Piggy Banks Stolen From Texas Church
SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) - Besides taking a laptop computer and some petty cash, whoever broke into Trinity Lutheran Church also raided piggy banks the church's kindergarten and first-grade Sunday school classes were filling to donate to a Lutheran children's ministry.
Seven-year-old Jacob Haire's blue piggy with green eyes containing a few dollars was stolen.
"They just took my whole piggy bank," Jacob said, "and the rest they threw on the ground and broke."
One or more burglars broke into the church the night of July 21 and took or broke eight banks, each containing no more than $8.
"They didn't get very much," said Bobbie Haire, Jacob's mother and Trinity Lutheran's secretary. "The killer to me was (the) piggy banks."
Robert Budewig, the church's senior pastor, said there was also damage to several doors and a Coke machine. He said that the money taken probably amounted to about $200, Budewig said.
Police have no hard evidence in the case, said Sgt. Bill Mabe in the San Angelo police criminal-investigations division.
___
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In this game, families are losers
Parents can only cry foul after paying for lessons that never come off and leagues that go bust
By JEFF MILLER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Parents of young athletes don't figure that the games their kids play could lead to frustrating financial disputes. Maybe that's why such incidents, although rare, produce not only exasperation but also a twinge of embarrassment. Like allowing a goal to roll between your legs or walking in the winning run. Soccer mom Michelle Hurley of Mesquite reflected on her experience from the fall of 2003 and summed it up succinctly.
"Now I can say, 'Duh,' " Hurley said. "At the time, I didn't."
Hurley agreed with a local soccer instructor named Roger Creed to a series of four one-on-one goalkeeping lessons for her 8-year-old daughter at a cost of $200. She thought nothing of it, she said, when he phoned the night before the first lesson to say the balance must be paid up front – in cash.
Hurley said the first lesson, at a park in Sunnyvale, was terrific. She and her daughter Alexis eagerly awaited the others, but they never saw Creed again.
He canceled time after time, she said, citing various reasons. After about two months, she demanded the return of the outstanding $150 and Creed told her it was in the mail. But she never received it.
That's when Hurley took a rare step for youth sports parents. She contacted the Better Business Bureau office in Dallas. She said Creed responded to the bureau's inquiry by scheduling Alexis for another camp.
"I think two days before the camp, he called and told me the camp was canceled and that he would call me for the next camp," Hurley said. "I never heard from him again after that."
Many factors can contribute to such financial disputes in youth sports, according to Fred Engh, founder and president of the National Alliance for Youth Sports. Some coaches and instructors are inexperienced in running a business, and the level of oversight is relatively low, he said.
Hurley is one of two area soccer parents to go to the bureau in the last 36 months to complain about Creed. Other parents have had issues with him but didn't file complaints.
Three Dallas families with children playing in the same recreational league told similar stories. They paid for camps or clinics advertised by Creed in fliers picked up from local soccer shops or in SportsDay's Community Bulletin Board listings. They said they received only a litany of cancellations and frustration over their inability to get their money back after months of trying.
C.L. and Laura Shirk initially phoned at the 11th hour to enroll their sons in one of Creed's Soccer One Academies camps two summers ago, and Creed drove to their home that day to pick up the registration check. Just before Creed left, they said, he asked them to rewrite the check, making it out to Roger Creed instead of Soccer One Academies.
"So I rewrote the check," Laura Shirk said.
That camp was canceled, she said, the boys never got instruction and the Shirks never got their money back.
"You feel like such an idiot after something like this," she said.
Creed last week said personal problems had interfered with his business. He said that a death in the family prompted him to return to his native England for an extended period and that he was hospitalized last spring following a minor stroke.
"If these people are complaining about me," said Creed, 62, "I will satisfy them with a refund. ... By [this] week, they're all going to get their money back."
Out of business
American Pastime Sports operated out of a small business complex in south Arlington during the last two years. Shane Deason, 28, started the baseball operation after previously working for a similar company, Cover All Bases, a few miles away.
The facility housed batting cages and a pseudo-pitching mound. APS also fielded multiple elite-level teams named the Colt 45s that competed in leagues and tournaments almost year-round.
APS abruptly closed in July. As building manager Suzanne Smith of Johnson Station Industrial Park put it, "They were here one day, and the next day they were gone."
Parents of some of the Colt 45s players were upset but not surprised by APS' sudden demise. They said they witnessed episodes in which checks for tournament registration had bounced. J.D. Magee coached the 11-and-under team, which included his son, and said he paid $400 at a DeSoto tournament in early June to cover an APS check that bounced.
At least one family paid $250 for a 10-lesson package just days before APS closed its doors and hasn't been reimbursed. Other parents say their team fees of $1,200 to $1,500 were supposed to cover more tournaments than were played. Bill Stetzer of Arlington estimated that his son's 18-and-under team played 50 to 60 percent of the summer tournament schedule that was planned.
A McKinney baseball complex called The Ballfields at Craig Ranch placed APS on a cash-only plan after a tournament check bounced. Ray Ricchi, executive vice president and general manager of The Ballfields, said such situations are rare but not surprising.
"A lot of these organizations run on a shoestring," Ricchi said. "First go play, and then go collect the money. Some who collect [the funds] early run low on money at the end of the season.
"You've got baseball people who are coaches and instructors, but they're not business people."
Two dissatisfied APS parents took their conflicts to the Better Business Bureau's Fort Worth office. One was Gayla Luther of Weatherford, on behalf of her 13-year-old nephew.
Luther said she wasn't trying to recover any money.
"I just wanted to save somebody else the trouble of paying that much money and having to go through what we went through," she said. "I know there were nine players on the team, and there wasn't one happy parent."
Deason acknowledged last week that the business side got away from him while he was also coaching and giving lessons.
"I'm a baseball guy," he said. "I can coach baseball. I'm good with kids. I'm probably terrible at business."
Deason cited three primary factors in the financial problems. Income was based almost solely on players joining the select teams; few others came in for instruction or to use the facility. The rosters usually were limited to 11 players to maximize individual playing time, but that also limited revenue. And, Deason said, too many parents didn't pay all or large portions of their sons' fees. He said at least four parents owed him $800 each this year.
"If they had paid for their obligations, we wouldn't be in the boat we're in now," he said. "I was too nice and let people make payments. When the payments didn't come in, was I pulling their kid off the field? No, I wasn't. Did I take their uniforms? No, I didn't."
Deason said he hasn't attempted to collect those delinquent fees.
Said Stetzer: "Getting in a bind is one thing. How you handle it as a man is another."
Another former APS parent, David Look of Fort Worth, was sympathetic to Deason.
"Yes, he failed. But he did give it his best, and the kids did learn," said Look, who had two sons play for Colt 45 teams. "He failed me, yet I know how hard he tried to make this thing work."
'He's not a bad guy'
Roger Creed has his supporters, too.
Multiple area girls list one of his goalkeeper clinics or camps, or his work with Ursuline Academy in recent years, on their soccer résumés. One satisfied parent was Richard Seltzer. His daughter, Sarah, was an all-district goalkeeper last year as a junior for an Ursuline team that won its 15th consecutive TAPPS state title.
"He was very kind to my daughter and really helped in her development," Seltzer said. "... He's not a bad guy. I just think he hasn't been the luckiest guy in the world."
Creed came to Dallas following a few years in the men's college game in the 1980s, as an assistant coach at George Mason and head coach at Dayton. He worked as an unpaid volunteer at Ursuline from the late 1990s until about two years ago. Athletic director Tina Garcea said he helped sporadically, then left and cited personal issues.
"He was around a lot at the very beginning. Then, all of a sudden, he just didn't show up," Garcea said. "It seemed strange."
She said the school was contacted by some of the parents who sought satisfaction from Creed.
One of the things that drew parents to Creed's business, now called International Soccer Academy, was his reputation for showcasing high school players to colleges. Kat Connor, women's soccer coach at Texas State-San Marcos, spoke highly of him.
"He's always given us information about players," she said, "helping us out in that form of recruiting because it's always good to have some extra eyes. He's a good evaluator of talent."
Creed has specified in fliers and on the Web that checks should be made out to him. That stipulation could be a red flag, according to the senior vice president of the Better Business Bureau Serving Dallas and Northeast Texas. Jeannette Kopko said it's reasonable to expect checks for youth sports teams or activities to be made out to an organization or company.
Said Creed: "I run all this, and it's an individual business."
Some parents took their complaints about Creed to the regional governing body of the sport, North Texas State Soccer Association. They learned the organization could do nothing about them because Creed wasn't registered with it or any local municipal association. NTSSA president John Sutter said people such as Creed who do business with local clubs and leagues are urged to register but not required.
For most of the parents, it was live and learn. One of those was Lori Kleinfield of Plano, who said she took her beef with Creed to the Better Business Bureau out of principle and not any zeal to recoup $50.
"It's just a kid thing," she said. "It's not that much money. He's probably counting on that people are just not going to bother."
The day after Creed spoke with The News last week, he phoned Michelle Hurley and promised to resolve her complaint from almost two years ago. He would mail her a check, she said, at the end of this week.
She paused and said, "I've heard that before."
Parents can only cry foul after paying for lessons that never come off and leagues that go bust
By JEFF MILLER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Parents of young athletes don't figure that the games their kids play could lead to frustrating financial disputes. Maybe that's why such incidents, although rare, produce not only exasperation but also a twinge of embarrassment. Like allowing a goal to roll between your legs or walking in the winning run. Soccer mom Michelle Hurley of Mesquite reflected on her experience from the fall of 2003 and summed it up succinctly.
"Now I can say, 'Duh,' " Hurley said. "At the time, I didn't."
Hurley agreed with a local soccer instructor named Roger Creed to a series of four one-on-one goalkeeping lessons for her 8-year-old daughter at a cost of $200. She thought nothing of it, she said, when he phoned the night before the first lesson to say the balance must be paid up front – in cash.
Hurley said the first lesson, at a park in Sunnyvale, was terrific. She and her daughter Alexis eagerly awaited the others, but they never saw Creed again.
He canceled time after time, she said, citing various reasons. After about two months, she demanded the return of the outstanding $150 and Creed told her it was in the mail. But she never received it.
That's when Hurley took a rare step for youth sports parents. She contacted the Better Business Bureau office in Dallas. She said Creed responded to the bureau's inquiry by scheduling Alexis for another camp.
"I think two days before the camp, he called and told me the camp was canceled and that he would call me for the next camp," Hurley said. "I never heard from him again after that."
Many factors can contribute to such financial disputes in youth sports, according to Fred Engh, founder and president of the National Alliance for Youth Sports. Some coaches and instructors are inexperienced in running a business, and the level of oversight is relatively low, he said.
Hurley is one of two area soccer parents to go to the bureau in the last 36 months to complain about Creed. Other parents have had issues with him but didn't file complaints.
Three Dallas families with children playing in the same recreational league told similar stories. They paid for camps or clinics advertised by Creed in fliers picked up from local soccer shops or in SportsDay's Community Bulletin Board listings. They said they received only a litany of cancellations and frustration over their inability to get their money back after months of trying.
C.L. and Laura Shirk initially phoned at the 11th hour to enroll their sons in one of Creed's Soccer One Academies camps two summers ago, and Creed drove to their home that day to pick up the registration check. Just before Creed left, they said, he asked them to rewrite the check, making it out to Roger Creed instead of Soccer One Academies.
