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#1421 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:20 am

Smokin' Joe lets kids know he's in their corner

Ex-champ Frazier urges youngsters to aim high, achieve in school

By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Thirty-five years ago, he ruled the boxing world. But now Smokin' Joe Frazier seems happiest in a room full of schoolkids, offering gentle words of encouragement.

Surrounded Thursday by about 150 students at Julia C. Frazier Elementary, a kindergarten through third-grade campus southeast of Fair Park in Dallas, the former heavyweight champ praised the children while pushing them to succeed in the challenges awaiting them.

"Before you know it, you'll be 13, 14 years old, then 18, 21. You'll have responsibilities," he said. "I know you'll be able to do it. Things seem hard now, but just push hard and listen to your teachers."

Mr. Frazier, in Dallas for the "FightNight" benefit for the Real Estate Council Foundation's community development work, offered his own story to show them their dreams could come true.

"I was a little boy, about your size," he told one student, "and I said, 'I can be the champion of the world one day.' I had a [punching] bag, a bag I made myself, and I worked out every day."

Early on, that dream seemed a long way off. Mr. Frazier quit school at 13 to go to work and later sharpened his ferocious punching power by pounding sides of beef while working in Philadelphia as a meat cutter.

But he never lost his dream, he said, and the children shouldn't either.

"Oh, man, they're fantastic," he said at the end of the assembly. "They listen well, they look great and the ... [educators] here are doing a great job," Mr. Frazier said.

"If everybody works together, we'll get the job done."
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#1422 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:23 am

Arrest of 2 suspects in robbery, slaying at complex relieves victim

By KATHRYN YEGGE and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Eduardo Orozco is relieved after learning of the arrest of two men accused of robbing him and his neighbors, and killing another neighbor and critically injuring her husband in an adjacent apartment.

"I hope they get put away for a long time," Mr. Orozco said Thursday from his Far North Dallas apartment. "Now they won't be able to hurt other people."

Mr. Orozco, his brother and a cousin were robbed Tuesday morning, about 12 hours before two men forced their way into the residence of Jose and Florencia Estrada at the Santa Clara Apartments on Maham Road near Kit Lane.

Mr. Estrada had just returned from the store and was unlocking his apartment when two robbers approached and put a gun to his head, police said. The attackers stabbed and beat him, leaving him critically injured.

Attack in shower

Mr. Estrada's wife, Florencia, was attacked in the shower and later died at a hospital, authorities said. A police report said the robbers took $2,000 in cash from the Estradas' apartment.

The two suspects, Charles Wiggins, 20, and Rhiphifieal Funches, 19, were being held Thursday in the Dallas County Jail on suspicion of capital murder. Bail was set at $1 million for Mr. Wiggins and $1.5 million for Mr. Funches.

Suspect surrenders

Senior Cpl. Max Geron, a police spokesman, said Mr. Wiggins turned himself in late Wednesday after police had left several voice-mail messages for him.

"He called back and agreed to turn himself in," Cpl. Geron said. "He was met by a couple of detectives at a DART station."

Police believe the suspects are linked to at least three other robberies, including the holdup of Mr. Orozco and his relatives.

Mr. Orozco said he and his relatives had just withdrawn money from their savings accounts to pay their rent when they were robbed. They are planning to move.

Keeping to themselves

"I don't have confidence that things will change around here," said Mr. Orozco, a native of Jalisco, Mexico. His apartment complex is one of several in the area with many migrants known to carry large amounts of cash.

Mr. Orozco said he didn't know the Estradas but added that he hardly knew anyone in the crime-ridden area.

"We never introduced ourselves because you never know who's living next to you," he said.
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#1423 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:26 am

Shipments are start of big expansion; U.S. says state oversight lax

By RANDY LEE LOFTIS / The Dallas Morning News

EL PASO, Texas - West Texas on Thursday became the destination for some of the nation's most troublesome Cold War-era nuclear waste.

But the announcement that 3,500 truckloads of uranium waste will head to Texas from a closed nuclear bomb materials plant in Ohio is just the start of a dramatic expansion of Texas' importation of radioactive leftovers.

The decision to send the waste to Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists' facility in Andrews County came just one day after federal officials threatened to put the state's radiation control program on probation.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, meanwhile, is expected within two weeks to approve a Northeastern utility's request to send Waste Control Specialists 84 million pounds of radioactive demolition debris from a closed nuclear power plant in Massachusetts.

