Dallas Police Dept. chopper fleet among oldest in U.S.
Internal review says increasing repairs hurt ability to help officers
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - The Dallas Police Department's helicopter unit, the second-oldest fleet of its kind in the nation, is catching fewer criminals because its units are routinely grounded for repairs.
Newly-released records show that the problem is only getting worse.
The unit has a helicopter on duty much of the time serving as "Air One", and officials say the choppers are vital to fighting crime.
Wednesday morning, for example, Air One helped patrol officers chase a suspected drug dealer.
"It's a valuable resource to us assisting our officers on the streets," DPD Lt. Anthony Williams said. "It's a vital component in homeland security, in addition to just protecting the citizens of Dallas."
Yet, new helicopters have not been a priority in the city's budget - and the fleet is only getting older. The age of the four DPD helicopters averages 28 years; the oldest chopper is a 1973 model, and the newest is 1984.
An internal city review concluded, "there is only so much twine, bubblegum and prayers in the world to hold together the current fleet of helicopters."
"Our maintenance crew that we have out here are outstanding," mechanic Greg Arnold said. "As a matter of fact, they are some of the unsung heroes in the city of Dallas."
The department's mechanics spend a majority of their time on unscheduled maintenance repairs, costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars. One chopper was out of service for three months for an engine overhaul, and two months for a cracked fuselage.
"The expense just doesn't make sense to continue to operate this age of fleet on the budget that we have," Williams said.
Records obtained by The Dallas Morning News show that DPD helicopters are flying three less hours a day than they were two years ago, resulting in fewer arrests and fewer calls.
"There have been 500 fewer arrests, 275 fewer stolen vehicles recovered, 25 fewer missing people found and 1,200 fewer calls answered," said Williams.
The Dallas City Council has routinely turned down proposals for new helicopters in the past, but the department hopes this year it will get the money it needs to continue keeping an eye over Dallas.
News from the Lone Star State
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Tanker wreck snarls North Dallas traffic
DALLAS, Texas - A portion of LBJ Freeway in North Dallas was shut throughout the busy morning rush hour Thursday after a tanker truck crashed into a barrier and tipped over, spilling fuel on the highway.
The crash, which happened in the westbound lanes at Montfort Drive near Valley View Center, also forced the closure of the eastbound lanes of LBJ as emergency workers struggled to mop up the mess.
Dallas Fire-Rescue used foam to smother the spilled fuel as a heavy-duty wrecker was standing by to get the truck out of the way.
As many as 9 other vehicles were reportedly involved in the accident around 6:30 a.m.. It was not clear whether there were any serious injuries.
The cleanup was still in progress at 9:20 a.m.
Morning rush hour traffic on the Dallas North Tollway was also snarled by vehicles being diverted from LBJ and by a fender-bender in the southbound lanes just south of LBJ and another wreck in the northbound lanes at Northwest Highway.
WFAA-TV contributed to this report.
DALLAS, Texas - A portion of LBJ Freeway in North Dallas was shut throughout the busy morning rush hour Thursday after a tanker truck crashed into a barrier and tipped over, spilling fuel on the highway.
The crash, which happened in the westbound lanes at Montfort Drive near Valley View Center, also forced the closure of the eastbound lanes of LBJ as emergency workers struggled to mop up the mess.
Dallas Fire-Rescue used foam to smother the spilled fuel as a heavy-duty wrecker was standing by to get the truck out of the way.
As many as 9 other vehicles were reportedly involved in the accident around 6:30 a.m.. It was not clear whether there were any serious injuries.
The cleanup was still in progress at 9:20 a.m.
Morning rush hour traffic on the Dallas North Tollway was also snarled by vehicles being diverted from LBJ and by a fender-bender in the southbound lanes just south of LBJ and another wreck in the northbound lanes at Northwest Highway.
WFAA-TV contributed to this report.
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Parents: Teen denied water during track practice
Lake Dallas ISD officials investigating
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
LAKE DALLAS, Texas - A Lake Dallas Middle School student was rushed to a hospital Tuesday after collapsing during track and field practice.
School district officials are investigating after some parents who witnessed the event claim a coach denied the teen water during the practice.
"I had about eight students running to my truck, carrying my son's friend and putting him into my truck," said parent Rebecca Bowerman. "He was overheated, not breathing and dehydrated."
The young man spent seven hours in the hospital; he was rehydrated with IV fluids and stabilized.
Lake Dallas ISD superintendent Tom Davenport denied the parents' charge that coaches denied the students water as a punishment for some earlier misbehavior.
District officials acknowledged there was a problem with water at the track because of a maintenance issue, but they said it was readily available at the nearby school. The district believes the young man did get water before becoming ill.
"Water should be available at all times at workouts as well as in games," Davenport said "That should not be an issue."
School officials said they'll get to the bottom of what happened.
Said Davenport, "Number one, was water made available - yes or no? And if so, was it denied to any student - yes or no? Right now it's an ongoing investigation into that situation."
The young man made a full recovery, but his doctor said he should not practice for several days. Meanwhile, parents stand by their allegations.
"If I would have not gotten here and gotten the attention, then I don't know what would have happened to the young man," said Bowerman.
Lake Dallas ISD officials investigating
By DAN RONAN / WFAA ABC 8
LAKE DALLAS, Texas - A Lake Dallas Middle School student was rushed to a hospital Tuesday after collapsing during track and field practice.
School district officials are investigating after some parents who witnessed the event claim a coach denied the teen water during the practice.
"I had about eight students running to my truck, carrying my son's friend and putting him into my truck," said parent Rebecca Bowerman. "He was overheated, not breathing and dehydrated."
The young man spent seven hours in the hospital; he was rehydrated with IV fluids and stabilized.
Lake Dallas ISD superintendent Tom Davenport denied the parents' charge that coaches denied the students water as a punishment for some earlier misbehavior.
District officials acknowledged there was a problem with water at the track because of a maintenance issue, but they said it was readily available at the nearby school. The district believes the young man did get water before becoming ill.
"Water should be available at all times at workouts as well as in games," Davenport said "That should not be an issue."
School officials said they'll get to the bottom of what happened.
Said Davenport, "Number one, was water made available - yes or no? And if so, was it denied to any student - yes or no? Right now it's an ongoing investigation into that situation."
The young man made a full recovery, but his doctor said he should not practice for several days. Meanwhile, parents stand by their allegations.
"If I would have not gotten here and gotten the attention, then I don't know what would have happened to the young man," said Bowerman.
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Dead child's mother testifies
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Testimony continued Wednesday at the trial of a child care center driver accused of leaving a baby in the back of his vehicle for hours in 2003.
Jordan Thomas, who was 8 months old, did not survive the ordeal.
Former daycare driver Conrad Proctor has pleaded guilty to charges of injury to a child.
Proctor wiped away tears and kept his head down as he listened to members of the boy's family recount what happened that day.
Testimony began with Jordan's mother, Renae Thomas. She tearfully spoke of a happy baby who rarely cried.
On Aug. 20, 2003, Proctor picked up Thomas' son to take him to the T&T Tots Daycare & Learning Center in the Red Bird area of Dallas. Workers at the center could not find Jordan when his great-aunt arrived to pick him up nearly 8 hours later.
The boy had been left in a baby carrier in the cargo area of a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Proctor.
Renae Thomas remembered the final words she spoke to her son. "I was just telling him I was going to school to make a better way for me and him, and that I wasn't leaving him," she said. "I told him I loved him and he fell asleep."
Proctor—who could be sentenced from 2 to 20 years for the crime—wiped away tears as he listened to Thomas' testimony.
Proctor is expected to take the witness stand later Wednesday or on Thursday.
The T&T Tots facility was shut down by state regulators in the weeks following Jordan's death.
WFAA-TV's Alexa Conomos and Don Wall contributed to this report.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Testimony continued Wednesday at the trial of a child care center driver accused of leaving a baby in the back of his vehicle for hours in 2003.
Jordan Thomas, who was 8 months old, did not survive the ordeal.
Former daycare driver Conrad Proctor has pleaded guilty to charges of injury to a child.
Proctor wiped away tears and kept his head down as he listened to members of the boy's family recount what happened that day.
Testimony began with Jordan's mother, Renae Thomas. She tearfully spoke of a happy baby who rarely cried.
On Aug. 20, 2003, Proctor picked up Thomas' son to take him to the T&T Tots Daycare & Learning Center in the Red Bird area of Dallas. Workers at the center could not find Jordan when his great-aunt arrived to pick him up nearly 8 hours later.
The boy had been left in a baby carrier in the cargo area of a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Proctor.
Renae Thomas remembered the final words she spoke to her son. "I was just telling him I was going to school to make a better way for me and him, and that I wasn't leaving him," she said. "I told him I loved him and he fell asleep."
Proctor—who could be sentenced from 2 to 20 years for the crime—wiped away tears as he listened to Thomas' testimony.
Proctor is expected to take the witness stand later Wednesday or on Thursday.
The T&T Tots facility was shut down by state regulators in the weeks following Jordan's death.
WFAA-TV's Alexa Conomos and Don Wall contributed to this report.
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Fort Worth ISD chooses new superintendent
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth ISD officials announced Wednesday that the district's board has approved the hiring of a new superintendent.
After a nationwide search they chose Dr. Melody Johnson, currently the head of schools in Providence, R.I.
Board members said they've landed one of the most sought-after superintendents in the country, and Johnson said there's no place she'd rather be.
