Love Field 'should be closed to commercial flights'
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- A group representing corporate travelers is siding with American Airlines in a dispute over passenger service in Dallas.
The Business Travel Coalition concludes that Dallas Love Field should be closed to commercial flights.
Southwest Airlines is pushing for authority to expand long flights to and from Love, which is now under federal flight restrictions.
The business group says that lifting the restrictions would result in fewer flights and poorer service from many cities to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Southwest officials are renewing threats to move the low-cost airline's headquarters from Dallas if Love Field is closed to commercial traffic. Instead, the airline wants Congress to repeal a 1979 law called the Wright Amendment, which restricts long flights to and from Love Field.
News from the Lone Star State
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TexasStooge
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'Rolling boom' is boon for Texas housing
By JACKIE HYLAND / WFAA ABC 8
When homes get a little too pricey, homebuyers start looking elsewhere. At least that's the theory behind a new housing trend called the "rolling boom."
It's a trend that's good news for Texas—and particularly for North Texas.
"This is a house in North Dallas: 5,668 square feet; 6 bedrooms, 6 baths; junior Olympic sized pool; outstanding."
That's how Realtor Steven Shipler described a dream house he sold in less than 30 days to a California couple.
"It was like kids in a candy store, really," he said. "They were surprised and shocked."
Shipler said the couple had sold their property in California and had enough equity to literally pay cash for a million dollar house.
California, on average, loses about 100,000 residents a year to states like Texas. The effect is what some experts call a "rolling boom."
It works like this:
• High prices force homebuyers to move to the suburbs, smaller towns, or across state lines.
• That brings growth to cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Jacksonville and Portland, where the cost of living is much more reasonable.
"It's absolutely incredible," Shipler said. "There's been a a lot of relocations, a substantial amount; not only from the Internet, but a lot from our real estate advertising in that area, and it's just been incredible."
In 2005 alone, the United States added three million people to its population. Did you know that more than half of that growth took place in Texas?
In fact, a thousand new people move to the Lone Star State every day, which is impressive if you consider this:
"The Texas market is somewhat of a secret still," Shipler said. "We've just tracked the trend and that trend has gone from California—the L.A. area—through Phoenix, through that market, on over to the Dallas area, and it's a huge secret."
If you're wondering how state populations will change in the coming year, that remains to be seen, but experts expect the rolling boom to continue.
Affordability will always play a large part in where people decide to live, but it's not the only factor. Job opportunities, lifestyle and culture also factor in.
By JACKIE HYLAND / WFAA ABC 8
When homes get a little too pricey, homebuyers start looking elsewhere. At least that's the theory behind a new housing trend called the "rolling boom."
It's a trend that's good news for Texas—and particularly for North Texas.
"This is a house in North Dallas: 5,668 square feet; 6 bedrooms, 6 baths; junior Olympic sized pool; outstanding."
That's how Realtor Steven Shipler described a dream house he sold in less than 30 days to a California couple.
"It was like kids in a candy store, really," he said. "They were surprised and shocked."
Shipler said the couple had sold their property in California and had enough equity to literally pay cash for a million dollar house.
California, on average, loses about 100,000 residents a year to states like Texas. The effect is what some experts call a "rolling boom."
It works like this:
• High prices force homebuyers to move to the suburbs, smaller towns, or across state lines.
• That brings growth to cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Phoenix, Jacksonville and Portland, where the cost of living is much more reasonable.
"It's absolutely incredible," Shipler said. "There's been a a lot of relocations, a substantial amount; not only from the Internet, but a lot from our real estate advertising in that area, and it's just been incredible."
In 2005 alone, the United States added three million people to its population. Did you know that more than half of that growth took place in Texas?
In fact, a thousand new people move to the Lone Star State every day, which is impressive if you consider this:
"The Texas market is somewhat of a secret still," Shipler said. "We've just tracked the trend and that trend has gone from California—the L.A. area—through Phoenix, through that market, on over to the Dallas area, and it's a huge secret."
If you're wondering how state populations will change in the coming year, that remains to be seen, but experts expect the rolling boom to continue.
Affordability will always play a large part in where people decide to live, but it's not the only factor. Job opportunities, lifestyle and culture also factor in.
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Body found in ditch near speedway
FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Police are investigating the death of a man found early Monday in a ditch near the Texas Motor Speedway.
Fort Worth police Sgt. Rodney Bangs said officers were dispatched around 5:30 a.m. to a ditch in the 15600 block of Interstate 35W. A man pulling a recreational vehicle stopped along the highway to adjust the RV's load, saw the body and alerted police.
Bangs said officers initially believed the dead man, whose name has not been released, was a hit-and-run victim. However, police now think he may have been sleeping and another vehicle rolled over him, or he might have died sometime overnight.
Police received reports that the victim was known by others who had come to the speedway to attend weekend races.
Detectives from the department's homicide unit have also been assigned to the case, Bangs said.
WFAA-TV reporter Karin Kelly contributed to this report.
FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Police are investigating the death of a man found early Monday in a ditch near the Texas Motor Speedway.
Fort Worth police Sgt. Rodney Bangs said officers were dispatched around 5:30 a.m. to a ditch in the 15600 block of Interstate 35W. A man pulling a recreational vehicle stopped along the highway to adjust the RV's load, saw the body and alerted police.
Bangs said officers initially believed the dead man, whose name has not been released, was a hit-and-run victim. However, police now think he may have been sleeping and another vehicle rolled over him, or he might have died sometime overnight.
Police received reports that the victim was known by others who had come to the speedway to attend weekend races.
Detectives from the department's homicide unit have also been assigned to the case, Bangs said.
WFAA-TV reporter Karin Kelly contributed to this report.
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English, Spanish, Polish during Sherman crash trial
By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
SHERMAN, Texas - Spanish, Polish and English simultaneously filled the courtroom, relating testimony in the Grayson County courtroom last week.
Two court interpreters worked side by side as testimony was translated to Polish for the immigrant truck driver on trial for killing 10 people, and the two survivors testified in Spanish about the fiery Sherman crash.
Communities and their diversity continue growing across the area. So do the number of interpreters needed to make sure everyone – no matter their native tongue – gets a fair chance in the criminal justice system.
"I have definitely noticed that the need is higher. There are more and more immigrants coming in. But not just in Dallas. I have noticed an increase in Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties," said Access Language Center President Gerda Stendell, whose Richardson business provides interpreters to courts across the area.
With that growing need comes an increased cost to counties, which are required by state and federal law to provide an interpreter to people unable to understand or speak English.
Collin County paid about $138,119 to court interpreters in 2005 based on payments to the seven interpreting agencies regularly used by the county. That's more than a $32,000 increase over the previous year.
Denton County saw a steady increase in court translator costs until 2001, when the numbers jumped after the state required that court interpreters be licensed in counties with more than 50,000 residents, said Denton County auditor James Wells.
In 2001, Denton county paid about $39,000 to court translators. Last year, it paid $106,000 for the service, Mr. Wells said. But he points out that in the county's $135 million budget, that increase has a minimal impact.
Judge John Barry of Collin County Court at Law No. 3 said the push for interpreters is apparent.
"As our county grows, we do have the occasion to use more interpreting than in the past," Judge Barry said. "Spanish is the most common. But we have seen Vietnamese, Chinese, Farsi and Korean," indicating that languages from Asian countries closely follow Spanish in Collin County.
Ms. Stendell – whose company started contracting with Dallas County in April 2005 – said that Dallas has more requests for Hindi interpreters, because of their larger Indian community. There are also regular requests for Vietnamese, Korean and Arabic translators. But she said Spanish is by far the most requested.
The Sherman case was unique, requiring multiple languages translated in court at once.
Maria Szumanski was the Polish court interpreter for the truck driver during his plea and sentencing hearings.
Dr. Szumanski is not a licensed court interpreter but has worked as a Polish medical interpreter, in which she said the goal is to promote the understanding between patient and doctor.
"In court, the goal is fairness. The ideal of court interpretation is that everybody should have the same chances," said Dr. Szumanski, whose doctorate is in biochemistry and nutrition. "And I work like a transformer from one language to the other."
Christopher Milner, chief of the special crimes division for the Collin County district attorney's office, said the capabilities of the interpreter factors into whether a trial runs smoothly.
"A superb simultaneous interpreter is a joy to work with. And anyone less than superb is a pain in the butt to work with," Mr. Milner said.
"I'm reasonably fluent in Spanish. And so I'm always extremely critical of simultaneous English-Spanish interpretation. I don't hesitate to object" when there is an improper translation, he said.
Ron Wood, who lost his mother, sister and three nephews in the Sherman crash, sat through the truck driver's plea and sentencing hearing and said that he wasn't bothered by the interpreters.
"It was kind of like the United Nations ... but I thought it was all done very professionally," he said. So much so, that he asked Dr. Szumanski to translate a short phrase into Polish, so he could speak directly to the truck driver during his victim impact statement at the end of the hearing that sentenced the driver to 10 years in prison for causing the accident.
In Polish, he said: "Though it will be very difficult ... in my life I will try to find it in my heart to forgive you."
Afterward Mr. Wood said, "I wanted it to have an impact. I wanted to communicate with him directly."
By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News
SHERMAN, Texas - Spanish, Polish and English simultaneously filled the courtroom, relating testimony in the Grayson County courtroom last week.
Two court interpreters worked side by side as testimony was translated to Polish for the immigrant truck driver on trial for killing 10 people, and the two survivors testified in Spanish about the fiery Sherman crash.