Texas environmental officials strongly objected this week, challenging the NRC's authority to allow the shipments. But even more shipments of nuclear plant debris are possible.

The owner of another closed nuclear power plant in Connecticut has asked the NRC to let it ship 100 million pounds of similar material to the West Texas facility. And as more of the nation's first-generation nuclear plants from the 1950s and 1960s close, they also could be dismantled and shipped to the facility if the NRC prevails.

Other types of radioactive shipments to Waste Control Specialists are likely as nuclear operations open and existing waste facilities stop accepting shipments. Nebraska, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas have asked about shipping some of their radioactive waste to Texas.

Any of those shipments could travel through Dallas and Fort Worth on Interstate 20, a designated hazardous materials route.

'Heightened oversight'

As the state's role in taking nuclear materials grows, however, a recent federal review found that Texas radiation regulators couldn't handle many of the tasks they have now.

Many inspections were overdue, staff experts had quit and vacancies went unfilled for months, NRC officials found after a check of Texas Department of State Health Services files in March. In addition, they said many incidents involving radioactive materials weren't reported until long after notification deadlines.

As a result, the NRC notified Texas on Wednesday that the state is "in jeopardy of not being able to fulfill its responsibility to protect public health and safety."

In a letter to the state obtained by The Dallas Morning News, the NRC placed the state program on "heightened oversight," a step the commission said could lead to probation or suspension of the state's authority to regulate radiation.

Still, Waste Control Specialists president George E. Dials promised that the company's facility, Texas' only radioactive waste site, would protect the public from risk.

"WCS has an excellent safety record and experience in handling and storing similar types of materials at its Andrews County facility," Mr. Dials said.

But state Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, said the state needs to consider its nuclear future more carefully. He has filed a resolution to create a legislative study committee to weigh the risks of an expanded radioactive waste industry in Texas.

"In light of all these changes, it's pretty irresponsible to move forward at this point," Mr. Gallego said Thursday.

Legislative debate

The House Energy Resources Committee heard testimony on the resolution Wednesday but took no action. Environmental group lobbyists backed the measure, but Waste Control Specialists lawyer Michael Woodward testified that another study would only postpone action needed to manage waste safely.

"It is a reality in our country, and we can't just bury our heads in the sand and expect this material to take care of itself," Mr. Woodward said.

However, Tom "Smitty" Smith, Texas director of Public Citizen, said the state is headed down a dangerous path paved by politics.

"The Pandora's box has been opened, just as we all feared," he said.

The Fernald, Ohio, waste is expected to start heading to Texas in late May. The material, which Nevada and Utah rejected, was left after the plant processed high-grade uranium ore into fuel for reactors that made plutonium for bombs.

A contractor, Fluor Fernald, is dismantling and decontaminating the plant for the U.S. Energy Department.

The $7.5 million contract announced Thursday lets Waste Control Specialists treat the waste and store it until the company gets a state health department license to dispose of it at the Andrews County site. Health department regulators say that license could come in October.

If that happens, Waste Control Specialists would earn more money for disposing of the waste. Without a disposal license, the facility could keep the waste for only two years.

The company is also seeking a license to dispose of low-level radioactive waste – mostly contaminated tools, equipment, clothing and other items from nuclear power plants, oil companies, hospitals and other sources.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is processing that application, with a decision expected in 2007.

Needed change?

The split of radiation oversight duties between the health department and the environmental agency reflects one of the numerous shifts the Legislature has made. Now a bill filed by Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, would move all oversight to the environmental agency.

Mr. Duncan maintains that the recent NRC review of the health department's performance, which occurred since he filed his bill, reinforces the need to change. That bill, which also would put new taxes on radioactive waste, is due for debate in the full Senate today.

Alice Rogers, inspections unit manager with the state health department, said the problems that the NRC found resulted from budget shortfalls, noncompetitive salaries and a 2003 legislative reorganization of the department. She said the department hopes the 2005 Legislature will fix those problems.

High-priority inspections of facilities such as Waste Control Specialists site haven't been delayed, she added.

None of those factors directly affects the efforts of the two Northeastern power companies to ship their dismantled and demolished nuclear power plants to Texas.

That's because the NRC is exempting such debris from regulation as radioactive waste, meaning it could be disposed of in Waste Control Specialists' already approved hazardous waste disposal landfill.

