News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

Texas sues Hawaii man for spam

AUSTIN, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — The Texas attorney general's office has filed suit against a Hawaii man for allegedly sending hundreds of thousands of unsolicited e-mails from a computer in Dallas.

The lawsuit said Billy W. Williams of Kailua, Hawaii, sent the e-mails from January through December of last year. The lawsuit said Williams neither identified himself as the source nor identified the transmissions as commercial ads.

According to court filings, among the offers the e-mails promoted were mortgage refinancing, prescription drugs, anti-spyware software, extended vehicle warranties and online diplomas.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott accused Williams of violating state and federal laws restricting unsolicited e-mails.

Violations are punishable by up to $20,000 per violation.

[TexasStooge]

Carrollton woman arrested in ID theft bust

Police officer's cable bill among items found at home

By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News

CARROLLTON, Texas - Authorities on Tuesday arrested a 34-year-old woman who they say is the leader of an identify theft ring.

Among the evidence seized at the Carrollton home was a cable bill belonging to a Carrollton police officer, who was one of the many law enforcement officials who went to the house during the raid. The bill was found sitting next to woman’s computer.

Timieka Walker was being held in the city's jail on two counts of possession of fraudulent identifying information. She also was held on probation violations.

Assistant District Attorney Toby Shook said members of the North Texas identity theft task force had been looking for Ms. Walker for seven months. “We believe she is very active in the identity theft area,” Mr. Shook said.

The raid on the home in the 3700 block of Westminster Place began early Tuesday morning.

Officials seized numerous documents, including Social Security cards, from as many as 40 individuals, Mr. Shook said. They also seized two identification cards with Ms. Walker’s picture on them, but in someone else’s name.

In a telephone interview from jail, Ms. Walker she is being falsely accused. “I used to do it,” she said. “I’m not involved in that kind of thing anymore.”

Ms. Walker said the Carrollton officer had lived in the apartment where she resided until recently. “His bill was sent to my apartment,” she said. “The bill was not even opened or tampered with.”

Mr. Shook disputed that saying, “It was an open piece of mail sitting right by the computer.”

A Carrollton police spokesman said the officer was not available for comment, but said police do not know how the officer’s cable bill came to be in Ms. Walker’s possession.

Ms. Walker pleaded guilty in 2001 to forgery, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft and fraudulent possession of a identifying information.

[TexasStooge]

Mom's labels keeps soldier's mailbox full

By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8

One North Texas soldier in Iraq is getting so much mail he has begun sharing it with others hungry for hometown news, and all because of his mother.

"Hi m'am, my name is Melody Perkins and I have a son in Iraq," she said as she walked around a grocery store. "We're passing out labels and if you have time just drop him a card...He needs all the mail he can get."

In Iraq, Scott Perkins, a 43-year-old marine, receives mail from total strangers who used the labels his mother has handed out.

"He told me he's getting as many as 40 letters a day," said wife Lisa Perkins.

Perkins said she and their two daughters write, but it also seems all of North Texas also has Scott Perkin's address.

They blame that on mom.

"...I was just trying to keep him from being so lonesome," Melody Perkins said.

People he has never met, but his mother has at churches, shopping malls and restaurants keep his wall full with warm wishes.

"And he said, 'Mom, I've got enough letters and cards that I can wallpaper the barracks,'" she said.

However, his mom said she sees it as a great distraction from his work.

"If there's a roadside bomb or something he's the first man on the scene, so he takes care of the injured," said Lisa Perkins.

The distractions keep on coming as his mother continues to pass out labels, and people share their lives to help a complete stranger far away from home.

"He's received everything from pictures of softball teams to pictures of people with their dogs," his wife said.

[TexasStooge]

Wife of Joel Osteen asked to leave plane

HOUSTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - The wife of the pastor of the nation's largest church was asked to leave a plane after she failed to comply with a flight attendant's instructions, the FBI said Tuesday.

Houston Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen, his wife, Victoria, and their two children boarded a Continental Airlines flight from Houston to Vail, Colo., Monday. The plane's door had been closed when Victoria Osteen and a flight attendant had a disagreement.

"She failed to comply with the flight attendant's instructions, and they were asked to leave the flight," FBI spokeswoman Luz Garcia said without elaborating on the disagreement.

The FBI reviewed a report from Continental after the incident, Garcia said. No charges will be filed, she said.