Communities and their diversity continue growing across the area. So do the number of interpreters needed to make sure everyone – no matter their native tongue – gets a fair chance in the criminal justice system.
"I have definitely noticed that the need is higher. There are more and more immigrants coming in. But not just in Dallas. I have noticed an increase in Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties," said Access Language Center President Gerda Stendell, whose Richardson business provides interpreters to courts across the area.
With that growing need comes an increased cost to counties, which are required by state and federal law to provide an interpreter to people unable to understand or speak English.
Collin County paid about $138,119 to court interpreters in 2005 based on payments to the seven interpreting agencies regularly used by the county. That's more than a $32,000 increase over the previous year.
Denton County saw a steady increase in court translator costs until 2001, when the numbers jumped after the state required that court interpreters be licensed in counties with more than 50,000 residents, said Denton County auditor James Wells.
In 2001, Denton county paid about $39,000 to court translators. Last year, it paid $106,000 for the service, Mr. Wells said. But he points out that in the county's $135 million budget, that increase has a minimal impact.
Judge John Barry of Collin County Court at Law No. 3 said the push for interpreters is apparent.
"As our county grows, we do have the occasion to use more interpreting than in the past," Judge Barry said. "Spanish is the most common. But we have seen Vietnamese, Chinese, Farsi and Korean," indicating that languages from Asian countries closely follow Spanish in Collin County.
Ms. Stendell – whose company started contracting with Dallas County in April 2005 – said that Dallas has more requests for Hindi interpreters, because of their larger Indian community. There are also regular requests for Vietnamese, Korean and Arabic translators. But she said Spanish is by far the most requested.
The Sherman case was unique, requiring multiple languages translated in court at once.
Maria Szumanski was the Polish court interpreter for the truck driver during his plea and sentencing hearings.
Dr. Szumanski is not a licensed court interpreter but has worked as a Polish medical interpreter, in which she said the goal is to promote the understanding between patient and doctor.
"In court, the goal is fairness. The ideal of court interpretation is that everybody should have the same chances," said Dr. Szumanski, whose doctorate is in biochemistry and nutrition. "And I work like a transformer from one language to the other."
Christopher Milner, chief of the special crimes division for the Collin County district attorney's office, said the capabilities of the interpreter factors into whether a trial runs smoothly.
"A superb simultaneous interpreter is a joy to work with. And anyone less than superb is a pain in the butt to work with," Mr. Milner said.
"I'm reasonably fluent in Spanish. And so I'm always extremely critical of simultaneous English-Spanish interpretation. I don't hesitate to object" when there is an improper translation, he said.
Ron Wood, who lost his mother, sister and three nephews in the Sherman crash, sat through the truck driver's plea and sentencing hearing and said that he wasn't bothered by the interpreters.
"It was kind of like the United Nations ... but I thought it was all done very professionally," he said. So much so, that he asked Dr. Szumanski to translate a short phrase into Polish, so he could speak directly to the truck driver during his victim impact statement at the end of the hearing that sentenced the driver to 10 years in prison for causing the accident.
In Polish, he said: "Though it will be very difficult ... in my life I will try to find it in my heart to forgive you."
Afterward Mr. Wood said, "I wanted it to have an impact. I wanted to communicate with him directly."
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Homeless numbers fall 3.3%
Dallas County: Drop in annual count is 26% among longtime street residents with mental, physical disabilities
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The number of people sleeping in homeless shelters and on the streets in Dallas County decreased 3.3 percent from a year ago, to 5,704, according to a new count being released today.
The drop was much sharper for longtime homeless people with mental or physical disabilities, who are considered chronically homeless. That number fell 26 percent, to 733, according to the annual count by the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance and the city of Dallas.
Dallas homeless czar Mike Rawlings said the findings indicate that the city is making progress in its efforts to address homelessness. He said housing for 100 homeless people has opened within the last two years and more units are in the works. The city plans to open a 24-hour homeless assistance center in 2008.
“I think we’re seeing some symptoms that we’re heading in the right direction,” he said, adding that more work is needed. “This is a long journey.”
But James Waghorne, president of the Dallas Homeless Neighborhood Association, and others say that the one-night count missed many of the homeless.
They say the population is much larger than the survey suggests.
“This is the most inadequate way to count the homeless population,” he said.
Teams of volunteers fanned out across the city on Jan. 23. Mr. Waghorne said many of the homeless hid when surveyors arrived escorted by police.
In previous years, some encampments were bulldozed after being identified during the survey, creating distrust among the homeless, he said.
A 42-year-old woman who lives under Interstate 45 south of downtown said she was not counted. After seeing the numbers of people under the bridge grow, she does not believe that the homeless population is shrinking.
“It means more people are not being accounted for,” said the woman, who did not want her name used. “There’s people who went underground.”
But volunteers did count her neighbor at the camp, Bunny Thorpe, who lives with her 4-week-old puppy, Money, in a tidy tent decorated with stuffed animals.
Ms. Thorpe said she too has seen a population increase in the camps — echoing recent comments by city officials and homeless advocates after the city’s Day Resource Center stopped allowing overnight guests.
She said she hopes the findings lead to more help for the homeless.
“They need more jobs,” she said. “There aren’t enough.”
Cindy Honey, executive director of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, said organizers know that some of the homeless disappeared on the night of the count. But she said the results still show a legitimate reduction in chronic homelessness.
Ms. Honey said the results are encouraging after years of increases in the homeless population.
“We really seemed to have reached a point where we are seeing some light,” she said. “We have slowed it down.”
The census is one of two ways the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department measures the difficult-to-count homeless population. In addition to the one-night count, many — but not all — social services enter homeless clients into a database that had 9,124 unduplicated names in January.
The census helps determine how much federal aid and what kind of programs are needed. Housing was cited as the top need among homeless people surveyed.
“That’s their No. 1 request — they want to get off the streets,” Ms. Honey said. “That goes against this feeling that they’re hobos or too lazy.”
Other findings:
Despite initial concerns that displaced Hurricane Katrina evacuees would add to the city’s homeless population, the count found 28. Nine of those had been homeless before the storm.
Women and children made up a larger portion of the overall homeless population than in the previous year, at 53 percent. The actual number of homeless women and children increased, while the number of men decreased.
The number of homeless people from 50 to 59 years of age grew 5 percent from the previous year. The number of people from 40 and 49 decreased 5 percent. Ms. Honey said the finding signals a need for elder care programs for an aging homeless population.
_____________________________________________________________
By the numbers
Along with a drop in overall homelessness in Dallas County, officials reported a drop in chronic homelessness — those who have been on the streets long term and are disabled.
Chronic homeless
2006 — 733
2005 — 997
_______________________
Breaking down the count:
22 percent were children
52 percent were black
32 percent were 50 or older
17 percent of the children were Hispanic, while only 8 percent of adults were Hispanic
44 percent named unemployment as the No. 1 reason for being homeless
32 percent said they were homeless because of domestic abuse or family problems
27 percent said substance abuse led to homelessness. (Officials believe the numbers are much higher than what people self-report.)
23 percent said they were homeless because of mental illness. (Officials believe the actual numbers are much higher.)
48 percent of the homeless were in the Dallas Police Department’s central district.
NOTE: Participants could check multiple reasons for being homeless.
SOURCE: Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance
Dallas County: Drop in annual count is 26% among longtime street residents with mental, physical disabilities
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The number of people sleeping in homeless shelters and on the streets in Dallas County decreased 3.3 percent from a year ago, to 5,704, according to a new count being released today.
The drop was much sharper for longtime homeless people with mental or physical disabilities, who are considered chronically homeless. That number fell 26 percent, to 733, according to the annual count by the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance and the city of Dallas.
Dallas homeless czar Mike Rawlings said the findings indicate that the city is making progress in its efforts to address homelessness. He said housing for 100 homeless people has opened within the last two years and more units are in the works. The city plans to open a 24-hour homeless assistance center in 2008.
“I think we’re seeing some symptoms that we’re heading in the right direction,” he said, adding that more work is needed. “This is a long journey.”
But James Waghorne, president of the Dallas Homeless Neighborhood Association, and others say that the one-night count missed many of the homeless.
They say the population is much larger than the survey suggests.
“This is the most inadequate way to count the homeless population,” he said.
Teams of volunteers fanned out across the city on Jan. 23. Mr. Waghorne said many of the homeless hid when surveyors arrived escorted by police.
In previous years, some encampments were bulldozed after being identified during the survey, creating distrust among the homeless, he said.
A 42-year-old woman who lives under Interstate 45 south of downtown said she was not counted. After seeing the numbers of people under the bridge grow, she does not believe that the homeless population is shrinking.
“It means more people are not being accounted for,” said the woman, who did not want her name used. “There’s people who went underground.”
But volunteers did count her neighbor at the camp, Bunny Thorpe, who lives with her 4-week-old puppy, Money, in a tidy tent decorated with stuffed animals.
Ms. Thorpe said she too has seen a population increase in the camps — echoing recent comments by city officials and homeless advocates after the city’s Day Resource Center stopped allowing overnight guests.
She said she hopes the findings lead to more help for the homeless.
“They need more jobs,” she said. “There aren’t enough.”
Cindy Honey, executive director of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, said organizers know that some of the homeless disappeared on the night of the count. But she said the results still show a legitimate reduction in chronic homelessness.
Ms. Honey said the results are encouraging after years of increases in the homeless population.
