TEA plan would fail more schools
92 rated unacceptable now; number could climb over 1,000
By JOSHUA BENTON / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas - The number of "academically unacceptable" schools in Texas could grow by a factor of 10 under a tougher set of standards approved by a Texas Education Agency committee.
There are now 92 Texas schools labeled unacceptable, the state's lowest rating. But if the proposed new rules had been in place last year, more than 1,100 schools would have earned the label and faced possible state intervention.
"We're going to have to go after more schools," said Sandy Kress, the former Dallas school board president and Bush adviser who is among the new standards' supporters. "We're going to have to go to a place we have not gone yet if we really want youngsters to succeed in these ineffective schools."
But some educators question whether it's a good idea to change the state ratings system for the expressed purpose of making some schools look worse.
"I think it's setting up schools to fail," said Mac Bernd, superintendent of the Arlington district. "I am a strong accountability supporter, but some people have this idea that just because something worked before that more of it will work better."
The proposal – awaiting approval by Commissioner Shirley Neeley – would raise the TAKS passing rate required for a school to be academically acceptable.
For a school to be acceptable under current law, a school must have at least a 50 percent passing rate in reading, writing, and social studies, a 35 percent passing rate in math and a 25 percent passing rate in science.
According to the proposal approved Monday by the commissioner's Accountability Advisory Committee, each of those passing rates would increase by 10 percentage points in 2006, and most would march up five more points each year until 2010.
"We can't be happy with half the students not passing," said Catherine Clark, associate executive director of governance services for the Texas Association of School Boards and a member of the advisory committee.
The higher required passing rates alone will knock hundreds of schools from the ranks of the acceptable to "academically unacceptable" – the state's new term for what used to be called "low performing."
But when combined with other changes already planned to debut in the next year – like a higher passing standard on the TAKS and new restrictions on how schools calculate their dropout rate – the number of newly unacceptable schools could be staggering.
TEA officials haven't yet estimated how large that number is. That's because the advisory committee's recommendations were more extreme than any of the proposals TEA staff had prepared for.
Under the most extreme proposal TEA researched, 1,100 Texas schools would have been rated unacceptable last year. The advisory committee's proposal would likely tack several hundred more onto that total because it requires higher passing standards in four of the five TAKS subjects.
Hardest hit would likely be the state's large urban districts, like Dallas and Houston, where dozens of schools would likely be considered unacceptable under the tougher standards.
Those estimates all assume that test scores in 2006 – when the changes would take effect – will be the same as they were in 2004, the last year of complete data. That's unlikely, since test scores tend to go up every year as schools figure out how to improve performance.
But no matter how fast the improvement, it's likely these changes would result in a record number of schools being labeled unacceptable. Since the debut of the school ratings system in 1994, the number of low-ranked schools usually has been 100 or fewer.
"I worry about the pressure we're putting on children and on educators in this state," said Michael Motheral, superintendent of Sundown schools in the Panhandle. "It's somewhat inevitable when you have a system that rates kids and schools. But there's going to be some heartache if we move at this pace."
Mr. Motheral sits on TEA's Educator Focus Group on Accountability, a group of school administrators who also advise the commissioner on school ratings issues. His group recommended a slightly smaller change – only increasing required passing rates by five points next year instead of 10.
"I think everybody wants to make sure the kids are challenged," said Billy Espino, a principal in Fort Stockton who also sits on the educator focus group. "But we also don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot."
But Mr. Kress said the Texas system needs to be more aggressive about identifying weak schools. He cited one high school where nearly three-quarters of students failed at least one section of the TAKS last year – but was still rated acceptable.
Mr. Kress, who sits on the 27-member advisory committee recommending the 10 percentage-point jump, said he would be happy with a system that identified about one in 10 Texas schools as underachievers each year. (Texas has about 7,700 public schools in total.) Schools have generally done better than expected on the TAKS test since the test's debut in 2003, and that's pushing many to advocate tougher standards.
Dr. Bernd, the Arlington superintendent, disagrees. "We shouldn't assume that when people are doing well the standard's too low," he said. "The standards ought to be based on how much we want students to learn, not some pre-set idea of how many schools should fail."
He also said he believed raising standards too quickly would encourage some educators to cheat on state tests.
Possible penalties
Schools that are rated unacceptable for multiple years are subject to a number of sanctions, including stiff state intervention. Under some proposals being considered in the Legislature, schools that remain unacceptable for several years could be subject to private management.
The debate over passing rates partly is being governed by federal law. The No Child Left Behind law, passed in 2001, requires all schools to march their passing rates steadily north toward 100 percent by 2014. The proposed tougher state standards largely mirror the passing rates required by the federal law.
Now Dr. Neeley will have to decide whether to accept the more ambitious proposals of her advisory committee or the more modest recommendations of her educator focus group – or do something else entirely. On one hand, political and business figures generally want standards to get tougher quickly. On the other, superintendents – aware of the power of a poor label – generally favor a slower approach.
"It is really tricky," said TEA spokeswoman Debbie Graves Ratcliffe. "You want to set goals that are challenging but reachable for most schools. We've got some people saying the system's not hard enough and some saying don't go too fast."
Dr. Neeley is expected to make her decision in the next few weeks.
News from the Lone Star State
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TexasStooge
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Ultimate Electronics exits D/FW
DALLAS, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/WFAA ABC 8) - Ultimate Electronics today announced it will close about half of its retail stores, including all of its Texas locations.
The Denver-based retailer, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, currently operates 65 stores. It said it would close approximately 30 locations in Texas, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota and Utah.
Ultimate Electronics entered the Dallas-Fort Worth market with a spash in 2002 and currently has 10 stores in Hulen, Mesquite, Plano, Cedar Hill, Arlington, Hurst, Lewisville, Southlake, Dallas and Frisco.
The company also has two stores in the Austin area that will be shut down.
Ultimate Electronics specializes in upscale audio and video gear, but faced stiff price competition from Best Buy and Circuit City stores. Another electronics retailer, Conn's, recently entered the market.
In a statement released Wednesday, Ultimate Electronics said store closing sales would begin around April 9 and the shutdown would be complete by the end of June.
The company said about 900 employees would lose their jobs.
DALLAS, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/WFAA ABC 8) - Ultimate Electronics today announced it will close about half of its retail stores, including all of its Texas locations.
The Denver-based retailer, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, currently operates 65 stores. It said it would close approximately 30 locations in Texas, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota and Utah.
Ultimate Electronics entered the Dallas-Fort Worth market with a spash in 2002 and currently has 10 stores in Hulen, Mesquite, Plano, Cedar Hill, Arlington, Hurst, Lewisville, Southlake, Dallas and Frisco.
The company also has two stores in the Austin area that will be shut down.
Ultimate Electronics specializes in upscale audio and video gear, but faced stiff price competition from Best Buy and Circuit City stores. Another electronics retailer, Conn's, recently entered the market.
In a statement released Wednesday, Ultimate Electronics said store closing sales would begin around April 9 and the shutdown would be complete by the end of June.
The company said about 900 employees would lose their jobs.
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TexasStooge
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Homeless women, children count climbs
Census shows segment is now 48 percent of estimated 6,000 total
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Garret Schwirian was born homeless.
He was delivered at Parkland Memorial Hospital four weeks ago and now lives with his mother, Kathleen Schwirian, and 2-year-old brother, Mason, in a small room at the Dallas Life Foundation shelter.
According to statistics released Tuesday, the Schwirians are part of a steadily growing segment of Dallas County's homeless population: women and children.
A census of the homeless, conducted by the city and the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, showed that women and children make up 48 percent of the area's known homeless population of nearly 6,000 people. That's up from 46 percent in 2004. Two-thirds of the 624 children counted were younger than 10.
"The trend is still continuing that women and children are becoming a larger part of the homeless population," said Cindy Honey, executive director of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance.
The rise in homelessness among women and children follows a nationwide trend. The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that the number has increased significantly in the last decade because of a lack of affordable housing and now constitutes 40 percent of the nation's homeless population.
Overall, Dallas County's homeless population grew 5 percent – to 5,898 – in the last year. But officials believe the number actually is higher because many homeless people living in outdoor camps disappeared before the Jan. 24 census count.
Census-takers documented 202 intact families living in shelters in 2005, up from 113 the year before. Another 229 families were living in temporary housing, up from 184 in 2004. Twenty-one families in the survey were living on the streets.
A face on homeless
Ms. Honey said the increase in homeless families could be partially explained by the fact that more shelters participated in the census this year. The number of people who said they were homeless because of an eviction increased, from 2 percent to 7 percent, she added.
The annual homeless census is an effort by local officials to put a face on the area's homeless and to gather information that can be used to secure federal aid.
In Dallas County, about 70 volunteers, accompanied by 32 police officers, fanned out across the cityto question people in shelters, in makeshift outdoor camps and under bridges. The census also surveyed homeless in shelters in Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie and Garland.
The census counted 997 "chronic," or longtime homeless, a 16 percent drop from last year.
However, Tom Dunning, head of the mayor's task force on homelessness, said he doubted that was a real decrease. Mr. Dunning, who participated in the January census, said he found that many encampments under Interstate 45, near White Rock Lake and Turtle Creek were empty when his team arrived.
"I think there was a major undercount based on my observation of the numbers that were under I-45 just the week before and the numbers we saw the night of the homeless count," he said. "I have confidence in the numbers counted and that the numbers were counted correctly; it's just that many disappeared for the night."
Ms. Honey said some of the decrease in the chronic homeless population might be because some have moved into new housing programs targeted to that population. But she said an unknown number of people had fled in advance of the census, fearing a possible demolition of their encampments by city or state crews.
