News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

2nd insider joins city manager race

Irving: Chief financial officer among six new applicants this week

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - An Irving City Hall insider wants to be city manager.

David Leininger, Irving's chief financial officer, is among six applicants announced by city officials this week. He joins at least one other Irving employee in the job hunt: Assistant City Manager Gilbert Perales applied late last year.

A manager could be named in late March or early April, Mayor Herbert Gears said. Three or four finalists could be chosen by mid-March, he said, and interviews could take place in late March.

At least 26 people have applied for the job, city documents show.

In addition to Mr. Leininger, city officials announced the following Texas applicants this week: Michael Wanchick, assistant city manager in Richardson; Richard Torres, assistant city manager in North Richland Hills; and Rickey Childers, Longview's city manager and former deputy city manager in Arlington.

Outside of Texas, the most recent applicants are Donald Cooper, city manager of Port St. Lucie, Fla.; and Thomas Palzer, an urban and regional planner in Chicago.

In Irving, the city manager functions as the city's chief executive, overseeing a general fund budget of about $145 million and a staff of about 2,000 employees. Marketing materials for the position say the city has established a starting salary range "from the high $100s" and a car allowance.

Former City Manager Steve McCullough retired in September after a 30-year City Hall career.

[TexasStooge]

New coordinator on the block

Irving: City hires woman to reach out to neighborhood groups

By DEBORAH FLECK / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - Leticia Hurtado is a people person. Instead of facing a computer in her office all day, Irving's new neighborhood coordinator plans to face as many people as she can.

"I want to be the eyes and ears for our neighborhood groups," Ms. Hurtado, 30, said about her plans to get to know the people in the city's diverse neighborhoods. "We love our citizens and want them to stay. They all matter."

Just a couple of months into the position, Ms. Hurtado has already trekked to many neighborhood association meetings. Irving has 54 associations, some more active than others, she said.

She just started a Neighbor of Choice Awards program to recognize neighborhood leaders and a Neighbor to Neighbor program with Irving Community Television Network to highlight neighborhoods.

"I've heard good feedback," said her boss, community affairs director Pat Nicks. "We were looking for someone with outreach skills, and she was the best out of many applicants."

A native of Riverside, Calif., Ms. Hurtado earned a degree in Mexican-American studies from San Diego State University in 2000. After graduation, she landed a job with a nonprofit agency in California. In 2001, she began working for the city of Fort Worth, where she held several positions, the most recent being a public education specialist.

"I worked with people, but not as much as I would have liked," she said.

So she searched the Internet and saw the Irving position.

"It's funny," she said, "because I always wanted to work for Irvine near my home in California, and now I'm working for a city named Irving."

She admits her new job is challenging. "The hard part is finding leadership and getting people involved," she said.

She wants to focus on developing code enforcement awareness and using the neighborhood associations to help reduce crime. She also plans to target several areas that have no neighborhood associations.

With Irving's large Hispanic population, Ms. Hurtado's background may help extend her reach.

"I hope being Hispanic helps," she said. "It is a different culture, and many don't understand how to get involved."

She was recently interviewed for Irving Community Television Network's Vida Hispana program to get the word out in Spanish about what she does.

"I think having Leticia on our team as a bilingual neighborhood coordinator is a big plus for this department," said Karen Harmon, one of the leaders with the Barton Estates neighborhood association.

Beca DeLoach, a member of the Hospital District South neighborhood association, agrees.

"I think Leticia will do a great job, and she certainly has the enthusiasm and experience to do it," Mrs. DeLoach said.

[SouthFloridawx]

about the knights and bingo and it cultivated a new generation of gamblers... They don't have to go farther than thier computer at home to gamble. Talk about living in the past it's frickin bingo.... ya know....

[TexasStooge]

School may face new boundaries

Irving: Move would ease Townsell enrollment; some parents concerned

By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas – For the second time since Townsell Elementary School opened in 2003, parents gathered Wednesday night to hear why school attendance boundaries might change.

