The Siméus Foundation has pumped millions back to Haiti for medical care and water treatment. They know and love him in his homeland, and he said he has no worries when stuck in one of the massive crowds that often crowd streets in Haiti's capital.
"I feel that the people really love someone who they believe loves them," Simeus said. "We really have a peaceful Haiti; Haiti is a very peaceful country. Unfortunately, we have a few gangs."
He faces great obstacles in his quest. This friend to Washington has been a U.S. citizen for 45 years, has no party and faces a constitutional ban on non-Haitians running for president.
Still, he perseveres.
"No one could kill that dream, my friend, because it had roots right here in Pont Sonde," he said. "My parents kept watering (those roots) so that the tree of the dream could bloom in the United States, could come back and help enrich other lives here in Haiti."
For Dumas Siméus, hope hangs on the next wave of change.
Alan McKenzie / WFAA ABC 8
Dumas Siméus speaks to an enthusiastic crowd in Haiti during his quest to become president of his native land.
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The streets are jammed with far more people than cars.
7,000 United Nations peacekeepers now circulate through the capital of this Caribbean nation, where just two months ago kidnappings and murders went hardly noticed.
Four hours northwest of Port-au-Prince, 65-year-old Texan Dumas Siméus has come home to the village of Pont Sonde. He came to tell them that he, a father of three, wants to be their next president - and transform his native land.
Siméus, who founded a multi-million-dollar food industry giant in North Texas, said the hunger for responsible leadership in Haiti called him from his mansion outside Mansfield back to the village where he began an inspirational life.
"My dream is create a Haiti where our brothers and sisters are proud to say they are Haitians," said Siméus. "(A place) where they can work, where they can feel they are part of society."
Haitians are indeed gearing up for a new government. It's been 18 months since President Jean-Bertrand Aristide left the country in a violent coup - and the gang violence, kidnappings and crime haven't stopped since.
The unrest is threatening a planned Presidential election in early November. And you don't have to speak Creole to hear Siméus' hope - or know the citizens' desperation.
Most Caribbean countries make the news during hurricanes, but in Haiti the most destructive storms have been manmade - a turbulent two centuries with winds fueled by unbelievable hunger. The lack of food is only worse in Somalia and Afghanistan, other countries where the governments have vanished into lawlessness.
So how does one go about fixing such a situation?
"It's very, very difficult ... it's broken, Siméus said. "We have to start somewhere."
Siméus started a life of great success in a concrete closet of a house.
"This is my home," he said, looking around the tiny abode with history in his eyes. "This is where my mom was in labor, and that's where I was born; they cut my umbilical cord, dug a hole and put it right there."
His drive took him to the United States, to Howard University and then the University of Chicago. He quickly developed a global resume, leading companies across the continents before starting his own.
Siméus Foods International in Mansfield is the largest black-owned food processing business in the U.S. The multi-million-dollar company produces everything from the breakfast sausage served at Denny's to the suppertime soups of Quizno's Subs.
The Siméus Foundation has pumped millions back to Haiti for medical care and water treatment. They know and love him in his homeland, and he said he has no worries when stuck in one of the massive crowds that often crowd streets in Haiti's capital.
"I feel that the people really love someone who they believe loves them," Simeus said. "We really have a peaceful Haiti; Haiti is a very peaceful country. Unfortunately, we have a few gangs."
He faces great obstacles in his quest. This friend to Washington has been a U.S. citizen for 45 years, has no party and faces a constitutional ban on non-Haitians running for president.
Still, he perseveres.
"No one could kill that dream, my friend, because it had roots right here in Pont Sonde," he said. "My parents kept watering (those roots) so that the tree of the dream could bloom in the United States, could come back and help enrich other lives here in Haiti."
For Dumas Siméus, hope hangs on the next wave of change.
Alan McKenzie / WFAA ABC 8
Dumas Siméus speaks to an enthusiastic crowd in Haiti during his quest to become president of his native land.