"This is the only place to which I responded," Johnson said. "Fort Worth is the only place I want to be."
The Providence district is about a third the size of Fort Worth ISD, but with similar demographics and measurable improvements. In the last two years, 42 of 43 Providence Schools improved in English, and 32 in math.
The district also created four new small high schools for more personal learning, and established a parent-community network. Providence officials also credit her with ending a bitter feud between the administration and teachers' union.
Dr Johnson, who was previously a teacher in Dallas and administrator in San Antonio, was welcomed with flowers by a Fort Worth teachers' union leader.
"Texas is my home, and I missed it badly," she said.
She said she wants to start in Fort Worth by listening.
"I think you don't want to come in as a bulldozer, and put things in place that don't make sense," she said.
Indeed, the word "bulldozer" might make board members wince. Previous superintendent Thomas Tocco resigned on the heels of a multi-million-dollar construction scandal that put a top administrator in federal prison.
Two FWISD board members voted against her hiring.
"It was not a vote against the person," said board member T.A. Sims. "It was a vote against the affirmation of the hiring at this particular time."
Sims said he needs more time to answer a few more questions, but a solid majority of board members can't wait until Johnson takes over.
Under state law, Johnson can't be officially named superintendent for another 21 days. Her salary will be about $300,000.
By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth ISD officials announced Wednesday that the district's board has approved the hiring of a new superintendent.
After a nationwide search they chose Dr. Melody Johnson, currently the head of schools in Providence, R.I.
Board members said they've landed one of the most sought-after superintendents in the country, and Johnson said there's no place she'd rather be.
"This is the only place to which I responded," Johnson said. "Fort Worth is the only place I want to be."
The Providence district is about a third the size of Fort Worth ISD, but with similar demographics and measurable improvements. In the last two years, 42 of 43 Providence Schools improved in English, and 32 in math.
The district also created four new small high schools for more personal learning, and established a parent-community network. Providence officials also credit her with ending a bitter feud between the administration and teachers' union.
Dr Johnson, who was previously a teacher in Dallas and administrator in San Antonio, was welcomed with flowers by a Fort Worth teachers' union leader.
"Texas is my home, and I missed it badly," she said.
She said she wants to start in Fort Worth by listening.
"I think you don't want to come in as a bulldozer, and put things in place that don't make sense," she said.
Indeed, the word "bulldozer" might make board members wince. Previous superintendent Thomas Tocco resigned on the heels of a multi-million-dollar construction scandal that put a top administrator in federal prison.
Two FWISD board members voted against her hiring.
"It was not a vote against the person," said board member T.A. Sims. "It was a vote against the affirmation of the hiring at this particular time."
Sims said he needs more time to answer a few more questions, but a solid majority of board members can't wait until Johnson takes over.
Under state law, Johnson can't be officially named superintendent for another 21 days. Her salary will be about $300,000.
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Athlete in steroid inquiry transfers
Heritage High athlete at heart of investigation is happy at new school
By GREGG JONES and GARY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News
COLLEYVILLE, Texas - The athlete whose mother set in motion the Colleyville Heritage High School steroid investigation last fall has transferred to another area school because of threats and intimidation by Heritage football players.
Lori Lewis said the taunts, threatening phone calls and other harassment began the day after The Dallas Morning News ran a front-page article on Feb. 6 that described steroid use by her son and other Heritage athletes. The News identified Ms. Lewis and her son only by the pseudonyms Michelle and Patrick because they feared retaliation by Heritage coaches, athletes and parents.
Ms. Lewis, a 40-year-old employee of a Fort Worth-area health care company, said Wednesday that she had decided to make her identity public so she could speak openly about her son's ordeal.
"He really regrets that people took it in a negative way, but he's proud of what he did," said Ms. Lewis, who asked that The News continue to withhold his name.
Last week, after Ms. Lewis reported a threatening phone call to Colleyville police, Heritage athletes were required to sign a document acknowledging that they would be punished if they threatened or retaliated against students providing information about steroid use, Grapevine-Colleyville school district spokeswoman Robin McClure said.
Ms. Lewis said some neighbors and friends have stopped speaking to her since learning that she triggered the steroid investigation at the suburban Fort Worth high school.
"It doesn't bother me in the least," Ms. Lewis said. "I'm not in this for a popularity contest. I'm in this to educate other parents and families."
Steroid discovery
Ms. Lewis phoned a Heritage assistant principal last September after discovering a vial of the steroid nandrolone decanoate in her son's bedroom closet. Her son told her that he had paid a senior football player $200 for 10 milliliters of the popular anabolic steroid and that at least a dozen Heritage athletes had used the drug.
When The News first interviewed him in October, he described steroid use at the school but did not disclose the names of students. He later confirmed information The News had developed through other reporting.
In a November interview with The News, Heritage football coach Chris Cunningham denied that any of his players were using steroids and described the mother – Ms. Lewis – as a "liar" and "crazy."
By mid-December, nine athletes – seven of them football players – had acknowledged steroid use.
Mr. Cunningham publicly apologized for his remarks about the mother during an interview broadcast last week by WFAA-TV (Channel 8).
Ms. Lewis said her son, who played junior varsity football and baseball in 2003-04 at Heritage, faced taunts and threats from football players all day on Feb. 7, the first school day after The News articles focused attention on Heritage steroid use.
When her son walked out to the Heritage parking lot after school, he found a note on his pickup with one handwritten word: "Snitch."
That evening, a friend on the football team phoned to tell her son that varsity players had threatened to "kick his ass," Ms. Lewis said.
Ms. Lewis' son stayed home from school on Feb. 8. That evening, a junior football player who had not participated in earlier taunting – called a mutual friend and said an adult steroid dealer known as "Big Mike" was "coming after" her son, Ms. Lewis said.
Tarrant County authorities say they are still trying to identify the adult steroid dealer. Heritage players told Mr. Cunningham during his investigation that they got to Big Mike through football players at Southlake Carroll and Grapevine high schools.
Ms. Lewis said her son faced more ostracism and harassment when he returned to classes on Feb. 9. She notified a senior school district official, Steve Trachier, about the harassment on Feb. 10.
Shortly before midnight the next evening, one of the junior football players left a profanity-laced threat on the cellphone of Ms. Lewis' son: "Hey, Patrick, you [expletives]. I'm going to beat your ass." Ms. Lewis' son played the voicemail message for a News reporter.
Her son redialed the number and had a brief conversation with the caller, who sounded drunk, Ms. Lewis said.
As the football player unleashed more profanity and threats, Ms. Lewis' son could hear girls in the background call the football player by his first name and ask him to "knock it off."
"My son told me, 'I'm just going down there and let them beat me up and just get it over with, because I can't take this anymore,' " Ms. Lewis said.
The next morning, she said, she called Mr. Trachier, the school district official. He told her to call authorities, she said.
Calling in police
She phoned Colleyville police. A police document obtained by The News confirms that an officer went to her house.
Ms. Lewis said she and her son described the threats and played the voicemail for the officer. When the officer asked if they wanted to press charges, Ms. Lewis told her son it was his decision.
"And my son said, 'No, I want to try to talk to him [the football player] before that happens,' " Ms. Lewis said. "At that point, I broke into tears. ... He said, 'Mom, just let me handle it.' "
Ms. Lewis, her husband and son met with Mr. Trachier and another school district official on the evening of Feb. 14 to discuss the harassment and the steroid investigation. Ms. Lewis said the officials asked her son to give them the names of other steroid users at the school, but she told him not to answer because she feared even worse intimidation.
The school district's reaction intensified after Ms. Lewis called police. On Feb. 14, Heritage officials began circulating a document to athletes under the heading "threats and retaliation."
Ms. McClure said district and Heritage officials began discussing ways to prevent retaliation against her son and anyone else who provided information about steroid use on Feb. 7, the day after The News published its story about Ms. Lewis and her son. She said the district's actions included instructions from Mr. Cunningham to his players to refrain from making threats or intimidating Ms. Lewis' son and other students.
On Feb. 15, the Heritage security officer called one of the individuals who threatened Ms. Lewis' son into his office. School district documents obtained Wednesday by The News provide details of the conversation the officer had with the student: "I explained to [name redacted] the criminal consequences for making threats and phone harassment," security officer Gary Moore reported to Mr. Trachier. "[Name redacted] wanted to explain his actions, but I stopped him and asked him if he understood the laws that were explained to him, and he replied he did and there would be no further problems."
No discipline expected
The school district has said it would not punish the nine Heritage athletes who admitted steroid use. It has unveiled a series of steps to educate students about the dangers of steroid use. One of these is a public forum tonight.
Ms. Lewis said her son is happy at his new school and made the varsity baseball team. Tonight, she will be sitting on the front row at the forum, taking notes, she said.
Ms. Lewis said she is waiting for an apology for her son's treatment at Heritage.
"It's a mother's worst nightmare, to have your son do the right thing and then have retaliation against them," she said.
Heritage High athlete at heart of investigation is happy at new school
By GREGG JONES and GARY JACOBSON / The Dallas Morning News
COLLEYVILLE, Texas - The athlete whose mother set in motion the Colleyville Heritage High School steroid investigation last fall has transferred to another area school because of threats and intimidation by Heritage football players.
Lori Lewis said the taunts, threatening phone calls and other harassment began the day after The Dallas Morning News ran a front-page article on Feb. 6 that described steroid use by her son and other Heritage athletes. The News identified Ms. Lewis and her son only by the pseudonyms Michelle and Patrick because they feared retaliation by Heritage coaches, athletes and parents.
