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#3481 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 7:55 am

Officers detonate McKinney man's cannonball

By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8

MCKINNEY, Texas - McKinney police said a relic from the Civil War could have caused death and destruction at an apartment complex Monday.

Officers came to the apartment complex after receiving a call that a resident had a cannonball. The Plano bomb squad was also called to the complex and X-rayed the cannonball but still couldn't tell if it was live.

"It's like a small cannonball that's filled with a lot of smaller led balls, and the entire thing is then packed with black powder," said Brian Wood, Plano bomb squad.

A bomb squad member carefully moved the cannonball by hand to a field across the street near McKinney High School and asked the McKinney Parks and Recreation workers to bring in some sand. Squad officers buried the cannonball and detonated it safely.

"Sure enough, it was a live round," Wood said. "It actually had black powder in it."

Bomb squad members told News 8 they were surprised at the force of the explosion.

"I felt the whole wall shake," said neighbor Marc Currie. "I heard the explosion and was shocked as anything. I questioned what was that?"

The owner of the cannonball told officers he bought it in the parking lot of a gun show.

"...This individual was very lucky that he didn't blow himself up driving it back from the gun show where he bought it, and have it going off in his apartment, which could have severely injured him, killed him or others in the apartment," Wood said.

Louise Carter, who lives next door, was very upset at the thought of the threat the cannonball posed on her own home and safety.

"You know it could have come right through my bathroom," Carter said. "I have two children and they get dropped off by a bus right where the apartment was. It's pretty scary."

Police said they understand the interest in collecting Civil War era ammunitions, but they warned some items such as the cannonball are very risky and could maim or even kill.
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#3482 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:01 am

Dallas ISD's top cop quits

Chief turns in gear after report on dealings with vendor, witness

By KENT FISCHER and PETE SLOVER / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas school Police Chief Manny Vasquez stepped down Monday, a day after The Dallas Morning News reported on his business dealings with a district vendor and a witness in a federal DISD corruption investigation.

Dallas Independent School District officials said they were unaware of the business ventures until reporters began inquiring about them Thursday.

Mr. Vasquez said Monday that he would retire, effective March 1. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa said Mr. Vasquez, 55, told the district he will be undergoing a medical procedure this week and would finish out his contract using accrued medical leave and vacation time. His contract, with a $131,168 annual salary, expires March 1.

Mr. Vasquez turned in his badge, gun, car and other equipment Monday, Dr. Hinojosa said. He and Mr. Vasquez characterized the departure as a retirement, although a district memo said Mr. Vasquez was resigning.

Officials would not disclose what medical procedure Mr. Vasquez faces.

"He won't be reporting to work anymore," Dr. Hinojosa said Monday evening. "It's time to bring this matter to closure and to move forward."

Mr. Vasquez said he has a long list of accomplishments in law enforcement, a career that includes 26 years with Dallas police before coming to DISD in 2000.

"I'm proud of my law enforcement career, which includes being wounded in the line of duty," he said. "I've been speaking with my supervisors at the district for some time about a timetable for my retirement, so it only seems to coincide with this particular issue. However, [my departure] is not unplanned or unexpected by the district."

District spokesman Donald Claxton said he could not release any further information about the events leading to the resignation because personnel matters are confidential.

On Sunday, The News reported that Mr. Vasquez had created a business, Security Innovations, on Sept. 19. Among the business's principals was Blair M. Thomas, a former sales representative for Micro System Enterprises, the Houston technology company under investigation for its relationship with ousted DISD technology chief Ruben Bohuchot.

The News also reported that Mr. Vasquez had awarded $100,000 in district contracts to Trace Detection Services, a company that recently formed a partnership with Security Innovations.

This fall, Security Innovations was promoting Trace Detection products to several local school districts, records from neighboring districts show. On Oct. 13, Mr. Vasquez, Mr. Blair and another business partner visited officials in Richardson schools to discuss the products.

Similar overtures were made last month to the Irving ISD.

Dallas school trustee Edwin Flores said Monday that those kinds of business dealings need to be stamped out if the district is to gain the trust of parents and taxpayers.

"There is a mentality [among administrators] that 'everybody else is doing it, so I can, too,' " he said. "That's the mentality we need to break."

On Friday, Dr. Hinojosa said Mr. Vasquez was wrong not to inform his bosses of his outside business dealings. They are good examples, the superintendent said, of the type of behavior he is trying to eradicate from DISD.

Last month, Dr. Hinojosa unveiled new policies that would prohibit business dealings between vendors, potential vendors and district employees. The proposed policies also prevent employees from accepting any gift greater than $50 from outside businesses.

Those proposed policies, which have strong support from trustees, could go to a vote this month.

"We are working to make certain that we have an ethics policy that is to the point and easy to understand," board President Lois Parrott said Monday night.

Dr. Hinojosa proposed the policies after the district agreed to pay a $65,000 settlement to Mr. Bohuchot, the former technology chief now under federal investigation for his dealings with Micro System. Trustees later complained that weak ethics policies prohibited the district from firing Mr. Bohuchot outright.

Mr. Vasquez's resignation leaves a hole atop the fledgling DISD police department, which is only in its second year.

Dr. Hinojosa said he does not have a replacement in mind. He said he will probably appoint somebody on an interim basis and will contemplate where he wants the department to go before hiring a full-time police chief.