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TexasStooge
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Dallas officer kills child molester with gun (Updated)
Man was sought on new charge, offender registry violation
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
DUNCANVILLE, Texas - A convicted child molester who was wanted on a new charge was fatally shot Friday after fleeing from police into a Duncanville park and pointing a gun at a Dallas detective, authorities said.
Douglas H. Blackstone, 24, died about noon Friday at a Dallas hospital from gunshot wounds. He was convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in 2004 and ordered to serve 10 years' probation.
Friday morning, two detectives from the sex offender apprehension unit were trying to arrest Mr. Blackstone on a warrant alleging aggravated sexual assault of a child. They were also seeking him because he had moved without registering his whereabouts as required by state law.
Detectives looked for Mr. Blackstone at an apartment on Wheatland Road and at a relative's house in Duncanville, police said. Mr. Blackstone was at neither, police said.
About 11 a.m. Friday, police returned to the Duncanville address and a relative told them that Mr. Blackstone was armed and had fled. Other witnesses told police that an armed man had gone into Lakeside Park near Center Street and Tanglewood Drive.
Detectives called for backup and began a search of the park. School officials locked down nearby Hastings Elementary as a precaution.
About 11:20 a.m., a detective spotted Mr. Blackstone through a clearing in the park, police said. The officer briefly lost sight of him when he stepped off the trail.
"When he reappeared, the officer confronted him and identified himself as a police officer," said Sgt. Ross Salverino, a Dallas homicide investigator. "The suspect raised his weapon and attempted to fire. Our officer fired multiple times."
Police said the officer was wearing a jacket that clearly identified him as an officer. Authorities have recovered Mr. Blackstone's .45-caliber handgun from the scene.
Police say they believe this is the first time that the four-officer sex offender apprehension unit has been involved in a shooting.
An investigation into the incident is under way. The officer involved in the shooting, Senior Cpl. Samuel Griffin, was placed on one day's routine administrative leave.
"He's a 29-year veteran, and he's pretty well torn up about it," said Lt. Mike Scoggins, commander of the homicide unit.
Mr. Blackstone had a criminal history in Gregg County.
He was accused of theft by check, made restitution and pleaded guilty to a Class C misdemeanor in the 2000 case. He also completed a pretrial diversion program on a 2000 family violence assault charge, which resulted in the case being dismissed.
Man was sought on new charge, offender registry violation
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
DUNCANVILLE, Texas - A convicted child molester who was wanted on a new charge was fatally shot Friday after fleeing from police into a Duncanville park and pointing a gun at a Dallas detective, authorities said.
Douglas H. Blackstone, 24, died about noon Friday at a Dallas hospital from gunshot wounds. He was convicted of the aggravated sexual assault of a 12-year-old girl in 2004 and ordered to serve 10 years' probation.
Friday morning, two detectives from the sex offender apprehension unit were trying to arrest Mr. Blackstone on a warrant alleging aggravated sexual assault of a child. They were also seeking him because he had moved without registering his whereabouts as required by state law.
Detectives looked for Mr. Blackstone at an apartment on Wheatland Road and at a relative's house in Duncanville, police said. Mr. Blackstone was at neither, police said.
About 11 a.m. Friday, police returned to the Duncanville address and a relative told them that Mr. Blackstone was armed and had fled. Other witnesses told police that an armed man had gone into Lakeside Park near Center Street and Tanglewood Drive.
Detectives called for backup and began a search of the park. School officials locked down nearby Hastings Elementary as a precaution.
About 11:20 a.m., a detective spotted Mr. Blackstone through a clearing in the park, police said. The officer briefly lost sight of him when he stepped off the trail.
"When he reappeared, the officer confronted him and identified himself as a police officer," said Sgt. Ross Salverino, a Dallas homicide investigator. "The suspect raised his weapon and attempted to fire. Our officer fired multiple times."
Police said the officer was wearing a jacket that clearly identified him as an officer. Authorities have recovered Mr. Blackstone's .45-caliber handgun from the scene.
