News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

String of 7-Eleven robberies reported

By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police are watching 7-Eleven stores a little more closely after five of them were robbed over a 14-hour period ending just before sunrise Wednesday.

In four of the five incidents, there was one robber, and in one, there was an accomplice. In all of the holdups, the robber was 30 to 35 years old and armed either with a gun or a knife. Police do not have detailed suspect descriptions.

After entering the store, the robber appeared to purchase items, then threatened the clerks with a weapon. The robber then made off with cash and cigarettes.

The robberies began about 4 p.m. Tuesday and ended just after 6 a.m. Wednesday.

“The [police] substations were sent information about the robberies,” said Senior Cpl. Jamie Kimbrough, a police spokeswoman. “Definitely they will pay attention to the stores in their particular assigned areas.”

Authorities are looking at whether more robberies are also connected to the spree.

No one has been injured, but police and store employees fear that could change.

“My plan is to have two people work instead of one, to make them more comfortable,” said Kibru Degefu, 34, whose store in the 3200 block of West Davis Street was robbed about 11 p.m. Tuesday.

A man walked into the store and went behind the counter while the clerk was in a back room. When the clerk saw him, the robber pulled out a knife. “Do you want to get killed?” the man asked, according to a police report. The clerk opened the register, and the man took the cash. He then grabbed cartons of cigarettes and fled.

Police met with 7-Eleven officials Wednesday afternoon to discuss the robberies. The stores already have a crime deterrent program, which includes training employees to cooperate; keeping windows near registers clear of advertisements so people outside can see any crimes in progress; keeping $30 or less in registers; and using surveillance cameras.

The program is audited regularly, said Margaret Chabris, a corporate spokeswoman.

“Every decade, we do a study with robbers in prison to see what attracts them,” she said. “We’re open 24-7, so we have to balance the convenience of customers accessing our stores with inconveniencing the robbers.”

[TexasStooge]

Council members' owed money a job liability

By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Two senior Dallas City Council members are having to explain why they have long outstanding bills with the city, which is a liability that should have disqualified them from office.

Leo Chaney owns property in South Dallas. Last year, city workers cut weeds on the property that created a $143 bill.

That's not the only property. In 1995, city crews had to clean up another Chaney lot on Hatcher. That lien sat for ten years. The bills, with interest, were over $500.

"I didn't know that," Chaney said. "I had no notice of that."

Chaney paid off the liens early November, which was not long after News 8 requested his file.

"I have addressed the situation personally, I don't owe anything to the city," he said. "I certainly hope that is conveyed to the general public."

Last year, Maxine Thornton Reese inherited some South Dallas property as well. Three times last year, city code inspectors had to call in crews to clean it up, which led to unpaid bills with interest over a $1,000.

Reese said she thought they had been paid, and she is now trying to stop the city from tearing the structure down.

"I'm going to court right now, today," she said Wednesday.

However, there's more at stake than embarrassing bills. The city charter has clear rules for council members that read "at the date of his election....he shall not be in arrears in the payment of any taxes or other liabilities due the city."

Both Reese and Chaney were in arrears during elections and that should have disqualified them.

City officials said they did checks, but the council members fell through the cracks.

But, News 8 found the unpaid bills during a quick check of database of city liens.

"Ultimately, it's the elected officials responsibility to make sure you don't owe money to the city," said Mayor Laura Miller. "That's pretty obvious. On the other hand, if this problem does exist, and the charter says we shouldn't owe money to the city, then we ought to be checking that. And I assumed we were."

The city attorney said the charter was violated but he could find only two remedies.

While within 30 days of an election, a campaign opponent could ask to have the election invalidated; it was too late for that.

However, if a fine remains unpaid, the district attorney or attorney general could sue to have the council member removed.

Since Chaney's paid his liens, they are not an issue. However if Reese doesn't pay, it could become one.

[TexasStooge]

Elderly man attacked with knife in home

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

MCKINNEY, Texas - A 70-year-old man was attacked and robbed Tuesday night in his McKinney home, which makes it the third home invasion in Collin County in less than two weeks.

McKinney police found the victim's stolen car not far from his apartment complex, and hope the find will produce fingerprints to help them find a suspect.

Police said the home invasion robber wore a ball cap with the word sheriff across the front of it. He forced his way into the man's apartment and cut him with a knife before forcing him to hand over his car keys and other valuables.

The elderly man lived alone in a seniors community.

Police are now investigating any possible similarities in a string of home invasion robberies across North Texas, including two in Plano last week.

Managers at the residential facility are alerting residents to the attack, and family members are urging residents who live in the complex not to open their doors to anyone.

"...I told her not to open the door to anybody that she doesn't know," said one relative of a resident. "Even people she does know, I told her to be very concerned."