“We really seemed to have reached a point where we are seeing some light,” she said. “We have slowed it down.”
The census is one of two ways the U.S. Housing and Urban Development department measures the difficult-to-count homeless population. In addition to the one-night count, many — but not all — social services enter homeless clients into a database that had 9,124 unduplicated names in January.
The census helps determine how much federal aid and what kind of programs are needed. Housing was cited as the top need among homeless people surveyed.
“That’s their No. 1 request — they want to get off the streets,” Ms. Honey said. “That goes against this feeling that they’re hobos or too lazy.”
Other findings:
Despite initial concerns that displaced Hurricane Katrina evacuees would add to the city’s homeless population, the count found 28. Nine of those had been homeless before the storm.
Women and children made up a larger portion of the overall homeless population than in the previous year, at 53 percent. The actual number of homeless women and children increased, while the number of men decreased.
The number of homeless people from 50 to 59 years of age grew 5 percent from the previous year. The number of people from 40 and 49 decreased 5 percent. Ms. Honey said the finding signals a need for elder care programs for an aging homeless population.
_____________________________________________________________
By the numbers
Along with a drop in overall homelessness in Dallas County, officials reported a drop in chronic homelessness — those who have been on the streets long term and are disabled.
Chronic homeless
2006 — 733
2005 — 997
_______________________
Breaking down the count:
22 percent were children
52 percent were black
32 percent were 50 or older
17 percent of the children were Hispanic, while only 8 percent of adults were Hispanic
44 percent named unemployment as the No. 1 reason for being homeless
32 percent said they were homeless because of domestic abuse or family problems
27 percent said substance abuse led to homelessness. (Officials believe the numbers are much higher than what people self-report.)
23 percent said they were homeless because of mental illness. (Officials believe the actual numbers are much higher.)
48 percent of the homeless were in the Dallas Police Department’s central district.
NOTE: Participants could check multiple reasons for being homeless.
SOURCE: Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance
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Royse City superintendent placed on leave
By LaKISHA LADSON / The Dallas Morning News
ROYSE CITY, Texas - The Royse City school board placed Superintendent Mike Harris on paid leave Monday while police investigate the disappearance of gasoline from the district's tank.
School board President Bobby Summers wouldn’t discuss details of the investigation, but in a press release, the district said the move was a precaution and not an indication that the board had made a particular determination.
On the advice of attorney Keith Wheeler, Mr. Harris said only that he was innocent and that the investigation would take care of itself.
The vote to place Mr. Harris on leave immediately was unanimous. The board named chief financial officer Jimmy Butler acting superintendent.
By LaKISHA LADSON / The Dallas Morning News
ROYSE CITY, Texas - The Royse City school board placed Superintendent Mike Harris on paid leave Monday while police investigate the disappearance of gasoline from the district's tank.
School board President Bobby Summers wouldn’t discuss details of the investigation, but in a press release, the district said the move was a precaution and not an indication that the board had made a particular determination.
On the advice of attorney Keith Wheeler, Mr. Harris said only that he was innocent and that the investigation would take care of itself.
The vote to place Mr. Harris on leave immediately was unanimous. The board named chief financial officer Jimmy Butler acting superintendent.
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Man dies in Grand Prairie store fire
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Fire crews found a man dead inside a burning Grand Prairie convenience store Monday morning, officials said.
Grand Prairie fire Lt. Allen McCollum said firefighters arrived about 8:40 a.m. to find smoke curling from the roof of Benny's Ice House in the 2600 block of East Pioneer Parkway at South Great Southwest Parkway.
The blaze went to two alarms as crews struggled to reach flames between an inner and outer roof. McCollum said they were able to keep the structure from collapsing, and it has now been designated a crime scene due to the body inside.
"They are trying to preserve as much of the scene as possible because of the investigation," he said.
McCollum said no cause of death had been determined. The fire also remains under investigation, and a cause and damage estimate are unknown.
The store was not scheduled to open until 10 a.m. It had a security system, but no alarm was reported in the hours before the fire began, he said.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Fire crews found a man dead inside a burning Grand Prairie convenience store Monday morning, officials said.
Grand Prairie fire Lt. Allen McCollum said firefighters arrived about 8:40 a.m. to find smoke curling from the roof of Benny's Ice House in the 2600 block of East Pioneer Parkway at South Great Southwest Parkway.
The blaze went to two alarms as crews struggled to reach flames between an inner and outer roof. McCollum said they were able to keep the structure from collapsing, and it has now been designated a crime scene due to the body inside.
"They are trying to preserve as much of the scene as possible because of the investigation," he said.
McCollum said no cause of death had been determined. The fire also remains under investigation, and a cause and damage estimate are unknown.
The store was not scheduled to open until 10 a.m. It had a security system, but no alarm was reported in the hours before the fire began, he said.
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Colony mom charged with dumping baby
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
THE COLONY, Texas - A North Texas woman was charged for the murder of her newborn child after cleaning crews found a six-pound baby boy in a trashcan back in October at the Texas World Speedway in College Station.
DNA tests linked the infant to a wife and mother of three from The Colony.
Many said Susan Chiniewicz was a familiar name in The Colony. The 35-year-old mother volunteered her time at the chamber of commerce at least once a week. She also used to cover city hall when she was a community newspaper reporter.
People who know her well said she was not the type of person who would intentionally harm a child.
"I'm about to cry," said Sue Walden, Chamber of Commerce volunteer. "I just can't imagine her being involved in something like that."
Brandy Moore, Chiniewicz's friend, said she had a difficult time finding words to describe her disbelief.
"It doesn't match; it doesn't match at all," she said.
However, cleaning crews discovered the body of a full term baby in a bag filled with garbage, and an autopsy revealed the infant was born alive and later suffocated.
Chiniewicz called investigators and told them she experienced heavy menstruation while attending races at the track. Police said she willingly provided them with a DNA sample, which they said confirmed she was the baby's mother.
"I just can't believe it," Moore said. "If there wasn't DNA evidence I wouldn't believe it."
Moore worked with Chiniewicz at The Colony newspaper.
"She was a great mother," she said. "That's just the biggest thing about it. She was a great mom. So, the fact that she would do this to a child would never cross my mind with her name."
Chiniewicz volunteered her time as a photographer and member of The Colony Chamber's Ambassador Club. Three years ago, the Chamber hired her to publish their newsletter.
"I saw her more than anything as a mom, you know?" said Allison Mihavics, Chamber president. "[She was] the soccer mom who's always involved."
Chiniewicz's bail was set at $3 million and she is locked up at the Brazos County Jail.
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
THE COLONY, Texas - A North Texas woman was charged for the murder of her newborn child after cleaning crews found a six-pound baby boy in a trashcan back in October at the Texas World Speedway in College Station.
DNA tests linked the infant to a wife and mother of three from The Colony.
Many said Susan Chiniewicz was a familiar name in The Colony. The 35-year-old mother volunteered her time at the chamber of commerce at least once a week. She also used to cover city hall when she was a community newspaper reporter.
People who know her well said she was not the type of person who would intentionally harm a child.
"I'm about to cry," said Sue Walden, Chamber of Commerce volunteer. "I just can't imagine her being involved in something like that."
Brandy Moore, Chiniewicz's friend, said she had a difficult time finding words to describe her disbelief.
"It doesn't match; it doesn't match at all," she said.
However, cleaning crews discovered the body of a full term baby in a bag filled with garbage, and an autopsy revealed the infant was born alive and later suffocated.
Chiniewicz called investigators and told them she experienced heavy menstruation while attending races at the track. Police said she willingly provided them with a DNA sample, which they said confirmed she was the baby's mother.
"I just can't believe it," Moore said. "If there wasn't DNA evidence I wouldn't believe it."
Moore worked with Chiniewicz at The Colony newspaper.
"She was a great mother," she said. "That's just the biggest thing about it. She was a great mom. So, the fact that she would do this to a child would never cross my mind with her name."
Chiniewicz volunteered her time as a photographer and member of The Colony Chamber's Ambassador Club. Three years ago, the Chamber hired her to publish their newsletter.
"I saw her more than anything as a mom, you know?" said Allison Mihavics, Chamber president. "[She was] the soccer mom who's always involved."
Chiniewicz's bail was set at $3 million and she is locked up at the Brazos County Jail.
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TexasStooge
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Intersection blamed after car crashes into home
By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8
HIGHLAND PARK, Texas - An unlicensed 16-year-old crashed a car into a home's library Sunday night at the intersection of Matilda and Belmont, which many residents have called a dangerous corner.
Laura DeVault said the car that plowed through the brick wall of her study around 8:30 p.m. While she was in the kitchen could have fatally struck her had she been in the study instead.
"Oh, it would have been a direct hit," she said. "It would have hit me square...It sounded like it was an explosion. The next thing I knew, there was a car in the middle of my room."
However, the wreck wasn't the first to strike the intersection near her home. She said there have been accidents at the corner of Matilda and Belmont every week.
While nobody was seriously injured in either the car or home Sunday night, residents said the two-way stop at the intersection has been a problem for some time and want to see it become a four-way stop for safety. The problem, residents said, is that people think the four-way stop is actually a two-way stop.
"Something has got to be done," DeVault said.
Police said most of the accidents are minor and never reported, but neighbors said they still feel it is unsafe.
Jennifer Sullivan is among many who requested the change a couple of years ago, but Dallas Public Works said there was not enough traffic.
"Unfortunately, sometimes a wreck like last night has to happen before people take notice of what you need," Sullivan said.