At nearly 900 students, the school's enrollment is one of the largest in the Irving district. And because it is surrounded by apartment complexes, it also has the highest turnover of students – about 46 percent mobility in 2004.

About 25 parents attended the meeting, which was the first in a series addressing proposed boundary changes that could affect 10 elementary schools and nearly 1,000 students. The school board is expected to vote on the changes March 6.

Under the proposal, the district would move about 160 children from The Treehouse and Reserve apartments from Townsell to Lee Elementary.

The district initially intended to move those children to Johnston Elementary, but it wouldn't have received state support for bus transportation because the school is less than two miles from the apartments. So instead the district is proposing to send them to Lee.

To make room, the district will send about 150 Lee Elementary children who live at the Oak Tree, Knollwood and Crossings apartments to Johnston Elementary.

Several parents seemed confused by that logic. Filena Castillo was upset that her daughter, a third-grader at Lee, might face the third school change since kindergarten.

"It's too much – it affects children a lot psychologically, emotionally and academically to change their school," she said. "She asks me, 'Why do I have to change schools so much?' As a mother I want to see her advance more and more."

Townsell principal Linda Willett said only 20 single-family homes are zoned into the school's attendance boundary; the rest are apartments. District officials have acknowledged the difficulty in predicting enrollment from apartments.

One mother said that if attendance boundaries changed, some families might just change apartment complexes so they could stay.

Laura Campbell said the district wouldn't have as many problems if it zoned more homes into the attendance area.

"My front door is 50 yards from the front door [of Townsell], and my daughter goes to Lee," she said. "Would you ever think about rezoning to get some more homes in this school?"

Whit Johnstone, the district's director of planning, evaluation and research, said he's focused on cutting, not adding, enrollment. The ideal enrollment for a school is about 750 students, he said.

"We already made one change to boundaries in this school that brought enrollment down, and again it began to rise," he said. "If it rises in the future back to 900, we're going to have to make another change."

[TexasStooge]

Irving police to maintain towing policy

Chief says it sends 'appropriate message' to uninsured drivers

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas – Uninsured motorists driving through Irving should continue driving scared.

The Police Department will continue towing uninsured vehicles, city and police officials said this week. Since June, police have been towing uninsured cars that were in accidents or pulled over for traffic stops.

More than 1,100 vehicles were towed from June through January, and police say 89 percent of cars are being claimed after motorists prove they have insurance. It's a higher reclaim rate than other impounded cars, police say.

Police Chief Larry Boyd said he doesn't believe the policy has flooded Irving's car pound or created a significant effect on employee workload.

"I don't want to spend too much time towing cars and not doing the things we need to do," he said. "I think [the policy] is sending the appropriate message, yet it doesn't tie up our time."

Not all vehicles are being towed – police say there are too many of them. Irving was among the first North Texas cities to launch a towing policy.

Irving City Council member Rick Stopfer calls the policy effective.

"Driving cars is a responsibility, not a right," he said. "If you're going to accept the responsibility, you're going to have to play by the rules."

[TexasStooge]

Crime in Irving down nearly 4%

2 homicides listed, and thefts down; burglaries, rapes, assaults up in '05

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas – Crime in Irving dropped nearly 4 percent last year, fueled by decreases in thefts and vehicle thefts and the lowest homicide total in nearly 30 years.

But some crimes were on the rise: There were increases in reported rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults and burglaries.

Police and city officials said they are glad that overall crime is down, but they realize there's more work to do.

"In order for us to prevent crime, we have to work with the community, and they've done an outstanding job," Police Chief Larry Boyd told City Council members this week.

City officials seem especially pleased with the homicide statistics. Two homicides were reported last year, down from 10 in 2004. Last year's numbers were the lowest in Irving since 1976, something Chief Boyd called "phenomenal." Neither of last year's killings was stranger related, he said.

Almost an 8 percent drop in reported thefts – a large factor in the overall crime figures – helped drive down crime totals. Vehicle thefts plunged 9 percent. Police have focused on reducing thefts by working with retail centers to remind motorists not to leave valuables in view, Chief Boyd said.

