Plano officer, 2 others hurt in wreck
By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8
PLANO, Texas - A Plano police officer and two men he was preparing to arrest were hospitalized early Friday after they were injured in a wreck on U.S. 75.
Police spokesman Officer Carl Duke said it all started when an officer pulled over a pickup truck just south of Legacy Drive for outstanding warrants about 2:30 a.m.
A short time later, a second officer's patrol car pulled in behind the two vehicles in the median of the northbound lanes to assist.
But then, Duke said, a driver in a Volkswagen sideswiped the second police car and crashed into the rear of the first officer's vehicle.
One of the police officers was taken to Medical Center of Plano. "Luckily, there's no life-threatening injuries," Duke said. "Our officer was talking and coherent."
The two men who had been pulled over were also hospitalized.
Police arrested the driver of the Volkswagen for driving while intoxicated.
WFAA-TV photojournalist Robert Flagg contributed to this report.
News from the Lone Star State
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Teens arrested for air-pistol attack
Shots were fired outside a Denton County middle school Wednesday
By MATT STILES / The Dallas Morning News
CARROLLTON, Texas - Carrollton police arrested the 17-year-old son of Denton County's longtime district attorney and a district judge in connection with air-pistol shootings of three girls at a middle school, authorities said.
Police charged Creekview High School student Adam Paul Isaacks -- whose parents are District Attorney Bruce Isaacks and Denton County district judge Vicki Isaacks -- with three counts of injury to a child.
Another teen, Eric Louis Carrillo, 17, also was arrested but had not been formally charged late Thursday, police said.
According to an affidavit, Mr. Isaacks shot a 12-year-old girl in the thigh with an air pistol about 5 p.m. Wednesday as Mr. Carrillo drove by Blalack Middle School in the 1700 block of East Peters Colony Road.
Mr. Carrillo slowed the gray Toyota Camry he was driving "to provide a stable shooting platform for Isaacks to fire," the affidavit stated.
Two other girls also reported being shot with an air pistol, said Sgt. Dave Sponhour, a Carrollton police spokesman. No one was seriously injured.
The teens were arrested soon after the shooting when an officer spotted the Camry, which matched a witness description, according to the affidavit.
Mr. Isaacks was released Thursday after posting a $3,000 bond set by a colleague of his mother, state District Judge L. Dee Shipman.
Though the shooting occurred in Denton County, having a district judge set bail is "unusual," though not improper, Sgt. Sponhour said. "Normally, our judge would set bonds."
That's the case for Mr. Carrillo, who remained in jail Thursday waiting for a hearing before a magistrate in Carrollton.
The Isaackses and Judge Shipman could not be reached for comment. Mr. Carrillo and his family also could not be reached.
If convicted of the third-degree felony, both teens face up to 10 years in prison.
Staff Writer Brandon Formby in Lewisville contributed to this report.
Shots were fired outside a Denton County middle school Wednesday
By MATT STILES / The Dallas Morning News
CARROLLTON, Texas - Carrollton police arrested the 17-year-old son of Denton County's longtime district attorney and a district judge in connection with air-pistol shootings of three girls at a middle school, authorities said.
Police charged Creekview High School student Adam Paul Isaacks -- whose parents are District Attorney Bruce Isaacks and Denton County district judge Vicki Isaacks -- with three counts of injury to a child.
Another teen, Eric Louis Carrillo, 17, also was arrested but had not been formally charged late Thursday, police said.
According to an affidavit, Mr. Isaacks shot a 12-year-old girl in the thigh with an air pistol about 5 p.m. Wednesday as Mr. Carrillo drove by Blalack Middle School in the 1700 block of East Peters Colony Road.
Mr. Carrillo slowed the gray Toyota Camry he was driving "to provide a stable shooting platform for Isaacks to fire," the affidavit stated.
Two other girls also reported being shot with an air pistol, said Sgt. Dave Sponhour, a Carrollton police spokesman. No one was seriously injured.
The teens were arrested soon after the shooting when an officer spotted the Camry, which matched a witness description, according to the affidavit.
Mr. Isaacks was released Thursday after posting a $3,000 bond set by a colleague of his mother, state District Judge L. Dee Shipman.
Though the shooting occurred in Denton County, having a district judge set bail is "unusual," though not improper, Sgt. Sponhour said. "Normally, our judge would set bonds."
That's the case for Mr. Carrillo, who remained in jail Thursday waiting for a hearing before a magistrate in Carrollton.
The Isaackses and Judge Shipman could not be reached for comment. Mr. Carrillo and his family also could not be reached.
If convicted of the third-degree felony, both teens face up to 10 years in prison.
Staff Writer Brandon Formby in Lewisville contributed to this report.
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Police Seeking Couple In Parking Lot Kidnappings, Robberies
Man, Woman Force Victim To Withdrawal Money
IRVING, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Irving police say women are the target for a new scheme involving kidnapping and armed robbery.
A Grand Prairie woman was victimized in a Home Depot parking lot recently. Investigators said a young woman had approached the victim and claimed to be looking for a church.
Police said a man, caught on surveillance cameras (pictured, right), then came up and offered directions to the church in return for a ride.
The man and woman ordered the victim at gunpoint to her bank and forced her to make a withdrawal.
Police said the scheme has been reported twice in Irving.
Man, Woman Force Victim To Withdrawal Money
IRVING, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Irving police say women are the target for a new scheme involving kidnapping and armed robbery.
A Grand Prairie woman was victimized in a Home Depot parking lot recently. Investigators said a young woman had approached the victim and claimed to be looking for a church.
Police said a man, caught on surveillance cameras (pictured, right), then came up and offered directions to the church in return for a ride.
The man and woman ordered the victim at gunpoint to her bank and forced her to make a withdrawal.
Police said the scheme has been reported twice in Irving.
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TexasStooge
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Police Chase Ends In Man's Death
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Dallas police tried to pull over a green Ford Expedition near Interstate 30 and St. Francis at about 2 p.m. Thursday on a routine traffic stop. The driver of the sport utility vehicle fled the traffic stop and headed westbound on I-30 near downtown.
Police gave chase, and the vehicles reached speeds of about 75 mph. Officials said the SUV driver attempted to exit I-30 onto northbound Interstate 45, where he lost control of the vehicle and crashed on the shoulder of the exit ramp.
According to police, the man got out of the SUV and tried to flee the scene. During his escape attempt, the man either fell or jumped over the barrier wall of the exit ramp.
The man was taken to Baylor Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
"Obviously, he was attempting to flee the officers," Dallas police Lt. Jan Easterling said. "He tried it in the vehicle; then he got out on foot. Why he chose to go over the barrier wall, I have no idea."
Investigators said pursuing officers were too far from the man to tell if he fell off the barrier or if he jumped in an attempted escape.
Easterling said no one else was injured during the chase, and the officers did not catch the man at any point of the chase.
"He did not hit anybody (during the vehicle chase)," she said. "The officers never made contact with him in vehicle or by hand."
Police found an unspecified narcotic in the man's SUV. His name has not been released pending notification of the family.
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Dallas police tried to pull over a green Ford Expedition near Interstate 30 and St. Francis at about 2 p.m. Thursday on a routine traffic stop. The driver of the sport utility vehicle fled the traffic stop and headed westbound on I-30 near downtown.
Police gave chase, and the vehicles reached speeds of about 75 mph. Officials said the SUV driver attempted to exit I-30 onto northbound Interstate 45, where he lost control of the vehicle and crashed on the shoulder of the exit ramp.
According to police, the man got out of the SUV and tried to flee the scene. During his escape attempt, the man either fell or jumped over the barrier wall of the exit ramp.
The man was taken to Baylor Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
"Obviously, he was attempting to flee the officers," Dallas police Lt. Jan Easterling said. "He tried it in the vehicle; then he got out on foot. Why he chose to go over the barrier wall, I have no idea."
Investigators said pursuing officers were too far from the man to tell if he fell off the barrier or if he jumped in an attempted escape.
Easterling said no one else was injured during the chase, and the officers did not catch the man at any point of the chase.
"He did not hit anybody (during the vehicle chase)," she said. "The officers never made contact with him in vehicle or by hand."
Police found an unspecified narcotic in the man's SUV. His name has not been released pending notification of the family.
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OFFICERS ON LEAVE AFTER SHOOTING
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Two Farmers Branch police officers are placed on administrative leave after a deadly shooting.
It happened at the Oxy Tower off the LBJ freeway in Farmers Branch. The off-duty officers caught a man and woman trying to break into a car. Investigators say the two suspects got back into their own car.
When officers approached their vehicle the woman stepped on the accelerator. The female suspect remains in custody. Charges are still pending. The off-duty officers will remain on administrative leave while the department investigates the shooting.
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Two Farmers Branch police officers are placed on administrative leave after a deadly shooting.
It happened at the Oxy Tower off the LBJ freeway in Farmers Branch. The off-duty officers caught a man and woman trying to break into a car. Investigators say the two suspects got back into their own car.
When officers approached their vehicle the woman stepped on the accelerator. The female suspect remains in custody. Charges are still pending. The off-duty officers will remain on administrative leave while the department investigates the shooting.
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Chase Leads Police To Dallas Home
Police Arrest Man After Neighbors Insist They Had Wrong Man
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A chase through Irving Friday morning ended at a home in Dallas.
It all started when Irving police tried to pull over a driver in a stolen SUV.
The chase ended at a house at the corner of Clymer and Hiawatha.
Officers went into the home and arrested a young man inside, and after neighbors insisted police had the wrong man, they searched the home again.
Inside, they found a man hiding under a pile of clothes. He was immediately taken into custody.
Police said the SUV and all of the items in it were stolen during a home invasion in Irving.
The SUV will go back to the owner with a damaged bumper caused by the suspect when he jammed on the brakes while trying to throw police off his trail.
Now, police are trying to figure out if the suspect is connected in any way to other home invasions in Dallas County.
Police Arrest Man After Neighbors Insist They Had Wrong Man
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A chase through Irving Friday morning ended at a home in Dallas.
It all started when Irving police tried to pull over a driver in a stolen SUV.
The chase ended at a house at the corner of Clymer and Hiawatha.
Officers went into the home and arrested a young man inside, and after neighbors insisted police had the wrong man, they searched the home again.
Inside, they found a man hiding under a pile of clothes. He was immediately taken into custody.
Police said the SUV and all of the items in it were stolen during a home invasion in Irving.
The SUV will go back to the owner with a damaged bumper caused by the suspect when he jammed on the brakes while trying to throw police off his trail.
Now, police are trying to figure out if the suspect is connected in any way to other home invasions in Dallas County.
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The recipe for franchise success
By JEFF BRADY / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The recipe's simple. Fry the wings, season and serve.
It's made Dallas-based WingStop one of the country's top new franchises, according to Entrepreneur Magazine.
After 17 years as a Lewisville teacher, Pam McWhorter decided to try it. She bought her first WingStop nearly seven years ago.
"I think I just reached a crossroad in life, I turned 40, and thought, you know, I need something down the road, or something on the side," McWhorter says.
Among new businesses, the failure rate for independent restaurants is actually one of the highest, but established franchises have one of the lowest failure rates. McWhorter wanted to be an entrepreneur, without the risk.
Low risk tolerance is a common characteristic of successful franchisees.
"It's kinda what I call the entrepreneur's half-way house," says Jerry White. He teaches entrepreneurs at SMU's Carruth Institute.
"You assume the risk of making it work or not, but you don't have to assume the risk of proving the concept. The concept's already proven."
But even proven concepts aren't necessarily easy. McWhorter struggled at first.
"We were giving out a lot of samples, taking them to businesses, you know, with menus."
Franchises can be costly. Close to a million dollars, for some.
McWhorter's first WingStop cost $165,000. But the investment paid off, repeatedly. She and a silent business partner will soon open their fifth WingStop.
