Fire Damages 24 Apartments
ARLINGTON, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) - The Arlington Fire Department spent part of Tuesday morning fighting a rapidly moving fire at an apartment complex. The fire went to two alarms before it was brought under control, and 24 units of the complex were damaged.
The fire occurred at the Aspen Hills Apartments in the 2300 hundred block of Fair Oaks Drive. An unspecified number of resident were displaced from their homes, according to the American Red Cross.
One injury was reported as a result of the fire. A contractor working at the complex suffered burns to his hands. He was hospitalized at Arlington Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.
Fire investigators have not released the cause of the fire.
News from the Lone Star State
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Texas man refuses to yield mother's pacemaker
HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas man charged with removing a pacemaker from his mother's body with a kitchen knife has refused to give authorities the device in exchange for his freedom prosecutors have said.
James Allan Donalson, 59, said he sliced out the pacemaker after his 85-year-old mother, Ann Donalson, died of natural causes on Sunday so he would have evidence in a 10-year dispute involving doctors and the medical device company that provided it, the sheriff's department said.
Donalson was released on a $5,000 (2,660 pounds) bond on Tuesday. Prosecutors offered to drop a felony charge of evidence tampering if he gave the pacemaker to coroners, but he declined.
"Right now that's the position," Harris County prosecutor Leslie LeGrand III said. "If we get the pacemaker back, the case will be dismissed."
Medical examiners want to scan the device as part of their investigation into the woman's death.
Donalson could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of evidence tampering.
HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas man charged with removing a pacemaker from his mother's body with a kitchen knife has refused to give authorities the device in exchange for his freedom prosecutors have said.
James Allan Donalson, 59, said he sliced out the pacemaker after his 85-year-old mother, Ann Donalson, died of natural causes on Sunday so he would have evidence in a 10-year dispute involving doctors and the medical device company that provided it, the sheriff's department said.
Donalson was released on a $5,000 (2,660 pounds) bond on Tuesday. Prosecutors offered to drop a felony charge of evidence tampering if he gave the pacemaker to coroners, but he declined.
"Right now that's the position," Harris County prosecutor Leslie LeGrand III said. "If we get the pacemaker back, the case will be dismissed."
Medical examiners want to scan the device as part of their investigation into the woman's death.
Donalson could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of evidence tampering.
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Woman Accused of Giving Lethal Sherry Enema
HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas woman has been indicted for criminally negligent homicide for causing her husband's death by giving him a sherry enema, a police detective said on Wednesday.
Tammy Jean Warner, 42, gave Michael Warner two large bottles of sherry on May 21, which raised his blood alcohol level to 0.47 percent, or nearly six times the level considered legally drunk in Texas, police detective Robert Turner in Lake Jackson, Texas, told the Houston Chronicle.
"We're not talking about little bottles here," Turner said. "These were at least 1.5-liter bottles."
Warner, 58, was said to have an alcohol problem and received the wine enema because a throat ailment left him unable to drink the sherry, Turner told the newspaper.
"I heard of this kind of thing in mortuary school in 1970, but this is the first time I've ever heard of someone actually doing it," said Turner, who led the lengthy investigation in the case.
The woman admitted administering the enema, but denied causing her husband's death, the Chronicle said.
A dispatcher for the Lake Jackson police said only Turner could discuss the case, but he did not return phone calls from Reuters.
Along with negligent homicide, Mrs. Warner was indicted for burning her husband's will a month before his death. Both charges carry maximum penalties of two years in prison.
Mrs. Warner surrendered to police on Monday and was released on $30,000 bail, the newspaper said.
HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) - A Texas woman has been indicted for criminally negligent homicide for causing her husband's death by giving him a sherry enema, a police detective said on Wednesday.
Tammy Jean Warner, 42, gave Michael Warner two large bottles of sherry on May 21, which raised his blood alcohol level to 0.47 percent, or nearly six times the level considered legally drunk in Texas, police detective Robert Turner in Lake Jackson, Texas, told the Houston Chronicle.
"We're not talking about little bottles here," Turner said. "These were at least 1.5-liter bottles."
Warner, 58, was said to have an alcohol problem and received the wine enema because a throat ailment left him unable to drink the sherry, Turner told the newspaper.
"I heard of this kind of thing in mortuary school in 1970, but this is the first time I've ever heard of someone actually doing it," said Turner, who led the lengthy investigation in the case.
The woman admitted administering the enema, but denied causing her husband's death, the Chronicle said.
A dispatcher for the Lake Jackson police said only Turner could discuss the case, but he did not return phone calls from Reuters.
Along with negligent homicide, Mrs. Warner was indicted for burning her husband's will a month before his death. Both charges carry maximum penalties of two years in prison.
Mrs. Warner surrendered to police on Monday and was released on $30,000 bail, the newspaper said.
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Irving survey draws heated response
Over 100 respondents critical of city's fast-growing immigrant community
By REBECCA RODRIGUEZ / WFAA-TV
IRVING, Texas - A recent survey sent out by the city of Irving generated dozens of hostile remarks about Hispanics moving into the area.
Critics said unless city leaders tackle the problem now, the divide will only grow.
The influence of thousands from south of the border who now call Irving home has meant a difficult transition for some.
"Irving is experiencing what I call 'culture shock,'" said resident Anthony Bond.
The depth of that culture shock is reflected in the city's 2004 Resident Survey. 14,000 were sent out, and 2,000 came back.
When asked about diversity and quality of life in Irving, more than 100 residents lashed out.
"Quit pandering to illegal immigrants," said one respondent.
Another said more control on foreigners is needed.
"The City of Irving has done a very poor job in reaching out to the Hispanic population, and having them feel like they're included, they're welcome here and they're a part of our community," Bond said.
The demographics in Irving have changed dramatically and over a relatively short amount of time. Between 1990 and 2000, the city's Hispanic population doubled - and continues to grow.
Said City Council candidate Roland Medina, "As long as the jobs are here, and Irving is a great place to live and work and they're willing to do these jobs, what are you going to do?"
Medina is hoping to win a seat on the council, which currently doesn't have a single minority member. He said it's all about educating new immigrants.
"People need to understand and accept that these people are here," Medina said. "They're not all illegal."
The mayor and council are reviewing the results of the survey; what to do with those results, however, is another matter.
"That, I do not know," said Irving mayor Joe Putnam. "I think it's something to be aware of in terms of how you deal with those sensitivities. I don't know that I have the answer."
Over 100 respondents critical of city's fast-growing immigrant community
By REBECCA RODRIGUEZ / WFAA-TV
IRVING, Texas - A recent survey sent out by the city of Irving generated dozens of hostile remarks about Hispanics moving into the area.
Critics said unless city leaders tackle the problem now, the divide will only grow.
The influence of thousands from south of the border who now call Irving home has meant a difficult transition for some.
"Irving is experiencing what I call 'culture shock,'" said resident Anthony Bond.
The depth of that culture shock is reflected in the city's 2004 Resident Survey. 14,000 were sent out, and 2,000 came back.
When asked about diversity and quality of life in Irving, more than 100 residents lashed out.
"Quit pandering to illegal immigrants," said one respondent.
Another said more control on foreigners is needed.
"The City of Irving has done a very poor job in reaching out to the Hispanic population, and having them feel like they're included, they're welcome here and they're a part of our community," Bond said.
The demographics in Irving have changed dramatically and over a relatively short amount of time. Between 1990 and 2000, the city's Hispanic population doubled - and continues to grow.
Said City Council candidate Roland Medina, "As long as the jobs are here, and Irving is a great place to live and work and they're willing to do these jobs, what are you going to do?"
Medina is hoping to win a seat on the council, which currently doesn't have a single minority member. He said it's all about educating new immigrants.
"People need to understand and accept that these people are here," Medina said. "They're not all illegal."
The mayor and council are reviewing the results of the survey; what to do with those results, however, is another matter.
"That, I do not know," said Irving mayor Joe Putnam. "I think it's something to be aware of in terms of how you deal with those sensitivities. I don't know that I have the answer."
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Back yards sink into Irving lake
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
IRVING, Texas - Demetric Castro stepped into the back yard of his Irving home on Wednesday morning, and his heart sank at what had sunk.
Castro's back yard, along with four other homes nearby, had collapsed seven to eight feet, leaving the houses just a few feet from the new edge. A satellite dish dropped, fences fell and shrubs sagged.
"I don't know how it happened," he said. "I have no idea how it happened or why it happened, and don't know if it's done."
These homes were built in the 1980s along the shore of Vilbig Lake, a private lake in far south Irving off MacArthur Boulevard.
Eric Kelcher moved in his home in 1996, and said living on the lake has been great. But in 2003 he noticed the ground sinking slightly in his backyard, and discovered that a four-foot-wide storm drain flowing into the lake separated, soaking the ground around it.
Kelcher thinks that drain may be the cause of the latest problem, "based on the amount of dirt that's missing directly around it, and the way the water would travel underground."
Kelcher said City of Irving crews came out six times over the past two years to make repairs.
"I think it just eroded it over time," he said.
City officials said they will examine the drain very closely now.
"Part of our investigation and evaluation will be to look at that - or any situation that we've had - where we've made any type of repairs in any type of public easements," said assistant city manager Cliff Miller.
Homeowners said they understand settling of the soil or heavy rains over time could cause the collapse.
WFAA-TV contributed to this report.