Sixty-five rapes were reported last year, a 25 percent jump. Most of the rapes involved acquaintances, Chief Boyd said. He said suspects have been arrested in the sexual assaults involving strangers.

Robberies increased by about 8 percent, partly because of a rash of purse snatchings. But since some arrests, purse snatchings have decreased, Chief Boyd said.

Burglaries jumped almost 13 percent.

Chief Boyd recommended that residents close garage doors to curb theft of tools and sports and lawn equipment.

City Council member Rick Stopfer said residents have told him that they're seeing more police cars patrolling streets.

"They're reaching out into the community and trying hard to make things happen as far as neighborhood watches and getting the community involved," he said.

[TexasStooge]

Three killed in Dallas wreck

By BRANDON FORMBY / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police are investigating an overnight accident that killed three people. A vehicle was traveling north in the 3400 block of Buckner Boulevard at about 2 a.m. Sunday. The driver lost control and struck a pole, police said. The driver was taken to a Mesquite hospital and died. The two backseat passengers were ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene.

The passenger in the front seat was taken to Baylor Medical Center Dallas and was listed in good condition Sunday, police said. The names of those involved were not released Sunday. Officials are still investigating and have not determined if the wreck was weather-related.

Live Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse

[TexasStooge]

City owed $40 million in unpaid tickets

By Chris Heinbaugh / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - City record showed since 1988 almost a million tickets have gone unpaid in the City of Dallas, and the city has failed to collect the $40 million it is owed.

The biggest ticket offenders were cited as car rental firms.

Hertz customers have left 3,269 tickets unpaid, which total $112,000. Budget and Enterprise also have thousands of unpaid tickets that total tens of thousands of dollars.

The mayor said she can't fathom why the city isn't more aggressive with collecting the fines.

"When you think about the fact that there's that much money out there that's low hanging fruit, the people owe the money [and] you simply have to go get the money, that we wouldn't be spending a lot of time going after these folks," said Mayor Laura Miller.

Federal Express is also among those listed to owe the city with a total of $84,425 in fines. One Federal Express truck alone had an outstanding bill of $12,000. The company promises to pay up.

Records show recruiters from the United States Navy have $700 worth of unpaid tickets, which equals $28,000.

The station's commander said the recruiter is held responsible, but the city has supplied incomplete license plate numbers so no one knows who was driving the car.

"If we get all the information we can then identify the recruiter that would have had the infraction," said Cmdr. Kevin Hannes.

For years the collection process has been mired in trouble, which include an out of town contractor, inferior technology and budget and staff cuts.

However, Zena Fernino, who heads the city's parking management and enforcement office, said the city is looking to change that.

"There is a lot of money [and] a large unpaid debt out there," Fernino said. "We're vigorously working on trying to recoup this debt."

To turn things around, two enforcement positions have been restored and boots will be put on cars of offenders with at least four unpaid tickets in a year.

The city can find that money from many sources across the area. All four of the city's main television stations, including News 8, have unpaid parking tickets.

Some drivers should also be easy to find.

Council member Leo Chaney had two unpaid tickets for $90 dollars, which he just paid. Council member Don Hill has six tickets for $210 bucks and David Kunkle has one unpaid ticket from 1998 before he became police chief for $15.

Both Hill and Kunkle said if the tickets prove to be theirs they will pay.

"I don't understand why somebody didn't catch this," said Council Member Linda Koop. "That is something we have to dig down deep to find out because that is something that should have been caught before."

But the city might clean its own house first. Four hundred of unpaid tickets were written to city vehicles, and the city has to collect $17,000 from itself.

[TexasStooge]

Doctor on Schlosser: 'Layer upon layer' of craziness

McKINNEY, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — A woman accused of killing her 10-month-old daughter felt that God was commanding her to cut off the baby's arms as well as her own arms, legs and head, a state psychiatrist testified Monday.