Following the franchise system is also key. McWhorter admits that with no food service background, she had a lot to learn. But the strong interpersonal skills of a teacher came in handy.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Successful Franchisee Characteristics
1. Low Risk
2. Hard Work
3. Stick with the System
4. Strong Interpersonal Skills
Source: Entrepreneur.com
By JEFF BRADY / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The recipe's simple. Fry the wings, season and serve.
It's made Dallas-based WingStop one of the country's top new franchises, according to Entrepreneur Magazine.
After 17 years as a Lewisville teacher, Pam McWhorter decided to try it. She bought her first WingStop nearly seven years ago.
"I think I just reached a crossroad in life, I turned 40, and thought, you know, I need something down the road, or something on the side," McWhorter says.
Among new businesses, the failure rate for independent restaurants is actually one of the highest, but established franchises have one of the lowest failure rates. McWhorter wanted to be an entrepreneur, without the risk.
Low risk tolerance is a common characteristic of successful franchisees.
"It's kinda what I call the entrepreneur's half-way house," says Jerry White. He teaches entrepreneurs at SMU's Carruth Institute.
"You assume the risk of making it work or not, but you don't have to assume the risk of proving the concept. The concept's already proven."
But even proven concepts aren't necessarily easy. McWhorter struggled at first.
"We were giving out a lot of samples, taking them to businesses, you know, with menus."
Franchises can be costly. Close to a million dollars, for some.
McWhorter's first WingStop cost $165,000. But the investment paid off, repeatedly. She and a silent business partner will soon open their fifth WingStop.
Following the franchise system is also key. McWhorter admits that with no food service background, she had a lot to learn. But the strong interpersonal skills of a teacher came in handy.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Successful Franchisee Characteristics
1. Low Risk
2. Hard Work
3. Stick with the System
4. Strong Interpersonal Skills
Source: Entrepreneur.com
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Jail computer fix coming, slowly
Despite some fixes, new computer system still causing backlog
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County officials on Friday continued their scramble to fix glaring problems with a new computer system that has caused widespread disruptions in the county's court and jail systems.
Some problems had been solved Friday, and lines were shorter to post bonds for inmates. But problems in the intake section were still causing backlogs with several hundred arrestees waiting to be booked.
Some staff members volunteered to work overtime to reduce the backlog, and court officials decided to add an extra magistrate this weekend to help speed things along as well.
"We're really making progress. We've cut the time for arraignments in half," said Criminal District Court Judge Keith Dean. "Everybody really started coming together to help when they realized the seriousness of the problem. Human beings are being affected here, and we need to jump in and do everything we can to help."
However, some family members and defense lawyers camped out in the main lobby of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center on Friday, both worried and angered at their inability to learn more about prisoners who were supposed to be released.
One woman said her husband had entered the jail Jan. 28 to serve a two-day sentence on a DWI conviction, but he still was being held in the jail late Friday.
Defense lawyer Hugh Hodges said a client of his who had served five months in the jail was supposed to have been released by 2 p.m. Thursday after being granted probation. By late Friday afternoon, she still had not been released. "She's in the jail somewhere," Mr. Hodges said, but officials had not been able to locate her.
Donald Scoggins, another defense lawyer, said a client of his who was arrested Monday night waited until 10:30 p.m. Tuesday to go before a magistrate. The client posted bond by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, and under normal conditions might have been released a few hours later.
But when she still had not been released by 9 a.m. Wednesday, Mr. Scoggins obtained a writ from a judge to get her released. When he went to get her at the jail, officials couldn't find her booking number or her cell location in the new computer system. Finally, Mr. Scoggins said, they had to walk down rows of holding cells repeatedly calling out the client's name until she answered.
Judge Dean said two seemingly unrelated events are expected to help officials further reduce the backlog over the weekend – a rainy weather forecast and the Super Bowl. He said that traditionally, arrests drop dramatically on rainy days and on Super Bowl Sunday, as folks stay indoors glued to the television set.
Despite hopes on Thursday that one of the problems would be solved, Judge Dean said the new computer system still is making it difficult for the courts to receive their daily "jail chain" report, which lists those arrested and booked the previous night.
"That's hamstrung us," Judge Dean said. The lack of the report has made it very difficult for officials to bring defendants to court so they can be assigned defense attorneys or sent on their way if the cases can be disposed.
Sgt. Don Peritz, the sheriff's department spokesman, said the new computer system worked fine during trial runs, handling small batches of new data. But when it was time for the new system to go live early this week, officials attempted to transfer all the data from the old system to the new system, causing the new system to crash.
Meanwhile, the old system had been shut down, leaving the courts and jail officials without a backup plan while the new system was getting fixed.
"Nobody foresaw the glitch that occurred Sunday and Monday, and that put us 500 people behind right away," Sgt. Peritz said.
County commissioner Mike Cantrell, who spearheaded the development of the new system, said the decision to shut down the old mainframe when the new one went live eliminated the potential for many problems that can occur when two separate systems are running simultaneously.
"This is still going to work," he said. "People have to remain calm and committed." He said it was important to retire the 28-year old mainframe system that the county had been patching for years.
There was also some question about whether jail staff received adequate training before using the new system. Some employees said they had not received training and were learning the new system on the fly.
Sgt. Peritz said the majority of staff members did get training, but even so, the glitches in the new system forced them to alter the way they had to use the computers during the week, exacerbating the problem.
"We're chipping away at the backlog," Sgt. Peritz said. He said some detention officers and clerks are working overtime to help reduce the backlog. But new arrestees continue to flow into the jail. He said typically 450 to 500 people are booked during a 24-hour period. "We hope by Sunday to eliminate the backlog," he said.
Mr. Cantrell estimated that it would be another three to four weeks before all the bugs were eliminated from the new system.
Despite some fixes, new computer system still causing backlog
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County officials on Friday continued their scramble to fix glaring problems with a new computer system that has caused widespread disruptions in the county's court and jail systems.
Some problems had been solved Friday, and lines were shorter to post bonds for inmates. But problems in the intake section were still causing backlogs with several hundred arrestees waiting to be booked.
Some staff members volunteered to work overtime to reduce the backlog, and court officials decided to add an extra magistrate this weekend to help speed things along as well.
"We're really making progress. We've cut the time for arraignments in half," said Criminal District Court Judge Keith Dean. "Everybody really started coming together to help when they realized the seriousness of the problem. Human beings are being affected here, and we need to jump in and do everything we can to help."
However, some family members and defense lawyers camped out in the main lobby of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center on Friday, both worried and angered at their inability to learn more about prisoners who were supposed to be released.
One woman said her husband had entered the jail Jan. 28 to serve a two-day sentence on a DWI conviction, but he still was being held in the jail late Friday.
Defense lawyer Hugh Hodges said a client of his who had served five months in the jail was supposed to have been released by 2 p.m. Thursday after being granted probation. By late Friday afternoon, she still had not been released. "She's in the jail somewhere," Mr. Hodges said, but officials had not been able to locate her.
Donald Scoggins, another defense lawyer, said a client of his who was arrested Monday night waited until 10:30 p.m. Tuesday to go before a magistrate. The client posted bond by 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, and under normal conditions might have been released a few hours later.
But when she still had not been released by 9 a.m. Wednesday, Mr. Scoggins obtained a writ from a judge to get her released. When he went to get her at the jail, officials couldn't find her booking number or her cell location in the new computer system. Finally, Mr. Scoggins said, they had to walk down rows of holding cells repeatedly calling out the client's name until she answered.
Judge Dean said two seemingly unrelated events are expected to help officials further reduce the backlog over the weekend – a rainy weather forecast and the Super Bowl. He said that traditionally, arrests drop dramatically on rainy days and on Super Bowl Sunday, as folks stay indoors glued to the television set.
Despite hopes on Thursday that one of the problems would be solved, Judge Dean said the new computer system still is making it difficult for the courts to receive their daily "jail chain" report, which lists those arrested and booked the previous night.
"That's hamstrung us," Judge Dean said. The lack of the report has made it very difficult for officials to bring defendants to court so they can be assigned defense attorneys or sent on their way if the cases can be disposed.
Sgt. Don Peritz, the sheriff's department spokesman, said the new computer system worked fine during trial runs, handling small batches of new data. But when it was time for the new system to go live early this week, officials attempted to transfer all the data from the old system to the new system, causing the new system to crash.
Meanwhile, the old system had been shut down, leaving the courts and jail officials without a backup plan while the new system was getting fixed.
"Nobody foresaw the glitch that occurred Sunday and Monday, and that put us 500 people behind right away," Sgt. Peritz said.
County commissioner Mike Cantrell, who spearheaded the development of the new system, said the decision to shut down the old mainframe when the new one went live eliminated the potential for many problems that can occur when two separate systems are running simultaneously.
"This is still going to work," he said. "People have to remain calm and committed." He said it was important to retire the 28-year old mainframe system that the county had been patching for years.
There was also some question about whether jail staff received adequate training before using the new system. Some employees said they had not received training and were learning the new system on the fly.
Sgt. Peritz said the majority of staff members did get training, but even so, the glitches in the new system forced them to alter the way they had to use the computers during the week, exacerbating the problem.
"We're chipping away at the backlog," Sgt. Peritz said. He said some detention officers and clerks are working overtime to help reduce the backlog. But new arrestees continue to flow into the jail. He said typically 450 to 500 people are booked during a 24-hour period. "We hope by Sunday to eliminate the backlog," he said.
Mr. Cantrell estimated that it would be another three to four weeks before all the bugs were eliminated from the new system.
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Marine teaching students from Iraq
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA-TV
FORT WORTH, Texas - Some North Texas students got to briefly reconnect Friday with one of their favorite teachers, who happens to be a Marine serving in Iraq. A News 8 crew found Major Bill Arnold in Fallujah this week, and sent back pictures for an assembly of his students.
The students at Fort Worth Country Day school might seem insulated from the world's messier problems. Many are gifted with affluence and intellect. Most are assured that college and a career lie in their future. But they said Arnold's sacrifice inspires them to achieve.
"He convinced me to make a difference," Lauren Partovi said.
"He is the role model," Alex Leonard added.
Arnold is "one of the nicest teachers I've ever had."
In Fallujah, Arnold protected voters on their way to the polls. "We're succeeding here. We're watching the birth of a nation," he said.
On Friday, students watched their teacher on a movie screen in the school auditorium. His history and government students said he motivates them to find ways to serve.
Ashley Kuhn thinks diplomacy might be her career calling. "I want to go to international relations ... I don't know if I could be a soldier," she said.
Country Day students applauded their teacher and gave standing ovations to Arnold's wife, who visited for the assembly.
Then they went back to class, knowing that Major Arnold is watching them and expecting a lot
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA-TV
FORT WORTH, Texas - Some North Texas students got to briefly reconnect Friday with one of their favorite teachers, who happens to be a Marine serving in Iraq. A News 8 crew found Major Bill Arnold in Fallujah this week, and sent back pictures for an assembly of his students.
The students at Fort Worth Country Day school might seem insulated from the world's messier problems. Many are gifted with affluence and intellect. Most are assured that college and a career lie in their future. But they said Arnold's sacrifice inspires them to achieve.
"He convinced me to make a difference," Lauren Partovi said.
"He is the role model," Alex Leonard added.
Arnold is "one of the nicest teachers I've ever had."
In Fallujah, Arnold protected voters on their way to the polls. "We're succeeding here. We're watching the birth of a nation," he said.
On Friday, students watched their teacher on a movie screen in the school auditorium. His history and government students said he motivates them to find ways to serve.
Ashley Kuhn thinks diplomacy might be her career calling. "I want to go to international relations ... I don't know if I could be a soldier," she said.
Country Day students applauded their teacher and gave standing ovations to Arnold's wife, who visited for the assembly.
Then they went back to class, knowing that Major Arnold is watching them and expecting a lot
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TexasStooge
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Alcohol, bonds on ballots today
DALLAS, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/WFAA ABC 8) - Local option elections on alcohol in eight area cities dominate the political front today.