News 8 watched the intersection for several minutes, and while many cars slowed down at the stop sign, most never stopped.
Last November, Merritt Martin crashed into another car after the driver ran the stop sign. Her wrist is now held together by a steel brace.
By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8
HIGHLAND PARK, Texas - An unlicensed 16-year-old crashed a car into a home's library Sunday night at the intersection of Matilda and Belmont, which many residents have called a dangerous corner.
Laura DeVault said the car that plowed through the brick wall of her study around 8:30 p.m. While she was in the kitchen could have fatally struck her had she been in the study instead.
"Oh, it would have been a direct hit," she said. "It would have hit me square...It sounded like it was an explosion. The next thing I knew, there was a car in the middle of my room."
However, the wreck wasn't the first to strike the intersection near her home. She said there have been accidents at the corner of Matilda and Belmont every week.
While nobody was seriously injured in either the car or home Sunday night, residents said the two-way stop at the intersection has been a problem for some time and want to see it become a four-way stop for safety. The problem, residents said, is that people think the four-way stop is actually a two-way stop.
"Something has got to be done," DeVault said.
Police said most of the accidents are minor and never reported, but neighbors said they still feel it is unsafe.
Jennifer Sullivan is among many who requested the change a couple of years ago, but Dallas Public Works said there was not enough traffic.
"Unfortunately, sometimes a wreck like last night has to happen before people take notice of what you need," Sullivan said.
News 8 watched the intersection for several minutes, and while many cars slowed down at the stop sign, most never stopped.
Last November, Merritt Martin crashed into another car after the driver ran the stop sign. Her wrist is now held together by a steel brace.
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TexasStooge
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- Posts: 38127
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Date rape posters aim to spread awareness
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - While women are drugged and raped more than reported, the Dallas County sexual assault coalition is looking to bring more awareness to the problem with a campaign to warn women by putting up posters in bars and other places.
Claire Middleton said she didn't think twice about accepting a date with a young doctor she met on the internet.
"I felt completely safe," she said. "A doctor, you wouldn't think this is someone who is going to cause you harm."
But she said her date turned into a nightmare after they went out for drinks at a local club. When Middleton left to the bathroom, Rakesh Perwani slipped a pill into her drink.
"I was disoriented and my arms and legs felt heavy," she said.
Middleton said she doesn't remember much after that until she woke up naked in the doctor's apartment.
"I looked at him and said you raped me," she said.
Middleton went to police and a few months later a second victim came forward with almost the same exact story. Perwani, an intern at Methodist Hospital, was convicted of the crime.
Police said rapes like these are becoming more common. They also said it occurs mostly in the nightclub scene.
"This is as close as you get to a perfect crime because your victim has no memory," said Det. BJ Watkins, Dallas Police Department. "[The] star witness has no idea normally what happened to them."
Police said it only takes a second for someone to slip a pill into a drink.
"When you drink that drink, you got 15 minutes of consciousness," Det. Watkins said.
Middleton said she thinks the poster campaign is a great way to spread awareness and that's why she is speaking out for the first time.
"I am never going to have my life back, but at least now I can move forward," she said.
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - While women are drugged and raped more than reported, the Dallas County sexual assault coalition is looking to bring more awareness to the problem with a campaign to warn women by putting up posters in bars and other places.
Claire Middleton said she didn't think twice about accepting a date with a young doctor she met on the internet.
"I felt completely safe," she said. "A doctor, you wouldn't think this is someone who is going to cause you harm."
But she said her date turned into a nightmare after they went out for drinks at a local club. When Middleton left to the bathroom, Rakesh Perwani slipped a pill into her drink.
"I was disoriented and my arms and legs felt heavy," she said.
Middleton said she doesn't remember much after that until she woke up naked in the doctor's apartment.
"I looked at him and said you raped me," she said.
Middleton went to police and a few months later a second victim came forward with almost the same exact story. Perwani, an intern at Methodist Hospital, was convicted of the crime.
Police said rapes like these are becoming more common. They also said it occurs mostly in the nightclub scene.
"This is as close as you get to a perfect crime because your victim has no memory," said Det. BJ Watkins, Dallas Police Department. "[The] star witness has no idea normally what happened to them."
Police said it only takes a second for someone to slip a pill into a drink.
"When you drink that drink, you got 15 minutes of consciousness," Det. Watkins said.
Middleton said she thinks the poster campaign is a great way to spread awareness and that's why she is speaking out for the first time.
"I am never going to have my life back, but at least now I can move forward," she said.
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TexasStooge
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Fort Worth teen fire death shocks neighborhood
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - The garage was set up to be a fun game room but it turned into a death trap Sunday.
"It's was... absolutely horrible," said Bradi Cherry, a witness.
Neighbors watched in horror while others tried to save the three children.
"So everything just went up real quick. Got the youngest boy and the little girl out but the other boy it was too late. He was already dead before the little kids got out."
The 14-year-old victim was fairly new to the neighborhood but had quickly made friends.
"Everybody over here knew him. You always saw him," said Cherry.
While many mourn the loss thoughts are also with the girl who suffered severe burns.
"She's a great child. Her and my daughter are the very best of friends," said Betty Pratt, a family friend.
"She's very upset over the situation. She even missed school today because of it and she's just really concerned about her you know."
The third victim told neighbors the fire started after the TV sparked and exploded.
Fire investigators have yet to rule on an official cause.
Neighbors say the garage was also used for storage and that a gas can and lawn mower may have helped fan the flames.
The whole ordeal is unsettling for those in this close knit neighborhood.
"It's definitely rocked the block. Definitely," said Cherry.
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - The garage was set up to be a fun game room but it turned into a death trap Sunday.
"It's was... absolutely horrible," said Bradi Cherry, a witness.
Neighbors watched in horror while others tried to save the three children.
"So everything just went up real quick. Got the youngest boy and the little girl out but the other boy it was too late. He was already dead before the little kids got out."
The 14-year-old victim was fairly new to the neighborhood but had quickly made friends.
"Everybody over here knew him. You always saw him," said Cherry.
While many mourn the loss thoughts are also with the girl who suffered severe burns.
"She's a great child. Her and my daughter are the very best of friends," said Betty Pratt, a family friend.
"She's very upset over the situation. She even missed school today because of it and she's just really concerned about her you know."
The third victim told neighbors the fire started after the TV sparked and exploded.
Fire investigators have yet to rule on an official cause.
Neighbors say the garage was also used for storage and that a gas can and lawn mower may have helped fan the flames.
The whole ordeal is unsettling for those in this close knit neighborhood.
"It's definitely rocked the block. Definitely," said Cherry.
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TexasStooge
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School, town facing demise
By COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News
MEGARGEL, Texas – The streets are nearly empty in this dying town.
The 250 people who call Megargel home don't create much traffic. Along the main road, most of the businesses are boarded up. And the convenience store/deli only sometimes sells gas.
Megargel's school is one of the few signs of life. Rumors of its demise have been kicked around for decades, but the town has sustained the school through force of will and a willingness to deplete savings.
When the six-man football team couldn't find a sixth man, a cheerleader took the field. And when only one seventh-grader enrolled this year, the school offered one-on-one instruction.
Now, with just 63 students and a nearly empty bank account, the Megargel Independent School District is running out of money and options.
"You could see it coming, but you're just hoping that something's going to change," said principal John Robertson, who has spent the past few years trying to save his school.
Now he has the unpleasant task of persuading residents to shut it down. Not that he wants it to happen, but he sees no other good option.
Voters will decide next month whether to consolidate the district with neighboring Olney ISD – the two school boards have already agreed – and bus their children 12 miles southeast and across the county line.
Many here believe closing the school would spell Megargel's death.
More Texas towns could face such a choice soon. Legislators may discuss consolidation during the special session starting next week. And changes to school finance laws could speed the end for dozens of schools that, though struggling, remain the heartbeat of their shrinking towns.
But in Megargel, 140 miles west of Dallas, some residents aren't giving up without a fight. They vow to reject the consolidation proposal. And one student is trying to raise money to keep the school open her senior year.
Around town, everybody has a story about Megargel School – and a strong opinion about what should be done with it.
The principal
In the halls, Mr. Robertson greets each student by name. At a school this size – students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade go to class in one building – everyone knows everyone.
"You know their parents. You know the teachers. You know what the pets' names are," he said.
The family atmosphere drew Mr. Robertson to this district with the funny name. "I've just fallen in love with the small schools."
But the small class sizes are a boon and a bane. Larger districts benefit from economies of scale, and paying teachers to instruct a few students isn't cost-effective.
Megargel spends more than twice what the average Texas school allocates per student, the principal said. But a walk through the nearly 80-year-old school building, where the students sound like a herd of elephants on creaky wood floors, makes evident that the district can't afford much more than the bare essentials.
From the ancient piano in the auditorium to the aging gymnasium that bears strong resemblance to an airplane hangar, Megargel's school is from another era. The two-story brick building still has coal chutes. The gym isn't air-conditioned, and the classrooms are warmed with propane heaters.
"We don't have any extra money," Mr. Robertson said. Texas provides more per-pupil money for small districts. But a district must enroll at least 90 students to get that extra bump, so the 30 smallest districts don't qualify.
Mr. Robertson is reluctantly pushing for consolidation, planning hot dog dinners to tell residents why sending their kids to Olney is the best option.
He knows, though, that asking voters to shutter the school is a tough sell: "The school really is the center of town."