Ms. Lewis, a 40-year-old employee of a Fort Worth-area health care company, said Wednesday that she had decided to make her identity public so she could speak openly about her son's ordeal.
"He really regrets that people took it in a negative way, but he's proud of what he did," said Ms. Lewis, who asked that The News continue to withhold his name.
Last week, after Ms. Lewis reported a threatening phone call to Colleyville police, Heritage athletes were required to sign a document acknowledging that they would be punished if they threatened or retaliated against students providing information about steroid use, Grapevine-Colleyville school district spokeswoman Robin McClure said.
Ms. Lewis said some neighbors and friends have stopped speaking to her since learning that she triggered the steroid investigation at the suburban Fort Worth high school.
"It doesn't bother me in the least," Ms. Lewis said. "I'm not in this for a popularity contest. I'm in this to educate other parents and families."
Steroid discovery
Ms. Lewis phoned a Heritage assistant principal last September after discovering a vial of the steroid nandrolone decanoate in her son's bedroom closet. Her son told her that he had paid a senior football player $200 for 10 milliliters of the popular anabolic steroid and that at least a dozen Heritage athletes had used the drug.
When The News first interviewed him in October, he described steroid use at the school but did not disclose the names of students. He later confirmed information The News had developed through other reporting.
In a November interview with The News, Heritage football coach Chris Cunningham denied that any of his players were using steroids and described the mother – Ms. Lewis – as a "liar" and "crazy."
By mid-December, nine athletes – seven of them football players – had acknowledged steroid use.
Mr. Cunningham publicly apologized for his remarks about the mother during an interview broadcast last week by WFAA-TV (Channel 8).
Ms. Lewis said her son, who played junior varsity football and baseball in 2003-04 at Heritage, faced taunts and threats from football players all day on Feb. 7, the first school day after The News articles focused attention on Heritage steroid use.
When her son walked out to the Heritage parking lot after school, he found a note on his pickup with one handwritten word: "Snitch."
That evening, a friend on the football team phoned to tell her son that varsity players had threatened to "kick his ass," Ms. Lewis said.
Ms. Lewis' son stayed home from school on Feb. 8. That evening, a junior football player who had not participated in earlier taunting – called a mutual friend and said an adult steroid dealer known as "Big Mike" was "coming after" her son, Ms. Lewis said.
Tarrant County authorities say they are still trying to identify the adult steroid dealer. Heritage players told Mr. Cunningham during his investigation that they got to Big Mike through football players at Southlake Carroll and Grapevine high schools.
Ms. Lewis said her son faced more ostracism and harassment when he returned to classes on Feb. 9. She notified a senior school district official, Steve Trachier, about the harassment on Feb. 10.
Shortly before midnight the next evening, one of the junior football players left a profanity-laced threat on the cellphone of Ms. Lewis' son: "Hey, Patrick, you [expletives]. I'm going to beat your ass." Ms. Lewis' son played the voicemail message for a News reporter.
Her son redialed the number and had a brief conversation with the caller, who sounded drunk, Ms. Lewis said.
As the football player unleashed more profanity and threats, Ms. Lewis' son could hear girls in the background call the football player by his first name and ask him to "knock it off."
"My son told me, 'I'm just going down there and let them beat me up and just get it over with, because I can't take this anymore,' " Ms. Lewis said.
The next morning, she said, she called Mr. Trachier, the school district official. He told her to call authorities, she said.
Calling in police
She phoned Colleyville police. A police document obtained by The News confirms that an officer went to her house.
Ms. Lewis said she and her son described the threats and played the voicemail for the officer. When the officer asked if they wanted to press charges, Ms. Lewis told her son it was his decision.
"And my son said, 'No, I want to try to talk to him [the football player] before that happens,' " Ms. Lewis said. "At that point, I broke into tears. ... He said, 'Mom, just let me handle it.' "
Ms. Lewis, her husband and son met with Mr. Trachier and another school district official on the evening of Feb. 14 to discuss the harassment and the steroid investigation. Ms. Lewis said the officials asked her son to give them the names of other steroid users at the school, but she told him not to answer because she feared even worse intimidation.
The school district's reaction intensified after Ms. Lewis called police. On Feb. 14, Heritage officials began circulating a document to athletes under the heading "threats and retaliation."
Ms. McClure said district and Heritage officials began discussing ways to prevent retaliation against her son and anyone else who provided information about steroid use on Feb. 7, the day after The News published its story about Ms. Lewis and her son. She said the district's actions included instructions from Mr. Cunningham to his players to refrain from making threats or intimidating Ms. Lewis' son and other students.
On Feb. 15, the Heritage security officer called one of the individuals who threatened Ms. Lewis' son into his office. School district documents obtained Wednesday by The News provide details of the conversation the officer had with the student: "I explained to [name redacted] the criminal consequences for making threats and phone harassment," security officer Gary Moore reported to Mr. Trachier. "[Name redacted] wanted to explain his actions, but I stopped him and asked him if he understood the laws that were explained to him, and he replied he did and there would be no further problems."
No discipline expected
The school district has said it would not punish the nine Heritage athletes who admitted steroid use. It has unveiled a series of steps to educate students about the dangers of steroid use. One of these is a public forum tonight.
Ms. Lewis said her son is happy at his new school and made the varsity baseball team. Tonight, she will be sitting on the front row at the forum, taking notes, she said.
Ms. Lewis said she is waiting for an apology for her son's treatment at Heritage.
"It's a mother's worst nightmare, to have your son do the right thing and then have retaliation against them," she said.
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Bad glue leads to big water bill
HEATH, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - The bad news about Eileen Davis' sprinkler system hit her like a cold splash in the face.
Because of an undetected leak where glue had failed, the Heath woman received a $5,904.76 water bill – $5,864 more than usual.
"Unfortunately, a million gallons had passed through the meter," City Manager Dennis Watson said.
Ms. Davis thinks much of it flowed unnoticed down a creek behind her home.
A sympathetic City Council cut her bill to $2,000, less than the city's estimated cost for the water.
The moral of the story, Mr. Watson said: Use only certified specialists and quality parts.
LaKisha Ladson contributed to this report.
HEATH, Texas (The Dallas Morning News) - The bad news about Eileen Davis' sprinkler system hit her like a cold splash in the face.
Because of an undetected leak where glue had failed, the Heath woman received a $5,904.76 water bill – $5,864 more than usual.
"Unfortunately, a million gallons had passed through the meter," City Manager Dennis Watson said.
Ms. Davis thinks much of it flowed unnoticed down a creek behind her home.
A sympathetic City Council cut her bill to $2,000, less than the city's estimated cost for the water.
The moral of the story, Mr. Watson said: Use only certified specialists and quality parts.
LaKisha Ladson contributed to this report.
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Marine who died a hero heads home
After 38 years, remains of sergeant killed in Vietnam positively ID'd
By PAUL MEYER / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas – James Neil Tycz died a hero May 10, 1967, when a hand grenade exploded near his face in Khe Sanh, Vietnam.
Of his seven-member reconnaissance patrol team, only three Marines survived the early-morning firefight with the North Vietnamese army, according to military records. The others were buried under elephant grass on Hill 665, unrecovered but not forgotten.
On Wednesday, over a kitchen table in Plano, Sgt. Tycz's family heard the news they've waited 38 years for: The sergeant's remains – three teeth – had been located in Vietnam and positively identified. He was coming home.
"It was a mixed blessing for me," said Phillip Dale Tycz, Sgt. Tycz's brother who lives in Plano with his wife, Ruth.
"I was happy they could find the remains so he could finally be repatriated. But I also knew some of my family would have a very mixed reaction. They put it behind them and didn't want to know anything else."
Mr. Tycz, heading family efforts to keep abreast of the search for their relative in recent years, was first notified of the discovery Jan. 10 by telephone. Hattie Johnson, head of the U.S. Marine Corps' POW/MIA Affairs office, flew in from Quantico, Va., to brief the family on details of the discovery.
The search
The search for the four Marines buried on Hill 665 is a story of science, detective work and perseverance that began in 1991, when two Vietnamese entered a U.S. POW/MIA office in Hanoi saying they had access to the remains of 10 U.S. servicemen, including Sgt. Tycz, according to military records.
The two men never substantiated their claims, but a month later another Vietnamese made a similar assertion in Hanoi. He produced three teeth, one bone fragment and identification for Sgt. Tycz but left after being told of military policy not to pay for remains.
From 1993 to 1998, teams worked in Vietnam on six occasions in search of the men.
They found circumstantial evidence, evidence of a firefight, but no burial.
A break came in 2003 when a team returned to the hill and recovered several fragments of teeth and bone. Last year, an excavation of the site near the border of Vietnam and Laos was completed.
In all, 31 teeth and tooth fragments were found and used in a Hawaii laboratory to identify the four Marines.
Military officials met recently in Tennessee, Georgia and Washington state with the families of the three other Marines.
"So many people don't realize what the government does for these men and women," Mr. Tycz said Wednesday.
"They don't give up on them."
More than 1,800 Americans from the Vietnam era are still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, according to the most recent statistics. Of those, about 970 are still being actively pursued.
Navy Cross
Sgt. Tycz was 22 when he died. He was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy's second-highest medal, for his actions on Hill 665.
A live grenade had landed near a wounded Marine. The sergeant moved toward it, picked it up and attempted to throw it back at the enemy.