Police say they believe this is the first time that the four-officer sex offender apprehension unit has been involved in a shooting.
An investigation into the incident is under way. The officer involved in the shooting, Senior Cpl. Samuel Griffin, was placed on one day's routine administrative leave.
"He's a 29-year veteran, and he's pretty well torn up about it," said Lt. Mike Scoggins, commander of the homicide unit.
Mr. Blackstone had a criminal history in Gregg County.
He was accused of theft by check, made restitution and pleaded guilty to a Class C misdemeanor in the 2000 case. He also completed a pretrial diversion program on a 2000 family violence assault charge, which resulted in the case being dismissed.
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More restaurants staying up late
By KAREN ROBINSON-JACOBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Waking from a brief nap shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, Ryan Wright was hungry and knew what to do about it.
The fridge in his Plano home was closer, but the late-night drive-through window at a nearby Taco Bueno restaurant was easier.
"I live down the road," said Mr. Wright, 26, still looking a bit groggy. "It's quicker to get up and come here than to make something myself."
When America gets the late-night munchies, growing numbers of fast-food restaurants are staying open later – in some cases 24 hours.
Restaurateurs say they're burning the midnight oil to be more responsive to consumers who are increasingly using restaurants as their personal refrigerators, day and night.
Researchers question whether chains in the $160 billion fast-food industry are expanding consumers' late-night options, or if they're merely stealing customers from convenience stores and traditional all-night diners.
Still, as more chains join the ranks of the sleep-deprived, the holdouts risk looking like they're asleep at the switch.
"We've seen a push coming in the last eight to 12 months," said Tom Miner, a principal with Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based restaurant research firm. "What's driving it? They realize that their competition is making money. It's just the next frontier to make more money."
Late-night takes on varying hues depending on the chain. But in general, it involves offering service – almost always drive-through only – at least until midnight.
The Wendy's chain, owned by Wendy's International Inc. in Dublin, Ohio, is largely credited with piquing interest in after-hours service after it launched extended hours in 2000, backed by a national advertising campaign.
"We were one of the pioneers in this," said Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini. "It has been a growing opportunity for us."
Initially, the movement attracted smaller regional chains and individual franchisees.
But this year, the evolution took a big turn when about half of McDonald's 13,700 U.S. stores began offering some type of extended hours. Many stay open until midnight or later, and about 25 percent of the U.S. outlets – including 108 in Dallas-Fort Worth – are open 24 hours.
"We continue to increase the number of restaurants that are operating on extended hours on a weekly basis," said William Whitman, a spokesman for McDonald's Corp. in Oak Brook, Ill.
In July, Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. opened its first 24-hour location in the area in Arlington – one of fewer than 40 round-the-clock outlets nationwide.
Expanded hours
This year, more franchisees with the Sonic drive-in chain added August to the typical June-July late-night promotional period. Now, enough have later summer hours that Oklahoma City-based franchisor Sonic Industries Inc. can promote it throughout the summer.
"It was very much part of our overall strategy to drive business in the nontraditional day parts," said Eddie Saroch, vice president of field services for Sonic Industries.
Also this year, Carrollton-based Taco Bueno Restaurants Inc. expanded its summer-only late-night program to run year-round, keeping the drive-through at 135 of its 139 stores open until 1 a.m.
"Our guests have been telling us we should stay open late," said Ramon Torres, the company's senior vice president of operations. "A lot of them work on the night shift, and that's their lunch hour."
Ryan Naugle was less than two hours into his 11 p.m.-to-7 a.m. shift as a technician for Nortel Networks Corp. when he craved a burrito combo from Taco Bueno.
"They're trying to accommodate people that work the graveyard shift," said Mr. Naugle, who is on assignment in Plano until November. "Believe it or not, there are a lot of people that work this shift."
Mr. Torres said that since the new year-round schedule allows the chain to more consistently promote the late hours, "we will see that day part grow. That is certainly the objective."