By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8
IRVING, Texas - Demetric Castro stepped into the back yard of his Irving home on Wednesday morning, and his heart sank at what had sunk.
Castro's back yard, along with four other homes nearby, had collapsed seven to eight feet, leaving the houses just a few feet from the new edge. A satellite dish dropped, fences fell and shrubs sagged.
"I don't know how it happened," he said. "I have no idea how it happened or why it happened, and don't know if it's done."
These homes were built in the 1980s along the shore of Vilbig Lake, a private lake in far south Irving off MacArthur Boulevard.
Eric Kelcher moved in his home in 1996, and said living on the lake has been great. But in 2003 he noticed the ground sinking slightly in his backyard, and discovered that a four-foot-wide storm drain flowing into the lake separated, soaking the ground around it.
Kelcher thinks that drain may be the cause of the latest problem, "based on the amount of dirt that's missing directly around it, and the way the water would travel underground."
Kelcher said City of Irving crews came out six times over the past two years to make repairs.
"I think it just eroded it over time," he said.
City officials said they will examine the drain very closely now.
"Part of our investigation and evaluation will be to look at that - or any situation that we've had - where we've made any type of repairs in any type of public easements," said assistant city manager Cliff Miller.
Homeowners said they understand settling of the soil or heavy rains over time could cause the collapse.
WFAA-TV contributed to this report.
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Police chase shuts down U.S. 75
MCKINNEY, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Law enforcement officers shot and wounded a fleeing suspect in Collin County Thursday morning following a police pursuit.
The chase began in Grayson County about 4:10 a.m. The suspect fled southbound on U.S. 75.
Police stopped the vehicle by setting spikes across the highway in Melissa, north of McKinney. When the man was ordered out of his car, police said he displayed a weapon and officers opened fire.
The man was taken to a hospital in McKinney for treatment. His condition was not released.
Traffic on U.S. 75 in both directions was diverted during the incident and its aftermath.
MCKINNEY, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Law enforcement officers shot and wounded a fleeing suspect in Collin County Thursday morning following a police pursuit.
The chase began in Grayson County about 4:10 a.m. The suspect fled southbound on U.S. 75.
Police stopped the vehicle by setting spikes across the highway in Melissa, north of McKinney. When the man was ordered out of his car, police said he displayed a weapon and officers opened fire.
The man was taken to a hospital in McKinney for treatment. His condition was not released.
Traffic on U.S. 75 in both directions was diverted during the incident and its aftermath.
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Police begin blood tests for DWI
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - People who drink too much and drive should take note: North Texas law enforcement agencies are reporting great success with an experimental new effort that gives drunk drivers no way out if they're caught.
When it comes to drunk driving, Fort Worth and other police departments are now "out for blood." Only a few weeks ago, Tarrant County prosecutors said if DWI suspects refuse a breath test, the officers should get a search warrant and take their blood.
"They were shocked we were going to do this," said Fort Worth Sgt. Don Hanlon. "We've had a 100 percent success rate."
Brent Standifer must have been shocked when he refused the breathalyzer. He was out on bond from a December DWI arrest when he got stopped again in January. Standifer's blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit.
In recent weeks, Fort Worth police got court orders to take blood from seven suspects. Six already had multiple drunk-driving charges; all had a lot of alcohol in their veins.
"(It ranged from) .17, which is a little over twice the legal limit, to .24, which is three times the legal limit," Hanlon said. "The average was right at .20, two-and-a-half times the legal limit."
Right now, only a handful of Fort Worth officers are trained to get search warrants for blood in DWI stops. But starting this month, hundreds more will join them, and efforts will concentrate on repeat offenders.
"Everybody in patrol and traffic," Hanlon said. "All uniformed officers."
Prosecutors said blood evidence is all but impossible to beat in court, which might explain why suspect Standifer took only a few days to plead guilty and accept a ten-year sentence.
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - People who drink too much and drive should take note: North Texas law enforcement agencies are reporting great success with an experimental new effort that gives drunk drivers no way out if they're caught.
When it comes to drunk driving, Fort Worth and other police departments are now "out for blood." Only a few weeks ago, Tarrant County prosecutors said if DWI suspects refuse a breath test, the officers should get a search warrant and take their blood.
"They were shocked we were going to do this," said Fort Worth Sgt. Don Hanlon. "We've had a 100 percent success rate."
Brent Standifer must have been shocked when he refused the breathalyzer. He was out on bond from a December DWI arrest when he got stopped again in January. Standifer's blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit.
In recent weeks, Fort Worth police got court orders to take blood from seven suspects. Six already had multiple drunk-driving charges; all had a lot of alcohol in their veins.
"(It ranged from) .17, which is a little over twice the legal limit, to .24, which is three times the legal limit," Hanlon said. "The average was right at .20, two-and-a-half times the legal limit."
Right now, only a handful of Fort Worth officers are trained to get search warrants for blood in DWI stops. But starting this month, hundreds more will join them, and efforts will concentrate on repeat offenders.
"Everybody in patrol and traffic," Hanlon said. "All uniformed officers."
Prosecutors said blood evidence is all but impossible to beat in court, which might explain why suspect Standifer took only a few days to plead guilty and accept a ten-year sentence.
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County won't budge on tax bills
Assessor faces criticism after late mailings leave taxpayers little time
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Tax experts said Wednesday that Dallas County Tax Assessor-Collector David Childs should have provided taxpayers receiving tardy tax bills this week far more time to pay them without penalty.
Mr. Childs has granted 8,350 Dallas County taxpayers until Friday to pay tax bills they received only Monday and Tuesday because of a combination of computer glitches and other problems.
However, a provision of the Texas property tax code states that if a tax bill is mailed after Jan. 10, the delinquency deadline must be pushed back to the first day of the next month that provides for at least a 21-day period from the mailing date. In this case, that would be March 1.
If the affected taxpayers had been living in Tarrant County, they would have had until March 1 to pay up without penalty.
Betsy Price, the tax assessor-collector for Tarrant County, said that her office routinely uses the 21-day rule to allow taxpayers extra time if they are receiving their first tax bill after Jan. 10.
But Mr. Childs said he didn't think the statute applied in the current case.
"I think he might want to review his decision a bit more," said Debbie Cartwright, an assistant general counsel with the state comptroller's office. She said it seemed clear that the 21-day extension should apply.
At issue are penalties from a few dollars to many hundreds of dollars that taxpayers would have to fork over for failing to pay their tax bill by Jan. 31 – even though they never received their tax bill until the day, or the day after, the bill came due.
Normally, property tax bills go out in early October. But information about the purchase of homes and property last summer for 8,350 taxpayers did not get into the county assessor-collector's computers until January, because of a series of computer glitches. On top of that, the vendor the county used to print and mail the tax bills went bankrupt, forcing another vendor to step in and program its equipment for the county tax bill order in late January.
Mr. Childs said Tuesday that he would provide a grace period until Friday for those affected.
But Ms. Cartwright, as well as property tax lawyer John Brusniak Jr. of Brusniak McCool and Blackwell, said Mr. Childs should have applied the section of the tax code requiring a minimum 21-day grace period.
"These people don't have until the end of the week to pay," Mr. Brusniak said. "They should have until Feb. 28."
Mr. Childs said he didn't think the extension applied because he viewed this batch of tax bills as supplemental or updated bills. Such bills are sent after the initial October mailing if a change affecting the bill occurs, such as a revised tax appraisal, or an exemption, or a deed transfer to a new owner.
But others noted Wednesday that the January bills were the first bills these new owners had received from the county for their 2004 property taxes, and the 21-day rule should have applied to them.
"I'm not going to dispute his interpretation," said Tarrant County's Ms. Price. "As with any law, it depends on which attorney is doing the interpreting for you. But if it's a new property owner, and the bill goes out after Jan. 10, we give the 21 extra days to pay."
Mr. Childs disagreed.
"Under the law, I couldn't figure out how to [apply the 21-day rule] in this case."
He said the law clearly states that "regardless of the behavior of the tax office, the citizen is ultimately responsible for paying the tax. It legally places the burden on the citizen."
"I might be able to personally express my sympathy to the taxpayers in this case, but the tax code itself needs more sympathetic clauses put in it to grant a citizen more leeway," Mr. Childs said. "And I'd certainly be supportive of that. The philosophy of this office is to be as citizen-friendly as we can under the law. But as the law is currently written, it is not very sympathetic."
Assessor faces criticism after late mailings leave taxpayers little time
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Tax experts said Wednesday that Dallas County Tax Assessor-Collector David Childs should have provided taxpayers receiving tardy tax bills this week far more time to pay them without penalty.
Mr. Childs has granted 8,350 Dallas County taxpayers until Friday to pay tax bills they received only Monday and Tuesday because of a combination of computer glitches and other problems.
However, a provision of the Texas property tax code states that if a tax bill is mailed after Jan. 10, the delinquency deadline must be pushed back to the first day of the next month that provides for at least a 21-day period from the mailing date. In this case, that would be March 1.
If the affected taxpayers had been living in Tarrant County, they would have had until March 1 to pay up without penalty.
Betsy Price, the tax assessor-collector for Tarrant County, said that her office routinely uses the 21-day rule to allow taxpayers extra time if they are receiving their first tax bill after Jan. 10.
But Mr. Childs said he didn't think the statute applied in the current case.
