Malpractice Insurance More Available After Prop 12
AUSTIN, Texas (KEYE CBS 42) - Texas has seen some insurance companies offer new medical malpractice coverage since the 2003 approval of caps on lawsuit damage awards. The update comes from Texas Insurance Commissioner Jose Montemayor. Montemayor told the Texas House Civil Practices committee that most of the companies are small and covering only a small percentage of doctors. But he says 15 companies have either entered the market or will soon, improving the prospect for competition to drive down rates. The number of companies writing new policies had dropped to as low as four in 2003. Montemayor says competition is very much restored. Doctors and hospitals continue to argue with trial lawyers and consumer groups about the effects and fairness of changes to Texas laws. The law caps awards for pain and suffering at $250,000 for doctors, $250,000 for hospitals, and $250,000 for nursing homes and other institutions, for a maximum of $750,000 per claimant.
News from the Lone Star State
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Mayor May Compromise To Save Safe Clear
HOUSTON, Texas (KPRC NBC 2) - Houston's mayor made plans Friday to expand a motorist assistance program in an effort to save a controversial towing ordinance, Local 2 reported in an exclusive story Friday.
MAP is Harris County's freeway assistance program. A compromise between Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels would expand MAP in conjunction with Safe Clear.
"I think both with Safe Clear's capabilities and with an expanded MAP program, which I'm working on, that there will be a lot of assistance to motorists," White said. "Nobody minds getting some free assistance in the shoulder or emergency lane."
The Motorist Assistance Program has been in place since 1986. During peak hours, deputies patrol in donated vans, providing free rides, gas, jump starts and other services for stranded motorists.
MAP would work alongside Safe Clear wreckers, providing a more driver-friendly approach to clearing roadways.
The current budget for MAP is about $2.5 million. The current plan would triple that budget, with the money coming from the county, city, METRO and private industry.
"We are going to work with the city to try to commit to something with our MAP program and with their program and find something that will resolve the issues the legislature has," Eckels said.
The move comes after a state Senate committee approved a bill that would kill Safe Clear, which requires tow truck drivers to remove disabled vehicles from Houston roadways within six minutes, even without the driver's consent.
Democratic State Sen. John Whitmire leads the opposition in a legislature that is primarily Republican. The Republican Party is firmly opposed to the Safe Clear program.
"The party has said all along that it was a bad idea. And it's gone from a bad idea to a worse idea," said Lonnie McBee, with the Harris County Republican Party.
The full Senate is scheduled to vote on the measure next week.
HOUSTON, Texas (KPRC NBC 2) - Houston's mayor made plans Friday to expand a motorist assistance program in an effort to save a controversial towing ordinance, Local 2 reported in an exclusive story Friday.
MAP is Harris County's freeway assistance program. A compromise between Mayor Bill White and Harris County Judge Robert Eckels would expand MAP in conjunction with Safe Clear.
"I think both with Safe Clear's capabilities and with an expanded MAP program, which I'm working on, that there will be a lot of assistance to motorists," White said. "Nobody minds getting some free assistance in the shoulder or emergency lane."
The Motorist Assistance Program has been in place since 1986. During peak hours, deputies patrol in donated vans, providing free rides, gas, jump starts and other services for stranded motorists.
MAP would work alongside Safe Clear wreckers, providing a more driver-friendly approach to clearing roadways.
The current budget for MAP is about $2.5 million. The current plan would triple that budget, with the money coming from the county, city, METRO and private industry.
"We are going to work with the city to try to commit to something with our MAP program and with their program and find something that will resolve the issues the legislature has," Eckels said.
The move comes after a state Senate committee approved a bill that would kill Safe Clear, which requires tow truck drivers to remove disabled vehicles from Houston roadways within six minutes, even without the driver's consent.
Democratic State Sen. John Whitmire leads the opposition in a legislature that is primarily Republican. The Republican Party is firmly opposed to the Safe Clear program.
"The party has said all along that it was a bad idea. And it's gone from a bad idea to a worse idea," said Lonnie McBee, with the Harris County Republican Party.
The full Senate is scheduled to vote on the measure next week.
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At the 'Crossroads' in Denison, new retail center to be announced Thursday
By Dwayne Wilder, North Texas e-News Staff Writer
DENISON, Texas -- Dallas-based Cross Development announced Tuesday that the new Crossroads Shopping Center in Denison has been given the green light. Groundbreaking for the 27,000 square foot development will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday, February 17. The newest retail center in Denison will be built near the intersection of US 75 and FM 120. The three-acre site is on the north side of the street, adjacent to Five Star Storage, on the west side of US 75.
Casey Shires, partner at Cross Development, also announced some tenants for the new center including Cato, EB Games, Cingular Wireless, Citi-Financial and Virginia Cook Realtors. There will be 12-15 tenants occupying space in the new center, he added.
“These are among several other high profile tenants that we can’t release yet,” he said.
According to Shires, all the tenants and potential tenants worked well with him and Cross Development during the six-month negotiations. Some of the tenants have been on board longer as Shires and partner Steve Rumsey began the project in 2003.
“It feels good to have our tenants in Denison as we promised them,” said Shires who grew up in Denison. “It’s not about me or Steve or Cross Development; it’s about those tenants who want to be there. They really made this happen.”
Shires expressed satisfaction in pulling the different entities together to create the new retail development for his hometown.
“I’m glad to finally have it going,” said Shires Tuesday. “This is one of the more sophisticated developments we’ve ever put together. It’s been a complicated process.”
The project involved multiple landowners, the city of Denison, Grayson County and the state of Texas; not to mention all the tenants and their requirements.
Shires admits, “There were a lot of hurdles” but also notes that it will be “very rewarding” to see the development go up.
“This is 16 months in the making,” explained Shires. “Our patience and persistence paid off. We were able to overcome some obstacles on what we feel is a worthwhile project. This is very satisfying.”
The site includes three parcels of land adjacent to the existing mini-warehouse buildings and the Subway Restaurant.
According to Rumsey, bulldozers are already on the site to begin “dirt work” and construction will begin immediately.
“The buildings should go up in about three to four weeks,” said Rumsey, also from Denison. “It’s about a six month construction schedule.” He added that the first tenant could open in late July or early August.
“We’ll have the site ready to go. Then, all we have to do is the finish work for the tenants,” explained Rumsey. “We have the center about 65 percent pre-leased now.”
Rumsey is also excited about having a development in his hometown.
“We like it. We love doing something in Denison,” he said. “It’s definitely fun.”
According to Shires, additional tenants and businesses will be named in the coming weeks; perhaps some at the groundbreaking ceremony. Both men plan to be at the ceremony, with architect Brian Rumsey, also from Denison, as well. Denison city officials are pleased with the announcement.
“We’re very excited to have them here,” said Scott Smathers, Denison Development Alliance vice president for business development. “All the stores will add to the synergy of Denison and will help in pulling more new retail to our area.”
Other Cross Development projects include shopping centers in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, Tennessee, Ohio and – the largest at 70,000 square feet – in Saginaw, Texas.
By Dwayne Wilder, North Texas e-News Staff Writer
DENISON, Texas -- Dallas-based Cross Development announced Tuesday that the new Crossroads Shopping Center in Denison has been given the green light. Groundbreaking for the 27,000 square foot development will be 2:00 p.m. Thursday, February 17. The newest retail center in Denison will be built near the intersection of US 75 and FM 120. The three-acre site is on the north side of the street, adjacent to Five Star Storage, on the west side of US 75.
Casey Shires, partner at Cross Development, also announced some tenants for the new center including Cato, EB Games, Cingular Wireless, Citi-Financial and Virginia Cook Realtors. There will be 12-15 tenants occupying space in the new center, he added.
“These are among several other high profile tenants that we can’t release yet,” he said.
According to Shires, all the tenants and potential tenants worked well with him and Cross Development during the six-month negotiations. Some of the tenants have been on board longer as Shires and partner Steve Rumsey began the project in 2003.
“It feels good to have our tenants in Denison as we promised them,” said Shires who grew up in Denison. “It’s not about me or Steve or Cross Development; it’s about those tenants who want to be there. They really made this happen.”
Shires expressed satisfaction in pulling the different entities together to create the new retail development for his hometown.
“I’m glad to finally have it going,” said Shires Tuesday. “This is one of the more sophisticated developments we’ve ever put together. It’s been a complicated process.”
The project involved multiple landowners, the city of Denison, Grayson County and the state of Texas; not to mention all the tenants and their requirements.
Shires admits, “There were a lot of hurdles” but also notes that it will be “very rewarding” to see the development go up.
“This is 16 months in the making,” explained Shires. “Our patience and persistence paid off. We were able to overcome some obstacles on what we feel is a worthwhile project. This is very satisfying.”
The site includes three parcels of land adjacent to the existing mini-warehouse buildings and the Subway Restaurant.
According to Rumsey, bulldozers are already on the site to begin “dirt work” and construction will begin immediately.
“The buildings should go up in about three to four weeks,” said Rumsey, also from Denison. “It’s about a six month construction schedule.” He added that the first tenant could open in late July or early August.
“We’ll have the site ready to go. Then, all we have to do is the finish work for the tenants,” explained Rumsey. “We have the center about 65 percent pre-leased now.”
Rumsey is also excited about having a development in his hometown.
“We like it. We love doing something in Denison,” he said. “It’s definitely fun.”
According to Shires, additional tenants and businesses will be named in the coming weeks; perhaps some at the groundbreaking ceremony. Both men plan to be at the ceremony, with architect Brian Rumsey, also from Denison, as well. Denison city officials are pleased with the announcement.
“We’re very excited to have them here,” said Scott Smathers, Denison Development Alliance vice president for business development. “All the stores will add to the synergy of Denison and will help in pulling more new retail to our area.”
Other Cross Development projects include shopping centers in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, Tennessee, Ohio and – the largest at 70,000 square feet – in Saginaw, Texas.
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Firefighters had complained about former chief
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - On Wednesday, a Dallas County grand jury declined to indict former Richardson Fire Chief Mike Jones for allegedly tampering with government records.