"So I rewrote the check," Laura Shirk said.
That camp was canceled, she said, the boys never got instruction and the Shirks never got their money back.
"You feel like such an idiot after something like this," she said.
Creed last week said personal problems had interfered with his business. He said that a death in the family prompted him to return to his native England for an extended period and that he was hospitalized last spring following a minor stroke.
"If these people are complaining about me," said Creed, 62, "I will satisfy them with a refund. ... By [this] week, they're all going to get their money back."
Out of business
American Pastime Sports operated out of a small business complex in south Arlington during the last two years. Shane Deason, 28, started the baseball operation after previously working for a similar company, Cover All Bases, a few miles away.
The facility housed batting cages and a pseudo-pitching mound. APS also fielded multiple elite-level teams named the Colt 45s that competed in leagues and tournaments almost year-round.
APS abruptly closed in July. As building manager Suzanne Smith of Johnson Station Industrial Park put it, "They were here one day, and the next day they were gone."
Parents of some of the Colt 45s players were upset but not surprised by APS' sudden demise. They said they witnessed episodes in which checks for tournament registration had bounced. J.D. Magee coached the 11-and-under team, which included his son, and said he paid $400 at a DeSoto tournament in early June to cover an APS check that bounced.
At least one family paid $250 for a 10-lesson package just days before APS closed its doors and hasn't been reimbursed. Other parents say their team fees of $1,200 to $1,500 were supposed to cover more tournaments than were played. Bill Stetzer of Arlington estimated that his son's 18-and-under team played 50 to 60 percent of the summer tournament schedule that was planned.
A McKinney baseball complex called The Ballfields at Craig Ranch placed APS on a cash-only plan after a tournament check bounced. Ray Ricchi, executive vice president and general manager of The Ballfields, said such situations are rare but not surprising.
"A lot of these organizations run on a shoestring," Ricchi said. "First go play, and then go collect the money. Some who collect [the funds] early run low on money at the end of the season.
"You've got baseball people who are coaches and instructors, but they're not business people."
Two dissatisfied APS parents took their conflicts to the Better Business Bureau's Fort Worth office. One was Gayla Luther of Weatherford, on behalf of her 13-year-old nephew.
Luther said she wasn't trying to recover any money.
"I just wanted to save somebody else the trouble of paying that much money and having to go through what we went through," she said. "I know there were nine players on the team, and there wasn't one happy parent."
Deason acknowledged last week that the business side got away from him while he was also coaching and giving lessons.
"I'm a baseball guy," he said. "I can coach baseball. I'm good with kids. I'm probably terrible at business."
Deason cited three primary factors in the financial problems. Income was based almost solely on players joining the select teams; few others came in for instruction or to use the facility. The rosters usually were limited to 11 players to maximize individual playing time, but that also limited revenue. And, Deason said, too many parents didn't pay all or large portions of their sons' fees. He said at least four parents owed him $800 each this year.
"If they had paid for their obligations, we wouldn't be in the boat we're in now," he said. "I was too nice and let people make payments. When the payments didn't come in, was I pulling their kid off the field? No, I wasn't. Did I take their uniforms? No, I didn't."
Deason said he hasn't attempted to collect those delinquent fees.
Said Stetzer: "Getting in a bind is one thing. How you handle it as a man is another."
Another former APS parent, David Look of Fort Worth, was sympathetic to Deason.
"Yes, he failed. But he did give it his best, and the kids did learn," said Look, who had two sons play for Colt 45 teams. "He failed me, yet I know how hard he tried to make this thing work."
'He's not a bad guy'
Roger Creed has his supporters, too.
Multiple area girls list one of his goalkeeper clinics or camps, or his work with Ursuline Academy in recent years, on their soccer résumés. One satisfied parent was Richard Seltzer. His daughter, Sarah, was an all-district goalkeeper last year as a junior for an Ursuline team that won its 15th consecutive TAPPS state title.
"He was very kind to my daughter and really helped in her development," Seltzer said. "... He's not a bad guy. I just think he hasn't been the luckiest guy in the world."
Creed came to Dallas following a few years in the men's college game in the 1980s, as an assistant coach at George Mason and head coach at Dayton. He worked as an unpaid volunteer at Ursuline from the late 1990s until about two years ago. Athletic director Tina Garcea said he helped sporadically, then left and cited personal issues.
"He was around a lot at the very beginning. Then, all of a sudden, he just didn't show up," Garcea said. "It seemed strange."
She said the school was contacted by some of the parents who sought satisfaction from Creed.
One of the things that drew parents to Creed's business, now called International Soccer Academy, was his reputation for showcasing high school players to colleges. Kat Connor, women's soccer coach at Texas State-San Marcos, spoke highly of him.
"He's always given us information about players," she said, "helping us out in that form of recruiting because it's always good to have some extra eyes. He's a good evaluator of talent."
Creed has specified in fliers and on the Web that checks should be made out to him. That stipulation could be a red flag, according to the senior vice president of the Better Business Bureau Serving Dallas and Northeast Texas. Jeannette Kopko said it's reasonable to expect checks for youth sports teams or activities to be made out to an organization or company.
Said Creed: "I run all this, and it's an individual business."
Some parents took their complaints about Creed to the regional governing body of the sport, North Texas State Soccer Association. They learned the organization could do nothing about them because Creed wasn't registered with it or any local municipal association. NTSSA president John Sutter said people such as Creed who do business with local clubs and leagues are urged to register but not required.
For most of the parents, it was live and learn. One of those was Lori Kleinfield of Plano, who said she took her beef with Creed to the Better Business Bureau out of principle and not any zeal to recoup $50.
"It's just a kid thing," she said. "It's not that much money. He's probably counting on that people are just not going to bother."
The day after Creed spoke with The News last week, he phoned Michelle Hurley and promised to resolve her complaint from almost two years ago. He would mail her a check, she said, at the end of this week.
She paused and said, "I've heard that before."
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TexasStooge
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Volunteers work to eradicate graffiti
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - More than 40 volunteers banded together to reclaim the natural beauty of Old East Dallas on Saturday.
Neighbors say vandals and gang members are getting bolder. Whereas once graffiti was limited to alleys, it has now spread to more public places.
It takes a graffiti removal machine to dissolve unwanted words and eventually erase them from the concrete. It's a tough job for which professionals can command more than $100 an hour.
But on Saturday, it was volunteers who were scrubbing away on buildings, fences and trash containers to rid them of "painted garbage."
Many neighbors like Jeff Bryan blame gangs and "taggers." "They are taking over the community, and we are putting a stop to it," he said. "This is the end of it."
Dallas code enforcers and police officers also donated their time and resources to clean the alley behind Agape Memorial United Methodist Church.
One lifetime church member said the graffiti problem has grown in the last two-and-a-half years. Members removed graffiti one week and returned the next—only to find more.
"Oh! It is overwhelming; it's overwhelming!" exclaimed church member Sam Moreno. He said the vandals consider nothing sacred, noting that the church bus windshield had been painted over.
Moreno said he appreciated the volunteers' help. "It's just like a real gift from heaven, you know—that there is that kind of interest and that kind of civic duty and responsibility that is shared.
That sense of duty was shared by District 14 Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt, who just happens to live nearby. "Graffiti affects us on many different levels," she said. "It is a nuisance, it is a quality of life issue. You don't like to see it. You don't want to see it in your neighborhood."
And Hunt doesn't want drivers on the highway to see it, either. Studies show a direct correlation between graffiti and crime.
And they want no one to be afraid of entering their neighborhoods.
By DEBBIE DENMON / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - More than 40 volunteers banded together to reclaim the natural beauty of Old East Dallas on Saturday.
Neighbors say vandals and gang members are getting bolder. Whereas once graffiti was limited to alleys, it has now spread to more public places.
It takes a graffiti removal machine to dissolve unwanted words and eventually erase them from the concrete. It's a tough job for which professionals can command more than $100 an hour.
But on Saturday, it was volunteers who were scrubbing away on buildings, fences and trash containers to rid them of "painted garbage."
Many neighbors like Jeff Bryan blame gangs and "taggers." "They are taking over the community, and we are putting a stop to it," he said. "This is the end of it."
Dallas code enforcers and police officers also donated their time and resources to clean the alley behind Agape Memorial United Methodist Church.
One lifetime church member said the graffiti problem has grown in the last two-and-a-half years. Members removed graffiti one week and returned the next—only to find more.
"Oh! It is overwhelming; it's overwhelming!" exclaimed church member Sam Moreno. He said the vandals consider nothing sacred, noting that the church bus windshield had been painted over.
Moreno said he appreciated the volunteers' help. "It's just like a real gift from heaven, you know—that there is that kind of interest and that kind of civic duty and responsibility that is shared.
That sense of duty was shared by District 14 Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt, who just happens to live nearby. "Graffiti affects us on many different levels," she said. "It is a nuisance, it is a quality of life issue. You don't like to see it. You don't want to see it in your neighborhood."
And Hunt doesn't want drivers on the highway to see it, either. Studies show a direct correlation between graffiti and crime.
And they want no one to be afraid of entering their neighborhoods.
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TexasStooge
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Dallas police investigate fatal shootings
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas police were investigating two overnight shootings early Sunday.
The first happened at an apartment complex in the 300 block of South Jim Miller Road. Joseph Harden of Dallas was found dead at the scene from an apparent gunshot wound around 10 p.m. Saturday.
Detectives said they were looking for a suspect in an Audi sedan with no license tags.
Police were also investigating a possible drive-by shooting about three miles north of the first incident on Jim Miller at Bruton Road.
Police said the victim was shot in the chest shortly after 1:30 a.m. Two men were taken into custody for questioning.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas police were investigating two overnight shootings early Sunday.
The first happened at an apartment complex in the 300 block of South Jim Miller Road. Joseph Harden of Dallas was found dead at the scene from an apparent gunshot wound around 10 p.m. Saturday.
Detectives said they were looking for a suspect in an Audi sedan with no license tags.
Police were also investigating a possible drive-by shooting about three miles north of the first incident on Jim Miller at Bruton Road.
Police said the victim was shot in the chest shortly after 1:30 a.m. Two men were taken into custody for questioning.
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TexasStooge
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At least four die in crash near Sherman
SHERMAN, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — At least four people died Saturday when the back of an 18-wheeler came unhitched and slammed into their car, authorities and witnesses said.
The wreck occurred about 8:30 p.m. on U.S. Highway 82 a few miles east of Sherman, said Brian Taylor, a communications officer with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Two adults and two teenagers were killed, Grayson County Justice of the Peace Greg Middents said in Sunday's editions of the Sherman/Denison Herald-Democrat. Middents said he wasn't able to identify the victims at the scene.
Their bodies were taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiners Office.
Tim Connor, of Kemp, Okla., said he was driving behind the tractor-trailer when he saw sparks and realized the open-bed trailer carrying heavy equipment had come unhitched. The trailer veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into the car, which burst into flames.
Connor said he and the driver of the truck, who wasn't identified, tried to approach the burning vehicle but couldn't rescue any victims.
SHERMAN, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — At least four people died Saturday when the back of an 18-wheeler came unhitched and slammed into their car, authorities and witnesses said.
The wreck occurred about 8:30 p.m. on U.S. Highway 82 a few miles east of Sherman, said Brian Taylor, a communications officer with the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Two adults and two teenagers were killed, Grayson County Justice of the Peace Greg Middents said in Sunday's editions of the Sherman/Denison Herald-Democrat. Middents said he wasn't able to identify the victims at the scene.