The victim was released from the hospital Wednesday and police are stepping up patrols around the area.

[TexasStooge]

Exclusive: College prepay plan still on hold

Fate of Texas Tomorrow pondered as tuition soars

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas – Hammered by rising tuition, the Texas Tomorrow Fund's prepaid college tuition plan is being put on ice for newcomers again this year while its managers ponder whether the popular program can be revived.

For the third straight year, the $1.5 billion fund is closed to enrollees because of uncertainty over tuition, which jumped an average 7.4 percent last year and more than 30 percent at state schools over the past two years.

The program's manager said Wednesday that there is still too much volatility in tuition, including a growing discrepancy between the most- expensive schools – the state's flagship universities – and the lowest-priced senior colleges. There are 35 public colleges and universities in Texas.

"The gaps ... are widening," said Andy Ruth, citing the tuition deregulation law that allowed college governing boards to set their own rates. For example, the University of Texas at Austin now charges more than double the tuition and fees of the least expensive schools in the state.

In addition, some universities have begun charging higher tuition for popular programs – such as business and engineering – within their institutions.

The Tomorrow Fund, however, cannot recognize all the differences in tuition under current law, according to Mr. Ruth. Until the Legislature changes the law, the fund can pay public schools no more than the weighted tuition average for all senior colleges and universities.

That benefits current participants who enroll at more expensive schools, but it leaves those schools with less funding to cover their costs in educating the students. Private universities can charge students their full tuition.

Full protection

Officials emphasized that current participants – the plan has more than 158,000 accounts – are fully protected and will be able to use the fund to pay tuition in the future.

"I am confident we will be able to meet all our obligations," Mr. Ruth said, noting the fund is also financially guaranteed by the state.

The program was created a decade ago to let Texans lock in the cost of tomorrow's college tuition and mandatory fees at today's prices for their children or grandchildren, either through installment payments or a lump sum.

Nearly 25,000 families jumped into the plan the last time it was open for enrollment, in the first half of 2003 – right as the tuition deregulation bill passed the Legislature.

University governing boards were given control of tuition – a power held by the Legislature for decades – after lawmakers decided not to increase higher education funding that year. The action fueled record tuition increases within months of passage of the deregulation law.

Parents can still save for their children's education under the Tomorrow Fund's College Investment Plan. The Section 529 plan allows parents to establish college savings accounts that grow through investments in mutual funds and whose earnings are not subject to federal taxes. There are about 17,000 accounts in the state's college investment program.

The board of directors for the Texas Tomorrow Fund – chaired by state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn – declined to reopen the prepaid tuition program after receiving a survey of tuition levels for the current academic year. In the last year that the plan accepted new members – the 2002-03 academic year – the enrollment period began in November and ended in May.

"The average increase this year moderated to 7.4 percent, but some schools were still over 20 percent," Mr. Ruth said. "That was certainly a significant factor for the board."

Joseph Hurley, an expert on college savings programs and CEO of Savingforcollege.com, said the experience in Texas has been repeated in other states where plans also have been put on hold for a variety of reasons. Two states – Colorado and New Mexico – scrapped their prepaid tuition programs.

"A combination of higher tuition and mediocre investment returns have caused financial stress in many of the programs," Mr. Hurley said.

"It's really a shame these programs are being cut back at a time when so many families are finding them a more attractive way to save for college," he said. "The thinking is that if they could get into one of these prepaid tuition programs, they'd be protected from the dramatic increases in tuition we've been seeing."

Mr. Hurley said the Section 529 programs – available in most states – have grown dramatically in the past few years and now total about $70 billion nationwide. One advantage of those programs is that the accounts can be used for a variety of expenses related to a college education, he noted.

Restart date unknown

Mr. Ruth said it's difficult to say when Texas' prepaid tuition program will reopen to new applicants. He noted that the board and its actuaries will have to make an "informed guess" about the correct prices for future contracts, a situation he called "dicey."

"The board doesn't want to be in the position of setting prices so high that a parent might pay more money than he would have had he paid the university directly," he said. "And if the price is too low, the actuarial soundness of the fund could be endangered."

The bottom line, he said, is that the board remains "uneasy that it cannot see the big picture yet, that it cannot determine what the long-term trends will be."

"We also don't know if another tuition spike is coming," he added.

Three years ago, the state auditor's office found that the fund was $226 million in the hole, mainly because of the downturn in the stock market that began in 2001. About two-thirds of the program's assets are invested in equity mutual funds.

Tomorrow Fund officials said the picture has brightened significantly since then, thanks to better returns on investments the past two years. The board of directors is expected to receive a financial report in coming weeks indicating a noticeable improvement in investment returns.