But following allegations of molestation first uncovered by News 8, now Jones faces other unrelated accusations by a number of firefighters who say they've complained about the former chief's behavior for years.
24 hours a day, firefighters live and work in very close quarters, resulting in few secrets around a firehouse. But now, numerous firefighters are painting a troubling picture about the former chief's behavior - and the city's response.
During the two years Jones was fire chief in Richardson, several firefighters came forward to say Jones regularly sexually harassed them. Among them was firefighter and union president Billy Whitson.
When asked about when the alleged behavior occurred, Whitson said, "Monday through Friday - (on a) daily basis."
Multiple firefighters told News 8 that Jones would stand just outside the showers at the main fire station, and "eyeball" or "leer" at them as they showered.
"Every shift had a problem," Whitson said.
Jones' alleged behavior occurred while he attempted to talk with the men about department business as they stood naked.
One firefighter, who asked not to be identified, also said it was a regular problem.
"At first, it became the station joke, and they were making public address announcements that it was 'shower time,'" he said. "(But) the firefighters got more uncomfortable and changed their routines."
This went on until January 2004, when several firefighters took their allegations to the City of Richardson's human resources department.
"Once it became evident that they were going to be watched, a few just had enough and came forward," the firefighter said.
Eventually, the firefighter's union said 25 men complained, providing dates, times and specific details. Richardson City Manager Bill Keffler said the actual number was 14 firefighters.
On the topic of sexual harassment, the city's personnel manual devotes four pages, specifically discussing "prolonged staring" or "leering" and creating a "hostile" or "offensive" work environment.
The human resources department investigated, determining two months later that Jones' alleged behavior "did not rise to the level of sexual harassment."
Documents obtained by News 8 showed Jones was told to discontinue practices that "created an uncomfortable work environment."
The city manager also told Jones to stay out of the showers and use his private bathroom.
"If it made people uncomfortable, it should be discontinued," Keffler said. "That was asked of the chief, and to the best of my knowledge, that was what the end result was."
Once the city's investigation concluded, the city manager also had workers install shower curtains in the locker room.
"Frankly, I thought that demonstrated very good faith to insure that, whether it was Chief Jones' concerns, or anybody else's concerns," Keffler said. said.
The firefighters who made the formal complaint, however, said Jones got away with a slap on the wrist.
"We felt the reputation of the city was more protected than the integrity of the complaint," the unidentified firefighter said.
Jones resigned on February 1, less than two months before his 25th anniversary with the city, when he would be eligible for a significant increase in pension benefits.
All this comes as the Van Zandt County District attorney was talking directly with James Lunsford, 31, who claims Jones regularly molested him and possibly other teens in the late 80s and early 90s.
On February 1, an investigator with the Van Zandt DA's office sent Lunsford's statement to Richardson police.
"Tuesday morning I gave permission, and by that afternoon Jones had resigned," Lunsford said.
Richardson city officials insist Jones quit without pressure.
"Chief Jones resigned for personal reasons, and signed a document accordingly," Keffler said. "You'll have to ask him what the personal reasons were."
Mike Jones remains a member of the Wills Point City Council in Van Zandt County. Through his attorney, he declined News 8's requests to be interviewed, and denies any wrongdoing. Jones insists he does not remember ever meeting James Lunsford.
It's now been one year and one month since firefighters filed their human resources complaint. Many said they remain stunned by Mike Jones' alleged behavior and what they claim was the city's "weak" response, and by Jones' recent departure from the Richardson Fire Department.
"We have a rank structure, a chain of command among the fire department - and we are talking about our leader," Whitson said.
Richardson's city manager has appointed an interim fire chief to oversee the department; the search for a permanent replacement is under way.
Van Zandt County officials said they continue to look for other young men who may claim to have been molested by Jones.
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - On Wednesday, a Dallas County grand jury declined to indict former Richardson Fire Chief Mike Jones for allegedly tampering with government records.
But following allegations of molestation first uncovered by News 8, now Jones faces other unrelated accusations by a number of firefighters who say they've complained about the former chief's behavior for years.
24 hours a day, firefighters live and work in very close quarters, resulting in few secrets around a firehouse. But now, numerous firefighters are painting a troubling picture about the former chief's behavior - and the city's response.
During the two years Jones was fire chief in Richardson, several firefighters came forward to say Jones regularly sexually harassed them. Among them was firefighter and union president Billy Whitson.
When asked about when the alleged behavior occurred, Whitson said, "Monday through Friday - (on a) daily basis."
Multiple firefighters told News 8 that Jones would stand just outside the showers at the main fire station, and "eyeball" or "leer" at them as they showered.
"Every shift had a problem," Whitson said.
Jones' alleged behavior occurred while he attempted to talk with the men about department business as they stood naked.
One firefighter, who asked not to be identified, also said it was a regular problem.
"At first, it became the station joke, and they were making public address announcements that it was 'shower time,'" he said. "(But) the firefighters got more uncomfortable and changed their routines."
This went on until January 2004, when several firefighters took their allegations to the City of Richardson's human resources department.
"Once it became evident that they were going to be watched, a few just had enough and came forward," the firefighter said.
Eventually, the firefighter's union said 25 men complained, providing dates, times and specific details. Richardson City Manager Bill Keffler said the actual number was 14 firefighters.
On the topic of sexual harassment, the city's personnel manual devotes four pages, specifically discussing "prolonged staring" or "leering" and creating a "hostile" or "offensive" work environment.
The human resources department investigated, determining two months later that Jones' alleged behavior "did not rise to the level of sexual harassment."
Documents obtained by News 8 showed Jones was told to discontinue practices that "created an uncomfortable work environment."
The city manager also told Jones to stay out of the showers and use his private bathroom.
"If it made people uncomfortable, it should be discontinued," Keffler said. "That was asked of the chief, and to the best of my knowledge, that was what the end result was."
Once the city's investigation concluded, the city manager also had workers install shower curtains in the locker room.
"Frankly, I thought that demonstrated very good faith to insure that, whether it was Chief Jones' concerns, or anybody else's concerns," Keffler said. said.
The firefighters who made the formal complaint, however, said Jones got away with a slap on the wrist.
"We felt the reputation of the city was more protected than the integrity of the complaint," the unidentified firefighter said.
Jones resigned on February 1, less than two months before his 25th anniversary with the city, when he would be eligible for a significant increase in pension benefits.
All this comes as the Van Zandt County District attorney was talking directly with James Lunsford, 31, who claims Jones regularly molested him and possibly other teens in the late 80s and early 90s.
On February 1, an investigator with the Van Zandt DA's office sent Lunsford's statement to Richardson police.
"Tuesday morning I gave permission, and by that afternoon Jones had resigned," Lunsford said.
Richardson city officials insist Jones quit without pressure.
"Chief Jones resigned for personal reasons, and signed a document accordingly," Keffler said. "You'll have to ask him what the personal reasons were."
Mike Jones remains a member of the Wills Point City Council in Van Zandt County. Through his attorney, he declined News 8's requests to be interviewed, and denies any wrongdoing. Jones insists he does not remember ever meeting James Lunsford.
It's now been one year and one month since firefighters filed their human resources complaint. Many said they remain stunned by Mike Jones' alleged behavior and what they claim was the city's "weak" response, and by Jones' recent departure from the Richardson Fire Department.
"We have a rank structure, a chain of command among the fire department - and we are talking about our leader," Whitson said.
Richardson's city manager has appointed an interim fire chief to oversee the department; the search for a permanent replacement is under way.
Van Zandt County officials said they continue to look for other young men who may claim to have been molested by Jones.
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TexasStooge
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Crash closes Bush Turnpike entrance
PLANO, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - The Custer Parkway entrance ramp to eastbound President George Bush Turnpike was closed Friday morning following a serious accident around 1 a.m.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers said the driver of a sport utility vehicle entered the ramp at a high rate of speed when it hit a barricade and then slammed into a toll booth.
The driver and only occupant of the vehicle was taken by helicopter ambulance to Methodist Medical Center. There was no condition report available.
The toll booth was unoccupied.
The entrance ramp remained shut down during Friday morning rush hour while workers cleaned up the wreckage.
PLANO, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - The Custer Parkway entrance ramp to eastbound President George Bush Turnpike was closed Friday morning following a serious accident around 1 a.m.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers said the driver of a sport utility vehicle entered the ramp at a high rate of speed when it hit a barricade and then slammed into a toll booth.
The driver and only occupant of the vehicle was taken by helicopter ambulance to Methodist Medical Center. There was no condition report available.
The toll booth was unoccupied.
The entrance ramp remained shut down during Friday morning rush hour while workers cleaned up the wreckage.
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Teacher arrested in teen-sex sting
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas Independent School District math teacher was arrested Thursday afternoon after authorities accused him of trying to solicit sex from an officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.
Zane Roy Vaughan, 48, was arrested by Parker County officials and faces a charge of criminal solicitation of a minor with intent to commit sexual assault, said DISD spokesman Donald Claxton.
Mr. Vaughan has taught at W.T. White High School since August 2002. He was being held Thursday night at the Parker County Jail. Bail was set at $7,500.
Mr. Vaughan will be on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation or an indictment.
According to an arrest affidavit, Weatherford police Detective Marc Gray was pretending to be a 14-year-old girl in an Internet chat room when Mr. Vaughan started sharing sexually explicit comments with him.
Mr. Vaughan suggested meeting the girl in Parker County and said he would bring marijuana, according to the affidavit.
Instead, he was met by county officials and arrested about 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Claxton said he did not know how Mr. Vaughan traveled to Parker County during school hours and was not sure whether he took the day off.
Mr. Claxton said principal Joy Barnhart told him she was not aware of any disciplinary actions against Mr. Vaughan at the school.
If convicted, Mr. Vaughan could face up to 10 years in prison.
By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A Dallas Independent School District math teacher was arrested Thursday afternoon after authorities accused him of trying to solicit sex from an officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.