Dena Schlosser saw a TV news story about a boy being mauled by a lion and thought it was a sign of the apocalypse, triggering events that led to the death of Margaret, Dr. David Self told the jury on the sixth day of Schlosser's capital murder trial.

"She felt she was basically commanded, in essence, to cut Maggie's arms off and her own arms off, and her legs and her head, and in some way to give them to God," said Self, who evaluated Schlosser in the months after her arrest.

Police responding to a 911 call in November 2004 found Schlosser in her living room, covered in blood, still holding a knife and listening to a church hymn. She had cut her own shoulder as well as the baby.

Schlosser, 37, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and her attorneys are trying to prove she didn't know right from wrong when Margaret, also known as Maggie, was killed. Prosecutors, who are not seeking the death penalty, argue Schlosser knew what she was doing and should be sent to prison for life. If found not guilty, Schlosser would be hospitalized.

The Sunday before Maggie's death, Schlosser talked about her daughter's "little arms" and told her husband that he must be planning something big because he was shopping for a clock radio, Self testified. He also said Schlosser felt compelled to dress Maggie "as finely as possible" because she planned to give her to God or Doyle Davidson, the pastor of Water of Life Church in Plano, which the Schlossers attended several times a week.

"It is layer upon layer of this craziness, this psychosis," Self said.

Self said he spent about 10 hours evaluating Schlosser in the weeks before a hearing where she was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. In May, after doctors treated her, she was found competent by a judge.

In the months following Maggie's birth, a psychiatrist diagnosed Schlosser with post-partum psychosis. After her baby's death, she was diagnosed with manic depression. She had stopped taking anti-psychotic medication about four months before Maggie was killed.

[TexasStooge]

School districts opening on-site child care

Hoping to boost employee retention

By KIM BREEN / The Dallas Morning News

FRISCO, Texas – When a teacher here finds out she's pregnant, Sally Turner and her colleagues are often among the first to get the news.

"Sometimes we know before the spouse does," joked Ms. Turner, who oversees the district's child-care center.

Frisco ISD's Child Development Center has had a waiting list since it opened in 2002. It cares for infants too young for teeth and kids just shy of kindergarten, all with parents who entrust their careers and their children to the school district. Enrollment grew by a third this year, to 80 children, as the program expanded into a new building.

The Dallas area is a hotbed of school districts running or contemplating opening child-care centers for employees' children.

McKinney, Burleson, Little Elm, Lake Dallas and Eagle Mountain-Saginaw are among the school districts that offer child care. Plano, Carroll and Denton have researched starting centers. The Richardson school district operates one site and is considering expanding to two.

It's no coincidence the benefit is catching.

"Those same districts are also competing with one another" for teachers, said Janice Esau, program director of Child Care Solutions for the Texas Association of School Boards. "They're all looking for that competitive edge."

Plano and other school districts are also looking for ways to retain quality employees who leave the workforce – sometimes permanently – when they have babies.

Arlene Carnes, a district employee who has been researching the idea, pitched it to Plano board members earlier this month.

Pending board approval, Plano could open a child-care center for 120 children as early as next school year. The center might also include an area for mildly ill children. Advocates hope that might cut down on teacher absences.

Melissa and Todd Fouche, both Frisco school district employees, have sent their daughters to the Frisco center since they were 6 weeks old. Just knowing that she and her daughters' caretakers all work for the same employer makes a difference, she said.

"Whether it's founded or not, there's a sense of security there," Ms. Fouche said. "I just know things are going to be done the way they ought to be done."

Frisco is growing wildly, but the child-care center exudes a small-town feel, she said. The parents all know each other.

The program, coupled with other employee benefits, also shows that the district cares, she said. "They don't have to do that for us."

The center offers another important benefit: It's cheaper than private alternatives, she said.

Districts typically charge about 10 percent below market rate for child care, said Ms. Esau of TASB, who contracts with districts looking to research and open centers.