The NRC expects to approve the request for the Yankee Rowe plant in Massachusetts within two weeks, commission spokesman David McIntyre said. The other request, for the Connecticut Yankee plant in Connecticut, is pending, but the commission has approved an alternative plan to let Connecticut Yankee ship its debris to a facility in Idaho.

Both plants still have extremely hazardous spent nuclear fuel on their sites, but no spent fuel would be sent to the Waste Control Specialists site. Also, the most highly contaminated debris would go to other facilities.

Texas objects

In a three-page letter dated Tuesday, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality told the NRC that nothing in Texas law or in Waste Control Specialists' permits would allow the disposal of nuclear plant demolition debris without state approval.

Among the state agency's questions: If the material is just routine hazardous waste, why ship it 2,000 miles to West Texas, passing hundreds of other facilities approved to take it?

The NRC has not yet responded.

Neither plant owner has made a final decision to send its debris to Texas, said Kelley Smith, a spokeswoman for both plants. A separate company owns each plant, but the companies have several investor-owners in common.

"Both companies are looking at all possible options," Ms. Smith said.
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#1424 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Apr 29, 2005 11:28 am

Toddler sends vehicle plunging into Guadalupe River

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (KHOU-TV/WFAA ABC 8) - A San Antonio area toddler is lucky to be alive tonight.

The 2-year-old child was alone inside his aunt's car when he managed to put the vehicle into neutral.

The station wagon rolled backwards, eventually plunging into the Guadalupe River.

The child's aunt, who is more than six months pregnant, ran after the car, but was unable to reach it before it became submerged.

Other drivers stopped and jumped into the river to pull the toddler out of the water.

The boy was not hurt.
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#1425 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Apr 29, 2005 1:50 pm

Shocking finale to police chase

IRVING, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A Dallas police officer was slightly injured Friday morning as the pursuit of a fleeing felon came to a crashing end in Irving.

Dallas officers spotted a suspected stolen vehicle near Interstate 45 and Overton Road in South Dallas about 10:30 a.m. The car entered the freeway and then headed west through downtown Dallas on Interstate 30.

The driver exited at MacArthur Blvd., sped north with police in pursuit, then headed west on Hunter Ferrelll Road in Irving.

The vehicle, which had been reported carjacked in Lewisville on Thursday, failed to negotiate a sharp turn and crashed into a guardrail.

Four officers surrounded the car and pulled the driver out on the pavement to make the arrest.

But as the suspect was being subdued, one of the officers accidentally discharged his non-lethal Taser weapon, shocking himself in the leg. He was temporarily immobilized and fell down.

The unidentified officer was treated for minor injuries.

The driver of the fleeing car, whose name was not available, faces several charges, including evading arrest.

The use of Tasers has recently come under scrutiny in Fort Worth, where—in separate incidents over the course of six months—two suspects who were hit with the 50,000 volt charge have died.

Image
Photo courtesy of WFAA ABC 8
One officer stumbled after being hit with his own Taser weapon.
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#1426 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 8:50 am

Questions remain after Murchison's death

By JOLENE DeVITO / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Questions lingered about the death of Dallas socialite Shannon Murchison as friends and family prepared for her funeral on Monday.

Murchison, 47, died Thursday at Presbyterian Hospital. She was the former daughter-in-law of one-time Dallas Cowboys owner Clint Murchison Jr.

Murchison was found unconscious and bruised at a house in Dallas last Tuesday. Preliminary autopsy results could be available Monday, but toxicology test results aren't expected for six weeks.

Highland Park Investigators said they have had frequent contact with Murchison on alcohol-related issues in the past, but they ordered an autopsy to make sure her death was not due to a crime.

Highland Park Department of Public Safety Chief Darrell Fant told News 8 there was enough trauma to warrant further investigation.

Adding to the mystery: A cousin who was with her in the hospital said Murchison tested positive for listeriosis, a food poisoning that can be deadly.

Questions about her death will likely remain when friends and family gather for a memorial service Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Highland Park Presbyterian Church.

Murchison will be buried in the Athens City Cemetery.
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#1427 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 8:51 am

White Settlement robbery leaves one dead

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - White Settlement police are trying to solve a deadly robbery case.

Four men were robbed and stabbed at the Graystone Village Apartments on South Cherry Lane Sunday evening.