Zane Roy Vaughan, 48, was arrested by Parker County officials and faces a charge of criminal solicitation of a minor with intent to commit sexual assault, said DISD spokesman Donald Claxton.
Mr. Vaughan has taught at W.T. White High School since August 2002. He was being held Thursday night at the Parker County Jail. Bail was set at $7,500.
Mr. Vaughan will be on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation or an indictment.
According to an arrest affidavit, Weatherford police Detective Marc Gray was pretending to be a 14-year-old girl in an Internet chat room when Mr. Vaughan started sharing sexually explicit comments with him.
Mr. Vaughan suggested meeting the girl in Parker County and said he would bring marijuana, according to the affidavit.
Instead, he was met by county officials and arrested about 2:30 p.m.
Mr. Claxton said he did not know how Mr. Vaughan traveled to Parker County during school hours and was not sure whether he took the day off.
Mr. Claxton said principal Joy Barnhart told him she was not aware of any disciplinary actions against Mr. Vaughan at the school.
If convicted, Mr. Vaughan could face up to 10 years in prison.
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Renovations urged for Water Gardens
$3 million in safety improvements listed in engineering report
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas – City officials are considering a recommendation that calls for nearly $3 million in safety renovations at the Water Gardens park, where four tourists attending a Baptist convention drowned last summer.
An engineering report released Thursday proposes raising the floor of the Active Pool, where the deaths occurred, and placing low walls and rails along the sides. The proposed improvements, endorsed by the city staff, also included replacing the pumping system with new equipment to keep the water level of the Active Pool at 1 ½ feet. The pool had an estimated 8 ½ feet of water when a Chicago area father, his two children and a family friend drowned June 16.
Mayor Mike Moncrief said Thursday that the proposal fixes the safety problems at the 31-year-old downtown landmark and preserves the park's aesthetics.
"This maintains the integrity of the Water Gardens and still allows people to get close to the water," he said.
The victims – Myron Dukes, 39; his 8-year-old daughter, Lauren Dukes, and 13-year-old son, Christopher Dukes; and family friend Juanitrice Deadmon, 11 – died when Lauren slipped as she walked around the side of the Active Pool, and Juanitrice fell in while trying to help her. Mr. Dukes and his son drowned when they both jumped in to try to save the two girls.
Police officers who tried to rescue all four victims later said that water velocity at the drain nearly sucked them to the bottom of the pool.
Thursday's recommended changes would address the major elements that contributed to the drownings, which a police investigation ruled was accidental.
New sensors would maintain the water level at 1 ½ feet, and even if that failed, the new, shallower Active Pool would only be 3 feet deep. A new trench drain along the edges of the pool would also prevent the intense water velocity that was experienced on the day of the drownings.
In addition to the changes involving the Active Pool, the engineering recommendations also include replacing some of the Water Gardens' current lighting, much of which doesn't work or is ineffective, as well as installing a remote emergency shutoff button for the pumps.
An automatic dialer would also be used to notify staff if the pumping system malfunctions or the water level isn't correct.
October start?
If the City Council agrees to fund the $2.88 million project, the renovations could begin as early as October, with reopening of the park a year later. It's not clear when the issue will return to the council for a vote.
The council discussed the report briefly at a Thursday afternoon workshop and was generally supportive of the plan.
Council member Chuck Silcox said he wants to move quickly on the project, stay focused on the safety improvements and avoid any temptation to add onto it needlessly.
"That's not what we're looking to do," he said.
Fellow council member Donavan Wheatfallsuggested that Fort Worth officials approach local companies or foundations for financial help in upgrading the Water Gardens.
He noted that the Amon G. Carter Foundation originally donated the five-acre park, famous for its steep steps and dramatic waterfalls, to the city when it opened in 1974.
Other changes proposed for the park include sandblasting some walls, resurfacing the Quiet Pool, replacing cracked concrete, and building a kiosk that explains the history of the Water Gardens.
That kiosk would also list the drowning victims.
"It's important to maintain the memories of the lives lost," Mr. Moncrief said.
Families suing
The victim's families are suing the city, the original builder and other companies that have worked on the Water Gardens throughout the years.
Their attorney, Christopher Ford, said Thursday that he hadn't seen the engineer's proposal and couldn't comment. No trial date has been set. He said that he and the defendants are now exchanging documents, and he expects depositions to start in the next two or three months.
A previous engineering report released in July said that the Water Gardens had a long history of neglect, including poor maintenance, staff cutbacks and lack of employee training.
A city risk assessment team also recommended Thursday that the City Council increase maintenance staffing at the Water Gardens from three to seven and more than double its operating budget from $366,150 annually to $777,890.
Mr. Moncrief said that some have insisted that repairing the Water Gardens is too expensive and that it should be bulldozed. But he said the park is a world-class attraction that needs to be preserved.
"We want to maintain this for future generations to enjoy," he said.
$3 million in safety improvements listed in engineering report
By JEFF MOSIER / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas – City officials are considering a recommendation that calls for nearly $3 million in safety renovations at the Water Gardens park, where four tourists attending a Baptist convention drowned last summer.
An engineering report released Thursday proposes raising the floor of the Active Pool, where the deaths occurred, and placing low walls and rails along the sides. The proposed improvements, endorsed by the city staff, also included replacing the pumping system with new equipment to keep the water level of the Active Pool at 1 ½ feet. The pool had an estimated 8 ½ feet of water when a Chicago area father, his two children and a family friend drowned June 16.
Mayor Mike Moncrief said Thursday that the proposal fixes the safety problems at the 31-year-old downtown landmark and preserves the park's aesthetics.
"This maintains the integrity of the Water Gardens and still allows people to get close to the water," he said.
The victims – Myron Dukes, 39; his 8-year-old daughter, Lauren Dukes, and 13-year-old son, Christopher Dukes; and family friend Juanitrice Deadmon, 11 – died when Lauren slipped as she walked around the side of the Active Pool, and Juanitrice fell in while trying to help her. Mr. Dukes and his son drowned when they both jumped in to try to save the two girls.
Police officers who tried to rescue all four victims later said that water velocity at the drain nearly sucked them to the bottom of the pool.
Thursday's recommended changes would address the major elements that contributed to the drownings, which a police investigation ruled was accidental.
New sensors would maintain the water level at 1 ½ feet, and even if that failed, the new, shallower Active Pool would only be 3 feet deep. A new trench drain along the edges of the pool would also prevent the intense water velocity that was experienced on the day of the drownings.
In addition to the changes involving the Active Pool, the engineering recommendations also include replacing some of the Water Gardens' current lighting, much of which doesn't work or is ineffective, as well as installing a remote emergency shutoff button for the pumps.
An automatic dialer would also be used to notify staff if the pumping system malfunctions or the water level isn't correct.
October start?
If the City Council agrees to fund the $2.88 million project, the renovations could begin as early as October, with reopening of the park a year later. It's not clear when the issue will return to the council for a vote.
The council discussed the report briefly at a Thursday afternoon workshop and was generally supportive of the plan.
Council member Chuck Silcox said he wants to move quickly on the project, stay focused on the safety improvements and avoid any temptation to add onto it needlessly.
"That's not what we're looking to do," he said.
Fellow council member Donavan Wheatfallsuggested that Fort Worth officials approach local companies or foundations for financial help in upgrading the Water Gardens.
He noted that the Amon G. Carter Foundation originally donated the five-acre park, famous for its steep steps and dramatic waterfalls, to the city when it opened in 1974.
Other changes proposed for the park include sandblasting some walls, resurfacing the Quiet Pool, replacing cracked concrete, and building a kiosk that explains the history of the Water Gardens.
That kiosk would also list the drowning victims.
"It's important to maintain the memories of the lives lost," Mr. Moncrief said.
Families suing
The victim's families are suing the city, the original builder and other companies that have worked on the Water Gardens throughout the years.
Their attorney, Christopher Ford, said Thursday that he hadn't seen the engineer's proposal and couldn't comment. No trial date has been set. He said that he and the defendants are now exchanging documents, and he expects depositions to start in the next two or three months.
A previous engineering report released in July said that the Water Gardens had a long history of neglect, including poor maintenance, staff cutbacks and lack of employee training.
A city risk assessment team also recommended Thursday that the City Council increase maintenance staffing at the Water Gardens from three to seven and more than double its operating budget from $366,150 annually to $777,890.
Mr. Moncrief said that some have insisted that repairing the Water Gardens is too expensive and that it should be bulldozed. But he said the park is a world-class attraction that needs to be preserved.
"We want to maintain this for future generations to enjoy," he said.
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TexasStooge
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
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Grand jury to hear Collin dumping case
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
MCKINNEY, Texas - A Collin County grand jury will soon consider an illegal dumping case investigators are calling one of the most disgusting they've ever seen.
Four different law enforcement agencies tried to find out who dumped a giant pile of animal parts, including deer heads.
The crime occurred at an old abandoned outlet mall just off Central Expressway and State Highway 121 in Allen.
Collin County deputy constables received a tip from a property manager at the old Belz Factory Outlet Mall. They found a huge, smelly pile of bloody garbage.
"It was some old produce, waste and bakery waste, and it looked like meat and meat trimmings," said Collin County Deputy Constable Mark Shook.
The trash initially appeared to be sitting in a puddle of water, but a closer look revealed that it was actually blood. Deputies also found two deer heads among the waste.
There were few clues as to who did the dumping.
"I went to every grocery store in that area, and had no leads," Shook said.
But ten days later, it happened again. Someone came to the same spot and dumped another pile, but after the second dumping the deputies developed leads from evidence they found.
"There was actually some residential waste in the second dumping that had some addresses," Shook said. "It didn't directly identify anything, but it gave us a place to start."
Investigators won't reveal who they believe did it, but the Collin County district attorney's office confirmed they took the case and will refer it to a grand jury.
"I'd say close to 40 to 50 percent of the time, someone's going to leave something there, whether they're dumping off a trailer or they leave a license plate, household trash or some kind of mail in there," said James Henry of the Collin County sheriff's office.