The flight was delayed more than an hour while the Osteens' luggage was retrieved, Garcia said. The family took another flight to Colorado, where church spokesman Don Iloff said they were skiing Tuesday.

Iloff called the disagreement with the flight attendant "minor" but would not say what happened.

"In semantics, they might have been asked to be removed," he said. "Really, it was more of a mutual thing."

Continental spokeswoman Julie King would not discuss the disagreement but said in a statement that the situation was resolved.

Osteen's sermons are broadcast across the country and his book "Your Best Life Now" has become a best seller. His church has more than 30,000 worshippers weekly and meets in a renovated arena where the Houston Rockets once played.

[TexasStooge]

Parkland faces nurse exodus

RNs drawn to new suburban hospitals leave chronic shortage behind

By SHERRY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News

FRISCO, Texas - Sarah Mason felt right at home when she joined the emergency room staff at Centennial Medical Center in Frisco.

No wonder, since she – and most of her fellow ER nurses – had worked at Parkland Memorial Hospital before the suburban hospital opened in June 2004.

The 27-year-old registered nurse said she took the Frisco job to be closer to her home in Allen. But she also appreciated that it was less exhausting.

"It's much less of a load here," she said. "I do miss Parkland every now and then, the whole atmosphere of it."

Parkland has been losing nurses to other hospitals probably since the charity hospital opened its doors in 1894. But it has been especially hard hit in recent years because of the dramatic growth of Dallas-area hospitals, including several new medical centers in Collin County.

In the last year, Parkland has lost 309 nurses and hired 374 – a net gain of 65, but far short of what it needed. As of Sept. 30, the county hospital employed 2,207 licensed nurses but was seeking to hire an additional 330.

The shortage forced Parkland to close two much-needed operating rooms for five months because it lacked enough experienced nurses to assist the surgeons. The closure exacerbated the public hospital's backlog of surgical cases.

Dr. Ron Anderson, Parkland's president and chief executive officer, said it's well known that the new suburban hospitals have plucked key staffers from Dallas' older hospitals.

"All the hospitals downtown are competing with their sister institutions in the suburbs," he told Parkland's board of managers last week.

The hospital's RN vacancy rate has hit 15 percent in recent months, up from 10 percent two years ago. By comparison, the vacancy rate in local hospitals is slightly more than 10 percent.

"Right now, we're running about 1,350 RNs short" in the area, said John Gavras, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council.

He blamed the growing deficit on "a significant number of new hospital beds" being added in area hospitals since late 2004.

But the larger problem is that local nursing schools aren't keeping pace with the demand for new nurses, mainly because of a shortage of qualified instructors. In recent years, area hospitals have begun recruiting nurses from India, Mexico and the Philippines to try to fill the gap.

"Over 50 nurses have come to Dallas hospitals from the Philippines since late 2003," Mr. Gavras said. "And more and more are coming."

The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council's 72 member hospitals employ about 13,800 registered nurses in jobs that are considered the backbone of hospital operations. Generally nurses are responsible for hospital patients while physicians maintain office hours in their practices.

"If you pull nurses out of the equation, there's no one to do the work," observed Patricia Vasquez, a Parkland nurse recruiter.

'Hard place to work'

Parkland's highest vacancy rates are in the emergency department, operating rooms, and labor and delivery areas, all of which are considered high-stress jobs.

"It's a hard place to work," conceded Dr. Allan Shulkin, a Parkland board member and pulmonary specialist who trained at the hospital.

The public hospital's insatiable need for nurses grows from its large patient load. More than 250,000 patients visit Parkland's 150 specialty clinics annually, and 42,000 people are admitted annually to the 983-bed hospital.

"We attract many new nurses with our internships and residency programs, but retention is our challenge," said Terry Jones, the hospital's interim chief nursing officer, who oversees a massive effort to keep nurses flowing into the county's health care system.

In recent years, Parkland's leaders have offered family-friendly work schedules and a long list of educational opportunities to try to keep its nurses, as well as higher salaries. Last year, hospital staffers got 4 percent merit increases and, to stay competitive with other hospitals, nurses received an additional 3 percent.

"We're competitive with our salaries and our differentials, and we can negotiate," Ms. Vasquez said.

The hospital's nursing salaries range from $19.44 per hour for the least experienced nurses to $30.01 for those with specialized training. Nurses who work nights and weekends are paid more, as are advanced practice nurses, such as midwives.

Parkland officials say their salaries, while not the highest, remain competitive in the market, and they don't believe that nurses leave the county hospital simply for higher pay.