"I think he might want to review his decision a bit more," said Debbie Cartwright, an assistant general counsel with the state comptroller's office. She said it seemed clear that the 21-day extension should apply.
At issue are penalties from a few dollars to many hundreds of dollars that taxpayers would have to fork over for failing to pay their tax bill by Jan. 31 – even though they never received their tax bill until the day, or the day after, the bill came due.
Normally, property tax bills go out in early October. But information about the purchase of homes and property last summer for 8,350 taxpayers did not get into the county assessor-collector's computers until January, because of a series of computer glitches. On top of that, the vendor the county used to print and mail the tax bills went bankrupt, forcing another vendor to step in and program its equipment for the county tax bill order in late January.
Mr. Childs said Tuesday that he would provide a grace period until Friday for those affected.
But Ms. Cartwright, as well as property tax lawyer John Brusniak Jr. of Brusniak McCool and Blackwell, said Mr. Childs should have applied the section of the tax code requiring a minimum 21-day grace period.
"These people don't have until the end of the week to pay," Mr. Brusniak said. "They should have until Feb. 28."
Mr. Childs said he didn't think the extension applied because he viewed this batch of tax bills as supplemental or updated bills. Such bills are sent after the initial October mailing if a change affecting the bill occurs, such as a revised tax appraisal, or an exemption, or a deed transfer to a new owner.
But others noted Wednesday that the January bills were the first bills these new owners had received from the county for their 2004 property taxes, and the 21-day rule should have applied to them.
"I'm not going to dispute his interpretation," said Tarrant County's Ms. Price. "As with any law, it depends on which attorney is doing the interpreting for you. But if it's a new property owner, and the bill goes out after Jan. 10, we give the 21 extra days to pay."
Mr. Childs disagreed.
"Under the law, I couldn't figure out how to [apply the 21-day rule] in this case."
He said the law clearly states that "regardless of the behavior of the tax office, the citizen is ultimately responsible for paying the tax. It legally places the burden on the citizen."
"I might be able to personally express my sympathy to the taxpayers in this case, but the tax code itself needs more sympathetic clauses put in it to grant a citizen more leeway," Mr. Childs said. "And I'd certainly be supportive of that. The philosophy of this office is to be as citizen-friendly as we can under the law. But as the law is currently written, it is not very sympathetic."
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Flu season starting to bug Dallas area
Cases expected to peak in next few weeks; vaccine offered
By SHERRY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - After months of worry about inadequate flu vaccine supplies, the dreaded virus is hitting in the Dallas area.
Local officials are reporting an increasing number of people showing up at area hospitals and doctors' offices for treatment of flulike symptoms as well as a growing number of students being sent home from school with what appears to be the flu.
"We're building up right now, and the season should peak in the next two to three weeks," Dr. David Buhner, medical director of the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services, said Tuesday.
So far, 15 Dallas-area hospitals have confirmed 210 flu cases, up from 137 cases Friday. Those do not include flu sufferers who seek treatment from private physicians or those who nurse their symptoms at home.
"We have no way of knowing the exact number of flu cases because it's not a reportable disease," Dr. Buhner said. "We can only compare them to previous outbreaks, and we're seeing less flu so far this year than we did the last two seasons."
But even these few flu cases encouraged the county health department to begin offering a "small supply" of adult flu shots to any county resident who wants one, starting this week. The United States lost half of its vaccine supply to a manufacturing problem in October, which limited flu shots to those at greatest risk of severe complications from the illness.
Health officials said they didn't want leftover shots to go to waste.
"We now have a small supply of adult flu vaccine and will dispense these doses to any adult who wants a flu shot until we run out," said Zachary Thompson, director of the health department. Smaller doses for children also are available.
Officials are hoping people will take advantage of the offer as quickly as possible. To be effective, the vaccine must be administered at least two weeks before a person is exposed to the flu virus.
Some schools in the area are reporting increasing absenteeism.
Classes in the Blue Ridge school district in northeast Collin County were canceled for two days this week after respiratory illnesses swept through its three schools. By the end of school Monday, about 135 of the district's 650 students were out sick, along with 15 staff members.
"It was probably a wise move," said Blue Ridge parent Jim Jake Templin. "If you have a tremendous amount of kids out, you can't really teach without holding the missing kids back. And keeping the kids home might break the cycle of infections."
School officials blamed the flu and strep throat, bronchitis and stomach illnesses for the need to cancel classes in Blue Ridge on Tuesday and today. Extracurricular activities were to remain on schedule, however.
Meanwhile in Dallas County, Irving schools saw a spike in absentees last week when 199 students were sent home with flulike illnesses, said Mary Kay Hartley, the district's director of health services. Twenty-one staff members also were out sick, although classes there remain in session this week.
Ms. Hartley said students and staffers were being urged to wash their hands carefully to stop the transmission of viruses. "If you start feeling bad, stay home," she said Tuesday.
The Dallas Independent School District also reported an increase of apparent flu cases this week. On Monday and Tuesday, 675 students were home sick with the flu compared with 313 such absences last week. But the numbers are not yet worrisome, said DISD spokesman Donald Claxton.
"When you consider it's out of 160,000 students, it's not anything alarming yet," he said. "Last year, we had 1,000 flu absences before Christmas."
Dr. Buhner said it was not too late to get a flu shot, considering that flu season probably will extend into April. Flu cases became "widespread" only two weeks ago, the health department says.
The shots are available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the health department at 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas. Cost is $15 for adults and $5 to $10 for children.
Staff writer Harriet Blake contributed to this report.
Cases expected to peak in next few weeks; vaccine offered
By SHERRY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - After months of worry about inadequate flu vaccine supplies, the dreaded virus is hitting in the Dallas area.
Local officials are reporting an increasing number of people showing up at area hospitals and doctors' offices for treatment of flulike symptoms as well as a growing number of students being sent home from school with what appears to be the flu.
"We're building up right now, and the season should peak in the next two to three weeks," Dr. David Buhner, medical director of the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services, said Tuesday.
So far, 15 Dallas-area hospitals have confirmed 210 flu cases, up from 137 cases Friday. Those do not include flu sufferers who seek treatment from private physicians or those who nurse their symptoms at home.
"We have no way of knowing the exact number of flu cases because it's not a reportable disease," Dr. Buhner said. "We can only compare them to previous outbreaks, and we're seeing less flu so far this year than we did the last two seasons."
But even these few flu cases encouraged the county health department to begin offering a "small supply" of adult flu shots to any county resident who wants one, starting this week. The United States lost half of its vaccine supply to a manufacturing problem in October, which limited flu shots to those at greatest risk of severe complications from the illness.
Health officials said they didn't want leftover shots to go to waste.
"We now have a small supply of adult flu vaccine and will dispense these doses to any adult who wants a flu shot until we run out," said Zachary Thompson, director of the health department. Smaller doses for children also are available.
Officials are hoping people will take advantage of the offer as quickly as possible. To be effective, the vaccine must be administered at least two weeks before a person is exposed to the flu virus.
Some schools in the area are reporting increasing absenteeism.
Classes in the Blue Ridge school district in northeast Collin County were canceled for two days this week after respiratory illnesses swept through its three schools. By the end of school Monday, about 135 of the district's 650 students were out sick, along with 15 staff members.
"It was probably a wise move," said Blue Ridge parent Jim Jake Templin. "If you have a tremendous amount of kids out, you can't really teach without holding the missing kids back. And keeping the kids home might break the cycle of infections."
School officials blamed the flu and strep throat, bronchitis and stomach illnesses for the need to cancel classes in Blue Ridge on Tuesday and today. Extracurricular activities were to remain on schedule, however.
Meanwhile in Dallas County, Irving schools saw a spike in absentees last week when 199 students were sent home with flulike illnesses, said Mary Kay Hartley, the district's director of health services. Twenty-one staff members also were out sick, although classes there remain in session this week.
Ms. Hartley said students and staffers were being urged to wash their hands carefully to stop the transmission of viruses. "If you start feeling bad, stay home," she said Tuesday.
The Dallas Independent School District also reported an increase of apparent flu cases this week. On Monday and Tuesday, 675 students were home sick with the flu compared with 313 such absences last week. But the numbers are not yet worrisome, said DISD spokesman Donald Claxton.
"When you consider it's out of 160,000 students, it's not anything alarming yet," he said. "Last year, we had 1,000 flu absences before Christmas."
Dr. Buhner said it was not too late to get a flu shot, considering that flu season probably will extend into April. Flu cases became "widespread" only two weeks ago, the health department says.
The shots are available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the health department at 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas. Cost is $15 for adults and $5 to $10 for children.
Staff writer Harriet Blake contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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Head Priest Suspended After Arrest
Priest Allegedly Found In Possession Of Child stuff
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A Grand Prairie priest has been suspended after being arrested, accused of possessing child pornography.
Officials arrested Father Matthew Bagert on Wednesday. Bagert served at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Grand Prairie.
The school, which is separate from the church but part of the parish, notified parents of Bagert's arrest by sending letters homes with the children.
"I don't want to say that I do believe, and I don't want to say I don't believe. We need to wait and see. He was always real nice, talking to everyone. But you never know what people do behind closed doors," said Marina Castro, church member.
Along with detailing the arrest, the letter informed parents that Bagert was suspended of all priestly functions.
Bagert posted bond and is out of jail.
Priest Allegedly Found In Possession Of Child stuff
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A Grand Prairie priest has been suspended after being arrested, accused of possessing child pornography.