Likewise, Mr. Whitman said McDonald's has been trying to encourage franchisees who haven't thought about late-night to check it out – with the ultimate goal of getting enough of the system on board to justify an ad campaign.
"But we're not there yet," he said.
Most chains would not release numbers on sales in the wee hours, citing competitive reasons.
"It's been a growing and sizable part of our business," said Mr. Bertini, of Wendy's. "We've, in the last five years, really carved out another major day part for us."
At Taco Bueno, late-night sales vary by store but can account for up to 14 percent of sales, Mr. Torres said.
Whether those increased sales indicate an increasing market is still an open question.
"There is this movement to extend hours, but ... I think that is a market share battle for the late-night crowd," said Harry Balzer, vice president of the NPD Group, a consumer research organization in Port Washington, N.Y.
"Consumers have found more options to satisfy that late-night meal, but it's not causing them to eat more."
Flat demand
An NPD survey shows virtually no change over the last three years in the number of consumers who said they ate a meal out between 9 p.m. and midnight, Mr. Balzer said. It was 8 percent for the 12 months ended February of 2003 and has been 7 percent since.
If the fast-food players are taking market share, it would have to come from the traditional late-night hosts – convenience stores and all-night diners such as Denny's and IHOP.
Debbie Atkins, a spokeswoman for Denny's Inc. in Spartanburg, S.C., said her brand's late-night business has "held steady" even as fast-food restaurants have stepped up the competition.
"Fast foods' focus on remaining open later has helped raise the awareness of late-night dining overall," she said. "We have introduced new appetizers – nachos and mini-burgers – that appeal to late-night guests. In addition, we have developed radio advertising with late-night messages."
Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. has increased its focus on fresh food at its convenience stores. But spokesman Kevin Gardner said he could not disclose how those sales are doing in the wee hours.
The restaurant companies wouldn't give a figure for additional costs for late-night staffing, security, utilities, insurance and food prepared but not purchased. But most dismissed the costs as minimal.
The restaurants also declined to disclose what security measures they've taken to adjust for the later hours – other than locking the lobby door at about 10 or 11 p.m.
"I would not say that insurance plays a major role in the decision," said Steve Spalding, president and partner with Dallas-based C.S.I. Insurance, which specializes in the hospitality industry. "There potentially are some additional costs, but compared to the cost of operations, insurance is a small piece."
Incremental costs notwithstanding, the number of brands and franchisees staying up later continues to grow.
Scott McLain, president of Sonic Industries, said the chain's entire system of drive-in restaurants (where not constrained by city ordinances) are open as late as midnight. Up to 80 percent of those units are owned by franchisees.
The company counts Dallas-Fort Worth as its largest market, with nearly 250 outlets.
"Over time, we as a company and collectively as an industry have tried to be more relevant," Mr. McLain said. "An adjunct of that is being more relevant at different times of day."
By KAREN ROBINSON-JACOBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Waking from a brief nap shortly before 1 a.m. Friday, Ryan Wright was hungry and knew what to do about it.
The fridge in his Plano home was closer, but the late-night drive-through window at a nearby Taco Bueno restaurant was easier.
"I live down the road," said Mr. Wright, 26, still looking a bit groggy. "It's quicker to get up and come here than to make something myself."
When America gets the late-night munchies, growing numbers of fast-food restaurants are staying open later – in some cases 24 hours.
Restaurateurs say they're burning the midnight oil to be more responsive to consumers who are increasingly using restaurants as their personal refrigerators, day and night.
Researchers question whether chains in the $160 billion fast-food industry are expanding consumers' late-night options, or if they're merely stealing customers from convenience stores and traditional all-night diners.
Still, as more chains join the ranks of the sleep-deprived, the holdouts risk looking like they're asleep at the switch.
"We've seen a push coming in the last eight to 12 months," said Tom Miner, a principal with Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based restaurant research firm. "What's driving it? They realize that their competition is making money. It's just the next frontier to make more money."