"Some people need to leave at some point and see what it's like outside Parkland," Ms. Jones explained. "But the thing that pulls them back is our mission. It's a sort of love-hate relationship."

According to Parkland's mission statement, it must provide high-quality, low-cost health care for the county's indigent and medically needy residents. To meet such needs, Dallas County taxpayers are contributing 40 percent of the hospital's $820 million budget this year.

But the patients who show up at Parkland put a greater burden on the staff.

"You also deal with their social issues, such as whether or not their family has a place to stay or whether they can get their medication or have transportation to the next medical appointment," said Terra Codack, a Parkland RN for almost nine years. "It's not simple medical care."

Ms. Codack said she has chosen to remain at the charity hospital because of the teamwork and family atmosphere she found in the diabetes treatment area where she works.

"I came from Canada in 1995, and I was only going to stay for two years," she said. "But this has become my second family now."

A recent survey of Parkland nurses indicates that they stay because of the academic environment. It is the primary training site of residents affiliated with the UT Southwestern Medical School, as well as a classroom for several nursing programs and emergency medical technicians.

"Part of the attraction of a teaching hospital is that it has a better learning environment than you'd get at another hospital," said Jack Holmes, a Parkland RN who recently signed a two-year contract to get specialized training.

"There's so much research done here that affects health care in the entire nation," said Howard "Jay" Freeman Jr., an RN who is four months into a critical care internship. "I'm really impressed with this hospital."

Wealth of experience

The ability to juggle medical and sociological issues makes Parkland nurses a good catch for other hospitals. However, nurse recruiters deny targeting the county hospital's professional staff.

"We don't try to recruit or steal employees from the other hospitals," insisted Michele Bishop-Howard, a Centennial recruiter who worked at Parkland until a year ago.

But she does keep a lookout for former co-workers who apply for jobs at the Tenet-owned hospital.

"Parkland employees typically are very experienced because they see such a volume of patients in such a short time," she said.

Part of Ms. Bishop-Howard's recruiting pitch focuses on Centennial's newness and the cutting-edge medical equipment available for the staff.

"Having the latest and greatest equipment is a good draw," she said.

By comparison, Parkland's main building is more than 50 years old, and some of its medical equipment is quite old, said staff members. But many of them are quick to defend the hospital's condition.

"I thought when I came here that there wasn't going to be enough support and that things would be broken," Mr. Freeman said. "But it isn't like that."

But Parkland nurses can still find it difficult to resist job offers from hospitals willing to hand over $10,000 signing bonuses as well as gimmicks such as Volkswagen Beetle giveaways.

Methodist Medical Center Dallas gave away three such cars two years ago as a way of attracting 90 new nurses to its two Dallas facilities.

The hospital had been struggling to attract nurses and was forced to close oncology beds in the late 1990s because it lacked the required nurses.

"We met experienced and student nurses who didn't know where Methodist was," said Joann Arias, director of employee relations and recruitment, in explaining the need for such an unusual giveaway. "We got quite a bit of national and local attention from that campaign."

To compete today, Methodist hires fourth-year nursing students, who can practice their skills at the hospital and bond with the staff before they graduate and enter the job market. The hospital maintains a low, 4 percent vacancy rate for nurses.

The movement of local nurses from hospital to hospital can cause unexpected vacancies that interrupt patient care, the nursing recruiters agreed.

"There are nurses who know that because of the shortage, they can name their price and some hospital will pay," said Fiona Macleod Butts, director of workforce strategy for Baylor Health Care System.

"We see our nurses leave to go to Parkland and other hospitals for money, an easy commute and all sorts of reasons," she said. "But a large percentage of Baylor nurses would never leave."

At Parkland, last year's nursing turnover forced the hospital to set up a nursing pool to handle unexpected vacancies. Most of the fill-in nurses are part-timers willing to take last-minute assignments for higher hourly pay.

"Their hours are flexible, but they also don't get other benefits," said Ms. Jones, the hospital's interim chief nursing officer, of the up to $38.50 hourly rate for pool nurses.

So far, 95 nurses have joined Parkland's pool. If the hospital's nursing shortage continues, the number could double.

"We'll have to do something to keep the hospital staffed," Ms. Jones said.

