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#2821 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:00 am

New Dallas program simplifies recycling

By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - The people who manage the mountain of mess at the Community Waste Disposal don't see trash. Instead, they said they see potential for a second life for used products.

"We see aluminum cans being turned into aluminum cans," said Robert Medigovich, Community Waste Disposal. "We see glass bottles being turned into other glass bottles."

However, since Dallas residents have been slow to jump on the recycling track, the city said they are trying something new for encouragement - simplifying.

Until now, only a few products could be recycled, and they had to be separated. In the old program, newspapers were to be put in paper bags, and glass and plastics in a blue plastic bag.

Now, all recyclables can be placed in one blue or clear bag. Also, the new program allows participants to recycle paper products such as phone books, newspapers and opened mail.

While the new process requires more work on the collection end by creating more trash that needs to be separated by hand, the strategy has worked for many other cities.

"We make it convenient," said John Barlow, Dallas Sanitation Department. "We make it to where they can recycle more commodities [and] people will want to participate."

At this point, about 30 percent of Dallas customers recycle. The city hopes to double that in three years. But, that's still behind Plano, which has 70 percent of customers recycle.

"We got calls from people wanting to know, 'Okay, when is my day?'" Barlow said. "'I got my bags, I want to start.'"

The recycling mound is one mountain of trash many people, including the city, actually hope will get bigger with the help of the city's new program.
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#2822 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:04 am

Purse snatcher targets women in Irving

By DON WALL / WFAA ABC 8

IRVING, Texas - A drive-by purse snatcher has struck several times over the past week in South Irving.

Emily Norman, 61, had just finished shopping at a Kroger on West Grauwyler over the weekend when a man reached out and grabbed her purse as he drove by her in the parking lot. He stole some cash, a check, credit cards, driver's license and all her other IDs.

"I think it's kind of scary when someone can have their purse taken off their shoulder right in broad daylight in a busy parking lot," Norman said.

Irving police said similar incidents took place last week at a Wal-Mart Supercenter off Airport Freeway. The drive-by purse snatcher stole a 64-year-old woman's purse on Thursday and a 22-year-old woman's purse on Friday.

The robber is driving a white four-door compact car; he appears to be short with a small frame and close-cropped hair. Security video taken at Wal-Mart is of little help.

The suspect is apparently working alone, which alarms police.

"It's just a matter of time, unfortunately, until someone may step to the right instead of to the left and is struck by the vehicle, and we have a serious tragedy on our hands," said Irving police spokesman David Tull.

In one case, one of the victims was hit by the robber's mirror as he drove away. In another incident, he crashed into an oncoming car, but kept going.

Norman said she will now follow police advice to hold her purse tight against her body.

"I hope it's over for everybody soon," she said. "That was pretty scary."
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#2823 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:07 am

TXU files for 24 percent rate hike

By ELIZABETH SOUDER / The Dallas Morning News

TXU Energy filed on Monday with the Public Utility Commission of Texas a case to hike electricity rates about 24% in January.

If the commission approves the request, half of that increase would go into effect next month.

Texas utility monopolies use a formula to set rates that involves the price of natural gas, and natural gas prices have risen 46.5% since the last time TXU hiked rates back in May, the utility said. TXU based the newest rate case on prices between September 7 to October 4, though the interim rates to be implemented in November are based on natural gas prices before hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and drove energy prices higher.

TXU and other utility monopolies inked a deal last month with regulators to use pre-Katrina natural gas prices, to stagger the rate increase, and to gain approval of the new rates by the end of October. TXU said in the filing it expects the Commission to approve the application by October 28.

Around a quarter of Metroplex residents won’t be subject to the rate hike because they’ve switched to competitors. Since the Texas electricity market was deregulated in 2002, a number of competitors have cropped up to delivery electricity to homes and businesses. They may set rates as high or low as they please, and many undercut TXU and other incumbent utilities across the state.

Read more in tomorrow's Dallas Morning News or at DallasNews.com.
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#2824 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:12 am

Officials fear flu vaccine shortage

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

ARLINGTON, Texas — With the advent of flu season, the Tarrant County Public Health Department teamed up with other local agencies to provide vaccinations for those at high risk.

There were no long lines at the North Texas Shoot-Out Tuesday at the Arlington Convention Center.

But health officials said they are concerned because it appears the federal government is now rationing the supply of available vaccine—and they are receiving much less than requested.