Today's ballot also includes City Council elections in Glenn Heights and Sachse and bond elections for the cities of Colleyville and Denton and Duncanville and Aubrey school districts.
Arlington voters will decide whether to institute a senior citizen tax freeze, and Fort Worth voters will decide whether to renew the half-cent Fort Worth Crime Control and Prevention District sales tax. Hurst voters will decide on eight charter amendments, while Wilmer voters are deciding whether to allow the city to raise the sales tax rate a penny for economic and community development projects.
The local option elections – which would allow some cities to sell beer and wine and others to sell all types of alcohol – are scheduled in Anna, Arlington, Hutchins, Lancaster, Lewisville, Oak Point, Melissa and Ponder.
In Glenn Heights, 10 candidates are vying for three spots on the seven-member council, which has lacked a quorum since November, when voters recalled three council members. Voters also elected Alvin DuBois as mayor Nov. 2. Dr. Jim Williams had resigned earlier.
David Anderson, Ed Schellinger and Josie Torrez are running for Place 1.
Kathy Dixon, Gloria Fisher and Philip Stauffer are running for Place 3.
In Place 5, Mary Ann Chancellor, N.L. "Moe" Craddock, Chance Harvey and Paul Lohrman are running.
In Sachse, four candidates – John Christian Cook, Chris Lam, Jeff Slusher and Stephen Stanley – seek to fill the unexpired Place 2 term of Scott Stauffer, who resigned in October to move to Dallas.
Colleyville voters will be voting on a $34.3 million bond package that includes street and park improvements, a new fire station and warning sirens, a new senior center and burying utility lines along State Highway 26 from Big Bear Creek to Little Bear Creek.
Denton voters will decide a $42.4 million bond election that would pay for streets, parks and buildings.
In the Duncanville school district, voters will decide an $80 million bond package that would pay for two new elementary schools, a new intermediate school, technology improvements and capital items.
Aubrey school district voters will decide a $38 million bond package for a new middle school and high school athletic complex.
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POLLING PLACES
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the following locations:
Collin County
Anna
All precincts: Anna Volunteer Fire Department, 305 Powell Parkway
Melissa
All precincts: City of Melissa, 901 U.S. Highway 121
Dallas County
Duncanville ISD
All precincts: Duncanville Library, 201 James Collins
Glenn Heights
All precincts: Glenn Heights City Hall, 1938 S. Hampton Road
Hutchins
All precincts: Hutchins Community Center, 501 W. Hickman
Lancaster
3800, 3801: Houston Elementary School, 3100 N. Houston School Road
3802-3804: Pleasant Run Elementary School, 427 W. Pleasant Run
3806: Rosa Parks-Millbrook Elementary School, 630 Millbrook Dr.
3807, 3808: Robertson High School, 822 W. Pleasant Run
3805, 3809, 3810: Lancaster Recreation Center, 1700 S. Veterans Memorial Parkway
Sachse
All precincts: Sachse City Hall, 5560 Highway 78
Wilmer
All precincts: Wilmer Community Center, 101 Davidson Plaza
Denton County
Lewisville
113, 114, 138, 221, 227 and 309: Lewisville City Hall, 151 W. Church St.
306, 308, 311, 319, 322, 324 and 329: Lewisville Municipal Annex, 1197 W. Main St.
300, 301, 305, 310, 312, 315, 318, 321 and 327: Memorial Park Recreation Center, 1950-B S. Valley Parkway
Denton Bond Election
District 1: Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 1300 Wilson St.
District 2: Fire Station No. 4, 2110 E. Sherman Drive
District 3: North Lakes Recreation Center, 2001 W. Windsor Drive
District 4: Denia Recreation Center, 1001 Parvin St.
Aubrey ISD
All precincts: Aubrey Middle School, 415 Tisdell Lane
Ponder
All precincts: Ponder City Hall, 405 Schafner St.
Oak Point
All precincts: Oak Point City Hall, 100 Naylor Road
Tarrant County
Arlington
2181, 2205: Bailey Junior High School, 2411 Winewood St.
2031, 2383, 2405, 2541: Ashworth Elementary School, 6700 Silo Road
2027, 2235, 2320, 2381, 2461, 2569: Atherton Elementary School, 2101 Overbrook Drive
1605, 1606, 2003, 2217, 2280, 2303: B. N. Pope Elementary School, 901 Chestnut Drive
2100, 2145, 2210: Berry Elementary School, 1800 Joyce St.
2309, 2544: Berry Elementary School, 1800 Joyce St.
2226, 2268, 2269, 2393, 2403: Burgin Elementary School, 401 East Mayfield Road
2052, 2161: City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Center, 717 W. Main St.
2169, 2225, 2263, 2413, 2427: City of Arlington Senior Center, 2015 Craig Hanking Drive
2030, 2304, 2356, 2462, 2519, 2525, 2553, 2581: City of Arlington South Service Center, 1100 Southwest Green Oaks Blvd.
2029, 2305, 2306, 2352, 2425, 2506: Corey Elementary School, 5200 Kelly Elliott Road
2220, 2266, 2319, 2464: Ditto Elementary School, 3001 Quail Lane
2171, 2310L Duff Elementary School, 3100 Lynnwood Drive
2224, 2315, 2316, 3441, 3442, 3550, 3551, 3552: Ellis Elementary School, 2601 Shadow Ridge Drive
2353, 2448, 2450: Ferguson Junior High School, 600 Southeast Green Oaks Blvd.
2354, 2449, 2523: Fitzgerald Elementary School, 5201 Creek Valley Drive
2174, 2229, 2267, 2318, 2401, 2451, 2513: Gunn Junior High School, 3000 South Fielder Road
2173, 2219, 2520, 2556, 2609, 2610: Miller Elementary School, 6401 West Pleasant Ridge Road
2402, 2467, 2536, 2537: Nichols Junior High School, 2201 Ascension Boulevard
1607, 2228, 2246, 2317: Shackelford Junior High School, 2000 North Fielder Road
1380, 1463, 2055, 2281, 3564: Sherrod Elementary School, 2626 Lincoln Drive
2143, 2147, 2168: South Davis Elementary School, 2001 South Davis Drive
2007, 2028, 2262, 2307, 2358, 2505, 2521, 2522, 2535: Truett Boles Junior High School, 3900 Southwest Green Oaks Boulevard
2026, 2148, 2190: Webb Elementary School, 1200 North Cooper St.
2313, 2314, 2468: Young Junior High School, 3200 Woodside Drive
2557, 2613: Ashworth Elementary School, 6700 Silo Road
2571, 2617: Nichols Junior High School, 2201 Ascension Blvd.
Colleyville
All precincts: City of Colleyville, Colleyville City Hall, 100 Main St.
Fort Worth
1001: Civil Courts Building, 100 North Houston St.
1002, 1376, 1483, 4458, 4494: Central Library, 500 W. 3rd St.
1004: Westcreek Elementary School, 3401 Walton Ave.
1005, 4006, 4492: Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary School, 501 Missouri Ave.
1008: Versia L. Williams Elementary School, 901 Baurline Ave.
1010, 1474: Community Christian Church Education Building, 1720 E. Vickery Blvd.
1011: Liberation Community Inc., 3608 E. Rosedale St.
1012: East Handley Elementary School, 2617 Mims St.
1014, 1189: Greenbriar Elementary School, 1605 Grady Lee St.
1015, 4345: Middle Level Learning Center, 3813 Valentine St.
1019, 1476, 1596: Andrew "Doc" Session Community Center, 201 South Sylvania Ave.
1022: St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 5709 Wedgwood Drive
1024, 1034, 1244, 1504, 2262: Precinct One Garage, 800 East Rendon-Crowley Road, Burleson
1056: I. M. Terrell Elementary School, 1411 E. 18th St.
1058: New Life Baptist Church, 1035 E. Annie St.
1059, 4370, 1105: Southwest Community Center, 6300 Welch Ave.
1061: Progressive Baptist Church, 1702 Carver Ave.
1062, 4077, 4096: E. M. Daggett Elementary School, 958 Page Ave.
1066, 1479: New Covenant Community Church, 3201 Purington Ave.
1073: Fellowship Corner, 1601 New York Ave.
1074, 1598: D. McRae Elementary School, 3316 Avenue N
1075: Sycamore Park Community Center, 2525 E. Rosedale St.
1076, 1095, 1565: Lily B. Clayton Elementary School, 2000 Park Place Drive
1078: Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 2951 Evans Ave.
1079, 4432: lgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church, 960 East Baltimore Ave.
1080: Greater Harvest Church of God in Christ, 2900 Mitchell Blvd.
1081: Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center, 3320 West Cantey St.
1082, 1198: Riverside Community Center in the Park, 3700 East Belknap St.
1083: Oaklawn Elementary School, 3220 Hardeman St.
1085, 1478, 1593, 4436: Rosemont Middle School, 1501 W. Seminary Drive
1088, 1312, 1475: Sagamore Hill Elementary School, 701 S. Hughes St.
1089, 4587: Morningside Elementary School, 2601 Evans Ave.
1090: Greater Progressive Church of God in Christ, 1349 E. Baltimore Ave.
1098: S. S. Dillow Elementary School, 4000 Avenue N
1099, 1415: Handley-Meadowbrook Community Center, 6201 Beaty St.
1103, 1251, 1255, 1271, 1294, 1459: Meadowcreek Elementary School, 2801 Country Creek Lane
1104, 1482: Bradley Center, 2601 Timberline Drive
1106: East Berry Branch Library, 4300 E. Berry St.
1108, 1298, 1408: R. L. Paschal High School, 3001 Forest Park Blvd.
1109, 1473, 1485, 1486, 1487, 4503: Oakhurst Elementary School, 2700 Yucca Ave.
1111, 1186, 1296, 1377, 1423, 4071: Oakmont Elementary School, 6651 Oakmont Trail
1117, 1239, 4498: McLean 6th Grade School, 3201 South Hills Ave.
1119, 1347, 1348, 1349: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 7001 Trail Lake Drive
1120, 1274, 1341: Como Elementary School, 4000 Horne St.
1126: First Jefferson Unitarian Church, 1959 Sandy Lane
1127: Martin Luther King Community Center, 5565 Truman Drive
1132, 1477: Charles F. Griffin Sub-Courthouse, 3212 Miller Ave.
1133, 1165: South Hills Elementary School, 3009 Bilglade Road
1134, 1435: Rosemont 6th Grade School, 3908 McCart Ave.
1142: Bruce Shulkey Elementary School, 5533 Whitman Ave.
1146: Eastern Hills High School, 5701 Shelton Drive
1149, 1184, 1600, 1601, 2029: W. M. Green Elementary School, 4612 David Strickland Road
1150: New Bethel Baptist Church Family Life Center, 7412 South Freeway
1151, 1277, 1460, 1500, 3199, 3430, 4622, 4632: East Regional Library, 6301 Bridge St,
1152, 1211: Sunrise-McMillian Elementary School, 3409 Stalcup Road
1154, 1555, 1597, 4495: Carter Park Elementary School, 1204 E. Broadus Ave.
1167, 1257: Fort Worth Education Association, 6021 Westcreek Drive
1175, 1420, 1444, 1560, 1573, 3409, 3590: St. John Baptist Church, 3324 House Anderson Road, Euless
1185, 1170, 1567, 1568: Meadowbrook Middle School, 2001 Ederville Road
1188: Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, 5700 Ramey Ave.
1207: Southwest Sub-Courthouse, 6551 Granbury Road
1227, 1437: Fort Worth Fire Station 7, 7601 John T. White Road
1236: KXAS TV Studio, 3900 Barnett St.
1237, 1351, 1502, 4256: Hubbard Heights Elementary School, 1333 W. Spurgeon Ave.