Officials arrested Father Matthew Bagert on Wednesday. Bagert served at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Grand Prairie.
The school, which is separate from the church but part of the parish, notified parents of Bagert's arrest by sending letters homes with the children.
"I don't want to say that I do believe, and I don't want to say I don't believe. We need to wait and see. He was always real nice, talking to everyone. But you never know what people do behind closed doors," said Marina Castro, church member.
Along with detailing the arrest, the letter informed parents that Bagert was suspended of all priestly functions.
Bagert posted bond and is out of jail.
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TexasStooge
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Police Looking For Two Dangerous Armed Robbers
GARLAND, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Police said Wednesday, a duo that robbed a popular retail store, threatening clerks with guns, may be behind several other robberies in North Texas.
Police are concerned that this latest robbery of the Dollar General store in Garland may be one of many pulled off by the same men. Police say the latest heist may be giving them momentum and confidence.
Employees were no match for the two men, armed with handguns, at the South Garland location, just before closing Sunday evening. The men forced the clerks to a back office demanding cash. The incident was in plain site of surveillance cameras and customers. They escaped out a back entrance, police said.
Police suspect the two men have pulled this job before. This is the second armed robbery at the South Garland location. Other Dollar Generals in Garland have suffered the same fate.
Assistant Manager Jill Rivers said Dollar General stores are sharing information and upgrading their surveillance systems, hoping to end this crime spree,
Police are asking any customers who saw Sunday's robbery to step forward if they have any information.
GARLAND, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Police said Wednesday, a duo that robbed a popular retail store, threatening clerks with guns, may be behind several other robberies in North Texas.
Police are concerned that this latest robbery of the Dollar General store in Garland may be one of many pulled off by the same men. Police say the latest heist may be giving them momentum and confidence.
Employees were no match for the two men, armed with handguns, at the South Garland location, just before closing Sunday evening. The men forced the clerks to a back office demanding cash. The incident was in plain site of surveillance cameras and customers. They escaped out a back entrance, police said.
Police suspect the two men have pulled this job before. This is the second armed robbery at the South Garland location. Other Dollar Generals in Garland have suffered the same fate.
Assistant Manager Jill Rivers said Dollar General stores are sharing information and upgrading their surveillance systems, hoping to end this crime spree,
Police are asking any customers who saw Sunday's robbery to step forward if they have any information.
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TexasStooge
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Law Could Require Harder Classes For Texas University Admission
Universities Call For Change To Top 10 Percent Law
AUSTIN, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Students who want automatic admission to Texas universities would have to take tougher high school classes under a bill filed Wednesday by Sen. Royce West.
West, D-Dallas, said the university admissions law that requires universities to accept graduates who rank in the top 10 percent of their class is doing what it was intended, increasing diversity at Texas universities. But he said that some students who haven't taken challenging courses have been unfairly admitted.
His proposal follows a bill filed Tuesday by Sen. Jeff Wentworth that would repeal the admissions law.
"The upside of all this is we have diversity not only in terms of ethnicity but also geographically," West said. "I think it's a good thing for Texas."
The proposed legislation would mandate that students admitted under the top 10 percent law complete the state's recommended or advanced high school programs. Both are considered college preparatory programs.
Wentworth, R-San Antonio, said the 1997 law is unfair because it does not consider the difficulty of classes students take, nor the extracurricular activities in which they participate.
The law that was adopted after a 1996 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision made affirmative action illegal in college admissions in Texas is unnecessary, Wentworth said. In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court said admissions officials may use race as one of many decision-making factors.
Administrators at Texas universities have long called for a change in the top 10 percent law they say doesn't provide an accurate assessment of student qualifications.
University of Texas at Austin officials are now considering race in admissions decisions. Texas A&M University officials are not.
West said doing away with the top 10 percent law would be disastrous.
Under the law, West said, more black and Hispanic students and students from rural school districts in border areas and West Texas have enrolled at the state's flagship universities.
"We have underrepresented high schools for the first time in the history of this state sending kids to the University of Texas," he said.
During the 2003 legislative session, West, along with San Antonio Democrat Leticia Van de Putte, filibustered a bill that would cap at 50 percent of any freshman class the number of students admitted under the top 10 percent law.
West's proposal is one of four filed so far during the current legislative session to revamp Texas university admissions. In addition to the two senators' bills, two House members have presented proposals to change the system.
Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, has submitted legislation that would allow university systems to admit students accepted under the top 10 percent law to any system institution.
Rep. Tony Goolsby, R-Dallas, filed a bill last week that would require admission of students who graduate in the top 5 percent of their high school class.
Extras:
Sen. West's top 10 percent bill is SB 333.
Sen. Wentworth's bill to eliminate the top 10 percent law is SB320.
Universities Call For Change To Top 10 Percent Law
AUSTIN, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Students who want automatic admission to Texas universities would have to take tougher high school classes under a bill filed Wednesday by Sen. Royce West.
West, D-Dallas, said the university admissions law that requires universities to accept graduates who rank in the top 10 percent of their class is doing what it was intended, increasing diversity at Texas universities. But he said that some students who haven't taken challenging courses have been unfairly admitted.
His proposal follows a bill filed Tuesday by Sen. Jeff Wentworth that would repeal the admissions law.
"The upside of all this is we have diversity not only in terms of ethnicity but also geographically," West said. "I think it's a good thing for Texas."
The proposed legislation would mandate that students admitted under the top 10 percent law complete the state's recommended or advanced high school programs. Both are considered college preparatory programs.
Wentworth, R-San Antonio, said the 1997 law is unfair because it does not consider the difficulty of classes students take, nor the extracurricular activities in which they participate.
The law that was adopted after a 1996 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision made affirmative action illegal in college admissions in Texas is unnecessary, Wentworth said. In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court said admissions officials may use race as one of many decision-making factors.
Administrators at Texas universities have long called for a change in the top 10 percent law they say doesn't provide an accurate assessment of student qualifications.
University of Texas at Austin officials are now considering race in admissions decisions. Texas A&M University officials are not.
West said doing away with the top 10 percent law would be disastrous.
Under the law, West said, more black and Hispanic students and students from rural school districts in border areas and West Texas have enrolled at the state's flagship universities.
"We have underrepresented high schools for the first time in the history of this state sending kids to the University of Texas," he said.
During the 2003 legislative session, West, along with San Antonio Democrat Leticia Van de Putte, filibustered a bill that would cap at 50 percent of any freshman class the number of students admitted under the top 10 percent law.
West's proposal is one of four filed so far during the current legislative session to revamp Texas university admissions. In addition to the two senators' bills, two House members have presented proposals to change the system.
Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, has submitted legislation that would allow university systems to admit students accepted under the top 10 percent law to any system institution.
Rep. Tony Goolsby, R-Dallas, filed a bill last week that would require admission of students who graduate in the top 5 percent of their high school class.
Extras:
Sen. West's top 10 percent bill is SB 333.
Sen. Wentworth's bill to eliminate the top 10 percent law is SB320.
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TexasStooge
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Former Baylor Basketball Player Moved From State Hospital To Jail
Carlton Dotson Is Accused In Shooting Death
WACO, Texas (KXAS NBC 5/AP) -- A former Baylor basketball player accused in the shooting death of a teammate was moved Wednesday from a state hospital to the McLennan County Jail.
Carlton Dotson was returned to the jail after a psychologist determined he had regained his competence to stand trial. He was being held without bond on a murder charge in the June 2003 death of Patrick Dennehy.
Dotson had been treated at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon since November, after State District Judge George Allen found him incompetent to stand trial.
A psychologist last month determined that Dotson had regained his competence, but should continue with psychiatric care. The psychologist also recommended that Dotson take anti-psychotic medication and not use alcohol and illegal drugs.
The judge on Monday signed an order for Dotson's return to jail.
Prosecutors have said Dotson could be tried in May.
Carlton Dotson Is Accused In Shooting Death
WACO, Texas (KXAS NBC 5/AP) -- A former Baylor basketball player accused in the shooting death of a teammate was moved Wednesday from a state hospital to the McLennan County Jail.
Carlton Dotson was returned to the jail after a psychologist determined he had regained his competence to stand trial. He was being held without bond on a murder charge in the June 2003 death of Patrick Dennehy.
Dotson had been treated at the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon since November, after State District Judge George Allen found him incompetent to stand trial.
A psychologist last month determined that Dotson had regained his competence, but should continue with psychiatric care. The psychologist also recommended that Dotson take anti-psychotic medication and not use alcohol and illegal drugs.
The judge on Monday signed an order for Dotson's return to jail.
Prosecutors have said Dotson could be tried in May.
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TexasStooge
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Friedman Launches Bid for Texas Governor
By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press Writer
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Musician-turned-mystery author Kinky Friedman launched an independent, and unconventional, campaign Thursday to run for Texas governor in 2006.
He announced his candidacy in front of the Alamo just after sunrise, saying, "We're going to wake up this great slumbering giant of Texas independence."
Friedman is campaigning against what he calls the "wussification" of Texas, which he defines as political correctness run amok. He favors legalized casino gambling to finance education and would push for life without parole as an alternative to the death penalty.
His humor often plays on his Jewish background, and he quotes Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, both friends. Campaign bumper stickers use his longtime nickname to proclaim: "Why Not Kinky?"