Their bodies were taken to the Dallas County Medical Examiners Office.
Tim Connor, of Kemp, Okla., said he was driving behind the tractor-trailer when he saw sparks and realized the open-bed trailer carrying heavy equipment had come unhitched. The trailer veered into oncoming traffic and slammed into the car, which burst into flames.
Connor said he and the driver of the truck, who wasn't identified, tried to approach the burning vehicle but couldn't rescue any victims.
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TexasStooge
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Fort Worth schools shaken by summer of tragedy
Fort Worth community united in grief after 6 traffic accident deaths
By DEBRA DENNIS and TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas – Dunbar High School student body president Rashonda McDonald has attended her share of wakes and funerals this summer.
Six teens who were students and former students at Dunbar or O.D. Wyatt high schools died this summer in traffic accidents – deaths that students and school officials say will temper the excitement of the new school year starting Monday with grief and sadness.
"It's a wake-up call," said Ms. McDonald, 17. "School is going to be really different on Monday. Everybody is holding on to each other and saying, 'Are you OK? Do you need to talk?' "
The latest shock to the close-knit neighborhoods in southeast Fort Worth came early last Sunday, when four longtime friends were killed by a driver who police said was drunk and driving the wrong way on East Loop 820 South at Sun Valley Drive.
Killed were Jeffrey Muriel, 19, a member of the 2003 Dunbar High state championship basketball team; Donald Cain, 19, who graduated last year from Dunbar but had also attended O.D. Wyatt; Charles Tate Jr., 19; and 14-year-old Carl Fields. Mr. Tate and Carl attended O.D. Wyatt. The driver of the other vehicle, Michael Miles, 47, of Arlington, also died.
Funerals for Carl, Mr. Muriel and Mr. Tate were Saturday. Mr. Cain's funeral was Thursday.
About 800 mourners packed Pilgrim Valley Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth on Saturday for Mr. Muriel's funeral. Young, tearstained faces watched as five of his friends marched toward his casket wearing jerseys to honor his short but promising basketball career. As the procession passed, young women broke down in sobs.
Mr. Muriel's best friend, Jeremis Smith, read a farewell letter to his buddy.
"There was a draft in heaven," Mr. Smith said, "and God needed the best point guard to start on his team."
At Carl Fields' funeral a few hours later and a few miles away at Fellowship Baptist Church, family and friends sobbed as the funeral director closed the casket. During a rousing eulogy, the Rev. Michael E. Williams declared that Carl's life was a testimony for his peers who had gathered there.
State of grief
Just two months ago, Dunbar students had gone through a similar grieving process when two other classmates were killed in car accidents. Loveth Shaw, 18, who had graduated a few weeks earlier, died on June 7 in Watauga as she was coming home following her first night of work.
Wendy Rangel, 15, who would have been a sophomore, died on June 30 in Fort Worth. She was a passenger in a car hit by a driver who ran a stop sign.
"School insulates us from some realities," Ms. McDonald said. "You don't think about death. But this is going to be the talk of the school. It won't die down for a while.'
The sadness and losses felt by the students are reverberating throughout the city, said Robert "Bob" Hughes, the legendary former Dunbar basketball coach.
The school's storied basketball team has attracted fans from all over the state.
Those fans were connected to the students, the schools and the community – not just in basketball, but also in life, said Mr. Hughes, who retired in May as America's winningest public school basketball coach, with 1,275 victories.
"When you have a lot of kids at a school, it's different," he said. "These are neighborhood kids you see everywhere, and you've watched them and their parents grow up. It's tough to handle. It goes deep."
Glenn O. Lewis, a Fort Worth attorney, former state representative and Dunbar graduate, agreed.
Mr. Lewis first met Mr. Muriel when he was a little boy. He didn't know the other students, but considers them family because they were part of the Dunbar, O.D. Wyatt and Fort Worth communities.
"Dunbar has an added sense of family because Dunbar is the only one of the four segregated high schools that survived," he said. "That creates a special bond between that school and those who grew up here."
Shirley Knox Benton, former principal at Dunbar, said parents, principals and clergy will help the students cope.
"Our ministers will play a role in helping the kids; the school counselors will help," she said. "We will throw our arms around these young people."
Ms. Benton, who retired in 2003, knew all four who died last week.
"I know we'll get through this," she said. "Those kids, they really care for one another. They'll pull together ... and will rally around each other and console each other."
Healing together
School officials say they are prepared to help the students and staff with their emotions.
They will have additional counselors at both schools for as long as they're needed, said Kathryn Everest, the district's program coordinator of guidance and counseling.
The deaths will likely cast a pall at O.D. Wyatt, too.
Since both schools are small – each with 1,200 students – there is a real sense of community at each campus, Ms. Everest said.
Steven Johnson, principal at O.D. Wyatt, is well aware of the tightrope he's walking.
There is the excitement that comes with the first week of school coupled with feelings of isolation and grief brought on by the deaths.
"We consider ourselves to be family," said Mr. Johnson, who has known Carl Fields since the teen was in junior high. "Everyone is moved by this incident. ... It was pretty dramatic."
Dunbar principal Ingrid Williams said Monday will be school as usual, with some allowances.
"We anticipate that students will have difficulties," she said. "I've told the staff to be sympathetic and understanding and realize that we have to deal with this. It's been a very difficult time for our students."
Ms. Williams said a school-wide assembly is planned for later this month and there will be recognition of the students who died.
Elaine Scott, a PTA mom at O.D. Wyatt, said the grief has been palpable in the community and in her own home. Her son, Jeremy Scott, was close friends and played basketball with Carl.
Ms. Scott, who works for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Fort Worth, sees the numbers related to fatal traffic accidents in her work.
"This is more than a statistic," she said. "It hits home."
When her son learned of Carl's death, he played basketball all day before finally going to bed, Ms. Scott said.
"It affected him quite a bit. ... I worry about it," she said. "He doesn't know how to deal with it or what to do."
Although the school district is sending counselors to the school on Monday, former students must seek solace elsewhere.
"The healing will come and the coming together helps," said Valerie Norris, 19, a Dunbar graduate who now attends Southern Arkansas University.
"You go in and out of mourning," said Ms. Norris, Dunbar's 2004 class president.
"You keep busy. The toughest part is when you're by yourself. Here, you can lean on each other, but in a week I'll be back in college, and I'm sure that's when the reality of losing two classmates is really going to hit me."
On Thursday, dozens of former and current students attended Mr. Cain's funeral.
They came, knowing they would also attend services for their other three friends on Saturday, said Tenay Mathis, 18, a 2005 Dunbar graduate who also was a class president.
"It hurts," she said. "I feel so empty inside. The question is, 'Is summer over? Are we done burying people?' "
Staff writer Karin S. Anderson contributed to this report.
BRAD LOPER/Dallas Morning News
At Saturday's funeral for Jeffrey Muriel, a member of Dunbar High's 2003 state championship basketball team, friends honored him by wearing jerseys.
Fort Worth community united in grief after 6 traffic accident deaths
By DEBRA DENNIS and TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas – Dunbar High School student body president Rashonda McDonald has attended her share of wakes and funerals this summer.
Six teens who were students and former students at Dunbar or O.D. Wyatt high schools died this summer in traffic accidents – deaths that students and school officials say will temper the excitement of the new school year starting Monday with grief and sadness.
"It's a wake-up call," said Ms. McDonald, 17. "School is going to be really different on Monday. Everybody is holding on to each other and saying, 'Are you OK? Do you need to talk?' "
The latest shock to the close-knit neighborhoods in southeast Fort Worth came early last Sunday, when four longtime friends were killed by a driver who police said was drunk and driving the wrong way on East Loop 820 South at Sun Valley Drive.
Killed were Jeffrey Muriel, 19, a member of the 2003 Dunbar High state championship basketball team; Donald Cain, 19, who graduated last year from Dunbar but had also attended O.D. Wyatt; Charles Tate Jr., 19; and 14-year-old Carl Fields. Mr. Tate and Carl attended O.D. Wyatt. The driver of the other vehicle, Michael Miles, 47, of Arlington, also died.
Funerals for Carl, Mr. Muriel and Mr. Tate were Saturday. Mr. Cain's funeral was Thursday.
About 800 mourners packed Pilgrim Valley Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth on Saturday for Mr. Muriel's funeral. Young, tearstained faces watched as five of his friends marched toward his casket wearing jerseys to honor his short but promising basketball career. As the procession passed, young women broke down in sobs.
Mr. Muriel's best friend, Jeremis Smith, read a farewell letter to his buddy.
"There was a draft in heaven," Mr. Smith said, "and God needed the best point guard to start on his team."
At Carl Fields' funeral a few hours later and a few miles away at Fellowship Baptist Church, family and friends sobbed as the funeral director closed the casket. During a rousing eulogy, the Rev. Michael E. Williams declared that Carl's life was a testimony for his peers who had gathered there.
State of grief
Just two months ago, Dunbar students had gone through a similar grieving process when two other classmates were killed in car accidents. Loveth Shaw, 18, who had graduated a few weeks earlier, died on June 7 in Watauga as she was coming home following her first night of work.
Wendy Rangel, 15, who would have been a sophomore, died on June 30 in Fort Worth. She was a passenger in a car hit by a driver who ran a stop sign.
"School insulates us from some realities," Ms. McDonald said. "You don't think about death. But this is going to be the talk of the school. It won't die down for a while.'
The sadness and losses felt by the students are reverberating throughout the city, said Robert "Bob" Hughes, the legendary former Dunbar basketball coach.
The school's storied basketball team has attracted fans from all over the state.
Those fans were connected to the students, the schools and the community – not just in basketball, but also in life, said Mr. Hughes, who retired in May as America's winningest public school basketball coach, with 1,275 victories.
"When you have a lot of kids at a school, it's different," he said. "These are neighborhood kids you see everywhere, and you've watched them and their parents grow up. It's tough to handle. It goes deep."
Glenn O. Lewis, a Fort Worth attorney, former state representative and Dunbar graduate, agreed.
Mr. Lewis first met Mr. Muriel when he was a little boy. He didn't know the other students, but considers them family because they were part of the Dunbar, O.D. Wyatt and Fort Worth communities.
"Dunbar has an added sense of family because Dunbar is the only one of the four segregated high schools that survived," he said. "That creates a special bond between that school and those who grew up here."
Shirley Knox Benton, former principal at Dunbar, said parents, principals and clergy will help the students cope.
"Our ministers will play a role in helping the kids; the school counselors will help," she said. "We will throw our arms around these young people."
Ms. Benton, who retired in 2003, knew all four who died last week.
"I know we'll get through this," she said. "Those kids, they really care for one another. They'll pull together ... and will rally around each other and console each other."
Healing together
School officials say they are prepared to help the students and staff with their emotions.
They will have additional counselors at both schools for as long as they're needed, said Kathryn Everest, the district's program coordinator of guidance and counseling.
The deaths will likely cast a pall at O.D. Wyatt, too.
Since both schools are small – each with 1,200 students – there is a real sense of community at each campus, Ms. Everest said.
Steven Johnson, principal at O.D. Wyatt, is well aware of the tightrope he's walking.
There is the excitement that comes with the first week of school coupled with feelings of isolation and grief brought on by the deaths.