1238, 1446: Trinity Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 7120 West Cleburne Road
1241, 4070: Wedgwood 6th Grade School, 4212 Belden Ave.
1245, 1572, 4253: Charles E. Nash Elementary School, 401 Samuels Ave.
1264: J. T. Stevens Elementary School, 6161 Wrigley Way
1265: Genesis United Methodist Church, 7635 S. Hulen St.
1270, 1419: Fort Worth Fire Station #24, 3101 Forest Ave.
1273, 1592, 1594: South Hills Baptist Church, 4800 Merida Ave.
1278, 1279: Atwood McDonald Elementary School, 1850 Barron Lane
1291: Highland Hills Community Center, 1600 Glasgow Road
1292, 1440: Southwood Baptist Church, 2633 Alta Mesa Blvd.
1297: A. M. Pate Elementary School, 3800 Anglin Drive
1299: Glen Park Elementary School, 3601 Pecos Drive
1300, 1602: Sycamore Elementary School, 1601 Country Manor Road
1311, 1428, 1489, 1490, 1514: Handley Middle School, 2801 Patino Road
1337, 4135, 4203: Western Hills United Methodist Church, 2820 Laredo Drive
1346: Dunbar 6th Grade Middle School, 5100 Willie St.
1378, Parkway Elementary School, 1320 West Everman Parkway
1388, 1603, 3329, 3336, 3404, 3455, 3589: Fort Worth Fire Station 33, 14650 Statler Blvd.
1472, 4130, 4343: Overton Park United Methodist Church, 5001 Briarhaven Road
1480, 4069: Westland Heights Baptist Church, 9700 Santa Paula Drive
1595, 4124: Calvary Cathedral, 1701 Oakhurst Scenic Drive
3043, 3192, 3240, 3372, 3417, 3465, 3570, 3576, 3599: Fossil Ridge High School, 4101 Thompson Road, Keller
3197: River Trails Elementary School, 8850 Elbe Trail
3234, 3588, 4250, 4261, 4374, 4508, 4528, 4540: Parkview Elementary School, 6900 Bayberry Drive
3363, 3491, 4044, 4045, 4053, 4091, 4232, 4284, 4375, 4429, 4454, 4532, 4591: Fort Worth Fire Station 13, 5333 Lea Crest Lane
4016, 4350: South Hi Mount Elementary School, 4101 Birchman St.
4017, 4122, 4397, 4578: Azle Avenue Baptist Church, 2901 Azle Ave.
4020, 4204, 4497: Birchman Baptist Church, 2700 Dale Lane
4048: Fort Worth Fire Station 12, 120 Northwest 22nd St.
4050: Thompson Chapel United Methodist Church, 2804 Prospect Ave.
4051, 4123: Evangel Assembly of God Church, 3401 North Harding St.
4057, 4493: Trinity Terrace, 1600 Texas St.
4060: De Zavala Elementary School, 1419 College Ave.
4064, 4086, 4116: North Hi Mount Elementary School, 3801 W. 7th St.
4065, 4113, 4242, 4259, 4272, 4285, 4373: Lake Patrol Headquarters, 7501 Surfside Drive
4067: Rufino E. Mendoza Sr. Elementary School , 1412 Denver Ave.
4068: Rosen Heights Baptist Church Family Life Center, 2519 Prairie Ave.
4084: Southside Church of Christ, 2101 Hemphill St.
4087, 4092: J. P. Elder Middle School, 600 Park St.
4093: Diamond Hill Community Center, 1701 N.E. 36th St.
4094: Arlington Heights High School, 4501 Rosedale St.
4097: George C. Clarke Elementary School, 3300 S. Henderson St.
4101: Amon Carter-Riverside High School, 3301 Yucca Ave.
4107, 1481, 4201: Worth Heights Elementary School, 519 E. Butler St.
4110, 4563: Northside Community Center, 1901 Harrington Ave.
4115, 4178, 4344: Calvary Bible Church, 4800 El Campo Ave.
4118, 4456: Mary Louise Phillips Elementary School, 3020 Bigham Blvd.
4125, 4243, 4512: Trinity Baptist Church, 620 Churchill Road
4128, 4276, 4369, 4534: Fort Worth Fire Station 32, 10201 White Settlement Road
4129: Ridglea West Baptist Church, 3954 Southwest Blvd.
4136, 4630: Luella Merrett Elementary School, 7325 Kermit Ave.
4137, 4496: Jo Kelly School, 201 N. Bailey Ave.
4155: Rosemont Church of Christ, 4041 Ryan Ave.
4162: Riverside Applied Learning Center at Bonnie Brae, 3600 Fossil Drive
4163: Westcliff United Methodist Church, 4833 Selkirk Drive
4179, 4518: R. D. Evans Community Center, 3242 Lackland Road
4182: Tanglewood Elementary School, 3060 W. Overton Park Drive
4195: Richard J. Wilson Elementary School, 900 W. Fogg St.
4230: Bethel United Methodist Church, 5000 Southwest Blvd.
4231, 4434: Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, 1411 Maydell St.
4233, 4501: Fort Worth Fire Station 10, 3209 Hemphill St.
4252: American Legion Post #626, 1129 Burton Hill Road
4288: Macedonia Ministry Center, 2740 South Freeway
4342: Faith Lutheran Church, 4551 Southwest Blvd.
4452, 4499: North Fort Worth Baptist Church, 5801 North I-35 West
Fort Worth (Denton County voters)
All precincts: Fossil Ridge High School, 4101 Thompson Road, Keller
Hurst
All precincts: Brookside Center, 1244 Brookside Drive
Richland Hills
All precincts: Richland Hills City Hall, 3200 Diana Drive
River Oaks
All precincts: River Oaks City Hall, 4900 River Oaks Blvd.
Sansom Park
All precincts: Sansom Park City Hall, 5500 Buchanan St.
White Settlement
All precincts: White Settlement Recreation Center, 8213 White Settlement Road
DALLAS, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/WFAA ABC 8) - Local option elections on alcohol in eight area cities dominate the political front today.
Today's ballot also includes City Council elections in Glenn Heights and Sachse and bond elections for the cities of Colleyville and Denton and Duncanville and Aubrey school districts.
Arlington voters will decide whether to institute a senior citizen tax freeze, and Fort Worth voters will decide whether to renew the half-cent Fort Worth Crime Control and Prevention District sales tax. Hurst voters will decide on eight charter amendments, while Wilmer voters are deciding whether to allow the city to raise the sales tax rate a penny for economic and community development projects.
The local option elections – which would allow some cities to sell beer and wine and others to sell all types of alcohol – are scheduled in Anna, Arlington, Hutchins, Lancaster, Lewisville, Oak Point, Melissa and Ponder.
In Glenn Heights, 10 candidates are vying for three spots on the seven-member council, which has lacked a quorum since November, when voters recalled three council members. Voters also elected Alvin DuBois as mayor Nov. 2. Dr. Jim Williams had resigned earlier.
David Anderson, Ed Schellinger and Josie Torrez are running for Place 1.
Kathy Dixon, Gloria Fisher and Philip Stauffer are running for Place 3.
In Place 5, Mary Ann Chancellor, N.L. "Moe" Craddock, Chance Harvey and Paul Lohrman are running.
In Sachse, four candidates – John Christian Cook, Chris Lam, Jeff Slusher and Stephen Stanley – seek to fill the unexpired Place 2 term of Scott Stauffer, who resigned in October to move to Dallas.
Colleyville voters will be voting on a $34.3 million bond package that includes street and park improvements, a new fire station and warning sirens, a new senior center and burying utility lines along State Highway 26 from Big Bear Creek to Little Bear Creek.
Denton voters will decide a $42.4 million bond election that would pay for streets, parks and buildings.
In the Duncanville school district, voters will decide an $80 million bond package that would pay for two new elementary schools, a new intermediate school, technology improvements and capital items.
Aubrey school district voters will decide a $38 million bond package for a new middle school and high school athletic complex.
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POLLING PLACES
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at the following locations:
Collin County
Anna
All precincts: Anna Volunteer Fire Department, 305 Powell Parkway
Melissa
All precincts: City of Melissa, 901 U.S. Highway 121
Dallas County
Duncanville ISD
All precincts: Duncanville Library, 201 James Collins
Glenn Heights
All precincts: Glenn Heights City Hall, 1938 S. Hampton Road
Hutchins
All precincts: Hutchins Community Center, 501 W. Hickman
Lancaster
3800, 3801: Houston Elementary School, 3100 N. Houston School Road
3802-3804: Pleasant Run Elementary School, 427 W. Pleasant Run
3806: Rosa Parks-Millbrook Elementary School, 630 Millbrook Dr.
3807, 3808: Robertson High School, 822 W. Pleasant Run
3805, 3809, 3810: Lancaster Recreation Center, 1700 S. Veterans Memorial Parkway
Sachse
All precincts: Sachse City Hall, 5560 Highway 78
Wilmer
All precincts: Wilmer Community Center, 101 Davidson Plaza
Denton County
Lewisville
113, 114, 138, 221, 227 and 309: Lewisville City Hall, 151 W. Church St.
306, 308, 311, 319, 322, 324 and 329: Lewisville Municipal Annex, 1197 W. Main St.
300, 301, 305, 310, 312, 315, 318, 321 and 327: Memorial Park Recreation Center, 1950-B S. Valley Parkway
Denton Bond Election
District 1: Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 1300 Wilson St.
District 2: Fire Station No. 4, 2110 E. Sherman Drive
District 3: North Lakes Recreation Center, 2001 W. Windsor Drive
District 4: Denia Recreation Center, 1001 Parvin St.
Aubrey ISD
All precincts: Aubrey Middle School, 415 Tisdell Lane
Ponder
All precincts: Ponder City Hall, 405 Schafner St.
Oak Point
All precincts: Oak Point City Hall, 100 Naylor Road
Tarrant County
Arlington
2181, 2205: Bailey Junior High School, 2411 Winewood St.
2031, 2383, 2405, 2541: Ashworth Elementary School, 6700 Silo Road
2027, 2235, 2320, 2381, 2461, 2569: Atherton Elementary School, 2101 Overbrook Drive
1605, 1606, 2003, 2217, 2280, 2303: B. N. Pope Elementary School, 901 Chestnut Drive
2100, 2145, 2210: Berry Elementary School, 1800 Joyce St.
2309, 2544: Berry Elementary School, 1800 Joyce St.
2226, 2268, 2269, 2393, 2403: Burgin Elementary School, 401 East Mayfield Road
2052, 2161: City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Center, 717 W. Main St.
2169, 2225, 2263, 2413, 2427: City of Arlington Senior Center, 2015 Craig Hanking Drive
2030, 2304, 2356, 2462, 2519, 2525, 2553, 2581: City of Arlington South Service Center, 1100 Southwest Green Oaks Blvd.
2029, 2305, 2306, 2352, 2425, 2506: Corey Elementary School, 5200 Kelly Elliott Road
2220, 2266, 2319, 2464: Ditto Elementary School, 3001 Quail Lane
2171, 2310L Duff Elementary School, 3100 Lynnwood Drive
2224, 2315, 2316, 3441, 3442, 3550, 3551, 3552: Ellis Elementary School, 2601 Shadow Ridge Drive
2353, 2448, 2450: Ferguson Junior High School, 600 Southeast Green Oaks Blvd.
2354, 2449, 2523: Fitzgerald Elementary School, 5201 Creek Valley Drive
2174, 2229, 2267, 2318, 2401, 2451, 2513: Gunn Junior High School, 3000 South Fielder Road
2173, 2219, 2520, 2556, 2609, 2610: Miller Elementary School, 6401 West Pleasant Ridge Road
2402, 2467, 2536, 2537: Nichols Junior High School, 2201 Ascension Boulevard
1607, 2228, 2246, 2317: Shackelford Junior High School, 2000 North Fielder Road
1380, 1463, 2055, 2281, 3564: Sherrod Elementary School, 2626 Lincoln Drive
2143, 2147, 2168: South Davis Elementary School, 2001 South Davis Drive
2007, 2028, 2262, 2307, 2358, 2505, 2521, 2522, 2535: Truett Boles Junior High School, 3900 Southwest Green Oaks Boulevard
2026, 2148, 2190: Webb Elementary School, 1200 North Cooper St.