"I'm going to be deliberate on this one," he said.
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#3483 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:02 am

Mourners salute slain FW officer

Hundreds share tears, laughter as memories flow during funeral

By JEFF MOSIER and BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH, Texas – Laughter alternating with sobs echoed through Birchman Baptist Church on Monday as hundreds said goodbye to Officer Henry "Hank" Nava Jr., described as a devoted family man, fun-loving friend and hard-nosed "cop's cop."

Funny stories about Officer Nava, recognizable by his military hairstyle, Oakley sunglasses and electric smile, mingled with tear-salted tales about his loyalty to the job and to those he loved.

"We thank you for letting us, for a moment, borrow your soldier, your servant," prayed Fort Worth police Chaplain Mitch Felder.

Officer Nava, 39, died Thursday, two days after he was shot in the head by an identity-theft suspect. Stephen Lance Heard, 39, has been charged with capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in connection with a police standoff following the shooting. Mr. Heard could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted.

Law enforcement officials from virtually every North Texas agency packed Officer Nava's service Monday afternoon in west Fort Worth. They bore insignias from their departments on their sleeves, but they all shared a single symbol: badges covered by black bands.

Ronnie Carter, who as an employee of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has worked with Fort Worth police, said he would have attended even if he didn't know anyone in the department.

"It's a brotherhood," he said. "You have an officer who has given his life for this community, for us. It's out of respect."

Dozens of police motorcycles from departments across the state lined both sides of the street outside the church. Firetrucks and patrol cars parked on the overpasses crossing Interstate 30 eastward nearly to downtown, and drivers stopped their cars along the highway at rush hour to pay their respects.

After the service, mourners descended on Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth for Officer Nava's burial.

A horse-drawn carriage carried his casket to a small hill and was followed by more than 75 officers on foot winding their way to the grave. The pre-dusk service included a 21-gun salute and the release of white doves.

Those who were closest to Officer Nava huddled together in the cold and wept.

Officer Nava is the second area police officer to die in the line of duty in the last month. Dallas police Officer Brian Jackson was shot and killed Nov. 13 while responding to a domestic disturbance call.

At Officer Nava's service, Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and Police Chief Ralph Mendoza, along with Officer Nava's closest friends, spoke about the man they called a hero.

"If you listen closely, you hear the heart of our city. You can feel the pulse," Mr. Moncrief said. "Today, Fort Worth's heart is heavy."

Mr. Moncrief encouraged civilians to shake hands with or hug police officers they see on the streets as a sign of appreciation for the danger they face daily.

Chief Mendoza, his voice cracking, said Officer Nava was ready to put his life in jeopardy to help society. With a twinkle in his eye, he would "step into that void, step into the breach."

Other speakers said he was a born police officer. Former partner Mike Montgomery said Officer Nava always went to work with the enthusiasm of a rookie on his first day. Employees at his favorite burger joint in Fort Worth nicknamed him "Taz," after the cartoon character Tasmanian Devil, because of his intensity.

Officer Nava started his police career with the Austin Park police in 1988 and became a Fort Worth officer in 1992. He worked for the Plano department in 1999 but quickly returned to Cowtown.

Apologizing to any Plano police officers present, Mr. Moncrief said he wasn't surprised that Officer Nava's stint in Collin County was short-lived.

"He was bored stiff and couldn't wait to get back home," he said.

Officer Clint Hall, a longtime friend, said that Officer Nava tried community policing and also worked as a school resource officer. But he always felt more comfortable with the gritty, dangerous part of the job.

"His place was on the street putting bad guys in jail," Officer Hall said.

Although many knew him as a ferocious, tough-looking officer, friends said there was a generous spirit inside. The only job he loved more than being a police officer was being a father and husband.

When his daughter was born, Officer Nava was rarely seen off-duty without KayLeigh, now 9, in his arms. And more recently, he was often wrestling and playing with his 4-year-old son, Justin. The two siblings spent a moment together after the funeral at their father's casket, with Justin saluting his father just as hundreds of police officers had done as they filed by earlier.

Officers Nava's love wasn't reserved for his family, mourners said.

Gianni Ghilespi, a Fort Worth police captain, said that Officer Nava gave him a home during his darkest moment and helped him work through his problems.

"God sent a hero to me," he said. "It was Hank Nava."

Mr. Moncrief said that Officer Nava's wife, Teresa, has a hard road to travel. However, he said, she has the resilience needed to be a police officer's wife and called her stronger than a "horseradish milkshake."

The mayor also gave the Nava family advice on handling their grief. Remembering the death of his sister when he was a teenager, Mr. Moncrief said he was told that God – just like people – only picked the loveliest flowers from the garden.

"On Dec. 1," Mr. Moncrief said, "God went into his garden."
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#3484 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 4:57 pm

Highland Park fans left without tickets

By KRISTEN HOLLAND and MATT JACOB / The Dallas Morning News

HIGHLAND PARK, Texas - Hundreds of Highland Park supporters were turned away early Tuesday at the Highlander Stadium ticket office when word came that the school's allotment of 5,500 adult tickets to the Class 4A state title game were already gone.

Girls athletic coordinator Jerry Sutterfield said it has been a long-standing practice that tickets to away football games are sold at the Highland Park Sports Club meetings at 7 p.m. Mondays. Usually, no limit is placed on the number of tickets patrons can buy. But Sutterfield said the department instituted a 10-ticket limit per person so as to give as many fans as possible an opportunity for tickets.

"We didn't think we would sell out," Sutterfield said. "We hate that not everyone can go, but (the sellout) is a nice problem to have because we're still playing for the state championship."

The problem is that the Scots will face Marshall in the Class 4A Division I state championship at Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium, a Tyler facility that seats only 12,000. Last Saturday, Highland Park brought more than 11,000 fans to the regional final.