[TexasStooge]

Smoking foes use laws to win hearts and lungs

Activism extinguishing tobacco culture, but some say it's gone too far

By COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News

Lighting up at work once was as common as grabbing a cup of coffee. Smoke-filled offices were the norm, and nonsmokers went home smelling like a dirty ashtray and tasting cigarettes.

Nearly three decades after the first Great American Smokeout, the culture of smoking has changed. In fact, many younger workers have never had to deal with the chain-smoking colleague at the next desk.

Workplace smoking bans were just the beginning. Now, smoking in restaurants is off-limits in many cities, including Dallas. Airplanes, too. In Washington state, voters agreed that even bars and bowling alleys should be smoke-free. And on a different front, some states are requiring tobacco manufacturers to produce self-extinguishing cigarettes.

The result of all these rules and regulations? Smoking opponents say they've helped reduce the number of Americans who smoke regularly.

Tobacco companies and some smokers say the laws have become overly onerous.

The American Cancer Society, which is urging smokers to put down the cigarettes today during its 29th annual Smokeout, said such restrictions have saved lives.

Time was when smoking was simple, Johnny Williams of Abilene said while on a cigarette break in downtown Dallas.

"You could smoke about anywhere unless you were near something flammable," he said. "I don't think 'no smoking' existed."

Now he's relegated to the sidewalk. A crazy quilt of smoking bans blankets the country, forcing Mr. Williams and other smokers to huddle outside office buildings and restaurants.

All but a handful of states have cities and counties with laws governing smoking. Fifteen states have enacted statewide smoking bans, according to the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation.

Although Mr. Williams supports keeping smokers and nonsmokers in their separate corners, he said the pendulum has swung too far in favor of accommodating those who would snuff out his cigarettes.

"It's getting to the point where you can't smoke in your own house," he said.

Not quite, but his options are dwindling.

Buffers around doorways

Dallas banned smoking in restaurants in 2003. Some other cities and states have gone further, banning smoking in bars and public places.

Last week, Washington voters overwhelmingly approved one of the country's most restrictive statewide bans, making such places as bars and bowling alleys smoke-free and establishing a clean-air buffer around doors and windows.

Even Louisville, Ky., a city with strong ties to the tobacco industry, implemented a ban this week in many restaurants and businesses. In Kentucky, the top producer of burley tobacco, three cities now have some form of a ban on the books.

"A lot more communities are realizing that people really do want to be smoke-free," said Debbie Durden, a spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society in Dallas.

She said that bans, coupled with an increased awareness of the health risks from smoking, have contributed to a drop in the number of smokers.

"It's people knowing more and being more conscious of what they put in their bodies," Ms. Durden said. "And when they see famous people they know, like Peter Jennings, pass away, that hits home."

Continuous decline

The smoking rate among U.S. adults has fallen steadily since the 1990s. Last year, 20.9 percent of Americans said they smoke regularly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week. Three decades ago, 37.1 percent of adults were smokers.

When the American Cancer Society launched its first Smokeout in 1977, lighting up was more prevalent and smokers could puff on their cigarettes where they pleased. Now, taking a drag – even outdoors – sometimes prompts dirty looks and not-so-subtle complaints in the form of coughing, said Joe Gibbons, a supervisor for Greyhound Lines who was taking a smoke break at the bus station in downtown Dallas.

"People try to give you a hint," he said. "And they look at you funny."

David Howard, a spokesman for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., said many lawmakers have worked to make cigarettes a politically incorrect product.

"You're seeing the progression of the denormalization of smoking," he said. "These are adults who choose to smoke. This is a legal product."

Mr. Howard said the government should allow businesses to decide how to best serve their patrons.

"Bans impact business," he said. "Especially small business owners, your Mom-and-Pop places, will be hit very hard."

Mr. Howard also questioned lawmakers' logic, saying that state governments have tried to ban smoking while also relying on exorbitant taxes on cigarettes to balance their budgets.

Exaggerated benefits?

R.J. Reynolds has opposed many smoking bans and lobbied against new laws requiring companies to manufacture self-extinguishing cigarettes.

California, New York, Vermont and Canada have passed measures allowing tobacco companies to sell only cigarettes that have bands around the paper that act as speed bumps to extinguish unattended cigarettes.

Mr. Howard said proponents of such laws have exaggerated the benefits of self-extinguishing cigarettes.

"There is no such thing as a fire-safe cigarette," he said. "That is a very misleading sort of term to give people a false sense of security."

As other states consider implementing similar measures, tobacco manufacturers are concerned about the prospect of being forced to manufacture different types of cigarettes for each state.

In hopes of pre-empting a hodgepodge of new state laws, Philip Morris USA supports enacting a federal standard for self-extinguishing cigarettes, said Jennifer Golisch, a spokeswoman for the country's largest cigarette company.

