Witnesses: Boy injured after 'truck surfing'
PLANO, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A Plano teenager is in serious condition Monday after witnesses said they saw him in an act they called "truck surfing."
The accident happened in the 6600 block of Hyacinth in far north Dallas.
Witnesses told News 8 they saw the teen jump on the hood of a pickup truck and then he slipped and fell underneath the moving vehicle.
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Seems we have another "Jacka**" wannabe.
News from the Lone Star State
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TexasStooge
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TexasStooge
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Neighbors bond as police still search for mom
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - During the search for the missing Plano mom many called 'Granny,' some neighbors have found themselves coming together.
Neighbors who shared walls but never shared a conversation or common concern, have said the missing person's case that police said has turned into a murder investigation has become a bond amongst them.
"People that we didn't know before, our neighbors, we're talking to them [and] introducing ourselves to each other," said neighbor Kimberly Worley.
Ellen Williams Hancock greeted and kept tabs on her neighbors from a guard shack at the Collin Creek Apartments. It was their concern for the woman they used to see daily that brought them to find a common connection, which is finding out what happened to Hancock.
"She's pretty special," said another resident of the apartments. "Sixteen years she was here, 16 years."
Behind her pruned roses and the porch bench where many said Hancock often shared her smile with a cup of coffee, Plano police said her own son, Paul Hancock, fatally stabbed the 62-year-old woman after an argument.
"She always had a really big smile and was totally happy to see anybody," said neighbor Gerald Hammonds. "When we heard that she got hurt we said, 'What, they killed her?'"
While police have said they found who killed the mother, the trail of blood from the apartment the mother and son shared ends very short of finding her.
Plano police are looking for clues in the family pickup truck, which Hancock's girlfriend told investigators was used to take the body somewhere.
"Ms. Hancock may have been placed in a couple of trash bags," said Det. Jerry Minton, Plano Police Department.
News 8 has also learned Hancock was sentenced back in October on child stuff charges in Federal Court. He was sentenced to five years and was due to report to prison Thursday.
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - During the search for the missing Plano mom many called 'Granny,' some neighbors have found themselves coming together.
Neighbors who shared walls but never shared a conversation or common concern, have said the missing person's case that police said has turned into a murder investigation has become a bond amongst them.
"People that we didn't know before, our neighbors, we're talking to them [and] introducing ourselves to each other," said neighbor Kimberly Worley.
Ellen Williams Hancock greeted and kept tabs on her neighbors from a guard shack at the Collin Creek Apartments. It was their concern for the woman they used to see daily that brought them to find a common connection, which is finding out what happened to Hancock.
"She's pretty special," said another resident of the apartments. "Sixteen years she was here, 16 years."
Behind her pruned roses and the porch bench where many said Hancock often shared her smile with a cup of coffee, Plano police said her own son, Paul Hancock, fatally stabbed the 62-year-old woman after an argument.
"She always had a really big smile and was totally happy to see anybody," said neighbor Gerald Hammonds. "When we heard that she got hurt we said, 'What, they killed her?'"
While police have said they found who killed the mother, the trail of blood from the apartment the mother and son shared ends very short of finding her.
Plano police are looking for clues in the family pickup truck, which Hancock's girlfriend told investigators was used to take the body somewhere.
"Ms. Hancock may have been placed in a couple of trash bags," said Det. Jerry Minton, Plano Police Department.
News 8 has also learned Hancock was sentenced back in October on child stuff charges in Federal Court. He was sentenced to five years and was due to report to prison Thursday.
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TexasStooge
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Dallas house fire blamed on space heater
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/The Dallas Morning News) - A space heater left unattended is being blamed for a fire in an historic Old East Dallas neighborhood.
A three-alarm fire caused heavy damage to the large two-story home on North Peak Street late this morning.
Around 11 a.m., a Dallas police officer requested fire personnel after noticing flames while driving by the house.
The fire spread quickly, and soon engulfed the wood-frame structure. Spectators gathered across the street in a parking lot at East Dallas Christian Church to watch the fire, which generated a large amount of smoke visible from downtown and beyond.
Over 60 firefighters were involved in fighting the blaze, which was complicated by high winds and downed power lines near the home.
No one was injured in the fire. The family of five displaced by the fire was not home when the fire began.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/The Dallas Morning News) - A space heater left unattended is being blamed for a fire in an historic Old East Dallas neighborhood.
A three-alarm fire caused heavy damage to the large two-story home on North Peak Street late this morning.
Around 11 a.m., a Dallas police officer requested fire personnel after noticing flames while driving by the house.
The fire spread quickly, and soon engulfed the wood-frame structure. Spectators gathered across the street in a parking lot at East Dallas Christian Church to watch the fire, which generated a large amount of smoke visible from downtown and beyond.
Over 60 firefighters were involved in fighting the blaze, which was complicated by high winds and downed power lines near the home.
No one was injured in the fire. The family of five displaced by the fire was not home when the fire began.
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TexasStooge
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Dallas ISD closing school to turn it into all-girls campus
S. Dallas: Closeness to museums touted; some against same-sex site
By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Daniel "Chappie" James Learning Center, a high-performing elementary school next to Fair Park, will close this summer under a plan by DISD to make it an all-girls campus.
The Dallas Independent School District has been looking for a new, larger facility to house its all-girls school, which is expanding. The district had its sights set on the popular Walnut Hill Elementary School in northwest Dallas but backed off this month after parents there protested loudly.
School trustee Ron Price, whose district includes Fair Park, expects the reception at Chappie James to be tamer.
"I've been meeting with key players in the community for about two weeks about the opportunity to bring this to Fair Park," Mr. Price said of the girls' school. "They all gave a resounding yes."
However, some Chappie James parents aren't wild about closing that school – or creating single-sex schools.
"It should be both sexes. It's wrong. All the kids like to communicate with each other," said Sheila Morgan, whose son attends Chappie James.
She said she and other parents were upset that they didn't hear about the proposal until their children came home talking about it Monday.
The district's current school for girls – a campus in Oak Lawn for seventh through ninth grades – could be converted to another use, district officials have said.
Dallas school spokesman Donald Claxton said the new facility at Chappie James would open next school year. It could eventually house girls from sixth through 12th grades. The school board does not have to approve the move.
"It's the most viable option we think we have at this time," Mr. Claxton said. "We're in the process of notifying those who would be affected."
Mr. Price recommended Chappie James for the all-girls campus, citing the school's closeness to museums and other facilities in Fair Park, a planned Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail station for Fair Park and the school's proximity to a district athletic complex.
Trustee Jerome Garza said Chappie James is a fairly new facility and big enough to house the girls on one campus. He said, however, that the number of students per grade level may have to be cut some to accommodate all the students.
Mr. Garza said he has heard that some trustees are concerned about crime in the area around the school. But trustee Lew Blackburn said he's not worried.
"I haven't heard of any kind of problem," Dr. Blackburn said.
Mr. Claxton said Chappie James, which houses fourth through sixth grades, was already scheduled to become a middle school next school year before the new arrangement was made.
Mr. Price said fewer than 200 kids attend the school in a building with a 500-student capacity. The students could be transferred to other high-performing schools, including Paul Dunbar Learning Center and Martin Luther King Jr. Learning Center, he said.
Eva Jones, a South Dallas resident, said she's very excited about the school moving to Fair Park.
"Strategically, I think it would be excellent," she said, mentioning the close-by museums.
Chappie James principal Virginia Lockwood-Terry said the school has received local praise and was honored with the National Alliance of Black School Educators' Demonstration School Award this month for its strong academics. She declined to comment on the change to an all-girls school.
Chappie James was among at least a dozen learning centers created under a long-running federal desegregation order, which ended in June 2003.
The centers were designed to offer minority children, previously bused to predominantly white neighborhood campuses, good schools in their neighborhoods.
S. Dallas: Closeness to museums touted; some against same-sex site
By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Daniel "Chappie" James Learning Center, a high-performing elementary school next to Fair Park, will close this summer under a plan by DISD to make it an all-girls campus.
The Dallas Independent School District has been looking for a new, larger facility to house its all-girls school, which is expanding. The district had its sights set on the popular Walnut Hill Elementary School in northwest Dallas but backed off this month after parents there protested loudly.