Friedman, 60, views the successes of Jesse Ventura in Minnesota and Arnold Schwarzenegger in California as signs he can be elected, but getting on the ballot as an independent will be a hurdle.
After the March party primaries next year, he has two months to collect 45,540 valid signatures, which is 1 percent of the votes cast in the 2002 race. If a runoff follows the primaries, the signature period shrinks to 30 days.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry is expected to seek a second full term next November. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn also are possible GOP candidates.
Friedman — whose real name is Richard — had some modest success on the entertainment circuit with his band, The Texas Jewboys, and toured with the all-star Bob Dylan Rolling Thunder Revue in the 1970s.
More recently, he has written 17 mysteries, counting both President Bush and former President Clinton among his readers. Among his books are "Greenwich Killing Time" and "A Case of Lone Star."
His only previous bid for public office was an unsuccessful try for justice of the peace in 1986 in Kerrville, near his ranch.
By MICHAEL GRACZYK, Associated Press Writer
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Musician-turned-mystery author Kinky Friedman launched an independent, and unconventional, campaign Thursday to run for Texas governor in 2006.
He announced his candidacy in front of the Alamo just after sunrise, saying, "We're going to wake up this great slumbering giant of Texas independence."
Friedman is campaigning against what he calls the "wussification" of Texas, which he defines as political correctness run amok. He favors legalized casino gambling to finance education and would push for life without parole as an alternative to the death penalty.
His humor often plays on his Jewish background, and he quotes Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, both friends. Campaign bumper stickers use his longtime nickname to proclaim: "Why Not Kinky?"
Friedman, 60, views the successes of Jesse Ventura in Minnesota and Arnold Schwarzenegger in California as signs he can be elected, but getting on the ballot as an independent will be a hurdle.
After the March party primaries next year, he has two months to collect 45,540 valid signatures, which is 1 percent of the votes cast in the 2002 race. If a runoff follows the primaries, the signature period shrinks to 30 days.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry is expected to seek a second full term next November. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn also are possible GOP candidates.
Friedman — whose real name is Richard — had some modest success on the entertainment circuit with his band, The Texas Jewboys, and toured with the all-star Bob Dylan Rolling Thunder Revue in the 1970s.
More recently, he has written 17 mysteries, counting both President Bush and former President Clinton among his readers. Among his books are "Greenwich Killing Time" and "A Case of Lone Star."
His only previous bid for public office was an unsuccessful try for justice of the peace in 1986 in Kerrville, near his ranch.
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TexasStooge
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GUNSHOTS FORCE LANCASTER H.S. INTO LOCKDOWN
LANCASTER, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Shots fired at Lancaster High School forced police to lock down two campuses. Police say a student fired shots near the band hall.
The student was not from the Lancaster ISD. Both the east and west campuses of Lancaster High where shut down to ensure student safety. No one was injured in the incident. Police have made no arrests in the case.
LANCASTER, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Shots fired at Lancaster High School forced police to lock down two campuses. Police say a student fired shots near the band hall.
The student was not from the Lancaster ISD. Both the east and west campuses of Lancaster High where shut down to ensure student safety. No one was injured in the incident. Police have made no arrests in the case.
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Grocery game plans
As Wal-Mart expands lead, other chains try new ideas
By MARIA HALKIAS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - While conventional grocery chains still deliver most of what's on dinner tables in Dallas-Fort Worth, more of the $10 billion-a-year local grocery tab is going to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Wal-Mart's market share in the Dallas-Plano-Irving area climbed to 25.1 percent at the start of this year from 22.9 percent last year, according to new industry data. In Fort Worth-Arlington, Wal-Mart's share is 30.5 percent, up from 26.4 percent.
No other chain is in the 20 percent range. Of the big three – Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway – Kroger is the only one to see a significant market share gain.
Still, the traditional chains in Dallas-Fort Worth aren't ready to surrender. They're stealing competitors' thunder by offering such things as 10-for-$10 specials, expanded organic and general merchandise, and gasoline.
Wal-Mart's advance is more serious in markets that aren't growing, said Chuck Gilmer, editor of the Shelby Report, a monthly publication that tracks the supermarket industry.
"In markets that are still growing like Texas and California, chains have a better chance of competing because the pie is getting bigger every year," he said.
Conventional supermarkets are getting squeezed from both the discount and specialty ends.
"Most companies are trying to figure out where they want to be," said Stephen Butt, senior vice president of San Antonio-based H.E. Butt Co.'s Central Market division.
Dollar stores and alternative formats with limited assortments are expanding and creating more price competition.
Minneapolis-based Supervalu Inc. runs the biggest U.S. limited-assortment chain in Save-A-Lot, with more than 1,200 stores. The company expanded last year to 24 locations in the area with plans for more, said Dan Kimack, a company spokesman.
"We're convinced the metroplex is a great market for Save-A-Lot," he said.
Albertsons Inc. converted five unprofitable stores to its new Super Saver format last year and opened four more last week. Mike Clawson, president of Extreme Inc., the new Albertsons division, said so far "we're thrilled with the results."
He said the chain intends to add stores in 2005 and may not limit its future expansion to former Albertsons locations. These stores are better able to compete because they are no-frills and have about 60 percent of the product of a traditional Albertsons, he said.
"We may have three kinds and sizes of Heinz ketchup instead of six," he said.
Specialty stores
At the other end of the spectrum, specialty grocers such as Central Market and Austin-based Whole Foods Inc. are taking a cut of the market.
Central Market is planning a fourth store in the region in Southlake, pending local government approvals, Mr. Butt said. "Our business has been strong and continues to grow. We're planning to add a new store in Texas every year."
There are no plans for San Antonio-based H.E. Butt to bring in its H-E-B supermarkets here, he said.
Central Market is responding to competition by introducing a private-label organic line of foods. Whole Foods developed its "365" and other private-label brands to help keep prices lower in its stores and expand organic selection to more product lines.
Conventional supermarkets are "taking lessons from Wal-Mart by trying to be more of a one-stop shopping destination," said Mr. Gilmer of the Shelby Report. They're absorbing some of the competition's strategies by adding dollar aisles and more general merchandise.
Among them is Kroger, which is using what it learned from the acquisition of Fred Meyer, a supercenter chain in the Pacific Northwest.
Today in Frisco, Kroger is opening an expanded housewares department, called the Kitchen Place, that it plans to include in all new area stores. The department sells gourmet pots and pans, dishes, stemware and cooking gadgets and takes up the equivalent of four grocery aisles, said Kroger spokesman Gary Huddleston.
Shoppers can expect to see more "innovations and new concepts from traditional supermarket chains," said Sandra J. Skrovan, vice president at Retail Forward Inc. over the firm's food, drug and Wal-Mart research projects.
Kroger has a specialty fresh-food chain concept – as does Southeastern chain Food Lion.
Safeway's Tom Thumb introduced its specialty store in a new location in Hurst and in two remodeled stores last year in Dallas, at Mockingbird and Abrams and at Preston and Forest. These stores have a more upscale environment with gourmet foods and prepared meals.
Most of the local chains have been adding gasoline pumps in many of their parking lots, including Tom Thumb, which now has 23 fuel centers.
Conventional wisdom
Consumer research gathered by Retail Forward shows that conventional chains are losing out to other concepts.
About 60 percent of Americans still go to the supermarket every month, but only 40 percent go weekly. About 42 percent go to Wal-Mart supercenters monthly and 24 percent go weekly, Ms. Skrovan said. "That's high," she said.
It's unlikely that a traditional grocery chain will ever be No. 1 again in Dallas-Fort Worth.
"It won't happen in the foreseeable future," said Edward J. Fox, director of the J.C. Penney Center for Retail Excellence at Southern Methodist University. Wal-Mart's ascension in this market is a "harbinger of a new competitive world, given that all of the major grocery companies are here in D-FW."
Dallas has been hit with what former Wal-Mart chief executive David Glass once called the "one-two punch" in food retailing, Mr. Fox said. Mr. Glass in the 1990s described the concept of building supercenters and then filling in with Neighborhood Market stores.
"Dallas is the market where Wal-Mart has opened most of its Neighborhood Market stores," Mr. Fox said.
Already this year, Wal-Mart has opened two neighborhood markets, in Dallas just north of downtown and in Bedford. It now operates 18 of the smaller stores in D-FW out of 96 total stores.
Mr. Fox believes there will be a shakeout in Dallas-Fort Worth, with one of the big three grocers deciding to leave within the next five years.
"When market shares dip below 10 percent in the market, these chains simply won't have the volume to justify their distribution and marketing costs, even if the Dallas market continues to grow in volume overall," he said.
As Wal-Mart expands lead, other chains try new ideas
By MARIA HALKIAS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - While conventional grocery chains still deliver most of what's on dinner tables in Dallas-Fort Worth, more of the $10 billion-a-year local grocery tab is going to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Wal-Mart's market share in the Dallas-Plano-Irving area climbed to 25.1 percent at the start of this year from 22.9 percent last year, according to new industry data. In Fort Worth-Arlington, Wal-Mart's share is 30.5 percent, up from 26.4 percent.
No other chain is in the 20 percent range. Of the big three – Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway – Kroger is the only one to see a significant market share gain.
Still, the traditional chains in Dallas-Fort Worth aren't ready to surrender. They're stealing competitors' thunder by offering such things as 10-for-$10 specials, expanded organic and general merchandise, and gasoline.