Late-night takes on varying hues depending on the chain. But in general, it involves offering service – almost always drive-through only – at least until midnight.
The Wendy's chain, owned by Wendy's International Inc. in Dublin, Ohio, is largely credited with piquing interest in after-hours service after it launched extended hours in 2000, backed by a national advertising campaign.
"We were one of the pioneers in this," said Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini. "It has been a growing opportunity for us."
Initially, the movement attracted smaller regional chains and individual franchisees.
But this year, the evolution took a big turn when about half of McDonald's 13,700 U.S. stores began offering some type of extended hours. Many stay open until midnight or later, and about 25 percent of the U.S. outlets – including 108 in Dallas-Fort Worth – are open 24 hours.
"We continue to increase the number of restaurants that are operating on extended hours on a weekly basis," said William Whitman, a spokesman for McDonald's Corp. in Oak Brook, Ill.
In July, Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. opened its first 24-hour location in the area in Arlington – one of fewer than 40 round-the-clock outlets nationwide.
Expanded hours
This year, more franchisees with the Sonic drive-in chain added August to the typical June-July late-night promotional period. Now, enough have later summer hours that Oklahoma City-based franchisor Sonic Industries Inc. can promote it throughout the summer.
"It was very much part of our overall strategy to drive business in the nontraditional day parts," said Eddie Saroch, vice president of field services for Sonic Industries.
Also this year, Carrollton-based Taco Bueno Restaurants Inc. expanded its summer-only late-night program to run year-round, keeping the drive-through at 135 of its 139 stores open until 1 a.m.
"Our guests have been telling us we should stay open late," said Ramon Torres, the company's senior vice president of operations. "A lot of them work on the night shift, and that's their lunch hour."
Ryan Naugle was less than two hours into his 11 p.m.-to-7 a.m. shift as a technician for Nortel Networks Corp. when he craved a burrito combo from Taco Bueno.
"They're trying to accommodate people that work the graveyard shift," said Mr. Naugle, who is on assignment in Plano until November. "Believe it or not, there are a lot of people that work this shift."
Mr. Torres said that since the new year-round schedule allows the chain to more consistently promote the late hours, "we will see that day part grow. That is certainly the objective."
Likewise, Mr. Whitman said McDonald's has been trying to encourage franchisees who haven't thought about late-night to check it out – with the ultimate goal of getting enough of the system on board to justify an ad campaign.
"But we're not there yet," he said.
Most chains would not release numbers on sales in the wee hours, citing competitive reasons.
"It's been a growing and sizable part of our business," said Mr. Bertini, of Wendy's. "We've, in the last five years, really carved out another major day part for us."
At Taco Bueno, late-night sales vary by store but can account for up to 14 percent of sales, Mr. Torres said.
Whether those increased sales indicate an increasing market is still an open question.
"There is this movement to extend hours, but ... I think that is a market share battle for the late-night crowd," said Harry Balzer, vice president of the NPD Group, a consumer research organization in Port Washington, N.Y.
"Consumers have found more options to satisfy that late-night meal, but it's not causing them to eat more."
Flat demand
An NPD survey shows virtually no change over the last three years in the number of consumers who said they ate a meal out between 9 p.m. and midnight, Mr. Balzer said. It was 8 percent for the 12 months ended February of 2003 and has been 7 percent since.
If the fast-food players are taking market share, it would have to come from the traditional late-night hosts – convenience stores and all-night diners such as Denny's and IHOP.
Debbie Atkins, a spokeswoman for Denny's Inc. in Spartanburg, S.C., said her brand's late-night business has "held steady" even as fast-food restaurants have stepped up the competition.
"Fast foods' focus on remaining open later has helped raise the awareness of late-night dining overall," she said. "We have introduced new appetizers – nachos and mini-burgers – that appeal to late-night guests. In addition, we have developed radio advertising with late-night messages."
Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc. has increased its focus on fresh food at its convenience stores. But spokesman Kevin Gardner said he could not disclose how those sales are doing in the wee hours.