School trustee Ron Price, whose district includes Fair Park, expects the reception at Chappie James to be tamer.
"I've been meeting with key players in the community for about two weeks about the opportunity to bring this to Fair Park," Mr. Price said of the girls' school. "They all gave a resounding yes."
However, some Chappie James parents aren't wild about closing that school – or creating single-sex schools.
"It should be both sexes. It's wrong. All the kids like to communicate with each other," said Sheila Morgan, whose son attends Chappie James.
She said she and other parents were upset that they didn't hear about the proposal until their children came home talking about it Monday.
The district's current school for girls – a campus in Oak Lawn for seventh through ninth grades – could be converted to another use, district officials have said.
Dallas school spokesman Donald Claxton said the new facility at Chappie James would open next school year. It could eventually house girls from sixth through 12th grades. The school board does not have to approve the move.
"It's the most viable option we think we have at this time," Mr. Claxton said. "We're in the process of notifying those who would be affected."
Mr. Price recommended Chappie James for the all-girls campus, citing the school's closeness to museums and other facilities in Fair Park, a planned Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail station for Fair Park and the school's proximity to a district athletic complex.
Trustee Jerome Garza said Chappie James is a fairly new facility and big enough to house the girls on one campus. He said, however, that the number of students per grade level may have to be cut some to accommodate all the students.
Mr. Garza said he has heard that some trustees are concerned about crime in the area around the school. But trustee Lew Blackburn said he's not worried.
"I haven't heard of any kind of problem," Dr. Blackburn said.
Mr. Claxton said Chappie James, which houses fourth through sixth grades, was already scheduled to become a middle school next school year before the new arrangement was made.
Mr. Price said fewer than 200 kids attend the school in a building with a 500-student capacity. The students could be transferred to other high-performing schools, including Paul Dunbar Learning Center and Martin Luther King Jr. Learning Center, he said.
Eva Jones, a South Dallas resident, said she's very excited about the school moving to Fair Park.
"Strategically, I think it would be excellent," she said, mentioning the close-by museums.
Chappie James principal Virginia Lockwood-Terry said the school has received local praise and was honored with the National Alliance of Black School Educators' Demonstration School Award this month for its strong academics. She declined to comment on the change to an all-girls school.
Chappie James was among at least a dozen learning centers created under a long-running federal desegregation order, which ended in June 2003.
The centers were designed to offer minority children, previously bused to predominantly white neighborhood campuses, good schools in their neighborhoods.
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TexasStooge
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Lobbyist buys small town's Main Street
Texan prepares to trade D.C. politics for simpler life
By KAREN BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News
MARTINDALE, Texas – When this tiny Hill Country town celebrated its 150th birthday recently, only one thing generated more buzz on Main Street than the painstakingly assembled city museum featuring Lorraine Harper Harrison's wedding dress.
The man commanding the attention of the founding families was Carlton Carl – the Washington lobbyist who just bought Main Street.
"My dad is just dying to meet you," said resident Nancy Bagley Freels, wearing a straw hat and smiling up at the jovial, bearded Mr. Carl. "He said, 'I have got to see who this man is.' "
Mr. Carl has yet to commit to plans for his 36,000 square feet of downtown and riverfront property. But he has already won over the prominent Bagley, Martindale and Harper families, Mayor Lola Walker, the police chief, the council, and current and former residents who have long mourned the impending death of Martindale.
The 60-year-old native Texan sold his 900-square-foot townhouse in Washington, D.C., last year and recently purchased 16 seed silos, an old bank, a 10,000-square foot former feed store, and several other buildings that compose about 90 percent of downtown.
In doing so, Mr. Carl exchanged his life among the well-coiffed politicians of the nation's capital for a more peaceful existence among the well-coiffed matriarchs of the former Cotton Capital of the World – along with their small-town politics, high expectations, covered-dish dinners, family histories and welcoming, rose-scented hugs.
"I am absolutely delighted," said Martha Nell Holmes, the town's oldest resident and first mayor, whose ancestors Nancy and George Martindale founded the town in the 1850s. "The word that comes to my mind is 'phoenix.' Martindale's own rise from the ashes."
Everyone in this outpost of 950 people wants a few minutes with Mr. Carl.
The townsfolk desperately want a grocery store. A bank. A laundry. A community center. A park. A shop. A restaurant, for goodness sakes, so they don't have to traipse six miles to San Marcos or 11 miles to Lockhart for lunch.
"Maybe a doughnut shop so I can maintain my image," jokes Police Chief Clint Meadows, who describes Mr. Carl as "a real fine gentleman."
Mr. Carl hasn't decided what he's going to do with his purchases, which include a fake courtroom and bordello from one of the many Western movies filmed here.
Focus on preservation
But Martindale's residents are encouraged that Mr. Carl has recruited Joe Pinelli, a preservationist who helped restore the state Capitol, to advise him on how to revive the turn-of-the-century downtown. That pleases the locals, who don't want to see the quaint, historic area bulldozed and replaced with strip malls.
"We've had other people interested in the building facades, but never in building up the city or preserving it," said Rudy Cantu, who is in charge of the city's building codes.
Mr. Carl wouldn't say how much he paid for the property, but according to local officials and property-tax records, it's been appraised at around $260,000. Mr. Carl did say that the sale of the single townhouse in Washington paid for most of the property.
A painter, writer and music lover whose never-married status is likely to give town matchmakers something else to twitter about, Mr. Carl has no intention of adding himself to the list of former big-money owners who dashed hopes by letting the buildings fall into decay.
Everyone knows he could, legally, do whatever he wants with his property. But this veteran of Texas politics harbors no delusions about how his "new venture, new adventure" could affect the town.
No matter how much money and influence he wields, Martindale will have the last word on whether Mr. Carl succeeds and becomes part of the family – or whether he goes flat broke and gets run out of town.
"Ultimately," he said, "Martindale's going to determine its own destiny, not somebody coming in from some place telling them what to do."
Faded glory
Like so many small Texas towns struggling to survive in the 21st century, Martindale was once a bustling center for a booming industry – cotton. Founded in 1855, it became a commercial center on the San Marcos River and seemed destined for greatness. The state's first Boy Scout troop formed here in 1916. Its football team was the first to try out new statewide UIL rules.
In 1928, Lorraine Harper Harrison's father, Robert Harper, started up the seed company, with its huge, silver cylindrical silos on Main Street. The town grew to include an insurance office, a filling station, seven cotton gin companies, three stores, a bank, a post office, an auto dealership and a cafe. Cotton trucks rumbled through town, hauling 60 percent of the state's cotton past the Baptist church that would shape town politics for decades.
Native Texan
Around this time, Mr. Carl was growing up in Houston. He went to graduate school at Columbia University in New York City but came right back and plunged into Texas' yellow-dog Democrat politics.
He became press secretary for Gov. Preston Smith and then chief of staff for House Speaker Price Daniels Jr., whose campaign he helped run. He also worked for Bob Bullock and Ann Richards in their early careers before helping Dallas Congressman John Bryant get to Washington. He worked for Mr. Bryant for 14 years before signing on as a lobbyist for the American Trial Lawyers Association.
As Mr. Carl was making a name for himself in Texas politics, tiny Martindale was going downhill. By the 1950s and '60s, the population was dwindling, and the lone school closed. The cotton gins shut down, too, and the town all but died.
Over the years, the historic buildings have been bought and sold a few times, enjoying a brief revival when a company restored facades and filmed movies like The Newton Boys and Clint Eastwood's A Perfect World.
But these days, Hill Country visitors rarely even turn off U.S. Highway 81 on their way to Lockhart and other better-known destinations.
"The only people I meet around here are lost," said local furniture maker Mike Smith, who is renting space from Mr. Carl.
Throughout his life in Texas, Mr. Carl and his buddies would take day trips to the Hill Country and daydream about remaking its failing small towns.
The chance to do so popped up in an Internet real-estate ad a few months ago, and even though he had no connection to Martindale, he decided to take the plunge.
Mr. Carl plans to give up lobbying and eventually move to Martindale permanently. So far, his new hometown has given him quite an introduction.
Where to start?