In the University Interscholastic League football playoffs, the opposing coaches decide where the contest will be played. The Marshall and Highland Park coaches couldn't agree on a neutral site, and then Highland Park lost the coin flip.

District spokeswoman Helen Williams said the small size of Tyler's Rose Stadium, the small allotment of available tickets and the fact that Highland Park hasn't played for a state title since 1957 contributed to the quick sellout.

"It's unfortunate because we want everyone who wants a ticket to have one," Williams said. "But we're doing all we can to see that our fans can watch the game live."

In a letter sent to parents, district officials explained the "overwhelming" interest that resulted in the purchase of all available adult tickets.

The letter said parents could drive to Tyler and buy standing room-only tickets at the stadium beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday. Stadium officials also told the school district that ticket holders must be in their seats by 1 p.m. to guarantee a spot.

Williams said pleas have been made to the UIL to find an alternative stadium location. If those are unsuccessful, then she left open the possibility of finding a way to have a live simulcast of the game.

Despite efforts to appease them, fans said they were disappointed by the shortage and the way the tickets were distributed.

"My understanding was that they were going to be on sale this morning," said Wayne Richardson, a Park Cities resident who was trying to buy extra tickets for a friend whose son plays on the team.

Jerry Coen, a 1957 graduate, played on the 1956 football team that made it to the state semifinals. He said he planned to go to Tyler to try to get a seat.

"Forty-eight years ago I got to see my friend, Jack Collins, and all of them win the state championship in Port Arthur," he said. "Since I'm just one person, I might have a better chance at getting a ticket. I'd hate to wait another 48 years."

Already, one entrepreneur was making a pair of tickets available for $500 on craigslist.org. The seller's lure to would-be buyers: "Don't miss out on Highland Park history."

At the high school on Tuesday morning, some 800 tickets went on sale after second period to the approximately 2,000 students. Although assistant principal Ken Fox warned on the loudspeaker that any student who exhibited "untoward" behavior would be pulled from the lines, there still was plenty of shoving at the two sales locations.

"It's so hot in there," said freshman Caroline Taylor as she emerged from the fine arts box office with her ticket. "Everybody's pushing."

Senior Meredith Mendenhall was first in line at the fine arts box office. She acknowledged that she got the edge because her class got out a little early.

"I am so excited. This is amazing. I can't wait," she said.

Students were going to be allowed to remain in line until all tickets were sold. They could buy only one for themselves. Football players and members of the band and drill team were excluded.

Tori Mannes, a second-generation Scot who graduated in 1978, said she spent nearly two hours in line Monday night trying to get a ticket, but was near the front when they sold out. She was hoping her daughter would get one Tuesday.

"We have a lot of dreams riding with this team," she said. "It's not just this year's class that's so fabulous. It's many, many years."
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#3485 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 5:08 pm

Probe: Communication, paperwork lax at jail

By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - An alarming pattern of mistake-prone and spotty recordkeeping combined with communication breakdowns by Dallas County jail guards and supervisors helped cause the water to be shut off for four days in a mentally ill inmate’s cell last August, an internal investigation by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department has found.

The jail guard who initially ordered the water shut off without getting higher approval, as required under department rules, has been reprimanded, being sacked a day’s pay and placed on 90-day probation.

Results of the investigation, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by The Dallas Morning News, describes a department in which communication breakdowns are common and where jail staff sometimes neglect to fill out log books or review book entries before starting new shifts.

Deputy Chief Edgar McMillan, who oversees all jail facilities, said he was seriously disturbed by the findings, and has ordered a meeting with commanders and supervisors to discuss how to improve communication.

“These are everyday procedures. It’s elementary-type stuff,” Chief McMillan said. He called the lapses unacceptable.

But he also said the mistakes are being made because the jail is drastically understaffed, and many guards must work overtime shifts to maintain a state requirement that one guard be on duty for every 48 inmates.

“We’re still drastically short of employees, and I think our people are working so long and hard with shortages that they’re making mistakes,” Chief McMillan said. ‘We’re working the staff to death.”

He said he has 147 vacancies – nearly 20 percent of his authorized staff for the jail’s housing division.

Part of the problem is a surge in inmates to over 7,000, forcing the county to open six floors of the overflow Decker jail. Dallas County commissioners approved 43 new positions to handle Decker, but the sheriff’s department has not yet filled many of those slots with new hires. Chief McMillan said he has been assigning supervisors and staff from the county’s other jail facilities to fill in at Decker, often on overtime.

The August incident — in which mentally ill inmate Gil Martinez, 30, had water shut off in his cell for four days after he repeatedly flooded the cell — particularly disturbed mental health advocates.

While the investigation found that Mr. Martinez apparently had access to drinking water each day, and suffered no physical harm, the incident had disturbing similarities to the case of mentally ill inmate James Mims, who nearly died in 2004 because water had been shut off in his cell for two weeks, advocates said. A federal civil rights suit against the county has been filed by Mr. Mims’s family.

Last March, the county jail failed a state inspection. And earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it is launching an investigation into the medical care provided at the jail.

The sheriff’s internal affairs division that investigated the August case interviewed staff members who had worked shifts during the days the water was shut off. The investigation report notes that of 32 officers interviewed, over half said they knew nothing about the situation until reading a story in the Aug. 17 News.

And while one guard posted a note in a control center about the water, seven of the 10 officers that worked in the control center said they never saw it.