Ms. Esau said districts strive to set tuition to cover most operating expenses. But they typically subsidize utility and building costs. Start-up costs for districts, including toys, books and supplies, average $400 to $450 per child.

Using tax dollars to help start child-care centers has upset some private providers. But Ms. Esau says district child care is not intended to compete with the private sector. The goal is to attract and retain good employees.

Most school districts can't afford to accommodate all employees' child-care needs. Plenty of teachers' kids will still go to private child-care centers, Ms. Esau said.

Nelson Hewitt, who owns SandCastle Private School in Frisco, opposed the district's plan to open its center. He said the center hasn't devastated his business but has taken revenue from private operators.

Mr. Hewitt is active in a new coalition of private child-care providers concerned about districts encroaching on day care, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs traditionally left to the private sector.

"We can't compete," he said.

He worries that Frisco's child-care program will expand to the general public.

District spokeswoman Shana McKay Wortham says the center will be for employees only, even if it needs to grow.

For Melissa Taylor, whose two children attend the district's center, there is no better choice for care. The Frisco curriculum is strong, class sizes are small, and turnover among caretakers is low. She says her 5-year-old son, Gavin, always wants to go to "school" in the morning.

"He still never wants to leave when I pick him up," she said.

[rainstorm]

child care sounds like a good idea

[TexasStooge]

Garland sting busts clerks selling to minors

By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8

GARLAND, Texas - Garland police sent two 17-year-old teens on a shopping spree for alcohol Saturday as part of an undercover sting operation.

Some Garland residents said now that Garland voters approved alcohol sales last May that some locations have been selling to underage drinkers.

Some clerks never asked the teens for identification during the sting, and seven out of 21 store clerks were cited for selling to minors.

Prabin Shrestha, one of the store clerks tested, avoided a Class A misdemeanor and a $2,500 fine by following alcohol selling policy.

"He just pretended as if I never asked him, so I asked for the ID again and he showed me," Shrestha said. "And I said, you cannot even by a beer, you are not even 20 and he just walked away."

Police paid the clerk a visit to tell him he did a good job, and many Garland residents echoed the sentiment.

"All these kids, they drink, they get in the car and they go out and have these wrecks and hey, who is liable?" asked resident Tamra Washington.

[TexasStooge]

Suspect nabbed after officer dragged by car

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

GARLAND, Texas — Just hours after a Garland police officer was dragged down the street and injured by a fleeing driver, Dallas police arrested a suspect in the case.

Police said the incident began when Garland Officer Reccus Jones stopped a motorist in the 1800 block of Lombard Street in Garland just after 8 p.m. Monday. The driver was unable to produce a driver's license and started driving away after he was asked to step outside the car.

Investigators said Officer Jones tried to hold on to the suspect and was dragged 200 feet down the street before falling to the pavement. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center for treatment of a severe concussion along with multiple cuts, scrapes and bruises.

Just after midnight, Dallas police spotted the suspect's vehicle, a 1985 Oldsmobile, at the Aloha Motel in the 2800 block of East Illinois Ave. Police arrested Herman Nixon, 25.

Nixon was charged with aggravated assault of a police officer.

Garland police said they were also looking for a second suspect who was in the car with Nixon at the time of the incident.

[TexasStooge]

North Richland Hills officer hurt in crash

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A North Richland Hills police officer was injured when his patrol car was rear-ended early Tuesday.

The officer, whose name was not available, was on a routine traffic stop at Loop 820 and Rufe Snow Drive when the crash occurred about 2:45 a.m.

The officer was taken to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital for treatment, but was expected to be released later on Tuesday.

The driver of the other car, identified as Christopher Grant, 22, will face chages of failure to yield to an emergency vehicle.

[TexasStooge]

Man arrested 50 times accused of DWI

By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8

MCKINNEY, Texas - A man who police have called a danger behind the wheel is in trouble with the law again after he was accused of a drunk driving accident that injured a McKinney police officer.