The grenade exploded after a short distance and Sgt. Tycz fell, critically wounded.
In the coming weeks, his three teeth will be flown in from Hawaii and placed in a container inside a flag-draped silver metal casket. A full uniform will rest alongside it.
Sgt. Tycz's remains will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, per his family's wishes.
"He will be under full military escort, just like it happened yesterday," said Timothy Nicholson, assistant program director for Navy Mortuary Affairs.
In addition to his brother in Plano, Sgt. Tycz is survived by another brother, Peter Carey Tycz of Milwaukee; and two sisters, Rita Blount of Escondido, Calif., and Patricia Kriesher of Downey, Calif.
Just a day after he died, Sgt. Tycz's mother received a letter from him. In it, he wrote:
"I had an interruption just now. Our lieutenant passed me the word that we go in at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. None of us want to go, but that's our job and I pray I will never fail to do it. ..."
After 38 years, remains of sergeant killed in Vietnam positively ID'd
By PAUL MEYER / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas – James Neil Tycz died a hero May 10, 1967, when a hand grenade exploded near his face in Khe Sanh, Vietnam.
Of his seven-member reconnaissance patrol team, only three Marines survived the early-morning firefight with the North Vietnamese army, according to military records. The others were buried under elephant grass on Hill 665, unrecovered but not forgotten.
On Wednesday, over a kitchen table in Plano, Sgt. Tycz's family heard the news they've waited 38 years for: The sergeant's remains – three teeth – had been located in Vietnam and positively identified. He was coming home.
"It was a mixed blessing for me," said Phillip Dale Tycz, Sgt. Tycz's brother who lives in Plano with his wife, Ruth.
"I was happy they could find the remains so he could finally be repatriated. But I also knew some of my family would have a very mixed reaction. They put it behind them and didn't want to know anything else."
Mr. Tycz, heading family efforts to keep abreast of the search for their relative in recent years, was first notified of the discovery Jan. 10 by telephone. Hattie Johnson, head of the U.S. Marine Corps' POW/MIA Affairs office, flew in from Quantico, Va., to brief the family on details of the discovery.
The search
The search for the four Marines buried on Hill 665 is a story of science, detective work and perseverance that began in 1991, when two Vietnamese entered a U.S. POW/MIA office in Hanoi saying they had access to the remains of 10 U.S. servicemen, including Sgt. Tycz, according to military records.
The two men never substantiated their claims, but a month later another Vietnamese made a similar assertion in Hanoi. He produced three teeth, one bone fragment and identification for Sgt. Tycz but left after being told of military policy not to pay for remains.
From 1993 to 1998, teams worked in Vietnam on six occasions in search of the men.
They found circumstantial evidence, evidence of a firefight, but no burial.
A break came in 2003 when a team returned to the hill and recovered several fragments of teeth and bone. Last year, an excavation of the site near the border of Vietnam and Laos was completed.
In all, 31 teeth and tooth fragments were found and used in a Hawaii laboratory to identify the four Marines.
Military officials met recently in Tennessee, Georgia and Washington state with the families of the three other Marines.
"So many people don't realize what the government does for these men and women," Mr. Tycz said Wednesday.
"They don't give up on them."
More than 1,800 Americans from the Vietnam era are still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, according to the most recent statistics. Of those, about 970 are still being actively pursued.
Navy Cross
Sgt. Tycz was 22 when he died. He was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy's second-highest medal, for his actions on Hill 665.
A live grenade had landed near a wounded Marine. The sergeant moved toward it, picked it up and attempted to throw it back at the enemy.
The grenade exploded after a short distance and Sgt. Tycz fell, critically wounded.
In the coming weeks, his three teeth will be flown in from Hawaii and placed in a container inside a flag-draped silver metal casket. A full uniform will rest alongside it.
Sgt. Tycz's remains will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, per his family's wishes.
"He will be under full military escort, just like it happened yesterday," said Timothy Nicholson, assistant program director for Navy Mortuary Affairs.
In addition to his brother in Plano, Sgt. Tycz is survived by another brother, Peter Carey Tycz of Milwaukee; and two sisters, Rita Blount of Escondido, Calif., and Patricia Kriesher of Downey, Calif.
Just a day after he died, Sgt. Tycz's mother received a letter from him. In it, he wrote:
"I had an interruption just now. Our lieutenant passed me the word that we go in at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow. None of us want to go, but that's our job and I pray I will never fail to do it. ..."
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Rhode Island educator to head Fort Worth ISD
Superintendent had taught in Dallas, worked for TEA
By TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth school trustees on Wednesday named Providence, R.I., Superintendent Melody A. Johnson as the new leader of the district.
Dr. Johnson, 55, was one of two finalists for the job. The other was Corpus Christi Superintendent Jesus H. Chavez.
"I am very honored and very grateful to be selected as the sole finalist," Dr. Johnson said after the board voted, 7-2, in her favor.
Trustees Juan Rangel and T.A. Sims voted against hiring her. Under Texas law, the district must wait 21 days before finalizing the superintendent's hire.
"Texas is my home, and I have missed it tremendously," Dr. Johnson said. She worked in Texas for 24 years as an educator – including three years as a teacher in the Dallas Independent School District – and for the Texas Education Agency.
Fort Worth school board President William H. Koehler called her a visionary and said he was delighted by the board's choice.
"My colleagues and I are absolutely certain that Dr. Johnson is the right person to lead Fort Worth ISD into the future," Mr. Koehler said.
Mr. Sims said even though he voted against Dr. Johnson, "It doesn't mean I'm not supportive of her."
He said he voted against her because he had concerns about at least one Providence high school that is under scrutiny by the state for academic and accountability issues. The problems at the school, however, predate Dr. Johnson's tenure.
Mr. Rangel said that Dr. Chavez was his first choice and that his experience was a better match for the district.
"Dr. Johnson had a lot of accolades, as Dr. Chavez does, but she was never my first choice," Mr. Rangel said.
Dr. Johnson said she isn't sure when she'll take the helm of the state's third-largest district.
"I'm trying to think about both school systems," she said. "Schools end here in May and in late June in Rhode Island. We're trying to do what's best for both."
Dr. Johnson had been superintendent of the 27,000-student Providence school district for three years. Providence school board President Mary E. McClure said she would be disappointed to lose Dr. Johnson's leadership.
"Melody is absolutely a top-notch superintendent, " said Ms. McClure, adding that the board's intent was to offer her another three-year contract very soon. "I really wish we could have found a way to keep her."
Dr. Johnson is credited with numerous improvements to the underpinnings of public education in Providence.
Under her watch, Providence has invested heavily in professional development, including hands-on training done in the classroom.
Also, the curriculum has been standardized, bringing consistency to a school district with a high degree of mobility.
In her current job, Dr. Johnson earns about $169,156 a year plus an annual $8,000 annuity. The Fort Worth job pays about $300,000 a year.
Dr. Johnson will succeed Dr. Thomas Tocco, who resigned in March under pressure from trustees after 10 years at the helm. Dr. Tocco was reassigned to an administrative post in July to fulfill the last six months of his contract, which expired Dec. 31.
The Providence Journal contributed to this report.
Superintendent had taught in Dallas, worked for TEA
By TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth school trustees on Wednesday named Providence, R.I., Superintendent Melody A. Johnson as the new leader of the district.
Dr. Johnson, 55, was one of two finalists for the job. The other was Corpus Christi Superintendent Jesus H. Chavez.
"I am very honored and very grateful to be selected as the sole finalist," Dr. Johnson said after the board voted, 7-2, in her favor.
Trustees Juan Rangel and T.A. Sims voted against hiring her. Under Texas law, the district must wait 21 days before finalizing the superintendent's hire.
"Texas is my home, and I have missed it tremendously," Dr. Johnson said. She worked in Texas for 24 years as an educator – including three years as a teacher in the Dallas Independent School District – and for the Texas Education Agency.
Fort Worth school board President William H. Koehler called her a visionary and said he was delighted by the board's choice.
"My colleagues and I are absolutely certain that Dr. Johnson is the right person to lead Fort Worth ISD into the future," Mr. Koehler said.
Mr. Sims said even though he voted against Dr. Johnson, "It doesn't mean I'm not supportive of her."
He said he voted against her because he had concerns about at least one Providence high school that is under scrutiny by the state for academic and accountability issues. The problems at the school, however, predate Dr. Johnson's tenure.
Mr. Rangel said that Dr. Chavez was his first choice and that his experience was a better match for the district.
"Dr. Johnson had a lot of accolades, as Dr. Chavez does, but she was never my first choice," Mr. Rangel said.
Dr. Johnson said she isn't sure when she'll take the helm of the state's third-largest district.
"I'm trying to think about both school systems," she said. "Schools end here in May and in late June in Rhode Island. We're trying to do what's best for both."
Dr. Johnson had been superintendent of the 27,000-student Providence school district for three years. Providence school board President Mary E. McClure said she would be disappointed to lose Dr. Johnson's leadership.
"Melody is absolutely a top-notch superintendent, " said Ms. McClure, adding that the board's intent was to offer her another three-year contract very soon. "I really wish we could have found a way to keep her."
Dr. Johnson is credited with numerous improvements to the underpinnings of public education in Providence.
Under her watch, Providence has invested heavily in professional development, including hands-on training done in the classroom.
Also, the curriculum has been standardized, bringing consistency to a school district with a high degree of mobility.