Chief McMillan said his jail supervisors are often so overwhelmed with paperwork that they don’t get to make rounds on the jail floors that often. He said changes are being made to get them on the floors more regularly, so they can give direction and ensure that mistakes are not made.
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#3486 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 5:11 pm

3 drivers injured in overnight shootings

By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Three people were recovering from gunshot wounds after someone opened fire on them while they were driving early Tuesday morning in Pleasant Grove and East Oak Cliff.

One shooting was an attempted carjacking, but the others appear random and unprovoked, police said.

No arrests have been made and police are looking for a brown, 4-door Oldsmobile or Buick sedan.

The first shooting occurred at 2:30 a.m. when the brown car rammed the back of 51-year-old man’s vehicle at Forney Road and Buckner Boulevard. The brown car then pulled in front of the man’s vehicle and blocked his way. As he attempted to drive away, one of the passengers fired shotgun blasts through his window, hitting him in the back. He drove to a fire station for help.

Two hours later, a 55-year-old man was driving home from work when police believe the same brown car pulled up beside him at Illinois Avenue just west of Interstate 45. A passenger began firing into the man’s vehicle, wounding his left shoulder. He drove to his nearby apartment, where he called 911, police said.

Twenty minutes later, at 4:45 a.m., the brown car pulled alongside a 27-year-old woman as she was stopped at a red light less than a mile away in the 3000 block of Illinois Avenue at Bonnie View Road. A passenger got out of the brown car, and walked up to her window, pointed a shotgun or a rifle at her and demanded she get out. As the panicked woman sped away, a bullet ripped into her left forearm. She drove nearly two miles before stopping on Marfa Avenue and summoning help.

Detectives are unsure why the men were shooting at motorists, said Sgt. Gil Cerda, a Dallas police spokesman.

“On the last one, they demanded the vehicle,” he said. “It’s hard to say. We’ve still got to talk to these victims.”

The police had no detailed suspect description, other than the brown car had two to three black males inside.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 214-671-3584.
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#3487 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:14 pm

Police probe district after boy allegedly abandoned

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

MANSFIELD, Texas - Mansfield police are investigating allegations a district school bus driver abandoned a 4-year-old autistic child without making sure he had adult supervision.

Bridgett Howard said she shuddered at the thought that her young son could have wandered into a busy Mansfield street or could have been kidnapped.

Howard said Breckin Howard's school district bus driver and a teacher's aide dropped him off outside a secure area at his daycare without handing him directly to a daycare employee.

"They left my 4-year-old autistic son to fend for himself and he can't," Howard said. "It's terrifying."

Breckin attends a preschool program for children with disabilities at Mansfield Independent School District.

Another parent discovered the child alone in a daycare foyer accessible to anyone.

Howard immediately contacted a school official.

"She said the attendant was new and didn't know to walk Breckin into the school," Howard said.

However, Howard said she is frustrated because in a separate incident a year ago, another driver also had an incident and had confusion about where to drop off her son.

"To this day, MISD cannot tell me where my son was for three hours," she said. "He got to daycare, he's soaking wet [and] his diaper had overflowed."

As for last week's incident, a district spokesperson told News 8 the child was not passed onto an adult as required by transportation guidelines so an investigation is underway.

District officials said a final review will decide if there should be any personnel action or changes to transportation procedures.

Meanwhile, Mansfield police are investigating allegations of child endangerment.
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#3488 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:15 pm

Jail inquiry reveals communication gaps

Dallas County: Official disturbed by report, cites worker shortage

By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - An alarming pattern of mistake-prone and spotty record-keeping combined with communication breakdowns by Dallas County jail guards and supervisors helped cause the water to be shut off for four days in a mentally ill inmate's cell in August, an internal investigation by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department has found.

The jail guard who initially ordered the water shut off without getting higher approval, as required under department rules, has been reprimanded, docked a day's pay and placed on 90 days' probation.

Results of the investigation, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by The Dallas Morning News, describe a department in which communication breakdowns are common and where jail staff sometimes neglect to fill out log books or review book entries before starting new shifts.

Deputy Chief Edgar McMillan, who oversees all jail facilities, said he was seriously disturbed by the findings and has ordered a meeting with commanders and supervisors to discuss how to improve communication.

"These are everyday procedures. It's elementary-type stuff," Chief McMillan said. He called the lapses unacceptable.

But he also said the mistakes are being made because the jail is drastically understaffed and many guards must work overtime shifts to maintain a state requirement that one guard be on duty for every 48 inmates.

"We're still drastically short of employees, and I think our people are working so long and hard with shortages that they're making mistakes," Chief McMillan said. 'We're working the staff to death."

He said he has 147 vacancies – nearly 20 percent of his authorized staff for the jail's housing division.

Part of the problem is a surge in inmates to more than 7,000, forcing the county to open six floors of the overflow Decker jail. Dallas County commissioners approved 43 new positions to handle Decker, but the Sheriff's Department has not filled many of those slots with new hires. Chief McMillan said he has been assigning supervisors and staff from the county's other jail facilities to fill in at Decker, often on overtime.

The August incident – in which mentally ill inmate Gil Martinez, 30, had water shut off in his cell for four days after he repeatedly flooded the cell – particularly disturbed mental health advocates.

Though the investigation found that Mr. Martinez apparently had access to drinking water each day and suffered no physical harm, the incident had disturbing similarities to the case of mentally ill inmate James Mims, who nearly died in 2004 because water had been shut off in his cell for two weeks, advocates said. A federal civil rights suit against the county has been filed by Mr. Mims' family.