Not earning enough
The survey found that many homeless people work but cannot earn enough to support themselves. Of the 2,232 surveys which homeless people agreed to answer, 16 percent said they had jobs, another 13 percent said they were underemployed, receiving part-time work or low pay. Fifty-four percent said they were unemployed.
Only a small number of people surveyed collect any type of public assistance. One in five received food stamps. But fewer than 5 percent received another form of welfare, the Social Security Disability Insurance, and only 3 percent received Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.
Nearly one in three homeless people reported having substance abuse problems and less than one in five said they suffer from mental illness, but officials believe those numbers are much higher, based on the number of people seeking treatment at local facilities.
"The reality is they're struggling due to physical and mental disabilities and can't get on the benefits," Ms. Honey said.
Homeless people, who were asked a series of survey questions by the census takers, listed permanent housing and job placement as their top two needs.
Ms. Schwirian said she hopes to get both.
The 28-year-old woman ended up at the Dallas shelter after her fiance died and she lost her job and her car. "It was a downward spiral," she said.
In May, she said, she was raped while living in Berryville, in East Texas, and came to Dallas, intending to put her baby up for adoption. "I got here and realized I can't do this," she explained.
Ms. Schwirian said she plans to look for a job soon and wants to apply for financial help to go to college so she can become a nurse.
"I'd be able to take good care of these kids, and maybe even send them to college," she said.
Census shows segment is now 48 percent of estimated 6,000 total
By KIM HORNER / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - Garret Schwirian was born homeless.
He was delivered at Parkland Memorial Hospital four weeks ago and now lives with his mother, Kathleen Schwirian, and 2-year-old brother, Mason, in a small room at the Dallas Life Foundation shelter.
According to statistics released Tuesday, the Schwirians are part of a steadily growing segment of Dallas County's homeless population: women and children.
A census of the homeless, conducted by the city and the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, showed that women and children make up 48 percent of the area's known homeless population of nearly 6,000 people. That's up from 46 percent in 2004. Two-thirds of the 624 children counted were younger than 10.
"The trend is still continuing that women and children are becoming a larger part of the homeless population," said Cindy Honey, executive director of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance.
The rise in homelessness among women and children follows a nationwide trend. The National Coalition for the Homeless reports that the number has increased significantly in the last decade because of a lack of affordable housing and now constitutes 40 percent of the nation's homeless population.
Overall, Dallas County's homeless population grew 5 percent – to 5,898 – in the last year. But officials believe the number actually is higher because many homeless people living in outdoor camps disappeared before the Jan. 24 census count.
Census-takers documented 202 intact families living in shelters in 2005, up from 113 the year before. Another 229 families were living in temporary housing, up from 184 in 2004. Twenty-one families in the survey were living on the streets.
A face on homeless
Ms. Honey said the increase in homeless families could be partially explained by the fact that more shelters participated in the census this year. The number of people who said they were homeless because of an eviction increased, from 2 percent to 7 percent, she added.
The annual homeless census is an effort by local officials to put a face on the area's homeless and to gather information that can be used to secure federal aid.
In Dallas County, about 70 volunteers, accompanied by 32 police officers, fanned out across the cityto question people in shelters, in makeshift outdoor camps and under bridges. The census also surveyed homeless in shelters in Dallas, Irving, Grand Prairie and Garland.
The census counted 997 "chronic," or longtime homeless, a 16 percent drop from last year.
However, Tom Dunning, head of the mayor's task force on homelessness, said he doubted that was a real decrease. Mr. Dunning, who participated in the January census, said he found that many encampments under Interstate 45, near White Rock Lake and Turtle Creek were empty when his team arrived.
"I think there was a major undercount based on my observation of the numbers that were under I-45 just the week before and the numbers we saw the night of the homeless count," he said. "I have confidence in the numbers counted and that the numbers were counted correctly; it's just that many disappeared for the night."
Ms. Honey said some of the decrease in the chronic homeless population might be because some have moved into new housing programs targeted to that population. But she said an unknown number of people had fled in advance of the census, fearing a possible demolition of their encampments by city or state crews.
Not earning enough
The survey found that many homeless people work but cannot earn enough to support themselves. Of the 2,232 surveys which homeless people agreed to answer, 16 percent said they had jobs, another 13 percent said they were underemployed, receiving part-time work or low pay. Fifty-four percent said they were unemployed.
Only a small number of people surveyed collect any type of public assistance. One in five received food stamps. But fewer than 5 percent received another form of welfare, the Social Security Disability Insurance, and only 3 percent received Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.
Nearly one in three homeless people reported having substance abuse problems and less than one in five said they suffer from mental illness, but officials believe those numbers are much higher, based on the number of people seeking treatment at local facilities.
"The reality is they're struggling due to physical and mental disabilities and can't get on the benefits," Ms. Honey said.
Homeless people, who were asked a series of survey questions by the census takers, listed permanent housing and job placement as their top two needs.
Ms. Schwirian said she hopes to get both.
The 28-year-old woman ended up at the Dallas shelter after her fiance died and she lost her job and her car. "It was a downward spiral," she said.
In May, she said, she was raped while living in Berryville, in East Texas, and came to Dallas, intending to put her baby up for adoption. "I got here and realized I can't do this," she explained.
Ms. Schwirian said she plans to look for a job soon and wants to apply for financial help to go to college so she can become a nurse.
"I'd be able to take good care of these kids, and maybe even send them to college," she said.
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TexasStooge
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E. Texas house stolen, brick by brick
LINDALE, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) - When Smith County Constable Dennis Taylor got a call reporting a stolen house, his first question was, "Is it a trailer house, ma'am?"
"No, it's a brick house," the real estate company representative replied.
Board by board, shingle by shingle, for nearly three months, thieves dismantled a three-bedroom brick house in this East Texas town and carted it away until only a pile of rubble was left.
Authorities allege Brandon Ray Parmer, 29, and Darrell Patrick Maxfield, 44, both of Tyler, took the house apart and sold it for drugs, in plain view of everyone cruising by on U.S. Highway 69, Lindale's main street. Both men were arrested this week.
Taylor said the men worked slowly and haphazardly in daylight, with no one questioning their work, because everyone assumed it was the work of Wal-Mart or Lowe's, the two large retail stores laying new foundations nearby.
"It's the strangest case I've ever worked in my life," Taylor said. "Everybody drove by and waved at them."
But the home actually belonged to Dallas-based St. Ives Realty.
Authorities also arrested Jesse Gino Vega after executing a search warrant at his Lindale home Tuesday. Vega, 36, is accused of giving cash and methamphetamine to the other two men in exchange for the materials from the home.
All three suspects were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, a second-degree felony, and released from Smith County Jail after posting $10,000 bond.
Authorities recovered lumber worth about $25,000 from Vegas' house. They also found plumbing, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, fence materials, doors and windows.
Officers got "about five trailer loads of property that came out of that house," Taylor said, then paused. "Well, it didn't come out of the house. It was the house."
The investigation is continuing, and at least three other people may have been involved in the crime, Taylor said.
LINDALE, Texas (The Dallas Morning News/AP) - When Smith County Constable Dennis Taylor got a call reporting a stolen house, his first question was, "Is it a trailer house, ma'am?"
"No, it's a brick house," the real estate company representative replied.
Board by board, shingle by shingle, for nearly three months, thieves dismantled a three-bedroom brick house in this East Texas town and carted it away until only a pile of rubble was left.
Authorities allege Brandon Ray Parmer, 29, and Darrell Patrick Maxfield, 44, both of Tyler, took the house apart and sold it for drugs, in plain view of everyone cruising by on U.S. Highway 69, Lindale's main street. Both men were arrested this week.
Taylor said the men worked slowly and haphazardly in daylight, with no one questioning their work, because everyone assumed it was the work of Wal-Mart or Lowe's, the two large retail stores laying new foundations nearby.
"It's the strangest case I've ever worked in my life," Taylor said. "Everybody drove by and waved at them."
But the home actually belonged to Dallas-based St. Ives Realty.
Authorities also arrested Jesse Gino Vega after executing a search warrant at his Lindale home Tuesday. Vega, 36, is accused of giving cash and methamphetamine to the other two men in exchange for the materials from the home.
All three suspects were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, a second-degree felony, and released from Smith County Jail after posting $10,000 bond.
Authorities recovered lumber worth about $25,000 from Vegas' house. They also found plumbing, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, fence materials, doors and windows.
Officers got "about five trailer loads of property that came out of that house," Taylor said, then paused. "Well, it didn't come out of the house. It was the house."
The investigation is continuing, and at least three other people may have been involved in the crime, Taylor said.
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TexasStooge
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Tyler iron foundry to pay fine
Company will plead guilty to two felonies
By LEE HANCOCK and MATT STILES / The Dallas Morning News
TYLER, Texas – In a first-of-its-kind federal environmental prosecution, an iron foundry known for health and safety violations pleaded guilty Tuesday to a criminal violation of the federal Clean Air Act and agreed to pay a $4.5 million fine.
U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider also sentenced Tyler Pipe Co. and its Alabama parent, McWane Industries, to five years' probation after a company representative admitted that the company had willfully concealed information from federal and state environmental regulators to hide the 1998 overhaul of one of its two foundries north of Tyler.
Company lawyers said the company has tentatively agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and could be assessed more than $1 million in additional civil penalties by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The plea agreement and sentencing in U.S. District Court capped a two-year federal investigation and more than 18 months of intense negotiations between company officials, federal prosecutors and state and federal environmental regulators.
Federal prosecutors and company representatives hailed the plea agreement as a "win-win" for the region and its residents, noting that it includes a detailed compliance agreement that requires millions in environmental upgrades and stringent monitoring.