The government says the supply should be limited to individuals who are most at risk, like Milford Scott, who was one of the first in line at the Shoot-Out.

"I get a shot every year," said Smith, a senior citizen who suffers from emphyzema.

But others also run a higher risk at this time of year.

"I work with children, so I really need one," said Glenda Perry.

"I work with the elderly," said El Skinner, "so I have to take the flu shots to protect myself from all of them."

"They're the ones that are really going to suffer from the complications of the flu," said Ann Falyer Caldwell, director of the Tarrant County Public Health Association.

Health authorities had 2,500 shots available on Tuesday priced at $20 each, but the vaccinations were free for high-risk individuals 60 years and older or 18 years and younger.

There was no charge for those 65 years and older under Medicare Plan B.

It was still unclear how long the county's supply of available vaccine would hold out.

"Even if we don't have vaccine for everyone, if we get the high risk first, we know that they'll be much more likely to be protected," Caldwell said.

The North Texas Shoot-Out continued through 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Many attendees who are on fixed or low incomes complained about a $5 parking charge at the convention center. Officials later rescinded the fee and attempted to provide refunds.

Flu shots for Tarrant County residents are also available Monday-Friday at five public health centers. Call 817-321-4700 for more information.
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#2825 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:16 am

Neighbor kills Fort Worth woman's dog

By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8

FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth police are investigating a shooting late last week that left a dog dead and its owner upset.

Tiffany Moore, who lives in the Handley-Meadowbrook neighborhood off of Loop 820, lost her dog Cuda when he was shot and killed last Friday morning.

"He was just a really friendly dog," Moore said.

But neighbors said the Chow/yellow Lab mix got out of her garage and went on a tear around the neighborhood.

One nearby resident said she confronted the dog in her backyard.

He was lunging at the fence, all teeth bared," the unidentifed neighbor said. "When I tried to shoo him away, he wouldn't go."

Moore said the eight-year-old Cuda has health problems, and she doubts he could be that ferocious.

"My animal can't even jump an inch off the ground," she said.

Debbie Mosley said the dog tried to attack her cats, and that's when she made a spur-of-the-moment decision: she got in her car, followed Cuda and shot him in the stomach.

"It's the absolute last thing I would have ever wanted to do," Mosley said. "Being a responsible handgun carrier, I wouldn't ever do that unless I felt it was a situation that needed to be remedied right then."

Mosley said she's an avid animal lover, but after losing a cat to a white dog in the neighborhood, she feared Cuda would hurt someone.

"I have witnessed the violence of the dogs on one than more occasion, going back three years," she said, adding that she has filed numerous complaints.

However, Moore said it's unfair to target every dog in the neighborhood.

"There are large white dogs all in the neighborhood ... you don't shoot the animals," she said. "I cannot believe that someone would just take matters into their own hands like that."

Fort Worth police are investigating the case, and said they plan to take it to the district attorney's office. If the district attorney accepts it, it would be an animal cruelty charge.
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#2826 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:18 am

Truck veers off I-30, catches fire

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - A moving van drove off Interstate 30, overturned and caught fire Wednesday morning in Old East Dallas, injuring at least one person and snarling traffic headed into downtown.

The 18-wheeler was traveling in the westbound lanes near Munger Avenue around 10:15 a.m. when it hit another vehicle, smashed through the guardrail and careened down the embankment before coming to rest on its side along the service road. The truck's cab began leaking fuel, and then caught fire.

Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said the driver had to be extricated from the cab. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center in unknown condition.

A compact car with what appeared to be minor damage sat along the shoulder of I-30, next to a break in the guardrail where the truck's tracks could be seen leading off the highway and onto the service road.

A logo for Paul Arpin Van Lines, a moving company based in Rhode Island with independent agents in 49 states, was clearly visible on the side of the trailer. It is unknown what cargo the truck was carrying.

At 11 a.m., traffic remained slow along westbound I-30 before the Munger Avenue exit.

Watch News 8 Midday at noon for more on this developing story.

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The moving van's cab began leaking fuel and caught fire after it rolled onto its side.
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#2827 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:21 am

False alarms stir Dallas debate

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Should Dallas police continue to answer burglar alarm calls?

It's an issue that has police and alarm companies at odds - and soon, the city will ask citizens to weigh in on the issue.

Police believe if they stop answering burglar alarms, they can free up more officers to do other work, but opponents of the plan said if police stop responding to these calls the crime rate will go up.