Complying with the standards that were first implemented in New York has been expensive for the company, she said.

James Shannon, president of the National Fire Protection Association, said that replacing standard cigarettes with those that burn out when unattended is the most important step that manufacturers could take to reduce the number of people killed in smoking-related fires. About 800 people die each year in such fires, he said.

So, while compelling people to quit is important, Mr. Shannon said he hopes manufacturers will make cigarettes as safe as possible for those who do puff.

"If they did that sooner rather than later, they would save lives," he said. "It's time for tobacco companies to do the right thing on this issue."

[TexasStooge]

Fire burns twice at Dallas residence

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Frosty weather overnight resulted in a rash of fire calls. Many were false alarms from people smelling smoke from a neighbor's fireplace.

But it was the real deal—twice—for the Shoemaker family.

Just after midnight Thursday, they discovered a fire in their home in the 3600 block of Weeburn Drive in Dallas. The four family members were able to safely escape as flames raced through the roof; the rest was up to Dallas firefighters.

"I'm sure I'm going to have a big cry over this at some point," said Martha Shoemaker, "but for right now, I'm just grateful that we're all alive and that these good men are here to help us."

Firefighters also rescued the family's cats and a dog from the burning one-story house near Marsh Lane and Forest Lane in Northwest Dallas.

Several hours after the original fire was extinguished News 8 photographer Robert Flagg noticed fresh smoke rising from the rubble of the 47-year-old structure. He summoned Dallas Fire-Rescue crews to return to the scene to douse the hot spot.

The firefighters were working in near-freezing temperatures overnight, with the official low at Dallas Love Field dipping to 34 degrees.

[TexasStooge]

Fire destroys Houston-area landmark

WALLER, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — A towering fire rapidly destroyed a vacant grain shed at Southeast Texas rice drying plant early Thursday, sending flames into the sky that could be seen miles away.

No one was injured, but the blaze at one of the tallest buildings in Waller caused concern among the town's 2,100 or so residents.

"This is the biggest thing to happen around here in a long time," said Bud Rheums, a truck driver who saw the fire from his horse ranch about five miles away. "I said that's got to be one of those rice dryers or something over there. Nothing else would burn like that."

Gene Schmidt, assistant chief of the Waller Volunteer Fire Department, said the 60-foot tall storage facility hadn't been used in at least two years but was filled with old, dry wooden rice bushels.

"It burned fast because it had plenty of fuel," Schmidt said of the shed, built in the 1940s.

Fire departments from five other communities were called and the fire was contained by 9 a.m., Schmidt said. Schmidt said no one was in the building, although workers at the plant were beginning to arrive while the fire was raging.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, but he said the facility had old lights and wiring that he suspected might have triggered the fire.

Walter Schiel, who owns a hardware store across the street, said thick black smoke and flames were pouring out of the top of the building as he was opening his store about 7 a.m.

"It was already roaring real good," Schiel said. He said he watched the building collapse about an hour later.

"Everything just started caving in. It just fell apart," he said.

Waller is located about 40 miles northeast of Houston.

[TexasStooge]

School official arrested for hidden camera video

WACO, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — Bruceville-Eddy's school superintendent was arrested for allegedly placing a hidden video camera resembling an air freshener dispenser in a women's bathroom at the school administration office.

Danny Edward Doyen, 46, told investigators that he bought the camera with a school district credit card and placed it in a restroom to obtain nude photos of female employees, according to the McLennan County Sheriff's Office.

Doyen has been superintendent in Bruceville-Eddy, about 20 mile south of Waco, since 2002. He was booked Wednesday into the McLennan County Jail on a charge of improper photography or visual recording, punishable by up to two years in a state jail.

The Bruceville-Eddy ISD Board of Trustees met in emergency session Wednesday night and placed Doyen on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

"Under the direction of Dr. Vonn Murray, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, all facilities were checked for inappropriate recording or video devices and none were found," the school board said in a statement released Thursday. "It was determined this was an isolated incident that occurred in the administration building only."

According to records, a school business office clerk alerted investigators this week after finding a school credit card statement for a $299 purchase with no vendor name, then discovering it was from a surveillance company. Two days later, Doyen submitted an invoice for the purchase, which included a description of the camera and a Web site address, according to records.

The clerk learned about the item online, then remembered that Doyen two weeks earlier had mentioned the need for air fresheners in the men's restroom and office hallway, according to an affidavit.

The clerk and other women employees then found the fake air freshener on a shelf about 3 feet away from the toilet, according to court records.

Investigators reported finding the hidden camera on a shelf in Doyen's school district office after obtaining search warrants for his office and home. Officers also reported seizing computer equipment and related materials from Doyen's school office, computer equipment from his daughter's bedroom and 11 weapons from Doyen's bedroom.