In honor of the birthday, a red, white and blue bow hung over the covered sidewalk in front of the city offices.
Mr. Carl set up a voter registration booth by the stage. Congressman Lloyd Doggett suggested during opening ceremonies that he play the town's Santa Claus.
The timing for Mr. Carl's project seems to be right. A car racetrack is going up a couple miles down the road, and new highways promise more traffic. Mr. Carl is having fun letting his imagination run away with his unusual purchases.
"Like those seed silos," he said, "which have fascinated me since before I bought them." They could become artists' lofts with skylights. A writers' workshop could be held downtown.
A council member restores Porsches, and someone else collects antique cars; maybe there could be a display at the site of the state's first car dealership.
A restaurant would be popular with the town residents, but Martindale is dry – and has voted twice to keep it that way. Mr. Carl would like to be able to serve drinks in a restaurant, but he knows the town has to make that decision.
With so many different ideas and so much at stake for residents, conflict may be inevitable, but for now, the residents are thrilled to have someone investing in their future.
As he dreams, Mr. Carl has been getting to know the town. He has been to council meetings and donated telephone poles from his property to a new city park.
He ordered 1,000 bumper stickers for the birthday festival that read, "Believe in Martindale," but they didn't show up in time.
"My mother," Ms. Harrison said, "always said that sugar will get you more than vinegar will, and Carlton knows that."
After the sunset, Mr. Carl stuck around for the cleanup but soon was sidetracked by Ms. Bagley Freels and her daughter, who wanted to introduce him to their family history.
Together, they went through a stack of framed pictures that had hung in the museum, one at a time.
"Carlton," Ms. Freels explained, "is going to have to become part of the family."
Texan prepares to trade D.C. politics for simpler life
By KAREN BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News
MARTINDALE, Texas – When this tiny Hill Country town celebrated its 150th birthday recently, only one thing generated more buzz on Main Street than the painstakingly assembled city museum featuring Lorraine Harper Harrison's wedding dress.
The man commanding the attention of the founding families was Carlton Carl – the Washington lobbyist who just bought Main Street.
"My dad is just dying to meet you," said resident Nancy Bagley Freels, wearing a straw hat and smiling up at the jovial, bearded Mr. Carl. "He said, 'I have got to see who this man is.' "
Mr. Carl has yet to commit to plans for his 36,000 square feet of downtown and riverfront property. But he has already won over the prominent Bagley, Martindale and Harper families, Mayor Lola Walker, the police chief, the council, and current and former residents who have long mourned the impending death of Martindale.
The 60-year-old native Texan sold his 900-square-foot townhouse in Washington, D.C., last year and recently purchased 16 seed silos, an old bank, a 10,000-square foot former feed store, and several other buildings that compose about 90 percent of downtown.
In doing so, Mr. Carl exchanged his life among the well-coiffed politicians of the nation's capital for a more peaceful existence among the well-coiffed matriarchs of the former Cotton Capital of the World – along with their small-town politics, high expectations, covered-dish dinners, family histories and welcoming, rose-scented hugs.
"I am absolutely delighted," said Martha Nell Holmes, the town's oldest resident and first mayor, whose ancestors Nancy and George Martindale founded the town in the 1850s. "The word that comes to my mind is 'phoenix.' Martindale's own rise from the ashes."
Everyone in this outpost of 950 people wants a few minutes with Mr. Carl.
The townsfolk desperately want a grocery store. A bank. A laundry. A community center. A park. A shop. A restaurant, for goodness sakes, so they don't have to traipse six miles to San Marcos or 11 miles to Lockhart for lunch.
"Maybe a doughnut shop so I can maintain my image," jokes Police Chief Clint Meadows, who describes Mr. Carl as "a real fine gentleman."
Mr. Carl hasn't decided what he's going to do with his purchases, which include a fake courtroom and bordello from one of the many Western movies filmed here.
Focus on preservation
But Martindale's residents are encouraged that Mr. Carl has recruited Joe Pinelli, a preservationist who helped restore the state Capitol, to advise him on how to revive the turn-of-the-century downtown. That pleases the locals, who don't want to see the quaint, historic area bulldozed and replaced with strip malls.
"We've had other people interested in the building facades, but never in building up the city or preserving it," said Rudy Cantu, who is in charge of the city's building codes.
Mr. Carl wouldn't say how much he paid for the property, but according to local officials and property-tax records, it's been appraised at around $260,000. Mr. Carl did say that the sale of the single townhouse in Washington paid for most of the property.
A painter, writer and music lover whose never-married status is likely to give town matchmakers something else to twitter about, Mr. Carl has no intention of adding himself to the list of former big-money owners who dashed hopes by letting the buildings fall into decay.
Everyone knows he could, legally, do whatever he wants with his property. But this veteran of Texas politics harbors no delusions about how his "new venture, new adventure" could affect the town.
No matter how much money and influence he wields, Martindale will have the last word on whether Mr. Carl succeeds and becomes part of the family – or whether he goes flat broke and gets run out of town.
"Ultimately," he said, "Martindale's going to determine its own destiny, not somebody coming in from some place telling them what to do."
Faded glory
Like so many small Texas towns struggling to survive in the 21st century, Martindale was once a bustling center for a booming industry – cotton. Founded in 1855, it became a commercial center on the San Marcos River and seemed destined for greatness. The state's first Boy Scout troop formed here in 1916. Its football team was the first to try out new statewide UIL rules.
In 1928, Lorraine Harper Harrison's father, Robert Harper, started up the seed company, with its huge, silver cylindrical silos on Main Street. The town grew to include an insurance office, a filling station, seven cotton gin companies, three stores, a bank, a post office, an auto dealership and a cafe. Cotton trucks rumbled through town, hauling 60 percent of the state's cotton past the Baptist church that would shape town politics for decades.
Native Texan
Around this time, Mr. Carl was growing up in Houston. He went to graduate school at Columbia University in New York City but came right back and plunged into Texas' yellow-dog Democrat politics.
He became press secretary for Gov. Preston Smith and then chief of staff for House Speaker Price Daniels Jr., whose campaign he helped run. He also worked for Bob Bullock and Ann Richards in their early careers before helping Dallas Congressman John Bryant get to Washington. He worked for Mr. Bryant for 14 years before signing on as a lobbyist for the American Trial Lawyers Association.
As Mr. Carl was making a name for himself in Texas politics, tiny Martindale was going downhill. By the 1950s and '60s, the population was dwindling, and the lone school closed. The cotton gins shut down, too, and the town all but died.
Over the years, the historic buildings have been bought and sold a few times, enjoying a brief revival when a company restored facades and filmed movies like The Newton Boys and Clint Eastwood's A Perfect World.
But these days, Hill Country visitors rarely even turn off U.S. Highway 81 on their way to Lockhart and other better-known destinations.
"The only people I meet around here are lost," said local furniture maker Mike Smith, who is renting space from Mr. Carl.
Throughout his life in Texas, Mr. Carl and his buddies would take day trips to the Hill Country and daydream about remaking its failing small towns.
The chance to do so popped up in an Internet real-estate ad a few months ago, and even though he had no connection to Martindale, he decided to take the plunge.
Mr. Carl plans to give up lobbying and eventually move to Martindale permanently. So far, his new hometown has given him quite an introduction.
Where to start?
In honor of the birthday, a red, white and blue bow hung over the covered sidewalk in front of the city offices.
Mr. Carl set up a voter registration booth by the stage. Congressman Lloyd Doggett suggested during opening ceremonies that he play the town's Santa Claus.
The timing for Mr. Carl's project seems to be right. A car racetrack is going up a couple miles down the road, and new highways promise more traffic. Mr. Carl is having fun letting his imagination run away with his unusual purchases.
"Like those seed silos," he said, "which have fascinated me since before I bought them." They could become artists' lofts with skylights. A writers' workshop could be held downtown.
A council member restores Porsches, and someone else collects antique cars; maybe there could be a display at the site of the state's first car dealership.
A restaurant would be popular with the town residents, but Martindale is dry – and has voted twice to keep it that way. Mr. Carl would like to be able to serve drinks in a restaurant, but he knows the town has to make that decision.