Some Dallas police officers told News 8 they spend a large portion of their shift answering false alarms.

"97 percent of the alarms we respond to are false," said Dallas Police Sgt. Stephen Toth. "Sometimes that is all we do, is go from alarm call to alarm call."

The department is asking the City Council to allow them to quit answering every home and business alarm, saying if they stop answering these types of calls it would free up at least 41 officers to do other police work.

"We effectively take two police officers out of service for 30 to 40 minutes at a time," Toth said.

Police want a verified response system where the security firm would first send a security guard to check it out if it was a real call; then they would call police.

However, alarm companies and some citizens are joining forces to stop this plan from going through.

"It is basically saying, 'We can't do our jobs, so we are going to get Private Barney,'" said alarm company owner Calie Stephens. "It will hurt the very people who need it the most."

Opponents said they want a real police officer to show up at their home if the alarm goes off. But, police said they are wasting precious time, money and resources that could be put to better use.

The public will get a chance next Wednesday to give their input at a public hearing at City Hall.
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#2828 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:22 am

Death sentence overturned on appeal

AUSTIN, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - Convicted killer John Paul Penry, whose case helped spark debate over whether mentally impaired inmates could be sentenced to death, had his execution overturned for the third time Wednesday.

A divided Texas Court of Criminal Appeals also overturned his conviction for the 1979 slaying of an East Texas woman and ordered he be given a new trial. The court ruling said jurors during his most recent retrial may not have properly considered his claims of mental impairment.

Penry over more than a decade became the face of mentally impaired killers across the country, winning two reversals from the U.S. Supreme Court that changed the way judges instruct juries in capital cases.

In July 2002, shortly after the high court's ruling, a jury in Conroe determined Penry was not retarded and sentenced him to die.
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#2829 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:26 am

Miers would be court's first evangelical

By SAM HODGES / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas - For 26 years, Harriet Miers has belonged to an evangelical North Dallas church that is steadfastly opposed to abortion and gay marriage and takes other conservative positions on controversial social issues.

Should she be confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, court historians say, Ms. Miers would be the only justice with an evangelical background.

But those close to her say it's a mistake to assume that her affiliation with Valley View Christian Church would dictate how she would decide cases – including cases her church cares deeply about.

"You can't extrapolate from a person's personal views to how they're going to judge a case," said Nathan Hecht, a Texas Supreme Court justice who first brought Ms. Miers to Valley View, his church for many years. "They don't determine what the law is."

The White House said President Bush did not consider Ms. Miers' personal ideology or religious beliefs in nominating her to succeed Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring.

"The president has been very clear that he chooses judicial nominees based on their temperament, judicial philosophy and commitment to interpret the law rather than legislate from the bench," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

Ms. Miers grew up in Dallas attending Catholic and Protestant churches, said her sister-in-law Elizabeth Lang-Miers, a state appellate judge.

Ms. Miers' mother "imbued" her children with a strong sense of Christian faith, said Ms. Lang-Miers, but she added that she wasn't sure whether Ms. Miers considered herself Catholic or Protestant growing up.

"My impression at the time and since was that she considered herself, if anything, Catholic. But she really didn't consider it very much," said Justice Hecht.

In the late 1970s, Justice Hecht recalled, he and Ms. Miers were in the same Dallas law firm and would have late-night discussions at work about faith.

"We would talk about it, and over the course of some months, I suggested she ought to think about a more serious commitment. She said she'd let me know.

"One day she came out of the office and said that's what she was going to do. I said, 'So now what?' She said, 'I need to find a good church to go to.' I said, 'Well, you ought to come to mine.' "

Ms. Miers did indeed join Justice Hecht – who describes their long relationship as that of two "good, close friends" – in attending Valley View Christian. In 1979, she joined the church and underwent a full-immersion baptism there.

Asked whether he thought she considered herself a born-again Christian, based on her baptism, Justice Hecht said, "absolutely."

The church, located today on Marsh Lane north of Trinity Mills Road, is one of about 5,500 congregations nationwide that are proudly nondenominational and work together to support Christian colleges and missions.

These churches describe themselves as evangelical.

"That'll tell you a lot theologically," said Barry Hankins, an associate professor of history and church-state studies at Baylor University. "It'll tell you they affirm the authority of Scripture and they affirm a conversion experience followed by baptism."