The school board's statement said it "deeply regrets" the incident, adding that "all steps will be taken to assure the safety and well being of all students, employees, and visitors."

Intermediate school president Gary Herbert was named acting superintendent.

WFAA.com editor Walt Zwirko contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

One dead in shooting at holiday lighting firm

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A former employee at a holiday lighting firm died Thursday morning after a shooting at the company's Southeast Dallas facility.

Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Donna Hernandez said the man, whose name was not released but who was described as being in his 20s, brought a weapon to The Christmas Light Co. in the 8000 block of Military Parkway around 8:30 a.m.

Shots were fired, and after officers and medical personnel arrived, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, Hernandez said.

The Christmas Light Co.'s Web site said the Dallas-based company builds holiday lighting displays and has offices in Atlanta, San Diego and Denver.

[TexasStooge]

Fights erupt after Lincoln High power outage

By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - A fight broke out at Lincoln High School during a power outage Thursday morning, leading district officials to call in police.

The school, located in the 2800 block of Hatcher Street in Southeast Dallas, lost power around 10 a.m. Dallas and DISD officers were called to the campus shortly after the outage began.

Dallas school Spokesman Donald Claxton did not immediately have details on the brawl, but said the district has experienced power outages on various campuses, including North Dallas High School, all year long.

Mr. Claxton said it’s possible that some of the outages are tied to the district’s billion-dollar construction program currently under way.

"It's been going out all over the district," he said. “God knows what’s going on.”

[TexasStooge]

Fort Worth ISD considers district-wide dress code

FORT WORTH, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - Fort Worth ISD officials are discussing possible implementation of a district-wide student school uniform policy for the 2006-2007 school year.

An advisory committee of administrators, school parents and other community residents was formed this week to study whether such a policy should be put in place, and what it would entail.

Current FWISD policy addresses only grooming and general appearance. However, half of the district's campuses have instituted recommended clothing guidelines or designated uniform styles.

Nancy Ricker, executive director of the district's Office of Parent and Public Engagement, said the policy could range from merely setting standard clothing guidelines to mandating the use of brand-specific uniforms on school campuses. She said the new committee, though only comprised of 15 members, represents a good cross-section of the city.

"We wanted to keep it small, so that we would have a good working number," Ricker said. "But they will be bringing in (FWISD) students, as well as parents of private school students and representatives from the community, to get a feel for how each different segment will be reacting to this."

Parents on the committee were chosen by board members from their individual districts. Public forums will be held after the winter break to solicit opinions from other parents and community residents, Ricker said.

The dress code committee was created after an initial survey of attendees at district forums over the past few months indicated nearly 63 percent were in favor of a uniform or standardized dress policy at all grade levels. Ricker said a greater community response from the upcoming forums will also be considered.

"How that will work out when we get a full response, I don't know," Ricker said.

If the FWISD were to implement a district-wide student dress code, it would follow other urban districts which have put similar policies in place. Beginning in 2005, the Dallas Independent School District implemented a mandatory standardized dress code for its elementary and middle school students.

[TexasStooge]

Suspect in jail, but where are the puppies?

Scam continues to distress dog breeders

By RICHARD ABSHIRE / The Dallas Morning News

The con artist was smooth; his victims will tell you that.

Veteran dog breeders who have learned to insist on cash, cashier's checks or money orders say even they were taken in by the knowledgeable young man who introduced himself as Mark Jackson and paid for expensive puppies with 7-Eleven money orders that turned out to be forged.

"He was slick, very smooth," said Michael Brown, a northwest Dallas breeder who reported being scammed out of a rare silver Pomeranian that he had nursed through a difficult birth by giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Grayson County law enforcement officials say the scam artist was Darryl Valentine, 23, who had lived in Mesquite but whose most recent address – like the whereabouts of the puppies he took – is unknown.

Mr. Valentine remained in the Grayson County Jail in Sherman on Wednesday after being caught twice in two days in stings set up by angry breeders. His bail is set at $90,000 on multiple state-jail felony charges of forgery of a financial instrument. Each is punishable by six months to two years in prison.

Only minutes out of jail after his first arrest, he was on his cellphone arranging another phony puppy purchase, the breeders said.

Assistant Chief Deputy Tom Rains of the Grayson County Sheriff's Department referred interview requests to Mr. Valentine's Dallas attorney, Alan Kazdoy.

"My understanding is that he just didn't have any knowledge about what was going on," Mr. Kazdoy said. "He didn't know the money orders were fraudulent."

Mr. Kazdoy said that his client is facing similar charges in Dallas County and that another person was involved.