Joe Don Stovall, 58, is no stranger to police and was arrested more than a dozen times for drinking while intoxicated before his run-in with a rookie police officer.

Melissa Marshall, a McKinney officer, was wrapping up a weather-related accident investigation on U.S. 75 and was sitting in her car when suddenly another car rammed into her patrol vehicle.

Marshall suffered a cut above her eye that required stitches. Police arrested Stovall and charged him with intoxication assault and driving with an invalid license.

When police checked his criminal record, they were stunned.

Since 1968, police arrested Stovall 50 times. That total includes 13 arrests for driving while intoxicated. Thirty-one of the arrests ended with convictions, including nine DWIs.

"The punishment that had been passed out throughout his life for violations of the law didn't mean anything to him and he continues to drink and drive to this day," said McKinney police Capt. Randy Roland.

Doyce Grant, a board member for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said he finds it hard to believe Stovall is still on the streets.

"He needs to be put where he can't be behind the wheel and where he can't drink alcohol," Grant said. "Some people don't learn."

Grant's own loss of his 27-year-old daughter to a drunk driver angers him even more that Grant has not been jailed sooner. "I guess you have to kill somebody before the state will wake up and say let's put a stop to this," he said.

MADD wants Texas lawmakers to toughen sentences for repeat DWI offenders. The group said a case like Stovall's shows there is definitely something wrong with the system that allowed it to happen.

Police agreed Stovall should be off the road.

"We can't allow people like this behind the wheel, because in this case it was minor injuries that our officer is going to recover from, but next time it may be a fatality accident that he will probably walk away from but the victims won't," Capt. Roland said.

[TexasStooge]

Texans open to tax hike for schools

Exclusive: News poll reveals 52 percent willing to pay more in state taxes for education

By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas – The majority of Texans, despite being tax leery and skeptical of government spending, are willing to open their wallets to provide more money for public education, according to a new statewide survey.

A poll conducted for The Dallas Morning News shows that 52 percent of Texans say they would pay more in state taxes if the money went to schools, while 39 percent oppose an increase.

The majority disagree with Gov. Rick Perry and House Speaker Tom Craddick, who have insisted that any plan that lowers sky-high property taxes should only raise other taxes enough to replace the lost revenue – a tax shift where schools would get little, if any, new funding.

The finding comes as lawmakers head into a primary campaign dominated by school finance and just weeks before the governor is expected to call a special legislative session to address a Texas Supreme Court ruling on property taxes.

"This is phenomenal," said Scott McCown, a former state district judge who oversaw school finance lawsuits and now heads the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank.

"For three years now, there's been a sustained attack on the integrity, competence and ability of public educators and against any kind of public investment in schools, and you see all the state's key leadership leading the attack," Mr. McCown said.

For Texans to reject that drumbeat and say that schools need more money overall, "that's remarkable," he said.

On other issues of statewide interest, Texans were evenly split on whether intelligent design – the theory that life is so complex it must have originated from an intelligent force – should be taught as a science in public schools along with evolution. And they are similarly divided over whether a security fence should be erected along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The telephone survey of 1,482 registered voters was conducted Feb. 9-15 by Blum and Weprin Associates Inc. of New York. The error margin is plus or minus 3 percentage points, meaning the results could vary by that much in either direction.

The exception?

On taxes, pollster Mickey Blum said that Mr. Perry – or any other politician – won't suffer voters' wrath for being against tax hikes. But on the other hand, the other candidates in the race have assumed the risk of advocating more funding for classrooms.

"It's interesting that Texas, which has always said no more taxes, no more taxes, no more taxes, is willing to say OK to this," Ms. Blum said. "But you find this all over the country, that the one issue that will open up the pocketbooks – and we all hate taxes – it is education."

Kathy Walt, press secretary to the Republican governor, noted that Mr. Perry has appointed a commission to recommend changes in the state tax system. Mr. Perry believes the commission, led by former Comptroller John Sharp, will produce a broad-based business tax to replace the outmoded franchise tax, which few businesses pay. It could recommend a small increase in the sales tax.