Indeed, the "What We Believe" section of Valley View's Web site ( http://www.vvcc.org) speaks of the Bible as "the only infallible, inspired, authoritative Word of God."

Dr. Hankins said Christian churches such as Valley View have tended to be less politically active than many evangelical churches. Justice Hecht agreed that that had been the case at Valley View.

"They are concerned, but the thought in the past has always been that the emphasis of the church should be on its primary mission" – conversion and ministering to believers.

"That said, they have had pro-life literature in the church building and pro-life speakers over the years," he said.

Ron Key, a former minister at the church, said Valley View has supported Christian ministries that try to persuade unwed mothers to consider adoption over abortion.

The church has opposed gay marriage and generally supported prayer in public schools, he added. He recalled no particular position on stem cell research.

Ms. Miers quickly became active at Valley View in a low-key way, supporting missions programs and working on Sunday nights with the "Whirly Birds" program for first- through third- graders.

"And in adult Sunday school, she was the one who would come early and make the coffee and then clean up afterward," said Vickie Wilson, the church office manager and a longtime member.

Justice Hecht described Valley View – which was founded in 1964 and now has about 1,400 members – as "crucial" to Ms. Miers. She has attended fairly regularly in recent years, even while she has been working in the White House, most recently as counsel to the president.

But Justice Hecht also said that both he and Ms. Miers have recently left the church, joining about 200 others who are forming another congregation after disputes about staffing, governance and worship style since the arrival last year of Barry McCarty as "preaching minister."

Ms. Miers attended a Sunday gathering of the disaffected group two weekends ago, said Mr. Key. He left the church staff this summer after more than 30 years and has been preaching to the as-yet-unnamed second congregation.

Ms. Wilson, the Valley View office manager, acknowledged that the split is painful for the church. "We're in transition," she said.

She noted that Ms. Miers attended Valley View while visiting a few weeks ago. "She's still on the membership rolls here," Ms. Wilson said.

But Justice Hecht, who has resigned as a church elder, maintained that Ms. Miers was joining him in leaving the church.

Mr. Key said Ms. Miers called him and his wife, Kaycia, on the night before Monday's announcement that she would be the high court nominee.

"She simply asked for us to pray for her. My wife asked, 'Could you tell us why?' She said, 'You know me better than that.' We said, 'OK, we'll pray for you.' "

Staff writers Tyra Damm in Dallas, Pete Slover in Austin and David Jackson in Washington contributed to this report.
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#2830 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 11:28 am

Plant employees at risk for asbestos illnesses

Report inconclusive on Grace operation's threat to neighborhood

By JIM GETZ / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - They called it the giant cigar.

Diane Smith and Linda Bates recall that the towering smokestack of W.R. Grace's Texas Vermiculite plant behind Thomas A. Edison Middle School spewed what they thought was ash, so the kids saw it as a stogie.

"It was like glitter," Ms. Smith said of the particles the kids licked off the ice cream they bought at the Good Luck hamburger stand where Ms. Bates' mother worked.

But a new report from a federal agency says the W.R. Grace facility produced something more ominous than glitter.

The report from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says 200 to 450 former Grace plant workers – and their family members – need to see a physician as soon as possible because they could be suffering from such asbestos-related diseases as asbestosis, the rare lung cancer mesothelioma or other forms of lung cancer.

The report adds another chapter to a West Dallas history already tainted by the former RSR Corp.'s smelter emissions of toxic lead, arsenic and cadmium.

People who lived or worked near the plant – which operated from 1953 to 1992 on Manila Road – also could have been exposed to asbestos through emissions and stockpiles of waste rock, the report said.

In addition, the report, which is part of a National Asbestos Exposure Review of 28 such sites in the U.S., finds that it is "indeterminate" whether the plant was a public health hazard to the surrounding community.

"That's just a fancy way of saying, 'We don't know,' " state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, told 50 residents at a meeting Monday night. "That's an inadequate response to what we think is a very grave concern to the community."

Half a dozen schools lie within a mile north of the former plant; the prevailing winds come from the south. The 1990 census indicated that 7,140 people lived within a mile of the site.

Dallas ISD spokesman Donald Claxton said he has heard discussions about the study and believes the district is reviewing it.

Grace charges

The plant processed a mineral known as vermiculite that was hauled in from a W.R. Grace mine in Libby, Mont. – now a notorious site of asbestos contamination.