Two victims were discovered inside an apartment; another was found in an alley behind the apartments. A fourth victim was located about a block away.

Police said Thomas Perry, 24, died in the assault.

The conditions of the others are not known.
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#1428 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 8:52 am

Domestic terrorism fears at a low ebb

By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Terrorism experts believe Al-Qaeda and other groups are shifting their strategy away from targets on U.S. soil and focusing overseas.

This anaylsis is based on "chatter" from intelligence sources. Credible talk of terrorism plans has dropped from a jarring roar on September 11, 2001 to almost a hush now.

These are threats specific to targets on U.S. soil, which intelligence analysts say are at their lowest level now since 9/11.

The analysts say that's because of homeland security, counterterrorism measures and the increasing difficulty of operating undetected within U.S. borders.

Less comforting is the apparent new focus on Americans who are deployed in Iraq and U.S. targets in Europe and Africa.

For the moment, the terror threat level in the U.S. remains at yellow, where it has remained since January of last year.

But this entire system could change or disappear based on a recommendation that came out of the U.S. House of Representatives last week.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said he is considering changes to the color-coded threat system that was fodder for jokes on late-night talk shows when it was introduced.

But as recently as last Monday, he denied suggestions he would scrap it outright, telling NBC's "Today" show, "The warning system is important not only for the public but the responders and state and local governments."

"We want to engage all of the mechanisms to prepare when we have a warning situation," Chertoff said. "We want the public to be knowledgeable about what is going on, but not alarm them."

There is educated concern that this hush in chatter could be a calculated pause to breed complacency among Americans.

Terrance Gainer, Chief of Police at the U.S. Capitol, said that will never happen again; he's not as worried as he was a year ago, but he is just as vigilant.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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#1429 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 8:55 am

Botox treatments relieve facial pain

By DR. LINDA NIESSEN / Baylor College of Dentistry

BAYLOR, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Botox injections temporarily paralyze muscles. Doctors are now using the medication to treat patients who suffer from face or jaw pain caused by muscle contractions.

Kelly Saffell suffers from dystonia, a mysterious and debilitating condition that causes involuntary spasms in her eyelids, jaws, and throat.

"I thought I was tired," Saffell said. "My eyelids would just close. And then it became more of a sustained squeezing and horrible, horrendous headaches."

Her treatment? Botox injections every two months in her eyelids, jaws, and neck.

"My eyes are able to stay open better. There's less squeezing. I get fewer headaches, less clinching in the jaw, less throat spasms," Saffell said.

Dr. Richard Riggs, a Richardson dentist who treats patients with oral and facial pain, cautions patients to ask many questions before undergoing botox injections.

"We want to limit botox to those problems that are outside the joint muscles, as opposed to inside the joint," Riggs said. "Don't make it your only therapy and don't make it your first therapy."

Botox injections reduce headache pain caused by face and neck muscle contractions.

Karen Harwick suffers from headaches caused by the side effects of TMJ, or jaw surgery. "I would definitely recommend the botox injections in the back of the head because I suffered for so many years," she said. "The headaches have cut down from four a month to once every nine or ten months. That's an incredible improvement."

Botox is a new option to treat muscle disorders in the jaw. But it should not be used to treat pain-related nerve disorders.
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#1430 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 8:56 am

Balloon ride goes awry for Fort Worth couple

FORT WORTH, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Talk about a day one North Texas couple will never forget!

Sunday morning, a woman's husband surprised her with a hot air balloon ride over Fort Worth.

But after liftoff, the air went calm, causing the couple to drift for five miles before stalling over a neighborhood.

Residents flooded 911 with phone calls about the low-flying balloon, and officers responded to the neighborhood near Willis and Old Benbrook roads.

Authorities brought the balloon down using ropes tied to the base. No one was injured.
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#1431 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 8:57 am

Pastor punished for sex abuse quits committee

He'll meet with church members this month to discuss his future

By GRETEL C. KOVACH / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - The Rev. Dan Carroll, a Mesquite pastor punished by church superiors almost 10 years ago after he admitted sexual misconduct with a youth, has resigned his position on a regional committee that investigates sexual misconduct complaints.

The Dallas Morning News reported recently that Mr. Carroll, senior minister of Eastridge Park Christian Church, served on the Committee on the Ministry, which suspended his standing with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in 1996.