"We consider ourselves to be family," said Mr. Johnson, who has known Carl Fields since the teen was in junior high. "Everyone is moved by this incident. ... It was pretty dramatic."
Dunbar principal Ingrid Williams said Monday will be school as usual, with some allowances.
"We anticipate that students will have difficulties," she said. "I've told the staff to be sympathetic and understanding and realize that we have to deal with this. It's been a very difficult time for our students."
Ms. Williams said a school-wide assembly is planned for later this month and there will be recognition of the students who died.
Elaine Scott, a PTA mom at O.D. Wyatt, said the grief has been palpable in the community and in her own home. Her son, Jeremy Scott, was close friends and played basketball with Carl.
Ms. Scott, who works for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in Fort Worth, sees the numbers related to fatal traffic accidents in her work.
"This is more than a statistic," she said. "It hits home."
When her son learned of Carl's death, he played basketball all day before finally going to bed, Ms. Scott said.
"It affected him quite a bit. ... I worry about it," she said. "He doesn't know how to deal with it or what to do."
Although the school district is sending counselors to the school on Monday, former students must seek solace elsewhere.
"The healing will come and the coming together helps," said Valerie Norris, 19, a Dunbar graduate who now attends Southern Arkansas University.
"You go in and out of mourning," said Ms. Norris, Dunbar's 2004 class president.
"You keep busy. The toughest part is when you're by yourself. Here, you can lean on each other, but in a week I'll be back in college, and I'm sure that's when the reality of losing two classmates is really going to hit me."
On Thursday, dozens of former and current students attended Mr. Cain's funeral.
They came, knowing they would also attend services for their other three friends on Saturday, said Tenay Mathis, 18, a 2005 Dunbar graduate who also was a class president.
"It hurts," she said. "I feel so empty inside. The question is, 'Is summer over? Are we done burying people?' "
Staff writer Karin S. Anderson contributed to this report.
BRAD LOPER/Dallas Morning News
At Saturday's funeral for Jeffrey Muriel, a member of Dunbar High's 2003 state championship basketball team, friends honored him by wearing jerseys.
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Plano couple found dead in hotel room
By MARGARITA MARTIN-HIDALGO / The Dallas Morning News
RICHARDSON, Texas - Richardson police are investigating the deaths of a Plano couple found dead in a hotel room Saturday morning. Police found Richard Perez, 52, and his wife, Sylvia Perez, 53, with trash bags over their heads in their room at the Radisson Hotel in Richardson, said Sgt. Kevin Perlich of the Richardson Police Department.
Sgt. Perlich said it appeared the couple had suffocated. There were no signs of a struggle in the room, according to reports.
The Perezes apparently had left a suicide note for their family and lawyer at their Plano home, Sgt. Perlich said.
The couple checked into the Radisson Hotel at 1981 N. Central Expressway late Friday night without luggage and were scheduled to check out today. Richardson police are treating the case as a homicide investigation, pending more information.
By MARGARITA MARTIN-HIDALGO / The Dallas Morning News
RICHARDSON, Texas - Richardson police are investigating the deaths of a Plano couple found dead in a hotel room Saturday morning. Police found Richard Perez, 52, and his wife, Sylvia Perez, 53, with trash bags over their heads in their room at the Radisson Hotel in Richardson, said Sgt. Kevin Perlich of the Richardson Police Department.
Sgt. Perlich said it appeared the couple had suffocated. There were no signs of a struggle in the room, according to reports.
The Perezes apparently had left a suicide note for their family and lawyer at their Plano home, Sgt. Perlich said.
The couple checked into the Radisson Hotel at 1981 N. Central Expressway late Friday night without luggage and were scheduled to check out today. Richardson police are treating the case as a homicide investigation, pending more information.
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TexasStooge
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Protesters near ranch counter mom's message
Bush supporters are at odds with bereaved mother near Crawford
By G. ROBERT HILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
CRAWFORD, Texas – Waving American flags and "Stay the Course" placards, several hundred supporters of President Bush rallied Saturday in the ditch across from the anti-war camp down the road from his ranch.
On the edge of town, under the shade trees of Tonkawa Falls Park, another several hundred demonstrators gathered to support Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who's been demanding a meeting with the president to confront him about the war in Iraq, in which her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed.
In between, scores of cars and pickup trucks, some sporting signs of one side or the other, crisscrossed the small town streets and winding country roads, hauling protesters from both sides.
"That's their rights as Americans to be here, as our rights as Americans to be over here," Ms. Sheehan said in an interview on the eighth day of her vigil, three miles south of the president's Prairie Chapel Ranch.
And she made clear in her visits with reporters throughout the day that she's not going anywhere anytime soon.
In a week, she told CBS News, she had accomplished one of her primary goals: pushing the anti-war message to the front of the news.
"I hope we can keep the pressure on," she said, acknowledging at the same time that some of her husband's family oppose her actions. "It doesn't surprise me that they resent it, because they're Bush supporters," she said.
On Day 8, Ms. Sheehan no longer held center stage at the fork in the road leading to the president's ranch. The Bush supporters, rallied Saturday by KLIF (570 AM) radio talk show host Darrell Ankarlo, had followed a smaller, similar protest Friday night, organized by syndicated talk show host Mike Gallagher of KRLD (1080 AM).
"We just thought we'd come out and let these folks know that there are other people who believe differently," Mr. Ankarlo said. "I don't agree with everything the president does, but I support my commander in chief in the decision he made."
Ken Stone, a 42-year-old electrical engineer from Dallas, said he had answered Mr. Ankarlo's rallying call for similar reasons.
He had wanted to show the president that he was "willing to sacrifice this time and effort and show support," he said, adding: "Maybe, it'll give him the strength to stand under the criticism."
And John Wilson, a 45-year-old inventory control specialist from Corinth, Texas, noted that Casey Sheehan had volunteered for the Army.
"He made a decision to sign up for the war," Mr. Wilson said, "and he even re-enlisted."
On either side of the road outside town Saturday, it was blazing hot, but there were few short tempers. Sheriff's deputies and Secret Service agents patrolled the buffer zone between the two groups without incident.
Still, there's a growing sense that more than a few nerves are being frayed in the community. Some ranch gates that are usually open are closed. And there's a new banner strung between two trees in one yard outside town, with a message: "My son risks his life every day as a police officer. I support President Bush and our troops."
The president, who arrived back in Texas on Aug. 2, spent most of the day at his ranch. He biked with a few reporters and photographers in the morning, and went to Waco in the evening to take in a regional Little League championship game.
He has no other public events scheduled until Aug. 22, when he flies to Idaho for a few days of business and vacation, before returning to Texas for most of the rest of the month.
Mr. Bush rode by Ms. Sheehan's roadside camp twice on Friday on his way to and from a Republican fundraising lunch at a neighbor's Broken Spoke Ranch, which is now a staging area for the sheriff's deputies and other security personnel.
On Saturday, he took a helicopter to Waco, as he usually does to save time and avoid creating congestion on the highways.
In his weekly radio address, devoted to Iraq, he again vowed to stay the course until the Iraqis can defend themselves, warning of more "difficult moments" ahead.
"Our nation grieves the death of every man and woman we lose in combat, and our hearts go out to the loved ones who mourn them," he said. "Yet, even in our grief, we can be confident in the future, because the darkness of tyranny is no match for the shining power of freedom."
"The terrorists cannot defeat us on the battlefield. The only way they can win is if we lose our nerve," he said. "That will not happen on my watch."
Bush supporters are at odds with bereaved mother near Crawford
By G. ROBERT HILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
CRAWFORD, Texas – Waving American flags and "Stay the Course" placards, several hundred supporters of President Bush rallied Saturday in the ditch across from the anti-war camp down the road from his ranch.
On the edge of town, under the shade trees of Tonkawa Falls Park, another several hundred demonstrators gathered to support Cindy Sheehan, the California mother who's been demanding a meeting with the president to confront him about the war in Iraq, in which her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed.
In between, scores of cars and pickup trucks, some sporting signs of one side or the other, crisscrossed the small town streets and winding country roads, hauling protesters from both sides.
"That's their rights as Americans to be here, as our rights as Americans to be over here," Ms. Sheehan said in an interview on the eighth day of her vigil, three miles south of the president's Prairie Chapel Ranch.
And she made clear in her visits with reporters throughout the day that she's not going anywhere anytime soon.
In a week, she told CBS News, she had accomplished one of her primary goals: pushing the anti-war message to the front of the news.
"I hope we can keep the pressure on," she said, acknowledging at the same time that some of her husband's family oppose her actions. "It doesn't surprise me that they resent it, because they're Bush supporters," she said.
On Day 8, Ms. Sheehan no longer held center stage at the fork in the road leading to the president's ranch. The Bush supporters, rallied Saturday by KLIF (570 AM) radio talk show host Darrell Ankarlo, had followed a smaller, similar protest Friday night, organized by syndicated talk show host Mike Gallagher of KRLD (1080 AM).
"We just thought we'd come out and let these folks know that there are other people who believe differently," Mr. Ankarlo said. "I don't agree with everything the president does, but I support my commander in chief in the decision he made."
Ken Stone, a 42-year-old electrical engineer from Dallas, said he had answered Mr. Ankarlo's rallying call for similar reasons.
He had wanted to show the president that he was "willing to sacrifice this time and effort and show support," he said, adding: "Maybe, it'll give him the strength to stand under the criticism."
And John Wilson, a 45-year-old inventory control specialist from Corinth, Texas, noted that Casey Sheehan had volunteered for the Army.
"He made a decision to sign up for the war," Mr. Wilson said, "and he even re-enlisted."
On either side of the road outside town Saturday, it was blazing hot, but there were few short tempers. Sheriff's deputies and Secret Service agents patrolled the buffer zone between the two groups without incident.
Still, there's a growing sense that more than a few nerves are being frayed in the community. Some ranch gates that are usually open are closed. And there's a new banner strung between two trees in one yard outside town, with a message: "My son risks his life every day as a police officer. I support President Bush and our troops."
The president, who arrived back in Texas on Aug. 2, spent most of the day at his ranch. He biked with a few reporters and photographers in the morning, and went to Waco in the evening to take in a regional Little League championship game.
He has no other public events scheduled until Aug. 22, when he flies to Idaho for a few days of business and vacation, before returning to Texas for most of the rest of the month.
Mr. Bush rode by Ms. Sheehan's roadside camp twice on Friday on his way to and from a Republican fundraising lunch at a neighbor's Broken Spoke Ranch, which is now a staging area for the sheriff's deputies and other security personnel.
On Saturday, he took a helicopter to Waco, as he usually does to save time and avoid creating congestion on the highways.
In his weekly radio address, devoted to Iraq, he again vowed to stay the course until the Iraqis can defend themselves, warning of more "difficult moments" ahead.
"Our nation grieves the death of every man and woman we lose in combat, and our hearts go out to the loved ones who mourn them," he said. "Yet, even in our grief, we can be confident in the future, because the darkness of tyranny is no match for the shining power of freedom."
"The terrorists cannot defeat us on the battlefield. The only way they can win is if we lose our nerve," he said. "That will not happen on my watch."
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TexasStooge
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New school year, new changes
By MICHAEL REY / WFAA ABC 8
Many students in North Texas were celebrating their final moments of freedom over the weekend because Monday meant back to school in some of the areas biggest districts. Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and four other districts start school this week.