W.R. Grace and seven of its executives were indicted Feb. 7 in federal court, charged with conspiring to keep secret the dangers of the asbestos within vermiculite from workers, customers and Libby residents. Grace denies the charges. Its officials could not be reached for comment.

In the four decades it operated, the Dallas plant used vermiculite to produce soil mixtures and building products. It processed nearly 400,000 tons of the ore, which burst like popcorn during a heating process known as exfoliation. That process produces asbestos fibers, too tiny to be seen, that can lodge in the lungs. It can take as long as 20 years for disease to develop.

The plant was cleaned up in 1996-97 and torn down in 2001-02. So today, like the lead smelter site, the Grace site is vacant.

Why no warnings?

Residents and legislators were concerned that federal agencies had not warned them about asbestos dangers years, if not decades, ago.

"There ain't no justice in West Dallas," Ms. Bates told lawmakers at the meeting. "People may have gotten lead money [from lawsuit settlements], but they haven't got justice, because now we got something else killing us."

If there is justice, it will be three decades too late for Ms. Bates' grandfather, Henry Jackson. He worked for both W.R. Grace and RSR Corp. for seven years.

"He started losing his memory," Ms. Bates said. "Then his skin started getting dry and would crack and bust."

Lead, arsenic and other chemicals were found in his lungs after his death in 1974, Ms. Bates said before pulling out half a dozen bottles of pills for various illnesses.

Environmental Protection Agency spokesman Dave Bary said his agency found minimal traces of asbestos in a January 2001 assessment of the site but said further details were not available Tuesday.

Elizabeth Todd, a spokeswoman for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, said her agency performed four inspections of the Grace plant between 1973 and 1984. Officials found only one violation, and it was a safety concern unrelated to asbestos.

Spokesman Charles Green said the toxic substance agency, which began its evaluation of the site in 2002, released the findings Sept. 22, "as soon as they were ready."

Looking for workers

Mr. Anchia understood residents' anger and worries, but said the most important thing was to find former workers so they can get medical help.

But Julia Sepulveda, mother of Luis Sepulveda, a justice of the peace who also leads the West Dallas Coalition for Environmental Justice, said many workers were undocumented migrants.

"So they'll probably never find them," said Mrs. Sepulveda, who lived in the neighborhood for 35 years.

She, like her husband Manuel – who worked in a roofing materials company in the neighborhood – has breathing problems. The Texas Department of State Health Services is examining statistics from the state cancer registry and death certificates for the toxic substance agency to determine if there are significant increases in asbestos-related diseases or mortality in the community.

The findings from the health statistics review for Dallas will be published in a report that includes information for vermiculite sites in 25 states. This report is scheduled for release in 2006.

Federal money

Mr. Green was unsure if the federal government would provide money for health screenings of Dallas residents but noted it had been done in Libby.

Even if former Grace workers and their families get the screenings, Ms. Smith remains skeptical about the future.

"If there's something that can be done to help them, then do it," she said at Monday's meeting. "But to let these industries operate without supervision and then do something after the fact, that's not good enough. If we're trying to make things different, then what went on with RSR shouldn't have gone on with asbestos."

Staff writer Tawnell D. Hobbs contributed to this report.
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#2831 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 3:43 pm

Safety campaign aimed at kids, adults

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - A new study by Safe Kids Worldwide suggests that some Texas children are a lot safer than others when it comes to crossing street.

San Antonio is ranked the nation's fourth most dangerous metropolitan area for child pedestrians; Houston is ranked number 5.

Austin-area kids are the safest of all in the 47-city survey, and Dallas-Fort Worth ranked in the middle of the pack at number 27.

"'Middle' kind of means, not too good, not too bad," said Claudia Romo of Children's Medical Center Dallas. "It's the middle—there's always room for improvement."

Because fewer children now walk to school than in earlier years, there has actually been a decrease in the number of pedestrian deaths and injuries. But it remains the second leading killer of children ages 5-14.

Wednesday was International Walk to School Day, and safety experts at Burnet Elementary School in Dallas were working to prevent students there from adding to the statistics.

Last year, 111 area schoolchildren were sent to Children's Medical Center Dallas after being injured in pedestrian-related car crashes.

One dangerous intersection at Harwich Drive and Kincaid Drive near Burnet Elemenatary is already seeing signs of probgress.

"There was more of a need for a four-way stop, because drivers weren't obeying the trarffic laws," Romo said. "So the City of Dallas was gracious enough to come in two weeks later after the assessment and they put up these brand-new four-way stop signs."