2313, 2314, 2468: Young Junior High School, 3200 Woodside Drive
2557, 2613: Ashworth Elementary School, 6700 Silo Road
2571, 2617: Nichols Junior High School, 2201 Ascension Blvd.
Colleyville
All precincts: City of Colleyville, Colleyville City Hall, 100 Main St.
Fort Worth
1001: Civil Courts Building, 100 North Houston St.
1002, 1376, 1483, 4458, 4494: Central Library, 500 W. 3rd St.
1004: Westcreek Elementary School, 3401 Walton Ave.
1005, 4006, 4492: Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary School, 501 Missouri Ave.
1008: Versia L. Williams Elementary School, 901 Baurline Ave.
1010, 1474: Community Christian Church Education Building, 1720 E. Vickery Blvd.
1011: Liberation Community Inc., 3608 E. Rosedale St.
1012: East Handley Elementary School, 2617 Mims St.
1014, 1189: Greenbriar Elementary School, 1605 Grady Lee St.
1015, 4345: Middle Level Learning Center, 3813 Valentine St.
1019, 1476, 1596: Andrew "Doc" Session Community Center, 201 South Sylvania Ave.
1022: St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 5709 Wedgwood Drive
1024, 1034, 1244, 1504, 2262: Precinct One Garage, 800 East Rendon-Crowley Road, Burleson
1056: I. M. Terrell Elementary School, 1411 E. 18th St.
1058: New Life Baptist Church, 1035 E. Annie St.
1059, 4370, 1105: Southwest Community Center, 6300 Welch Ave.
1061: Progressive Baptist Church, 1702 Carver Ave.
1062, 4077, 4096: E. M. Daggett Elementary School, 958 Page Ave.
1066, 1479: New Covenant Community Church, 3201 Purington Ave.
1073: Fellowship Corner, 1601 New York Ave.
1074, 1598: D. McRae Elementary School, 3316 Avenue N
1075: Sycamore Park Community Center, 2525 E. Rosedale St.
1076, 1095, 1565: Lily B. Clayton Elementary School, 2000 Park Place Drive
1078: Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 2951 Evans Ave.
1079, 4432: lgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church, 960 East Baltimore Ave.
1080: Greater Harvest Church of God in Christ, 2900 Mitchell Blvd.
1081: Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center, 3320 West Cantey St.
1082, 1198: Riverside Community Center in the Park, 3700 East Belknap St.
1083: Oaklawn Elementary School, 3220 Hardeman St.
1085, 1478, 1593, 4436: Rosemont Middle School, 1501 W. Seminary Drive
1088, 1312, 1475: Sagamore Hill Elementary School, 701 S. Hughes St.
1089, 4587: Morningside Elementary School, 2601 Evans Ave.
1090: Greater Progressive Church of God in Christ, 1349 E. Baltimore Ave.
1098: S. S. Dillow Elementary School, 4000 Avenue N
1099, 1415: Handley-Meadowbrook Community Center, 6201 Beaty St.
1103, 1251, 1255, 1271, 1294, 1459: Meadowcreek Elementary School, 2801 Country Creek Lane
1104, 1482: Bradley Center, 2601 Timberline Drive
1106: East Berry Branch Library, 4300 E. Berry St.
1108, 1298, 1408: R. L. Paschal High School, 3001 Forest Park Blvd.
1109, 1473, 1485, 1486, 1487, 4503: Oakhurst Elementary School, 2700 Yucca Ave.
1111, 1186, 1296, 1377, 1423, 4071: Oakmont Elementary School, 6651 Oakmont Trail
1117, 1239, 4498: McLean 6th Grade School, 3201 South Hills Ave.
1119, 1347, 1348, 1349: Westminster Presbyterian Church, 7001 Trail Lake Drive
1120, 1274, 1341: Como Elementary School, 4000 Horne St.
1126: First Jefferson Unitarian Church, 1959 Sandy Lane
1127: Martin Luther King Community Center, 5565 Truman Drive
1132, 1477: Charles F. Griffin Sub-Courthouse, 3212 Miller Ave.
1133, 1165: South Hills Elementary School, 3009 Bilglade Road
1134, 1435: Rosemont 6th Grade School, 3908 McCart Ave.
1142: Bruce Shulkey Elementary School, 5533 Whitman Ave.
1146: Eastern Hills High School, 5701 Shelton Drive
1149, 1184, 1600, 1601, 2029: W. M. Green Elementary School, 4612 David Strickland Road
1150: New Bethel Baptist Church Family Life Center, 7412 South Freeway
1151, 1277, 1460, 1500, 3199, 3430, 4622, 4632: East Regional Library, 6301 Bridge St,
1152, 1211: Sunrise-McMillian Elementary School, 3409 Stalcup Road
1154, 1555, 1597, 4495: Carter Park Elementary School, 1204 E. Broadus Ave.
1167, 1257: Fort Worth Education Association, 6021 Westcreek Drive
1175, 1420, 1444, 1560, 1573, 3409, 3590: St. John Baptist Church, 3324 House Anderson Road, Euless
1185, 1170, 1567, 1568: Meadowbrook Middle School, 2001 Ederville Road
1188: Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, 5700 Ramey Ave.
1207: Southwest Sub-Courthouse, 6551 Granbury Road
1227, 1437: Fort Worth Fire Station 7, 7601 John T. White Road
1236: KXAS TV Studio, 3900 Barnett St.
1237, 1351, 1502, 4256: Hubbard Heights Elementary School, 1333 W. Spurgeon Ave.
1238, 1446: Trinity Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 7120 West Cleburne Road
1241, 4070: Wedgwood 6th Grade School, 4212 Belden Ave.
1245, 1572, 4253: Charles E. Nash Elementary School, 401 Samuels Ave.
1264: J. T. Stevens Elementary School, 6161 Wrigley Way
1265: Genesis United Methodist Church, 7635 S. Hulen St.
1270, 1419: Fort Worth Fire Station #24, 3101 Forest Ave.
1273, 1592, 1594: South Hills Baptist Church, 4800 Merida Ave.
1278, 1279: Atwood McDonald Elementary School, 1850 Barron Lane
1291: Highland Hills Community Center, 1600 Glasgow Road
1292, 1440: Southwood Baptist Church, 2633 Alta Mesa Blvd.
1297: A. M. Pate Elementary School, 3800 Anglin Drive
1299: Glen Park Elementary School, 3601 Pecos Drive
1300, 1602: Sycamore Elementary School, 1601 Country Manor Road
1311, 1428, 1489, 1490, 1514: Handley Middle School, 2801 Patino Road
1337, 4135, 4203: Western Hills United Methodist Church, 2820 Laredo Drive
1346: Dunbar 6th Grade Middle School, 5100 Willie St.
1378, Parkway Elementary School, 1320 West Everman Parkway
1388, 1603, 3329, 3336, 3404, 3455, 3589: Fort Worth Fire Station 33, 14650 Statler Blvd.
1472, 4130, 4343: Overton Park United Methodist Church, 5001 Briarhaven Road
1480, 4069: Westland Heights Baptist Church, 9700 Santa Paula Drive
1595, 4124: Calvary Cathedral, 1701 Oakhurst Scenic Drive
3043, 3192, 3240, 3372, 3417, 3465, 3570, 3576, 3599: Fossil Ridge High School, 4101 Thompson Road, Keller
3197: River Trails Elementary School, 8850 Elbe Trail
3234, 3588, 4250, 4261, 4374, 4508, 4528, 4540: Parkview Elementary School, 6900 Bayberry Drive
3363, 3491, 4044, 4045, 4053, 4091, 4232, 4284, 4375, 4429, 4454, 4532, 4591: Fort Worth Fire Station 13, 5333 Lea Crest Lane
4016, 4350: South Hi Mount Elementary School, 4101 Birchman St.
4017, 4122, 4397, 4578: Azle Avenue Baptist Church, 2901 Azle Ave.
4020, 4204, 4497: Birchman Baptist Church, 2700 Dale Lane
4048: Fort Worth Fire Station 12, 120 Northwest 22nd St.
4050: Thompson Chapel United Methodist Church, 2804 Prospect Ave.
4051, 4123: Evangel Assembly of God Church, 3401 North Harding St.
4057, 4493: Trinity Terrace, 1600 Texas St.
4060: De Zavala Elementary School, 1419 College Ave.
4064, 4086, 4116: North Hi Mount Elementary School, 3801 W. 7th St.
4065, 4113, 4242, 4259, 4272, 4285, 4373: Lake Patrol Headquarters, 7501 Surfside Drive
4067: Rufino E. Mendoza Sr. Elementary School , 1412 Denver Ave.
4068: Rosen Heights Baptist Church Family Life Center, 2519 Prairie Ave.
4084: Southside Church of Christ, 2101 Hemphill St.
4087, 4092: J. P. Elder Middle School, 600 Park St.
4093: Diamond Hill Community Center, 1701 N.E. 36th St.
4094: Arlington Heights High School, 4501 Rosedale St.
4097: George C. Clarke Elementary School, 3300 S. Henderson St.
4101: Amon Carter-Riverside High School, 3301 Yucca Ave.
4107, 1481, 4201: Worth Heights Elementary School, 519 E. Butler St.
4110, 4563: Northside Community Center, 1901 Harrington Ave.
4115, 4178, 4344: Calvary Bible Church, 4800 El Campo Ave.
4118, 4456: Mary Louise Phillips Elementary School, 3020 Bigham Blvd.
4125, 4243, 4512: Trinity Baptist Church, 620 Churchill Road
4128, 4276, 4369, 4534: Fort Worth Fire Station 32, 10201 White Settlement Road
4129: Ridglea West Baptist Church, 3954 Southwest Blvd.
4136, 4630: Luella Merrett Elementary School, 7325 Kermit Ave.
4137, 4496: Jo Kelly School, 201 N. Bailey Ave.
4155: Rosemont Church of Christ, 4041 Ryan Ave.
4162: Riverside Applied Learning Center at Bonnie Brae, 3600 Fossil Drive
4163: Westcliff United Methodist Church, 4833 Selkirk Drive
4179, 4518: R. D. Evans Community Center, 3242 Lackland Road
4182: Tanglewood Elementary School, 3060 W. Overton Park Drive
4195: Richard J. Wilson Elementary School, 900 W. Fogg St.
4230: Bethel United Methodist Church, 5000 Southwest Blvd.
4231, 4434: Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School, 1411 Maydell St.
4233, 4501: Fort Worth Fire Station 10, 3209 Hemphill St.
4252: American Legion Post #626, 1129 Burton Hill Road
4288: Macedonia Ministry Center, 2740 South Freeway
4342: Faith Lutheran Church, 4551 Southwest Blvd.
4452, 4499: North Fort Worth Baptist Church, 5801 North I-35 West
Fort Worth (Denton County voters)
All precincts: Fossil Ridge High School, 4101 Thompson Road, Keller
Hurst
All precincts: Brookside Center, 1244 Brookside Drive
Richland Hills
All precincts: Richland Hills City Hall, 3200 Diana Drive
River Oaks
All precincts: River Oaks City Hall, 4900 River Oaks Blvd.
Sansom Park
All precincts: Sansom Park City Hall, 5500 Buchanan St.
White Settlement
All precincts: White Settlement Recreation Center, 8213 White Settlement Road
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TexasStooge
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Computer delayed tax refunds, too
Computer holds up 10,000 exemption checks in Dallas County
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The same computer problems that delayed delivery of some Dallas County tax bills also has slowed by months the delivery of as many as 10,000 exemption refund checks to county taxpayers.