[TexasStooge]

Food-stamp effort caught in red tape

Texas-U.S. dispute over plan may leave some with no aid for weeks

By ROBERT DODGE / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – A behind-the-scenes bureaucratic rift between Texas and Bush administration officials could deny some of the state's neediest residents weeks' worth of food-stamp benefits.

The dispute involves the state's plan to encourage tens of thousands of Texans to use call-in centers to apply for food stamps, starting with a pilot program next month. At issue is the date when applicants are eligible to start receiving benefits: Is it when they call in or the date they signed an application form?

Unless officials in Austin and Washington resolve their differences, advocates for the poor said, many of the 2.5 million Texas food stamp beneficiaries eventually could lose one to three weeks of benefits at a time when they are running out of food and money.

Moreover, federal officials appear willing to resolve the situation if the state applies for a waiver to rules governing eligibility. But the state won't do so because officials fear getting caught up in more federal mandates.

"We cannot figure it out," said Stacy Dean, director of food stamp policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal advocacy group in Washington. "We feel the state is forgoing food assistance for needy families."

Blazing new trails

The standoff comes as Texas is preparing to privatize the application process for social services. The state hopes to save money by closing many of its walk-in offices and to make the food-stamp, Medicaid, children's health and welfare systems more modern and convenient by using a private vendor to communicate with beneficiaries by phone, fax and the Internet.

But it's something Congress did not envision when it enacted the Food Stamp Act in 1977.

Officials at the Texas Health and Human Services Agency argue that the effective date to receive food stamps should be the date that applicants call on the phone. That means benefits would be granted from the date an applicant called, rather than starting after they sign and return an application mailed to them.

But their counterparts at the Agriculture Department say the food stamp law does not allow call-in applications, only those signed by beneficiaries.

Even so, federal officials said they applaud Texas for its innovative program and would grant the state a waiver and allow the call-in effective date. All state officials had to do was file an application for the waiver – a simple, 15-question form.

The department's Food and Nutrition Service "supports alternative approaches to delivering Food Stamp Program benefits that offer the potential for improving access to nutrition assistance and increasing program participation of low-income households," William Ludwig, the service's regional director, wrote to Texas officials in a Nov. 7 letter.

"The Texas project is designed to meet these goals," Mr. Ludwig added.

But Texas officials say they don't need the waiver. In a Nov. 10 reply, Texas Social Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins told Mr. Ludwig the state had the legal authority to deem the call-in date effective for receiving benefits.

"We must respectfully but steadfastly disagree ... with the conditions specified in your letter," Mr. Hawkins wrote. "We believe these conditions are both unnecessary and inappropriate."

Jennifer Harris, a spokeswoman for the commissioner, said Texas officials do not want to apply for the waiver because it might allow the Agriculture Department to impose other restrictions later. She could not specify what those restrictions might be.

"Our concern is exactly what the waiver specifications would be," said Ms. Harris, who added that Texas and federal officials are still discussing the issue. "We went to great lengths in developing this plan to make sure we were in compliance with various federal laws."

U.S. Agriculture Department officials could not be reached for comment.

Federal officials have promised an initial $23 million to help get the program running. And they pledged more as Texas gradually rolls out the call-in centers to the rest of the state but insists they will have a strong oversight role.

"This new system marks a dramatically new approach to the delivery of critical social services to qualified Texans, and it is incumbent upon us as partners to make certain that it truly serves the needs of our client population in an efficient and effective manner," Mr. Ludwig said in his letter.

Pilot program to start

For now, when Texas starts its pilot program in Austin and San Marcos next month, it will allow food-stamp applicants to use its call centers to inquire about benefits. But food stamps will not be available to beneficiaries until the date they sign a written application.

The pilot program area accounts for only about 3 percent of the state's food-stamp recipients, and only a small number of applicants would be affected.

But advocates for the poor worry the glitch could become a permanent feature of the state's food-stamp program. And because there is considerable turnover as beneficiaries enter and leave the program, they said over time many of the state's poorest residents could lose benefits at a time of desperation.

"This is a decision to cut benefits for tens of thousands of needy Texans who apply for food stamps each month," said Celia Hagert, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities in Austin.

The state receives about 80,000 food-stamp applications each month and approves about 28,000. Ms. Hagert estimated that eventually about 11,000 would use the call-in process each month.

The food-stamp law requires states to process applications within 30 days. Beneficiaries receive benefits retroactively to the date they applied.

If the call-in date were recognized, it could put food stamps in the hands of the hungry a week or more sooner. Ms. Hagert said she fears some applicants might lose two or three weeks of benefits if they assumed the call-in date was effective and delayed in signing and returning their application.