With so many different ideas and so much at stake for residents, conflict may be inevitable, but for now, the residents are thrilled to have someone investing in their future.
As he dreams, Mr. Carl has been getting to know the town. He has been to council meetings and donated telephone poles from his property to a new city park.
He ordered 1,000 bumper stickers for the birthday festival that read, "Believe in Martindale," but they didn't show up in time.
"My mother," Ms. Harrison said, "always said that sugar will get you more than vinegar will, and Carlton knows that."
After the sunset, Mr. Carl stuck around for the cleanup but soon was sidetracked by Ms. Bagley Freels and her daughter, who wanted to introduce him to their family history.
Together, they went through a stack of framed pictures that had hung in the museum, one at a time.
"Carlton," Ms. Freels explained, "is going to have to become part of the family."
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TexasStooge
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BREAKING NEWS: Fort Worth officer shot; suspect takes hostages
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth police officer was shot and wounded Tuesday afternoon while attempting to serve a warrant in the city's northwest sector.
The officer was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital for treatment; no condition was available.
Three schools near the shooting scene in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street were locked down as a precaution: Elkins Elementary, Watson Learning Center and Creekview Middle School.
Police said the suspect fled to a nearby house and was believed to be holding at least two hostages. The house was surrounded by dozens of police units.
School officials were waiting for word from police as to when students can be safely dismissed.
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth police officer was shot and wounded Tuesday afternoon while attempting to serve a warrant in the city's northwest sector.
The officer was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital for treatment; no condition was available.
Three schools near the shooting scene in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street were locked down as a precaution: Elkins Elementary, Watson Learning Center and Creekview Middle School.
Police said the suspect fled to a nearby house and was believed to be holding at least two hostages. The house was surrounded by dozens of police units.
School officials were waiting for word from police as to when students can be safely dismissed.
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TexasStooge
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Arlington targets uninsured drivers
ARLINGTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Arlington drivers who are uninsured may see their vehicles towed from now on, police have warned.
From Wednesday, Arlington police will be impounding cars if the driver fails to produce the necessary documents.
Under Texas law, it is illegal to operate a car without current proof of financial responsibility.
Last year, Arlington police issued 38,592 warnings to people driving without proof of insurance.
Police say they will assist drivers in making transportation arrangements, if their vehicles are towed.
Georgia reportedly launched a similar program in 2003, which reduced the uninsured driver rate from 20 percent to 2.5 percent.
ARLINGTON, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Arlington drivers who are uninsured may see their vehicles towed from now on, police have warned.
From Wednesday, Arlington police will be impounding cars if the driver fails to produce the necessary documents.
Under Texas law, it is illegal to operate a car without current proof of financial responsibility.
Last year, Arlington police issued 38,592 warnings to people driving without proof of insurance.
Police say they will assist drivers in making transportation arrangements, if their vehicles are towed.
Georgia reportedly launched a similar program in 2003, which reduced the uninsured driver rate from 20 percent to 2.5 percent.
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TexasStooge
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Suspicious man prompts warning in Little Elm
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
LITTLE ELM, Texas - Police are searching for a suspicious man who offered an 8-year-old child a bag of candy and then followed her home from school in Little Elm on Monday.
The white male, aged between 30 and 40, had a long, white beard and drove a maroon van. The incident happened at about 4:00 p.m. in the fast-growing Denton County community west of Frisco.
When the girl refused the candy, he trailed her to her house, then left when she ran inside.
Police are calling on parents to warn their children not to talk to or go near strangers.
Neighbors are extremely concerned following the incident.
"Makes you sick. I don't know what to think; it's scary," said one resident.
Police are trying to get more details of the man.
By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8
LITTLE ELM, Texas - Police are searching for a suspicious man who offered an 8-year-old child a bag of candy and then followed her home from school in Little Elm on Monday.
The white male, aged between 30 and 40, had a long, white beard and drove a maroon van. The incident happened at about 4:00 p.m. in the fast-growing Denton County community west of Frisco.
When the girl refused the candy, he trailed her to her house, then left when she ran inside.
Police are calling on parents to warn their children not to talk to or go near strangers.
Neighbors are extremely concerned following the incident.
"Makes you sick. I don't know what to think; it's scary," said one resident.
Police are trying to get more details of the man.
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TexasStooge
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Fatal wreck snarls I-30 traffic
DALLAS, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - A two-vehicle accident Tuesday morning left one man dead and shut down Interstate 30 in East Dallas, backing up commuter traffic headed into downtown.
Just before 6 a.m., a vehicle broke down in the center lane of westbound I-30 near Jim Miller Road. Police said a pickup truck was unable to stop and slammed into the stalled car, ejecting the car's driver, 36-year-old Dexter Poland of Rockwall.
A spokesperson for the Dallas County Medical Examiner said Poland was taken to Baylor University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from injuries he sustained in the accident.
An investigation into the accident is under way. So far, no charges have been filed against the driver of the truck.
DALLAS, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - A two-vehicle accident Tuesday morning left one man dead and shut down Interstate 30 in East Dallas, backing up commuter traffic headed into downtown.
Just before 6 a.m., a vehicle broke down in the center lane of westbound I-30 near Jim Miller Road. Police said a pickup truck was unable to stop and slammed into the stalled car, ejecting the car's driver, 36-year-old Dexter Poland of Rockwall.
A spokesperson for the Dallas County Medical Examiner said Poland was taken to Baylor University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from injuries he sustained in the accident.
An investigation into the accident is under way. So far, no charges have been filed against the driver of the truck.
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TexasStooge
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Bail raised for suspect in officer's death
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas judge raised the bail amount for Juan Lizcano on Tuesday after hearing testimony that the illegal Mexican immigrant confessed to police that he fired the gunshot that killed Dallas Officer Brian Jackson.
Although the videotaped interview was done in Spanish and has not been translated, a Dallas detective testified that Mr. Lizcano explained that shooting at the 28-year-old officer was "the simple thing to do."
Officer Jackson died Nov. 13 after a .357-caliber bullet entered his right side near his underarm. The area was not protected by his bulletproof vest and the bullet pierced his heart. The shooting occurred after Officer Jackson responded with other officers to a call from Mr. Lizcano's ex-girlfriend. She complained that he had been threatening her repeatedly that night and had fired a gunshot inside her home.
When police arrived at the woman's home in the 2400 block of Madera Street, they found Mr. Lizcano hiding in a back yard nearby. He fired shots at three officers in an alley before shooting Officer Jackson, according to court testimony.
Although a final decision has not been made, prosecutor Toby Shook said Mr. Lizcano likely will face the death penalty if indicted and convicted of capital murder. After the brief hearing, County Criminal Court Judge Phil Barker raised Mr. Lizcano's bail from $1 million to $1.5 million.
By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas judge raised the bail amount for Juan Lizcano on Tuesday after hearing testimony that the illegal Mexican immigrant confessed to police that he fired the gunshot that killed Dallas Officer Brian Jackson.
Although the videotaped interview was done in Spanish and has not been translated, a Dallas detective testified that Mr. Lizcano explained that shooting at the 28-year-old officer was "the simple thing to do."
Officer Jackson died Nov. 13 after a .357-caliber bullet entered his right side near his underarm. The area was not protected by his bulletproof vest and the bullet pierced his heart. The shooting occurred after Officer Jackson responded with other officers to a call from Mr. Lizcano's ex-girlfriend. She complained that he had been threatening her repeatedly that night and had fired a gunshot inside her home.
When police arrived at the woman's home in the 2400 block of Madera Street, they found Mr. Lizcano hiding in a back yard nearby. He fired shots at three officers in an alley before shooting Officer Jackson, according to court testimony.
Although a final decision has not been made, prosecutor Toby Shook said Mr. Lizcano likely will face the death penalty if indicted and convicted of capital murder. After the brief hearing, County Criminal Court Judge Phil Barker raised Mr. Lizcano's bail from $1 million to $1.5 million.
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DPD to get 400 new cellphones
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Christmas has arrived early for the Dallas Police Department, with the purchase of 400 cellular phones for detectives, many of whom had been using their personal cell phones to do their jobs.
Police officials announced the $187,000 purchase, which also includes 60 batteries and 240,000 group minutes, at a news conference Tuesday morning.