The restaurant companies wouldn't give a figure for additional costs for late-night staffing, security, utilities, insurance and food prepared but not purchased. But most dismissed the costs as minimal.
The restaurants also declined to disclose what security measures they've taken to adjust for the later hours – other than locking the lobby door at about 10 or 11 p.m.
"I would not say that insurance plays a major role in the decision," said Steve Spalding, president and partner with Dallas-based C.S.I. Insurance, which specializes in the hospitality industry. "There potentially are some additional costs, but compared to the cost of operations, insurance is a small piece."
Incremental costs notwithstanding, the number of brands and franchisees staying up later continues to grow.
Scott McLain, president of Sonic Industries, said the chain's entire system of drive-in restaurants (where not constrained by city ordinances) are open as late as midnight. Up to 80 percent of those units are owned by franchisees.
The company counts Dallas-Fort Worth as its largest market, with nearly 250 outlets.
"Over time, we as a company and collectively as an industry have tried to be more relevant," Mr. McLain said. "An adjunct of that is being more relevant at different times of day."
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TexasStooge
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Girl found dead at Southlake business
SOUTHLAKE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Southlake police are investigating the death of a three-year-old Haltom City girl found unconscious outside of a business on Friday.
Emergency workers arrived at the scene in the 600 block of East Southlake Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. and found Madelaine Lewis not breathing.
Medics tried to resuscitate her, but the girl was pronounced dead at Baylor Medical Center in Grapevine about a half hour later.
"We're in the preliminary time frame of the investigation," said Southlake police spokeswoman Lt. Ashleigh Douglas. "It is required by law for us to investigate a child's death of this age."
Police set up crime scene tape around a late model Cadillac parked outside Southlake Family Eye Care, where Madelaine was found. One of the child's parents was at the scene.
Police said they have spoken with several people in connection with their investigation, but no details were released.
SOUTHLAKE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Southlake police are investigating the death of a three-year-old Haltom City girl found unconscious outside of a business on Friday.
Emergency workers arrived at the scene in the 600 block of East Southlake Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. and found Madelaine Lewis not breathing.
Medics tried to resuscitate her, but the girl was pronounced dead at Baylor Medical Center in Grapevine about a half hour later.
"We're in the preliminary time frame of the investigation," said Southlake police spokeswoman Lt. Ashleigh Douglas. "It is required by law for us to investigate a child's death of this age."
Police set up crime scene tape around a late model Cadillac parked outside Southlake Family Eye Care, where Madelaine was found. One of the child's parents was at the scene.
Police said they have spoken with several people in connection with their investigation, but no details were released.
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TexasStooge
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Pedestrian killed on Dallas freeway
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas police are investigating the death of a woman who was hit as she walked on the shoulder of a highway early Saturday morning.
Just before 2 a.m., investigators said the driver of a pickup truck hit a guardrail in the eastbound lanes of C.F. Hawn Freeway at Lake June Road.
"Witnesses stopped to provide assistance because the vehicle collided with a guardrail," said Dallas police spokesman Sgt. Patrick McAlvey. "They found the body, and then we were called from there."
The driver of the vehicle was given a field sobriety test at the scene. The unidentified man was arrested for investigation of intoxication manslaughter.
Police said the victim appeared to be in her late teens or early 20s. Her name was not available.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas police are investigating the death of a woman who was hit as she walked on the shoulder of a highway early Saturday morning.
Just before 2 a.m., investigators said the driver of a pickup truck hit a guardrail in the eastbound lanes of C.F. Hawn Freeway at Lake June Road.
"Witnesses stopped to provide assistance because the vehicle collided with a guardrail," said Dallas police spokesman Sgt. Patrick McAlvey. "They found the body, and then we were called from there."
The driver of the vehicle was given a field sobriety test at the scene. The unidentified man was arrested for investigation of intoxication manslaughter.
Police said the victim appeared to be in her late teens or early 20s. Her name was not available.
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