In her current job, Dr. Johnson earns about $169,156 a year plus an annual $8,000 annuity. The Fort Worth job pays about $300,000 a year.
Dr. Johnson will succeed Dr. Thomas Tocco, who resigned in March under pressure from trustees after 10 years at the helm. Dr. Tocco was reassigned to an administrative post in July to fulfill the last six months of his contract, which expired Dec. 31.
The Providence Journal contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Terrell preparing for Foxx-y celebration
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
Terrell, Texas may soon have something else to brag about.
The town just east of Dallas that was home to Jamie Foxx growing up is ready for a big win at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
The buzz surrounding Foxx's performance as Ray Charles in Ray has been building since his win at the Golden Globes, and Terrell is suffering no shortage of Oscar optimism.
"Terrell is just going to be on fire on Sunday night, that's all I can say," said childhood neighbor Torrez Thomas.
Thomas is one of the many life-long admirers of Hollywood's favored front man. He had a neighborhood view across the street from the house that nurtured Foxx.
The front exhibit currently on display at Terrell's public library retells the success from grade school to the red carpet.
"We're going to have a good time and celebrate when he wins," Thomas said.
Fame has a way of disconnecting people from their pasts, but not Foxx. He's seen to it that Terrell has a place in Hollywood - and it's only fitting that on his big night, Hollywood should have a place in Terrell.
"What started out as an off-hand conversation that we should do something the night of the Oscars has turned into a gala event," said Sarah Kegerreis of the city's Chamber of Commerce.
Terrell's Performing Arts Center will transform into the East Texas satellite of the Kodak Theater by Sunday.
"We'll have a limo, we'll have red carpet, we'll have a searchlight," Kegerreis said.
All over Terrell, people are picking their outfits to fill 1,500 seats tied to the hottest ticket in town.
"When he gets it, the whole thing is going to explode inside," said former classmate Shuck Wieland.
They are happy to celebrate a homegrown talent who they believe has aimed at this moment his whole life.
"I think we'll have women come in long gowns and men in dark suits and people in business attire," Kegerreis said. "We really do want it to be a very nice event."
By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8
Terrell, Texas may soon have something else to brag about.
The town just east of Dallas that was home to Jamie Foxx growing up is ready for a big win at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
The buzz surrounding Foxx's performance as Ray Charles in Ray has been building since his win at the Golden Globes, and Terrell is suffering no shortage of Oscar optimism.
"Terrell is just going to be on fire on Sunday night, that's all I can say," said childhood neighbor Torrez Thomas.
Thomas is one of the many life-long admirers of Hollywood's favored front man. He had a neighborhood view across the street from the house that nurtured Foxx.
The front exhibit currently on display at Terrell's public library retells the success from grade school to the red carpet.
"We're going to have a good time and celebrate when he wins," Thomas said.
Fame has a way of disconnecting people from their pasts, but not Foxx. He's seen to it that Terrell has a place in Hollywood - and it's only fitting that on his big night, Hollywood should have a place in Terrell.
"What started out as an off-hand conversation that we should do something the night of the Oscars has turned into a gala event," said Sarah Kegerreis of the city's Chamber of Commerce.
Terrell's Performing Arts Center will transform into the East Texas satellite of the Kodak Theater by Sunday.
"We'll have a limo, we'll have red carpet, we'll have a searchlight," Kegerreis said.
All over Terrell, people are picking their outfits to fill 1,500 seats tied to the hottest ticket in town.
"When he gets it, the whole thing is going to explode inside," said former classmate Shuck Wieland.
They are happy to celebrate a homegrown talent who they believe has aimed at this moment his whole life.
"I think we'll have women come in long gowns and men in dark suits and people in business attire," Kegerreis said. "We really do want it to be a very nice event."
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TexasStooge
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- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Police Find 90 Marijuana Plants In Rented Residence
Couple Say They Were House Sitting For Friend
THE COLONY, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Police in The Colony arrested two people after finding marijuana growing inside a home.
Investigators said officers were responding to a domestic disturbance call when they found 90 marijuana plants growing inside a duplex.
The two people arrested, Matthew Daquino and his girlfriend, Rosie Bailey, say they are only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I'm kinda flabbergasted on how they're putting all this together and how they're linking me to something I was not involved with," Daquino said. "She is not involved and I am not involved."
Daquino and Bailey were at the home when police found the plants and hydroponic growing equipment inside.
Daquino told police the call to police was placed accidentally because they have 911 on speed dial. He added that he and Bailey were simply there to check on the home for a friend who had subletted the residence to another person. That person, Daquino said, had deadbolted the rooms where the drugs were found.
Police charged Bailey with drug possession and Daquino with parole violations though investigations confirm neither of them is on the lease or lives at the residence.
"Nothing in that house is mine. It's not my house, there's no lease, there's no bills. There's nothing [of Daquino's] in that house," Daquino said.
Daquino said the man that was living in that house has not been seen or heard of in days.
Police in The Colony said they will press forward with their case and are seeking grand jury indictments in Denton County.
Couple Say They Were House Sitting For Friend
THE COLONY, Texas (KXAS NBC 5) -- Police in The Colony arrested two people after finding marijuana growing inside a home.
Investigators said officers were responding to a domestic disturbance call when they found 90 marijuana plants growing inside a duplex.
The two people arrested, Matthew Daquino and his girlfriend, Rosie Bailey, say they are only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"I'm kinda flabbergasted on how they're putting all this together and how they're linking me to something I was not involved with," Daquino said. "She is not involved and I am not involved."
Daquino and Bailey were at the home when police found the plants and hydroponic growing equipment inside.
Daquino told police the call to police was placed accidentally because they have 911 on speed dial. He added that he and Bailey were simply there to check on the home for a friend who had subletted the residence to another person. That person, Daquino said, had deadbolted the rooms where the drugs were found.
Police charged Bailey with drug possession and Daquino with parole violations though investigations confirm neither of them is on the lease or lives at the residence.
"Nothing in that house is mine. It's not my house, there's no lease, there's no bills. There's nothing [of Daquino's] in that house," Daquino said.
Daquino said the man that was living in that house has not been seen or heard of in days.
Police in The Colony said they will press forward with their case and are seeking grand jury indictments in Denton County.
0 likes
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
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TexasStooge
- Category 5
- Posts: 38127
- Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2003 1:22 pm
- Location: Irving (Dallas County), TX
- Contact:
Pay-as-you-go cellphones heat up
Teens, seniors, immigrants opt for these plans
By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Two-year contracts are fine for cellphone users who have good credit and don't mind being tied to a single company and a single wireless plan for that long.
But what about people who don't have the credit, the bank account or the desire to sign up for a long-term contract with the big cellular companies?
The answer for an increasing number of users: pay-as-you-go cellular service.
Parents buy prepaid service for their children. Senior citizens use it for emergencies. Lower-income people and immigrants without a bank account pay for the service in cash.
"I think prepaid wireless is one of the most exciting things that has happened in telecom in a while," said Judy Reed Smith, chief executive of consulting firm Atlantic-ACM.
In the traditional pay-as-you-go plan, a customer can buy a card, similar to long-distance cards sold at convenience stores, drugstores and general retailers. Each card comes with a set amount of minutes, from 20 minutes to more than 1,000.
In hybrid plans, customers can have their credit cards or bank accounts charged each month to buy a set number of minutes. But they can quit anytime they want rather than be tied to a contract.
No ties
No matter what type, almost all prepaid services offer the same attractions – no contracts, no credit checks, no charges for early termination and usually no long-distance charges.
Stephen Wellman, executive director of the industry newsletter FierceWireless, said prepaid wireless began taking off when Virgin Mobile decided to bring its prepaid service to the United States.
Virgin Mobile signed up with Sprint Corp. to use Sprint's network to deliver the wireless service. Its hip, youth-oriented marketing took off, to the surprise of many in the industry, said Mr. Wellman, speaking earlier this month at a summit on pay-as-you-go wireless.
"About a year ago, everyone suddenly realized that, whoa, the U.S. youth market loves Virgin Mobile just like they do in the United Kingdom," Mr. Wellman said. "It was generating revenues not just for Virgin Mobile, but also for Sprint."
Sprint began aggressively promoting its network to other companies to offer their own brands of prepaid wireless.
A variety of wireless companies now sell service on the Sprint network, including Global Talk PCS, Liberty Wireless, Diamond Mobile and 9278 Mobile.
Growing segment
"The financial results speak for itself," Mr. Wellman said.
In early 2002, only 3 percent of Sprint's subscribers came from resellers such as Virgin Mobile. By the end of 2004, nearly 15 percent of customers using Sprint's network – 3.7 million out of 24.8 million subscribers – came from reseller and wholesale arrangements.
In fact, Sprint and its affiliates added a net of 465,000 subscribers in 2004. By comparison, the resellers added nearly 2.1 million subscribers.
Now most big wireless companies offer some form of prepaid service. One of the bigger players is Boost Mobile, a brand started by Nextel Communications Inc. Alltel Corp. has its Simple Freedom brand.
But independent companies that offer their own brands on the big boys' networks will increasingly dominate prepaid services, Dr. Reed Smith said.
In 2003, 5.5 million of the 16.9 million prepaid customers came from "mobile virtual network operators" such as Virgin Mobile or Tracfone Wireless Inc., she said. By 2009, she estimated, the number of prepaid users will boom to 41.3 million, with 32.8 million, or about 79 percent, coming from those resellers.