Collin County sheriff's deputies who investigate illegal dumping said it is on the rise. Over the last year their caseload has tripled; they blame people who want to save money by avoiding landfill fees or because they're just too lazy to dump the trash where it belongs.
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
MCKINNEY, Texas - A Collin County grand jury will soon consider an illegal dumping case investigators are calling one of the most disgusting they've ever seen.
Four different law enforcement agencies tried to find out who dumped a giant pile of animal parts, including deer heads.
The crime occurred at an old abandoned outlet mall just off Central Expressway and State Highway 121 in Allen.
Collin County deputy constables received a tip from a property manager at the old Belz Factory Outlet Mall. They found a huge, smelly pile of bloody garbage.
"It was some old produce, waste and bakery waste, and it looked like meat and meat trimmings," said Collin County Deputy Constable Mark Shook.
The trash initially appeared to be sitting in a puddle of water, but a closer look revealed that it was actually blood. Deputies also found two deer heads among the waste.
There were few clues as to who did the dumping.
"I went to every grocery store in that area, and had no leads," Shook said.
But ten days later, it happened again. Someone came to the same spot and dumped another pile, but after the second dumping the deputies developed leads from evidence they found.
"There was actually some residential waste in the second dumping that had some addresses," Shook said. "It didn't directly identify anything, but it gave us a place to start."
Investigators won't reveal who they believe did it, but the Collin County district attorney's office confirmed they took the case and will refer it to a grand jury.
"I'd say close to 40 to 50 percent of the time, someone's going to leave something there, whether they're dumping off a trailer or they leave a license plate, household trash or some kind of mail in there," said James Henry of the Collin County sheriff's office.
Collin County sheriff's deputies who investigate illegal dumping said it is on the rise. Over the last year their caseload has tripled; they blame people who want to save money by avoiding landfill fees or because they're just too lazy to dump the trash where it belongs.
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TexasStooge
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- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Builders pushing freebies
As new homes sit vacant, giveaways such as maid service offered
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLLAS, Texas - When Mark Smith and his wife shopped for a new home south of Dallas, price and location were important considerations.
"Energy efficiency was also a factor, but what my wife really liked was the free maid service," Mr. Smith said.
As part of their deal to buy a new house from Antares Homes, the Smiths, who are in their 20s, get maid service for a year.
"That was real attractive to my wife, but not so much to me," said Mr. Smith, who's moving to Ellis County from Louisiana to take a new job.
Freebies such as fancy appliances, landscaping, interior upgrades and even cash decorating allowances are luring buyers into new homes in North Texas.
Incentives have been around for years in the new home market, of course. But with the inventory of unsold new homes nearly twice what it was four years ago, builders are pushing especially hard on the giveaways.
"This is the best time for consumers to be out there shopping for a home," said Bill Cox, vice president of sales for Centex Homes. "The customer can get a good deal."
Measuring incentives isn't easy. Although home builders tout them to potential buyers, they're reluctant to discuss how much they're spending in front of competitors while they're trying to sell down their inventories.
"The builders don't like that to sit on their books, and that's when you start seeing all the incentives," said David Brown, director of housing analyst Metrostudy Inc.'s Dallas office.
"It's not a demand issue – we have great demand for new homes. But we keep adding more supply."
Free maid service is a way to catch a buyer's eye, said Ron Formby, president of Arlington-based Antares Homes. " I can't put numbers on it and say it's generated a tremendous amount of traffic.
"But it has bought some people into our models, and we have sold some houses off of it," he said.
If buyers don't want maid service, they can bargain for something else.
"I've been doing this for 32 years, and there have always been incentives," said Mr. Formby, whose new homes sell from $100,000 to $240,000. "I remember a long time ago, somebody put a car in the garage.
"That was back in the '80s when you couldn't give a house away," he said.
Unsold inventory
At the end of 2004, there were almost 8,000 unsold new homes in the D-FW area – up from about 4,200 in 2000, according to Metrostudy.
"We have some of the highest finished new home inventories relative to other markets around the country," Mr. Brown said.
There are other reasons for the increase in freebies: winter months are typically slow for home sales, and the number of builders in Dallas-Fort Worth is increasing.
"Why we are seeing so many giveaways is we have had so many more builders enter the market and start new communities," said Mr. Brown. "That has raised the level of competition."
Mr. Cox of Centex Homes said his company changes incentives based on the neighborhood, type of house and time of year.
"If we have homes we have started and have spec homes we want to sell, we have an urgency there," Mr. Cox said. "We want to go ahead and get those sold and offer discounts, lower down payments, free washers, dryers and refrigerators – sometimes a whole package of those things."
Builders also use incentives to meet sales targets, he said, and some can be counted on to move houses. "We'll go ahead and put the sod in the back yard. A lot of homes come with miniblinds."
Free options
One big local builder – Mercedes Homes – has been advertising "over $15,000 in free options" on houses in more than two dozen North Texas subdivisions. The upgrades include deluxe countertops, stainless steel appliances, whirlpool tubs and ceiling fans.
Builder Grand Homes advertises a "free pool by the summer" with its D-FW-area houses.
"I wouldn't say that all the people take the pool, but it's a drawing card," said Mar'Sue Haffner, Grand's vice president of sales. "A lot of people don't like pools, and they can use [the $12,500 cost of the pool] for whatever they want."
Grand's homes average about $300,000, but buyers typically spend more, she said. "Most people put in $20,000 to $30,000 in options" on houses that are already loaded with features.
Builders will likely try to drop incentives when inventory levels fall, but that may take some doing. In the rental market, freebies have become so commonplace that consumers expect something for nothing.
"I've had conversations with some builders who are trying to cut the discounting, but you have others that are out to get market share, and they keep them up," said analyst Ted Wilson of Residential Strategies. "It is difficult to stop once the dam is broken."
With almost 40,000 preowned homes for sale in North Texas, "buyers have lots of choices," Mr. Wilson said. "You have to do something to turn their heads."
As new homes sit vacant, giveaways such as maid service offered
By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
DALLLAS, Texas - When Mark Smith and his wife shopped for a new home south of Dallas, price and location were important considerations.
"Energy efficiency was also a factor, but what my wife really liked was the free maid service," Mr. Smith said.
As part of their deal to buy a new house from Antares Homes, the Smiths, who are in their 20s, get maid service for a year.
"That was real attractive to my wife, but not so much to me," said Mr. Smith, who's moving to Ellis County from Louisiana to take a new job.
Freebies such as fancy appliances, landscaping, interior upgrades and even cash decorating allowances are luring buyers into new homes in North Texas.
Incentives have been around for years in the new home market, of course. But with the inventory of unsold new homes nearly twice what it was four years ago, builders are pushing especially hard on the giveaways.
"This is the best time for consumers to be out there shopping for a home," said Bill Cox, vice president of sales for Centex Homes. "The customer can get a good deal."
Measuring incentives isn't easy. Although home builders tout them to potential buyers, they're reluctant to discuss how much they're spending in front of competitors while they're trying to sell down their inventories.
"The builders don't like that to sit on their books, and that's when you start seeing all the incentives," said David Brown, director of housing analyst Metrostudy Inc.'s Dallas office.
"It's not a demand issue – we have great demand for new homes. But we keep adding more supply."
Free maid service is a way to catch a buyer's eye, said Ron Formby, president of Arlington-based Antares Homes. " I can't put numbers on it and say it's generated a tremendous amount of traffic.
"But it has bought some people into our models, and we have sold some houses off of it," he said.
If buyers don't want maid service, they can bargain for something else.
"I've been doing this for 32 years, and there have always been incentives," said Mr. Formby, whose new homes sell from $100,000 to $240,000. "I remember a long time ago, somebody put a car in the garage.
"That was back in the '80s when you couldn't give a house away," he said.
Unsold inventory
At the end of 2004, there were almost 8,000 unsold new homes in the D-FW area – up from about 4,200 in 2000, according to Metrostudy.
"We have some of the highest finished new home inventories relative to other markets around the country," Mr. Brown said.
There are other reasons for the increase in freebies: winter months are typically slow for home sales, and the number of builders in Dallas-Fort Worth is increasing.
"Why we are seeing so many giveaways is we have had so many more builders enter the market and start new communities," said Mr. Brown. "That has raised the level of competition."
Mr. Cox of Centex Homes said his company changes incentives based on the neighborhood, type of house and time of year.
"If we have homes we have started and have spec homes we want to sell, we have an urgency there," Mr. Cox said. "We want to go ahead and get those sold and offer discounts, lower down payments, free washers, dryers and refrigerators – sometimes a whole package of those things."
Builders also use incentives to meet sales targets, he said, and some can be counted on to move houses. "We'll go ahead and put the sod in the back yard. A lot of homes come with miniblinds."
Free options
One big local builder – Mercedes Homes – has been advertising "over $15,000 in free options" on houses in more than two dozen North Texas subdivisions. The upgrades include deluxe countertops, stainless steel appliances, whirlpool tubs and ceiling fans.
Builder Grand Homes advertises a "free pool by the summer" with its D-FW-area houses.
"I wouldn't say that all the people take the pool, but it's a drawing card," said Mar'Sue Haffner, Grand's vice president of sales. "A lot of people don't like pools, and they can use [the $12,500 cost of the pool] for whatever they want."
Grand's homes average about $300,000, but buyers typically spend more, she said. "Most people put in $20,000 to $30,000 in options" on houses that are already loaded with features.
Builders will likely try to drop incentives when inventory levels fall, but that may take some doing. In the rental market, freebies have become so commonplace that consumers expect something for nothing.
"I've had conversations with some builders who are trying to cut the discounting, but you have others that are out to get market share, and they keep them up," said analyst Ted Wilson of Residential Strategies. "It is difficult to stop once the dam is broken."
With almost 40,000 preowned homes for sale in North Texas, "buyers have lots of choices," Mr. Wilson said. "You have to do something to turn their heads."
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
TAKS cheaters are fired
Houston 5th-graders said 2 teachers pointed to correct answers
By BRUCE NICHOLS / The Dallas Morning News
HOUSTON, Texas – The Houston Independent School District said Thursday that it was firing two fifth-grade math teachers found to have helped children cheat on a state test last year.