Following two weeks of safety training, Burnet students celebrated their new awareness with a special parade around the school Wednesday morning.

The nation's most dangerous city for young pedestrians, according to the Safe Kids survey, is Memphis, Tenn.
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#2832 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 3:44 pm

Gas bills may jump 60-90 percent

By ELIZABETH SOUDER / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Atmos Energy Corp. hiked its forecast for natural gas utility bills in North Texas on Wednesday, predicting customers will pay 60 percent to 90 percent more this winter compared with last year after hurricanes boosted natural gas prices.

Previously, Atmos officials had been predicting a rise of around 50 percent, as market prices for natural gas have risen steadily all year. But hurricanes Katrina and Rita pushed prices to fresh all-time highs.

"Volatility of gas prices in recent months has been like a giant roller coaster. We have never seen gas prices change so fast, making it harder to predict our winter bills,” said Dick Erskine, president of Atmos Energy's Mid-Tex Division, in a statement.

The higher natural gas utility forecast comes one day after TXU Energy said it aims to increase electricity prices by 24% in January, with half of the raise coming next month. TXU’s prices are subject to regulatory approval.

Atmos doesn’t have to seek regulatory approval to pass along higher gas costs to customers, though the utility must gain approval for other kinds of rate increases. The utility said around 75 percent to 80 percent of customers’ bills in the winter are the wholesale price of natural gas. Atmos doesn’t turn a profit on the natural gas, rather it makes money on delivery services.
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#2833 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Oct 05, 2005 3:50 pm

Truck veers off I-30, catches fire (Updated)

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/WFAA.com) - A moving van drove off Interstate 30, overturned and caught fire Wednesday morning in Old East Dallas, injuring at least one person and snarling traffic headed into downtown.

The 18-wheeler was traveling in the westbound lanes near Munger Avenue around 10:15 a.m. when it hit another vehicle, smashed through the guardrail and careened down the embankment before coming to rest on its side along the service road. The truck's cab began leaking fuel, and then caught fire.

Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said the driver had to be extricated from the cab. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center in unknown condition.

A compact car with what appeared to be minor damage sat along the shoulder of I-30, next to a break in the guardrail where the truck's tracks could be seen leading off the highway and onto the service road.

A logo for Paul Arpin Van Lines, a moving company based in Rhode Island with independent agents in 49 states, was clearly visible on the side of the trailer. It is unknown what cargo the truck was carrying.

Traffic remained slow into the afternoon along westbound I-30 before the Munger Avenue exit, and officials said the westbound service road between East Grand and Munger would remain closed until the truck and fuel spill could be cleaned up.

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The moving van's cab began leaking fuel and caught fire after it rolled onto its side.

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#2834 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Oct 06, 2005 5:44 am

Union: D/FW Airport staff shortage risking lives

By Dan Ronan / WFAA ABC 8

DFW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Texas - A group of controllers said the federal government is risking lives because of a critical shortage of air traffic controllers at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said the risk comes from the federal government not hiring enough controllers to replace retirees.

Controllers face mandatory retirement at age 56, and the union said those men and women hired in the early 1980's are now coming to the end of their careers. D/FW could be one of the airports hardest hit by retirements.

It takes at least eight years before an air traffic controller is experienced enough to even apply for a job at D/FW, or many of the nations other busiest airports.

And Mike Conely, an air traffic controller, said that is just the beginning.

"It takes an experienced controller 18 to 24 months to certify in our building," he said.

Union President Mike Conely said because of chronic staffing shortages, controllers at D/FW routinely have double the workload their colleagues do at other big airports. Often air traffic controllers look after 25 planes at once, instead of the normal 10 to 15.

Conely said if this continues, passengers will have longer delays and safety will be compromised.

"You see guys that are working in a large TRACON, like Dallas/Fort Worth that are on the edge," he said. "They are just worked so hard, they have done this so long, it's just time to move on."

At D/FW, there are 117 controller positions at the airport's approach control, and only 84 of those positions are filled.

Nineteen of the 84 controllers could retire this year, and 59 more could retire in 2009.

The Federal Aviation Administration said they are aware of the staffing shortages and are aggressively hiring and training controllers.

"We have the right number of people in the right place, doing the right kind of work," FAA said.

But just this week, D/FW lost a veteran controller with 25 years experience.

"He hadn't planned on retiring this early," Conely said. "He just walked in, turned in his ID card and said he'd had enough."