David Childs, the county's tax assessor-collector, said that because the Dallas County Appraisal District has not sent him recent updates on new homestead exemptions and exemptions for people over age 65, he has been unable to send out the refund checks.
That has caused some irritation for taxpayers, especially those on fixed incomes who were counting on the windfall months ago.
Dwayn and Doris Cochran, who live in the Parkdale section of Dallas, are among those still waiting for a refund on their 2003 tax bill. Mrs. Cochran thought both she and her husband had to turn 65 before qualifying for the exemption. She turned 65 two years ago, and when her husband turned 65 last year, they went to the appraisal district's offices in August to file for an over-65 exemption.
She said they were told they could qualify for an exemption for their 2003 tax bill as well. But the check never arrived. What's more, when they received their 2004 tax bill in October, it did not reflect the over-65 exemption.
That sent them back to the appraisal office. Mrs. Cochran said she was told the updated bill would arrive in January. When it didn't, she contacted the office again. She said they told her she needed to pay the full tax bill by Jan. 31, and she would get a refund later.
Because she still hadn't received her 2003 refund as promised, she was skeptical about paying the full 2004 tax and waiting for another refund.
"They can put that in a cocked hat," she said. She refused to pay and is now delinquent on her 2004 tax bill. "We're on a fixed income. We don't usually have $1,200 just lying around," she said of her bill amount. "I've never seen such a mess."
Property tax lawyer John Brusniak Jr. said that under Texas law, someone who voluntarily pays what amounts to an illegal tax waives their right to a refund. To fix the problem, the Texas Legislature several years ago amended the law so that anyone who believes their bill is overstated can write on their check "payment under protest" to lock in their right to fight for a refund.
He also said those who protest by not paying are inevitably opening themselves to a steady stream of dunning letters and calls from the tax collector.
New computer woes
Foy Mitchell, the chief appraiser at the Dallas County Appraisal District, said a shift to a new computer system has prevented his office from sending out the updates on as many as 10,000 new exemptions that would generate tax refunds. Taxpayers have up to a year after qualifying to file for such exemptions.
He said the switch from the old computer system cost $700,000 but will generate $1.1 million in savings every year. He said he probably should have made the switch over the course of two years, not one. That might have made the transition go more smoothly, and not have caused such delays in getting updated tax information to Dallas County officials.
The delays also caused about 8,350 tax bills to go out Monday and Tuesday, giving those taxpayers virtually no time to pay by the Monday deadline without a 7 percent penalty. Mr. Childs initially pushed back the deadline for those affected to Friday, and has since eased up on that deadline, saying he would work with affected taxpayers on a case-by-case basis.
Workweek changes eyed
Mr. Childs also proposed to the county commissioners this week to switch the tax office to a four-day workweek. Shirley Jacobson, the chief deputy tax assessor-collector, said Friday that the idea would be to close tax collection offices throughout the county on Fridays but keep the offices open longer hours the other four days so taxpayers could conduct business during "drive time" before and after their work hours. She said that for years, taxpayers have asked for extended hours.
In a report to the county commissioners, Mr. Childs also said the four-day week would attract staff that desire the four-day environment, creating less turnover, fewer resources dedicated to hiring and training, and more knowledgeable, experienced staff. He said that having satellite offices closed Fridays would also save on electric and air conditioning expenses.
Several years ago, the tax office did start offering extended hours on Thursday evenings at the Oak Cliff and North Dallas offices. Mr. Childs said in his report that "public response was overwhelming."
But county commissioners Tuesday said they didn't like the idea of closing tax offices on Fridays and asked Ms. Jacobson to come back with other options, including the use of flex time for employees, which could help extend hours while keeping offices open all week.
Computer holds up 10,000 exemption checks in Dallas County
By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The same computer problems that delayed delivery of some Dallas County tax bills also has slowed by months the delivery of as many as 10,000 exemption refund checks to county taxpayers.
David Childs, the county's tax assessor-collector, said that because the Dallas County Appraisal District has not sent him recent updates on new homestead exemptions and exemptions for people over age 65, he has been unable to send out the refund checks.
That has caused some irritation for taxpayers, especially those on fixed incomes who were counting on the windfall months ago.
Dwayn and Doris Cochran, who live in the Parkdale section of Dallas, are among those still waiting for a refund on their 2003 tax bill. Mrs. Cochran thought both she and her husband had to turn 65 before qualifying for the exemption. She turned 65 two years ago, and when her husband turned 65 last year, they went to the appraisal district's offices in August to file for an over-65 exemption.
She said they were told they could qualify for an exemption for their 2003 tax bill as well. But the check never arrived. What's more, when they received their 2004 tax bill in October, it did not reflect the over-65 exemption.
That sent them back to the appraisal office. Mrs. Cochran said she was told the updated bill would arrive in January. When it didn't, she contacted the office again. She said they told her she needed to pay the full tax bill by Jan. 31, and she would get a refund later.
Because she still hadn't received her 2003 refund as promised, she was skeptical about paying the full 2004 tax and waiting for another refund.
"They can put that in a cocked hat," she said. She refused to pay and is now delinquent on her 2004 tax bill. "We're on a fixed income. We don't usually have $1,200 just lying around," she said of her bill amount. "I've never seen such a mess."
Property tax lawyer John Brusniak Jr. said that under Texas law, someone who voluntarily pays what amounts to an illegal tax waives their right to a refund. To fix the problem, the Texas Legislature several years ago amended the law so that anyone who believes their bill is overstated can write on their check "payment under protest" to lock in their right to fight for a refund.
He also said those who protest by not paying are inevitably opening themselves to a steady stream of dunning letters and calls from the tax collector.
New computer woes
Foy Mitchell, the chief appraiser at the Dallas County Appraisal District, said a shift to a new computer system has prevented his office from sending out the updates on as many as 10,000 new exemptions that would generate tax refunds. Taxpayers have up to a year after qualifying to file for such exemptions.
He said the switch from the old computer system cost $700,000 but will generate $1.1 million in savings every year. He said he probably should have made the switch over the course of two years, not one. That might have made the transition go more smoothly, and not have caused such delays in getting updated tax information to Dallas County officials.
The delays also caused about 8,350 tax bills to go out Monday and Tuesday, giving those taxpayers virtually no time to pay by the Monday deadline without a 7 percent penalty. Mr. Childs initially pushed back the deadline for those affected to Friday, and has since eased up on that deadline, saying he would work with affected taxpayers on a case-by-case basis.
Workweek changes eyed
Mr. Childs also proposed to the county commissioners this week to switch the tax office to a four-day workweek. Shirley Jacobson, the chief deputy tax assessor-collector, said Friday that the idea would be to close tax collection offices throughout the county on Fridays but keep the offices open longer hours the other four days so taxpayers could conduct business during "drive time" before and after their work hours. She said that for years, taxpayers have asked for extended hours.
In a report to the county commissioners, Mr. Childs also said the four-day week would attract staff that desire the four-day environment, creating less turnover, fewer resources dedicated to hiring and training, and more knowledgeable, experienced staff. He said that having satellite offices closed Fridays would also save on electric and air conditioning expenses.
Several years ago, the tax office did start offering extended hours on Thursday evenings at the Oak Cliff and North Dallas offices. Mr. Childs said in his report that "public response was overwhelming."
But county commissioners Tuesday said they didn't like the idea of closing tax offices on Fridays and asked Ms. Jacobson to come back with other options, including the use of flex time for employees, which could help extend hours while keeping offices open all week.
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TexasStooge
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Anti-U.S. materials found at mosques
Report says Wahhabi writings found in Richardson; imam says he doesn't follow teaching
By JEFFREY WEISS / The Dallas Morning News
RICHARDSON, Texas - Anti-Jewish and anti-American propaganda published by the Saudi Arabian government has been on display at U.S. mosques, according to an American human rights group.
The publications – including some found in the largest mosque in the Dallas area – urge Muslims to hate Christians and Jews and to refuse service in "infidel" armies.
The preachings are in keeping with tenets of Wahhabi theology, the brand of Islam that prevails in Saudi Arabia.
A spokesman in the Saudi Embassy in Washington, Nail Al-Jubeir, said some of the materials cited may be obsolete and may not have been sent to America by the Saudi government. But he said the Saudis are investigating the claims made last week in a report by the Washington-based Freedom House.
Imam Yusuf Kavakci of the Dallas Central Mosque in Richardson acknowledged that Wahhabi materials have been brought into his mosque – among scores of publications on display there – but he said he rejects the Wahhabi teachings.
Freedom House collected the material in November 2003 from 15 of the largest mosques in the country, including the Richardson mosque.
The group titled its report "Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques."
But the report's editor said this week that her claims were more modest than the title implies: Nina Shea said her organization does not know how widespread the materials are or how they shape the beliefs of American Muslims.
"We didn't try to get any kind of representative sample of what's on mosque shelves," she said. "There is only a small minority that is into this."
The point of the report, she said, was to demonstrate that the Saudi government – supposedly an ally in the war on terrorism – sends material into America that could encourage terror.
Many Muslim leaders acknowledge that oil-rich Saudi Arabia pays for an enormous amount of literature supporting the extremely restrictive salafi or Wahhabi version of Islam that holds sway in Saudi Arabia. That branch of Islam, which is highly critical of non-Muslims and even what it considers less-observant Muslims, is followed by a fraction of the world's billion-plus Muslims, experts say.
High-quality pamphlets and books are distributed in large quantities by the Saudi government and Saudi-funded organizations – while more moderate Muslim groups lack the finances to compete.
Some Saudi-produced materials end up at the Richardson mosque, Imam Kavakci said, but he added that neither he nor other mosque officials have time to read it all.
"I am not a police chief. I am not a district attorney," he said. "I am a religious guy."
The presence of the materials hardly makes the Richardson mosque an outpost of Wahhabi theology, Imam Kavakci said. He has had to explain to his members that some of the Saudi material does not represent his understanding of Islam.
"The Saudi approach is a problem," he said. "It's a problem for me, here."
8 metro areas
Freedom House researchers visited large mosques in eight metropolitan areas, specifically searching for Saudi-produced materials, Ms. Shea said.
Most of the material was at least a decade old and out of print, the Freedom House report acknowledged.
For example, the material collected in Richardson included a book by Saudi religious authority Sheik 'Abd al-'Aziz Bin 'Abdillah Bin Baz, who died in 1999. Among his rulings, or fatwas, was one that seems to say Muslims should not join the American armed forces:
"It is not right for a Muslim to support the unbelievers, or to ask them to support him against his enemies, they are the enemy, do not trust them."
Another document collected at the Richardson mosque was written by King Fahd, the monarch of Saudi Arabia, and published in 1993. In it, the king appears to preclude the possibility of peace between Muslims and Israel:
"[W]e consider ourselves to be in a continuous war against the Zionist enemy in every way until we achieve the hopes of the Arab nation driving the occupier out."
Publications collected at other mosques say that:
•Jews and Christians should be cursed.
•Jews corrupted Europe and destroyed family values there.
•Non-Muslims are "enemies to Allah, his prophet and believers."
•Muslims are not allowed to wish nonbelievers a "happy holiday" for a non-Muslim holiday.
•Muslims should not visit the homes of nonbelievers unless it's to educate them about Islam.
Cautious responses
Some Muslim activists responded cautiously to the report.
"The majority of the stuff they picked is in Arabic, a language that most people in mosques don't read," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations, a lobbying group that promotes Muslim causes.
"And I think we can rely on the common sense and good judgment of the American Muslim community that, if they are reading hate-filled rhetoric, they would remove it."
Not all the examples cited in the report would qualify as hate speech, said Khaled Abou el Fadl, a professor of Islamic law at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Abou el Fadl has written extensive critiques of Wahhabi theology.