Wal-Mart's advance is more serious in markets that aren't growing, said Chuck Gilmer, editor of the Shelby Report, a monthly publication that tracks the supermarket industry.
"In markets that are still growing like Texas and California, chains have a better chance of competing because the pie is getting bigger every year," he said.
Conventional supermarkets are getting squeezed from both the discount and specialty ends.
"Most companies are trying to figure out where they want to be," said Stephen Butt, senior vice president of San Antonio-based H.E. Butt Co.'s Central Market division.
Dollar stores and alternative formats with limited assortments are expanding and creating more price competition.
Minneapolis-based Supervalu Inc. runs the biggest U.S. limited-assortment chain in Save-A-Lot, with more than 1,200 stores. The company expanded last year to 24 locations in the area with plans for more, said Dan Kimack, a company spokesman.
"We're convinced the metroplex is a great market for Save-A-Lot," he said.
Albertsons Inc. converted five unprofitable stores to its new Super Saver format last year and opened four more last week. Mike Clawson, president of Extreme Inc., the new Albertsons division, said so far "we're thrilled with the results."
He said the chain intends to add stores in 2005 and may not limit its future expansion to former Albertsons locations. These stores are better able to compete because they are no-frills and have about 60 percent of the product of a traditional Albertsons, he said.
"We may have three kinds and sizes of Heinz ketchup instead of six," he said.
Specialty stores
At the other end of the spectrum, specialty grocers such as Central Market and Austin-based Whole Foods Inc. are taking a cut of the market.
Central Market is planning a fourth store in the region in Southlake, pending local government approvals, Mr. Butt said. "Our business has been strong and continues to grow. We're planning to add a new store in Texas every year."
There are no plans for San Antonio-based H.E. Butt to bring in its H-E-B supermarkets here, he said.
Central Market is responding to competition by introducing a private-label organic line of foods. Whole Foods developed its "365" and other private-label brands to help keep prices lower in its stores and expand organic selection to more product lines.
Conventional supermarkets are "taking lessons from Wal-Mart by trying to be more of a one-stop shopping destination," said Mr. Gilmer of the Shelby Report. They're absorbing some of the competition's strategies by adding dollar aisles and more general merchandise.
Among them is Kroger, which is using what it learned from the acquisition of Fred Meyer, a supercenter chain in the Pacific Northwest.
Today in Frisco, Kroger is opening an expanded housewares department, called the Kitchen Place, that it plans to include in all new area stores. The department sells gourmet pots and pans, dishes, stemware and cooking gadgets and takes up the equivalent of four grocery aisles, said Kroger spokesman Gary Huddleston.
Shoppers can expect to see more "innovations and new concepts from traditional supermarket chains," said Sandra J. Skrovan, vice president at Retail Forward Inc. over the firm's food, drug and Wal-Mart research projects.
Kroger has a specialty fresh-food chain concept – as does Southeastern chain Food Lion.
Safeway's Tom Thumb introduced its specialty store in a new location in Hurst and in two remodeled stores last year in Dallas, at Mockingbird and Abrams and at Preston and Forest. These stores have a more upscale environment with gourmet foods and prepared meals.
Most of the local chains have been adding gasoline pumps in many of their parking lots, including Tom Thumb, which now has 23 fuel centers.
Conventional wisdom
Consumer research gathered by Retail Forward shows that conventional chains are losing out to other concepts.
About 60 percent of Americans still go to the supermarket every month, but only 40 percent go weekly. About 42 percent go to Wal-Mart supercenters monthly and 24 percent go weekly, Ms. Skrovan said. "That's high," she said.
It's unlikely that a traditional grocery chain will ever be No. 1 again in Dallas-Fort Worth.
"It won't happen in the foreseeable future," said Edward J. Fox, director of the J.C. Penney Center for Retail Excellence at Southern Methodist University. Wal-Mart's ascension in this market is a "harbinger of a new competitive world, given that all of the major grocery companies are here in D-FW."
Dallas has been hit with what former Wal-Mart chief executive David Glass once called the "one-two punch" in food retailing, Mr. Fox said. Mr. Glass in the 1990s described the concept of building supercenters and then filling in with Neighborhood Market stores.
"Dallas is the market where Wal-Mart has opened most of its Neighborhood Market stores," Mr. Fox said.
Already this year, Wal-Mart has opened two neighborhood markets, in Dallas just north of downtown and in Bedford. It now operates 18 of the smaller stores in D-FW out of 96 total stores.
Mr. Fox believes there will be a shakeout in Dallas-Fort Worth, with one of the big three grocers deciding to leave within the next five years.
"When market shares dip below 10 percent in the market, these chains simply won't have the volume to justify their distribution and marketing costs, even if the Dallas market continues to grow in volume overall," he said.
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Officer files suit over nude photos
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Two Dallas police officers are entangled in a controversy over the Internet.
A female officer is filing a lawsuit against her ex-husband, who is also an officer, because she said he posted nude photographs of her on a pornographic Web site without her knowledge.
The female officer, who did not want her name released, said she was shocked to learn the photos of her were posted on the site, and said her ex-husband officer Leonard Fuchs was not authorized to do so.
"At no time did I give permission to anyone to post, publish or exhibit any pictures of me in a state of undress," she said in the suit.
The police department is investigating.
"Right now, that investigation is in our internal affairs division," said Dallas Police spokesperson Lt. Jan Easterling. "We are looking at that, seeing exactly what violations have occurred."
In a phone interview, when asked if his ex-wife knew about the pictures being posted, Fuchs replied, "She knew about everything."
It is not against the law to put someone's nude photo on the internet without their knowledge...but.it is against the law to take someone's nude picture without their permission."
In the lawsuit, Fuch's ex-wife said, "he took some pictures of me in a state of undress without my permission or consent."
"She knew everything that occurred," Fuchs said. "She's just embarrassed."
Dallas Police are taking a very close look at the case, especially since Fuchs is on the department's list of officers with the most internal affairs complaints. He's been suspended at least four times, including a five-day suspension for conduct unbecoming of a police officer. He is currently on restricted duty.
"He's not out in the public or anything like that, so where he is working now really can't be restricted from the public or from citizen contact any more than it is," Easterling said.
The female officer has no internal affairs complaints on her record.
Fuchs admitted posting the pictures was a dumb idea, but his ex-wife said it is more than that, alleging he violated her privacy and humiliated her. She has also filed a restraining order preventing him from posting any more pictures.
Fuchs said he is hiring an attorney to fight the lawsuit.
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Two Dallas police officers are entangled in a controversy over the Internet.
A female officer is filing a lawsuit against her ex-husband, who is also an officer, because she said he posted nude photographs of her on a pornographic Web site without her knowledge.
The female officer, who did not want her name released, said she was shocked to learn the photos of her were posted on the site, and said her ex-husband officer Leonard Fuchs was not authorized to do so.
"At no time did I give permission to anyone to post, publish or exhibit any pictures of me in a state of undress," she said in the suit.
The police department is investigating.
"Right now, that investigation is in our internal affairs division," said Dallas Police spokesperson Lt. Jan Easterling. "We are looking at that, seeing exactly what violations have occurred."
In a phone interview, when asked if his ex-wife knew about the pictures being posted, Fuchs replied, "She knew about everything."
It is not against the law to put someone's nude photo on the internet without their knowledge...but.it is against the law to take someone's nude picture without their permission."
In the lawsuit, Fuch's ex-wife said, "he took some pictures of me in a state of undress without my permission or consent."
"She knew everything that occurred," Fuchs said. "She's just embarrassed."
Dallas Police are taking a very close look at the case, especially since Fuchs is on the department's list of officers with the most internal affairs complaints. He's been suspended at least four times, including a five-day suspension for conduct unbecoming of a police officer. He is currently on restricted duty.
"He's not out in the public or anything like that, so where he is working now really can't be restricted from the public or from citizen contact any more than it is," Easterling said.
The female officer has no internal affairs complaints on her record.
Fuchs admitted posting the pictures was a dumb idea, but his ex-wife said it is more than that, alleging he violated her privacy and humiliated her. She has also filed a restraining order preventing him from posting any more pictures.
Fuchs said he is hiring an attorney to fight the lawsuit.
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TexasStooge
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Don't push your luck with office pools
By KIMBERLY DURNAN / WFAA.com
DALLAS, Texas - It’s a stalwart of office culture that emerges about this time every year: The Super Bowl betting pool.
But just try getting folks to admit they gamble at work.
A Frito Lay spokesman “didn’t know” if there were any bets placed on the Patriots-Eagles matchup. At Dallas City Hall, one employee explains, “Theoretically, we don’t have time for that.” And apparently none of the 1,000 workers at 7-Eleven’s corporate offices play games of chance.
Actually, office pools are legal in Texas as long as the company or organizer doesn’t take a cut, according to the Texas Attorney General’s Office. But betting at work still can be touchy because it may violate company policy.
Labor lawyers don’t nix betting at work but advise participants to tread lightly.
Employers should ensure the pools stick to wagering on the winner of sporting events or The Apprentice and not something inappropriate, like who will get fired next or how often a co-worker will arrive late, suggests David Curtis, an employment attorney at the Dallas firm Gardere, Wynne and Sewell.
“If I was a manager and one of my supervisor’s work groups was doing some kind of baby delivery date pools, I would say, ‘That’s fine, don’t get out of hand but let’s keep our focus on our customers,’” Curtis said. “Then I would monitor those kind of situations.”