And for many of those districts, the new school year means students would see some big changes.
Dallas Independent School District has a new policy that mandates school uniforms for students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade.
Some parents whose children already wear uniforms said they love the simplicity the mandate brings them.
"Hip shoes and all the hip clothes - and this is just easy," said mother Heidi McKellar. "There was no fighting. You just get up, you put it on. What are you wearing today? Your uniform."
For 2,700 students from the troubled Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District the changes are even bigger. Rather than enter their familiar schools, W-HISD students will attend a variety of DISD schools for the upcoming school year.
And in Fort Worth there are new start times and bus schedules. The district operates nearly 450 buses and said they hope uniform start times will lead to more efficient bus use.
However, some parents aren't so sure they like this change. Individual schools used to set their own start times and some will see drastic change.
FWISD elementary schools will now all start at 8 a.m., middle schools at 9:20 a.m. and high schools at 8:35 a.m.
By MICHAEL REY / WFAA ABC 8
Many students in North Texas were celebrating their final moments of freedom over the weekend because Monday meant back to school in some of the areas biggest districts. Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and four other districts start school this week.
And for many of those districts, the new school year means students would see some big changes.
Dallas Independent School District has a new policy that mandates school uniforms for students from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade.
Some parents whose children already wear uniforms said they love the simplicity the mandate brings them.
"Hip shoes and all the hip clothes - and this is just easy," said mother Heidi McKellar. "There was no fighting. You just get up, you put it on. What are you wearing today? Your uniform."
For 2,700 students from the troubled Wilmer-Hutchins Independent School District the changes are even bigger. Rather than enter their familiar schools, W-HISD students will attend a variety of DISD schools for the upcoming school year.
And in Fort Worth there are new start times and bus schedules. The district operates nearly 450 buses and said they hope uniform start times will lead to more efficient bus use.
However, some parents aren't so sure they like this change. Individual schools used to set their own start times and some will see drastic change.
FWISD elementary schools will now all start at 8 a.m., middle schools at 9:20 a.m. and high schools at 8:35 a.m.
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TexasStooge
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Family continues fight for answers
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA
ALLEN, Texas - Attorneys for Edgar Vera's family said they had to go to a judge to try and force the Allen Police Department to share information on why the father of two lies brain-dead in a hospital bed.
The family has been protesting the police department in hopes of finding answers about exactly what happened a week ago in the 1500 block of Mahogany Drive where police attempted to arrest Vera on a traffic warrant.
A struggle ensued after the attempted arrest and police said they had to control the situation by spraying Vera with pepper spray. When it was over, Vera was rushed to the hospital and has been in a coma ever since.
Allen police said the Texas Rangers are now conducting a separate investigation and the FBI is also monitoring the case. However, the Vera family said things aren't moving fast enough for them.
"They are slowing us down on the investigation," said relative Luis Pacchini.
As Vera lies hospitalized in a coma with his wife and sons by his side, relatives and friends held a fundraiser to help the family.
"Now that the provider has been taken away from them, we're trying to collect some money for any needs they have at this time," Pacchini said.
Support has swelled for Vera and his family and people have stepped forward to help in any way they can.
"His condition is deteriorating," Pacchini said. "I mean the prognosis is very poor. It's irreversible damage to the brain. We're hoping for a miracle and for justice. This office has to be brought to justice."
Allen police placed two officers on paid administrative leave and launched an investigation, but attorneys for the family have accused the department of moving slow to release information.
"We're asking as part of the investigation that they should also release some of the information to the family," said Steve Salazar, the family attorney. "And the family has asked for the 911 tapes for any other information that is available right now and open. But to date no information has been given."
An Allen police spokesperson said a lawsuit was filed, which means any information will have to come from their attorneys. But a Vera family attorney said no lawsuit has been filed. He said they simply asked a district judge to order the police department to disclose public records.
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA
ALLEN, Texas - Attorneys for Edgar Vera's family said they had to go to a judge to try and force the Allen Police Department to share information on why the father of two lies brain-dead in a hospital bed.
The family has been protesting the police department in hopes of finding answers about exactly what happened a week ago in the 1500 block of Mahogany Drive where police attempted to arrest Vera on a traffic warrant.
A struggle ensued after the attempted arrest and police said they had to control the situation by spraying Vera with pepper spray. When it was over, Vera was rushed to the hospital and has been in a coma ever since.
Allen police said the Texas Rangers are now conducting a separate investigation and the FBI is also monitoring the case. However, the Vera family said things aren't moving fast enough for them.
"They are slowing us down on the investigation," said relative Luis Pacchini.
As Vera lies hospitalized in a coma with his wife and sons by his side, relatives and friends held a fundraiser to help the family.
"Now that the provider has been taken away from them, we're trying to collect some money for any needs they have at this time," Pacchini said.
Support has swelled for Vera and his family and people have stepped forward to help in any way they can.
"His condition is deteriorating," Pacchini said. "I mean the prognosis is very poor. It's irreversible damage to the brain. We're hoping for a miracle and for justice. This office has to be brought to justice."
Allen police placed two officers on paid administrative leave and launched an investigation, but attorneys for the family have accused the department of moving slow to release information.
"We're asking as part of the investigation that they should also release some of the information to the family," said Steve Salazar, the family attorney. "And the family has asked for the 911 tapes for any other information that is available right now and open. But to date no information has been given."
An Allen police spokesperson said a lawsuit was filed, which means any information will have to come from their attorneys. But a Vera family attorney said no lawsuit has been filed. He said they simply asked a district judge to order the police department to disclose public records.
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TexasStooge
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Ready buyers, shopping options collide
By PAULA LAVIGNE / The Dallas Morning News
Second of three parts
McKINNEY, Texas - In a clearing amid thousands of Collin County rooftops lies an intersection of commerce – a mall with 160 shops near a Lowe's, a SuperTarget and the newly opened Ikea, a power center surrounded by dozens of stores selling everything from billiards supplies to Birkenstocks.
Bargain bins and boutiques see the bounty that lies in the region's high incomes, fast-paced growth and abundance of young families with kids.
Plano homeowner Mike Gleason, 64, describes what he calls the "Starbucks factor."
"Because there's so many of them, you can't help but stop. There's so many restaurants ... so many clothing stores. You can go on and on, and on every intersection in Plano, there's another shopping center," he said. "Sooner of later, one of those stores is going to entice you to come in."
If you're trying to control your spending, living here is – as one bankruptcy filer put it – like taking an alcoholic to a bar.
From the climate-controlled wine cellars to the $1,000 preteen pedicure parties, opulent opportunities abound for those who can afford them – or those willing to whip out a credit card.
It's a marketer's heaven.
From 1999 to 2004, the number of retail outlets in Collin County grew about 23 percent – the greatest increase among almost all other larger counties in Texas, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of state comptroller records. There are about 10,000 storefronts.
Within blocks of Bond Conway's house in the Twin Creeks subdivision in Allen, he can get the car repaired, go to the grocery store or pick up fast food.
"There are three malls, including an outlet mall. We've got 10 banks to choose from and four grocery stores," he said. "I've never lived in a place that has so many things so close."
More than three dozen people interviewed about shopping in Collin County agreed: They've never known a place so saturated with stores.
When Laura and David Lozano moved to Frisco from Birmingham, Ala., the array surprised them as they drove up Dallas North Tollway.
"I thought, 'Wow, look at all those restaurants. Look at all this stuff,' " she said. On her days off from her job as a pediatric nurse, she said, she'll find herself wandering into shops she didn't plan on visiting while running errands.
By PAULA LAVIGNE / The Dallas Morning News
Second of three parts
McKINNEY, Texas - In a clearing amid thousands of Collin County rooftops lies an intersection of commerce – a mall with 160 shops near a Lowe's, a SuperTarget and the newly opened Ikea, a power center surrounded by dozens of stores selling everything from billiards supplies to Birkenstocks.
Bargain bins and boutiques see the bounty that lies in the region's high incomes, fast-paced growth and abundance of young families with kids.
Plano homeowner Mike Gleason, 64, describes what he calls the "Starbucks factor."
"Because there's so many of them, you can't help but stop. There's so many restaurants ... so many clothing stores. You can go on and on, and on every intersection in Plano, there's another shopping center," he said. "Sooner of later, one of those stores is going to entice you to come in."
If you're trying to control your spending, living here is – as one bankruptcy filer put it – like taking an alcoholic to a bar.
From the climate-controlled wine cellars to the $1,000 preteen pedicure parties, opulent opportunities abound for those who can afford them – or those willing to whip out a credit card.
It's a marketer's heaven.
From 1999 to 2004, the number of retail outlets in Collin County grew about 23 percent – the greatest increase among almost all other larger counties in Texas, according to a Dallas Morning News analysis of state comptroller records. There are about 10,000 storefronts.
Within blocks of Bond Conway's house in the Twin Creeks subdivision in Allen, he can get the car repaired, go to the grocery store or pick up fast food.
"There are three malls, including an outlet mall. We've got 10 banks to choose from and four grocery stores," he said. "I've never lived in a place that has so many things so close."
More than three dozen people interviewed about shopping in Collin County agreed: They've never known a place so saturated with stores.
When Laura and David Lozano moved to Frisco from Birmingham, Ala., the array surprised them as they drove up Dallas North Tollway.
"I thought, 'Wow, look at all those restaurants. Look at all this stuff,' " she said. On her days off from her job as a pediatric nurse, she said, she'll find herself wandering into shops she didn't plan on visiting while running errands.
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Dad, 3 children die in accident
Trailer broke from truck, pinned burning car near Sherman
By KATHY A. GOOLSBY / The Dallas Morning News
SHERMAN, Texas - The Rev. Lowell Howard planned his sermon, "How God Helps People Cope," long before Sunday's service at Antioch Baptist Church in the Grayson County town of Bells.
By the time he delivered it, his congregation had a special need – church member Tommy Gene Moore and his three children had died in a fiery collision just west of town.
"That sermon was preprogrammed. God did that," Dr. Howard said. "And I needed it, too."
Mr. Moore and his children, Mary Katherine Moore, 11, Alicynne Denise Moore, 9, and Jacob Thomas Dell Moore, 7, were returning to their home in Bells on Saturday evening when the accident occurred, Dr. Howard said. They had been visiting one of Mr. Moore's co-workers.
The Moore family was eastbound on U.S. Highway 82 about 8:30 p.m. when a trailer loaded with heavy equipment broke loose from a westbound tractor-trailer driven by William Alexander Penate of Kaufman, according to the Department of Public Safety.
"The trailer from the 18-wheeler became detached and crossed the center stripe, striking the car head-on," said Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman. "The car caught on fire, and the occupants were trapped inside."
All four died at the scene. Ms. Mange said no other injuries were reported. The accident still is under investigation, and no charges have been filed.
Dr. Howard said he passed the accident site at the Choctaw Creek bridge Sunday morning on his way to church, unaware that the members had been killed.
"I could see where the car had gotten against the guardrail, and there was just nowhere for him to go to escape," Dr. Howard said. "I didn't find out until I got to church that it was Mr. Moore."
Dr. Howard said Mr. Moore had custody of the children following a divorce several years ago. The pastor picked up the children and took them to vacation Bible school in July because the family's car wasn't running.
"I've known them since they were little children," he said. "They were happy children, always smiling."