In March, the county jail failed a state inspection. And this week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it is launching an investigation into the medical care provided at the jail.

The sheriff's internal affairs division that investigated the August case interviewed staff members who had worked shifts during the days the water was shut off. The investigation report notes that of 32 officers interviewed, more than half said they knew nothing about the situation until reading a story in the Aug. 17 News.

And though one guard posted a note in a control center about the water, seven of the 10 officers that worked in the control center said they never saw it.

Chief McMillan said his jail supervisors are often so overwhelmed with paperwork that they don't get to make rounds on the jail floors that often.

He said changes are being made to get them on the floors more regularly so they can give direction and ensure that mistakes are not made.
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#3489 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:16 pm

Euless pastor suspended following lewdness charge

By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News

EULESS, Texas - The senior pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Euless was suspended Tuesday for 90 days following allegations he fondled a man.

The Rev. James Leonard Finley, 68, was suspended by Bishop Ben R. Chamness, who oversees more than 300 churches as part of the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Mr. Finley was relieved of all pastoral duties, said Carolyn Stephens, a spokeswoman for the conference.

The 1,400-member church will be headed by Charles McClure, a retired minister, Ms. Stephens said.

Mr. Finley was arrested last week and charged with public lewdness, a misdemeanor. He is accused of fondling a 21-year-old man at his home.

If convicted, Mr. Finley faces up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
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#3490 Postby TexasStooge » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:20 pm

Plano rep fights ban on torture

Sam Johnson, an ex-POW, says McCain measure risky for U.S.

By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News

WASHINGTON – With the moral authority of a former prisoner of war, Sen. John McCain is pushing to ban torture. Now, one of his former cellmates in the Hanoi Hilton, Rep. Sam Johnson of Plano – whose mangled hand gives testament to the horrors he endured after being shot down in Vietnam – is working to block the measure.

Mr. Johnson has circulated a letter to colleagues arguing that the McCain proposal, which sailed through the Senate, 90-9, would needlessly hamper counter-terrorism efforts – a stance that has surprised human-rights advocates.

"I can't imagine what he's thinking," said Mark Ensalaco, director of the international studies and human rights program at the University of Dayton.

"America should never do to anyone, even our worst enemies, what the Vietnamese did to John McCain and Sam Johnson," said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director of Human Rights Watch.

Mr. Johnson defended his position Tuesday, after two weeks of avoiding requests to explain his views on the McCain proposal, which he called "well-intentioned but unnecessary" and potentially dangerous.

"I feel very strongly about this because I know what torture is. Torture is already against the law, and John's proposal doesn't make it any more illegal," said Mr. Johnson, who spent seven years as a POW and left the service with two Silver Stars, a Distinguished Flying Cross, two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.

He said federal law already bans torture, and the proposed language – which also rules out cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of foreign prisoners – would give enemy fighters tips for withstanding interrogation.

"I'm afraid John's proposal will drastically diminish our ability to gather intelligence," he said.

The administration has been fighting efforts to write a blanket torture ban into U.S. law, but top House Republicans say they're closing in on language they'll add to a pending defense bill.

Mr. Johnson denied that anyone in the administration had asked or encouraged him to oppose the McCain amendment, though as a fellow POW, his position would give political cover to likeminded lawmakers.

Mr. McCain did not respond to requests to comment. Although both are Republicans, their politics have often diverged. The senator is a former rival and sometime critic of President Bush, while Mr. Johnson has been one of the president's most reliable allies.

During Senate debate on Mr. McCain's measure in October, CIA Director Porter Goss and Vice President Dick Cheney sought, unsuccessfully, to exempt the CIA from the provision.

President Bush and other top officials say the U.S. does not torture prisoners or send them to other countries to be tortured. But he has threatened to veto legislation that contains the ban, saying it could hamper interrogators.

In a speech Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.S. conforms to the Convention Against Torture, which bans cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

U.S. law requires that the government abide by both the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture.

Human rights advocates say the administration has also argued that the ban on cruel and inhumane treatment does not apply to interrogations of non-U.S. citizens that take place outside this country. And they accuse the administration of applying an overly narrow definition of "torture."

"It's public knowledge that the CIA has used 'waterboarding,' mock executions, extended sleep deprivations and other forms of severe mistreatment of detainees," Mr. Malinowski said.

Mr. McCain says he won't back down, although he and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said on Sunday talk shows that they were working on a compromise.

Mr. Johnson recently circulated a letter urging key members of the House Armed Services Committee to reject the McCain amendment, as reported first by The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress. In the letter, Mr. Johnson says interrogators need flexibility to be effective – a stance the human rights advocates took as a euphemism for the option to torture.

The McCain amendment – which seeks to clarify and broaden what constitutes torture – would prohibit torture of suspected terrorists and limit interrogations to techniques set out in the Army Field Manual. It would apply to prisoners in U.S. custody, regardless of whether they are American or held on U.S. soil.

Dr. Ensalaco called the proposal "critically important." It is needed to uphold the U.S. commitment to the Geneva Conventions and international laws banning torture, to give U.S. forces clear rules and to send the proper signal to the world after the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, he said.

"What we are asking for is a reaffirmation of a fundamental moral principle of our civilization: we do not torture," he said.

House Majority Leader Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said the McCain amendment seems to have sufficient support in the House. Lawmakers this week could tackle defense bills that would include the provision. The House and Senate would then have to work out any disagreements – but that won't happen until Mr. McCain and the administration resolve theirs.

"I hope that Senator McCain is willing to find some ground there that both he and the White House can agree on," Mr. Blunt said.

Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights and a lawyer who has represented Guantánamo detainees, called Mr. Johnson's stance "very bizarre" and "completely inexplicable."

"He has moral authority because he was a torture victim. But there's no moral authority in a position that says people can be tortured or subjected to cruel or inhuman treatment," he said.
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#3491 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:13 am

Breaking News - DALLAS TRAFFIC ALERT

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Traffic detoured at northbound Central Expressway and Woodall Rogers due to checks spilled on the roadway. Commuters should use alternate routes.

Live Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse
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#3492 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:14 am

Three shot at in Dallas shooting spree

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Police are looking for at least two gunmen who shot randomly at three drivers in southeast Dallas early Tuesday morning.

The first person was shot around 2:30 a.m. on Forney Road and around 4:30 a.m. another man was shot in the 3500 block of Illinois. Twenty minutes later a woman was shot not far from that location.

Two of the victims were hit by a bullet or shrapnel.

Yolanda Lazo was on her way for her first day at a new job when she said she was shot at by men in a car.

Lazo was parked at a light when the two men pulled up next to her.

"They told me in English to get out of the car and I did not listen to them," Lazo said. "I accelerated the car and they shot at me."

A bullet hit the driver's side headrest and one bullet went through Lazo's arm.

"Thank god they did not kill me," Lazo said.

She said at the time all she could think of was to keep driving because she was afraid if she looked back she would panic and stop.

"I thought if I get out since there were no people around they would leave me there and shoot me again and leave me for dead."

Lazo was one of three shooting victims. A cab driver, 51, was also shot.

According to police, the cab driver was driving down the street when a brown car with two or three African-American men pulled up next to him and opened fire.

A police report stated he was shot twice in the back.

A third driver was also shot for no apparent reason as he drove to his apartment.

Yolanda Lazo said the men appeared angry and she fears they will try to hurt someone again.
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#3493 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:15 am

Family's blanket drive spreads the warmth

By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Blankets weren't supposed to be distributed to the homeless for another two weeks, but as the temperatures dropped Cyndi Bunch called her friends and said they had to start now.

"After I heard the weather and what it was going to be like I just couldn't wait," said Bunch, an organizer for a group collecting donated blankets. "There are people out there tonight who are going to be cold."

Bunch and her friends stuffed a few hundred blankets into as many vehicles as they could to take to the Presbyterian Night Shelter in Fort Worth.

"We're glad to be able to do the right thing and be able to give a little support...and help the community out," said Mark Bear, volunteer.

But Bunch's story isn't just about blankets. Her and her son's story goes deeper and is an example of how to mend a bad situation.

Bunch's son, Phillip, began the mission to collect 5,000 blankets hoping one would make it to his father someday.

"The doggie one, because I think he likes dogs," the young boy said.

Once a successful engineer, Phillip's father suffered from schizophrenia and left home three years ago for a life on the streets.

So when Bunch and her friends passed out the collected blankets, those receiving weren't the only ones warmed by the donations.

The Bunch family and friends plan to continue taking blanket donations. Blankets will be collected at these locations: Century 21 at 150 Westpark Way Suite 120 in Euless, Judge Bean's Restaurant at 314 N. Main Street in Keller and Abracadarbra at 243 S. Main Street in Keller.
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#3494 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:17 am

New lens allows relief for those with cataracts

By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA ABC 8

Eye surgery is becoming more common every day, and now there is a new lens that's doing double duty.

The problem with a lot of the artificial lenses on the market, or even laser surgery, is that it only corrects certain types of vision. Patients often still need glasses.

However, a new lens could help some patients get rid of cataracts and their glasses at the same time.

Rosemary Roman said she looks forward to life without glasses or cataracts.

"I am so excited, and oh am going to be so glad to get rid of these," said Rosemary Roman, a cataract patient. "Oh, I really will be."

In a 15 minute procedure, Dr. Jeffrey Whitman will replace the cataract in Roman's eye with a new kind of lens.

Dr. Whitman removes the cataract through the cornea and replaces it with a ReSTOR lens.

In the past, other artificial implants only allowed patients to see far away.

"The ReSTOR lens is a lens that has different zones of focus build into the plastic of the lens," Dr. Whitman said. "When this lens is placed into the eye, it allows the patient to focus distant, intermediate and close-up."

Janet Wendland's said her cataracts were driving her crazy at work.

"It still was blurry and fuzzy, and it just wasn't really clear," she said.

A few weeks after having ReSTOR lens placed in both eyes, she now has 20-20 vision.

And as new patient Roman said, the procedure was painless.

"I didn't feel anything," she said.

Doctors said Roman should see results quickly.

"They'll already have better vision the next day," Dr. Whitman said. "But usually in a couple of weeks, they should be fully healed and off of drops."

About 80 percent of patients who got ReSTOR lens no longer needed glasses.

Many insurance plans and Medicare will pay for cataract surgery. The costs for the lens run about $2,000 per eye.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RestorVisionDoctors.com - Official Website
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#3495 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:19 am

Tougher Dallas ISD curricula urged

Audit calls for more unified district; Hinojosa welcomes ideas

By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - DISD must stop functioning as six "independent" school districts and require a curriculum that's tougher than what's on state tests, says an audit that will be presented to the school board Wednesday.

The Dallas Independent School District hired the National Center for Educational Accountability to find ways to improve student performance. The center studied the district's curriculum and operations and came up with 17 recommendations.