"Darryl doesn't know where these dogs are," he said. "He hasn't said anything about why he was buying the dogs."

Grayson County sheriff's Lt. Jay Whitney said officers from several other jurisdictions were investigating Mr. Valentine in connection with similar frauds across North Texas and southern Oklahoma.

Mr. Brown said he screens prospective buyers of his puppies not so much by asking questions as by listening to the questions they ask. "Mark Jackson" knew Poms were susceptible to hypoglycemia and how to introduce new foods into their diet. He asked all the right questions.

"He was thorough," the breeder said.

So Mr. Brown handed over his unnamed silver puppy – "If you name them, you keep them," he explained – in return for a $500 money order that proved to be worthless.

'I think I've been taken'

Lisa Stafford, a Keller breeder of registered Havanese puppies, said she fell for the buyer's spiel, too. Only later, she said, did she notice that all three of the $500 money orders she received for a puppy had the same serial number.

"I think I've been taken," she said she told her good friend Jeri Copeland of North Richland Hills.

When Ms. Copeland got a call from a man calling himself Mark who wanted to buy a Havanese puppy, she and Ms. Stafford decided to set a trap.

"I've been breeding and showing dogs for 32 years, and I've never seen anything like this," Ms. Copeland said. "We decided we needed to catch this guy."

When the man showed up at Ms. Copeland's home and signed his forged money orders, she said, she and Ms. Stafford called the police. An officer arrested Mr. Valentine on the spot.

"The guy was really calm, nonchalant," Ms. Copeland said. "He was wearing green scrubs and told us he worked at Baylor [Medical Center] Plano as a radiologist."

But Ms. Copeland said a plastic nametag in his car read: "Darryl – Petco Rockwall."

Petco district manager Karen Myron confirmed that Mr. Valentine had been an employee but said she had no indication he had done anything illegal at the store.

Ms. Copeland said that in Mr. Valentine's car she also saw notes about puppies and prices, apparently taken from a Web site used by breeders. She said she didn't list her puppies in newspapers.

Freed from the North Richland Hills Jail on bail Nov. 8, Mr. Valentine didn't wait long to get back to work, breeders say.

Within 10 minutes, they say, he was on the phone to Theresa Carsten in Grayson County, arranging a meeting to buy one of her bulldog puppies.

Ms. Carsten had given the man she knew as Mark Jackson one of her "babies" the week before – a 10-week old that she had mothered, tending to it every two hours because its mother, like most bulldog moms, had little maternal instinct for the Caesarean-delivered offspring.

Learning from her bank that the $1,500 in money orders she received were bogus made Ms. Carsten so mad she also set up a sting, putting in a new ad and picture. When the man called again last week, she arranged a meeting the next day in a shopping center lot. Grayson County deputies arrested Mr. Valentine there Nov. 9.

Other potential victims

She has since identified almost a dozen other breeders who have been victimized, and she's created a Web site where they can share information and post photos of their missing pups. She has heard from breeders as far away as Louisiana who may have fallen for the scam.

Grayson County officials say Mr. Valentine isn't talking, so nobody knows what happened to the puppies. That's what the breeders want to know more than anything.

"The dogs involved are all expensive breeds, so the breeders believe the pups were taken to be re-sold, either in pet stores or by individuals. That's not the worst fate stolen dogs can face, but it hurts not to know.

"I feel really good that he's in jail, but I don't feel satisfied because we don't have any of the dogs," Ms. Carsten said. "At this point, it's not about the money; it's about the dogs."

[TexasStooge]

Breaking News

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Multiple injuries are reported in a two-alarm fire in the 4600 block of Country Creek in Southwest Dallas. Details to come.

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas firefighters also battled a three-alarm fire this afternoon at the Skillman Street Apartments, 10010 Whitehurst Drive. Details to come.

[TexasStooge]

2 indicted in 1983 KFC slayings

HENDERSON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Two men were indicted Thursday on capital murder charges in the 1983 murders of five people abducted from a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Kilgore.

Darnell Hartsfield, 44, and Romeo Pinkerton, 47, both of Tyler, were indicted by a Rusk County grand jury on five counts each, according to the Texas Attorney General's Office.

Hartsfield was convicted of aggravated perjury and sentenced to life in prison last month because of his criminal record, which includes aggravated robbery, a drug conviction, engaging in organized crime, burglary and reckless endangerment. He previously told a grand jury he had never been to the East Texas restaurant, but DNA evidence showed he was there the night of the murders, authorities said.

Pinkerton remains in the Smith County Jail after being arrested in Tyler in August. He was wanted on an outstanding warrant for a parole violation on an unrelated offense.

Victims David Maxwell, 20; Joey Johnson, 20; Monty Landers, 19; Mary Tyler, 37; and Opie Hughes, 38, were found in an oil field with gunshot wounds to the head in 1983.