Opposition to Israel, to colonialism and to immoral aspects of Western culture – all cited in the report – aren't evidence of Wahhabi extremism, he said.
Freedom House suggested that the U.S. government should crack down on distribution of the material. But Dr. Abou el Fadl said that's not a good solution.
"When we resort to bannings and manipulative use of immigration laws and national security laws to counter this literature, all we end up doing is transforming the Wahhabi side into a world victim by feeding into conspiracy theories," he said.
MORE ON THIS STORY CONTINUED ON NEXT POST.
Report says Wahhabi writings found in Richardson; imam says he doesn't follow teaching
By JEFFREY WEISS / The Dallas Morning News
RICHARDSON, Texas - Anti-Jewish and anti-American propaganda published by the Saudi Arabian government has been on display at U.S. mosques, according to an American human rights group.
The publications – including some found in the largest mosque in the Dallas area – urge Muslims to hate Christians and Jews and to refuse service in "infidel" armies.
The preachings are in keeping with tenets of Wahhabi theology, the brand of Islam that prevails in Saudi Arabia.
A spokesman in the Saudi Embassy in Washington, Nail Al-Jubeir, said some of the materials cited may be obsolete and may not have been sent to America by the Saudi government. But he said the Saudis are investigating the claims made last week in a report by the Washington-based Freedom House.
Imam Yusuf Kavakci of the Dallas Central Mosque in Richardson acknowledged that Wahhabi materials have been brought into his mosque – among scores of publications on display there – but he said he rejects the Wahhabi teachings.
Freedom House collected the material in November 2003 from 15 of the largest mosques in the country, including the Richardson mosque.
The group titled its report "Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques."
But the report's editor said this week that her claims were more modest than the title implies: Nina Shea said her organization does not know how widespread the materials are or how they shape the beliefs of American Muslims.
"We didn't try to get any kind of representative sample of what's on mosque shelves," she said. "There is only a small minority that is into this."
The point of the report, she said, was to demonstrate that the Saudi government – supposedly an ally in the war on terrorism – sends material into America that could encourage terror.
Many Muslim leaders acknowledge that oil-rich Saudi Arabia pays for an enormous amount of literature supporting the extremely restrictive salafi or Wahhabi version of Islam that holds sway in Saudi Arabia. That branch of Islam, which is highly critical of non-Muslims and even what it considers less-observant Muslims, is followed by a fraction of the world's billion-plus Muslims, experts say.
High-quality pamphlets and books are distributed in large quantities by the Saudi government and Saudi-funded organizations – while more moderate Muslim groups lack the finances to compete.
Some Saudi-produced materials end up at the Richardson mosque, Imam Kavakci said, but he added that neither he nor other mosque officials have time to read it all.
"I am not a police chief. I am not a district attorney," he said. "I am a religious guy."
The presence of the materials hardly makes the Richardson mosque an outpost of Wahhabi theology, Imam Kavakci said. He has had to explain to his members that some of the Saudi material does not represent his understanding of Islam.
"The Saudi approach is a problem," he said. "It's a problem for me, here."
8 metro areas
Freedom House researchers visited large mosques in eight metropolitan areas, specifically searching for Saudi-produced materials, Ms. Shea said.
Most of the material was at least a decade old and out of print, the Freedom House report acknowledged.
For example, the material collected in Richardson included a book by Saudi religious authority Sheik 'Abd al-'Aziz Bin 'Abdillah Bin Baz, who died in 1999. Among his rulings, or fatwas, was one that seems to say Muslims should not join the American armed forces:
"It is not right for a Muslim to support the unbelievers, or to ask them to support him against his enemies, they are the enemy, do not trust them."
Another document collected at the Richardson mosque was written by King Fahd, the monarch of Saudi Arabia, and published in 1993. In it, the king appears to preclude the possibility of peace between Muslims and Israel:
"[W]e consider ourselves to be in a continuous war against the Zionist enemy in every way until we achieve the hopes of the Arab nation driving the occupier out."
Publications collected at other mosques say that:
•Jews and Christians should be cursed.
•Jews corrupted Europe and destroyed family values there.
•Non-Muslims are "enemies to Allah, his prophet and believers."
•Muslims are not allowed to wish nonbelievers a "happy holiday" for a non-Muslim holiday.
•Muslims should not visit the homes of nonbelievers unless it's to educate them about Islam.
Cautious responses
Some Muslim activists responded cautiously to the report.
"The majority of the stuff they picked is in Arabic, a language that most people in mosques don't read," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations, a lobbying group that promotes Muslim causes.
"And I think we can rely on the common sense and good judgment of the American Muslim community that, if they are reading hate-filled rhetoric, they would remove it."
Not all the examples cited in the report would qualify as hate speech, said Khaled Abou el Fadl, a professor of Islamic law at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Abou el Fadl has written extensive critiques of Wahhabi theology.
Opposition to Israel, to colonialism and to immoral aspects of Western culture – all cited in the report – aren't evidence of Wahhabi extremism, he said.
Freedom House suggested that the U.S. government should crack down on distribution of the material. But Dr. Abou el Fadl said that's not a good solution.
"When we resort to bannings and manipulative use of immigration laws and national security laws to counter this literature, all we end up doing is transforming the Wahhabi side into a world victim by feeding into conspiracy theories," he said.
MORE ON THIS STORY CONTINUED ON NEXT POST.
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TexasStooge
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WHAT IS WAHHABI?
The Saudi Arabian government promotes a version of Islam that is called Wahhabism by its opponents and salafi – a reference to the time of Muhammad and his companions – by its supporters.
"Wahhabism" is derived from the name of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, a contemporary of George Washington's. Depending on how one views his theology, he was either a religious reformer appalled by the corrupted version of Islam practiced in his part of Arabia or an opportunist who used religion to take political advantage of turmoil in the Ottoman Empire.
In either case, he declared that Islam had been degraded a generation or so after the death of Muhammad in 632. And that any theology, customs or practices developed after that time were wrong. (It was as if a Christian had said that Augustine and Aquinas and all later Christian theologians were heretics.)
Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab championed a form of Islam based on a strict interpretation of the oldest Muslim texts. He married the daughter of Muhammad ibn Sa'ud, a local political leader, and added political power to his spiritual message. His ideas remained popular in that area for the next couple of centuries, without gaining many followers elsewhere.Jump to the middle of the 20th century, when the nation now known as Saudi Arabia – still ruled by the Sa'ud family and still a center of Wahhabism – found itself awash in oil money and in control of the most sacred shrines in Islam.
The money has helped to build mosques and schools all over the world, to bring Muslims to Saudi Arabia for education and training, and to create books and other materials explaining Islam.
The effect has been to significantly magnify the image and impact of what is still a relatively small Muslim sect.
The Dallas Morning News
The Saudi Arabian government promotes a version of Islam that is called Wahhabism by its opponents and salafi – a reference to the time of Muhammad and his companions – by its supporters.
"Wahhabism" is derived from the name of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, a contemporary of George Washington's. Depending on how one views his theology, he was either a religious reformer appalled by the corrupted version of Islam practiced in his part of Arabia or an opportunist who used religion to take political advantage of turmoil in the Ottoman Empire.
In either case, he declared that Islam had been degraded a generation or so after the death of Muhammad in 632. And that any theology, customs or practices developed after that time were wrong. (It was as if a Christian had said that Augustine and Aquinas and all later Christian theologians were heretics.)
Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab championed a form of Islam based on a strict interpretation of the oldest Muslim texts. He married the daughter of Muhammad ibn Sa'ud, a local political leader, and added political power to his spiritual message. His ideas remained popular in that area for the next couple of centuries, without gaining many followers elsewhere.Jump to the middle of the 20th century, when the nation now known as Saudi Arabia – still ruled by the Sa'ud family and still a center of Wahhabism – found itself awash in oil money and in control of the most sacred shrines in Islam.
The money has helped to build mosques and schools all over the world, to bring Muslims to Saudi Arabia for education and training, and to create books and other materials explaining Islam.
The effect has been to significantly magnify the image and impact of what is still a relatively small Muslim sect.
The Dallas Morning News
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TexasStooge
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- Contact:
New Web Site Offers Free Merchandise
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) - Bargain shoppers might be paying too much at garage sales or on eBay for low-priced items. Many North Texas neighbors now are not just recycling usable items, they're "free-cycling" the merchandise.
Amanda Esquivel, of Dallas, found a valuable item at freecycle.org.
"The biggest free item I have gotten was this armoire, and it was given to me by a nice woman named Carol," Esquivel said.
She also has received a juicer, a water cooler and a goose down couch, all at no charge.
Signing up for and logging onto the Web site also is free. The site includes a variety of items offered by people in most areas of North Texas. People who arrange to take possession of the free items simply e-mail the person offering to recycle the merchandise and make an appointment to pick up the goods.
David Neeley started the Dallas-Fort Worth area link to freecycle.org. He's received a camera-equipped cell phone.
"It has to be free, legal and appropriate for all ages," Neeley said. "It's a family-type resource."
Neeley said the site also includes a section where people can post their "needs" list.
"People seeking iPods, (and) we've had iPods given away," he said.
The site works on the premise that what one individual sees as trash -- a car that's not running, a bicycle that goes unused or some mismatched golf clubs -- could be just the item another person finds valuable.
Claudia Crowley, of Fort Worth, Texas, found what she wanted.
"I saw an offer, and it said, 'cow skull with horns,' " she said.
Andi Mynsted, of Denton, Texas, found an old-fashioned punch-card time clock.
Takers often become givers.
"I've given tons of furniture, baby items, clothes, accessories, jewelry, perfume -- things I don't use anymore that I think someone might be able to use," Mynsted said.
The give-and-take works to make nearly all users of freecycle.org happy.
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) - Bargain shoppers might be paying too much at garage sales or on eBay for low-priced items. Many North Texas neighbors now are not just recycling usable items, they're "free-cycling" the merchandise.
Amanda Esquivel, of Dallas, found a valuable item at freecycle.org.
"The biggest free item I have gotten was this armoire, and it was given to me by a nice woman named Carol," Esquivel said.
She also has received a juicer, a water cooler and a goose down couch, all at no charge.
Signing up for and logging onto the Web site also is free. The site includes a variety of items offered by people in most areas of North Texas. People who arrange to take possession of the free items simply e-mail the person offering to recycle the merchandise and make an appointment to pick up the goods.
David Neeley started the Dallas-Fort Worth area link to freecycle.org. He's received a camera-equipped cell phone.
"It has to be free, legal and appropriate for all ages," Neeley said. "It's a family-type resource."
Neeley said the site also includes a section where people can post their "needs" list.
"People seeking iPods, (and) we've had iPods given away," he said.
The site works on the premise that what one individual sees as trash -- a car that's not running, a bicycle that goes unused or some mismatched golf clubs -- could be just the item another person finds valuable.
Claudia Crowley, of Fort Worth, Texas, found what she wanted.
"I saw an offer, and it said, 'cow skull with horns,' " she said.
Andi Mynsted, of Denton, Texas, found an old-fashioned punch-card time clock.
Takers often become givers.
"I've given tons of furniture, baby items, clothes, accessories, jewelry, perfume -- things I don't use anymore that I think someone might be able to use," Mynsted said.
The give-and-take works to make nearly all users of freecycle.org happy.
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TexasStooge
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Crash Injures Officer; Alcohol Suspected
Police Officer Hit During Traffic Stop
PLANO, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- For the second time in three months, a Plano, Texas, police officer was injured by a suspected drunken driver while working a traffic stop.
Three people, including Officer Jon Britton, were hurt early Friday in a four-vehicle accident when a man collided with the officer's patrol car. Investigators suspect alcohol could have been responsible for the driver crashing into the squad car.
Just before 2:30 a.m. Friday, Britton pulled over a pickup truck traveling northbound on Central Expressway at Legacy Drive on a routine traffic stop and another officer arrived as backup, police said.