Superintendent Michael Hinojosa acknowledged that the audit made some tough criticisms, but he said he views it as a welcome challenge as he seeks to have DISD recognized as a top urban district within five years.

"Everybody needs to understand that there are no shortcuts," he said. But he doesn't expect change to be easy.

"We'll have about 20 percent of the people that say 'Let's do it right now,' 20 percent will say 'I'll wait you out.' The other 60 percent we have to convince," he said.

The recommendations are specific: Make sure all schools teach the same skills in each grade. Encourage more DISD teachers and administrators to work toward becoming principals. Fully support the growing bilingual population. Keep closer tabs on how well students are progressing through the grades. Focus more on content than attendance for teacher training.

Board President Lois Parrott said the audit has some promising ideas. "We're going to implement the best practices," she said.

Dr. Hinojosa said he will provide trustees with a plan next month for implementing the recommendations.

Dr. Hinojosa already has plans for one of the recommendations – getting principals more involved in the classroom.

"I'm going to expect them to be in the classrooms two days a week," he said, adding that it would require freeing up some of their time.

The audit raised concerns that DISD's six areas operate almost like independent school systems. The report said some DISD educators even felt that all 200-plus schools operate independently. The report recommended that the district come up with a way to make sure all schools and area offices communicate easily and effectively with one another.

The audit gives high priority to improving academics. For example, it recommends that elementary schools push for tougher standards than those measured by state tests.

"Elementary schools must focus on a taught and tested curriculum that is well beyond the state passing standards if students are going to have the skills needed to succeed at later levels," the report states.

The district frequently uses test preparation materials in early grades to help students pass the state's exam, the audit found. That practice, it warns, may not provide the skills students need to succeed in middle and high school, when courses become more demanding.

As evidence, the audit points to relatively high passing rates for elementary grades in DISD but notes that they drop at the middle and high school levels. The audit also found that DISD's curriculum was less than rigorous and not consistent for each grade level at all schools. It notes that individual campuses are allowed to select instructional programs and resources with little or no oversight to ensure that students would find the same lessons at any school – an important concept for districts in which many students move around.

Some teachers do not even use the district-mandated math program, the report found.

"They indicated that it was 'too hard' for the students and that since the teachers before them [prior grades] had not used it, it was impossible for them to begin using it at a later grade level," states the audit.

The report recommended that the district monitor how curriculum is delivered in every classroom, with some exceptions for high-performing schools.

Trustee Hollis Brashear said the curriculum audit gives the district a good starting point. But he said he would have liked a report that scrutinized all academic programs in DISD to assess whether they're the best available.

"It does appear very general, not as specific as I would have anticipated," Mr. Brashear said of the audit.

Trustee Jerome Garza said the audit allows the district to see what needs to be done. He praised Dr. Hinojosa's push for improved academics since arriving six months ago.

"I think the majority of employees are 100 percent behind him," Mr. Garza said. "I think it's what the parents in the Dallas ISD want."

DISD paid $10,000 for the audit by the National Center for Educational Accountability, a nonprofit that works with several education organizations including the University of Texas at Austin and Just for the Kids.

Dr. Hinojosa said the audit will provide a blueprint for DISD to achieve some ambitious goals. The goals set targets for improving academic achievement and college readiness and ensuring low-income children get necessary services. The targets include having 90 percent of students passing the state's exam in five core areas within five years.

"No doubt it's going to help me," Dr. Hinojosa said of the audit. "We're charging forward."
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#3496 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 11:57 am

Bouncing checks snarl rush-hour traffic

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - A load of checks spilled out of a truck and across the northbound lanes of North Central Expressway near downtown Dallas about 5 a.m. Wednesday, snarling rush-hour traffic.

As workers scrambled to collect the canceled checks, traffic was diverted to service roads at the highway's busy intersection with Woodall Rogers Freeway.

The northbound exit from Woodall Rogers Freeway to Central Expressway was shut down, and southbound traffic on Central was slowed by commuters who slowed to look.

A representative from the Federal Reserve was dispatched to the scene to oversee the check recovery efforts.

The cleanup was complete by 7:30, when traffic slowly started to unwind.
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#3497 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:25 pm

Dealey Plaza, streets closed after device found

By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Police roped off Dealey Plaza on Wednesday morning after a passer-by found a plywood rat maze scrawled with prophetic messages and attached to a kitchen timer, police said.

Concerned it was a bomb, police examined the device and determined it was not explosive.

The 4-foot-square maze, which contained a live mouse or rat in an exercise ball, was found about 7:20 a.m. in front of the G.B. Dealey statue, at the center of the plaza where President Kennedy was shot in 1963, Dallas police Sr. Cpl. Max Geron said.

Written on the maze were messages such as, “There’s never enough time,” and “Open your eyes before it’s too late,” he said.

“What caused officers concern was there was some sort of kitchen timer attached to a circuit board,” Cpl. Geron said.

Main Street from the viaduct to the Old Red Courthouse was shut down along with Houston Street between Elm and Commerce streets. The streets were reopened about 9:30 a.m.

The site of the Kennedy assassination long has been a draw for protesters and conspiracy theorists.

Almost two years ago, on Dec. 12, 2003, a man killed himself on the “X” that purportedly marks the exact spot where Kennedy was shot.
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#3498 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 5:26 pm

UNT provost gets no-confidence vote

Johnson pledges to give faculty a greater voice in future of the university

By MATTHEW ZABEL / Denton Record-Chronicle

DENTON, Texas - With nearly two-thirds of the eligible University of North Texas faculty members voting, 72 percent said they did not have confidence in UNT Provost Howard John­son’s ability to do his job as chief academic officer.