More than a dozen students interviewed by investigators at Sanderson Elementary School confirmed that teachers helped them cheat by pointing to correct answers, among other actions, the district said.
"HISD will not tolerate this kind of inappropriate behavior," Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said in announcing the dismissals. "It deprives children of their right to a good education ... and it damages the confidence of the public in our school district."
The principal of Sanderson, a school in a low-income area on Houston's north side, also has been demoted to assistant principal and will be reassigned. There was no evidence that he was involved, but he "failed to exercise strong administrative controls," the district said. The district did not name those who were disciplined. The teachers declined to answer questions but denied wrongdoing, the district said.
The school district launched an investigation of several schools Dec. 17 after a Dallas Morning News analysis of test scores statewide found hundreds of Texas schools with highly unusual swings in scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests. Experts say that such swings do not, by themselves, prove cheating, but they do raise questions.
Sanderson's fifth-grade TAKS math scores topped the list.
The school's fourth-graders scored extremely poorly on the math TAKS test in 2004. Their average scale score ranked Sanderson in the bottom 2 percent of the state: No. 3,173 out of 3,227 schools.
Sanderson's fifth-graders, however, had the highest scale scores of any school in Texas on the math test. In scale-score points, the distance between Sanderson and the No. 2 school in the state was as large as the gap between No. 2 and No. 116. More than 90 percent of Sanderson's fifth-graders got perfect or near-perfect scores.
The Houston district – the largest in Texas and the seventh-largest in the nation – replicated the newspaper's analysis.
The superintendent appointed an inspector general to look into test scores, and he determined that TAKS math scores in two classes at Sanderson were "far higher than statistical probability would suggest as normal test score growth," HISD said in a statement.
According to investigators:
•Fourteen students reported that at least one of the teachers helped them solve test problems by giving examples of practice problems.
•Thirteen reported that at least one of the teachers told them to raise their hands during TAKS testing if they needed help.
•Three students said at least one teacher pointed to an answer if students weren't able to solve it on their own.
•Fourteen students said at least one of the teachers reviewed their math problems and marked some to be rechecked.
•All fourteen students said they changed answers on problems marked by the teacher.
•Five students said at least one of the teachers told them the right answer to a question after they changed it to a wrong answer.
The investigators also went to Austin and examined the test booklets of the 17 students interviewed and found questionable markings consistent with what students had told them.
In addition to firing the teachers, the district will report its findings to the State Board of Educator Certification, which could revoke their teaching certificates, HISD said.
The district also will turn its findings over to the Harris County district attorney. Falsifying testing documents is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
"We will stop this kind of behavior wherever we find it," Dr. Saavedra said.
"The vast majority of our children and teachers do wonderful work," the superintendent said. "We must not allow their good work to be tarnished by the actions of a few."
The district is still looking into a former teacher's charge of cheating at Wesley Elementary School. Investigators also are checking 22 other schools with no allegations of cheating but with test score anomalies, officials said.
Houston 5th-graders said 2 teachers pointed to correct answers
By BRUCE NICHOLS / The Dallas Morning News
HOUSTON, Texas – The Houston Independent School District said Thursday that it was firing two fifth-grade math teachers found to have helped children cheat on a state test last year.
More than a dozen students interviewed by investigators at Sanderson Elementary School confirmed that teachers helped them cheat by pointing to correct answers, among other actions, the district said.
"HISD will not tolerate this kind of inappropriate behavior," Superintendent Abelardo Saavedra said in announcing the dismissals. "It deprives children of their right to a good education ... and it damages the confidence of the public in our school district."
The principal of Sanderson, a school in a low-income area on Houston's north side, also has been demoted to assistant principal and will be reassigned. There was no evidence that he was involved, but he "failed to exercise strong administrative controls," the district said. The district did not name those who were disciplined. The teachers declined to answer questions but denied wrongdoing, the district said.
The school district launched an investigation of several schools Dec. 17 after a Dallas Morning News analysis of test scores statewide found hundreds of Texas schools with highly unusual swings in scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests. Experts say that such swings do not, by themselves, prove cheating, but they do raise questions.
Sanderson's fifth-grade TAKS math scores topped the list.
The school's fourth-graders scored extremely poorly on the math TAKS test in 2004. Their average scale score ranked Sanderson in the bottom 2 percent of the state: No. 3,173 out of 3,227 schools.
Sanderson's fifth-graders, however, had the highest scale scores of any school in Texas on the math test. In scale-score points, the distance between Sanderson and the No. 2 school in the state was as large as the gap between No. 2 and No. 116. More than 90 percent of Sanderson's fifth-graders got perfect or near-perfect scores.
The Houston district – the largest in Texas and the seventh-largest in the nation – replicated the newspaper's analysis.
The superintendent appointed an inspector general to look into test scores, and he determined that TAKS math scores in two classes at Sanderson were "far higher than statistical probability would suggest as normal test score growth," HISD said in a statement.
According to investigators:
•Fourteen students reported that at least one of the teachers helped them solve test problems by giving examples of practice problems.
•Thirteen reported that at least one of the teachers told them to raise their hands during TAKS testing if they needed help.
•Three students said at least one teacher pointed to an answer if students weren't able to solve it on their own.
•Fourteen students said at least one of the teachers reviewed their math problems and marked some to be rechecked.
•All fourteen students said they changed answers on problems marked by the teacher.
•Five students said at least one of the teachers told them the right answer to a question after they changed it to a wrong answer.
The investigators also went to Austin and examined the test booklets of the 17 students interviewed and found questionable markings consistent with what students had told them.
In addition to firing the teachers, the district will report its findings to the State Board of Educator Certification, which could revoke their teaching certificates, HISD said.
The district also will turn its findings over to the Harris County district attorney. Falsifying testing documents is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
"We will stop this kind of behavior wherever we find it," Dr. Saavedra said.
"The vast majority of our children and teachers do wonderful work," the superintendent said. "We must not allow their good work to be tarnished by the actions of a few."
The district is still looking into a former teacher's charge of cheating at Wesley Elementary School. Investigators also are checking 22 other schools with no allegations of cheating but with test score anomalies, officials said.
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
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- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Monkey business gets Texas native on TV
By APRIL KINSER / DallasNews.com
Most people wouldn’t consider working for “a bunch of monkeys” a great measure of success. For Griffin Creech, it’s a step toward a lifelong dream.
The 28-year-old gained instant fame after starring in a series of commercials that aired during the Super Bowl. He’s the exasperated human trying to persevere in an office environment in which he works, literally, with chimpanzees.
The tagline for the CareerBuilder.com ads: “Want a new job?”
“You don’t want to plan too far ahead when you do commercials, but I was really happy they decided to use them,” said Creech, a native of Helotes, a small suburb of San Antonio. “I wasn’t sure they would even run.”
Creech, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., attended John Marshall High School in San Antonio, where he was involved in theater and worked for the school’s newspaper.
He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with an advertising degree in 1999 and landed a job as a copywriter in New York. Since then, he has auditioned for parts during the day and worked part-time as a copywriter.
The ads for the job placement site feature business suit-wearing chimpanzees ineffectively running a fictitious company called Yeknom (monkey spelled backwards) Industries (http://www.yeknominc.com), where Creech is the victim of a whoopee cushion prank and a co-worker wastes time photocopying his own behind.
In another, bananas and papers are tossed at Creech after he disagrees with calling a new product “the Titanic.” He also placates an angry caller as the animals screech in their cubicles and twirl in their chairs.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I work with a bunch of monkeys here,” Creech says, defeated.
Creech said only four chimpanzees were used, but the magic of computers made it appear as if there were many more. He recalled working with one, named Ella:
“They brought me into this room with her so we could get acquainted and she kind of bounced all over the place and started checking me out,” Creech said. “She would pick up my foot and groom my legs. That was a pretty amazing experience.”
Creech said Ella even examined a cut on his thumb. But their relationship soured when she lunged at him while filming.
“I had to take a break after that to compose myself,” Creech said. “I would get nervous during filming because there would be monkeys behind me and it would be kind of scary.”
A bit of fear and the 10-hour workdays made it easier to keep a straight face, he said. In some cases, Creech and the chimps were filmed separately, and then edited together.
“I had never worked with animals before,” Creech said. “They have their own schedule and won’t do what human actors will do after a couple hours on set.”
Marshall Ross, executive creative director at Chicago-based Cramer-Krasselt, the advertising firm that created the commercials, said Creech captured the attention of casting agents because he was “instantly likeable and immediately vulnerable.”
“Griffin seemed to be the walking go-alonger. He looked as if he had a target on his head,” Ross said. “At the same time, he was not the obvious dork or sap. There was this sense of victimization, but competence at the same time.”
That sense of victimization in the workplace long has been a trend in popular culture.
Dr. Patty Alvey, director of the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University, said use of the office environment in marketing campaigns dates back several years to include IBM and the U.S. Postal Service, among others.
More recently, Burger King, Starbucks, Capital One and Nextel have cashed in, perhaps spawned by the success of BBC’s The Office and NBC’s The Apprentice.
“It feels good for us to laugh at our own human foibles,” said Alvey, who taught Creech at UT-Austin. “We may know people like that in the office or had a similar situation where it’s easy for us to identify with.”
Ross said office commercials have become popular because the dynamic of the American workplace has evolved.
“In the ‘70s, there was ‘Miller Time.’ People worked in factories and when the whistle blew, you would see sweaty guys in hard hats leaving the warehouse,” Ross said. “A lot of people work in offices now. The office is the new factory floor.”
Five more commercials starring Creech and the chimpanzees are scheduled to air in the near future, with a few debuting during the Academy Awards, Ross said.
Creech said it wasn’t hard to project the sense of working in a “big cubicle farm.”
“It’s so iconic because there is a whole generation of people who work in these places,” Creech said. “I just tried to imagine what that would be like and stayed out of the way of those chimps.”
Dee Mullins said her son’s TV persona matches his real one. “That’s the way he’s always been. That was just my son being his goofy self,” she said.