``These cell phones are really going to make a difference when it comes to the efficiency of the Dallas Police Department,’’ said Dr. Elba Garcia, a member of the City Council’s public safety committee.
The cellular phone purchase is the first equipment purchase from a $15 million public safety grant from the W.W. Caruth Jr. Foundation Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas.
The purchase is part of the first $5 million that the department received upfront to fill a variety of equipment needs, including squad car cages and cameras in cars. A consultant will be hired to help the department determine how to best spend the remaining $10 million.
The grant to the resource-strapped police department was announced in August, and is believed to be the largest private grant ever made to a police department.
Internal and external reviews before the grant highlighted the urgency of the department's needs, ranging from broken squad cars and aging helicopters to a lack of up-to-date squad car cages and computers.
Those reports blamed years of tight budgets, poor leadership and bad hiring practices for a variety of ills, including high crime and a frustrated community as well as low morale and poorly equipped officers.
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Christmas has arrived early for the Dallas Police Department, with the purchase of 400 cellular phones for detectives, many of whom had been using their personal cell phones to do their jobs.
Police officials announced the $187,000 purchase, which also includes 60 batteries and 240,000 group minutes, at a news conference Tuesday morning.
``These cell phones are really going to make a difference when it comes to the efficiency of the Dallas Police Department,’’ said Dr. Elba Garcia, a member of the City Council’s public safety committee.
The cellular phone purchase is the first equipment purchase from a $15 million public safety grant from the W.W. Caruth Jr. Foundation Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas.
The purchase is part of the first $5 million that the department received upfront to fill a variety of equipment needs, including squad car cages and cameras in cars. A consultant will be hired to help the department determine how to best spend the remaining $10 million.
The grant to the resource-strapped police department was announced in August, and is believed to be the largest private grant ever made to a police department.
Internal and external reviews before the grant highlighted the urgency of the department's needs, ranging from broken squad cars and aging helicopters to a lack of up-to-date squad car cages and computers.
Those reports blamed years of tight budgets, poor leadership and bad hiring practices for a variety of ills, including high crime and a frustrated community as well as low morale and poorly equipped officers.
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TexasStooge
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Missing Irving executive's body found in Arkansas
LITTLE ROCK, Ark./IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - The remains of an Irving trucking executive were found in a wooded lot more than two years after he was reported missing on an Arkansas business trip.
Alfred Martinez Jr., 33, owned a dump-truck company. He was last seen at a Pulaski County strip club in May 2003.
Arkansas Crime Lab officials said dental records were used to identify the human remains found in the lot.
Bullet holes were found in Martinez's skull. Little Rock police are investigating the death, but said they have no suspects or motive for the homicide.
In a missing-persons report, strip club employees told investigators that Martinez left the club in an older-model vehicle after a verbal altercation with a dancer.
Martinez was in Little Rock to meet with a man about a possible contracting business.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark./IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) - The remains of an Irving trucking executive were found in a wooded lot more than two years after he was reported missing on an Arkansas business trip.
Alfred Martinez Jr., 33, owned a dump-truck company. He was last seen at a Pulaski County strip club in May 2003.
Arkansas Crime Lab officials said dental records were used to identify the human remains found in the lot.
Bullet holes were found in Martinez's skull. Little Rock police are investigating the death, but said they have no suspects or motive for the homicide.
In a missing-persons report, strip club employees told investigators that Martinez left the club in an older-model vehicle after a verbal altercation with a dancer.
Martinez was in Little Rock to meet with a man about a possible contracting business.
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Grapevine store latest target in rooftop break-ins
GRAPEVINE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/The Dallas Morning News) - An attempted robbery at a closed arts and crafts store over the weekend was the latest in a string of rooftop break-ins in North Texas over the past year.
The alarm at Hobby Lobby at 5325 William D. Tate Drive was sounded just before midnight Saturday, frightening away the thief, said Grapevine police Sgt. Todd Dearing.
Police are still looking for the suspect, who cut through the air conditioning unit, removed a ceiling panel and lowered himself into the office.
"They were trying to take the safe but couldn't," Sgt. Dearing said.
In August, a thief broke into a Hobby Lobby in Burleson by entering through a roof air vent, and took cash from the store's safe.
Police from multiple local agencies have now investigated 12 instances of rooftop burglaries in North Texas in 2005.
WFAA-TV contributed to this report.
GRAPEVINE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/The Dallas Morning News) - An attempted robbery at a closed arts and crafts store over the weekend was the latest in a string of rooftop break-ins in North Texas over the past year.
The alarm at Hobby Lobby at 5325 William D. Tate Drive was sounded just before midnight Saturday, frightening away the thief, said Grapevine police Sgt. Todd Dearing.
Police are still looking for the suspect, who cut through the air conditioning unit, removed a ceiling panel and lowered himself into the office.
"They were trying to take the safe but couldn't," Sgt. Dearing said.
In August, a thief broke into a Hobby Lobby in Burleson by entering through a roof air vent, and took cash from the store's safe.
Police from multiple local agencies have now investigated 12 instances of rooftop burglaries in North Texas in 2005.
WFAA-TV contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Suspect in custody after Fort Worth officer shot
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth police officer was shot and critically wounded Tuesday afternoon while attempting to serve a warrant in the city's northwest sector.
The suspect surrendered to police around 5 p.m. after barricading himself in a house and holding one 25-year-old hostage.
The unnamed officer was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the head.
"He is in critical condition, and his family is here, and his fellow officers are here, and we are certainly hopeful that he will be able to recover, but time will tell," a visibly shaken Mayor Mike Moncrief told reporters outside the hospital.
Police said the incident began around 2 p.m. at a mobile home in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street when two officers were following up on a chase and a theft out of Samson Park Sunday night.
The officers had been searching for a man who may have driven a truck involved in a chase and who had some outstanding warrants.
Shots rang out and police returned fire and the suspect was reported wounded.
Police said they believe the suspect now in custody shot one of the officers in the head as the officer stood on the porch of a trailer nearby talking to a female about information on the Sunday theft.
Eight square blocks surrounding the shooting scene were sealed off and dozens of law enforcement officers converged on the site.
When the suspect fled to another house about two blocks away, police were alerted by one of its occupants. She was able to flee, but a 25-year-old woman remained in the house and was held hostage for more than an hour before she was released unhurt.
"It shows our actor has a conscience; he is cooperative," said police spokesman Lt. Dean Sullivan.
Three schools near the shooting scene in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street were locked down as a precaution: Elkins Elementary, Watson Learning Center and Creekview Middle School.
WFAA-TV reporters Don Wall and Yolanda Walker contributed to this report.
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth police officer was shot and critically wounded Tuesday afternoon while attempting to serve a warrant in the city's northwest sector.
The suspect surrendered to police around 5 p.m. after barricading himself in a house and holding one 25-year-old hostage.
The unnamed officer was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the head.
"He is in critical condition, and his family is here, and his fellow officers are here, and we are certainly hopeful that he will be able to recover, but time will tell," a visibly shaken Mayor Mike Moncrief told reporters outside the hospital.
Police said the incident began around 2 p.m. at a mobile home in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street when two officers were following up on a chase and a theft out of Samson Park Sunday night.
The officers had been searching for a man who may have driven a truck involved in a chase and who had some outstanding warrants.
Shots rang out and police returned fire and the suspect was reported wounded.
Police said they believe the suspect now in custody shot one of the officers in the head as the officer stood on the porch of a trailer nearby talking to a female about information on the Sunday theft.
Eight square blocks surrounding the shooting scene were sealed off and dozens of law enforcement officers converged on the site.
When the suspect fled to another house about two blocks away, police were alerted by one of its occupants. She was able to flee, but a 25-year-old woman remained in the house and was held hostage for more than an hour before she was released unhurt.
"It shows our actor has a conscience; he is cooperative," said police spokesman Lt. Dean Sullivan.
Three schools near the shooting scene in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street were locked down as a precaution: Elkins Elementary, Watson Learning Center and Creekview Middle School.
WFAA-TV reporters Don Wall and Yolanda Walker contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Officer in critical condition after shooting
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth police officer remained in critical condition and on life support late Tuesday night after he was shot and critically wounded while attempting to serve a warrant in the city's northwest sector.