"Justice has eluded the families of these victims for too long, and these indictments put us a giant step closer to that day," Texas Attorney General Abbott said in a news release.

It's unclear if authorities will seek the death penalty against the men.

[TexasStooge]

Former chief's son involved in fatal shooting

By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - The son of former Dallas Police Chief Bill Rathburn is being questioned by police over a fatal shooting at a Pleasant Grove holiday lighting firm this morning.

Rathburn's son, also named Bill Rathburn, apparently was involved in the shooting after a former employee in his 20s came to The Christmas Light Co. with a weapon around 8:30 a.m. The former police chief's son owns the company, located in the 8000 block of Military Parkway.

The former employee "was pointing a gun at two witnesses ... and made statements that he was going to kill them," said Dallas police Sgt. Dwaine Sides. "That's when the owner acted."

Shots were fired, and after officers and medical personnel arrived, the man was pronounced dead at the scene, said Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Donna Hernandez. The man's name was not released.

Bill Rathburn, 64, was Dallas police chief from 1991 through 1993 and is now a security consultant.

Reached late Thursday morning, the former chief said he didn't think it was appropriate to comment.

"I'm not there, I don't know the facts," he said, adding that he was waiting to hear more from police investigators.

The Christmas Light Co.'s Web site said the Dallas-based company builds holiday lighting displays and has offices in Atlanta, San Diego and Denver.

Cynthia Vega of WFAA ABC 8 contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Fights break out after school power failure (Updated)

By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Fights broke out on the campus of Lincoln High School Thursday morning following a power failure at 10:30 a.m.

Some students characterized the disturbance as a "riot."

A heavy Dallas police presence was called in after fighting was reported in the gymnasium, in the hallways, and on school grounds.

Hurricane Katrina victims from New Orleans who are attending classes at Lincoln claimed they were targeted by Dallas students. Some of the Dallas students labeled the Louisiana students as troublemakers.

"They was throwing bottles, they was throwing pencils, papers—they was throwing everything at us when we was in the gym," said student Arielle Buxton. "We were in the gym and they jumped the kids from New Orleans."

Penny Woods, the parent of a Lincoln student, said it appeared to be a city-versus-city incident. "They had the Dallas kids, they were trying to fight all the New Orleans children," she said.

"We certainly want to have the best relationship with the students who've come to us from New Orleans, and we've been working toward that end all year," said Dallas Independent School District spokesman Donald Claxton. "It was unfortunate that some youngsters today decided to use the opportunity of a power outage to start carrying on some disruptions."

School officials later played down any Dallas-versus-New Orleans characterization of Thursday's disturbance.

Principal Earl Jones said overall, the relationship between the Dallas students and the visitors from New Orleans has been good.

No arrests were made in the incident, and power was restored to the campus after about 30 minutes, Claxton said.

Claxton said TXU crews were working in the area, which may have contributed to the power outage.

Lincoln, with an enrollment of about 1,100 students, is located in South Dallas near Fair Park.

Dallas Morning News writer Tawnell D. Hobbs contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Dallas ISD probed over auto allowances

By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - At a time when there aren't enough textbooks to go around, millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on car allowances, in some cases for Dallas Independent School District employees who don't even drive on the job.

DISD trustees were due to discuss this evening a proposal to cut back on their own expenditures. Belt tightening has almost become part of the curriculum here, with the exception of car allowances. But a Dallas Morning News investigation appears to have put the brakes on that.

Emery Kochie has taught band at DISD for almost 30 years. Traveling between three different schools is part of his routine. But he does not get reimbursed for his travel.

He was shocked to find out that more than 2,316 DISD employees receive an auto allowance. Also, 48 of those employees who receive auto allowances have access to a district vehicle.

In Houston, however, only 66 employees of the Houston Independent School District get a car allowance.

Some DISD staff admit they don't even travel while at work. One data controller said she didn't do much traveling around the district.

DISD human resources head, Dr. Troy Coleman, who does do some traveling, says his auto allowance amounts to more than $4,000 a year.

The DISD was criticized by the state for spending $1.8m on car allowances in 2001.

That figure has grown to $3.6m a year.

DISD Board President, Dr. Lois Parrott, said she was shocked by the findings.

"I thought it was only going to be a few people... I'm very upset about it," she said.

DISD spokesman Donald Claxton says reforms will be made. "It is something we acknowledge and are going to take a look at."

[TexasStooge]

Busby gets death for professor's murder

By WFAA ABC 8 and The Dallas Morning News Staff

A judge has sentenced Edward Lee Busby Jr. to death for taking the life of Texas Christian University professor Laura Lee Crane.