He said Mr. Moore was a repairman for an air-conditioning company in Savoy, just east of town. The family lived in an apartment, but Mr. Moore had been looking for a house with more room for the children.
He said Mr. Moore found it difficult being a dad to two girls because he felt he wasn't always in touch with their needs. But they were a close-knit family, he said, and Mr. Moore was with them every minute he wasn't working.
"Tommy was a gentle, humble man, very unassuming," Dr. Howard said. "When he sat in my Sunday school class, he was very quiet, but he was a friend, too. When he had needs, he could call me and talk about it, and he was always there for me."
Funeral arrangements have not been completed.
Trailer broke from truck, pinned burning car near Sherman
By KATHY A. GOOLSBY / The Dallas Morning News
SHERMAN, Texas - The Rev. Lowell Howard planned his sermon, "How God Helps People Cope," long before Sunday's service at Antioch Baptist Church in the Grayson County town of Bells.
By the time he delivered it, his congregation had a special need – church member Tommy Gene Moore and his three children had died in a fiery collision just west of town.
"That sermon was preprogrammed. God did that," Dr. Howard said. "And I needed it, too."
Mr. Moore and his children, Mary Katherine Moore, 11, Alicynne Denise Moore, 9, and Jacob Thomas Dell Moore, 7, were returning to their home in Bells on Saturday evening when the accident occurred, Dr. Howard said. They had been visiting one of Mr. Moore's co-workers.
The Moore family was eastbound on U.S. Highway 82 about 8:30 p.m. when a trailer loaded with heavy equipment broke loose from a westbound tractor-trailer driven by William Alexander Penate of Kaufman, according to the Department of Public Safety.
"The trailer from the 18-wheeler became detached and crossed the center stripe, striking the car head-on," said Tela Mange, a DPS spokeswoman. "The car caught on fire, and the occupants were trapped inside."
All four died at the scene. Ms. Mange said no other injuries were reported. The accident still is under investigation, and no charges have been filed.
Dr. Howard said he passed the accident site at the Choctaw Creek bridge Sunday morning on his way to church, unaware that the members had been killed.
"I could see where the car had gotten against the guardrail, and there was just nowhere for him to go to escape," Dr. Howard said. "I didn't find out until I got to church that it was Mr. Moore."
Dr. Howard said Mr. Moore had custody of the children following a divorce several years ago. The pastor picked up the children and took them to vacation Bible school in July because the family's car wasn't running.
"I've known them since they were little children," he said. "They were happy children, always smiling."
He said Mr. Moore was a repairman for an air-conditioning company in Savoy, just east of town. The family lived in an apartment, but Mr. Moore had been looking for a house with more room for the children.
He said Mr. Moore found it difficult being a dad to two girls because he felt he wasn't always in touch with their needs. But they were a close-knit family, he said, and Mr. Moore was with them every minute he wasn't working.
"Tommy was a gentle, humble man, very unassuming," Dr. Howard said. "When he sat in my Sunday school class, he was very quiet, but he was a friend, too. When he had needs, he could call me and talk about it, and he was always there for me."
Funeral arrangements have not been completed.
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TexasStooge
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Fire officials concerned by thefts
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The FBI has alerted law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for people wearing uniforms stolen from a Dallas fire station.
News 8 has learned of three separate incidents over the past two months in which property was stolen from Dallas Fire-Rescue fire houses and vehicles. In one case last Thursday, they even took an ambulance for a joy ride while it was on duty.
No one gets hotter during Texas summers than firefighters; many wear a specially-made short sleeve knit shirt as a service uniform. Now, six of those shirts are missing.
While the FBI is spreading the word, Dallas Fire-Rescue officials want citizens to make sure they're always dealing with the real thing.
"Number one, check the uniform; number two, check the identification," said Lt. Joel Lavender. "Every firefighter has a city-issued Dallas Fire-Rescue ID card on them. If you're still not sure or have some concerns, call 311 and ask if a firefighter was dispatched to your location."
Three weeks ago, a false alarm emptied most of Station 8 on Garrett Street in East Dallas. Thieves broke in and stole some cash along with a universal garage door opener.
Last week, a running ambulance disappeared on a medical call. Thieves took a cell phone, but ditched the ambulance.
Investigators don't think the same person is responsible. The three incidents happened at three separate fire stations over two months.
There is one disturbing link, however. In every case, the thieves moved in as firefighters were called out, risking their lives to respond and to protect.
In the case of the stolen ambulance, Lavender said it put any potential victims in jeopardy because of its absence.
"It was missing off an emergency run where there could have been a life-threatening moment," he said.
Now, Dallas Fire-Rescue is sounding a different alarm through their warnings about the stolen gear. They hope to protect the image they've built around their badge.
"We're dealing with public trust," Lavender said. "We can't afford to lose public trust."
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The FBI has alerted law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for people wearing uniforms stolen from a Dallas fire station.
News 8 has learned of three separate incidents over the past two months in which property was stolen from Dallas Fire-Rescue fire houses and vehicles. In one case last Thursday, they even took an ambulance for a joy ride while it was on duty.
No one gets hotter during Texas summers than firefighters; many wear a specially-made short sleeve knit shirt as a service uniform. Now, six of those shirts are missing.
While the FBI is spreading the word, Dallas Fire-Rescue officials want citizens to make sure they're always dealing with the real thing.
"Number one, check the uniform; number two, check the identification," said Lt. Joel Lavender. "Every firefighter has a city-issued Dallas Fire-Rescue ID card on them. If you're still not sure or have some concerns, call 311 and ask if a firefighter was dispatched to your location."
Three weeks ago, a false alarm emptied most of Station 8 on Garrett Street in East Dallas. Thieves broke in and stole some cash along with a universal garage door opener.
Last week, a running ambulance disappeared on a medical call. Thieves took a cell phone, but ditched the ambulance.
Investigators don't think the same person is responsible. The three incidents happened at three separate fire stations over two months.
There is one disturbing link, however. In every case, the thieves moved in as firefighters were called out, risking their lives to respond and to protect.
In the case of the stolen ambulance, Lavender said it put any potential victims in jeopardy because of its absence.
"It was missing off an emergency run where there could have been a life-threatening moment," he said.
Now, Dallas Fire-Rescue is sounding a different alarm through their warnings about the stolen gear. They hope to protect the image they've built around their badge.
"We're dealing with public trust," Lavender said. "We can't afford to lose public trust."
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TexasStooge
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Parents demand action after foster care death
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas - Children are placed in foster care when their own homes are too unstable or dangerous.
But going to a foster home turned out to be a deadly move for Arlington three-year-old Sierra Odom - and now her parents are demanding action against Child Protective Services.
Last week, Odom died while in the care of an Arlington foster family. Her biological parents said they noticed bruising during weekly visits at a Fort Worth CPS office.
"It was all on the side, it was up in her hair," said mother Heather Jamieson. "You could see it in her ear, going down the side of her neck ... little poke marks all on the side of her body."
So they alerted caseworkers.
"When we continued to ask them about it or call them about, you know, they tried to say we were harrassing them," said father Jonathan Odom.
CPS spokesperson Marissa Gonzales said the agency checked into their concerns.
"The explanation that we were given was that she was fighting with another child, and they were hitting each other," Gonzales said. "That was corroborated by other children in the home."
Police arrested the foster father, Timothy Warner. He had no criminal history and passed all the mandatory background checks.
CPS officials said the agency has problems with only 1 percent of all foster parents who care for 18,000 children, currently wards of the state.
"A vast majority of our foster parents are loving parents who take very good care of these children," Gonzales said.
But that's little solace for this family as they try to regain custody of Sierra's five-year old brother Dante, who was staying with the same foster parents.
"I don't feel that he's safe, or any child that is under their care right now," Jonathan Odom said.
"I have to be strong for my son," said mother Heather. "He needs us right now."
By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8
ARLINGTON, Texas - Children are placed in foster care when their own homes are too unstable or dangerous.
But going to a foster home turned out to be a deadly move for Arlington three-year-old Sierra Odom - and now her parents are demanding action against Child Protective Services.
Last week, Odom died while in the care of an Arlington foster family. Her biological parents said they noticed bruising during weekly visits at a Fort Worth CPS office.
"It was all on the side, it was up in her hair," said mother Heather Jamieson. "You could see it in her ear, going down the side of her neck ... little poke marks all on the side of her body."
So they alerted caseworkers.
"When we continued to ask them about it or call them about, you know, they tried to say we were harrassing them," said father Jonathan Odom.
CPS spokesperson Marissa Gonzales said the agency checked into their concerns.
"The explanation that we were given was that she was fighting with another child, and they were hitting each other," Gonzales said. "That was corroborated by other children in the home."
Police arrested the foster father, Timothy Warner. He had no criminal history and passed all the mandatory background checks.
CPS officials said the agency has problems with only 1 percent of all foster parents who care for 18,000 children, currently wards of the state.
"A vast majority of our foster parents are loving parents who take very good care of these children," Gonzales said.
But that's little solace for this family as they try to regain custody of Sierra's five-year old brother Dante, who was staying with the same foster parents.
"I don't feel that he's safe, or any child that is under their care right now," Jonathan Odom said.
"I have to be strong for my son," said mother Heather. "He needs us right now."
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TexasStooge
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Wreck spills paper across I-35E
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - A collision between a box truck and a pickup left a mess of paper strewn across Interstate 35E in Oak Cliff this afternoon.
The accident occurred near the Colorado Boulevard exit around 1:15 p.m. The pickup lost its bed cap upon impact, sending its cargo of paper across the highway.
It was unclear whether anyone was injured in the accident, or what was printed on the paper.
The wreck led to the closure of all but one northbound lane on I-35E, causing a backup that stretched all the way back to the Highway 67 split.
WFAA ABC 8
The wreck left paper strewn across I-35E.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - A collision between a box truck and a pickup left a mess of paper strewn across Interstate 35E in Oak Cliff this afternoon.
The accident occurred near the Colorado Boulevard exit around 1:15 p.m. The pickup lost its bed cap upon impact, sending its cargo of paper across the highway.
It was unclear whether anyone was injured in the accident, or what was printed on the paper.
The wreck led to the closure of all but one northbound lane on I-35E, causing a backup that stretched all the way back to the Highway 67 split.
WFAA ABC 8
The wreck left paper strewn across I-35E.
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TexasStooge
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Children witness mother's murder at gas station
PEARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Investigators said a mother was shot and killed in front of her two small children when a man walked up to her minivan at a suburban Houston gas station and opened fire.
Brazoria County sheriff's deputies said the mother was slain as she sat in the van Sunday nigth at a gas station in Pearland.
Another woman nearby was hospitalized after she was wounded in the hand and stomach.
Witnesses told police the gunman then jumped in his car and drove away. A man matching the suspect's description was later found and arrested.
PEARLAND, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Investigators said a mother was shot and killed in front of her two small children when a man walked up to her minivan at a suburban Houston gas station and opened fire.
Brazoria County sheriff's deputies said the mother was slain as she sat in the van Sunday nigth at a gas station in Pearland.
Another woman nearby was hospitalized after she was wounded in the hand and stomach.
Witnesses told police the gunman then jumped in his car and drove away. A man matching the suspect's description was later found and arrested.
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TexasStooge
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Carved note linked to girl's death
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
KELLER, Texas - The unsigned message was carved in the dining room table.