Curtis advises employers to be wary of cases like that of one Dallas business, where workers were guessing how many managers a customer service representative would seduce.
“The company found out about it and disciplinary action was taken,” Curtis said. “Obviously, those types of things impact harassment statutes.”
At another Dallas business, the tolerance for betting pools made it difficult to fire employees who were viewing pornography on company computers, said Rogge Dunn, a labor law attorney for the Dallas firm Clouse, Dunn and Hirsch.
The employees who were fired for personal use of business property pointed out that other workers were allowed to use the company photocopier and stationery to distribute NCAA brackets. They argued that the policy was discriminatory.
“It made the case more difficult to defend,” Dunn said.
Experts said employers should develop consistent policies and reflect exceptions in the employee handbook.
John A. Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an executive outplacement firm, said small-stakes wagering in an office is probably harmless.
“We bet on everything in America,” he said. “We buy lottery tickets, squares for the Super Bowl and develop poker leagues. It’s a fundamental part of the American character.”
Rick Cobb, executive vice president of the Chicago-based firm, said wagering on the outcome of a football game and similar activities boosts morale and provides a necessary break to the daily routine.
“The Fortune 1000 companies spent so much time getting their corporations down to two percent body fat there is little opportunity to talk about other things,” Cobb said. “The Super Bowl is a sacred cow … and the office pool is just an extension of that. It builds camaraderie and brings everyone together.”
That’s the feeling at Vertical Alliance in Dallas, where employees plunk down $3 per Super Bowl square, said Vic Vannatta, who works in human resources. He said good feelings in the office have escalated since many workers hail from Philadelphia and are enjoying the pre-game buzz.
Betting has become an altruistic endeavor for employees at the Plano office of McAfee, where most of the money is donated to organizations fighting leukemia and lymphoma, said Luke Morrow, senior account executive.
The organizers arrange for donations so the person buying a square could win a football autographed by Dan Marino or a small cash prize, for example.
“It’s fun because it’s going to a good cause,” Morrow said.
By KIMBERLY DURNAN / WFAA.com
DALLAS, Texas - It’s a stalwart of office culture that emerges about this time every year: The Super Bowl betting pool.
But just try getting folks to admit they gamble at work.
A Frito Lay spokesman “didn’t know” if there were any bets placed on the Patriots-Eagles matchup. At Dallas City Hall, one employee explains, “Theoretically, we don’t have time for that.” And apparently none of the 1,000 workers at 7-Eleven’s corporate offices play games of chance.
Actually, office pools are legal in Texas as long as the company or organizer doesn’t take a cut, according to the Texas Attorney General’s Office. But betting at work still can be touchy because it may violate company policy.
Labor lawyers don’t nix betting at work but advise participants to tread lightly.
Employers should ensure the pools stick to wagering on the winner of sporting events or The Apprentice and not something inappropriate, like who will get fired next or how often a co-worker will arrive late, suggests David Curtis, an employment attorney at the Dallas firm Gardere, Wynne and Sewell.
“If I was a manager and one of my supervisor’s work groups was doing some kind of baby delivery date pools, I would say, ‘That’s fine, don’t get out of hand but let’s keep our focus on our customers,’” Curtis said. “Then I would monitor those kind of situations.”
Curtis advises employers to be wary of cases like that of one Dallas business, where workers were guessing how many managers a customer service representative would seduce.
“The company found out about it and disciplinary action was taken,” Curtis said. “Obviously, those types of things impact harassment statutes.”
At another Dallas business, the tolerance for betting pools made it difficult to fire employees who were viewing pornography on company computers, said Rogge Dunn, a labor law attorney for the Dallas firm Clouse, Dunn and Hirsch.
The employees who were fired for personal use of business property pointed out that other workers were allowed to use the company photocopier and stationery to distribute NCAA brackets. They argued that the policy was discriminatory.
“It made the case more difficult to defend,” Dunn said.
Experts said employers should develop consistent policies and reflect exceptions in the employee handbook.
John A. Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an executive outplacement firm, said small-stakes wagering in an office is probably harmless.
“We bet on everything in America,” he said. “We buy lottery tickets, squares for the Super Bowl and develop poker leagues. It’s a fundamental part of the American character.”
Rick Cobb, executive vice president of the Chicago-based firm, said wagering on the outcome of a football game and similar activities boosts morale and provides a necessary break to the daily routine.
“The Fortune 1000 companies spent so much time getting their corporations down to two percent body fat there is little opportunity to talk about other things,” Cobb said. “The Super Bowl is a sacred cow … and the office pool is just an extension of that. It builds camaraderie and brings everyone together.”
That’s the feeling at Vertical Alliance in Dallas, where employees plunk down $3 per Super Bowl square, said Vic Vannatta, who works in human resources. He said good feelings in the office have escalated since many workers hail from Philadelphia and are enjoying the pre-game buzz.
Betting has become an altruistic endeavor for employees at the Plano office of McAfee, where most of the money is donated to organizations fighting leukemia and lymphoma, said Luke Morrow, senior account executive.
The organizers arrange for donations so the person buying a square could win a football autographed by Dan Marino or a small cash prize, for example.
“It’s fun because it’s going to a good cause,” Morrow said.
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TexasStooge
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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9 students admit to using steroids
Exclusive: Colleyville Heritage High football coach had denied athletes involved
By GREGG JONES and GARY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News
COLLEYVILLE, Texas – Nine Colleyville Heritage High School students have admitted using banned steroids, one of the largest cases of confirmed steroid use at a U.S. high school, The Dallas Morning News has learned.
In response to questions submitted this week by The News, a Grapevine-Colleyville ISD spokeswoman said Thursday that eight seniors and one junior confessed to using the muscle-building drugs "for a short period of time in the spring of 2004."
The students "also provided information about an adult source who sold them steroids," Robin McClure, director of public information for the school district, said in a written response to the questions.
She said that the district is still considering whether to discipline the students and that its investigation is continuing.
A Heritage athlete interviewed by The News twice in the last four months said he bought steroids last spring from a senior starter on the school's football team. The athlete said a dozen or more football players had used steroids, including at least three juniors.
The athlete said he injected the steroid nandrolone decanoate – known as Deca – for six weeks last spring.
"Nobody's afraid of getting tested because they know the school can't afford it right now," the athlete told the newspaper.
Heritage doesn't test students for steroid use. Possession or sale of steroids without a doctor's prescription is a federal offense, punishable by up to one year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine.
The News interviewed the athlete and his mother after she discovered the steroids in his bedroom closet. They agreed to tell their story on the condition that their names not be disclosed.
In response to questions submitted this week by The News, a Grapevine-Colleyville ISD spokeswoman said Thursday that eight seniors and one junior confessed to using the muscle-building drugs "for a short period of time in the spring of 2004."
The students "also provided information about an adult source who sold them steroids," Robin McClure, director of public information for the school district, said in a written response to the questions.
She said that the district is still considering whether to discipline the students and that its investigation is continuing.
A Heritage athlete interviewed by The News twice in the last four months said he bought steroids last spring from a senior starter on the school's football team. The athlete said a dozen or more football players had used steroids, including at least three juniors.
The athlete said he injected the steroid nandrolone decanoate – known as Deca – for six weeks last spring.
"Nobody's afraid of getting tested because they know the school can't afford it right now," the athlete told the newspaper.
Heritage doesn't test students for steroid use. Possession or sale of steroids without a doctor's prescription is a federal offense, punishable by up to one year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine.
The News interviewed the athlete and his mother after she discovered the steroids in his bedroom closet. They agreed to tell their story on the condition that their names not be disclosed.
In an interview with The News in November, Heritage head football coach Chris Cunningham vehemently denied steroid use among his players.
"In the nine years that I've been here, I do not know of a single case," he said. "And I'm talking about our entire athletic program."
He also denounced the mother, who a few weeks earlier had reported to school administrators that athletes were using steroids.
"This lady is a liar," Mr. Cunningham told The News during the interview. "She's got a son she caught taking steroids, and she just wants someone to blame."
The coach said he did not know her identity.
Over the last week, The News has made several attempts to contact Mr. Cunningham. On Monday, he sent an e-mail saying he would only respond to written questions because of the subject's sensitivity.
In its response to those questions, the school district said it began investigating the possibility of steroid use after an "anonymous parent" called the school last fall and alleged steroid use by Heritage athletes.
"Campus officials made repeated inquiries through multiple individual and group meetings with athletes during the fall 2004 semester," the school district said. "In every instance, the student response was to deny steroid use."
Eventually, nine students came forward and admitted to using steroids last spring, the school official said.
Ms. McClure said the information about the adult steroid dealer has been provided to law enforcement authorities. She did not indicate which agency.
The only other known instance in which several high school students admitted using steroids occurred in Buckeye, Ariz., in fall 2003, a search of news databases shows.
In that case, the mother of a Buckeye Union High School football player found steroids in her son's room and called police. Under orders from school officials to get answers, football coach Bobby Barnes questioned his players one by one over several hours. Ten admitted using steroids and were suspended for the remainder of the season. Another player implicated had already quit the team.
"The best advice I could give him [Mr. Cunningham] is to communicate with the parents of the kids and make them understand that any discipline that is doled out is for their own good," Mr. Barnes said Thursday evening.