A former high school English teacher, Mullins said Creech was the creative type who “could drive you crazy” with his energy.
“It’s kind of hard to put into words how proud I am of him,” she said.
Creech said he hasn’t gotten any major offers since the commercials aired, but he continues to pursue acting and goes to auditions most days. He’s also working on a screenplay and testing for television pilots and movies.
“I just want to keep acting,” he said. “If something happens, great. If not, I’ll just keep at it and remain hopeful.”
By APRIL KINSER / DallasNews.com
Most people wouldn’t consider working for “a bunch of monkeys” a great measure of success. For Griffin Creech, it’s a step toward a lifelong dream.
The 28-year-old gained instant fame after starring in a series of commercials that aired during the Super Bowl. He’s the exasperated human trying to persevere in an office environment in which he works, literally, with chimpanzees.
The tagline for the CareerBuilder.com ads: “Want a new job?”
“You don’t want to plan too far ahead when you do commercials, but I was really happy they decided to use them,” said Creech, a native of Helotes, a small suburb of San Antonio. “I wasn’t sure they would even run.”
Creech, who lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., attended John Marshall High School in San Antonio, where he was involved in theater and worked for the school’s newspaper.
He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with an advertising degree in 1999 and landed a job as a copywriter in New York. Since then, he has auditioned for parts during the day and worked part-time as a copywriter.
The ads for the job placement site feature business suit-wearing chimpanzees ineffectively running a fictitious company called Yeknom (monkey spelled backwards) Industries (http://www.yeknominc.com), where Creech is the victim of a whoopee cushion prank and a co-worker wastes time photocopying his own behind.
In another, bananas and papers are tossed at Creech after he disagrees with calling a new product “the Titanic.” He also placates an angry caller as the animals screech in their cubicles and twirl in their chairs.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I work with a bunch of monkeys here,” Creech says, defeated.
Creech said only four chimpanzees were used, but the magic of computers made it appear as if there were many more. He recalled working with one, named Ella:
“They brought me into this room with her so we could get acquainted and she kind of bounced all over the place and started checking me out,” Creech said. “She would pick up my foot and groom my legs. That was a pretty amazing experience.”
Creech said Ella even examined a cut on his thumb. But their relationship soured when she lunged at him while filming.
“I had to take a break after that to compose myself,” Creech said. “I would get nervous during filming because there would be monkeys behind me and it would be kind of scary.”
A bit of fear and the 10-hour workdays made it easier to keep a straight face, he said. In some cases, Creech and the chimps were filmed separately, and then edited together.
“I had never worked with animals before,” Creech said. “They have their own schedule and won’t do what human actors will do after a couple hours on set.”
Marshall Ross, executive creative director at Chicago-based Cramer-Krasselt, the advertising firm that created the commercials, said Creech captured the attention of casting agents because he was “instantly likeable and immediately vulnerable.”
“Griffin seemed to be the walking go-alonger. He looked as if he had a target on his head,” Ross said. “At the same time, he was not the obvious dork or sap. There was this sense of victimization, but competence at the same time.”
That sense of victimization in the workplace long has been a trend in popular culture.
Dr. Patty Alvey, director of the Temerlin Advertising Institute at Southern Methodist University, said use of the office environment in marketing campaigns dates back several years to include IBM and the U.S. Postal Service, among others.
More recently, Burger King, Starbucks, Capital One and Nextel have cashed in, perhaps spawned by the success of BBC’s The Office and NBC’s The Apprentice.
“It feels good for us to laugh at our own human foibles,” said Alvey, who taught Creech at UT-Austin. “We may know people like that in the office or had a similar situation where it’s easy for us to identify with.”
Ross said office commercials have become popular because the dynamic of the American workplace has evolved.
“In the ‘70s, there was ‘Miller Time.’ People worked in factories and when the whistle blew, you would see sweaty guys in hard hats leaving the warehouse,” Ross said. “A lot of people work in offices now. The office is the new factory floor.”
Five more commercials starring Creech and the chimpanzees are scheduled to air in the near future, with a few debuting during the Academy Awards, Ross said.
Creech said it wasn’t hard to project the sense of working in a “big cubicle farm.”
“It’s so iconic because there is a whole generation of people who work in these places,” Creech said. “I just tried to imagine what that would be like and stayed out of the way of those chimps.”
Dee Mullins said her son’s TV persona matches his real one. “That’s the way he’s always been. That was just my son being his goofy self,” she said.
A former high school English teacher, Mullins said Creech was the creative type who “could drive you crazy” with his energy.
“It’s kind of hard to put into words how proud I am of him,” she said.
Creech said he hasn’t gotten any major offers since the commercials aired, but he continues to pursue acting and goes to auditions most days. He’s also working on a screenplay and testing for television pilots and movies.
“I just want to keep acting,” he said. “If something happens, great. If not, I’ll just keep at it and remain hopeful.”
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TexasStooge
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Man convicted of killing four executed
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) – Convicted murderer Dennis Wayne Bagwell was executed Thursday evening for the slayings of his mother and three others in a bloody spree almost 10 years ago near San Antonio.
Bagwell did not acknowledge or address the four relatives of his victims, but he thanked a spiritual advisor for being there. "I love you all," he told people he had invited to watch him die.
As the drugs began taking effect, he gasped a couple of times and was pronounced dead at 6:19 p.m. CST, seven minutes later.
Bagwell, 41, denied involvement in the massacre of his mother, Leona McBee, 47; her niece, Libby Best, 24; Best's daughter, Reba, 4; and Tassy Boone, 14, the granddaughter of McBee's common-law husband, Ron Boone. All were slain at a mobile home in a rural area of Wilson County near Stockdale, about 35 miles southeast of San Antonio.
Prosecutors described Bagwell at his trial as a "natural-born killer." The former meat salesman was born in Denver and grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and the Dallas area. He was on parole at the time of the quadruple slayings, serving 13 years of an 18-year sentence for attempted capital murder in Hidalgo County for slitting the throat of an illegal immigrant.
Bagwell also was convicted of another slaying that occurred two weeks before the Wilson County killings. In that case, he received a life prison term for stomping to death a janitor at a Seguin bar.
The lethal injection was the third this year in Texas, the nation's most active capital punishment state. At least 10 other inmates have execution dates over the next three months.
A pathologist testified at Bagwell's trial it appeared the victims had been beaten with a claw hammer, the neck of a guitar, a spring from an exercise machine and a broken .22-caliber rifle. At least one had been stomped on. One was shot twice in the head. Two of the victims were strangled so violently their necks were broken.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant a stay for lawyers, who argued Bagwell was improperly denied his right to testify at his capital murder trial.
In an interview Wednesday at death row, Bagwell said he was grateful for the 11th-hour efforts, but would welcome death.
"I'm at peace with it," he said. "I'm ready to go. I'm tired of living in a cage like an animal and being treated like an animal.
"What better way to go than being put to sleep, rather than suffering the rest of your life."
He said his earlier stint in prison made him a convenient target when Wilson County authorities were looking to find who was responsible for the four slayings.
"When they found out I had a TDC record for attempted murder, they started piling up the evidence to back up their claim," Bagwell said.
"I think the death penalty for someone like him is the only way," Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt said this week. "He deserves what he gets."
Tackitt described Bagwell as a bully who preyed on those he could intimidate.
"He was Mr. Bad Guy if you let him," the sheriff said. "If he knew he couldn't get away with it, he was pretty calm."
Bagwell's collection of tattoos included one on his left arm that spelled out in big letters: "MOM." He said Wednesday he was nowhere near the murder scene and last saw his mother about three days before the Sept. 20, 1995, slayings.
Bagwell's girlfriend testified at his trial that she and Bagwell had smoked crack cocaine in San Antonio, then drove to his mother's place so he could borrow some money. The witness, Victoria Wolford, said Bagwell became enraged when his mother only gave him $20. She said she watched through a window from a travel trailer on the property as he hit McBee in the head, then heard screams and other loud sounds.
The bodies were found by Ron Boone, the common-law husband of Bagwell's mother, after he returned home from work.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) – Convicted murderer Dennis Wayne Bagwell was executed Thursday evening for the slayings of his mother and three others in a bloody spree almost 10 years ago near San Antonio.
Bagwell did not acknowledge or address the four relatives of his victims, but he thanked a spiritual advisor for being there. "I love you all," he told people he had invited to watch him die.
As the drugs began taking effect, he gasped a couple of times and was pronounced dead at 6:19 p.m. CST, seven minutes later.
Bagwell, 41, denied involvement in the massacre of his mother, Leona McBee, 47; her niece, Libby Best, 24; Best's daughter, Reba, 4; and Tassy Boone, 14, the granddaughter of McBee's common-law husband, Ron Boone. All were slain at a mobile home in a rural area of Wilson County near Stockdale, about 35 miles southeast of San Antonio.
Prosecutors described Bagwell at his trial as a "natural-born killer." The former meat salesman was born in Denver and grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and the Dallas area. He was on parole at the time of the quadruple slayings, serving 13 years of an 18-year sentence for attempted capital murder in Hidalgo County for slitting the throat of an illegal immigrant.
Bagwell also was convicted of another slaying that occurred two weeks before the Wilson County killings. In that case, he received a life prison term for stomping to death a janitor at a Seguin bar.
The lethal injection was the third this year in Texas, the nation's most active capital punishment state. At least 10 other inmates have execution dates over the next three months.
A pathologist testified at Bagwell's trial it appeared the victims had been beaten with a claw hammer, the neck of a guitar, a spring from an exercise machine and a broken .22-caliber rifle. At least one had been stomped on. One was shot twice in the head. Two of the victims were strangled so violently their necks were broken.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant a stay for lawyers, who argued Bagwell was improperly denied his right to testify at his capital murder trial.
In an interview Wednesday at death row, Bagwell said he was grateful for the 11th-hour efforts, but would welcome death.
"I'm at peace with it," he said. "I'm ready to go. I'm tired of living in a cage like an animal and being treated like an animal.