"The new system has not gotten off the ground," she said, "and we are being asked to accept a situation where 11,000 people are going to get benefit cuts."

[TexasStooge]

Police: Road rage leads to grenade threat

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8

RICHARDSON, Texas - Richardson police said they were surprised to find a grenade inside a car following a confrontation between two drivers in North Texas.

Police said one of the drivers threatened the other with the hand grenade, which wasn't the only alarming object police said they found in the car. They also confiscated additional ammunition that could have been used to create an explosive.

"As officers approached the car...they saw what appeared to be a couple of hand grenades inside the car," said Sgt. Kevin Perlich, Richardson Police Department.

Officers backed off when they discovered the explosive and called the Garland bomb squad, who pulled out three hand grenades.

Police checked the grenades and said they were real but did not have explosive material in them so they were not actively explosive, but they did find other ammunition inside the car.

"It is very serious," said Officer Joe Harn, Garland Police Department.

Police said the incident started as road rage between Kimberly Al-Hornsi, 41, and a male driver.

"She pulls out what appears to be a hand grenade, pulls the pin and starts making threatening motions like she is going to throw it at him," Harn said.

The male driver called Richardson police and they found Al-Hornsi coming out of the parking lot of the Brighter Horizon's Academy in Garland where she had just picked up her teenage daughter. Police investigated to see if Al-Hornsi made any threats while at the school.

"From what we could tell right now, there were no other threats made to anyone else other than the motorist which she had the altercation with," Perlich said. "So, no sign she was a harm or threat to anybody."

Police said they have not discovered why she had the items in her car.

[TexasStooge]

Dad: Teen attempts to steal car with baby inside

GARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A Garland soldier on leave from Iraq watched his infant take a terrifying ride when he said he saw a teen jump in his truck and take off with his child inside.

After he started his truck Tuesday afternoon, the man left his truck to grab a bag. Seconds later when he returned, he said he saw the truck driving off with the 6-month-old inside.

The man said he saw a teenager behind the wheel and chased after the truck on foot.

The teen boy stopped the truck, jumped out and he and three other teens nearby ran off.

The baby was not hurt, but Garland police said they would like to question the teens.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Grenade used in Richardson road rage case

RICHARDSON, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - Police took a woman in custody after she allegedly threatened a driver with a hand grenade during an apparent road rage incident Tuesday afternoon near Central Expressway and LBJ Freeway.

A motorist called Richardson police just before 5 p.m. to report that a driver in another car had displayed what appeared to be a grenade in a threatening manner.

"She pulls out what appears to be a hand grenade, pulls the pin and starts making threatening motions like she is going to throw it at him," said Garland police spokesman Joe Harn.

Richardson police tracked the suspect vehicle to Belt Line and Shiloh roads in Garland, where they found 41-year-old Kimberly Al Homsi coming out of the parking lot of the Brighter Horizons Academy in Garland where she had just picked up her daughter.

Officers took Al Homsi into custody at the scene, but then made a discovery that led them to request a bomb squad.

"As officers approached the car, they saw what appeared to be a couple of hand grenades inside the car," said Richardson Police Sgt. Kevin Perlich.

Harn said the bomb squad determined the devices were actual grenades, but did not contain any explosive material. However, they also found ammunition inside the vehicle.

Officer Harn said police were examining the items to determine what charges should be filed against Al Homsi, who was being held in the Richardson city jail.

Richard Abshire of The Dallas Morning News and WFAA ABC 8 contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Teen killed near Fort Worth motel

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth police said road rage may be a contributing factor in the shooting death of a teenage boy early Wednesday.

The shooting occurred outside a Motel 6 in the 6000 block of Sheridan Circle near Interstate 35W and Alta Mesa Blvd. on the city's south side.

Investigators said the 17-year-old victim, whose name was not released, was a passenger in a red Jeep Cherokee when he was mortally wounded by a single gunshot wound to the chest.

The female driver of the car, a friend of the victim, dropped the injured boy off at a nearby apartment complex. Relatives took him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they were questioning the driver of the Jeep and another person who was a passenger in the car, which appeared to be damaged. It was not immediately clear whether the damage was linked to the shooting.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Bedford woman may be abducted

IRVING, Texas - Police were searching for a North Texas woman Wednesday after she placed a disturbing phone call to her mother.