"I can't live with the pain you have caused me & Kelsey," it said. "Now she'll always be happy and in one place. She cries and prays every night that she would have her family again. She won't ever have to go back and forth again. I'd rather go to hell than live without you and our family. All I wanted was one chance. I hope you'll be happy now. ...
In the Keller house on Aug. 5, 11-year-old Kelsey Roberts' lifeless body lay in the doorway to a bedroom.
Later, the 49-year-old mother who apparently wrote the note, Norma Jean Roberts, was found unconscious in the master bedroom.
Mrs. Roberts was arrested and charged Aug. 6 in her daughter's killing, but remained unconscious in a Grapevine hospital until Friday. Mrs. Roberts was transferred to the Tarrant County Jail after she regained consciousness and was being held there Sunday in lieu of $200,000 bail.
In an arrest warrant affidavit, Keller police Sgt. David Beatty noted that when Mrs. Roberts was found, she had what appeared to be "a self-inflicted gash in her wrist and ... had apparently ingested a large quantity of drugs."
The affidavit also said Kelsey had abrasions around her nose, mouth and elbows; her shoes were partially kicked off; and a sheet was tucked into her arm and around her body. Police said she was suffocated.
Mrs. Roberts' estranged husband, Steven, and a family friend found Kelsey's body at Mrs. Roberts' Keller home in the 1900 block of Stallion Court. Police have said the motive in the killing appears to stem from upcoming divorce and child custody proceedings.
In a 911 call released this week, Mr. Roberts could be heard sobbing after he found Kelsey and his estranged wife.
"Why did she do that?" he can be heard saying in the background. "Why did she think that's a way out?"
In March, Mr. Roberts' attorney requested a court order for Mrs. Roberts to undergo a mental examination. The motion in Tarrant County district court stated that her mental condition was questioned in the divorce.
A settlement finalized last month detailed custody arrangements for Kelsey and split personal property and debt. The document noted that Mr. and Mrs. Roberts agreed that neither would receive a copy of the other's psychological evaluation.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Geoffrey McKee, a clinical professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, has studied mothers who kill their children. He recently wrote Why Mothers Kill: A Forensic Psychologist's Casebook, which is to be published next year. He said cases of a mother killing a child older than age 10 are extremely rare.
Dr. McKee said it's impossible to make a diagnosis without meeting the patient, but that Kelsey's death may be retaliatory filicide.
"The basic dynamic there is if I can't have my child, no one can have my child," he said. "Those kinds of filicides come more out of personality disorders than depression."
Kelsey's funeral was Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Keller.
By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News
KELLER, Texas - The unsigned message was carved in the dining room table.
"I can't live with the pain you have caused me & Kelsey," it said. "Now she'll always be happy and in one place. She cries and prays every night that she would have her family again. She won't ever have to go back and forth again. I'd rather go to hell than live without you and our family. All I wanted was one chance. I hope you'll be happy now. ...
In the Keller house on Aug. 5, 11-year-old Kelsey Roberts' lifeless body lay in the doorway to a bedroom.
Later, the 49-year-old mother who apparently wrote the note, Norma Jean Roberts, was found unconscious in the master bedroom.
Mrs. Roberts was arrested and charged Aug. 6 in her daughter's killing, but remained unconscious in a Grapevine hospital until Friday. Mrs. Roberts was transferred to the Tarrant County Jail after she regained consciousness and was being held there Sunday in lieu of $200,000 bail.
In an arrest warrant affidavit, Keller police Sgt. David Beatty noted that when Mrs. Roberts was found, she had what appeared to be "a self-inflicted gash in her wrist and ... had apparently ingested a large quantity of drugs."
The affidavit also said Kelsey had abrasions around her nose, mouth and elbows; her shoes were partially kicked off; and a sheet was tucked into her arm and around her body. Police said she was suffocated.
Mrs. Roberts' estranged husband, Steven, and a family friend found Kelsey's body at Mrs. Roberts' Keller home in the 1900 block of Stallion Court. Police have said the motive in the killing appears to stem from upcoming divorce and child custody proceedings.
In a 911 call released this week, Mr. Roberts could be heard sobbing after he found Kelsey and his estranged wife.
"Why did she do that?" he can be heard saying in the background. "Why did she think that's a way out?"
In March, Mr. Roberts' attorney requested a court order for Mrs. Roberts to undergo a mental examination. The motion in Tarrant County district court stated that her mental condition was questioned in the divorce.
A settlement finalized last month detailed custody arrangements for Kelsey and split personal property and debt. The document noted that Mr. and Mrs. Roberts agreed that neither would receive a copy of the other's psychological evaluation.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Geoffrey McKee, a clinical professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, has studied mothers who kill their children. He recently wrote Why Mothers Kill: A Forensic Psychologist's Casebook, which is to be published next year. He said cases of a mother killing a child older than age 10 are extremely rare.
Dr. McKee said it's impossible to make a diagnosis without meeting the patient, but that Kelsey's death may be retaliatory filicide.
"The basic dynamic there is if I can't have my child, no one can have my child," he said. "Those kinds of filicides come more out of personality disorders than depression."
Kelsey's funeral was Wednesday at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Keller.
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TexasStooge
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State leaders play nice, briefly
4 warring Republicans meet for routine bond approvals
By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – A key difference between a prizefight and politics is that in boxing, the contestants shake hands before they start trying to flatten each other. In politics, they shake hands in the middle, too.
On Monday, four statewide leaders who have been publicly bashing one another for months came together in the same small room, greeted one another nicely and then all agreed for the first time in a long time.
Meeting as a committee to manage the state's money, Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, House Speaker Tom Craddick and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn unanimously decided to issue short-term bonds to keep the state running. It took 10 minutes, and then the officers, Republicans all, retreated to their own corners.
Rarely does a cash management committee, which meets every two years, warrant TV and media attention. But for this one, all the ringside seats were filled.
Mr. Perry, called mean and hypocritical by Mrs. Strayhorn, shook her hand. Mrs. Strayhorn, whose work the governor has called wildly unstable and consistently unreliable, smiled and laughed pleasantly.
Then came Mr. Craddick, whose House has humiliated the governor by voting down his school plans by margins of more than 100 votes – twice. He said hello to the comptroller and spoke amiably to the governor.
Mr. Craddick also paid for radio ads last week blasting the Senate's school finance bill as lacking reforms.
Lastly entered Mr. Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, and who recently suggested that the House version of the school bill would cause people to march in the streets. He shook Mr. Craddick's hand and greeted the others.
They all agreed a quorum was present. They laid out the bond issues. Mr. Dewhurst was kind enough to second Mrs. Strayhorn's motion. They all voted aye.
Then they got up and left without a lot of chitchat. Afterward, Mr. Dewhurst and Mr. Perry were dismissive of the tension.
"We're taking care of business," said Mr. Perry. He then repeated statements made in an interview Friday that everybody involved in the legislative tiffs needs to "step back and take a deep breath."
Mr. Dewhurst said that while "Speaker Craddick has chosen to involve himself in some rhetoric," he was "not going to get involved in talking trash."
Mr. Craddick and Mrs. Strayhorn declined to comment. But the governor suggested that the news media make too much out of all this.
"We agree a lot of times as we're making our way through state government," he said. Then, with a jab to the press: "I know that disturbs you all very much."
4 warring Republicans meet for routine bond approvals
By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas – A key difference between a prizefight and politics is that in boxing, the contestants shake hands before they start trying to flatten each other. In politics, they shake hands in the middle, too.
On Monday, four statewide leaders who have been publicly bashing one another for months came together in the same small room, greeted one another nicely and then all agreed for the first time in a long time.
Meeting as a committee to manage the state's money, Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, House Speaker Tom Craddick and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn unanimously decided to issue short-term bonds to keep the state running. It took 10 minutes, and then the officers, Republicans all, retreated to their own corners.
Rarely does a cash management committee, which meets every two years, warrant TV and media attention. But for this one, all the ringside seats were filled.
Mr. Perry, called mean and hypocritical by Mrs. Strayhorn, shook her hand. Mrs. Strayhorn, whose work the governor has called wildly unstable and consistently unreliable, smiled and laughed pleasantly.
Then came Mr. Craddick, whose House has humiliated the governor by voting down his school plans by margins of more than 100 votes – twice. He said hello to the comptroller and spoke amiably to the governor.
Mr. Craddick also paid for radio ads last week blasting the Senate's school finance bill as lacking reforms.
Lastly entered Mr. Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, and who recently suggested that the House version of the school bill would cause people to march in the streets. He shook Mr. Craddick's hand and greeted the others.
They all agreed a quorum was present. They laid out the bond issues. Mr. Dewhurst was kind enough to second Mrs. Strayhorn's motion. They all voted aye.
Then they got up and left without a lot of chitchat. Afterward, Mr. Dewhurst and Mr. Perry were dismissive of the tension.
"We're taking care of business," said Mr. Perry. He then repeated statements made in an interview Friday that everybody involved in the legislative tiffs needs to "step back and take a deep breath."
Mr. Dewhurst said that while "Speaker Craddick has chosen to involve himself in some rhetoric," he was "not going to get involved in talking trash."
Mr. Craddick and Mrs. Strayhorn declined to comment. But the governor suggested that the news media make too much out of all this.
"We agree a lot of times as we're making our way through state government," he said. Then, with a jab to the press: "I know that disturbs you all very much."
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TexasStooge
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Mom at Bush ranch decries spectacle
Mother of slain soldier cites 'distractions,' says vigil about ending war
By G. ROBERT HILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
CRAWFORD, Texas – Bothered by what she laments as mounting "distractions," Cindy Sheehan sought Monday to refocus her peace vigil near President Bush's ranch on her central anti-war message.
Since she "came out here and sat down on a lawn chair" 10 days ago, Ms. Sheehan said, the situation has "got out of hand and just turned into a media circus."
For instance, she cited calls for the president's impeachment as "another distraction off of our original cause."
On Sunday, she faced reports that she was not paying her federal income taxes. "They killed my son in an illegal and immoral war," she told a reporter who asked, "and I don't feel like I owe them anything."
And she's been besieged not only by burgeoning numbers of her own supporters, with all sorts of agendas of their own, but also by counterdemonstrators over the weekend – and on Sunday by an angry neighbor who fired a shotgun into the air near her camp.
"The media attention has been fabulous," she said Monday at a news conference to introduce other military families opposing the war in Iraq. "We have finally gotten this war back on the front page and back in the headline news where it belongs."
Still, she said, she had stayed awake all night reviewing recent events and wishes now to get back to the basics of her vigil – and her demand to meet with the president.
"I don't want to be distracted," she said. "Our message is to bring the troops home."
Ms. Sheehan lost her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, in Iraq last year and has spent much of her time since crisscrossing the country, demanding that Mr. Bush withdraw U.S. forces.
She and other families met with the president at Fort Lewis, Wash., a few months after her son died. But she has been demanding a second meeting to confront Mr. Bush on the war.
On Wednesday, supporters are planning candlelight vigils across the country. And on Friday, Ms. Sheehan is urging a worldwide moment of silence to honor the war dead, and she hopes the president will attend a noon prayer service at the anti-war camp.
"He says he cares about the troops. We care about the troops," she said. "This is a way to show that we have something in common."
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino declined to say whether Mr. Bush, who's on vacation this week at his ranch, would attend.