"What better way to go than being put to sleep, rather than suffering the rest of your life."
He said his earlier stint in prison made him a convenient target when Wilson County authorities were looking to find who was responsible for the four slayings.
"When they found out I had a TDC record for attempted murder, they started piling up the evidence to back up their claim," Bagwell said.
"I think the death penalty for someone like him is the only way," Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt said this week. "He deserves what he gets."
Tackitt described Bagwell as a bully who preyed on those he could intimidate.
"He was Mr. Bad Guy if you let him," the sheriff said. "If he knew he couldn't get away with it, he was pretty calm."
Bagwell's collection of tattoos included one on his left arm that spelled out in big letters: "MOM." He said Wednesday he was nowhere near the murder scene and last saw his mother about three days before the Sept. 20, 1995, slayings.
Bagwell's girlfriend testified at his trial that she and Bagwell had smoked crack cocaine in San Antonio, then drove to his mother's place so he could borrow some money. The witness, Victoria Wolford, said Bagwell became enraged when his mother only gave him $20. She said she watched through a window from a travel trailer on the property as he hit McBee in the head, then heard screams and other loud sounds.
The bodies were found by Ron Boone, the common-law husband of Bagwell's mother, after he returned home from work.
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TexasStooge
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3 in smuggling deaths case denied bond
HOUSTON, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) – A federal magistrate denied bond Thursday for three former fugitives accused of taking part in a smuggling attempt that left 19 illegal immigrants dead.
Victor Sanchez Rodriguez; his wife, Emma Sapata Rodriguez; and Rosa Sarrata Gonzalez, Sapata's half-sister, pleaded innocent during the hearing on charges alleging they were part of a smuggling ring that tried to transport more than 70 immigrants.
Seventeen immigrants were found dead inside a sweltering tractor-trailer after it was abandoned in Victoria in May 2003. Two died later in what was the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt.
"Persons involved in the commercial enterprise of human bondage where the deaths of 19 individuals were involved constitutes a danger to this community," U.S. Magistrate Judge Calvin Botley said.
All three face 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants. Sanchez and Sapata also face two additional counts related to an accusation they held for ransom the 3-year-old son of a Honduran woman who survived the smuggling attempt.
All three could be sentenced to death if convicted. Federal law allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty in smuggling cases that result in death.
Botley also denied bonds for the three because they had been fugitives from U.S. authorities since being indicted along with 11 other people. Sanchez, Sapata and Sarrata fled to Mexico but were later arrested and held there on similar smuggling charges along with a group of other people.
Last month, a Mexican federal judge dismissed the case, and the three were deported to the United States and arrested when they were returned to Houston last week.
The Mexican judge also dropped charges against another man wanted by U.S. authorities for the smuggling attempt, Octavio Torres Ortega. Torres, who says he's a Mexican citizen, is the only indicted defendant who remains a fugitive.
Investigators say Sanchez and Sapata operated one of the three smuggling cells from their home in Brownsville.
Marc Sanders, a special agent with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testified Thursday that at least nine of the 55 immigrants who survived identified Sanchez and Sapata as partly responsible for smuggling them into the country.
Victor Jesus Rodriguez, the son of Sanchez and Sapata, and another man, Fredy Giovanni Garcia-Tobar, were convicted by a federal jury in December for their roles in the smuggling attempt.
Botley set a trial date of April 18 for all three.
Jury selection in the trial of Tyrone Williams, accused of driving and abandoning the tractor-trailer, is set to begin Tuesday. He also faces 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants.
HOUSTON, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) – A federal magistrate denied bond Thursday for three former fugitives accused of taking part in a smuggling attempt that left 19 illegal immigrants dead.
Victor Sanchez Rodriguez; his wife, Emma Sapata Rodriguez; and Rosa Sarrata Gonzalez, Sapata's half-sister, pleaded innocent during the hearing on charges alleging they were part of a smuggling ring that tried to transport more than 70 immigrants.
Seventeen immigrants were found dead inside a sweltering tractor-trailer after it was abandoned in Victoria in May 2003. Two died later in what was the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt.
"Persons involved in the commercial enterprise of human bondage where the deaths of 19 individuals were involved constitutes a danger to this community," U.S. Magistrate Judge Calvin Botley said.
All three face 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants. Sanchez and Sapata also face two additional counts related to an accusation they held for ransom the 3-year-old son of a Honduran woman who survived the smuggling attempt.
All three could be sentenced to death if convicted. Federal law allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty in smuggling cases that result in death.
Botley also denied bonds for the three because they had been fugitives from U.S. authorities since being indicted along with 11 other people. Sanchez, Sapata and Sarrata fled to Mexico but were later arrested and held there on similar smuggling charges along with a group of other people.
Last month, a Mexican federal judge dismissed the case, and the three were deported to the United States and arrested when they were returned to Houston last week.
The Mexican judge also dropped charges against another man wanted by U.S. authorities for the smuggling attempt, Octavio Torres Ortega. Torres, who says he's a Mexican citizen, is the only indicted defendant who remains a fugitive.
Investigators say Sanchez and Sapata operated one of the three smuggling cells from their home in Brownsville.
Marc Sanders, a special agent with the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testified Thursday that at least nine of the 55 immigrants who survived identified Sanchez and Sapata as partly responsible for smuggling them into the country.
Victor Jesus Rodriguez, the son of Sanchez and Sapata, and another man, Fredy Giovanni Garcia-Tobar, were convicted by a federal jury in December for their roles in the smuggling attempt.
Botley set a trial date of April 18 for all three.
Jury selection in the trial of Tyrone Williams, accused of driving and abandoning the tractor-trailer, is set to begin Tuesday. He also faces 58 counts of harboring and transporting illegal immigrants.
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TexasStooge
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Oak Cliff Residents Want House Demolished
Group To Rally Outside Home Saturday
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Residents of an Oak Cliff neighborhood are demanding the city do something about a dilapidated house.
Neighbors say the house is an eyesore and they want to know how much longer they will have to put up with it.
Members of a community organization are hoping to bring the city's attention to the little house on Easter Avenue. It is rotting and filled with trash, and neighbors say it's been ignored for at least a decade.
Nothing about the house in the 2700 block of Easter can be salvaged.
"It's just ridiculous, the fact that this hasn't been boarded up, or cleaned up or torn down by the city, " Steve Dooley said.
Neighbors say it has looked like a mess for years. The people who once lived there died, and the house was forgotten.
"It has gotten to be a really disastrous thing now, and it just needs to be gone ... bye-bye," neighbor Doris Jackson said.
A group will rally outside the house on Saturday to get the city's attention.
"Drug dealers go in there," Arquilla Smith said.
The city said something has been done. In January, a judge ordered the structure to be demolished, and a demolition order was supposed to be forwarded to the city's public works department last week.
Some said they heard the same thing years ago, and will believe it when they see it.
"It's supposed to be torn down, it's supposed to be boarded up, it's supposed to be cleaned out ... but here it is: open windows, open doors," Dooley said.
The property is supposed to be torn down by April 1.
Concerned people from the neighborhood will be outside the home on Saturday anyway, and they have invited supervisors from the Department of Code Compliance to join them.
Group To Rally Outside Home Saturday
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Residents of an Oak Cliff neighborhood are demanding the city do something about a dilapidated house.
Neighbors say the house is an eyesore and they want to know how much longer they will have to put up with it.
Members of a community organization are hoping to bring the city's attention to the little house on Easter Avenue. It is rotting and filled with trash, and neighbors say it's been ignored for at least a decade.
Nothing about the house in the 2700 block of Easter can be salvaged.
"It's just ridiculous, the fact that this hasn't been boarded up, or cleaned up or torn down by the city, " Steve Dooley said.
Neighbors say it has looked like a mess for years. The people who once lived there died, and the house was forgotten.
"It has gotten to be a really disastrous thing now, and it just needs to be gone ... bye-bye," neighbor Doris Jackson said.
A group will rally outside the house on Saturday to get the city's attention.
"Drug dealers go in there," Arquilla Smith said.
The city said something has been done. In January, a judge ordered the structure to be demolished, and a demolition order was supposed to be forwarded to the city's public works department last week.
Some said they heard the same thing years ago, and will believe it when they see it.
"It's supposed to be torn down, it's supposed to be boarded up, it's supposed to be cleaned out ... but here it is: open windows, open doors," Dooley said.
The property is supposed to be torn down by April 1.
Concerned people from the neighborhood will be outside the home on Saturday anyway, and they have invited supervisors from the Department of Code Compliance to join them.
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TexasStooge
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System Gives ID Thieves 30 Days To Work
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Identity theft has been called the fastest growing crime in the world. The crime is relatively easy to commit, and the thieves rarely are caught.
An NBC 5 investigative report exposed how rapidly the thieves can ply their illegal trade. The report revealed a 30-day window in which criminals can work while the credit reporting system catches up to the illicit activity of fraudulent accounts.
Thieves can use the 30 days between the time an account is opened and the time it appears in one of the three credit reporting bureaus' systems to open everything from multiple cable TV accounts to charge accounts. The case of one North Texas woman highlighted the problem.
Lisa Hamric is a golf pro in Frisco. Or, according to one fraudulent account, she might be a resident of an abandoned apartment complex in Fort Worth.
Within three days of her purse being stolen, Hamric had five home addresses and 33 credit cards in her name. The activity should have alerted credit reporting agencies because of her past credit activity.
"I had one credit card in my name my whole life, and I'm 33 years old," Hamric said.
None of the three major reporting bureaus flagged the activity. As it turned out, NBC 5 had uncovered a 30-day flaw in the reporting system before officials notice or question the activity.
A representative with Experian, one of the three reporting bureaus, said the company works to prevent fraud, but detecting bogus accounts can be difficult.
"If we starting guessing at what is fraudulent and what is not -- 33 accounts in three days -- well, again, it's possible," Rod Griffin, of Experian, said.
Still, Griffin said the flurry of credit activity is not probable. In those cases, Griffin said Experian would work with the legitimate customer to regain his or her credit standing.