Busby, 33, was convicted last week. Today, the same Tarrant County jury took just three hours to reach the decision to send him to death row.

Busby abducted Crane, 77, from a Fort Worth store parking lot last year.

He wrapped her in 37-feet of duct tape and dumped her body in Davis, Okla.

Prosecutors sought the death sentence, saying Mr. Busby "richly deserved it."

They said Mr. Busby was a career criminal with convictions for robbery, drug-related offenses and evading arrest.

“He’s been to the Texas penitentiary twice,” said Greg Miller, an assistant Tarrant County district attorney. “He’s been on probation. Going to prison, he didn’t learn much from it.”

Attorneys Steve Gordon and Jack Strickland offered a sharply different portrayal of Mr. Busby. They said his missteps could be traced to his not-so-promising youth in Pampa, a small Texas panhandle city.

Mr. Busby, they said, was derailed by numerous setbacks including low intelligence. Raised by a single mother, he was enrolled in special education classes in the Pampa school district until he dropped out, they said.

Mr. Busby did not enjoy school, his former teacher, Jeanette Miller told the jury earlier this week.

And, he made it difficult for those who tried to educate him.

Ms. Miller, who called Mr. Busby “Junior,” said she had better days when he was absent.

“He didn’t want to do what I asked him to do. He didn’t like authority. On the days that Junior didn’t show up, I was elated.”

[TexasStooge]

Police, firefighters duke it out for cause

By JOHN MCCAA / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Some police and firefighters will be duking it out over the weekend for a good cause, helping those left behind after an officer or rescuer's death.

The tragic death of Dallas Police Officer Brian Jackson Sunday was a reminder of just how dangerous police work can be.

It was also a reminder about how devastating the loss can be for the families and friends left behind. Denise Hunter knows that pain first-hand.

"My husband was killed in the line of duty in June 2004," she said.

Greg Hunter was a Grand Prairie police officer who was gunned down last year in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

The loss felt by loved ones in cases such as Hunter's is exactly the reason officers and rescuers are duking it out at The Guns and Hoses Boxing charity, which raises money for police and firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Hunter didn't even know the charity existed until a check was delivered to her.

"It was very, very heart warming," she said. "We were very humbled that there were people that do not know us [and] do not know the family, [which] with warm hearts, came out very graciously with open arms to assist us financially."

For the boxers, three months of grueling training has paid off with the knowledge of what the money raised in the ring could bring to a grieving family.

"When we met the families of the officers, it really brought it home,"

The Guns and Hoses Boxing event will be held at the Resistol Arena at 7:00 p.m. in Mesquite.

Also, donations for a scholarship fund set up in Greg Hunter's name can be sent to : Sgt Gregory Hunter Memorial Scholarship Foundation P.O. Box 181686 Arlington, Texas 76096-1686.

Tina Foster contributed to this report

[TexasStooge]

Local and Katrina pupils clash at Lincoln High

By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - A series of fights at Lincoln High School on Thursday has led to concern that tension is rising between local pupils and those displaced by hurricane Katrina.

Some students characterized the fights which broke out on the campus following a power failure as a "riot."

About 20 police units were called in to break up fighting in the gymnasium, in the hallways, and on school grounds.

About 2,000 New Orleans now attend Dallas schools.

Fights have also occurred at Roosevelt and Carter High Schools in Dallas.

Hurricane Katrina victims from New Orleans who are attending classes at Lincoln claimed they were targeted by Dallas students. Some of the Dallas students labeled the Louisiana students as troublemakers.

"They were throwing bottles, paper, pencils, everything at us when we were in the gym," said pupil Arielle Buxton.

"They come, they think they can run everything, I don't think it's fair for the Dallas students," added Lovely Roberts.

Some parents say the local pupils are causing the tension.

"They are jumping on our kids from New Orleans. What is the problem?" said Linda Barra, parent.

Penny Woods, the parent of a Lincoln student, said it appeared to be a city-versus-city incident. "They had the Dallas kids, they were trying to fight all the New Orleans children," she said.

School officials later played down any Dallas-versus-New Orleans characterization of Thursday's disturbance.

"We certainly want to have the best relationship with the students who've come to us from New Orleans, and we've been working toward that end all year," said Dallas Independent School District spokesman Donald Claxton. "It was unfortunate that some youngsters today decided to use the opportunity of a power outage to start carrying on some disruptions."

Principal Earl Jones said overall, the relationship between the Dallas students and the visitors from New Orleans has been good.

No arrests were made in the incident, and power was restored to the campus after about 30 minutes, Claxton said.

Claxton said TXU crews were working in the area, which may have contributed to the power outage.

Lincoln, with an enrollment of about 1,100 students, is located in South Dallas near Fair Park.