The new tax structure "would provide more money in the outlying years," and those dollars could be funneled into education, Ms. Walt said.

During three legislative sessions last year, lawmakers considered proposals that would have boosted consumer and business taxes to offset cuts in property taxes. But business groups opposed new taxes and educators opposed new mandates, and the overhaul failed.

Then last fall, the state Supreme Court ruled that state laws have created a statewide property tax, which the Texas Constitution prohibits. The justices gave lawmakers until June 1 to fix the problem.

'A big black hole'

Michael Quinn Sullivan of the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation said that in a sense, both sides on taxes for schools are right: "New money isn't the answer. And more money has got to be getting into our classrooms."

He described current education spending as "a big black hole" and said more accountability, trimmed administrative costs and added efficiencies would direct more money into classrooms.

"I hope raising taxes is a nonstarter," Mr. Sullivan said.

Intelligent design

On intelligent design theory, 44 percent of Texans said it should be taught as a science along with evolution, while 42 percent oppose it.

Dan Quinn, a spokesman for the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates the separation of church and state, said he was surprised so many Texans favor teaching a religious hypothesis.

"Intelligent design is nothing more than creationism dressed up in a lab coat. There is no science in it," Mr. Quinn said. "There's nothing wrong with believing it, but you should not be teaching it in the classroom."

Ms. Blum said Texans saw some fairness in presenting evolution and intelligent design together.

"America is a religious nation. People would like to believe both; they want religion to be compatible with science," she said.

Sandy Brown, a semiretired middle school teacher in Midlothian who was surveyed, falls into that category.

"Being a Christian and a believer in the Bible, I believe it's a fact," Ms. Brown said. "I don't know that you could call it a science. But it's definitely a belief that needs to be presented along with evolution."

On building a security fence along the border, 47 percent of Texans disagreed with such a proposal, while 42 percent thought it would be a good idea.

Mr. Perry has opposed the idea, Ms. Walt said, because it would take years to construct. Plus, immigrants and smugglers have shown they are willing to tunnel under obstructions.

"The problems Texas has are now, and a fence doesn't address the immediate needs," Ms. Walt said.

On immigration issues, Texans tracked what national polls have showed, with Republicans more strongly opposed to illegal immigration than Democrats, Ms. Blum said.

But on the issue of the fence, she said, "they are on the fence."

[TexasStooge]

Caught on tape: Officer dragged by car

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

GARLAND, Texas — Garland police released a dramatic videotape Tuesday showing what happened when one of its officers was dragged some 200 feet by a fleeing suspect's car.

Police said the incident began when Garland Officer Reccus Jones stopped a motorist in the 1800 block of Lombard Street in Garland just after 8 p.m. Monday. The driver was unable to produce a driver's license and started driving away after he was asked to step outside the car.

The fuzzy recording shows Officer Jones trying to hold on to the suspect and then being dragged down the street before falling to the pavement. He was taken to Baylor University Medical Center for treatment of a severe concussion along with multiple cuts, scrapes and bruises.

Just after midnight, Dallas police spotted the suspect's vehicle, a 1985 Oldsmobile, at the Aloha Motel in the 2800 block of East Illinois Ave. Police arrested Herman Nixon, 25.

Nixon was charged with aggravated assault of a police officer—a first degree felony.

Garland police said they were also looking for a second suspect who was in the car with Nixon at the time of the incident, and have several leads.

[TexasStooge]

'Disturbing' capital murder trial opens in Fort Worth

By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH, Texas — After being questioned by police about the disappearance of a pregnant mother and her son, Stephen Barbee muttered, "Oh God, what have I done?" a prosecutor said during opening statements Tuesday at Barbee's capital murder trial.

Testimony in the trial of Barbee, accused of suffocating 34-year-old Lisa Underwood and her 7-year-old son Jayden a year ago Sunday, started Tuesday morning. If convicted, Barbee could be sentenced to death.