Some had questioned whether Mr. Carroll was suitable for the committee, which may soon investigate another area pastor accused of sexual misconduct with a youth from his congregation.

That pastor, the Rev. Larry Joe Crocker, was placed on administrative leave from Lakeview Christian Church in Dallas after he was arrested March 16 and charged with two counts of indecency with a child by contact.

Mr. Carroll resigned his positions with the Disciples of Christ in the Southwest and North Texas areas last week, church members were told Wednesday.

According to a newsletter, Mr. Carroll will meet with the congregation May 15 "to discuss his future with Eastridge Park Christian Church."

Mr. Carroll, who has been the church's pastor for 30 years, declined to comment on his committee resignation and referred questions to regional authorities.

Ed Coble, interim regional minister, said he is deeply saddened and wishes Mr. Carroll had not resigned.

"He is an outstanding pastor. ... He is a thoughtful, reflective person and very committed to ministry," Mr. Coble said.

In 1996, a committee of church leaders from Texas and New Mexico voted to suspend Mr. Carroll's standing with the denomination for at least six months and recommended him for psychological evaluation. The committee had investigated a complaint from a Brite Divinity School student stemming from an incident in high school.

"The Committee on the Ministry unanimously agrees that the ministerial standing of Dan Carroll is suspended on the basis of his statement that he engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with at least one parishioner and abused pastoral power," a disciplinary report states. "His behavior included genital touching, sexually explicit language and sexual innuendo."

The complainant said he was a senior in high school when Mr. Carroll – his pastor and mentor – engaged in the inappropriate behavior.

After his suspension, Mr. Carroll continued preaching at his church, saw a counselor and underwent ministerial guidance, Mr. Coble said. Three years later, Mr. Carroll's full standing in the denomination was restored.

"They came to a contrary conclusion that the charges were not as serious as they first appeared," Mr. Coble said.

Some of the 2,200 members of Mr. Carroll's church have steadfastly denied he did anything wrong. Some concluded that Mr. Carroll, who also serves as a high school football referee, engaged in harmless, locker room-style joking with the 17-year-old youth group member.

Others sought copies of the disciplinary report against Mr. Carroll, saying that they had never been told of the unanimous vote or that Mr. Carroll had admitted inappropriate sexual acts.

After the recent article in The News, Mr. Carroll delivered what several church members described as an emotional Sunday sermon before an audience of about 700. He "stood before the congregation of Eastridge Park Christian Church, God's House, and under the cross of the risen Christ ... told us the truth, that he is innocent," one wrote.
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#1432 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 9:00 am

Jail computer woes cost bail revenue

Officials also worry dropped criminal charges not erased

By JAMES M. O'NEILL / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - The computer problems that have kept people locked in the Dallas County Jail for weeks too long are also disrupting the county's ability to collect revenue.

Additionally, county officials are worried that old criminal offenses that were later dropped are not getting properly erased from people's records in the new computer system.

Such a problem could potentially affect a person's ability to secure credit, land a job or even get a passport, officials say.

The revenue issue revolves around the county's current inability to schedule bond-forfeiture hearings. When someone is arrested, they can post bail to get out of jail in most cases. The bail is collateral to ensure the offender shows up at a scheduled court hearing.

If he doesn't appear, the county holds a hearing to determine why, and if the offender's reasons are not acceptable, the county collects the full value of the bail as a penalty.

Normally, the courts generate at least $4 million in revenue for the county each year.

But when the county switched its jail to a new AIS computer system, data on outstanding bail that had been fed from an old mainframe into AIS didn't transfer over accurately. County court clerks have therefore been unable to track bail and set forfeiture hearings.

County officials said the problem has set the county back anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000 in forfeiture collections at various points since AIS went live Feb. 1.

"These computer problems are costing us revenue," said Commissioner John Wiley Price.

Commissioner Mike Cantrell, who spearheaded the county's switch to the new AIS computer system, said the problems are merely delaying the collection of the money.

"We're not going to be losing it," he said. Under law, the county has two years to recoup on bail forfeitures.

It remains unclear whether the county will recapture the forfeiture money. The issue revolves around whether the faulty data can be corrected. Mr. Cantrell said that when the bail data was sent from the old mainframe initially, it didn't translate properly into the new AIS system.