Investigators said Olivia Keith, 28, may have been abducted after going to pick up some personal property from her estranged boyfriend, 42-year-old Joseph Shield.

The Bedford woman went to meet Shield about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday at a business near Story Road and Shady Grove in Irving.

According to Irving police, Keith's mother said her daughter was hysterical when she reached her on the phone about 9 p.m. and reported she was being held against her will.

Keith has red hair and green eyes; she's five feet, seven inches tall and weighs 150 pounds. She was last seen in a red 1994 Ford Probe two-door sedan with Texas license plate P04-RGS.

Shield has brown hair and brown eyes; he is six feet tall and weighs about 230 pounds.

Anyone with information was asked to contact police.

[TexasStooge]

Clerk shot dead at Arlington gas station

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington police are investigating the overnight shooting death of a convenience store clerk.

Regmi Shekhar, 20, was killed after two suspects entered the Fina Mart in the 2000 block of East Copeland Road around 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Another clerk sought refuge in a cooler and escaped the gunfire.

Police continued the search for suspects on Wednesday morning. The Fina Mart has reopened for business.

[TexasStooge]

BREAKING NEWS: Missing Bedford woman found safe

IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A Bedford woman missing since Tuesday night was found safe Wednesday morning after Irving police issued an alert.

Investigators were concerned that Olivia Keith, 28, had been abducted after going to pick up some personal property from her estranged boyfriend, 42-year-old Joseph Shield.

A tipster told police they could be found at a house in the 1000 block of Walnut in Irving. Police said Shied was taken into custody without incident.

Police said Keith appeared to be shaken up but otherwise in good condition. She was being questioned by investigators.

Keith went to meet Shield about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday at a business near Story Road and Shady Grove in Irving.

According to Irving police, Keith's mother said her daughter was hysterical when she reached her on the phone about 9 p.m. and reported she was being held against her will.

Police were preparing to book and process shield in connection with the suspected abduction.

[TexasStooge]

Dallas police chase ends in accident

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A police chase in Far North Dallas Wednesday afternoon ended in an accident that left one suspect injured and damaged three vehicles, including a police car.

The wreck happened around 12:20 p.m. on TI Boulevard under the LBJ Freeway overpass. Dallas Police Sgt. Gil Cerda said a police cruiser exiting eastbound LBJ to assist in the chase hit a stolen car other officers were pursuing, causing the car to lose control, graze another vehicle and flip over.

One suspect, a woman who was driving the stolen vehicle, was taken to Parkland Hospital with unspecified injuries. Her name and condition were not available.

Sgt. Cerda said around noon, deployment officers began following the stolen vehicle, which they spotted at a motel off LBJ Freeway and Forest Lane. The female driver and a male passenger sped up once they noticed the officers, and other marked police units were added to assist in the chase.

The pursuit continued at a high rate of speed east along LBJ Freeway and then north on North Central Expressway, before the suspect exited on Spring Valley Road.

Sgt. Cerda said the male passenger somehow exited the vehicle shortly before the chase ended, and was taken into custody by officers.

The police cruiser that hit the suspect’s vehicle caught fire upon impact, but the officer who was driving the cruiser and the driver of the other involved vehicle were not injured, Sgt. Cerda said.

WFAA-TV's Rebecca Lopez contributed to this report.

Live Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse

[TexasStooge]

BREAKING NEWS

IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/Traffic Pulse Networks) - A multiple vehicle wreck has shut down westbound Airport Expressway near Texas Stadium in Irving. Traffic is backed up for several miles behind the wreck at Grauwyler Rd.

Live Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse

[TexasStooge]

Clues in Arlington clerk slaying

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

ARLINGTON, Texas — Police have released video taken during a hold-up at an Arlington convenience store last night which resulted in the killing of a 20-year-old clerk.

Regmi Shekhar, a Fort Worth student who was working to save money for college, was gunned down after two suspects entered the FinaMart in the 2000 block of East Copeland Road around 11 p.m.—just one hour before the store was scheduled to close for the night.

Another clerk sought refuge in a cooler and escaped the gunfire.

Shekhar had only been working at the store for about two months.

Police have released the surveillance camera video in the hope that the public will come forward with information.

The FinaMart reopened for business at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

"I feel bad for the family," said Molly Smith, a customer. "We've just got to be careful."

In October, 19-year-old Anthony Flanery was shot and killed while working alone as a clerk at a 7-Eleven store in Lancaster. Three men were arrested in connection with the crime.