"Fraud may have been occurring before there is any evidence on a credit report," he said. "So, at that point, we are only in a position to help the client recover."
The trail of bogus Lisa Hamrics led the NBC 5 investigation to an abandoned apartment complex in inner city Fort Worth. Thieves using an empty unit used her identity to open a cable TV account. Neighbors living nearby told NBC 5 that the residents did more than watch pirated television.
"It used to be a crack house," one neighbor said.
At each step of tracking Hamric's identity, the thieves had been long gone. The trail ultimately led to financial destruction.
"Somebody should have noticed this wasn't me," Hamric said.
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Identity theft has been called the fastest growing crime in the world. The crime is relatively easy to commit, and the thieves rarely are caught.
An NBC 5 investigative report exposed how rapidly the thieves can ply their illegal trade. The report revealed a 30-day window in which criminals can work while the credit reporting system catches up to the illicit activity of fraudulent accounts.
Thieves can use the 30 days between the time an account is opened and the time it appears in one of the three credit reporting bureaus' systems to open everything from multiple cable TV accounts to charge accounts. The case of one North Texas woman highlighted the problem.
Lisa Hamric is a golf pro in Frisco. Or, according to one fraudulent account, she might be a resident of an abandoned apartment complex in Fort Worth.
Within three days of her purse being stolen, Hamric had five home addresses and 33 credit cards in her name. The activity should have alerted credit reporting agencies because of her past credit activity.
"I had one credit card in my name my whole life, and I'm 33 years old," Hamric said.
None of the three major reporting bureaus flagged the activity. As it turned out, NBC 5 had uncovered a 30-day flaw in the reporting system before officials notice or question the activity.
A representative with Experian, one of the three reporting bureaus, said the company works to prevent fraud, but detecting bogus accounts can be difficult.
"If we starting guessing at what is fraudulent and what is not -- 33 accounts in three days -- well, again, it's possible," Rod Griffin, of Experian, said.
Still, Griffin said the flurry of credit activity is not probable. In those cases, Griffin said Experian would work with the legitimate customer to regain his or her credit standing.
"Fraud may have been occurring before there is any evidence on a credit report," he said. "So, at that point, we are only in a position to help the client recover."
The trail of bogus Lisa Hamrics led the NBC 5 investigation to an abandoned apartment complex in inner city Fort Worth. Thieves using an empty unit used her identity to open a cable TV account. Neighbors living nearby told NBC 5 that the residents did more than watch pirated television.
"It used to be a crack house," one neighbor said.
At each step of tracking Hamric's identity, the thieves had been long gone. The trail ultimately led to financial destruction.
"Somebody should have noticed this wasn't me," Hamric said.
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TexasStooge
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Driver Slams Into Dallas Tollbooth
Man Recovering In Hospital
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A driver is in the hospital after he drove his SUV into a Dallas tollbooth overnight.
The SUV hit the booth on the President George Bush Turnpike at about 1 a.m. Friday.
Not much was left of the expedition as it was towed away. The booth also suffered plenty of damage, NBC 5 reported.
No one was inside the booth at the time of the accident.
Man Recovering In Hospital
DALLAS, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- A driver is in the hospital after he drove his SUV into a Dallas tollbooth overnight.
The SUV hit the booth on the President George Bush Turnpike at about 1 a.m. Friday.
Not much was left of the expedition as it was towed away. The booth also suffered plenty of damage, NBC 5 reported.
No one was inside the booth at the time of the accident.
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TexasStooge
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SECURITY GUARD HURT IN H.S. FIGHT
DALLAS, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Three high school students were arrested, after a vicious attack that sent a campus security guard to the hospital.
The incident happened at David W. Carter High School on Wheatland Road in Oak Cliff. A security guard was trying to break up a fight involving several boys and girls when he was assaulted.
The security guard is expected to be okay. One student was arrested for assault, another for trespassing. The third teen was arrested for disobeying an officer. DISD police say more arrests could follow.
DALLAS, Texas (KDFW Fox 4) -- Three high school students were arrested, after a vicious attack that sent a campus security guard to the hospital.
The incident happened at David W. Carter High School on Wheatland Road in Oak Cliff. A security guard was trying to break up a fight involving several boys and girls when he was assaulted.
The security guard is expected to be okay. One student was arrested for assault, another for trespassing. The third teen was arrested for disobeying an officer. DISD police say more arrests could follow.
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TexasStooge
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Seized Texan sought bin Laden bounty
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
SANSOM PARK, Texas — Federal agents searched the home of a Tarrant County man after he told authorities he was on his way to Syria to look for international terrorist Osama Bin Laden.
Matt Mihsen of Sansom Park was arrested Tuesday in Detroit, a stopover on his way to the Middle East. Mihsen, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Syria, was charged with making false statements to Customs and Border Protection officers at the Detroit airport.
A search of his luggage turned up almost $14,000 in cash along with 40 rounds of ammunition, pepper spray, three Geiger counters and a stun gun.
"This morning we wake up to about 30 FBI agents next door," said Samantha Daniels, Mihsen's Sansom Park neighbor. She said she told investigators Mihsen was very rarely at home, but that he was friendly.
"He helped us move dirt when we were getting our lot ready," Daniels said. "My boyfriend's done electrical work on his house."
Neighbors said agents appeared to remove some evidence from Mihsen's modest wood frame home, but they were unable to determine what kind of things were taken.
FBI spokeswoman Lori Bailey in Dallas said the search was conducted by the FBI and a joint terrorism task force, but added that the warrant was under court seal and no details were available on what items were sought or found.
Mihsen told investigators he had been seeking the $25 million reward the U.S. is offering for bin Laden.
Besides making false statements to federal investigators, Mihsen was charged with attempting to smuggle bulk cash out of the United States and attempting to export money and goods to Syria in violation of a presidential executive order.
The latter charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Mihsen's Sansom Park neighbors, meanwhile, are puzzled about the bizarre turn of events. "He was really a nice guy," Daniels said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA ABC 8
SANSOM PARK, Texas — Federal agents searched the home of a Tarrant County man after he told authorities he was on his way to Syria to look for international terrorist Osama Bin Laden.
Matt Mihsen of Sansom Park was arrested Tuesday in Detroit, a stopover on his way to the Middle East. Mihsen, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Syria, was charged with making false statements to Customs and Border Protection officers at the Detroit airport.
A search of his luggage turned up almost $14,000 in cash along with 40 rounds of ammunition, pepper spray, three Geiger counters and a stun gun.
"This morning we wake up to about 30 FBI agents next door," said Samantha Daniels, Mihsen's Sansom Park neighbor. She said she told investigators Mihsen was very rarely at home, but that he was friendly.
"He helped us move dirt when we were getting our lot ready," Daniels said. "My boyfriend's done electrical work on his house."
Neighbors said agents appeared to remove some evidence from Mihsen's modest wood frame home, but they were unable to determine what kind of things were taken.
FBI spokeswoman Lori Bailey in Dallas said the search was conducted by the FBI and a joint terrorism task force, but added that the warrant was under court seal and no details were available on what items were sought or found.
Mihsen told investigators he had been seeking the $25 million reward the U.S. is offering for bin Laden.
Besides making false statements to federal investigators, Mihsen was charged with attempting to smuggle bulk cash out of the United States and attempting to export money and goods to Syria in violation of a presidential executive order.
The latter charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Mihsen's Sansom Park neighbors, meanwhile, are puzzled about the bizarre turn of events. "He was really a nice guy," Daniels said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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HS guard quits over nude photos
By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A security guard at Hillcrest High School has resigned after confessing to showing nude photos to students, Dallas school district spokesman Donald Claxton said today.
The spokesman said he is not aware that any of the photos were of minors.
Child Protective Services is investigating the matter because the guard worked at a school and showed the pictures to students, Mr. Claxton said.
The guard, whose name was not released, was walking around the school showing the pictures to students on Feb. 11, Mr. Claxton said. Some of the students told school officials about the photos. The guard, who started working at the school in 2003, admitted to showing the photos and resigned the same day, Mr. Claxton said.
Mr. Claxton said police were not investigating the incident. "It's over with. He doesn't work for us any more," Mr. Claxton said.
By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - A security guard at Hillcrest High School has resigned after confessing to showing nude photos to students, Dallas school district spokesman Donald Claxton said today.
The spokesman said he is not aware that any of the photos were of minors.
Child Protective Services is investigating the matter because the guard worked at a school and showed the pictures to students, Mr. Claxton said.
The guard, whose name was not released, was walking around the school showing the pictures to students on Feb. 11, Mr. Claxton said. Some of the students told school officials about the photos. The guard, who started working at the school in 2003, admitted to showing the photos and resigned the same day, Mr. Claxton said.
Mr. Claxton said police were not investigating the incident. "It's over with. He doesn't work for us any more," Mr. Claxton said.
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TexasStooge
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Stolen Firetruck Found With Minor Damage
Volunteer's Truck Missing For One Day
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Going without one fire truck in the small West Texas town of Kress was a big deal to its volunteer department, even for a day. And, thankfully, that's how long it took to locate the red 1992 Ford F-350 truck after it was stolen sometime early Thursday.
The truck was found Thursday afternoon in Tulia, about 15 miles north of the town of about 825 residents.
The truck, which is half the 16-man department's firefighting equipment, had only minor damage to the passenger side door.
Police continue to investigate the theft.
Officials say it's unclear whether break-ins at three businesses and at City Hall overnight are connected to the truck's theft.
Volunteer's Truck Missing For One Day
FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Going without one fire truck in the small West Texas town of Kress was a big deal to its volunteer department, even for a day. And, thankfully, that's how long it took to locate the red 1992 Ford F-350 truck after it was stolen sometime early Thursday.
The truck was found Thursday afternoon in Tulia, about 15 miles north of the town of about 825 residents.
The truck, which is half the 16-man department's firefighting equipment, had only minor damage to the passenger side door.
Police continue to investigate the theft.
Officials say it's unclear whether break-ins at three businesses and at City Hall overnight are connected to the truck's theft.
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