The teacher
Virginia Pribble has seen other places drop off the map without a school.
"They lose their post office. They lose their city offices," the veteran teacher said. "They become ghost towns."
She's worried most about what will happen to her students.
The one-on-one attention available at Megargel has attracted some troubled teenagers from other districts. Megargel received a rating of "academically unacceptable" from the state last year, but teachers said they're working to improve test scores and to keep struggling students in school.
Mrs. Pribble, 61, who teaches language arts, drama, speech and art, fears that some students will get lost in the crowd at a larger school – or drop out.
Here, in the modern-day equivalent of the one-room schoolhouse, her largest class has 11 students. Mrs. Pribble grew up in Oklahoma but said her heart now belongs to the school she calls "the little house on the prairie."
And if the school closes? Mrs. Pribble, who has taught here for 29 years, said she probably will just retire.
The student
Sophomore Amanda Mosley isn't sure what she'll do next year – whether she'll head to Olney or find another high school.
"I'll probably follow wherever the rest of the people go," she said.
Mention of Olney High School spurs sighs and eye rolls from Amanda and some of her friends. As of the 2004-05 school year, the Olney district had 787 students, according to Texas Education Agency records.
Off-campus lunch seems to be Olney's biggest selling point. But fast food aside, most would rather stay put.
"You don't get attention" at a bigger school, said Amanda, who is 16. "There, they've got groups. We all get along. There's no reason we should have groups."
Amanda is somewhat resigned to starting over at another school. While some are fighting consolidation, she said, "I'm not optimistic."
The activist
Heather Kellar is holding out hope.
When the 17-year-old learned her school might shut its doors before her senior year, she didn't mope. She acted.
Heather figured she needed to raise about $200,000 to keep the district in business another year. Given the size of the task, she bypassed bake sales and wrote to Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey. So far, her efforts have brought a little attention locally – but no sizable donations.
Now, she's exploring other fundraising options, including a benefit concert.
"It's all just for the love of my school," said Heather, who's in contention to be valedictorian next year.
Her class, with nine students, is the largest in the school.
Superintendent Don Berry appreciates Heather's determination. When he came to the school five years ago, he promised students and teachers, "I will do everything I can to keep it open."
But, Mr. Berry said, the school best known for having the first school band in the state no longer has enough money or students to continue: "We just can't hang on."
The mayor
Megargel Mayor Danny Fails understands why Heather doesn't want to leave the only school she's ever attended.
For the kids' sake – and the town's – he would love to see the Megargel Mustangs fight another day. But he fears a "no" vote on May 13 would only delay the inevitable.
"I don't want to close the school, but it's not going to be here long anyway," Mr. Fails said. "They might as well ... get it over with."
Mr. Fails, whose City Hall office sits among empty buildings on Cedar Street, said that despite his affinity for Megargel, the kids would be better off in a bigger district. In Olney, they could choose from a range of sports, clubs and classes.
"This will hurt Megargel," said Mr. Fails, who does plumbing work when he's not at City Hall. "But it's going to be that way with all small towns eventually."
The neighbor
Leo McWhorter remembers happier days for Megargel. Time was when the town had a grocery store, a theater, a bank, even a couple of cafes.
In more than 60 years living here, she has heard plenty of predictions about the school's demise.
"I've seen them struggle, but they always come out of it," said Mrs. McWhorter, who lives two doors down from the school.
This time is different.
But Mrs. McWhorter, who is 84, said Megargel should go down swinging. She spoke out at a town meeting earlier this year, urging residents to save their school.
Now, as she sits in her living room, she said it might be too late.
The town is withering away. And if the school closes, "there just really won't be anything for people."
Mrs. McWhorter's children have long since graduated and left town. Still, she said she "just can't hardly stand" seeing Megargel die.
"You can see it's going down, down, down," she said. "The last thing to go is the school."
By COLLEEN McCAIN NELSON / The Dallas Morning News
MEGARGEL, Texas – The streets are nearly empty in this dying town.
The 250 people who call Megargel home don't create much traffic. Along the main road, most of the businesses are boarded up. And the convenience store/deli only sometimes sells gas.
Megargel's school is one of the few signs of life. Rumors of its demise have been kicked around for decades, but the town has sustained the school through force of will and a willingness to deplete savings.
When the six-man football team couldn't find a sixth man, a cheerleader took the field. And when only one seventh-grader enrolled this year, the school offered one-on-one instruction.
Now, with just 63 students and a nearly empty bank account, the Megargel Independent School District is running out of money and options.
"You could see it coming, but you're just hoping that something's going to change," said principal John Robertson, who has spent the past few years trying to save his school.
Now he has the unpleasant task of persuading residents to shut it down. Not that he wants it to happen, but he sees no other good option.
Voters will decide next month whether to consolidate the district with neighboring Olney ISD – the two school boards have already agreed – and bus their children 12 miles southeast and across the county line.
Many here believe closing the school would spell Megargel's death.
More Texas towns could face such a choice soon. Legislators may discuss consolidation during the special session starting next week. And changes to school finance laws could speed the end for dozens of schools that, though struggling, remain the heartbeat of their shrinking towns.
But in Megargel, 140 miles west of Dallas, some residents aren't giving up without a fight. They vow to reject the consolidation proposal. And one student is trying to raise money to keep the school open her senior year.
Around town, everybody has a story about Megargel School – and a strong opinion about what should be done with it.
The principal
In the halls, Mr. Robertson greets each student by name. At a school this size – students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade go to class in one building – everyone knows everyone.
"You know their parents. You know the teachers. You know what the pets' names are," he said.
The family atmosphere drew Mr. Robertson to this district with the funny name. "I've just fallen in love with the small schools."
But the small class sizes are a boon and a bane. Larger districts benefit from economies of scale, and paying teachers to instruct a few students isn't cost-effective.
Megargel spends more than twice what the average Texas school allocates per student, the principal said. But a walk through the nearly 80-year-old school building, where the students sound like a herd of elephants on creaky wood floors, makes evident that the district can't afford much more than the bare essentials.
From the ancient piano in the auditorium to the aging gymnasium that bears strong resemblance to an airplane hangar, Megargel's school is from another era. The two-story brick building still has coal chutes. The gym isn't air-conditioned, and the classrooms are warmed with propane heaters.
"We don't have any extra money," Mr. Robertson said. Texas provides more per-pupil money for small districts. But a district must enroll at least 90 students to get that extra bump, so the 30 smallest districts don't qualify.
Mr. Robertson is reluctantly pushing for consolidation, planning hot dog dinners to tell residents why sending their kids to Olney is the best option.
He knows, though, that asking voters to shutter the school is a tough sell: "The school really is the center of town."
The teacher
Virginia Pribble has seen other places drop off the map without a school.
"They lose their post office. They lose their city offices," the veteran teacher said. "They become ghost towns."
She's worried most about what will happen to her students.
The one-on-one attention available at Megargel has attracted some troubled teenagers from other districts. Megargel received a rating of "academically unacceptable" from the state last year, but teachers said they're working to improve test scores and to keep struggling students in school.
Mrs. Pribble, 61, who teaches language arts, drama, speech and art, fears that some students will get lost in the crowd at a larger school – or drop out.
Here, in the modern-day equivalent of the one-room schoolhouse, her largest class has 11 students. Mrs. Pribble grew up in Oklahoma but said her heart now belongs to the school she calls "the little house on the prairie."
And if the school closes? Mrs. Pribble, who has taught here for 29 years, said she probably will just retire.
The student
Sophomore Amanda Mosley isn't sure what she'll do next year – whether she'll head to Olney or find another high school.
"I'll probably follow wherever the rest of the people go," she said.
Mention of Olney High School spurs sighs and eye rolls from Amanda and some of her friends. As of the 2004-05 school year, the Olney district had 787 students, according to Texas Education Agency records.
Off-campus lunch seems to be Olney's biggest selling point. But fast food aside, most would rather stay put.
"You don't get attention" at a bigger school, said Amanda, who is 16. "There, they've got groups. We all get along. There's no reason we should have groups."
Amanda is somewhat resigned to starting over at another school. While some are fighting consolidation, she said, "I'm not optimistic."
The activist
Heather Kellar is holding out hope.
When the 17-year-old learned her school might shut its doors before her senior year, she didn't mope. She acted.
Heather figured she needed to raise about $200,000 to keep the district in business another year. Given the size of the task, she bypassed bake sales and wrote to Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey. So far, her efforts have brought a little attention locally – but no sizable donations.
Now, she's exploring other fundraising options, including a benefit concert.
"It's all just for the love of my school," said Heather, who's in contention to be valedictorian next year.
Her class, with nine students, is the largest in the school.
Superintendent Don Berry appreciates Heather's determination. When he came to the school five years ago, he promised students and teachers, "I will do everything I can to keep it open."
But, Mr. Berry said, the school best known for having the first school band in the state no longer has enough money or students to continue: "We just can't hang on."
The mayor
Megargel Mayor Danny Fails understands why Heather doesn't want to leave the only school she's ever attended.
For the kids' sake – and the town's – he would love to see the Megargel Mustangs fight another day. But he fears a "no" vote on May 13 would only delay the inevitable.
"I don't want to close the school, but it's not going to be here long anyway," Mr. Fails said. "They might as well ... get it over with."
Mr. Fails, whose City Hall office sits among empty buildings on Cedar Street, said that despite his affinity for Megargel, the kids would be better off in a bigger district. In Olney, they could choose from a range of sports, clubs and classes.