Conely said he will be forced to retire in two years when he reaches 56. But, he also said he and many other controllers may leave early like his colleague did earlier this week if the staffing shortage does not improve.
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#2835 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Oct 06, 2005 5:45 am

No suspects in Mesquite mom's murder

By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8

MESQUITE, Texas - There is an unusual silence on Houston Drive, a street full of families in a Mesquite neighborhood.

Few things look out of place except the yellow crime scene tape across the home of Charmennia Hall. It's a tragic reminder of what a three-year-old boy witnessed inside.

"He said a 'monster' hit his mom," neighbor Bliss Walker said. "He couldn't say a name ... he just said a 'monster.'"

Hall, a 25-year-old mother of three who was eight months pregnant, was found dead in her home Tuesday afternoon. Her boyfriend discovered the body when he arrived home.

So far, there are no suspects in the case, and no motive.

"Everybody's real scared," said Walker, who lives two doors down from Hall. "I couldn't tell you what happened, it happened so fast ... I had just (seen) her at 2:00."

Half an hour later, she said Hall's boyfriend came running to her house to call 911, saying he found her by the fireplace in a pool of blood.

That boyfriend told Mesquite police he arrived home to find Hall unconscious and her son unharmed.

"it's just a big blow to this community," Mesquite Police Lt. Steve Callarman said. "This is something that doesn't happen in this community."

Investigators said there is no history of violence at the home, and they don't know why anyone would want to harm Hall or her unborn baby.

"She was getting prepared for her baby to come," Walker said. "She was having another baby girl, she was real happy ... she was ready."
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#2836 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Oct 06, 2005 5:46 am

Struggling customer fears TXU rate hike

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

FRISCO, Texas - The possibility of an energy rate increase came as chilling news to TXU customer Wendy Johnston, a Frisco resident.

"I was like 'oh my gosh,'" Johnston said. "That was my first reaction, scared to death was the next one."

The single mother of two children already struggles to pay high electric bills. She said she paid her $475.85 bill late last month.

"[It] takes everything I have just to pay the bills," she said.

Matters got worse for Johnston when her son got sick and was hospitalized. She wasn't able to work until he got better. That was shen she turned to Frisco Family Services Center for help in paying her bills.

However, the non-profit agency said they expect the rate increases might break their budget for utility assistance.

"In order to help somebody, we'll have to pay a larger amount, which means we'll be helping fewer families," said Jill Cumnock, Frisco Family Services Center.

Client health and safety is a big concern, especially for those who need electricity for medical treatment.

"I'm concerned that we're going to see a lot more people with their utilities actually cut off," Cumnock said.

Johnston said she already monitors her home temperature, but isn't sure how she will cope with the rate increase.

"I'm really worried about the winter coming up," she said.

However, she has planned to take a class on how to weatherize her home, and even recruited her grandmother for some help.
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#2837 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:20 am

Teen killed in Plano wreck

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

PLANO, Texas — Plano police said a 16-year-old driver apparently lost control of his car Wednesday afternoon, resulting in an accident that killed his passenger.

According to a witness, the teenage motorist was speeding down Chase Oaks Boulevard near Spring Creek Parkway about 4 p.m. when the car hit the curb and crashed into a tree.

Passenger Evan Michael Walker, 16, died as a result of the wreck. The driver, whose name was not released, was taken to Medical Center of Plano with life-threatening injuries.

Both Walker and the driver were students at Plano East Senior High School.

Police want to talk to the driver of a light blue vehicle, who witnesses say was also was speeding just before the crash.

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#2838 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:28 am

Woman shot at Oak Cliff supermarket

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dallas police said a woman was shot and seriously wounded at an Oak Cliff grocery store Thursday morning.

The unidentified victim was shot twice shortly after 8 a.m. while shopping at the Nucliff Food Store in the 100 block of East Saner Ave. Police said it may have occurred during an attempted robbery.

There is no word on the name of the victim, or if any suspects were arrested.

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WFAA ABC 8
The shooting occurred at the Nucliff Food Store on East Saner Avenue.
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#2839 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Oct 06, 2005 10:36 am

Car impounding program halted

Dallas County: Likely polluters with fake stickers can't be seized

By JIM GETZ / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - A legal technicality has forced the end of a pilot program that took more than 300 uninspected, likely polluting vehicles off the road in western Dallas County. The program probably won't be expanded throughout the region for a year and a half.