U.S. Attorney Matt Orwig said the improvements in Tyler Pipe's operations "will bring the plant up to the highest standards of the industry." He and other officials added the agreement would significantly improve the area's air.
The Tyler operation is not only one of Smith County's top three polluters, but also a top air emissions source for the entire state of Arkansas.
Plant upgrades
The plant's general manager, who entered the plea on behalf of the company and its parent corporation, said Tyler Pipe will spend $30 million by next March to complete the environmental upgrades and $24 million for other plant improvements.
"We look forward to being an industry leader in environmental protection," said David Green, a McWane executive vice president who became head of the Tyler foundries in 2001.
The federal case centered on the plant's failure to seek a permit before a major overhaul of one of its two 60-foot-tall foundries in 1998. The foundry, which melts scrap metal for iron pipe production, had been "grandfathered," or exempted from air quality rules under the Federal Clean Air act.
An amendment to the act passed in 1977 required the company to notify regulators and seek a pre-construction permit before making any major changes to a grandfathered facility.
Between December 1998 and January 1999, the company demolished the old foundry and put in a new facility that sent more pollutants into the air than the old one. But company officials never told government regulators about the new operation until after a joint state-federal environmental crimes task force opened an investigation in January 2003, prosecutors said.
Federal officials rely on companies to self-report when they make such changes, and it is permissible to make minor modifications to a grandfathered plant without seeking pre-construction permits.
No reason for failures
Mr. Green said he "couldn't say" why the company failed to report its plant overhaul to regulators. But both he and company lawyers said the firm and its privately held parent company acknowledge that their actions were significant criminal violations.
McWane bought the foundry in 1995 and now employs 1,120 people – making the facility one of the Tyler area's biggest employers. The foundry was a key focus of a 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by The New York Times and PBS that detailed dangerous working conditions in McWane operations around the country.
McWane has been cited by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration hundreds of times since the mid-1990s. The foundry and McWane have seen dozens of serious workplace injuries and at least three employee deaths in the last decade, costing the company more than a $1 million in civil penalties.
McWane facilities in Alabama and New Jersey face criminal inquiries. The chief federal prosecutor for East Texas said he hoped Tuesday's agreement could serve as "a model" for resolving similar cases in other jurisdictions.
"I think they have made a cultural change," he said. "I do congratulate them on the newfound religion of the company, but I do think it took a federal investigation and a federal prosecution in order to bring about that cultural change."
Company will plead guilty to two felonies
By LEE HANCOCK and MATT STILES / The Dallas Morning News
TYLER, Texas – In a first-of-its-kind federal environmental prosecution, an iron foundry known for health and safety violations pleaded guilty Tuesday to a criminal violation of the federal Clean Air Act and agreed to pay a $4.5 million fine.
U.S. District Judge Michael Schneider also sentenced Tyler Pipe Co. and its Alabama parent, McWane Industries, to five years' probation after a company representative admitted that the company had willfully concealed information from federal and state environmental regulators to hide the 1998 overhaul of one of its two foundries north of Tyler.
Company lawyers said the company has tentatively agreed to pay a $1.5 million fine to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and could be assessed more than $1 million in additional civil penalties by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The plea agreement and sentencing in U.S. District Court capped a two-year federal investigation and more than 18 months of intense negotiations between company officials, federal prosecutors and state and federal environmental regulators.
Federal prosecutors and company representatives hailed the plea agreement as a "win-win" for the region and its residents, noting that it includes a detailed compliance agreement that requires millions in environmental upgrades and stringent monitoring.
U.S. Attorney Matt Orwig said the improvements in Tyler Pipe's operations "will bring the plant up to the highest standards of the industry." He and other officials added the agreement would significantly improve the area's air.
The Tyler operation is not only one of Smith County's top three polluters, but also a top air emissions source for the entire state of Arkansas.
Plant upgrades
The plant's general manager, who entered the plea on behalf of the company and its parent corporation, said Tyler Pipe will spend $30 million by next March to complete the environmental upgrades and $24 million for other plant improvements.
"We look forward to being an industry leader in environmental protection," said David Green, a McWane executive vice president who became head of the Tyler foundries in 2001.
The federal case centered on the plant's failure to seek a permit before a major overhaul of one of its two 60-foot-tall foundries in 1998. The foundry, which melts scrap metal for iron pipe production, had been "grandfathered," or exempted from air quality rules under the Federal Clean Air act.
An amendment to the act passed in 1977 required the company to notify regulators and seek a pre-construction permit before making any major changes to a grandfathered facility.
Between December 1998 and January 1999, the company demolished the old foundry and put in a new facility that sent more pollutants into the air than the old one. But company officials never told government regulators about the new operation until after a joint state-federal environmental crimes task force opened an investigation in January 2003, prosecutors said.
Federal officials rely on companies to self-report when they make such changes, and it is permissible to make minor modifications to a grandfathered plant without seeking pre-construction permits.
No reason for failures
Mr. Green said he "couldn't say" why the company failed to report its plant overhaul to regulators. But both he and company lawyers said the firm and its privately held parent company acknowledge that their actions were significant criminal violations.
McWane bought the foundry in 1995 and now employs 1,120 people – making the facility one of the Tyler area's biggest employers. The foundry was a key focus of a 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation by The New York Times and PBS that detailed dangerous working conditions in McWane operations around the country.
McWane has been cited by the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration hundreds of times since the mid-1990s. The foundry and McWane have seen dozens of serious workplace injuries and at least three employee deaths in the last decade, costing the company more than a $1 million in civil penalties.
McWane facilities in Alabama and New Jersey face criminal inquiries. The chief federal prosecutor for East Texas said he hoped Tuesday's agreement could serve as "a model" for resolving similar cases in other jurisdictions.
"I think they have made a cultural change," he said. "I do congratulate them on the newfound religion of the company, but I do think it took a federal investigation and a federal prosecution in order to bring about that cultural change."
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rainstorm
TexasStooge wrote:TEA plan would fail more schools
92 rated unacceptable now; number could climb over 1,000
By JOSHUA BENTON / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN, Texas - The number of "academically unacceptable" schools in Texas could grow by a factor of 10 under a tougher set of standards approved by a Texas Education Agency committee.
There are now 92 Texas schools labeled unacceptable, the state's lowest rating. But if the proposed new rules had been in place last year, more than 1,100 schools would have earned the label and faced possible state intervention.
"We're going to have to go after more schools," said Sandy Kress, the former Dallas school board president and Bush adviser who is among the new standards' supporters. "We're going to have to go to a place we have not gone yet if we really want youngsters to succeed in these ineffective schools."
But some educators question whether it's a good idea to change the state ratings system for the expressed purpose of making some schools look worse.
"I think it's setting up schools to fail," said Mac Bernd, superintendent of the Arlington district. "I am a strong accountability supporter, but some people have this idea that just because something worked before that more of it will work better."
The proposal – awaiting approval by Commissioner Shirley Neeley – would raise the TAKS passing rate required for a school to be academically acceptable.
For a school to be acceptable under current law, a school must have at least a 50 percent passing rate in reading, writing, and social studies, a 35 percent passing rate in math and a 25 percent passing rate in science.
According to the proposal approved Monday by the commissioner's Accountability Advisory Committee, each of those passing rates would increase by 10 percentage points in 2006, and most would march up five more points each year until 2010.
"We can't be happy with half the students not passing," said Catherine Clark, associate executive director of governance services for the Texas Association of School Boards and a member of the advisory committee.
The higher required passing rates alone will knock hundreds of schools from the ranks of the acceptable to "academically unacceptable" – the state's new term for what used to be called "low performing."
But when combined with other changes already planned to debut in the next year – like a higher passing standard on the TAKS and new restrictions on how schools calculate their dropout rate – the number of newly unacceptable schools could be staggering.
TEA officials haven't yet estimated how large that number is. That's because the advisory committee's recommendations were more extreme than any of the proposals TEA staff had prepared for.
Under the most extreme proposal TEA researched, 1,100 Texas schools would have been rated unacceptable last year. The advisory committee's proposal would likely tack several hundred more onto that total because it requires higher passing standards in four of the five TAKS subjects.
Hardest hit would likely be the state's large urban districts, like Dallas and Houston, where dozens of schools would likely be considered unacceptable under the tougher standards.
Those estimates all assume that test scores in 2006 – when the changes would take effect – will be the same as they were in 2004, the last year of complete data. That's unlikely, since test scores tend to go up every year as schools figure out how to improve performance.
But no matter how fast the improvement, it's likely these changes would result in a record number of schools being labeled unacceptable. Since the debut of the school ratings system in 1994, the number of low-ranked schools usually has been 100 or fewer.
"I worry about the pressure we're putting on children and on educators in this state," said Michael Motheral, superintendent of Sundown schools in the Panhandle. "It's somewhat inevitable when you have a system that rates kids and schools. But there's going to be some heartache if we move at this pace."
Mr. Motheral sits on TEA's Educator Focus Group on Accountability, a group of school administrators who also advise the commissioner on school ratings issues. His group recommended a slightly smaller change – only increasing required passing rates by five points next year instead of 10.
"I think everybody wants to make sure the kids are challenged," said Billy Espino, a principal in Fort Stockton who also sits on the educator focus group. "But we also don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot."
But Mr. Kress said the Texas system needs to be more aggressive about identifying weak schools. He cited one high school where nearly three-quarters of students failed at least one section of the TAKS last year – but was still rated acceptable.
Mr. Kress, who sits on the 27-member advisory committee recommending the 10 percentage-point jump, said he would be happy with a system that identified about one in 10 Texas schools as underachievers each year. (Texas has about 7,700 public schools in total.) Schools have generally done better than expected on the TAKS test since the test's debut in 2003, and that's pushing many to advocate tougher standards.