"You're going to see, you're going to hear some disturbing things," said prosecutor Kevin Rousseau. "This is a bad case."

He told jurors that during the trial, he will introduce evidence that Barbee, 38, confessed to police and his wife and led detectives to the bodies of the mother and son who were buried in a shallow grave in southern Denton County.

Rousseau said he will also introduce footage from a Denton County Sheriff's Department camera showing Barbee a quarter of a mile away from where Ms. Underwood's sport utility vehicle was abandoned. At the time Barbee was wet from the waist down and covered in mud, the prosecutor said.

The defense will present its opening statements after the prosecution rests its case.

Also Tuesday morning, the first police officer to answer a call to Underwood's home after friends reported that she didn't show up for her baby shower testified that she found a large blood stain in the living room and then declared the home a crime scene.

Holly Pils, a friend who co-owned Boopa's Bagel Deli with Underwood, testified that her partner believed that Barbee was the father of her unborn daughter. Underwood was 7 1/2 months pregnant at the time of her death. Ms. Pils also told jurors that Underwood had asked Barbee to put her new daughter on his insurance when she was born.

[TexasStooge]

Closing arguments set at Schlosser trial

By JENNIFER EMILY / The Dallas Morning News

McKINNEY, Texas — The defense rested Tuesay at the trial of a Plano woman accused of killing her baby by cutting off the child's arms.

Dena Schlosser never took the stand in her capital murder trial over the 2004 death of her ten-month-old daughter, Maggie.

Schlosser has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Closing arguments were set to begin Wednesday morning.

In defense testimony earlier on Tuesday, a forensic psychiatrist told the jury that Schlosser's husband and church prevented her from getting the proper psychiatric care.

"It very much appears Ms. Schlosser was kept from adequate treatment ... when she needed it and when she wanted it," William H. Reid said. "It's very sad."

Dr. Reid told the jury of five women and seven men that Schlosser was very dependent on her husband, John Schlosser, to tell her what to do. In jail, she has often been at a loss when she needed to make a decision.

She often says, "'I don't know what to do' - implying 'tell me what to do,' " Dr. Reid said.

The defense must prove to the jury that Schlosser suffered from a mental disease or defect that caused her to be insane at the time of the child's death.

Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty; a guilty verdict would send Schlosser to prison for life.

If the jury believes Schlosser was insane, she would go to North Texas State Hospital in Vernon for treatment. She would remain there until doctors and State District Judge Chris Oldner agree she should be released.

Schlosser was diagnosed with postpartum depression and psychosis soon after Maggie's birth, and cycled on and off medication for the next several months.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Mailers seek info from seniors

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed suit against three North Texas companies for bombarding senior citizens with unsolicited mailers.

The AG's office said seniors were duped into giving out their personal information, which was subsequently sold to telemarketers.

Judy McClain was suspicious from the start when she got the pamphlet in her mail. "It was unusual that they wanted my signature, and where is it going? That wasn't clear," she said.

McClain sent the mailer to the Texas Attorney General's office. They, too, immediately knew something was wrong.

"This is nothing more than a scam—a fraud," Abbott said.

Three North Texas companies—American Senior Alliance, Lead Concepts and America's Recommended Mailers—have been targeting seniors with similar mailings. "It makes it look like some kind of official document, using alarmist kind of language, to try to evoke a response from seniors," Abbott said.

The mailings allegedly misled older Texans into believing their Social Security and Medicaid benefits are in jeopardy.

"They want you to start worrying that you are going to lose something, so you better respond right away," Abbott said.

Officials said thousands of people replied to the mailers, not realizing that the personal information they supplied was then sold to insurance, financial and other companies.

"The information they have turns out to be nothing more than a sales pitch from telemarketers, who—in turn—sell this information," Abbott said.

The attorney general said the companies all claim they want to help educate seniors and are out to help them, but he says it is only a trick to take advantage of them.

The companies and their owners face fines of up to $250,000 for each violation.

Abbott is also trying to get an injunction against the companies to prevent them from operating.