The suspect surrendered to police around 5 p.m. after barricading himself in a house and holding one 25-year-old hostage.
Officer H.N. "Hank" Nava, who had been with the department since 1999, was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the head.
"He is in critical condition, and his family is here, and his fellow officers are here, and we are certainly hopeful that he will be able to recover, but time will tell," a visibly shaken Mayor Mike Moncrief told reporters outside the hospital.
Police said the incident began around 2 p.m. at a mobile home in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street when Officer Nava, 39, and his partner knocked on the door of the home.
Police said the officers were looking for answers after a gasoline drive-off and car chase Sunday.
However, when Nava and his partner knocked on the door of the home, a woman answered and a man opened fired on the officers.
The officers shot back and grazed the suspect's head.
Eight square blocks surrounding the shooting scene were sealed off and dozens of law enforcement officers converged on the site.
When the suspect fled to another house about two blocks away, police were alerted by one of its occupants. She was able to flee, but her 25-year-old woman remained in the house and was held hostage for more than an hour before she was released unhurt.
"It shows our actor has a conscience; he is cooperative," said police spokesman Lt. Dean Sullivan.
Four schools near the shooting scene in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street were locked down as a precaution, including Elkins Elementary, Watson Learning Center and Creekview Middle School.
Records showed the suspected gunman had been convicted for forgery, drugs, car theft and he is suspected in identity theft and ties to the Aryan Nation. A sheriff said the man has been in and out of jail more than 20 times.
Officer Nava has undergone extensive surgery to repair damage from his head wound.
Officers gathered at the hospital and many said it was a hard time during a holiday period.
"Our prayers are with him," Moncrief said. "This is supposed to be a joyous time, and we take what God gives us one day at a time."
WFAA-TV reporters Don Wall and Yolanda Walker contributed to this report.
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas — A Fort Worth police officer remained in critical condition and on life support late Tuesday night after he was shot and critically wounded while attempting to serve a warrant in the city's northwest sector.
The suspect surrendered to police around 5 p.m. after barricading himself in a house and holding one 25-year-old hostage.
Officer H.N. "Hank" Nava, who had been with the department since 1999, was taken to Harris Methodist Hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound to the head.
"He is in critical condition, and his family is here, and his fellow officers are here, and we are certainly hopeful that he will be able to recover, but time will tell," a visibly shaken Mayor Mike Moncrief told reporters outside the hospital.
Police said the incident began around 2 p.m. at a mobile home in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street when Officer Nava, 39, and his partner knocked on the door of the home.
Police said the officers were looking for answers after a gasoline drive-off and car chase Sunday.
However, when Nava and his partner knocked on the door of the home, a woman answered and a man opened fired on the officers.
The officers shot back and grazed the suspect's head.
Eight square blocks surrounding the shooting scene were sealed off and dozens of law enforcement officers converged on the site.
When the suspect fled to another house about two blocks away, police were alerted by one of its occupants. She was able to flee, but her 25-year-old woman remained in the house and was held hostage for more than an hour before she was released unhurt.
"It shows our actor has a conscience; he is cooperative," said police spokesman Lt. Dean Sullivan.
Four schools near the shooting scene in the 7000 block of Seth Barwise Street were locked down as a precaution, including Elkins Elementary, Watson Learning Center and Creekview Middle School.
Records showed the suspected gunman had been convicted for forgery, drugs, car theft and he is suspected in identity theft and ties to the Aryan Nation. A sheriff said the man has been in and out of jail more than 20 times.
Officer Nava has undergone extensive surgery to repair damage from his head wound.
Officers gathered at the hospital and many said it was a hard time during a holiday period.
"Our prayers are with him," Moncrief said. "This is supposed to be a joyous time, and we take what God gives us one day at a time."
WFAA-TV reporters Don Wall and Yolanda Walker contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Ex Plano high student, heroin addict speaks out
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - A senior in Plano High School's class of 1996, she was 18-years-old when one addict began experimenting with LSD, cocaine, speed and marijuana.
"From the first time I tried it, I was just like whoa," she said. "It was like the thing I had been looking for."
The next year while at the University of North Texas, she started doing heroin with her friends in the dorm while many of her friends back in Plano were dying of heroin overdoses.
"You're so numb when you're doing it," "I mean nothing, nothing gets through to you."
Friends begged her to stop doing the powerful and deadly drug, but she said the drugs hold on her was too powerful. She became addicted and kept doing heroin until last year.
After eight years of addiction and 11 months in jail, she wants to warn other teens who may be considering taking the road she did.
"I went to have my wisdom teeth pulled a few weeks ago and they couldn't do an IV on me because they couldn't find any veins," she said. "I mean, I've torn my body up with drugs."
Collin County substance abuse counselors said heroin is making a comeback and is back on the streets. Kids are experimenting with the drug and teens are dying of overdoses.
The recovering addict News 8 talked with considers herself fortunate because she was one of the addicts who survived.
"I think a lot of the kids who are still in high school, you know, seeing that on the news, hearing about overdoses and stuff, you never think it's going to happen with you," she said. "Even if you experiment with it, you never think that's where it's going to go."
She wants her experience to teach kids a three word lesson: don't do it.
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - A senior in Plano High School's class of 1996, she was 18-years-old when one addict began experimenting with LSD, cocaine, speed and marijuana.
"From the first time I tried it, I was just like whoa," she said. "It was like the thing I had been looking for."
The next year while at the University of North Texas, she started doing heroin with her friends in the dorm while many of her friends back in Plano were dying of heroin overdoses.
"You're so numb when you're doing it," "I mean nothing, nothing gets through to you."
Friends begged her to stop doing the powerful and deadly drug, but she said the drugs hold on her was too powerful. She became addicted and kept doing heroin until last year.
After eight years of addiction and 11 months in jail, she wants to warn other teens who may be considering taking the road she did.
"I went to have my wisdom teeth pulled a few weeks ago and they couldn't do an IV on me because they couldn't find any veins," she said. "I mean, I've torn my body up with drugs."
Collin County substance abuse counselors said heroin is making a comeback and is back on the streets. Kids are experimenting with the drug and teens are dying of overdoses.
The recovering addict News 8 talked with considers herself fortunate because she was one of the addicts who survived.
"I think a lot of the kids who are still in high school, you know, seeing that on the news, hearing about overdoses and stuff, you never think it's going to happen with you," she said. "Even if you experiment with it, you never think that's where it's going to go."
She wants her experience to teach kids a three word lesson: don't do it.
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Developments head to Dallas County's Southern Sector
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Collin County's big boom may have some competition with Dallas County's Southern Sector, which is taking off with new businesses, homes and jobs.
Eighty percent of the developable land in the city of Dallas runs along Interstate 20 between US highway 67 and Interstate 45.
That makes the once sleepy section of Dallas County the area to answer the wake-up call of opportunity.
Earth movers and pavement presses will soon shape a 4,500 acre industrial park just west of Wilmer and Hutchins.
Allan Clarke, who owns the Lucky 777 convenience store is banking on the developments.
"More people [means] more business," Clarke said.
Developers outlined plans for the Dallas Logistics Hub at the Greater Dallas Chamber's day-long Southern Sector Forum.
"Clearly, South Dallas is a high unemployment area," said developer Allan Clarke. "Individuals that are looking for major distribution hubs want to be able to hire good, local, quality workforce and that exists there."
Fed-Ex has hired hundreds to handle sorting millions of packages between the railroad track and Interstate 45.
There is no other place in the country where more interstate freeways come together in one place.
The development moves toward marketing Southern Dallas as an inland port where goods move among railways, roadways and airways.
A $5.5 million dollar new terminal at Dallas Executive Airport is almost ready.
"And a lot of the land in the northern sectors of the Dallas Fort Worth market are running out," Clarke said. "So obviously, it's just a natural progression that development needs to move to the south."
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Collin County's big boom may have some competition with Dallas County's Southern Sector, which is taking off with new businesses, homes and jobs.
Eighty percent of the developable land in the city of Dallas runs along Interstate 20 between US highway 67 and Interstate 45.
That makes the once sleepy section of Dallas County the area to answer the wake-up call of opportunity.