Dr. Bernd, the Arlington superintendent, disagrees. "We shouldn't assume that when people are doing well the standard's too low," he said. "The standards ought to be based on how much we want students to learn, not some pre-set idea of how many schools should fail."
He also said he believed raising standards too quickly would encourage some educators to cheat on state tests.
Possible penalties
Schools that are rated unacceptable for multiple years are subject to a number of sanctions, including stiff state intervention. Under some proposals being considered in the Legislature, schools that remain unacceptable for several years could be subject to private management.
The debate over passing rates partly is being governed by federal law. The No Child Left Behind law, passed in 2001, requires all schools to march their passing rates steadily north toward 100 percent by 2014. The proposed tougher state standards largely mirror the passing rates required by the federal law.
Now Dr. Neeley will have to decide whether to accept the more ambitious proposals of her advisory committee or the more modest recommendations of her educator focus group – or do something else entirely. On one hand, political and business figures generally want standards to get tougher quickly. On the other, superintendents – aware of the power of a poor label – generally favor a slower approach.
"It is really tricky," said TEA spokeswoman Debbie Graves Ratcliffe. "You want to set goals that are challenging but reachable for most schools. We've got some people saying the system's not hard enough and some saying don't go too fast."
Dr. Neeley is expected to make her decision in the next few weeks.
have they actually closed any schools down in texas?
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rainstorm
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Fort Worth to ink new superintendent
By Amie Streater, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Fort Worth school trustees are expected to sign a "performance-based" contract Thursday with Melody Johnson paying her $300,000 a year as the next superintendent of schools.
School board president Bill Koehler said Wednesday that compared to perks offered to other urban school district superintendents in Texas, Johnson's contract will have "not nearly as many other benefits as you would find in some of those other superintendent contracts.
"It is a performance-based contract but at the same time, it doesn't have any performance-based perks," he said.
The school board meets at 6 p.m. Thursday at the board meeting room, 2903 Shotts St.
The contract, which has not been made available to the public in its draft form, will include a car allowance as the only other compensation for Johnson, who is expected to start before the next school year begins in August.
Koehler said Johnson's salary may be the highest of any superintendent in the state -- at least until Dallas names its next superintendent -- but that she will not be getting annuities, incentive bonuses or other financial perks that drive up the costs of compensation packages given to other superintendents across the state.
Johnson will also not be entitled to automatic salary increases, Koehler said, but the contract may allow her to earn performance-based raises.
Koehler declined to discuss any other details about the proposed contract.
Of course, the provisions of the contract that have been worked out among Johnson, her lawyer and the district and its lawyers may be changed by trustees, who are scheduled to discuss the provisions of the contract before taking a vote Thursday night.
"There is no telling what will happen," said trustee Chris Hatch, who has questioned the $300,000 salary figure.
"I am willing to pay market rate for an excellent superintendent," said Hatch, who expects a report from Koehler on salaries paid by comparable districts in the state. "If the comparables demonstrate that $300,000 is the right number, than I am willing to step up to that."
Johnson said district officials are being "very diligent, and I want them to be," in negotiating her contract.
"I wanted it very basic," Johnson said. "I think it is pretty lean compared to most superintendent contracts ... in terms of benefits and things like that, and I think that is because the salary is very generous."
Johnson has said she will not seek outside consulting work and her contract with the district is not expected to permit her to moonlight.
In the know
Other superintendents' salaries and perks:
Houston, about 209,000 students: Abe Saavedra earns a salary of $270,000, not including a monthly car allowance of $1,200 a month and an information technology/communications allowance of $400 a month. He could also get tens of thousands more in performance incentives depending on student achievement.
Fort Bend, about 62,000 students: Betty Baitland is paid a base salary of $216,000 a year plus a "doctoral stipend" and a mobile phone and car allowance of $600 a month.
Cypress-Fairbanks, about 79,000 students: David Anthony is paid a base salary of $235,000 plus a car allowance of $8,000 a month. The district also pays into an annuity on his behalf. Anthony also gets a district-supplied laptop computer.
Northside, about 74,000 students: John Folks is paid a salary of $224,600 plus a car allowance of $800 a month and contributions to retirement plans.
By Amie Streater, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Fort Worth school trustees are expected to sign a "performance-based" contract Thursday with Melody Johnson paying her $300,000 a year as the next superintendent of schools.
School board president Bill Koehler said Wednesday that compared to perks offered to other urban school district superintendents in Texas, Johnson's contract will have "not nearly as many other benefits as you would find in some of those other superintendent contracts.
"It is a performance-based contract but at the same time, it doesn't have any performance-based perks," he said.
The school board meets at 6 p.m. Thursday at the board meeting room, 2903 Shotts St.
The contract, which has not been made available to the public in its draft form, will include a car allowance as the only other compensation for Johnson, who is expected to start before the next school year begins in August.
Koehler said Johnson's salary may be the highest of any superintendent in the state -- at least until Dallas names its next superintendent -- but that she will not be getting annuities, incentive bonuses or other financial perks that drive up the costs of compensation packages given to other superintendents across the state.
Johnson will also not be entitled to automatic salary increases, Koehler said, but the contract may allow her to earn performance-based raises.
Koehler declined to discuss any other details about the proposed contract.
Of course, the provisions of the contract that have been worked out among Johnson, her lawyer and the district and its lawyers may be changed by trustees, who are scheduled to discuss the provisions of the contract before taking a vote Thursday night.
"There is no telling what will happen," said trustee Chris Hatch, who has questioned the $300,000 salary figure.
"I am willing to pay market rate for an excellent superintendent," said Hatch, who expects a report from Koehler on salaries paid by comparable districts in the state. "If the comparables demonstrate that $300,000 is the right number, than I am willing to step up to that."
Johnson said district officials are being "very diligent, and I want them to be," in negotiating her contract.
"I wanted it very basic," Johnson said. "I think it is pretty lean compared to most superintendent contracts ... in terms of benefits and things like that, and I think that is because the salary is very generous."
Johnson has said she will not seek outside consulting work and her contract with the district is not expected to permit her to moonlight.
In the know
Other superintendents' salaries and perks:
Houston, about 209,000 students: Abe Saavedra earns a salary of $270,000, not including a monthly car allowance of $1,200 a month and an information technology/communications allowance of $400 a month. He could also get tens of thousands more in performance incentives depending on student achievement.
Fort Bend, about 62,000 students: Betty Baitland is paid a base salary of $216,000 a year plus a "doctoral stipend" and a mobile phone and car allowance of $600 a month.
Cypress-Fairbanks, about 79,000 students: David Anthony is paid a base salary of $235,000 plus a car allowance of $8,000 a month. The district also pays into an annuity on his behalf. Anthony also gets a district-supplied laptop computer.
Northside, about 74,000 students: John Folks is paid a salary of $224,600 plus a car allowance of $800 a month and contributions to retirement plans.
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Police say bank robbery suspect may be tied to other heists
By Deanna Boyd, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Police are searching for a man who robbed a southwest Fort Worth bank Wednesday afternoon and who may be responsible for other bank robberies in the area.
The robbery occurred about 11:50 a.m. at the Wells Fargo at 6112 McCart Ave. Detective Carlos Ortega with the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force said the suspect handed the teller a note demanding money and placed a blue zippered bank bag on the counter for her to fill.
Ortega said the man also threatened that he had a gun but one was never displayed.
The man fled on foot north of the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.
"We believe he's the same suspect in several other area robberies," Ortega said.
The robber is described as African American, 6-foot tall, 240 pounds with short dark hair and a light beard. He was wearing khaki pants, a blue or black T-shirt, a dark colored baseball hat and large-frame wrap-around sun glasses.
Anyone with information about his identity is asked to call the FBI's Fort Worth office at (817) 989-3334 or Crime Stoppers at (817--469-TIPS. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
By Deanna Boyd, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Police are searching for a man who robbed a southwest Fort Worth bank Wednesday afternoon and who may be responsible for other bank robberies in the area.
The robbery occurred about 11:50 a.m. at the Wells Fargo at 6112 McCart Ave. Detective Carlos Ortega with the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force said the suspect handed the teller a note demanding money and placed a blue zippered bank bag on the counter for her to fill.
Ortega said the man also threatened that he had a gun but one was never displayed.
The man fled on foot north of the bank with an undisclosed amount of money.
"We believe he's the same suspect in several other area robberies," Ortega said.
The robber is described as African American, 6-foot tall, 240 pounds with short dark hair and a light beard. He was wearing khaki pants, a blue or black T-shirt, a dark colored baseball hat and large-frame wrap-around sun glasses.
Anyone with information about his identity is asked to call the FBI's Fort Worth office at (817) 989-3334 or Crime Stoppers at (817--469-TIPS. Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
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Man shot to death in front of girlfriend
By Deanna Boyd, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - A 26-year-old Fort Worth man died Tuesday night after three men forced their way into his apartment and shot him in the head.
James Perry was pronounced dead at 10:14 p.m. at John Peter Smith Hospital.
Homicide Sgt. J.D. Thornton said three men knocked on the door of Perry's Regency Oaks apartment in the 2100 block of Handley Drive about 9:30 p.m., then forced their way inside when he opened the door.
Perry was shot in the head. Perry's girlfriendwas threatened by the men but was not injured, Thornton said.
Thornton would not comment on whether anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the shooting.
Thornton said two of the men had their faces covered with bandanas during the home invasion. The third man's bandana was pulled down around his neck, he said.
It was unknown Tuesday morning whether anything was taken from the apartment, he said.
By Deanna Boyd, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - A 26-year-old Fort Worth man died Tuesday night after three men forced their way into his apartment and shot him in the head.
James Perry was pronounced dead at 10:14 p.m. at John Peter Smith Hospital.