Annual revenue will soar as well, she said: from $400 million in 1997 to $7 billion in 2004 to $22 billion in 2009.
Dr. Reed Smith said the cards suit callers in challenging financial situations, people who are "credit-challenged, unbanked or cost-conscious," she said.
"The unbanked aren't just people who can't get banking. It's the people who only write a couple of checks a month, who don't trust banks, who would rather go to their 7-Eleven and cash their check and put part of it in their prepaid phone and part of it in something else like a prepaid card or have cash," she said.
Suiting lifestyles
Many recent arrivals to America are flocking to prepaid cellular service for the same reasons they embraced prepaid long-distance calls. They don't have to have a home phone number, they can take the service with them, they don't need to establish credit, and they can tie their usage to their day-to-day budget.
Gene Retske, senior editor of The Prepaid Press, said pay-as-you-go is not simply a product for people who can't qualify for regular wireless contracts.
"The youth market is picking prepaid wireless not because they don't have the credit for it or because they can't afford it, but because they like the convenience of it," he said.
"They like the ability to pick the plan that they want to pick, to pick the usage they want to use and make it fit within their lifestyle."
Although many customers cite cost as a reason to use prepaid wireless, prepaid isn't always cheaper.
"Prepaid long-distance grew primarily because of a price consideration: 'We'll do it for less,' " Mr. Retske said. "In prepaid wireless, what's fascinating to me is that the unit prices for prepaid wireless are actually more in most cases than the unit prices are in traditional, contract-based wireless."
Prepaid also appeals to parents who want to budget the amount of money or time their youngster uses each month or who want it only for emergencies such as an upset stomach, ripped pants or the cancellation of soccer practice.
Handset hardships
Many people originally signed up for cellphone service for those occasional emergencies. Many elderly use a cellphone only for that purpose, making seniors a prime target for pay-as-you-go, Dr. Reed Smith said.
"The trouble is, the handsets stink," she said. Many have trouble figuring out how to turn on, dial or hang up the phones.
She cited a case where a man gave his parents a cellphone. It went unused for several months until he showed them to hit the "send" button after dialing – they had tried repeatedly to use the cellphone, but they didn't realize it worked differently from a traditional phone.
Teens, seniors, immigrants opt for these plans
By TERRY MAXON / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Two-year contracts are fine for cellphone users who have good credit and don't mind being tied to a single company and a single wireless plan for that long.
But what about people who don't have the credit, the bank account or the desire to sign up for a long-term contract with the big cellular companies?
The answer for an increasing number of users: pay-as-you-go cellular service.
Parents buy prepaid service for their children. Senior citizens use it for emergencies. Lower-income people and immigrants without a bank account pay for the service in cash.
"I think prepaid wireless is one of the most exciting things that has happened in telecom in a while," said Judy Reed Smith, chief executive of consulting firm Atlantic-ACM.
In the traditional pay-as-you-go plan, a customer can buy a card, similar to long-distance cards sold at convenience stores, drugstores and general retailers. Each card comes with a set amount of minutes, from 20 minutes to more than 1,000.
In hybrid plans, customers can have their credit cards or bank accounts charged each month to buy a set number of minutes. But they can quit anytime they want rather than be tied to a contract.
No ties
No matter what type, almost all prepaid services offer the same attractions – no contracts, no credit checks, no charges for early termination and usually no long-distance charges.
Stephen Wellman, executive director of the industry newsletter FierceWireless, said prepaid wireless began taking off when Virgin Mobile decided to bring its prepaid service to the United States.
Virgin Mobile signed up with Sprint Corp. to use Sprint's network to deliver the wireless service. Its hip, youth-oriented marketing took off, to the surprise of many in the industry, said Mr. Wellman, speaking earlier this month at a summit on pay-as-you-go wireless.
"About a year ago, everyone suddenly realized that, whoa, the U.S. youth market loves Virgin Mobile just like they do in the United Kingdom," Mr. Wellman said. "It was generating revenues not just for Virgin Mobile, but also for Sprint."
Sprint began aggressively promoting its network to other companies to offer their own brands of prepaid wireless.
A variety of wireless companies now sell service on the Sprint network, including Global Talk PCS, Liberty Wireless, Diamond Mobile and 9278 Mobile.
Growing segment
"The financial results speak for itself," Mr. Wellman said.
In early 2002, only 3 percent of Sprint's subscribers came from resellers such as Virgin Mobile. By the end of 2004, nearly 15 percent of customers using Sprint's network – 3.7 million out of 24.8 million subscribers – came from reseller and wholesale arrangements.
In fact, Sprint and its affiliates added a net of 465,000 subscribers in 2004. By comparison, the resellers added nearly 2.1 million subscribers.
Now most big wireless companies offer some form of prepaid service. One of the bigger players is Boost Mobile, a brand started by Nextel Communications Inc. Alltel Corp. has its Simple Freedom brand.
But independent companies that offer their own brands on the big boys' networks will increasingly dominate prepaid services, Dr. Reed Smith said.
In 2003, 5.5 million of the 16.9 million prepaid customers came from "mobile virtual network operators" such as Virgin Mobile or Tracfone Wireless Inc., she said. By 2009, she estimated, the number of prepaid users will boom to 41.3 million, with 32.8 million, or about 79 percent, coming from those resellers.
Annual revenue will soar as well, she said: from $400 million in 1997 to $7 billion in 2004 to $22 billion in 2009.
Dr. Reed Smith said the cards suit callers in challenging financial situations, people who are "credit-challenged, unbanked or cost-conscious," she said.
"The unbanked aren't just people who can't get banking. It's the people who only write a couple of checks a month, who don't trust banks, who would rather go to their 7-Eleven and cash their check and put part of it in their prepaid phone and part of it in something else like a prepaid card or have cash," she said.
Suiting lifestyles
Many recent arrivals to America are flocking to prepaid cellular service for the same reasons they embraced prepaid long-distance calls. They don't have to have a home phone number, they can take the service with them, they don't need to establish credit, and they can tie their usage to their day-to-day budget.
Gene Retske, senior editor of The Prepaid Press, said pay-as-you-go is not simply a product for people who can't qualify for regular wireless contracts.
"The youth market is picking prepaid wireless not because they don't have the credit for it or because they can't afford it, but because they like the convenience of it," he said.
"They like the ability to pick the plan that they want to pick, to pick the usage they want to use and make it fit within their lifestyle."
Although many customers cite cost as a reason to use prepaid wireless, prepaid isn't always cheaper.
"Prepaid long-distance grew primarily because of a price consideration: 'We'll do it for less,' " Mr. Retske said. "In prepaid wireless, what's fascinating to me is that the unit prices for prepaid wireless are actually more in most cases than the unit prices are in traditional, contract-based wireless."
Prepaid also appeals to parents who want to budget the amount of money or time their youngster uses each month or who want it only for emergencies such as an upset stomach, ripped pants or the cancellation of soccer practice.
Handset hardships
Many people originally signed up for cellphone service for those occasional emergencies. Many elderly use a cellphone only for that purpose, making seniors a prime target for pay-as-you-go, Dr. Reed Smith said.
"The trouble is, the handsets stink," she said. Many have trouble figuring out how to turn on, dial or hang up the phones.
She cited a case where a man gave his parents a cellphone. It went unused for several months until he showed them to hit the "send" button after dialing – they had tried repeatedly to use the cellphone, but they didn't realize it worked differently from a traditional phone.
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TexasStooge
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Some swear by 'hot yoga', but risks exist
By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - One current trend in weight loss might just be too hot to handle.
People are discouraged from exercising outside in scorching temperatures, but it's precisely that type of sweltering environment that some people claim gives them better health and thinner bodies.
The practice called Bikram "hot yoga" is slow, deliberate and generates so much body heat that the pounds pour off.
"I lost 30 pounds when I initially started after 60 days of doing it," said client Israel Vargas.
Bikram yoga is a mind-body exercise performed in mind-numbing 105-degree heat. Despite what it may look like, instructors said yoga practiced in extreme warmth makes sense.
"It warms your body and it relaxes your muscles, preparing them to stretch deeply and safely," said instructor Karen Buchner.
And, hot muscles burn calories more efficiently than cold ones.
"I was skeptical when I first came and my first class was horrible," said client Dr. Jeanne Joglar. "I thought I was going to die."
But clients said once they got past the initial misery, the heat provides healing far beyond weight loss.
"What led me here is a three-year path of infertility," said client Lori Weiner, adding that her healthy baby just turned two.
"All my ailments pretty much went away," said client Israel Vargas.
Christy Hunter has scoliosis, a curvature of the spine.
"The heat and the movement ... consistently, it really helps," said Hunter.
However, Baylor Plano internal medicine specialist Joan Donley said hot yoga can be very bad for some people with health problems, because it impairs the body's ability to cool.
"I know of one incident where a gentleman about my age had a heart attack during the exercise," Donley said. "My concern is that it would be a little bit dangerous if someone had a heart or hypertensive problem that could potentially be worsened by sudden dehydration, elevation of body heat or electrolyte imbalance."
Clients are required to sign a waiver before practicing the sweltering exercise, and everyone is encouraged to stay well-hydrated during the 90-minute stretch and twist session.
Students at the Dallas Bikram Yoga Center are also encouraged to have a physical before trying hot yoga, because overweight people often have accompanying health conditions.
Those who sweat it out, though, said they feel better and healthier than before.
By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA ABC 8
DALLAS, Texas - One current trend in weight loss might just be too hot to handle.