"This will hurt Megargel," said Mr. Fails, who does plumbing work when he's not at City Hall. "But it's going to be that way with all small towns eventually."
The neighbor
Leo McWhorter remembers happier days for Megargel. Time was when the town had a grocery store, a theater, a bank, even a couple of cafes.
In more than 60 years living here, she has heard plenty of predictions about the school's demise.
"I've seen them struggle, but they always come out of it," said Mrs. McWhorter, who lives two doors down from the school.
This time is different.
But Mrs. McWhorter, who is 84, said Megargel should go down swinging. She spoke out at a town meeting earlier this year, urging residents to save their school.
Now, as she sits in her living room, she said it might be too late.
The town is withering away. And if the school closes, "there just really won't be anything for people."
Mrs. McWhorter's children have long since graduated and left town. Still, she said she "just can't hardly stand" seeing Megargel die.
"You can see it's going down, down, down," she said. "The last thing to go is the school."
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TexasStooge
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Police seek more victims in sex assault case
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Police in North Richland Hills are looking for more victims of a man already accused of two sexual assaults.
Investigators said Chapman Edward Swindell allegedly sexually assaulted two women while they were getting tattoo work done on Feb. 28.
Each of the victims reported being led to a back room, where the assault allegedly took place. Swindell is said to have offered each woman free tattoo work before the attacks.
Contact North Richland Hills police at 817-427-7014 if you are a victim or if you know someone who was.
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Police in North Richland Hills are looking for more victims of a man already accused of two sexual assaults.
Investigators said Chapman Edward Swindell allegedly sexually assaulted two women while they were getting tattoo work done on Feb. 28.
Each of the victims reported being led to a back room, where the assault allegedly took place. Swindell is said to have offered each woman free tattoo work before the attacks.
Contact North Richland Hills police at 817-427-7014 if you are a victim or if you know someone who was.
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TexasStooge
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Dallas police demand pay hike
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Six organizations representing Dallas police officers are calling on the city to find a way to increase salaries.
The Dallas force is one of the lowest-paid in North Texas, ranking ninth out of the region's ten biggest cities.
Dallas officers start on an annual salary of $38,000. In Plano, a starting officer gets $47,000 a year.
Police unions are calling on the city to make Dallas officers the highest paid in the area, to improve the education incentive pay plan and to freeze health insurance premiums.
They planned to outline details of their demands at a 5 p.m. news conference.
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Six organizations representing Dallas police officers are calling on the city to find a way to increase salaries.
The Dallas force is one of the lowest-paid in North Texas, ranking ninth out of the region's ten biggest cities.
Dallas officers start on an annual salary of $38,000. In Plano, a starting officer gets $47,000 a year.
Police unions are calling on the city to make Dallas officers the highest paid in the area, to improve the education incentive pay plan and to freeze health insurance premiums.
They planned to outline details of their demands at a 5 p.m. news conference.
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TexasStooge
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Dallas police pay battle goes to City Hall
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - While the Dallas Police Department needs 600 officer, they have found recruiting them a difficult task and police unions cited low pay as one of the reasons to blame.
The low pay problem is precisely why the presidents of six Dallas police associations outlined a plan for raising salaries to Mayor Laura Miller and the City Council Tuesday.
The City Council did approve a plan to pay recruits a $10,000 bonus, but police said that is only a Band-Aid for the problem.
Starting pay for police officers across the Dallas-Fort Worth area revealed Dallas officers are at the bottom. Dallas police officers' pay is ranked ninth out of ten cities.
In Fort Worth, new officers begin at around $43,000, and in Plano and Arlington starting pay is nearly $51,000, which is about $13,000 more than what Dallas officers are paid.
By October of 2006, the police union said they expect the City Council to approve a plan to make Dallas officers the highest paid.
"Quite honestly, I don't know how much money it is," Said Glenn White, President of the Dallas Police Association. "On the other hand, we are looking to build bridges over the Trinity [and] we're looking at funding a huge debt service on a $1.5 billion bond proposal. The citizens of Dallas have spoken. The council people have heard it at their crime watch meetings and their town hall meetings, 'Pay the police. Pay the police. Pay the police.'"
Many crime victims stand behind the unions' fight for a raise.
Mary Bohan is just one resident in old Oak Cliff who said she cares. She has lived in old Oak Cliff for 84 years and was a victim twice. So, she said she believes Dallas officers deserve more money in their fight.
"Well, they just don't have the comparative money that other cities have and I think we should at least come up to that standard," she said. "Maybe we wouldn't have so much crime. I've been robbed a couple of times through the years."
Mary Bohan and Daniel Linarez live in the southwest division where major crime has dropped 14 percent in the last year because of quick response and beefed up patrols.
"It's kind of rough and we hear gun shots just about every other day," Linarez said. "And when we call them they respond and they're trying to find out whose doing the shootings, so they deserve every penny or dollar."
Officer Michael Flusche said he has a different reason for supporting it.
"I was shot when I was trying to make entry to save a mom and her three children," Flusche said.
In Nov. 2003, police saved the children during a domestic dispute.
"The suspect shot me through the arms as we were coming through the door, and if we would have been a couple of inches back that would have been it," Flusche said.
There is also another reason a pay raise has been proposed. The proposal also calls for a better to plan to pay for officer's continuing education and the unions want a freeze on health insurance premiums.
However, Mayor Miller said Tuesday night that the Dallas budget could not handle a pay raise.
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - While the Dallas Police Department needs 600 officer, they have found recruiting them a difficult task and police unions cited low pay as one of the reasons to blame.
The low pay problem is precisely why the presidents of six Dallas police associations outlined a plan for raising salaries to Mayor Laura Miller and the City Council Tuesday.
The City Council did approve a plan to pay recruits a $10,000 bonus, but police said that is only a Band-Aid for the problem.
Starting pay for police officers across the Dallas-Fort Worth area revealed Dallas officers are at the bottom. Dallas police officers' pay is ranked ninth out of ten cities.
In Fort Worth, new officers begin at around $43,000, and in Plano and Arlington starting pay is nearly $51,000, which is about $13,000 more than what Dallas officers are paid.
By October of 2006, the police union said they expect the City Council to approve a plan to make Dallas officers the highest paid.
"Quite honestly, I don't know how much money it is," Said Glenn White, President of the Dallas Police Association. "On the other hand, we are looking to build bridges over the Trinity [and] we're looking at funding a huge debt service on a $1.5 billion bond proposal. The citizens of Dallas have spoken. The council people have heard it at their crime watch meetings and their town hall meetings, 'Pay the police. Pay the police. Pay the police.'"
Many crime victims stand behind the unions' fight for a raise.
Mary Bohan is just one resident in old Oak Cliff who said she cares. She has lived in old Oak Cliff for 84 years and was a victim twice. So, she said she believes Dallas officers deserve more money in their fight.
"Well, they just don't have the comparative money that other cities have and I think we should at least come up to that standard," she said. "Maybe we wouldn't have so much crime. I've been robbed a couple of times through the years."
Mary Bohan and Daniel Linarez live in the southwest division where major crime has dropped 14 percent in the last year because of quick response and beefed up patrols.
"It's kind of rough and we hear gun shots just about every other day," Linarez said. "And when we call them they respond and they're trying to find out whose doing the shootings, so they deserve every penny or dollar."
Officer Michael Flusche said he has a different reason for supporting it.
"I was shot when I was trying to make entry to save a mom and her three children," Flusche said.
In Nov. 2003, police saved the children during a domestic dispute.
"The suspect shot me through the arms as we were coming through the door, and if we would have been a couple of inches back that would have been it," Flusche said.
There is also another reason a pay raise has been proposed. The proposal also calls for a better to plan to pay for officer's continuing education and the unions want a freeze on health insurance premiums.
However, Mayor Miller said Tuesday night that the Dallas budget could not handle a pay raise.
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TexasStooge
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Arlington plans downtown renewal
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington, population 360,000, is one of the largest cities in North Texas. It's already home to the Texas Rangers, Six Flags Over Texas and soon—the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, plans are in the works to add a centralized city center.
City leaders say the downtown renewal project and others like it are designed to bring Arlington up to modern-day standards.
Many citizens feel it's been long overdue.
Van's Shoe Repair is one of those places that has an old "sole" and constant foot traffic.
"The shop has been in Arlington since the 40s," said owner Sharon Henderson. "When people know what they want, they'll go for it. So we get people that come from all around the city."
Those customers come even though Van's is nestled in downtown Arlington—an area that barely exists.
But changes are coming to create a new gateway to lure visitors to the heart of the city.
"They'll know that they've arrived in downtown Arlington when they come through these new streetscaped improvements," said Deputy Mayor Trey Yelverton, unveiling sketches of the project that will include a new town center and several million dollars worth of improvements.
Arlington is booming with similar projects ever since the city announced the deal to bring the Dallas Cowboys to the city.
Changes to Interstate 30 are pending and at I-20 and Matlock Road, the city broke ground on a new outdoor retail center near The Parks Mall.
But those changes will mean more traffic coming into areas that are already congested.
The plan is to widen Matlock and to add new turning lanes, according to a bond program that would cost Tarrant County $1.1 million.
The city is hoping that voters will pass the bond issue to keep all projects pushing forward. "This momemtum in taking it one puzzle piece at a time," Yelverton said, adding that this is the formula to making the growth "sustainable and vibrant."
That makes it a great fit for businesses like Van's. "You can't help but to be excited," Sharon Henderson said. "It's wonderful."