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD hasn't taken action against the nine Colleyville students because their admitted steroid use occurred "within the 2003-2004 school year," Ms. McClure said in her statement to The News.
"District officials are currently conducting a review to determine whether disciplinary action is appropriate," said Ms. McClure. "An investigation as to whether any other students are using steroids is ongoing."
Heritage football players contacted Thursday evening by The News refused to speak with reporters.
"I have no comment about that," said one football player after answering the door of his home in Colleyville, an affluent Northeast Tarrant County suburb. "Our coach – we're just not talking about it. I don't want to get into any of that."
"I have nothing to say to you guys; thanks a lot," the father of another athlete said as he slammed the door.
In mid-December, Mr. Cunningham contacted the Plano-based Taylor Hooton Foundation, which conducts school seminars on teen steroid abuse. He asked about holding a steroid seminar at Heritage, said Don Hooton, foundation chairman.
Mr. Hooton blames the July 2003 suicide of his 17-year-old son – a Plano West baseball player – on steroid-related depression.
The Heritage admission of steroid use is "not necessarily the tip of the iceberg, but there is probably a lot more going on there than they have uncovered yet," said Mr. Hooton. "I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we said it wasn't happening right now."
Mr. Hooton said he received another phone call from Mr. Cunningham on Thursday about hosting a seminar – just hours before the school district released its statement to The News. "The solution to this problem begins with admitting you have one," Mr. Hooton said. "It's a giant hurdle to get over."
Exclusive: Colleyville Heritage High football coach had denied athletes involved
By GREGG JONES and GARY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News
COLLEYVILLE, Texas – Nine Colleyville Heritage High School students have admitted using banned steroids, one of the largest cases of confirmed steroid use at a U.S. high school, The Dallas Morning News has learned.
In response to questions submitted this week by The News, a Grapevine-Colleyville ISD spokeswoman said Thursday that eight seniors and one junior confessed to using the muscle-building drugs "for a short period of time in the spring of 2004."
The students "also provided information about an adult source who sold them steroids," Robin McClure, director of public information for the school district, said in a written response to the questions.
She said that the district is still considering whether to discipline the students and that its investigation is continuing.
A Heritage athlete interviewed by The News twice in the last four months said he bought steroids last spring from a senior starter on the school's football team. The athlete said a dozen or more football players had used steroids, including at least three juniors.
The athlete said he injected the steroid nandrolone decanoate – known as Deca – for six weeks last spring.
"Nobody's afraid of getting tested because they know the school can't afford it right now," the athlete told the newspaper.
Heritage doesn't test students for steroid use. Possession or sale of steroids without a doctor's prescription is a federal offense, punishable by up to one year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine.
The News interviewed the athlete and his mother after she discovered the steroids in his bedroom closet. They agreed to tell their story on the condition that their names not be disclosed.
In response to questions submitted this week by The News, a Grapevine-Colleyville ISD spokeswoman said Thursday that eight seniors and one junior confessed to using the muscle-building drugs "for a short period of time in the spring of 2004."
The students "also provided information about an adult source who sold them steroids," Robin McClure, director of public information for the school district, said in a written response to the questions.
She said that the district is still considering whether to discipline the students and that its investigation is continuing.
A Heritage athlete interviewed by The News twice in the last four months said he bought steroids last spring from a senior starter on the school's football team. The athlete said a dozen or more football players had used steroids, including at least three juniors.
The athlete said he injected the steroid nandrolone decanoate – known as Deca – for six weeks last spring.
"Nobody's afraid of getting tested because they know the school can't afford it right now," the athlete told the newspaper.
Heritage doesn't test students for steroid use. Possession or sale of steroids without a doctor's prescription is a federal offense, punishable by up to one year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine.
The News interviewed the athlete and his mother after she discovered the steroids in his bedroom closet. They agreed to tell their story on the condition that their names not be disclosed.
In an interview with The News in November, Heritage head football coach Chris Cunningham vehemently denied steroid use among his players.
"In the nine years that I've been here, I do not know of a single case," he said. "And I'm talking about our entire athletic program."
He also denounced the mother, who a few weeks earlier had reported to school administrators that athletes were using steroids.
"This lady is a liar," Mr. Cunningham told The News during the interview. "She's got a son she caught taking steroids, and she just wants someone to blame."
The coach said he did not know her identity.
Over the last week, The News has made several attempts to contact Mr. Cunningham. On Monday, he sent an e-mail saying he would only respond to written questions because of the subject's sensitivity.
In its response to those questions, the school district said it began investigating the possibility of steroid use after an "anonymous parent" called the school last fall and alleged steroid use by Heritage athletes.
"Campus officials made repeated inquiries through multiple individual and group meetings with athletes during the fall 2004 semester," the school district said. "In every instance, the student response was to deny steroid use."
Eventually, nine students came forward and admitted to using steroids last spring, the school official said.
Ms. McClure said the information about the adult steroid dealer has been provided to law enforcement authorities. She did not indicate which agency.
The only other known instance in which several high school students admitted using steroids occurred in Buckeye, Ariz., in fall 2003, a search of news databases shows.
In that case, the mother of a Buckeye Union High School football player found steroids in her son's room and called police. Under orders from school officials to get answers, football coach Bobby Barnes questioned his players one by one over several hours. Ten admitted using steroids and were suspended for the remainder of the season. Another player implicated had already quit the team.
"The best advice I could give him [Mr. Cunningham] is to communicate with the parents of the kids and make them understand that any discipline that is doled out is for their own good," Mr. Barnes said Thursday evening.
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD hasn't taken action against the nine Colleyville students because their admitted steroid use occurred "within the 2003-2004 school year," Ms. McClure said in her statement to The News.
"District officials are currently conducting a review to determine whether disciplinary action is appropriate," said Ms. McClure. "An investigation as to whether any other students are using steroids is ongoing."
Heritage football players contacted Thursday evening by The News refused to speak with reporters.
"I have no comment about that," said one football player after answering the door of his home in Colleyville, an affluent Northeast Tarrant County suburb. "Our coach – we're just not talking about it. I don't want to get into any of that."
"I have nothing to say to you guys; thanks a lot," the father of another athlete said as he slammed the door.
In mid-December, Mr. Cunningham contacted the Plano-based Taylor Hooton Foundation, which conducts school seminars on teen steroid abuse. He asked about holding a steroid seminar at Heritage, said Don Hooton, foundation chairman.
Mr. Hooton blames the July 2003 suicide of his 17-year-old son – a Plano West baseball player – on steroid-related depression.
The Heritage admission of steroid use is "not necessarily the tip of the iceberg, but there is probably a lot more going on there than they have uncovered yet," said Mr. Hooton. "I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we said it wasn't happening right now."
Mr. Hooton said he received another phone call from Mr. Cunningham on Thursday about hosting a seminar – just hours before the school district released its statement to The News. "The solution to this problem begins with admitting you have one," Mr. Hooton said. "It's a giant hurdle to get over."
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TexasStooge
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Separated twins face another surgery
By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Another important surgery for the formerly conjoined Egyptian twins is just days away.
Next week, doctors in Medical City in Dallas will reconstruct the three-year-old boys' skulls.
Right now, custom helmets protect the soft skin covering the delicate brains of Mohammed and Ahmed. But as the brothers get more active, they need more protection.
That's why their doctors say they're ready for the next big step.
"Now, survival is not the problem, but success," said craniofacial surgeon Dr. Kenneth Salyer.
Salyer said each of the boys present different challenges reconstructing their skulls.
"If we look at the skull of Ahmed today, we see along the edges a marked regeneration of bone," said Salyer. "Ahmed also has new bone in the central portion of the skull."
Mohammed has regenerated far less bone, so surgeons will use an absorbable mesh to create a mold, and then apply special products that prompt the body to work magic.
"That then will allow the body's own osteopaths, the body's own cells that make bone, to go to the area and lay down new bone," said craniofacial surgeon Dr. David Genecov.
If all goes well, doctors said the boys should grow enough of their own skull to be allowed to go home to Egypt in about three months.
Ahmed's surgery is scheduled for Monday at Medical City. But Mohammed's March surgery might have to be postponed, because doctors said he may be battling a case of the flu.
By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - Another important surgery for the formerly conjoined Egyptian twins is just days away.
Next week, doctors in Medical City in Dallas will reconstruct the three-year-old boys' skulls.
Right now, custom helmets protect the soft skin covering the delicate brains of Mohammed and Ahmed. But as the brothers get more active, they need more protection.
That's why their doctors say they're ready for the next big step.
"Now, survival is not the problem, but success," said craniofacial surgeon Dr. Kenneth Salyer.
Salyer said each of the boys present different challenges reconstructing their skulls.
"If we look at the skull of Ahmed today, we see along the edges a marked regeneration of bone," said Salyer. "Ahmed also has new bone in the central portion of the skull."
Mohammed has regenerated far less bone, so surgeons will use an absorbable mesh to create a mold, and then apply special products that prompt the body to work magic.
"That then will allow the body's own osteopaths, the body's own cells that make bone, to go to the area and lay down new bone," said craniofacial surgeon Dr. David Genecov.
If all goes well, doctors said the boys should grow enough of their own skull to be allowed to go home to Egypt in about three months.
Ahmed's surgery is scheduled for Monday at Medical City. But Mohammed's March surgery might have to be postponed, because doctors said he may be battling a case of the flu.
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