People are discouraged from exercising outside in scorching temperatures, but it's precisely that type of sweltering environment that some people claim gives them better health and thinner bodies.
The practice called Bikram "hot yoga" is slow, deliberate and generates so much body heat that the pounds pour off.
"I lost 30 pounds when I initially started after 60 days of doing it," said client Israel Vargas.
Bikram yoga is a mind-body exercise performed in mind-numbing 105-degree heat. Despite what it may look like, instructors said yoga practiced in extreme warmth makes sense.
"It warms your body and it relaxes your muscles, preparing them to stretch deeply and safely," said instructor Karen Buchner.
And, hot muscles burn calories more efficiently than cold ones.
"I was skeptical when I first came and my first class was horrible," said client Dr. Jeanne Joglar. "I thought I was going to die."
But clients said once they got past the initial misery, the heat provides healing far beyond weight loss.
"What led me here is a three-year path of infertility," said client Lori Weiner, adding that her healthy baby just turned two.
"All my ailments pretty much went away," said client Israel Vargas.
Christy Hunter has scoliosis, a curvature of the spine.
"The heat and the movement ... consistently, it really helps," said Hunter.
However, Baylor Plano internal medicine specialist Joan Donley said hot yoga can be very bad for some people with health problems, because it impairs the body's ability to cool.
"I know of one incident where a gentleman about my age had a heart attack during the exercise," Donley said. "My concern is that it would be a little bit dangerous if someone had a heart or hypertensive problem that could potentially be worsened by sudden dehydration, elevation of body heat or electrolyte imbalance."
Clients are required to sign a waiver before practicing the sweltering exercise, and everyone is encouraged to stay well-hydrated during the 90-minute stretch and twist session.
Students at the Dallas Bikram Yoga Center are also encouraged to have a physical before trying hot yoga, because overweight people often have accompanying health conditions.
Those who sweat it out, though, said they feel better and healthier than before.
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Study: Rocket fuel chemical found in milk
LUBBOCK, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – A toxic chemical used to make rocket fuel was found in virtually every sample taken in a new study of nursing mothers' milk, but researchers said it's too early to know whether the perchlorate levels are dangerous.
The multistate study by Texas Tech University researchers, published this week, found that breast milk samples were on average five times those detected in dairy milk pulled from grocery stores.
Perchlorate is a toxic chemical from rocket fuel and weapons production, and is also formed naturally through lightning. It has been linked to thyroid damage, learning disabilities, decreased IQ and attention deficit disorder in children. It leaches into the ground and has been found in drinking water supplies in 35 states and has also been found in vegetables.
The milk study is a concern, but its seriousness is still unclear, said Dr. Ed Urbansky, a former EPA chemist not involved with the study, who has published several papers on perchlorate.
"It's very difficult to determine what the findings might be other than to know it might be in so many milk samples," he said. "It's important not to raise undue alarm over the significance of the finding. We shouldn't be running through the streets screaming and not drinking milk because of this."
For the study, conducted over a two-year period, researchers obtained milk from more than 20 women selected at random and from stores in 23 states. It was funded out of researchers' pockets and published online Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
The average reading in the study was 10.5 parts per billion, less than half of the EPA's newly established safe exposure level of 24.5 parts per billion in drinking water.
The highest reading among the mothers in the Tech study was 92 parts per billion. In dairy milk, all but one of 47 samples had detectable levels of the chemical. No samples were above 11 parts per billion.
Pernendu Dasgupta, a Tech chemistry professor who led the study, said it "raises more questions than answers" but hopes it helps people become more aware.
Previous studies have indicated that perchlorate inhibits the transport in the body of iodine, which in fetuses and children is necessary for brain development, Dasgupta said.
"I want people to be iodine active rather than crying wolf about perchlorate," he said. "The real issue is if you're getting enough iodine."
Perchlorate was detected in 10 West Texas counties in recent years and in California, which has extensive ties to the military, defense industry and the space program.
It has also been found in the Colorado River, the major source of drinking water and irrigation in Southern California and Arizona.
According to public health advocates, perchlorate has leaked into the drinking water supplies of more than 16 million Californians through unsafe disposal and storage methods practiced by the aerospace, defense, fireworks and road flare industries.
Sujatha Jahagirdar with Environment California called the finding "appalling."
"We need rocket fuel out of our drinking water now," she said. "And unless federal regulators act quickly, we're going to see this stuff popping up everywhere."
In July, the Pentagon announced it had found perchlorate contamination in ground water and soil samples at defense at 14 abandoned or likely to be closed military bases sites in 10 states. In August, a Texas hydrologist claimed low levels of perchlorate from New Mexico's Los Alamos lab had reached the Rio Grande. The lab did not dispute that contaminants have entered the groundwater beneath its 40-square-mile property but said the conclusion that there is a quick pathway to the Rio Grande was in dispute.
LUBBOCK, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – A toxic chemical used to make rocket fuel was found in virtually every sample taken in a new study of nursing mothers' milk, but researchers said it's too early to know whether the perchlorate levels are dangerous.
The multistate study by Texas Tech University researchers, published this week, found that breast milk samples were on average five times those detected in dairy milk pulled from grocery stores.
Perchlorate is a toxic chemical from rocket fuel and weapons production, and is also formed naturally through lightning. It has been linked to thyroid damage, learning disabilities, decreased IQ and attention deficit disorder in children. It leaches into the ground and has been found in drinking water supplies in 35 states and has also been found in vegetables.
The milk study is a concern, but its seriousness is still unclear, said Dr. Ed Urbansky, a former EPA chemist not involved with the study, who has published several papers on perchlorate.
"It's very difficult to determine what the findings might be other than to know it might be in so many milk samples," he said. "It's important not to raise undue alarm over the significance of the finding. We shouldn't be running through the streets screaming and not drinking milk because of this."
For the study, conducted over a two-year period, researchers obtained milk from more than 20 women selected at random and from stores in 23 states. It was funded out of researchers' pockets and published online Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
The average reading in the study was 10.5 parts per billion, less than half of the EPA's newly established safe exposure level of 24.5 parts per billion in drinking water.
The highest reading among the mothers in the Tech study was 92 parts per billion. In dairy milk, all but one of 47 samples had detectable levels of the chemical. No samples were above 11 parts per billion.
Pernendu Dasgupta, a Tech chemistry professor who led the study, said it "raises more questions than answers" but hopes it helps people become more aware.
Previous studies have indicated that perchlorate inhibits the transport in the body of iodine, which in fetuses and children is necessary for brain development, Dasgupta said.
"I want people to be iodine active rather than crying wolf about perchlorate," he said. "The real issue is if you're getting enough iodine."
Perchlorate was detected in 10 West Texas counties in recent years and in California, which has extensive ties to the military, defense industry and the space program.
It has also been found in the Colorado River, the major source of drinking water and irrigation in Southern California and Arizona.
According to public health advocates, perchlorate has leaked into the drinking water supplies of more than 16 million Californians through unsafe disposal and storage methods practiced by the aerospace, defense, fireworks and road flare industries.
Sujatha Jahagirdar with Environment California called the finding "appalling."
"We need rocket fuel out of our drinking water now," she said. "And unless federal regulators act quickly, we're going to see this stuff popping up everywhere."
In July, the Pentagon announced it had found perchlorate contamination in ground water and soil samples at defense at 14 abandoned or likely to be closed military bases sites in 10 states. In August, a Texas hydrologist claimed low levels of perchlorate from New Mexico's Los Alamos lab had reached the Rio Grande. The lab did not dispute that contaminants have entered the groundwater beneath its 40-square-mile property but said the conclusion that there is a quick pathway to the Rio Grande was in dispute.
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TexasStooge
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Witnesses: 4 shot in Tyler town square
TYLER, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP Wire) - Witnesses said at least four people were shot by a gunman behind the Smith County Courthouse in Tyler Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was killed.
A courthouse worker said she saw two sheriff's deputies who were wounded.
"When I heard that popping ... I ran over there and I saw this guy with this automatic weapon already starting shooting, and two deputies were down," said Margo Adkins, who works at the county clerk's office. "One was holding his hand up saying, 'Please don't shoot. Stop shooting,' and I saw him shoot him again"
Adkins said the gunman appeared to be using an automatic assault rifle.
Another clerk's office employee, Kirk Krisle, said he saw four persons who had been hit by what sounded like automatic weapons fire.
Attorney Chuck Cowan said he saw a Smith County bailiff being carried to an FBI vehicle.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Johhn Walker said at least three people were shot by the gunman. "He had a rifle, and he was shooting at the back of the courthouse and he shot some glass out, shot a deputy sheriff there and two other civilians," Walker said.
He said an off-duty Tyler police officer shot the gunman, who got in a pickup truck and drove away. Walker said he believed the suspect was killed but couldn't say for certain.
Television footage showed at least one person lying on the courthouse steps. A spokeswoman at the East Texas Medical Center said wounded people have been admitted but didn't have more details.
"From what I understand at this moment, there was a guy upset about a court case going on, possibly a paternity case," Walker said.
KLTV-TV reports that a suspect was taken into custody on a highway north of Tyler.
Tyler is about 95 miles east of Dallas.
WFAA-TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
TYLER, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP Wire) - Witnesses said at least four people were shot by a gunman behind the Smith County Courthouse in Tyler Thursday afternoon. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was killed.
A courthouse worker said she saw two sheriff's deputies who were wounded.