Sketches for the downtown project will be available for public viewing at City Hall on Wednesday, April 12 between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Engineers will be on hand to answer questions.
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas — Arlington, population 360,000, is one of the largest cities in North Texas. It's already home to the Texas Rangers, Six Flags Over Texas and soon—the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, plans are in the works to add a centralized city center.
City leaders say the downtown renewal project and others like it are designed to bring Arlington up to modern-day standards.
Many citizens feel it's been long overdue.
Van's Shoe Repair is one of those places that has an old "sole" and constant foot traffic.
"The shop has been in Arlington since the 40s," said owner Sharon Henderson. "When people know what they want, they'll go for it. So we get people that come from all around the city."
Those customers come even though Van's is nestled in downtown Arlington—an area that barely exists.
But changes are coming to create a new gateway to lure visitors to the heart of the city.
"They'll know that they've arrived in downtown Arlington when they come through these new streetscaped improvements," said Deputy Mayor Trey Yelverton, unveiling sketches of the project that will include a new town center and several million dollars worth of improvements.
Arlington is booming with similar projects ever since the city announced the deal to bring the Dallas Cowboys to the city.
Changes to Interstate 30 are pending and at I-20 and Matlock Road, the city broke ground on a new outdoor retail center near The Parks Mall.
But those changes will mean more traffic coming into areas that are already congested.
The plan is to widen Matlock and to add new turning lanes, according to a bond program that would cost Tarrant County $1.1 million.
The city is hoping that voters will pass the bond issue to keep all projects pushing forward. "This momemtum in taking it one puzzle piece at a time," Yelverton said, adding that this is the formula to making the growth "sustainable and vibrant."
That makes it a great fit for businesses like Van's. "You can't help but to be excited," Sharon Henderson said. "It's wonderful."
Sketches for the downtown project will be available for public viewing at City Hall on Wednesday, April 12 between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Engineers will be on hand to answer questions.
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TexasStooge
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Changes urged to curb library abuse
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas Public Library officials are reconsidering their borrowing policies in the wake of a News 8 report that found some patrons checking out hundreds of books and running up overdue bills worth thousands of dollars before getting cut off.
While most patrons follow library policy—borrowing books, movies and music and returning them on time—there are those who have abused the policy. In fact, more than 25,000 Dallas library accounts are overdue, and there are $2.8 million in fines and missing materials.
Library officials said there are also plenty of excuses.
"They leave the books on the plane," said Kjierstine Nielsen, Central Library administrator. "They've left it on the beach. Their dogs, they eat them."
But while some patrons choose to skip out, taxpayers are the ones who replace the materials.
There are 271 patrons with overdue bills over $500, and 56 owe more than $1,000.
One patron owes $3,808.
One way libraries limit loss is by placing a cap on the number of books that can be checked out. But in dallas, you can check out 250 items on your library card before the account will go into overdue status.
Comparable cities set their borrowing limits anywhere from 25 to 50.
Mayor Laura Miller said 250 is too high. "The cap ought to be much, much lower," she said. "There's no reason you can't take five, six, seven books out [and] bring them back and get your next batch. Clearly there needs to be more control over the inventory."
While privacy laws keep the library from sharing who owes what, the titles they checked out are public.
One patron with a $1,600 bill was drawn to gothic romances like The Fierce and Tender Sheik, The Brazilian Tycoon's Mistress, Never Naughty Enough and also checked out the World Wrestling Federation's Smack Down Series.
"People have such eclectic, fascinating tastes and you just can't even believe that the same books and movies and CDs are being are being checked out by the same people," said David Hayes, an SMU writing professor.
Haynes profiled some of the overdue accounts, which included the $3,800 overdue account. The patron checked out lots of books about astrology, the occult and witchcraft. But they also were drawn to Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw.
"And I thought, all right, between the gathering together of the candles and memorizing all the incantations, nobody told her to get the right soundtrack," Hayes said.
Library officials said they are determined to collect the fines and are using a collection agency, but even more want the materials returned.
After all, you never know who else is waiting to read The Fierce and Tender Sheik.
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas Public Library officials are reconsidering their borrowing policies in the wake of a News 8 report that found some patrons checking out hundreds of books and running up overdue bills worth thousands of dollars before getting cut off.
While most patrons follow library policy—borrowing books, movies and music and returning them on time—there are those who have abused the policy. In fact, more than 25,000 Dallas library accounts are overdue, and there are $2.8 million in fines and missing materials.
Library officials said there are also plenty of excuses.
"They leave the books on the plane," said Kjierstine Nielsen, Central Library administrator. "They've left it on the beach. Their dogs, they eat them."
But while some patrons choose to skip out, taxpayers are the ones who replace the materials.
There are 271 patrons with overdue bills over $500, and 56 owe more than $1,000.
One patron owes $3,808.
One way libraries limit loss is by placing a cap on the number of books that can be checked out. But in dallas, you can check out 250 items on your library card before the account will go into overdue status.
Comparable cities set their borrowing limits anywhere from 25 to 50.
Mayor Laura Miller said 250 is too high. "The cap ought to be much, much lower," she said. "There's no reason you can't take five, six, seven books out [and] bring them back and get your next batch. Clearly there needs to be more control over the inventory."
While privacy laws keep the library from sharing who owes what, the titles they checked out are public.
One patron with a $1,600 bill was drawn to gothic romances like The Fierce and Tender Sheik, The Brazilian Tycoon's Mistress, Never Naughty Enough and also checked out the World Wrestling Federation's Smack Down Series.
"People have such eclectic, fascinating tastes and you just can't even believe that the same books and movies and CDs are being are being checked out by the same people," said David Hayes, an SMU writing professor.
Haynes profiled some of the overdue accounts, which included the $3,800 overdue account. The patron checked out lots of books about astrology, the occult and witchcraft. But they also were drawn to Garth Brooks and Tim McGraw.
"And I thought, all right, between the gathering together of the candles and memorizing all the incantations, nobody told her to get the right soundtrack," Hayes said.
Library officials said they are determined to collect the fines and are using a collection agency, but even more want the materials returned.
After all, you never know who else is waiting to read The Fierce and Tender Sheik.
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TexasStooge
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- Posts: 38127
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
UT applications rise with on-field success
'Rose Bowl effect' is one of several factors behind record spring
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
Yeah, you were pumped as you watched the Longhorns take the field at the Rose Bowl in January. And when they won? Burnt orange ecstasy. But that thrill of victory may have cost your kid a coveted slot in this fall's freshman class at the University of Texas at Austin.
Call it the Rose Bowl effect.
That – and a bunch of other factors, including the vagaries of the high school mind – has made UT-Austin more popular than ever for high school seniors this year. And that makes it much harder to get into.
UT-Austin saw freshman undergraduate applications jump 14 percent to a record 27,326 this spring; 13,139 have been admitted.
UT's experience illustrates a national trend, as more high school students apply to college – and apply to more colleges.
For UT, that trend is exacerbated by this year's winning trip to the Rose Bowl and a 2005 college baseball title.
"There's definitely a Rose Bowl effect," said Alice Reinarz, assistant provost for enrollment at Texas A&M University. "A lot of sports publicity typically gets your name out there, and it leads to increased application numbers. You've got more alumni wearing UT shirts, and high school students see that."
Other factors
But the sports publicity is only part of the story. For starters, the state's population is rising, and with the cost of some private colleges reaching $45,000 a year, even top high school performers are looking to UT-Austin as a solid lower-cost option.
"We're seeing larger high school graduating classes, and more are selecting UT-Austin," said Bruce Walker, the school's admissions director.
More students are also taking advantage of the state law that grants automatic acceptance to state universities for high school seniors in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes. And as enrollments rise, so does the number of top-10-percenters.
David Oglesby, director of college placement at Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, saw the trend firsthand. He said 22 of the school's 27 top-10-percenters applied to UT-Austin, up from 13 of 27 last year.
"UT-Austin's prestige has gone up," Mr. Oglesby said. "Top students think, 'If I don't get into Duke or Notre Dame or Georgetown, I can still get into UT-Austin.' It's insurance for them."
Elite private colleges are enjoying record applications this year, so even top students face tougher odds of getting into their first choice.
At Jesuit, for instance, Jesuit-run colleges are a natural draw, and Boston College is the school of choice. But BC this year received more than 26,000 applications, a 12 percent jump and a record for the school.
"The higher application numbers are an issue all over the country," said Wells McMurray, college counselor at Greenhill School in Addison. "There's anxiety out there. We're on the edge of a population boom."
Statewide boom
Selective colleges across Texas – both public and private – are seeing a record number of applications. Baylor University has gotten 21,402 applications, a 41 percent increase over last year. Southern Methodist University expects 8,250 applications, an increase of about 9 percent from two years ago. Rice University received 8,764 applications this year, a record for that school and an 11 percent jump over last year. Applications are up nearly 10 percent at the University of North Texas.
Some of the increase is artificially inflated as students, feeling pressure, send out more applications. Where once applying to three schools seemed a safe bet, now students are applying to 10 or 15. Online applications, as well as the Texas Common Application, which allows a student to apply to multiple schools simultaneously, bloat the numbers.
Not only is UT-Austin a respectable backup for top students – it's also a far cheaper alternative. Annual tuition at UT is $7,630 for in-state freshmen enrolled as liberal arts students.