Earth movers and pavement presses will soon shape a 4,500 acre industrial park just west of Wilmer and Hutchins.
Allan Clarke, who owns the Lucky 777 convenience store is banking on the developments.
"More people [means] more business," Clarke said.
Developers outlined plans for the Dallas Logistics Hub at the Greater Dallas Chamber's day-long Southern Sector Forum.
"Clearly, South Dallas is a high unemployment area," said developer Allan Clarke. "Individuals that are looking for major distribution hubs want to be able to hire good, local, quality workforce and that exists there."
Fed-Ex has hired hundreds to handle sorting millions of packages between the railroad track and Interstate 45.
There is no other place in the country where more interstate freeways come together in one place.
The development moves toward marketing Southern Dallas as an inland port where goods move among railways, roadways and airways.
A $5.5 million dollar new terminal at Dallas Executive Airport is almost ready.
"And a lot of the land in the northern sectors of the Dallas Fort Worth market are running out," Clarke said. "So obviously, it's just a natural progression that development needs to move to the south."
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TexasStooge
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Dallas ISD to trim auto stipends
Update: Chief willing to give up his perks; most will lose car allowance
By KENT FISCHER and TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas school Superintendent Michael Hinojosa wants to eliminate district car stipends for all but a handful of top administrators, a move that could save taxpayers millions of dollars.
The proposal comes two weeks after The Dallas Morning News reported that the district is spending nearly $3.7 million in car stipends for more than 2,300 employees, many of whom rarely travel on district business. The News also found 48 employees who receive the stipend even though they have access to district vehicles during the workday.
"We do need to apologize if an apology is in order," Dr. Hinojosa said.
His proposal, which would take effect Sept. 1, would reduce the number of people receiving car stipends to 53 central office administrators, at an annual cost of $224,201. Every other district employee would be put on a 48.5-cent-per-mile reimbursement system.
The superintendent also said that he is eliminating the problem of employees receiving both stipends and district vehicles.
Dr. Hinojosa said Tuesday that he's willing to give up some of his own transportation perks.
"I'm willing to ... give up my driver, or whatever is necessary," Dr. Hinojosa said. "I can drive my own car to schools if I have to."
The superintendent receives a $12,000 car allowance, the largest in the district, and has a district-paid driver with an annual salary of $42,906 and car at his disposal.
Dr. Hinojosa proposed cutting the car allowances just hours after announcing a three-step plan to review the district's finances and academics in an effort to make the Dallas Independent School District one of the country's top urban school systems.
To do that, "financial accountability and integrity is non-negotiable," Dr. Hinojosa said.
Several trustees said they support the car allowance proposal, which was presented at a committee meeting Tuesday. It still must be approved by the full board.
Trustees levied harsh criticism at administrators for "hiding" the stipends. A few trustees said Mr. Hinojosa's proposed reductions did not go far enough.
Trustee Hollis Brashear didn't want to wait until September to implement the change. Doing so, he said, would mean $3 million less for classrooms this year. He said administrators hid the amounts they were spending on car stipends deep inside department budgets.
Trustee Lew Blackburn wanted to allow only seven central office officials, plus school principals, to keep the stipends.
Other trustees were angry that they were in the dark about the stipends.
Board President Lois Parrott said she had questioned travel spending in years past and was told by administrators that it was "minuscule."
"I can recall conversations at this very table ... and I was told it was a minuscule amount," Dr. Parrott said. "Now, how in the blank can you call $3 million minuscule? And I don't want to hear that word again when it comes to money that could have been transferred to the classroom."
Trustee Joe May said central office administrators used car stipends to "circumvent the intent" of board decisions on salaries. He said he has been told that administrators awarded themselves stipends in years when they received small or no pay raises.
"If that's the case, it's unethical," he said. "At some point we're going to have to start dealing with the ethics in the [district], because that's where the problem is at."
Dr. Hinojosa said district lawyers will review employee contracts and district policy to determine whether the car stipend reductions can be implemented before Sept. 1, when DISD's salary changes take effect.
In making a call earlier in the day for a broad review of district finances and academics, Dr. Hinojosa said his goal is to make Dallas the country's premier urban school system. Doing that requires setting targets to improve student achievement and comparing the progress to other large districts.
The district will have an outside accounting firm review how it allocates resources. It also has contracted with the National Center for Educational Accountability to identify five goals to measure academic progress and compare it to other large districts. The center also will provide annual reports.
"The public education system in Dallas has reached the point where significant improvement will not be possible absent major changes," Dr. Hinojosa said.
Update: Chief willing to give up his perks; most will lose car allowance
By KENT FISCHER and TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas school Superintendent Michael Hinojosa wants to eliminate district car stipends for all but a handful of top administrators, a move that could save taxpayers millions of dollars.
The proposal comes two weeks after The Dallas Morning News reported that the district is spending nearly $3.7 million in car stipends for more than 2,300 employees, many of whom rarely travel on district business. The News also found 48 employees who receive the stipend even though they have access to district vehicles during the workday.
"We do need to apologize if an apology is in order," Dr. Hinojosa said.
His proposal, which would take effect Sept. 1, would reduce the number of people receiving car stipends to 53 central office administrators, at an annual cost of $224,201. Every other district employee would be put on a 48.5-cent-per-mile reimbursement system.
The superintendent also said that he is eliminating the problem of employees receiving both stipends and district vehicles.
Dr. Hinojosa said Tuesday that he's willing to give up some of his own transportation perks.
"I'm willing to ... give up my driver, or whatever is necessary," Dr. Hinojosa said. "I can drive my own car to schools if I have to."
The superintendent receives a $12,000 car allowance, the largest in the district, and has a district-paid driver with an annual salary of $42,906 and car at his disposal.
Dr. Hinojosa proposed cutting the car allowances just hours after announcing a three-step plan to review the district's finances and academics in an effort to make the Dallas Independent School District one of the country's top urban school systems.
To do that, "financial accountability and integrity is non-negotiable," Dr. Hinojosa said.
Several trustees said they support the car allowance proposal, which was presented at a committee meeting Tuesday. It still must be approved by the full board.
Trustees levied harsh criticism at administrators for "hiding" the stipends. A few trustees said Mr. Hinojosa's proposed reductions did not go far enough.
Trustee Hollis Brashear didn't want to wait until September to implement the change. Doing so, he said, would mean $3 million less for classrooms this year. He said administrators hid the amounts they were spending on car stipends deep inside department budgets.
Trustee Lew Blackburn wanted to allow only seven central office officials, plus school principals, to keep the stipends.
Other trustees were angry that they were in the dark about the stipends.
Board President Lois Parrott said she had questioned travel spending in years past and was told by administrators that it was "minuscule."
"I can recall conversations at this very table ... and I was told it was a minuscule amount," Dr. Parrott said. "Now, how in the blank can you call $3 million minuscule? And I don't want to hear that word again when it comes to money that could have been transferred to the classroom."
Trustee Joe May said central office administrators used car stipends to "circumvent the intent" of board decisions on salaries. He said he has been told that administrators awarded themselves stipends in years when they received small or no pay raises.
"If that's the case, it's unethical," he said. "At some point we're going to have to start dealing with the ethics in the [district], because that's where the problem is at."
Dr. Hinojosa said district lawyers will review employee contracts and district policy to determine whether the car stipend reductions can be implemented before Sept. 1, when DISD's salary changes take effect.
In making a call earlier in the day for a broad review of district finances and academics, Dr. Hinojosa said his goal is to make Dallas the country's premier urban school system. Doing that requires setting targets to improve student achievement and comparing the progress to other large districts.
The district will have an outside accounting firm review how it allocates resources. It also has contracted with the National Center for Educational Accountability to identify five goals to measure academic progress and compare it to other large districts. The center also will provide annual reports.
"The public education system in Dallas has reached the point where significant improvement will not be possible absent major changes," Dr. Hinojosa said.
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TexasStooge
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Salvation Army kettle campaign harder to staff
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
The local Salvation Army is waiting for somebody to answer the bell – or at least ring it.
The charity, which recently started its annual fundraising campaign, says it is facing a shortage of bell ringers. Many workers quit after a few days or weeks, leaving dozens of stores without the familiar site of Red Kettles during the holidays.