Last month, a would-be robber was shot and wounded as he attempted to hold up a Shell convenience store at Camp Wisdom Road and Interstate 35E in Dallas.

[TexasStooge]

Suspect photos released in Arlington clerk's death

ARLINGTON, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - Arlington police were searching Wednesday for two suspects involved in the shooting death of a convenience store clerk.

Shekhar Regmi, 20, of Irving was shot in the head around 11 p.m. Tuesday, at a Fina Mart in the 2000 block of East Copeland Road, police said. A second clerk hid in a cooler and was not injured.

Two armed men entered the store and pulled Regmi from a back storage room and led him to the front of the store, spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said in a news release.

One of the men shot the clerk in the head when the cash register would not open, Gilfour said.

Regmi, a Fort Worth student working to save money for college, had only been working at the store for about two months.

"I feel bad for the family," said Molly Smith, a customer. "We've just got to be careful."

Police are asking anyone with information to contact them at 817-459-5667.

Kimberly Durnan of DallasNews.com and Cynthia Vega of WFAA ABC 8 contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Barton unhappy with drilling vote's outcome in Senate

By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News

ARLINGTON, Texas - Rep Joe Barton, R-Ennis, said during a press conference Wednesday that he was disappointed with the Senate’s inability to cut off a threatened filibuster on oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The measure, which was attached to a military funding bill, had already been approved by the House of Representatives. The vote in the Senate was four shy of the 60 needed to end debate and call a vote.

“I was hoping I could congratulate the Senate on following the House’s lead,” said Mr. Barton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “We don’t see too many classic filibusters on the Senate floor these days, but this could be one of those.”

Mr. Barton said that opening the Alaskan wilderness area to drilling is critical to America’s efforts to supply more of its own energy. He said that some have estimated that drilling in ANWR could provide as much oil as the U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia.

Critics have said that drilling in that area could damage the environment and would not make a significant dent in the county’s need for foreign oil.

This was Mr. Barton’s first press conference since his release from the hospital Sunday. The 56-year-old suffered a heart attack a week ago in Washington D.C., but he said he’s fine now.

“If I behave myself, lose a little weight and stop eating chicken fried steak, I’ll be good to go,” Mr. Barton said.

[TexasStooge]

Man dies after van plows into shopping center

By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas Fire-Rescue said a male driver died and several businesses caught fire after his minivan plowed into a store around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Preston Royal Shopping Center in North Dallas.

Witness David Andrews said he saw the van crash after it bounced off a flower pot at the shopping center and drove into the front of the stores.

"It went all the way to the back of the building and stopped," he said.

The witness said he and another man ran to see if the driver was okay and attempted to open the doors of the car but they were locked and the vehicle caught fire.

Authorities said they believe he died from apparent burns and smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire and were now working on getting the victim and the vehicle out of the building.

[TexasStooge]

Mom allegedly steals nearly $58,000 from PTA

By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - A North Dallas mother is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from Haggar Elementary's Parent Teacher Association.

Elizabeth Payne, who was the former treasurer of the association, allegedly wrote nearly $60,000 in forged checks and the PTA's coffers are now just about empty.

While Haggar Elementary's students set out on Christmas break, many parents were faced with the scandal.

"Quite frankly, it's been completely devastating to our PTA," said Missy Slavin, Haggar Elementary's PTA president.

In a lawsuit filed by the PTA, the group claimed Payne wrote at least 59 checks to herself and then cashed or deposited them in her own account.

"As the checks come back, if you were to just look at the checks they look ordinary because there are two signatures, except the second signature on the check is not a legitimate signature" said Robert Tobey, Haggar Elementary's PTA attorney and parent.

Tobey said they were forged in a total amount a little under $58,000.

"We have nothing in the bank right now and we are relying on the generosity of the parents and our community," Slavin said. " This has put many of the group's education projects, student dances and teacher supply initiatives at risk."

Haggar PTA wasn't the only parent teacher group to face similar problems.

A former Royse City PTA treasurer, Martha Patterson, pleaded guilty to stealing $15,000 from her group. Also a former Rowlett PTA treasurer, Amy Nolen, was charged with stealing $21,000.

"You've got to look at it as a business," Tobey said. "You have to have checks and balances, and you've got to have accounting controls in place or this kind of situation can happen."

Dallas police detectives are investigating, but so far no criminal charges have been filed against Payne.