Officials in the UNT Faculty Senate off­ice released the results of the weeklong election Tuesday.

Johnson, in a prepared statement, said the dialogue that preceded the vote showed him the need for more discussion about the university’s academic goals and how to achieve them.

“I pledge to give faculty a greater voice in crafting the future of the university — a process I have already started in the development of the Aca­demic Plan,” he said in the statement. “I make a renewed commitment to engage diverse voices in the process of creating that future.”

Dr. John Booth, a regents professor of political science and one of three faculty senators who called for the vote, said the vote makes it clear that UNT faculty is unhappy.

“I’m not particularly happy for the university,” Booth said. “I think it’s a sad day that it’s had to come to this. But it’s symptomatic of a serious problem that the administration has to address.”

Dr. Jim Conover, professor of finance at UNT, said proponents of the election ran “a very negative campaign.”

“I don’t know what the purpose of it was,” he said. “It [the vote] said, ‘the faculty don’t like the provost.’ I guess it did serve that purpose, but what happens beyond that, who knows.”

Dr. Frances van Tassell, associate professor of teacher education and administration and chairwoman of the UNT Faculty Senate, said the faculty members who did vote “have clearly expressed their perspective regarding confidence in the provost’s leadership.”

But, she said, it is important to note that when the total number of faculty members who were eligible to vote is taken into account, only 45 percent voted “no confidence” in Johnson.

Johnson has been provost since 2003, and has been under fire for several reasons, including that he denied tenure to 13 faculty members in 2004.

Johnson has said he quickly realized there were some misunderstandings about tenure and he began working with the next group of tenure applicants to make sure their applications were adequate.

Dr. John Murphy, an associate professor of jazz studies and a member of the Faculty Senate who opposed calling the vote, said he is not surprised by the result.

The faculty evaluation in the spring, in which the faculty gave Johnson a 1.05 overall rating on a scale of zero to 4, yielded a similar result, he said.

But the issues that Johnson has to address are complex, and they involve many people at many levels, Murphy said.

“So, if there are problems, they are more likely to be systemic problems than problems that can be attributed to one person,” Murphy said. “It’s these systemic problems that we need to address.”

But now that the vote has been taken, the Faculty Senate, the faculty at large and the provost all need to work together to identify and solve the problems at UNT, he said.

Van Tassell said Johnson has already expressed publicly his desire to communicate more effectively with the entire UNT community, and she urged all the levels of the university to do a better job communicating with each other.

“We must come to a place where we find congruence in moving our university forward,” van Tassell said. “Whatever that takes, we must be committed to [it].”

Booth said that because the vote has no real power, the administration must make the next move.

“At the absolute minimum, for the situation to improve, Provost Johnson needs to not send the faculty another note and explain why he’s a good provost, but he needs to interact with faculty ... using the system we already have that provides for faculty participation in decision making,” Booth said.
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#3499 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Dec 07, 2005 5:27 pm

Fort Worth bank robbery suspect apprehended

FORT WORTH, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - Fort Worth police took a man into custody Wednesday morning after he allegedly robbed a bank on the city's north side.

Police spokesman Lt. Dean Sullivan said officers responded to a silent hold-up alarm at the National Bank of Texas on Northeast 28th Street around 9:15 a.m.

Witnesses told police the suspect handed the teller a robbery note which included a bomb threat, but did not mention or display a weapon. The teller complied with the demand, and the suspect left the bank on foot.

No one was injured during the robbery, Sullivan said.

Officers began a search of the area after a witness saw the suspect running toward the Classic Inn across the street from the bank. As officers drove into the motel's parking lot, they saw Michael Adair Mankin emerge from a motel room, and they quickly arrested him.

Authorities believe Mankin, 49, is responsible for several bank robberies in Fort Worth over the past month. The Fort Worth Police Robbery Unit and the FBI are investigating.

Mankin was transported to police headquarters, and was scheduled to be booked Wednesday afternoon into the city's jail in Mansfield, charged with robbery. Bond has not yet been set.
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#3500 Postby rainstorm » Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:51 pm

TexasStooge wrote:Family's blanket drive spreads the warmth

By YOLANDA WALKER / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Blankets weren't supposed to be distributed to the homeless for another two weeks, but as the temperatures dropped Cyndi Bunch called her friends and said they had to start now.

"After I heard the weather and what it was going to be like I just couldn't wait," said Bunch, an organizer for a group collecting donated blankets. "There are people out there tonight who are going to be cold."

Bunch and her friends stuffed a few hundred blankets into as many vehicles as they could to take to the Presbyterian Night Shelter in Fort Worth.

"We're glad to be able to do the right thing and be able to give a little support...and help the community out," said Mark Bear, volunteer.

But Bunch's story isn't just about blankets. Her and her son's story goes deeper and is an example of how to mend a bad situation.

Bunch's son, Phillip, began the mission to collect 5,000 blankets hoping one would make it to his father someday.

"The doggie one, because I think he likes dogs," the young boy said.

Once a successful engineer, Phillip's father suffered from schizophrenia and left home three years ago for a life on the streets.

So when Bunch and her friends passed out the collected blankets, those receiving weren't the only ones warmed by the donations.

The Bunch family and friends plan to continue taking blanket donations. Blankets will be collected at these locations: Century 21 at 150 Westpark Way Suite 120 in Euless, Judge Bean's Restaurant at 314 N. Main Street in Keller and Abracadarbra at 243 S. Main Street in Keller.


some very nice people
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