"Cost is definitely a factor these days," Mr. Oglesby said. "It's clear that up front, families are saying, 'This is what we can afford.' "
Paula Barnhouse, a counselor at MacArthur High School in Irving, said that as federal aid has shifted from grants to loans, parents are leery of taking on the debt, pushing more top students to lower-cost public universities in their own state.
UT-Austin received applications from 8,649 students in the top 10 percent of their classes this year – up 76 percent from seven years ago. The top-10-percent applicants made up 75 percent of all Texas students receiving acceptance letters from UT-Austin this spring. In 1999, only 46 percent of all Texas students accepted by UT-Austin were top-10-percenters.
The shift creates a domino effect for students beneath the top 10 percent mark, making competition more intense for fewer remaining slots.
To better handle the size of its freshman class, UT-Austin assigns about 800 students to an earlier summer session. Mr. Oglesby said that last year, to ensure even a summer slot, students needed to score around 1200 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT's verbal and math tests. This year, he said, 1250 seemed to be the benchmark.
Another option
UT-Austin also provides students who are not in the top 10 percent with another option, the coordinated admissions program. CAP allows them to attend a different campus in the UT System for a year, and if they maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point average, they can enroll the following year at Austin. Some who might have made it into the summer group at Austin a few years back are now being pushed into CAP.
"It seems each year fewer are getting in who are not in the top 10 percent," said Pam Hill, a college adviser at Allen High School. "It's very, very competitive."
In addition to the external forces all schools are seeing, some credit their own marketing and improvements as a cause for the increase in applications. UNT, for instance, has increased merit scholarships to attract more top-10-percent students, and it recently added dormitory space on campus for 1,500 more students. Of course, no matter how much marketing, campus construction and sports success a school engages in, there's always that wild-card element to application numbers in a given year – the whims of the teenage mind.
"The behavior of high school seniors is unpredictable, and many factors determine where they apply," said Dr. Reinarz at Texas A&M, where applications stood at about 20,000, virtually unchanged from last year.
Greenhill's Mr. McMurray agreed: "You get a student with gravitas who is well-regarded by his peers, and he decides to go to UT-Austin, and the other kids will say, 'Well, if he wants to go there, it must be good.' And so more are going to go."
'Rose Bowl effect' is one of several factors behind record spring
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
Yeah, you were pumped as you watched the Longhorns take the field at the Rose Bowl in January. And when they won? Burnt orange ecstasy. But that thrill of victory may have cost your kid a coveted slot in this fall's freshman class at the University of Texas at Austin.
Call it the Rose Bowl effect.
That – and a bunch of other factors, including the vagaries of the high school mind – has made UT-Austin more popular than ever for high school seniors this year. And that makes it much harder to get into.
UT-Austin saw freshman undergraduate applications jump 14 percent to a record 27,326 this spring; 13,139 have been admitted.
UT's experience illustrates a national trend, as more high school students apply to college – and apply to more colleges.
For UT, that trend is exacerbated by this year's winning trip to the Rose Bowl and a 2005 college baseball title.
"There's definitely a Rose Bowl effect," said Alice Reinarz, assistant provost for enrollment at Texas A&M University. "A lot of sports publicity typically gets your name out there, and it leads to increased application numbers. You've got more alumni wearing UT shirts, and high school students see that."
Other factors
But the sports publicity is only part of the story. For starters, the state's population is rising, and with the cost of some private colleges reaching $45,000 a year, even top high school performers are looking to UT-Austin as a solid lower-cost option.
"We're seeing larger high school graduating classes, and more are selecting UT-Austin," said Bruce Walker, the school's admissions director.
More students are also taking advantage of the state law that grants automatic acceptance to state universities for high school seniors in the top 10 percent of their graduating classes. And as enrollments rise, so does the number of top-10-percenters.
David Oglesby, director of college placement at Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, saw the trend firsthand. He said 22 of the school's 27 top-10-percenters applied to UT-Austin, up from 13 of 27 last year.
"UT-Austin's prestige has gone up," Mr. Oglesby said. "Top students think, 'If I don't get into Duke or Notre Dame or Georgetown, I can still get into UT-Austin.' It's insurance for them."
Elite private colleges are enjoying record applications this year, so even top students face tougher odds of getting into their first choice.
At Jesuit, for instance, Jesuit-run colleges are a natural draw, and Boston College is the school of choice. But BC this year received more than 26,000 applications, a 12 percent jump and a record for the school.
"The higher application numbers are an issue all over the country," said Wells McMurray, college counselor at Greenhill School in Addison. "There's anxiety out there. We're on the edge of a population boom."
Statewide boom
Selective colleges across Texas – both public and private – are seeing a record number of applications. Baylor University has gotten 21,402 applications, a 41 percent increase over last year. Southern Methodist University expects 8,250 applications, an increase of about 9 percent from two years ago. Rice University received 8,764 applications this year, a record for that school and an 11 percent jump over last year. Applications are up nearly 10 percent at the University of North Texas.
Some of the increase is artificially inflated as students, feeling pressure, send out more applications. Where once applying to three schools seemed a safe bet, now students are applying to 10 or 15. Online applications, as well as the Texas Common Application, which allows a student to apply to multiple schools simultaneously, bloat the numbers.
Not only is UT-Austin a respectable backup for top students – it's also a far cheaper alternative. Annual tuition at UT is $7,630 for in-state freshmen enrolled as liberal arts students.
"Cost is definitely a factor these days," Mr. Oglesby said. "It's clear that up front, families are saying, 'This is what we can afford.' "
Paula Barnhouse, a counselor at MacArthur High School in Irving, said that as federal aid has shifted from grants to loans, parents are leery of taking on the debt, pushing more top students to lower-cost public universities in their own state.
UT-Austin received applications from 8,649 students in the top 10 percent of their classes this year – up 76 percent from seven years ago. The top-10-percent applicants made up 75 percent of all Texas students receiving acceptance letters from UT-Austin this spring. In 1999, only 46 percent of all Texas students accepted by UT-Austin were top-10-percenters.
The shift creates a domino effect for students beneath the top 10 percent mark, making competition more intense for fewer remaining slots.
To better handle the size of its freshman class, UT-Austin assigns about 800 students to an earlier summer session. Mr. Oglesby said that last year, to ensure even a summer slot, students needed to score around 1200 out of a possible 1600 on the SAT's verbal and math tests. This year, he said, 1250 seemed to be the benchmark.
Another option
UT-Austin also provides students who are not in the top 10 percent with another option, the coordinated admissions program. CAP allows them to attend a different campus in the UT System for a year, and if they maintain at least a 3.2 grade-point average, they can enroll the following year at Austin. Some who might have made it into the summer group at Austin a few years back are now being pushed into CAP.
"It seems each year fewer are getting in who are not in the top 10 percent," said Pam Hill, a college adviser at Allen High School. "It's very, very competitive."
In addition to the external forces all schools are seeing, some credit their own marketing and improvements as a cause for the increase in applications. UNT, for instance, has increased merit scholarships to attract more top-10-percent students, and it recently added dormitory space on campus for 1,500 more students. Of course, no matter how much marketing, campus construction and sports success a school engages in, there's always that wild-card element to application numbers in a given year – the whims of the teenage mind.
"The behavior of high school seniors is unpredictable, and many factors determine where they apply," said Dr. Reinarz at Texas A&M, where applications stood at about 20,000, virtually unchanged from last year.
Greenhill's Mr. McMurray agreed: "You get a student with gravitas who is well-regarded by his peers, and he decides to go to UT-Austin, and the other kids will say, 'Well, if he wants to go there, it must be good.' And so more are going to go."
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TexasStooge
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Teen protestor's hand is reattached
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- Doctors say they've reattached the hand of a teenager who was injured in a car wreck en route to an immigration rally.
Yadira Ortiz was injured two weeks ago when she was traveling with friends to a Dallas rally made up mostly of high school students. An unlicensed 15-year-old was at the wheel when the Ford Expedition flipped over.
Doctor David Zehr was the orthopedic hand surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center who reattached the 18-year-old's right hand.
He says Ortiz's hand was almost completely severed at the wrist. She also suffered either fracturing or dislocation of all of her hand joints. Her fingers were dislocated and two were fractured.
The treatment included three operations. Ortiz has months of physical therapy ahead, but she should be able to regain limited mobility, the doctor says.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- Doctors say they've reattached the hand of a teenager who was injured in a car wreck en route to an immigration rally.
Yadira Ortiz was injured two weeks ago when she was traveling with friends to a Dallas rally made up mostly of high school students. An unlicensed 15-year-old was at the wheel when the Ford Expedition flipped over.
Doctor David Zehr was the orthopedic hand surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center who reattached the 18-year-old's right hand.
He says Ortiz's hand was almost completely severed at the wrist. She also suffered either fracturing or dislocation of all of her hand joints. Her fingers were dislocated and two were fractured.
The treatment included three operations. Ortiz has months of physical therapy ahead, but she should be able to regain limited mobility, the doctor says.
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TexasStooge
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Tattoo artist charged over two assaults
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A North Richland Hills tattoo artist is charged with sexually assaulting two women.
Investigators want to know if there may be other alleged victims.
Two women say Chapman Edward Swindell offered them free work at Wild Two Mild Tattoos in late February.
They say he led them each separately into a back room and attacked them.
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A North Richland Hills tattoo artist is charged with sexually assaulting two women.
Investigators want to know if there may be other alleged victims.
Two women say Chapman Edward Swindell offered them free work at Wild Two Mild Tattoos in late February.
They say he led them each separately into a back room and attacked them.
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