Homicide Sgt. J.D. Thornton said three men knocked on the door of Perry's Regency Oaks apartment in the 2100 block of Handley Drive about 9:30 p.m., then forced their way inside when he opened the door.
Perry was shot in the head. Perry's girlfriendwas threatened by the men but was not injured, Thornton said.
Thornton would not comment on whether anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the shooting.
Thornton said two of the men had their faces covered with bandanas during the home invasion. The third man's bandana was pulled down around his neck, he said.
It was unknown Tuesday morning whether anything was taken from the apartment, he said.
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'Volcanoes' to be shown after outrage
By Chris Vaughn, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - The film, which had been rejected in part because it describes evolution, is to open "before summer."
The public erupted, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History moved, and quick.
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, an IMAX film rejected by the museum in part because of complaints about evolution commentary, will appear at the Cultural District institution after all.
Museum Director Van Romans, with the blessing of the board of directors, reversed the museum's decision and said the film will open in Fort Worth "before summer." The film is already being promoted on the museum's Web site.
"We're going to show things that have scientific credibility, and people can make their own decisions," Romans said Wednesday. "That's a very personal choice. But we are a science and history institution. We have a responsibility to the public to share with them."
The maker of the film, Stephen Low, who has made a number of IMAX movies with his production company in Montreal, said he has already talked to museum officials.
"I don't think it's going to hurt anyone to see it," Low said. "Science is really a celebration of God. I don't find any conflict with it."
The blowup occurred after the Star-Telegram published a New York Times article Saturday about science museums that declined to show some scientific films because people complained about evolution content.
As an example, the Times cited the Fort Worth museum's rejection of Volcanoes, a film about the deep-sea vent system, which was sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation.
The decision not to show Volcanoes was made about a year ago by a review committee in the museum that felt other movies would sell better.
Marketing director Carol Murray was quoted in the Times article as saying, "I am sure it would have done better in the survey if it had not offended some people."
Murray declined to comment Wednesday.
Romans, who joined the museum in February 2004 after 23 years with a Walt Disney Co. subsidiary, said he did not know of the rejection until the newspaper article was printed.
He said he has received 25 letters upbraiding him in recent days. The Star-Telegram received dozens more, nearly all of them criticizing the museum.
"I'm told on the original discussion, it ranked fairly low," he said. "When we look at films, we look at what will be successful at the box office. But I can see that we may be successful from a marketing standpoint in showing it."
Romans also sought to clarify that the museum has not shied away from evolution, which is the "underpinning" of much of science, he said.
"What is so amazing is we're showing Aliens of the Deep, which has some content in it that relates to evolution," he said. "We do share, in our exhibits and films, varying points of view. Our guests can decide for themselves whether they are valid or not."
Low said the film is about "the most spectacular, bizarre place on earth" and the creatures that live there.
"If indeed it is God's work, then kids should see it," he said. "We'll argue about the age of the Earth later."
If nothing else, Romans has gotten an idea of how much some people care about the museum.
"They love the museum and they care about the things it presents," he said. "Isn't that the best thing in the world? It's much better than people not caring."
By Chris Vaughn, Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas - The film, which had been rejected in part because it describes evolution, is to open "before summer."
The public erupted, and the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History moved, and quick.
Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, an IMAX film rejected by the museum in part because of complaints about evolution commentary, will appear at the Cultural District institution after all.
Museum Director Van Romans, with the blessing of the board of directors, reversed the museum's decision and said the film will open in Fort Worth "before summer." The film is already being promoted on the museum's Web site.
"We're going to show things that have scientific credibility, and people can make their own decisions," Romans said Wednesday. "That's a very personal choice. But we are a science and history institution. We have a responsibility to the public to share with them."
The maker of the film, Stephen Low, who has made a number of IMAX movies with his production company in Montreal, said he has already talked to museum officials.
"I don't think it's going to hurt anyone to see it," Low said. "Science is really a celebration of God. I don't find any conflict with it."
The blowup occurred after the Star-Telegram published a New York Times article Saturday about science museums that declined to show some scientific films because people complained about evolution content.
As an example, the Times cited the Fort Worth museum's rejection of Volcanoes, a film about the deep-sea vent system, which was sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation.
The decision not to show Volcanoes was made about a year ago by a review committee in the museum that felt other movies would sell better.
Marketing director Carol Murray was quoted in the Times article as saying, "I am sure it would have done better in the survey if it had not offended some people."
Murray declined to comment Wednesday.
Romans, who joined the museum in February 2004 after 23 years with a Walt Disney Co. subsidiary, said he did not know of the rejection until the newspaper article was printed.
He said he has received 25 letters upbraiding him in recent days. The Star-Telegram received dozens more, nearly all of them criticizing the museum.
"I'm told on the original discussion, it ranked fairly low," he said. "When we look at films, we look at what will be successful at the box office. But I can see that we may be successful from a marketing standpoint in showing it."
Romans also sought to clarify that the museum has not shied away from evolution, which is the "underpinning" of much of science, he said.
"What is so amazing is we're showing Aliens of the Deep, which has some content in it that relates to evolution," he said. "We do share, in our exhibits and films, varying points of view. Our guests can decide for themselves whether they are valid or not."
Low said the film is about "the most spectacular, bizarre place on earth" and the creatures that live there.
"If indeed it is God's work, then kids should see it," he said. "We'll argue about the age of the Earth later."
If nothing else, Romans has gotten an idea of how much some people care about the museum.
"They love the museum and they care about the things it presents," he said. "Isn't that the best thing in the world? It's much better than people not caring."
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Dogs will put their best paw forward in weekend competitions
FORT WORTH, Texas (Star-Telegram) - The Fort Worth Kennel Club's 96th All-Breed Dog Show on Saturday is at the center of three days of canine competitions at the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall at the Will Rogers Memorial Center.
The Fort Worth Kennel Club show has 2,710 entries, representing 155 breeds. The doors will open at 7 a.m., and judging will begin at 8 a.m. Best in Show judging is scheduled to begin about 6 p.m.
On Sunday, the Dallas-based Texas Kennel Club's all-breed show will take place at the hall.
Doors will open at 7 a.m., and judging will begin at 8 a.m. with 2,594 dogs in 150 breeds.
Admission each day is $5 for adults, $3 for youths 12 to 18 and free for younger kids.
All terrier and toy breeds, as well as most sport breeds, will be shown in the Small Exhibits Building, one block south of the Carter Exhibits Hall.
The hall will host 33 speciality, or breed-specific, shows on Friday. Admission is free.
FORT WORTH, Texas (Star-Telegram) - The Fort Worth Kennel Club's 96th All-Breed Dog Show on Saturday is at the center of three days of canine competitions at the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall at the Will Rogers Memorial Center.
The Fort Worth Kennel Club show has 2,710 entries, representing 155 breeds. The doors will open at 7 a.m., and judging will begin at 8 a.m. Best in Show judging is scheduled to begin about 6 p.m.
On Sunday, the Dallas-based Texas Kennel Club's all-breed show will take place at the hall.
Doors will open at 7 a.m., and judging will begin at 8 a.m. with 2,594 dogs in 150 breeds.
Admission each day is $5 for adults, $3 for youths 12 to 18 and free for younger kids.
All terrier and toy breeds, as well as most sport breeds, will be shown in the Small Exhibits Building, one block south of the Carter Exhibits Hall.
The hall will host 33 speciality, or breed-specific, shows on Friday. Admission is free.
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Assault suspect dies after chase
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas - A police pursuit ended in death for an assault suspect early Thursday when he hopped over a highway guardrail into the path of oncoming traffic.
Shortly before the fatal incident, Farmers Branch police said the man—whose name was not released—was responsible for beating his wife with a baseball bat.
When officers spotted the suspect around 1 a.m., they gave chase on LBJ Freeway. The suspect exited at Interstate 35E.
"He slowed and stopped on top of the overpass, where he got in to a short chase with Farmers Branch police officers and he decided to jump," said Dallas police spokesman Lt. Mike Scoggins.
The man was then struck by at least one car after the 20-foot leap to another lane of traffic. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman who was assaulted was reported in serious condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Her name was not released.
By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas - A police pursuit ended in death for an assault suspect early Thursday when he hopped over a highway guardrail into the path of oncoming traffic.
Shortly before the fatal incident, Farmers Branch police said the man—whose name was not released—was responsible for beating his wife with a baseball bat.
When officers spotted the suspect around 1 a.m., they gave chase on LBJ Freeway. The suspect exited at Interstate 35E.
"He slowed and stopped on top of the overpass, where he got in to a short chase with Farmers Branch police officers and he decided to jump," said Dallas police spokesman Lt. Mike Scoggins.
The man was then struck by at least one car after the 20-foot leap to another lane of traffic. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman who was assaulted was reported in serious condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. Her name was not released.
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Family fears the worst for Good Samaritan
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
ROWLETT, Texas - There's a North Texas connection in the case of a missing Oklahoma woman.
Authorities say Amanda Bateman, 29, was driving from Chandler, Oklahoma to Franklin, Tennessee when she picked up a hitchhiker.
She hasn't been heard from since.
Bateman's car was found near Lake Ray Hubbard on Tuesday, and police suspect foul play.
Officials said the hitchhiker, identified as Bobby Joe McCauley, called his mother from Bateman's cell phone and admitted killing her.
"Knowing Amanda, she thought the person needed some kind of help," said Doyle Seeley, Bateman's pastor. "That's why she stopped and helped that person."
Tennessee authorities found a body matching Bateman's description at a state park, but they won't know for sure until an autopsy is performed.
The manhunt for McCauley continued late Wednesday.
Bateman's pastor said she was supposed to be at church Wednesday night to practice for her big part in Sunday's Easter pageant.