ATOS and InfoIntegration, the computer companies handling the conversion from the old system to AIS, were to have resent the bail data from the old system into the new one on Sunday.

Meanwhile, old charges that were supposed to have been dismissed are showing up on people's records in the AIS system.

Often, when a defendant agrees to a deferred probation and follows through with the requirements, the charge is supposed to be dropped from his record.

Mr. Cantrell said that ATOS, when pushing old data from the mainframe into the new AIS system, sent some data through that it shouldn't have. He said the county is working to clean up the data.

"They weren't paying attention to what they sent over to the AIS system," Mr. Cantrell said. "Somebody was asleep at the wheel."
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#1433 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 9:04 am

Airport to screen for explosives this fall

Machines at D/FW may reduce number of pat-down searches

By MICHAEL GRABELL / The Dallas Morning News

DFW INT'L AIRPORT, Texas - Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport will begin screening airline passengers for explosives by the end of September, the head of the federal agency in charge of airport security said Saturday.

The screening machines, known as Explosives Detection Trace Portals, are designed to cut the number of pat-down searches while helping security employees find explosives on passengers' bodies.

Right now, passengers are only tested for metal with a walk-through detector and a handheld wand.

"We see this airport, Dallas/Fort Worth, as an airport that will serve as a model airport for technology," David Stone, U.S. Transportation Security Administration director, said at a luncheon to discuss D/FW's new international terminal.

While the machines have been in development for about a decade, the idea of screening passengers for explosives came to the forefront of the national security debate after the bombings of two Russian jetliners in August. Two Chechen passengers are suspected of having explosives strapped to their waists.

The machines, which resemble metal detectors, blow several puffs of air to dislodge particles on passengers' clothing and hands. The particles are then sucked into vents and analyzed for explosives residue.

Passengers will continue to go through metal detectors first and would use the machines only if they raise suspicion, set off the metal detector or are selected by a computer system that examines passenger travel patterns and backgrounds.

The portals are already being tested at a dozen U.S. airports as part of a TSA push to develop new technology.

"We want to move away from the technologies that we currently have and put into the workplace at our checkpoints backscatter [X-ray] machines, portals where you can detect explosive residue, [and] document scanners where you can see if the person handling that boarding pass has handled explosives," Mr. Stone said.
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#1434 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 9:11 am

Guardian Angels watch over city

Patrol of residential area is meant to help police fight crime

By HOLLY YAN / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - It's 12:49 a.m. Saturday, and a troop of Guardian Angels is patrolling Arcadia Park looking for shenanigans. The only problem: There's no one else outside.

They've faced the chilly winds for almost two hours and haven't encountered a single suspicious person in their one-mile walk.

Most members said the weather – which dipped down to 48 degrees – caused troublemakers to stay indoors. But Rafael Arredondo, leader of the Dallas chapter, said if activity continues to stay slow, it's a good sign they're making progress.

The New York-based Guardian Angels, who descended on the streets of Dallas this year, say they're here to stay. But some critics – most notably Mayor Laura Miller – said they are skeptical about the effectiveness of the Angels.

Mr. Arredondo admitted it's tough to measure how useful their presence is.

"We keep statistics, but we don't make them," he said. "We have to go with what DPD puts out."

So far this year, police beat 425 – which is bordered by Interstate 30 on the north, Loop 12 on the west, Darwin Street on the south and Chalk Hill Road on the east – has had 27 residential burglaries, 16 auto thefts, five robberies of individuals and one rape. The Arcadia Park neighborhood is included in the police zone.

Arcadia Park neighborhood activist Jorge Torres said his biggest concern is "drug dealing and drug use."

He said he wants the Angels to supplement police in the dark, winding streets of his neighborhood and he "loved" seeing both entities patrolling overnight Friday.

This was the first time the Angels have worked in a residential area this year. They've patrolled the Deep Ellum and Lower Greenville entertainment districts, where they have mainly observed people who have been drinking, Mr. Arredondo said.

"We've walked alleys and backstreets; we've gone looking for" crime, he said. "We walk up, and people stop doing what they're doing."

But he said not everyone recognized the troop in their uniform red berets.

"One of the cops thought we were the Bloods," Mr. Arredondo said.

The first Guardian Angels training class in Dallas this year had 20 applicants. Now, the group has about eight men who consistently patrol.

"It's an intense training class," said member Joe McCarthy, a former Guardian Angel in Boston. "Our training practices are very rigorous and some cannot handle it, be it mentally or physically."