While the Britton was questioning the pickup driver, a late-model Volkswagen slammed into the other three vehicles, police said.
Britton, a nine-year veteran of the police department, and both occupants he was interviewing were injured and transported to Medical Center of Plano with non life-threatening injuries.
The other officer was not injured.
The driver of the Volkswagen, Vu Binh Mai, 25, of Plano, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and transported to Plano City Jail. Initially, he was charged with misdemeanor DWI. Investigators later upgraded the charge to third-degree felony intoxication assault.
Mai's bond was set at $100,000.
A Plano police representative said a state law that requires motorists either to slow down by 20 mph in a lane adjacent to a police stop or move out of the adjacent lane was intended to protect officers. The law, he said, has limitations.
"(The law) will help out some, but when you throw in the intoxication factor it makes it more difficult," said Carl Duke, of the Plano Police Department.
Traffic on northbound U.S. Highway 75 was backed up for about two hours as all four vehicles had to be towed.
Police Officer Hit During Traffic Stop
PLANO, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- For the second time in three months, a Plano, Texas, police officer was injured by a suspected drunken driver while working a traffic stop.
Three people, including Officer Jon Britton, were hurt early Friday in a four-vehicle accident when a man collided with the officer's patrol car. Investigators suspect alcohol could have been responsible for the driver crashing into the squad car.
Just before 2:30 a.m. Friday, Britton pulled over a pickup truck traveling northbound on Central Expressway at Legacy Drive on a routine traffic stop and another officer arrived as backup, police said.
While the Britton was questioning the pickup driver, a late-model Volkswagen slammed into the other three vehicles, police said.
Britton, a nine-year veteran of the police department, and both occupants he was interviewing were injured and transported to Medical Center of Plano with non life-threatening injuries.
The other officer was not injured.
The driver of the Volkswagen, Vu Binh Mai, 25, of Plano, was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and transported to Plano City Jail. Initially, he was charged with misdemeanor DWI. Investigators later upgraded the charge to third-degree felony intoxication assault.
Mai's bond was set at $100,000.
A Plano police representative said a state law that requires motorists either to slow down by 20 mph in a lane adjacent to a police stop or move out of the adjacent lane was intended to protect officers. The law, he said, has limitations.
"(The law) will help out some, but when you throw in the intoxication factor it makes it more difficult," said Carl Duke, of the Plano Police Department.
Traffic on northbound U.S. Highway 75 was backed up for about two hours as all four vehicles had to be towed.
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TexasStooge
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Clues lead to robbery suspect
By Deanna Boyd, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Investigators say Raymond Brown believed he was about to die.
Seconds earlier, Russell Wentworth, enraged over seeing Brown talking to his wife behind a bar in unincorporated Tarrant County, rammed Brown's pickup with his own truck, injuring Wentworth's wife as she stood beside Brown's pickup, sheriff's investigators said.
Detective M. Hargis said Wentworth then got out of his truck with a gun in hand.
"He approached Brown's vehicle with some words, and Brown felt that he was fixing to be shot, so he retrieved his own gun," Hargis said. "When Wentworth opened the vehicle door, [Brown] fired one shot."
Wentworth died from a wound in his chest.
By Deanna Boyd, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Investigators say Raymond Brown believed he was about to die.
Seconds earlier, Russell Wentworth, enraged over seeing Brown talking to his wife behind a bar in unincorporated Tarrant County, rammed Brown's pickup with his own truck, injuring Wentworth's wife as she stood beside Brown's pickup, sheriff's investigators said.
Detective M. Hargis said Wentworth then got out of his truck with a gun in hand.
"He approached Brown's vehicle with some words, and Brown felt that he was fixing to be shot, so he retrieved his own gun," Hargis said. "When Wentworth opened the vehicle door, [Brown] fired one shot."
Wentworth died from a wound in his chest.
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TexasStooge
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Crime-control tax on ballot today
By Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth voters head to the polls today to decide whether to renew a half-cent sales tax to fight crime.
Elsewhere in Tarrant County, voters will decide issues such as freezing property taxes for older residents in Arlington and Richland Hills, and city bond elections in Colleyville and White Settlement.
In Fort Worth, a proposal would extend a half-cent sales tax for five more years to fund extra police and other crime-fighting programs through the Crime Control and Prevention District.
"This is the single most important issue facing Fort Worth right now," said Councilman Chuck Silcox, a staunch supporter who once opposed the tax. "This is a yes-or-no vote to put money into police operations so we can make this the safest city.
"We will regress if we don't have this."
Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the weather is largely expected to cooperate. Forecasts call for cloudy skies with temperatures starting near 40 and rising to the upper 50s, although there is a chance of rain mainly in the afternoon.
This year, 4,548 early votes were cast, slightly ahead of the 2000 early turnout, records show.
"This is a low-profile election," said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at Texas Christian University. "That puts the onus on the people who want to pass it, because there's a certain number of people who will vote against anything that won't reduce their tax burden."
A coalition of community leaders has backed the program, and Citizens for a Better Fort Worth raised money to get out the vote.
No organized opposition has appeared to surface, although some residents suggest that the funds should be used more on direct crime-fighting programs.
Norm Bermes, chairman of the tax-reform Fort Worth Citizens for Responsible Government, said he would like to see spending priorities for the tax change in future years.
"We are not against the sales tax," Bermes said. "We're against the way it's being used, about half of it."
Bermes said some expenses, such as after-school programs, are not crime-fighting efforts.
"We've made our wishes known," he said. "Hopefully the powers that be will address those in the future."
Moncrief said the tax is based on preventing -- and controlling -- crime.
"Prevention is part of what goes on in our after-school programs, and it has proven to be one of the most successful programs in our country," he said. "This has proven to be a successful tool."
IN THE KNOW
Tarrant County elections
Several Tarrant County communities are holding elections today:
• Fort Worth -- A proposed five-year extension of a half-cent sales tax to fight crime.
• River Oaks -- Fourteen proposed amendments to the city charter, including one to switch from a mayor-council form of government to a city manager form.
• Sansom Park -- Election for a new mayor and two council members to replace those who resigned in the fall.
• White Settlement -- A $6.15 million city bond election to control flooding on Farmers Branch Creek and rebuild bridges at Las Vegas Trail and Meadow Park Drive near City Hall.
By Anna M. Tinsley, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth voters head to the polls today to decide whether to renew a half-cent sales tax to fight crime.
Elsewhere in Tarrant County, voters will decide issues such as freezing property taxes for older residents in Arlington and Richland Hills, and city bond elections in Colleyville and White Settlement.
In Fort Worth, a proposal would extend a half-cent sales tax for five more years to fund extra police and other crime-fighting programs through the Crime Control and Prevention District.
"This is the single most important issue facing Fort Worth right now," said Councilman Chuck Silcox, a staunch supporter who once opposed the tax. "This is a yes-or-no vote to put money into police operations so we can make this the safest city.
"We will regress if we don't have this."
Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the weather is largely expected to cooperate. Forecasts call for cloudy skies with temperatures starting near 40 and rising to the upper 50s, although there is a chance of rain mainly in the afternoon.
This year, 4,548 early votes were cast, slightly ahead of the 2000 early turnout, records show.
"This is a low-profile election," said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at Texas Christian University. "That puts the onus on the people who want to pass it, because there's a certain number of people who will vote against anything that won't reduce their tax burden."
A coalition of community leaders has backed the program, and Citizens for a Better Fort Worth raised money to get out the vote.
No organized opposition has appeared to surface, although some residents suggest that the funds should be used more on direct crime-fighting programs.
Norm Bermes, chairman of the tax-reform Fort Worth Citizens for Responsible Government, said he would like to see spending priorities for the tax change in future years.
"We are not against the sales tax," Bermes said. "We're against the way it's being used, about half of it."
Bermes said some expenses, such as after-school programs, are not crime-fighting efforts.
"We've made our wishes known," he said. "Hopefully the powers that be will address those in the future."
Moncrief said the tax is based on preventing -- and controlling -- crime.
"Prevention is part of what goes on in our after-school programs, and it has proven to be one of the most successful programs in our country," he said. "This has proven to be a successful tool."
IN THE KNOW
Tarrant County elections
Several Tarrant County communities are holding elections today:
• Fort Worth -- A proposed five-year extension of a half-cent sales tax to fight crime.
• River Oaks -- Fourteen proposed amendments to the city charter, including one to switch from a mayor-council form of government to a city manager form.
• Sansom Park -- Election for a new mayor and two council members to replace those who resigned in the fall.
• White Settlement -- A $6.15 million city bond election to control flooding on Farmers Branch Creek and rebuild bridges at Las Vegas Trail and Meadow Park Drive near City Hall.
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TexasStooge
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Fixer-upper FOR FREE*
By Chris Vaughn, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Just outside the gates of Thistle Hill are a dollar store and a gas station. Within earshot of the mansion's second-floor landing are an eight-lane freeway and a trauma-hospital helipad.
Once upon a time, Summit Avenue was far more majestic, a "silk stocking row" of magnificent houses with vast master bedrooms, indoor plumbing and sweeping staircases.
At the south end of the row sat Thistle Hill, a Colonial Revival showpiece built by cattle baron W.T. Waggoner in 1903 so his newlywed daughter, Electra, wouldn't run off east with her husband.
But eras come and go, and Thistle Hill's latest is about to become history.
By Chris Vaughn, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Just outside the gates of Thistle Hill are a dollar store and a gas station. Within earshot of the mansion's second-floor landing are an eight-lane freeway and a trauma-hospital helipad.
Once upon a time, Summit Avenue was far more majestic, a "silk stocking row" of magnificent houses with vast master bedrooms, indoor plumbing and sweeping staircases.
At the south end of the row sat Thistle Hill, a Colonial Revival showpiece built by cattle baron W.T. Waggoner in 1903 so his newlywed daughter, Electra, wouldn't run off east with her husband.
But eras come and go, and Thistle Hill's latest is about to become history.
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TexasStooge
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- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Park is safe for use, city says
By Scott Streater, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - An environmental study has found portions of Greenbriar Park are polluted with arsenic and other poisons, but the city says the park is safe and has no plans to remove the contaminants.
Instead, the city will excavate chunks of decades-old asphalt it found in a creek feeding a small lake on the 49-acre park site, according to the three-volume assessment.
The study, conducted by Enercon Services of Dallas, included testing of 57 soil samples and the digging of 14 exploratory trenches as deep as 12 feet to search for suspected chemical waste and debris.
By Scott Streater, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - An environmental study has found portions of Greenbriar Park are polluted with arsenic and other poisons, but the city says the park is safe and has no plans to remove the contaminants.
Instead, the city will excavate chunks of decades-old asphalt it found in a creek feeding a small lake on the 49-acre park site, according to the three-volume assessment.
The study, conducted by Enercon Services of Dallas, included testing of 57 soil samples and the digging of 14 exploratory trenches as deep as 12 feet to search for suspected chemical waste and debris.
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TexasStooge
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- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Police destroyed suspected murder weapon
By Melody Mcdonald, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Prosecutors thought they had caught a lucky break last month with a tip that the murder weapon in a December 2003 homicide was buried in a back yard in an upscale neighborhood.
When an investigator went to the residence, the homeowner told him he had found the revolver five months earlier and turned it over to Fort Worth police.
Assuming police still had the gun in their property room, prosecutors believed they finally had their murder weapon.
Then, they learned the Police Department had unwittingly destroyed it.
By Melody Mcdonald, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - Prosecutors thought they had caught a lucky break last month with a tip that the murder weapon in a December 2003 homicide was buried in a back yard in an upscale neighborhood.
When an investigator went to the residence, the homeowner told him he had found the revolver five months earlier and turned it over to Fort Worth police.
Assuming police still had the gun in their property room, prosecutors believed they finally had their murder weapon.
Then, they learned the Police Department had unwittingly destroyed it.
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