The woman's family and friends prepared for the worst and prayed for strength in the difficult days to come.
By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8
ROWLETT, Texas - There's a North Texas connection in the case of a missing Oklahoma woman.
Authorities say Amanda Bateman, 29, was driving from Chandler, Oklahoma to Franklin, Tennessee when she picked up a hitchhiker.
She hasn't been heard from since.
Bateman's car was found near Lake Ray Hubbard on Tuesday, and police suspect foul play.
Officials said the hitchhiker, identified as Bobby Joe McCauley, called his mother from Bateman's cell phone and admitted killing her.
"Knowing Amanda, she thought the person needed some kind of help," said Doyle Seeley, Bateman's pastor. "That's why she stopped and helped that person."
Tennessee authorities found a body matching Bateman's description at a state park, but they won't know for sure until an autopsy is performed.
The manhunt for McCauley continued late Wednesday.
Bateman's pastor said she was supposed to be at church Wednesday night to practice for her big part in Sunday's Easter pageant.
The woman's family and friends prepared for the worst and prayed for strength in the difficult days to come.
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Parents voice views on DISD uniforms
President says speakers aren't representative; board to vote next week
By TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The week before Dallas school trustees vote on changes to the district's dress code, parents and students had their say at a school board meeting Wednesday night.
"Blue jeans are American as apple pie, as rock and roll," said parent Robert Ackerman in criticizing the proposed changes, which ban jeans. The uniforms proposed would include khaki and navy pants and skirts with white tops.
Other parents and students criticized the expense of uniforms and their effect on creativity and individuality.
Parent Carol Hall questioned the amount of money the district would have to spend to help provide uniforms for needy students.
"How can one uniform per eligible student be enough?" she asked.
Uniforms, she said, would cost Dallas Independent School District more because the district would be responsible for helping needy students. It would cause more headaches for parents trying to keep their children in uniforms.
According to district administrators, students on free and reduced-price lunches would be entitled to one free uniform (a shirt and slacks), which for 123,000 qualifying students amounts to about $3.8 million. The money for the uniforms could come from federal and local funds, according to the proposed policy. DISD officials said money from donations is a possibility.
Still, Ms. Hall said, the policy change "just doesn't make sense."
Gabriel Meadows, whose son Mark attends the Booker T. Washington arts magnet, told trustees that uniforms would stifle students' creativity.
"I would not agree to uniforms even if the kids at Booker T. designed them themselves," said Mr. Meadows, adding that even he was amazed by what kids choose to wear. "Uniforms teach our kids not to think."
Another parent, Mary Elizabeth Hernandez, told trustees that "uniforms are not critical to my child's education."
"Please hear what the parents want," Ms. Hernandez implored.
School board President Lois Parrot told board members that those who spoke against the proposed changes represented a few particular schools and were not an accurate representation of the whole district.
Veronica Priest, a part-time district employee, was the lone parental voice on Wednesday night favoring uniforms.
"Standardized dress is a must in this district," said Ms. Priest, adding that the way some students dress reminded her of socialites, rappers and rock stars.
Just as parents had opposing views, so did trustees.
Jack Lowe said he supported the policy. Lew Blackburn said he didn't. Joe May said some alterations may need to be considered since some are resistant to the idea.
Jim Scales reminded the board that when uniforms are worn, the school environment tends to improve.
"The business we're in is providing a wholesome environment for our schools," Dr. Scales said. "There is not a lot of research because this is all relatively new, but what we do have shows that climate in schools improves and there's less time spent on discipline."
Dr. Scales also told trustees that standardized dress doesn't guarantee that a student will improve academically.
Dr. Scales said the idea to adopt uniforms originated with DISD administrators, including school principals. He added that school administrators spend a great deal of time enforcing school dress code policies.
Trustee Ron Price called it a policy that would enhance education for all DISD students.
"This is not a silver bullet policy that's going to transform DISD. It's just a step forward to enhance education in Dallas," Mr. Price said. "Trustees, this is a positive for the Dallas Independent School District.
"There's some room to massage the policy, but we're going to stand strong that this is the best policy for the Dallas Independent School District at this time."
Board members agreed that the new policy should be phased in beginning with kindergarten though the eighth grade beginning in the fall. High schools would come on board later.
Dr. Blackburn unsuccessfully did his best to persuade his colleagues to give more parents an opportunity to weigh in on the proposed changes.
"I'm against school uniforms; I'm against school standardized dress," Dr. Blackburn said.
He was also critical that there weren't any voices on the board's ad hoc committee who were against standardized dress and thinks those views should have been represented.
He also criticized the district's efforts to poll parents. At least 16,000 surveys were sent to parents and the district received 673 responses, district officials said.
Dr. Blackburn thought all parents should have received surveys, not just the 10 percent who were included.
"It bothers me that we didn't make that effort."
Trustee Ken Zornes said he favors the policy.
"I think what the board is trying to do is something that is positive for the students," he said. "I'd like to try it to see if it works. If not, we'll do something else."
Dr. Scales said he believes parents will cooperate.
President says speakers aren't representative; board to vote next week
By TOYA LYNN STEWART / The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS, Texas - The week before Dallas school trustees vote on changes to the district's dress code, parents and students had their say at a school board meeting Wednesday night.
"Blue jeans are American as apple pie, as rock and roll," said parent Robert Ackerman in criticizing the proposed changes, which ban jeans. The uniforms proposed would include khaki and navy pants and skirts with white tops.
Other parents and students criticized the expense of uniforms and their effect on creativity and individuality.
Parent Carol Hall questioned the amount of money the district would have to spend to help provide uniforms for needy students.
"How can one uniform per eligible student be enough?" she asked.
Uniforms, she said, would cost Dallas Independent School District more because the district would be responsible for helping needy students. It would cause more headaches for parents trying to keep their children in uniforms.
According to district administrators, students on free and reduced-price lunches would be entitled to one free uniform (a shirt and slacks), which for 123,000 qualifying students amounts to about $3.8 million. The money for the uniforms could come from federal and local funds, according to the proposed policy. DISD officials said money from donations is a possibility.
Still, Ms. Hall said, the policy change "just doesn't make sense."
Gabriel Meadows, whose son Mark attends the Booker T. Washington arts magnet, told trustees that uniforms would stifle students' creativity.
"I would not agree to uniforms even if the kids at Booker T. designed them themselves," said Mr. Meadows, adding that even he was amazed by what kids choose to wear. "Uniforms teach our kids not to think."
Another parent, Mary Elizabeth Hernandez, told trustees that "uniforms are not critical to my child's education."
"Please hear what the parents want," Ms. Hernandez implored.
School board President Lois Parrot told board members that those who spoke against the proposed changes represented a few particular schools and were not an accurate representation of the whole district.
Veronica Priest, a part-time district employee, was the lone parental voice on Wednesday night favoring uniforms.
"Standardized dress is a must in this district," said Ms. Priest, adding that the way some students dress reminded her of socialites, rappers and rock stars.
Just as parents had opposing views, so did trustees.
Jack Lowe said he supported the policy. Lew Blackburn said he didn't. Joe May said some alterations may need to be considered since some are resistant to the idea.
Jim Scales reminded the board that when uniforms are worn, the school environment tends to improve.
"The business we're in is providing a wholesome environment for our schools," Dr. Scales said. "There is not a lot of research because this is all relatively new, but what we do have shows that climate in schools improves and there's less time spent on discipline."
Dr. Scales also told trustees that standardized dress doesn't guarantee that a student will improve academically.
Dr. Scales said the idea to adopt uniforms originated with DISD administrators, including school principals. He added that school administrators spend a great deal of time enforcing school dress code policies.
Trustee Ron Price called it a policy that would enhance education for all DISD students.
"This is not a silver bullet policy that's going to transform DISD. It's just a step forward to enhance education in Dallas," Mr. Price said. "Trustees, this is a positive for the Dallas Independent School District.
"There's some room to massage the policy, but we're going to stand strong that this is the best policy for the Dallas Independent School District at this time."
Board members agreed that the new policy should be phased in beginning with kindergarten though the eighth grade beginning in the fall. High schools would come on board later.
Dr. Blackburn unsuccessfully did his best to persuade his colleagues to give more parents an opportunity to weigh in on the proposed changes.
"I'm against school uniforms; I'm against school standardized dress," Dr. Blackburn said.
He was also critical that there weren't any voices on the board's ad hoc committee who were against standardized dress and thinks those views should have been represented.
He also criticized the district's efforts to poll parents. At least 16,000 surveys were sent to parents and the district received 673 responses, district officials said.
Dr. Blackburn thought all parents should have received surveys, not just the 10 percent who were included.
"It bothers me that we didn't make that effort."
Trustee Ken Zornes said he favors the policy.
"I think what the board is trying to do is something that is positive for the students," he said. "I'd like to try it to see if it works. If not, we'll do something else."
Dr. Scales said he believes parents will cooperate.
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TexasStooge
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Study: Collin 121 tolls could raise millions
Most would go to highway, but local projects could benefit
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas – Placing tolls on State Highway 121 in western Collin County could raise enough bond revenue to pay for $381 million in projects, a newly released study shows.
But most of that money – from $240 million to $366 million, depending on the scenario – would have to be spent completing the main lanes of Highway 121 and building ramps at the highway's interchanges with Central Expressway and the Dallas North Tollway.
The excess revenue, which under one scenario could reach about $141 million, probably would be divided equally or close to equally among Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Plano for local transportation projects. McKinney and Allen, for example, might choose to use that money to help pay to widen Central Expressway.
"This puts elected officials in the captain's seat to decide their own future," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the regional planning agency. "This clearly advances the opportunity to build Highway 121 in Collin County as a toll road."