The agency started hiring bell ringers more than a decade ago because it was so difficult to find enough volunteers. And now, the nonprofit increasingly is having trouble finding enough paid workers to do the seasonal job, spokesman Pat Patey said.
"People don't have a real loyalty," he said. "They're not making a career out of it. It's easy to get up one day and say, 'It looks cold, and I'm tired so I'm not going in today.' "
The workers in the red aprons have turnover rates of up to 300 percent in the Dallas area during the six-week campaign, which raises money for year-round programs that aid the needy.
The agency got approvals this season to place Red Kettles at 421 locations in Dallas, Collin, Denton and Ellis counties. But it has only an estimated 272 people so far to cover those spots, although exact figures were not available, Mr. Patey said.
The workers are divided into 11 zones throughout the four-county area, and in one of those areas last weekend there were 15 no-shows.
The shortage of bell ringers, although a growing problem, has not resulted in a drop in fundraising, Mr. Patey said. The Salvation Army has raised a steady income of about $1.1 million locally from the Red Kettle campaign in recent years.
The Salvation Army acknowledges that the 40-hour-a-week paid bell-ringing job is not easy. Outside shifts can be cold, even with the jackets the charity provides. Standing for several hours at a time can be tiring. And the paychecks start at $6 an hour.
"It's just hard on the feet," Mr. Patey said. "That's why some people only do it for a few days."
The charity is advising employees to take breaks and is considering giving workers more days off to keep them coming back.
After nearly three weeks on the job, Zoraida Solis has lasted longer than a lot of her co-workers. Ms. Solis, who is paralyzed on one side and disabled, said she does not mind the long hours.
"My feet got used to it," she said Tuesday as she rang a bell at NorthPark Center.
Ms. Solis said she first heard about the job when she enrolled her two children in the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, which provides Christmas gifts for the needy.
"It's like giving back to what they're giving me," she said. "It's for a good cause."
And she plans to be back next year.
"This is the first job I've ever had, and I really like it," she said.
With a year under her belt, Pam Rogers already has seniority. That got her an inside spot at NorthPark on Tuesday. Her feet don't bother her, and she doesn't hear bells after her shifts. Her jaw has even gotten used to smiling all day.
Ms. Rogers said it's too bad many potential Red Kettle sites have to go unattended. But she does not believe the work conditions are the reason.
"I don't think a lot of people know about it," she said.
The Salvation Army helped Ms. Rogers provide Christmas gifts to her daughter, now 15, through the Angel Tree program and from the money she earns at her job. One day, Ms. Rogers hopes she can afford to return the favor by doing the job as a volunteer. Either way, unlike many of her fellow employees, Ms. Rogers plans to stay at the job for the long haul.
"I'll be a bell ringer for the rest of my life," she said. "It feels good."
Despite the Salvation Army's difficulties retaining Red Kettle workers, local nonprofit agencies in general have not reported trouble with recruiting volunteers this year, said Patricia Melton, spokeswoman for the Volunteer Center of North Texas.
"We have not heard that agencies are really suffering for volunteers at all," she said. "They probably have been able to retain some of the disaster volunteers and pull them over into the holiday season."
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
The local Salvation Army is waiting for somebody to answer the bell – or at least ring it.
The charity, which recently started its annual fundraising campaign, says it is facing a shortage of bell ringers. Many workers quit after a few days or weeks, leaving dozens of stores without the familiar site of Red Kettles during the holidays.
The agency started hiring bell ringers more than a decade ago because it was so difficult to find enough volunteers. And now, the nonprofit increasingly is having trouble finding enough paid workers to do the seasonal job, spokesman Pat Patey said.
"People don't have a real loyalty," he said. "They're not making a career out of it. It's easy to get up one day and say, 'It looks cold, and I'm tired so I'm not going in today.' "
The workers in the red aprons have turnover rates of up to 300 percent in the Dallas area during the six-week campaign, which raises money for year-round programs that aid the needy.
The agency got approvals this season to place Red Kettles at 421 locations in Dallas, Collin, Denton and Ellis counties. But it has only an estimated 272 people so far to cover those spots, although exact figures were not available, Mr. Patey said.
The workers are divided into 11 zones throughout the four-county area, and in one of those areas last weekend there were 15 no-shows.
The shortage of bell ringers, although a growing problem, has not resulted in a drop in fundraising, Mr. Patey said. The Salvation Army has raised a steady income of about $1.1 million locally from the Red Kettle campaign in recent years.
The Salvation Army acknowledges that the 40-hour-a-week paid bell-ringing job is not easy. Outside shifts can be cold, even with the jackets the charity provides. Standing for several hours at a time can be tiring. And the paychecks start at $6 an hour.
"It's just hard on the feet," Mr. Patey said. "That's why some people only do it for a few days."
The charity is advising employees to take breaks and is considering giving workers more days off to keep them coming back.
After nearly three weeks on the job, Zoraida Solis has lasted longer than a lot of her co-workers. Ms. Solis, who is paralyzed on one side and disabled, said she does not mind the long hours.
"My feet got used to it," she said Tuesday as she rang a bell at NorthPark Center.
Ms. Solis said she first heard about the job when she enrolled her two children in the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program, which provides Christmas gifts for the needy.
"It's like giving back to what they're giving me," she said. "It's for a good cause."
And she plans to be back next year.
"This is the first job I've ever had, and I really like it," she said.
With a year under her belt, Pam Rogers already has seniority. That got her an inside spot at NorthPark on Tuesday. Her feet don't bother her, and she doesn't hear bells after her shifts. Her jaw has even gotten used to smiling all day.
Ms. Rogers said it's too bad many potential Red Kettle sites have to go unattended. But she does not believe the work conditions are the reason.
"I don't think a lot of people know about it," she said.
The Salvation Army helped Ms. Rogers provide Christmas gifts to her daughter, now 15, through the Angel Tree program and from the money she earns at her job. One day, Ms. Rogers hopes she can afford to return the favor by doing the job as a volunteer. Either way, unlike many of her fellow employees, Ms. Rogers plans to stay at the job for the long haul.
"I'll be a bell ringer for the rest of my life," she said. "It feels good."
Despite the Salvation Army's difficulties retaining Red Kettle workers, local nonprofit agencies in general have not reported trouble with recruiting volunteers this year, said Patricia Melton, spokeswoman for the Volunteer Center of North Texas.
"We have not heard that agencies are really suffering for volunteers at all," she said. "They probably have been able to retain some of the disaster volunteers and pull them over into the holiday season."
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TexasStooge
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Heroic efforts at Irving apartment fire
IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — An Irving police officer was called a hero for attempting to rescue a resident from a burning apartment Tuesday night.
The three-alarm blaze broke out before 11 p.m. at the Regal Park Apartments on MacArthur Boulevard.
The patrolling officer was the first to notice the flames. "The police officer went in in police officer's uniform—without an air pack or any backup," said Irving Fire Department Asst. Chief Mike Evitts. "[It was a] pretty brave thing to do."
Firefighters ended up getting the man out of the burning building and to the hospital. He suffered what were described as significant burns.
The police officer was treated for smoke inhalation. A firefighter hurt his hand.
Eight units at the apartment complex were damaged.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
WFAA-TV photojournalist Robert Flagg contributed to this report.
Robert Flagg / WFAA ABC 8
Three people were hurt in the three-alarm blaze.
IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — An Irving police officer was called a hero for attempting to rescue a resident from a burning apartment Tuesday night.
The three-alarm blaze broke out before 11 p.m. at the Regal Park Apartments on MacArthur Boulevard.
The patrolling officer was the first to notice the flames. "The police officer went in in police officer's uniform—without an air pack or any backup," said Irving Fire Department Asst. Chief Mike Evitts. "[It was a] pretty brave thing to do."
Firefighters ended up getting the man out of the burning building and to the hospital. He suffered what were described as significant burns.
The police officer was treated for smoke inhalation. A firefighter hurt his hand.
Eight units at the apartment complex were damaged.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
WFAA-TV photojournalist Robert Flagg contributed to this report.
Robert Flagg / WFAA ABC 8
Three people were hurt in the three-alarm blaze.
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