The program, a pet project of County Judge Margaret Keliher, used a state law that enabled constables in Justice of the Peace Michael Petty's precinct to impound cars that had fake inspection stickers, although not expired or missing stickers. The program gave motorists an incentive – not having to pay a $500 fine – to get their vehicles' emissions controls fixed.

The legal glitch was this: About eight months into the pilot program, an assistant district attorney discovered that the counterfeit sticker law used to impound vehicles was a Class B misdemeanor. Those cases can be heard only in county courts. JP courts can hear only lower, Class C charges. The program had to be shut down this spring.

It is likely the glitch can be fixed only by the Legislature, which doesn't reconvene until January 2007. Judge Keliher, Judge Petty, Constable R.L. Skinner and others who designed the program want legislators to change the law to enable confiscation of cars under the Class C misdemeanor of "no valid inspection," which includes expired and missing stickers as well as fake ones.

County judges have a strong incentive to get polluting cars off the road: It will help achieve a clean-air plan for Dallas-Fort Worth that satisfies the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and prevents possible loss of highway money.

Air pollution experts say that about 10 percent of vehicles emit about half of on-road pollution. There were 4.1 million vehicles registered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area at the end of 2004.

A year ago, the program's designers thought the law against counterfeit stickers was the perfect solution to getting rolling polluters off the road and getting their cars fixed.

"The genesis of this was to find a way, authorized by statute, to gain control of the vehicle," said Judge Petty, whose precinct stretches from Coppell in the north through Irving and Grand Prairie and then east to DeSoto.

Here's how the program worked:

After pulling over a car with a fake sticker, constables would have the car towed to a salvage yard that had agreed to participate in the program by waiving storage fees for five days. Judge Petty would set a $500 fine but would allow the offender to post it as a bond to get the car out of the yard. If the defendant returned within a period mandated by the judge with proof that the car had passed inspection, the person got his $500 back, the charge was dismissed and the person paid only court costs.

Out of 319 motorists in the JP program, 203, or 64 percent, returned with proof of inspection. The remainder paid in full or still had cases outstanding when the program ended in April.

Now that the program has ended, motorists' fines or citations aren't dismissed, even if the car is repaired to meet emissions standards.

That's because the JP program emphasized cleaning up dirty cars with a carrot-and-stick approach. The normal emphasis is on gaining compliance using only punitive methods such as a fine, though the car is not necessarily towed.

"The way they were doing it was one mechanism," said Rachel Horton, a spokeswoman for the Dallas County district attorney's office. "There are many ways of doing it. If you can bring them into compliance without confiscating their car, that's less hassle for them and you."

Ms. Horton said her office is developing a program to work with local law enforcement to crack down on drivers with fake, expired or missing stickers.

Judge Keliher and Judge Petty believe county criminal courts are too overburdened with crimes such as drunken driving and thefts to focus on an effort that emphasizes pollution reduction.

Judge Keliher hasn't given up on reviving the JP program.

She said she has been talking to law enforcement officers who believe it might be possible to enforce the law on two separate tracks: confiscating the car under Class B, similar to forfeiture of property under drug laws, and prosecuting the offense in the JP court as a Class C.

But if the district attorney's office can't support that idea or others, the Legislature will be the only way to rewrite the law.

Gregg Cooke, an air quality consultant who lobbies for Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties in the Legislature, said he hopes the pilot program can be made glitch-free during its hiatus.

"I want to be able to go back to the Legislature in 18 months and show how we can make this program work," Mr. Cooke said.
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#2840 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Oct 06, 2005 2:26 pm

Car hits Fort Worth bus stop, injuring 2

FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A man lost control of his vehicle and ran into pedestrians waiting at a bus stop in west Fort Worth Thursday morning, injuring at least two people.

Police said just before 11 a.m., the vehicle veered off North Lackland Road near Elizabeth Lane and ran into the bus stop outside a restaurant.

The accident occurred while the driver was allegedly following his girlfriend in his car after an altercation between the two at the nearby Fairway Apartments complex, police said.

"He drove down this way and ran over the people at the bus stop," said one witness. "He was crazy."

After the accident, the driver got out and began struggling with a Tarrant County Sheriff's officer. Witnesses said officer used a Taser on the suspect, and received help from bystanders to subdue him.

Both victims were rushed to local hospitals; there is no word yet on their conditions.

Officials said the suspect will be charged with multiple offenses.
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