"When I heard that popping ... I ran over there and I saw this guy with this automatic weapon already starting shooting, and two deputies were down," said Margo Adkins, who works at the county clerk's office. "One was holding his hand up saying, 'Please don't shoot. Stop shooting,' and I saw him shoot him again"
Adkins said the gunman appeared to be using an automatic assault rifle.
Another clerk's office employee, Kirk Krisle, said he saw four persons who had been hit by what sounded like automatic weapons fire.
Attorney Chuck Cowan said he saw a Smith County bailiff being carried to an FBI vehicle.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Johhn Walker said at least three people were shot by the gunman. "He had a rifle, and he was shooting at the back of the courthouse and he shot some glass out, shot a deputy sheriff there and two other civilians," Walker said.
He said an off-duty Tyler police officer shot the gunman, who got in a pickup truck and drove away. Walker said he believed the suspect was killed but couldn't say for certain.
Television footage showed at least one person lying on the courthouse steps. A spokeswoman at the East Texas Medical Center said wounded people have been admitted but didn't have more details.
"From what I understand at this moment, there was a guy upset about a court case going on, possibly a paternity case," Walker said.
KLTV-TV reports that a suspect was taken into custody on a highway north of Tyler.
Tyler is about 95 miles east of Dallas.
WFAA-TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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TexasStooge
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LBJ reopens after tanker crash cleanup
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A portion of LBJ Freeway in North Dallas was shut down throughout the busy morning rush hour and through midafternoon Thursday after a tanker truck carrying an estimated 2,000 gallons of benzene crashed into a barrier and tipped over, spilling the fuel on the highway.
The crash, which happened around 6:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes at Montfort Drive near Valley View Center, also forced the closure of the eastbound lanes of LBJ as emergency workers struggled to mop up the mess.
Dallas Fire-Rescue used foam to smother the spilled benzene as a heavy-duty wrecker was standing by to get the truck out of the way.
“(Firefighters) sprayed foam on the fuel because it’s not the fuel that’s hazardous. It’s the vapors the fuel gives off,” Dallas Fire-Rescue Lt. Joel Lavender said. “The level of the hazmat situation was more precautionary because of the time of day and the densely populated area.”
Benzene is a colorless, highly flammable liquid used as a solvent and as an ingredient in making dyes and drugs. It is also a known cancer-causing agent.
As many as nine other vehicles were reportedly involved in the accident around 6:30 a.m. It was not clear whether there were any serious injuries.
The highway reopened shortly after 2:30 p.m. in time for the evening rush hour.
Morning rush-hour traffic on the Dallas North Tollway also was snarled by vehicles being diverted from LBJ, by a fender-bender in the southbound lanes just south of LBJ and another wreck in the northbound lanes at Northwest Highway.
Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Ball said he did not have information regarding any backups that occurred on other freeways as a result of the accident.
To help alleviate traffic problems on LBJ, the department has been working with engineers on the concept of a six-lane underground freeway that would run approximately from the Dallas High Five to Interstate 35, he said.
"There have been discussions about LBJ for a number of years," Ball said. "We know (dealing with the traffic issues) is something that has to be done."
WFAA-TV contributed to this report.
DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A portion of LBJ Freeway in North Dallas was shut down throughout the busy morning rush hour and through midafternoon Thursday after a tanker truck carrying an estimated 2,000 gallons of benzene crashed into a barrier and tipped over, spilling the fuel on the highway.
The crash, which happened around 6:30 a.m. in the westbound lanes at Montfort Drive near Valley View Center, also forced the closure of the eastbound lanes of LBJ as emergency workers struggled to mop up the mess.
Dallas Fire-Rescue used foam to smother the spilled benzene as a heavy-duty wrecker was standing by to get the truck out of the way.
“(Firefighters) sprayed foam on the fuel because it’s not the fuel that’s hazardous. It’s the vapors the fuel gives off,” Dallas Fire-Rescue Lt. Joel Lavender said. “The level of the hazmat situation was more precautionary because of the time of day and the densely populated area.”
Benzene is a colorless, highly flammable liquid used as a solvent and as an ingredient in making dyes and drugs. It is also a known cancer-causing agent.
As many as nine other vehicles were reportedly involved in the accident around 6:30 a.m. It was not clear whether there were any serious injuries.
The highway reopened shortly after 2:30 p.m. in time for the evening rush hour.
Morning rush-hour traffic on the Dallas North Tollway also was snarled by vehicles being diverted from LBJ, by a fender-bender in the southbound lanes just south of LBJ and another wreck in the northbound lanes at Northwest Highway.
Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Mark Ball said he did not have information regarding any backups that occurred on other freeways as a result of the accident.
To help alleviate traffic problems on LBJ, the department has been working with engineers on the concept of a six-lane underground freeway that would run approximately from the Dallas High Five to Interstate 35, he said.
"There have been discussions about LBJ for a number of years," Ball said. "We know (dealing with the traffic issues) is something that has to be done."
WFAA-TV contributed to this report.
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Astronauts Ready To fly; Unsure Of Repair Techniques
HOUSTON, Texas (KEYE CBS 42) - The commander of the first mission since shuttle "Columbia" broke apart over Texas today says she's ready to return to orbit. But shuttle "Discovery" Commander Eileen Collins says she's still uncertain about the repair techniques developed so far. Collins said there's still more testing to be done. She made the comments while standing on the deck of the space center's neutral buoyancy lab at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The lab includes a 202-foot long indoor pool that contains mock-ups of the shuttle and International Space Station where astronauts practice spacewalks. Collins and her crew today practiced the second of three spacewalks scheduled for their mission, which is set for May 15th. Columbia broke apart on February first of 2003 during re-entry. A piece of foam that broke away during launch was blamed for causing a hole in the wing.
HOUSTON, Texas (KEYE CBS 42) - The commander of the first mission since shuttle "Columbia" broke apart over Texas today says she's ready to return to orbit. But shuttle "Discovery" Commander Eileen Collins says she's still uncertain about the repair techniques developed so far. Collins said there's still more testing to be done. She made the comments while standing on the deck of the space center's neutral buoyancy lab at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The lab includes a 202-foot long indoor pool that contains mock-ups of the shuttle and International Space Station where astronauts practice spacewalks. Collins and her crew today practiced the second of three spacewalks scheduled for their mission, which is set for May 15th. Columbia broke apart on February first of 2003 during re-entry. A piece of foam that broke away during launch was blamed for causing a hole in the wing.
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Man Arrested For Double Shooting In Cibolo
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KSAT ABC 12) - A 21-year-old man was arrested early Friday in connection with a double shooting in Cibolo.
Officers with the San Antonio Police Department's Repeat Offender Program Enforcement apprehended the man at 3:30 outside the Skyline Hotel on Austin Highway, police said.
ROPE officers had staked the hotel when the man got into a suspected stolen car. Officers immediately boxed him in when the man allegedly reached for a handgun that was under the seat. The man was not able to point the gun at officers. He was taken to SAPD headquarters, where he is being questioned by Cibolo Police Department detectives.
The man is being held on felony firearm possession, amphetamines possession, car theft burglary and home theft charges.
The double shooting occurred in Cibolo on Feb. 20. Details of the shooting were not immediately available.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KSAT ABC 12) - A 21-year-old man was arrested early Friday in connection with a double shooting in Cibolo.
Officers with the San Antonio Police Department's Repeat Offender Program Enforcement apprehended the man at 3:30 outside the Skyline Hotel on Austin Highway, police said.
ROPE officers had staked the hotel when the man got into a suspected stolen car. Officers immediately boxed him in when the man allegedly reached for a handgun that was under the seat. The man was not able to point the gun at officers. He was taken to SAPD headquarters, where he is being questioned by Cibolo Police Department detectives.
The man is being held on felony firearm possession, amphetamines possession, car theft burglary and home theft charges.
The double shooting occurred in Cibolo on Feb. 20. Details of the shooting were not immediately available.
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Capital Murder Suspect Was Among SAPD's Most Wanted
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KSAT ABC 12) - A 25-year-old man was among San Antonio's most wanted criminals when he was arrested Monday on a capital murder charge.
San Antonio police said Joe Michael Luna, who is charged with the killing of Michael Andrade on Feb. 17, has also been linked to a home invasion, a carjacking and a burglary on the North Side since March 2004.
"We knew the degree of his violence was escalating," said San Antonio police spokesman Officer Joe Rios. "From burglaries to home invasions to carjacking. He was showing no regard, so those are the kind of people we want to get off the street."
But it was Luna's most serious offense that ended his crime spree.
Police said after entering Andrade's apartment, Luna strangled the 21-year-old St. Mary's University student, then set his apartment on fire.
A tip to Crime Stoppers led police to Luna, who remains behind bars.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KSAT ABC 12) - A 25-year-old man was among San Antonio's most wanted criminals when he was arrested Monday on a capital murder charge.
San Antonio police said Joe Michael Luna, who is charged with the killing of Michael Andrade on Feb. 17, has also been linked to a home invasion, a carjacking and a burglary on the North Side since March 2004.
"We knew the degree of his violence was escalating," said San Antonio police spokesman Officer Joe Rios. "From burglaries to home invasions to carjacking. He was showing no regard, so those are the kind of people we want to get off the street."
But it was Luna's most serious offense that ended his crime spree.
Police said after entering Andrade's apartment, Luna strangled the 21-year-old St. Mary's University student, then set his apartment on fire.
A tip to Crime Stoppers led police to Luna, who remains behind bars.
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