The president, she noted, has said he sympathizes with Ms. Sheehan and shares her pain, and that of others who have lost family and friends in Iraq.
Mother of slain soldier cites 'distractions,' says vigil about ending war
By G. ROBERT HILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
CRAWFORD, Texas – Bothered by what she laments as mounting "distractions," Cindy Sheehan sought Monday to refocus her peace vigil near President Bush's ranch on her central anti-war message.
Since she "came out here and sat down on a lawn chair" 10 days ago, Ms. Sheehan said, the situation has "got out of hand and just turned into a media circus."
For instance, she cited calls for the president's impeachment as "another distraction off of our original cause."
On Sunday, she faced reports that she was not paying her federal income taxes. "They killed my son in an illegal and immoral war," she told a reporter who asked, "and I don't feel like I owe them anything."
And she's been besieged not only by burgeoning numbers of her own supporters, with all sorts of agendas of their own, but also by counterdemonstrators over the weekend – and on Sunday by an angry neighbor who fired a shotgun into the air near her camp.
"The media attention has been fabulous," she said Monday at a news conference to introduce other military families opposing the war in Iraq. "We have finally gotten this war back on the front page and back in the headline news where it belongs."
Still, she said, she had stayed awake all night reviewing recent events and wishes now to get back to the basics of her vigil – and her demand to meet with the president.
"I don't want to be distracted," she said. "Our message is to bring the troops home."
Ms. Sheehan lost her son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, in Iraq last year and has spent much of her time since crisscrossing the country, demanding that Mr. Bush withdraw U.S. forces.
She and other families met with the president at Fort Lewis, Wash., a few months after her son died. But she has been demanding a second meeting to confront Mr. Bush on the war.
On Wednesday, supporters are planning candlelight vigils across the country. And on Friday, Ms. Sheehan is urging a worldwide moment of silence to honor the war dead, and she hopes the president will attend a noon prayer service at the anti-war camp.
"He says he cares about the troops. We care about the troops," she said. "This is a way to show that we have something in common."
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino declined to say whether Mr. Bush, who's on vacation this week at his ranch, would attend.
The president, she noted, has said he sympathizes with Ms. Sheehan and shares her pain, and that of others who have lost family and friends in Iraq.
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TexasStooge
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Charter school report flawed
Charters botched data; they probably don't get more funds per student
By KENT FISCHER / The Dallas Morning News
A recent report that found Texas charter schools receive more money per student, than traditional schools was based on flawed data and is probably incorrect, the state's education commissioner has told lawmakers.
The report, a state-commissioned annual study of charter schools, was released in late June by the Texas Center for Education Research. The study was based on an analysis of state school data from 2003-04 and school financial figures from 2002-03, the most recent available in the database.
The study, which concluded that charters receive $8,045 per student vs. $8,028 for traditional districts, immediately raised eyebrows among charter advocates who were adamant that their independent public schools operated on less money than traditional schools.
Texas Education Agency officials initially vouched for the results but took a second look at the data and noticed problems. They now say charters receive less money per pupil – but it is not clear how much.
Some schools had grossly overstated the amount of state revenue they received. Eight others reported no state revenue when, in fact, they received $20.5 million. The most egregious errors included:
•Gulf Shores Academy in Houston reported a budget of $66 million. The real figure was $9.6 million.
•Dallas-based Honors Academy reported receiving no state aid, but it got $11.4 million.
•Lewisville's Universal Academy reported receiving no state money, but it received nearly $6 million.
•Houston-based American Academy of Excellence claimed $14 million in state aid. The actual amount was $1.4 million.
The Gulf Shores error alone was big enough to inflate the per-pupil revenue for every charter school in the state by at least $900, according to state finance officials. By factoring in that mistake only, the per-pupil figure would be about $7,100 for charter schools compared with about $8,000 for regular schools.
The state is working on an accurate per-pupil revenue figure for charters, but an analysis by The Dallas Morning News puts the figure at $7,511. The News calculated that figure after reviewing the audited financial statements of 134 charter schools – all that were available via the state education agency's Web site. Those 134 audits cover more than 80 percent of the state's charter schools.
Charter operators said the reporting mistakes were probably the fault of under-trained or over-worked administrators trying to navigate a complex state reporting system.
'Easy mistake'
"It's an easy mistake to make when it's 8 p.m. and you're exhausted and you're the only administrator running the school," said American Academy of Excellence Superintendent Jean LaGrone. Recently, she readily recalled two years ago inadvertently entering a wrong number in a wrong column in her school's report to the state. She said that, despite realizing the error a day or two after making it, she did not attempt to fix her $10 million mistake.
The error "might be a problem for the state, but when you are your school's counselor, the registrar, the only administrator – [correcting the error] is just not high on my list," she said. "Taking care of my students is my priority."
For most Texans, the errors amount to mere mistakes in a state report the public rarely sees. But researchers, academics and the media rely on the data when they study and write about public education in Texas. Bad data can distort their findings, which often influence legislators and policy makers.
The state generates its huge Public Education Information Management System database from the reports all public schools submit to TEA throughout each school year.
Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley wrote to top lawmakers explaining the problem with the study. Her letter did not state an accurate per-pupil funding figure for charter schools. In light of the tainted data, TEA is working on a supplemental report that should provide that figure, she wrote.
'In context'
"The data must be placed into context, and that context clearly shows that charter schools are actually funded at a per-pupil rate that is lower than that of traditional districts," Ms. Neeley wrote, adding that "one instance of human error [Gulf Shores] ... seems to distort the statewide average of charter [revenue] significantly."
Researcher Meagan Batdorff recently completed a study of Texas charter school financing in conjunction with the organization Public Impact, based in Chapel Hill, N.C. Ms. Batdorff said she found the state's data so unreliable that she resorted to building her own database, using multiple sources, including the charter schools' audited financial statements.
"I absolutely respect and applaud Texas' effort to post this data and make it available, but it's really problematic if it is self-reported and not checked," she said. "Texas is a big state with a lot of schools, and if people are looking at them through a microscope, the data really need to be cleaned up."
Kelly Shapley, the director of Texas Center for Education Research, whose report was based on the flawed data, said the state should examine the charter reports to make sure they are accurate.
"If we're going to use this data to draw conclusions about public schools, then certainly you would think there needs to be some assurance that somebody is [checking] it," she said.
For charter advocates, the tainted data were released at an inopportune time. The flawed report was released in June just as lawmakers concluded an unsuccessful special session on school finance. Charter advocates were pushing for new laws that would have increased their access to new state money. The flawed data appeared to show that charters didn't need it.
Any damage done to their lobbying efforts, however, was self-inflicted. Honors CEO John Dodd said his school's error was probably the result of a poorly trained and careless employee who he has since fired.
He said the state's public information database system is time-consuming. "There are so many codes, and the person using it has to be well-trained. Most charter schools are understaffed and under-trained."
Charters botched data; they probably don't get more funds per student
By KENT FISCHER / The Dallas Morning News
A recent report that found Texas charter schools receive more money per student, than traditional schools was based on flawed data and is probably incorrect, the state's education commissioner has told lawmakers.
The report, a state-commissioned annual study of charter schools, was released in late June by the Texas Center for Education Research. The study was based on an analysis of state school data from 2003-04 and school financial figures from 2002-03, the most recent available in the database.
The study, which concluded that charters receive $8,045 per student vs. $8,028 for traditional districts, immediately raised eyebrows among charter advocates who were adamant that their independent public schools operated on less money than traditional schools.
Texas Education Agency officials initially vouched for the results but took a second look at the data and noticed problems. They now say charters receive less money per pupil – but it is not clear how much.
Some schools had grossly overstated the amount of state revenue they received. Eight others reported no state revenue when, in fact, they received $20.5 million. The most egregious errors included:
•Gulf Shores Academy in Houston reported a budget of $66 million. The real figure was $9.6 million.
•Dallas-based Honors Academy reported receiving no state aid, but it got $11.4 million.
•Lewisville's Universal Academy reported receiving no state money, but it received nearly $6 million.
•Houston-based American Academy of Excellence claimed $14 million in state aid. The actual amount was $1.4 million.
The Gulf Shores error alone was big enough to inflate the per-pupil revenue for every charter school in the state by at least $900, according to state finance officials. By factoring in that mistake only, the per-pupil figure would be about $7,100 for charter schools compared with about $8,000 for regular schools.
The state is working on an accurate per-pupil revenue figure for charters, but an analysis by The Dallas Morning News puts the figure at $7,511. The News calculated that figure after reviewing the audited financial statements of 134 charter schools – all that were available via the state education agency's Web site. Those 134 audits cover more than 80 percent of the state's charter schools.
Charter operators said the reporting mistakes were probably the fault of under-trained or over-worked administrators trying to navigate a complex state reporting system.
'Easy mistake'
"It's an easy mistake to make when it's 8 p.m. and you're exhausted and you're the only administrator running the school," said American Academy of Excellence Superintendent Jean LaGrone. Recently, she readily recalled two years ago inadvertently entering a wrong number in a wrong column in her school's report to the state. She said that, despite realizing the error a day or two after making it, she did not attempt to fix her $10 million mistake.
The error "might be a problem for the state, but when you are your school's counselor, the registrar, the only administrator – [correcting the error] is just not high on my list," she said. "Taking care of my students is my priority."
For most Texans, the errors amount to mere mistakes in a state report the public rarely sees. But researchers, academics and the media rely on the data when they study and write about public education in Texas. Bad data can distort their findings, which often influence legislators and policy makers.
The state generates its huge Public Education Information Management System database from the reports all public schools submit to TEA throughout each school year.
Education Commissioner Shirley Neeley wrote to top lawmakers explaining the problem with the study. Her letter did not state an accurate per-pupil funding figure for charter schools. In light of the tainted data, TEA is working on a supplemental report that should provide that figure, she wrote.
'In context'
"The data must be placed into context, and that context clearly shows that charter schools are actually funded at a per-pupil rate that is lower than that of traditional districts," Ms. Neeley wrote, adding that "one instance of human error [Gulf Shores] ... seems to distort the statewide average of charter [revenue] significantly."
Researcher Meagan Batdorff recently completed a study of Texas charter school financing in conjunction with the organization Public Impact, based in Chapel Hill, N.C. Ms. Batdorff said she found the state's data so unreliable that she resorted to building her own database, using multiple sources, including the charter schools' audited financial statements.
"I absolutely respect and applaud Texas' effort to post this data and make it available, but it's really problematic if it is self-reported and not checked," she said. "Texas is a big state with a lot of schools, and if people are looking at them through a microscope, the data really need to be cleaned up."
Kelly Shapley, the director of Texas Center for Education Research, whose report was based on the flawed data, said the state should examine the charter reports to make sure they are accurate.
"If we're going to use this data to draw conclusions about public schools, then certainly you would think there needs to be some assurance that somebody is [checking] it," she said.
For charter advocates, the tainted data were released at an inopportune time. The flawed report was released in June just as lawmakers concluded an unsuccessful special session on school finance. Charter advocates were pushing for new laws that would have increased their access to new state money. The flawed data appeared to show that charters didn't need it.
Any damage done to their lobbying efforts, however, was self-inflicted. Honors CEO John Dodd said his school's error was probably the result of a poorly trained and careless employee who he has since fired.
He said the state's public information database system is time-consuming. "There are so many codes, and the person using it has to be well-trained. Most charter schools are understaffed and under-trained."
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