A final decision on whether to place tolls on Highway 121 remains months away. The Collin County Commissioners Court probably will hold its first formal briefing on the new study by late April.
"I envision us having a public hearing on this. And that would be not only for Collin County, but I would encourage the four cities to hold hearings, as well," said Commissioner Jack Hatchell. For tolls to move ahead, all of the cities probably would have to approve them, officials have said.
According to the study's assumptions, motorists probably would pay 15 cents a mile to travel from Central to the tollway. Officials also reviewed assumptions for 25 cents per mile but focused most of their attention on the lesser rate.
Under the 15-cent-per-mile option, a one-way trip would cost $1.70, and motorists who continue driving west would pay up to another $2 between the tollway and the Business 121 split near Coppell and D/FW Airport.
Even with the new numbers, sharp differences remain over tolls. McKinney officials have long supported putting tolls on Highway 121 as a way to get funds to rebuild and widen Central. Frisco has regularly questioned the need for tolls.
"We are inundated with tolls in Collin County," Mr. Hatchell said. The county already is home to a large portion of the Bush Turnpike, and it is home to a growing portion of the tollway, which will be extended through Frisco by 2007. "A lot of citizens say they have gotten their fair share of toll roads. We have to look at all the alternatives and see what's best."
Frisco officials encouraged a more detailed review of an option that would place tolls on Highway 121 only from Hillcrest Road to Central. The Texas Department of Transportation has already committed the money to build a full highway without tolls between the tollway and Hillcrest.
According to initial estimates Wednesday, such an option would raise about $282 million. That amount would not pay for the $366 million cost to build all of Highway 121 and large interchanges at Central and the tollway. However, that scenario may become more plausible if transportation planners delay some of the direct connection ramps in favor of using the savings on other transportation projects.
Frisco will weigh the benefits it may receive from the toll road and the regional benefits, Assistant City Manager Scott Young said.
"What we get out of it is what our elected officials are going to have to look at," he said. "If the downside is no main lanes for years, we have to look at that, too."
If a toll road is rejected, alternatives may include waiting at least 15 years for money to finish the main lanes of Highway 121 from Hillcrest to Central, Mr. Morris said. Other estimates have noted that Highway 121 wouldn't be completed for about 40 years.
Analysts suggested that a toll road could have other benefits.
In addition to the large pool of money raised immediately, a Highway 121 toll road would generate about $7 million to $10 million in additional revenue annually after meeting all bond market obligations. That money, which could grow to about $20 million a year in 20 years and $50 million a year in 30 years, conceivably could be used for other projects.
In addition, tolls would pay to maintain Highway 121.
Local leaders said Wednesday that they were interested in getting commitments from the Texas Department of Transportation to keep state money that would be used for Highway 121 maintenance in Collin County.
Most would go to highway, but local projects could benefit
By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News
PLANO, Texas – Placing tolls on State Highway 121 in western Collin County could raise enough bond revenue to pay for $381 million in projects, a newly released study shows.
But most of that money – from $240 million to $366 million, depending on the scenario – would have to be spent completing the main lanes of Highway 121 and building ramps at the highway's interchanges with Central Expressway and the Dallas North Tollway.
The excess revenue, which under one scenario could reach about $141 million, probably would be divided equally or close to equally among Frisco, Allen, McKinney and Plano for local transportation projects. McKinney and Allen, for example, might choose to use that money to help pay to widen Central Expressway.
"This puts elected officials in the captain's seat to decide their own future," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the regional planning agency. "This clearly advances the opportunity to build Highway 121 in Collin County as a toll road."
A final decision on whether to place tolls on Highway 121 remains months away. The Collin County Commissioners Court probably will hold its first formal briefing on the new study by late April.
"I envision us having a public hearing on this. And that would be not only for Collin County, but I would encourage the four cities to hold hearings, as well," said Commissioner Jack Hatchell. For tolls to move ahead, all of the cities probably would have to approve them, officials have said.
According to the study's assumptions, motorists probably would pay 15 cents a mile to travel from Central to the tollway. Officials also reviewed assumptions for 25 cents per mile but focused most of their attention on the lesser rate.
Under the 15-cent-per-mile option, a one-way trip would cost $1.70, and motorists who continue driving west would pay up to another $2 between the tollway and the Business 121 split near Coppell and D/FW Airport.
Even with the new numbers, sharp differences remain over tolls. McKinney officials have long supported putting tolls on Highway 121 as a way to get funds to rebuild and widen Central. Frisco has regularly questioned the need for tolls.
"We are inundated with tolls in Collin County," Mr. Hatchell said. The county already is home to a large portion of the Bush Turnpike, and it is home to a growing portion of the tollway, which will be extended through Frisco by 2007. "A lot of citizens say they have gotten their fair share of toll roads. We have to look at all the alternatives and see what's best."
Frisco officials encouraged a more detailed review of an option that would place tolls on Highway 121 only from Hillcrest Road to Central. The Texas Department of Transportation has already committed the money to build a full highway without tolls between the tollway and Hillcrest.
According to initial estimates Wednesday, such an option would raise about $282 million. That amount would not pay for the $366 million cost to build all of Highway 121 and large interchanges at Central and the tollway. However, that scenario may become more plausible if transportation planners delay some of the direct connection ramps in favor of using the savings on other transportation projects.
Frisco will weigh the benefits it may receive from the toll road and the regional benefits, Assistant City Manager Scott Young said.
"What we get out of it is what our elected officials are going to have to look at," he said. "If the downside is no main lanes for years, we have to look at that, too."
If a toll road is rejected, alternatives may include waiting at least 15 years for money to finish the main lanes of Highway 121 from Hillcrest to Central, Mr. Morris said. Other estimates have noted that Highway 121 wouldn't be completed for about 40 years.
Analysts suggested that a toll road could have other benefits.
In addition to the large pool of money raised immediately, a Highway 121 toll road would generate about $7 million to $10 million in additional revenue annually after meeting all bond market obligations. That money, which could grow to about $20 million a year in 20 years and $50 million a year in 30 years, conceivably could be used for other projects.
In addition, tolls would pay to maintain Highway 121.
Local leaders said Wednesday that they were interested in getting commitments from the Texas Department of Transportation to keep state money that would be used for Highway 121 maintenance in Collin County.
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TexasStooge
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Fort Worth killer wins execution reprieve
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stopped the scheduled execution of a Colorado man Wednesday, about five hours before he could have been put to death and while state lawyers were trying to get another federal court reprieve lifted.
Steven Kenneth Staley, 42, won the reprieve after lawyers argued that instructions given to jurors at his 1991 trial were unclear when the panel was deciding whether he should get the death penalty.
"This is good news," said Jack Strickland, one of Mr. Staley's attorneys. "I wasn't too confident."
The state court ruling cannot be appealed, meaning the execution, which would have been the fifth this year in Texas, was put off.
'I didn't want to die'
"Praise God!" Mr. Staley told prison officials as he was informed he would live another day. "I didn't want to die."
He had just been brought from the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which houses death row, to the Huntsville Unit, where executions are carried out. The units are about 45 miles apart.
Mr. Staley was condemned to death for the 1989 slaying of Bob Read, a Fort Worth Steak and Ale restaurant manager, during a botched robbery. At the time, Mr. Staley was an escapee from a Denver halfway house.
The state court ruling came as the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans was considering an appeal from the Texas attorney general's office to lift a reprieve that a federal judge issued earlier Tuesday.
Instructions disputed
Mr. Staley's lawyers had filed two appeals, one questioning his competency to be executed, and the other challenging the propriety of instructions delivered to his trial jury.
Tarrant County prosecutors described the state court appeal that resulted in the reprieve Wednesday as a highly technical legal issue related to sentencing procedures in effect in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The appeal cited another Texas case involving condemned inmate Johnny Paul Penry, who successfully argued that his mental retardation was not properly considered as a mitigating factor by jurors considering his sentence.
Mr. Staley's case went to trial while sentencing rules had not been completely revised to address issues raised by Mr. Penry's case.
"It's a procedural maze right now," Chip Wilkinson, a Tarrant County prosecutor who handles capital case appeals, said of Mr. Staley's case.
In its short four-paragraph order stopping the execution, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said only that it was granting a reprieve while it determined whether Mr. Staley's claim was proper.
It gave no timetable for a review.
In the second appeal in the federal courts, state attorneys opposed arguments from Mr. Strickland who contended that Mr. Staley should not receive lethal injection until questions about his mental competency were fully reviewed in court.
In their motion, state lawyers argued that the state courts were correct in denying a reprieve for him.
Mr. Staley was examined last week by psychiatrists who determined he was aware of his punishment and why he was being put to death. Those are the criteria the Supreme Court established in 1986 as the standards for allowing execution of people whose competency is at issue.
Victim taken hostage
The victim, Mr. Read, 35, was shot after he was taken hostage after the robbery at his restaurant Oct. 14, 1989.
Mr. Staley was accompanied by Tracey Duke and Mr. Duke's girlfriend, Brenda Rayburn. The three were arrested after a 20-mile police chase through Fort Worth.
Mr. Staley, who gave a written statement implicating himself in the fatal shooting, was convicted and given a death sentence.
Evidence showed that Mr. Duke, a probation violator from California, also shot Mr. Read. Mr. Duke, 38, is serving three life sentences in Texas and has a 30-year sentence in Colorado for murder and armed robbery. Mr. Rayburn, now also 38, took 30 years in a plea bargain.
Investigators tied the trio to a series of robberies, assaults and at least one other murder during a spree across Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) – The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals stopped the scheduled execution of a Colorado man Wednesday, about five hours before he could have been put to death and while state lawyers were trying to get another federal court reprieve lifted.
Steven Kenneth Staley, 42, won the reprieve after lawyers argued that instructions given to jurors at his 1991 trial were unclear when the panel was deciding whether he should get the death penalty.
"This is good news," said Jack Strickland, one of Mr. Staley's attorneys. "I wasn't too confident."
The state court ruling cannot be appealed, meaning the execution, which would have been the fifth this year in Texas, was put off.
'I didn't want to die'
"Praise God!" Mr. Staley told prison officials as he was informed he would live another day. "I didn't want to die."
He had just been brought from the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which houses death row, to the Huntsville Unit, where executions are carried out. The units are about 45 miles apart.
Mr. Staley was condemned to death for the 1989 slaying of Bob Read, a Fort Worth Steak and Ale restaurant manager, during a botched robbery. At the time, Mr. Staley was an escapee from a Denver halfway house.
The state court ruling came as the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans was considering an appeal from the Texas attorney general's office to lift a reprieve that a federal judge issued earlier Tuesday.
Instructions disputed
Mr. Staley's lawyers had filed two appeals, one questioning his competency to be executed, and the other challenging the propriety of instructions delivered to his trial jury.
Tarrant County prosecutors described the state court appeal that resulted in the reprieve Wednesday as a highly technical legal issue related to sentencing procedures in effect in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The appeal cited another Texas case involving condemned inmate Johnny Paul Penry, who successfully argued that his mental retardation was not properly considered as a mitigating factor by jurors considering his sentence.
Mr. Staley's case went to trial while sentencing rules had not been completely revised to address issues raised by Mr. Penry's case.
"It's a procedural maze right now," Chip Wilkinson, a Tarrant County prosecutor who handles capital case appeals, said of Mr. Staley's case.
In its short four-paragraph order stopping the execution, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals said only that it was granting a reprieve while it determined whether Mr. Staley's claim was proper.
It gave no timetable for a review.
In the second appeal in the federal courts, state attorneys opposed arguments from Mr. Strickland who contended that Mr. Staley should not receive lethal injection until questions about his mental competency were fully reviewed in court.
In their motion, state lawyers argued that the state courts were correct in denying a reprieve for him.
Mr. Staley was examined last week by psychiatrists who determined he was aware of his punishment and why he was being put to death. Those are the criteria the Supreme Court established in 1986 as the standards for allowing execution of people whose competency is at issue.
Victim taken hostage
The victim, Mr. Read, 35, was shot after he was taken hostage after the robbery at his restaurant Oct. 14, 1989.
Mr. Staley was accompanied by Tracey Duke and Mr. Duke's girlfriend, Brenda Rayburn. The three were arrested after a 20-mile police chase through Fort Worth.
Mr. Staley, who gave a written statement implicating himself in the fatal shooting, was convicted and given a death sentence.
Evidence showed that Mr. Duke, a probation violator from California, also shot Mr. Read. Mr. Duke, 38, is serving three life sentences in Texas and has a 30-year sentence in Colorado for murder and armed robbery. Mr. Rayburn, now also 38, took 30 years in a plea bargain.
Investigators tied the trio to a series of robberies, assaults and at least one other murder during a spree across Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma.
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TexasStooge
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BP explosion: Death toll holds at 14 after overnight search
TEXAS CITY, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/TXCN/AP) -- All but one of the 1,800 or so oil refinery workers have been accounted for after overnight search efforts following the thunderous blast killed at least 14 workers and injured more than 100 other people, the refinery manager said Thursday.
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"We think we've found all the bodies," Don Parus said.
BP refinery records indicate the one unaccounted-for worker checked out and left the refinery, but no one has heard from him, Parus said. Those who died were all contractors for Los Angeles-based field services company J.E. Merritt, he said.
The fiery blast Wednesday at BP's 1,200-acre plant near Houston shot flames high into the sky, forced school children to cower under their desks and showered plant grounds with ash and chunks of charred metal.
"Have you ever heard the thunder real loud? It was like 10 times that," said Charles Gregory, who was with several co-workers inside a trailer tank when the floor started rumbling.
Valerie Perez was among those standing vigil outside the refinery fence late Wednesday, concerned about the fate of her 18-year-old husband, a BP worker who hadn't contacted her all afternoon.
Perez, who has a 3-month-old baby, said her husband always takes his cell phone to work but left it behind Wednesday.
"I'm nervous," she said, holding back tears.
Parus on Thursday confirmed the death toll at 14 but said further details would come from the medical examiner's office.
About 433,000 barrels of crude oil are processed a day at the plant, producing 3 percent of the U.S. supply. Other than the unit affected by the blast, the rest of the refinery was running normally, said BP spokesman Hugh Depland.
Gasoline prices could rise slightly because of the explosion because the plant is such a large gas producer. Gasoline futures rose nearly 2 cents in late trading Wednesday on news of the explosion. Shortly before dawn Thursday, that increase had eased, with gas futures up just over a penny from the close of the Wednesday trading day.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. It occurred in a part of the plant used to boost the octane level of gasoline. Federal investigators will conduct a preliminary review of the accident.
"We have not had time to investigate causes, and we will not speculate." Parus said Wednesday. "But at this time, terrorism is not a primary focus of our concern."
Wenceslado de la Cerda, a 50-year-old retired firefighter, said the blast shook the ground, rattled windows and knocked ceiling panels to the floor.
"Basically, it was one big boom," he said. "It's a shame that people have to get killed and hurt trying to make a dollar in these plants, but that's part of reality."
Dixie Walker waited outside a hospital for news of his nephew, Steven Walker, a contract worker for BP. The blast blew off his nephew's uniform. "He was sitting there in his boots and underwear when the rescue team found him," Walker told the Houston Chronicle.
"Words cannot begin to express how I and the people of BP feel right now. This is an extremely sad day for Texas City and BP," Parus said. "We have called in extended staff to provide every possible assistance to the families."
Texas City has a population of about 40,000. The plant and town have dealt with two other refinery accidents within the last year.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the refinery nearly $110,000 after two employees were burned to death by superheated water in September.
Another explosion forced the evacuation of the plant for several hours last March. Afterward, OSHA fined the refinery $63,000 for 14 safety violations, including problems with its emergency shutdown system and employee training.
Texas City is the site of the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. In 1947, a fire aboard a ship at the Texas City docks triggered a massive explosion that killed 576 people and left fires burning in the city for days.
"Welcome to life in Texas City," said Marion Taylor, 55, shortly after the explosion. "I was born here and pretty much, it happens from time to time."
TEXAS CITY, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/TXCN/AP) -- All but one of the 1,800 or so oil refinery workers have been accounted for after overnight search efforts following the thunderous blast killed at least 14 workers and injured more than 100 other people, the refinery manager said Thursday.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
"We think we've found all the bodies," Don Parus said.
BP refinery records indicate the one unaccounted-for worker checked out and left the refinery, but no one has heard from him, Parus said. Those who died were all contractors for Los Angeles-based field services company J.E. Merritt, he said.
The fiery blast Wednesday at BP's 1,200-acre plant near Houston shot flames high into the sky, forced school children to cower under their desks and showered plant grounds with ash and chunks of charred metal.
"Have you ever heard the thunder real loud? It was like 10 times that," said Charles Gregory, who was with several co-workers inside a trailer tank when the floor started rumbling.
Valerie Perez was among those standing vigil outside the refinery fence late Wednesday, concerned about the fate of her 18-year-old husband, a BP worker who hadn't contacted her all afternoon.
Perez, who has a 3-month-old baby, said her husband always takes his cell phone to work but left it behind Wednesday.
"I'm nervous," she said, holding back tears.
Parus on Thursday confirmed the death toll at 14 but said further details would come from the medical examiner's office.
About 433,000 barrels of crude oil are processed a day at the plant, producing 3 percent of the U.S. supply. Other than the unit affected by the blast, the rest of the refinery was running normally, said BP spokesman Hugh Depland.
Gasoline prices could rise slightly because of the explosion because the plant is such a large gas producer. Gasoline futures rose nearly 2 cents in late trading Wednesday on news of the explosion. Shortly before dawn Thursday, that increase had eased, with gas futures up just over a penny from the close of the Wednesday trading day.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. It occurred in a part of the plant used to boost the octane level of gasoline. Federal investigators will conduct a preliminary review of the accident.
"We have not had time to investigate causes, and we will not speculate." Parus said Wednesday. "But at this time, terrorism is not a primary focus of our concern."
Wenceslado de la Cerda, a 50-year-old retired firefighter, said the blast shook the ground, rattled windows and knocked ceiling panels to the floor.
"Basically, it was one big boom," he said. "It's a shame that people have to get killed and hurt trying to make a dollar in these plants, but that's part of reality."
Dixie Walker waited outside a hospital for news of his nephew, Steven Walker, a contract worker for BP. The blast blew off his nephew's uniform. "He was sitting there in his boots and underwear when the rescue team found him," Walker told the Houston Chronicle.
"Words cannot begin to express how I and the people of BP feel right now. This is an extremely sad day for Texas City and BP," Parus said. "We have called in extended staff to provide every possible assistance to the families."
Texas City has a population of about 40,000. The plant and town have dealt with two other refinery accidents within the last year.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined the refinery nearly $110,000 after two employees were burned to death by superheated water in September.
Another explosion forced the evacuation of the plant for several hours last March. Afterward, OSHA fined the refinery $63,000 for 14 safety violations, including problems with its emergency shutdown system and employee training.
Texas City is the site of the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. In 1947, a fire aboard a ship at the Texas City docks triggered a massive explosion that killed 576 people and left fires burning in the city for days.
"Welcome to life in Texas City," said Marion Taylor, 55, shortly after the explosion. "I was born here and pretty much, it happens from time to time."
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