At 1:36 a.m., the Angels huddled near a park bench at the Arcadia Park recreation center, getting ready to wrap up the evening.

A few minutes later, the members were greeted by two Dallas police officers on patrol. The officers and Angels shook hands and chatted about problems in the area.

"I'm hoping they can make a positive difference," Officer Eddie Coffey said.

At 2:01 a.m., the first incident of the night took place when four teenagers walked into the covered picnic area at the park, well past the midnight curfew, dribbling a basketball.

The two officers drove over and approached the teens, and the Angels followed on foot. The officers decided not to ticket the teens for breaking city and park curfews – Class C misdemeanors that could cost up to $500 – and helped escort them home.

Mr. Arredondo said if the officers had not shown up, the Angels would have tried to handle the situation themselves.

"We'd talk to them, see what they were doing and suggest that they go home," he said. "The interaction would show we're positive role models and would let them know that we're out there."
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#1435 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 9:35 am

Fiesta time for tens of thousands

Throngs eat, drink and be merry in honor of Mexico's Cinco de Mayo

By LORENA FLORES / Al Día

IRVING, Texas – More than 80,000 people gathered in the parking lot of Texas Stadium on Sunday to dance, listen to music, eat Mexican snacks and celebrate their cultural heritage during the annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta.

"We come to break the routine and have a good time. We don't mind the crowds," said Carolina Flores of Dallas, who attended with her husband, Mario, and their son Mario Jr.

Ruben and Jovita Rodriguez of Pleasant Grove arrived with their five children about 11 a.m. and by 3 p.m. had already spent $150 on food and rides. Their brood was tired.

While there was a Ferris wheel and other rides, the emphasis was on food, drink and music.

Vendors were so busy selling buttered corn on the cob with picante sauce, funnel cakes, french fries and trinkets that they hardly had time to talk.

Lt. Kevin Hamrak of the Irving Police Department said the crowd was expected to grow past 100,000 by evening.

Many partygoers carried Mexican flags along with their drinks and snacks. The flags were reminders of the nationalism originally associated with Cinco de Mayo, which marks the anniversary of the victory of Mexican troops over a French expeditionary force outside Puebla, Mexico, on May 5, 1862.

Sunday's partygoers appeared to have only a fairly faint idea of the significance of the battle. A group of Dallas teens led by Michael Morales, Casper Martinez, and Marissa and Joanna Cruz shouted: "We're just proud to be Mexican!"
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#1436 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 9:36 am

Coach still has his game face on

As semipro, MacArthur coach hasn't put playing days behind him

By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

WICHITA FALLS, Texas – On this blustery Sunday afternoon in mid-March, football is in the West Texas air.

Hundreds of fans are decked out in black and gray to support the Drillers, the oil town's oldest semipro football team.

The Drillers warm up as the 2 p.m. kickoff approaches. They're ready to knock heads with Abilene for 60 minutes.

But there's a question: Where's Rudy Powe?

It seems that Mr. Powe, the MacArthur coach and teacher who is the Drillers' defensive player-coach, may have cut it too close on his drive to Wichita Falls.

But, as if Mr. Powe's internal clock is somehow tied to the kickoff, here he comes, jogging from the Memorial Stadium locker room in his No. 26 jersey. It's game time.

Mr. Powe slaps hands and butts with a few teammates and gets focused.

"We're missing a couple of our top cornerbacks," Mr. Powe says, "so we'll play a cover two and count on our safeties to help out."

Members of the Drillers, about 50 strong, come from as far off as San Antonio to compete. They play Sunday afternoons. The team is 7-0 going into today's game and will be competing in the Texas United Football League playoffs into June.

Mr. Powe, 31, is an obvious choice for player-coach. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder coach es the special teams and receivers at MacArthur and coached college football in 2001 at West Virginia as a graduate assistant under Rich Rodriguez. The Houston native has also been playing Drillers football for about eight years.

As nonchalant as Mr. Powe may seem on this day, risking a late arrival, the Drillers are an irreplaceable part of his life. Since his career at Midwestern State ended in 1995, he has thrived on strapping on his Drillers helmet once a week each spring.

He says can't imagine life without playing football, which is why the death of fellow football player Al Lucas of the Arena Football League's Los Angeles Avengers struck an emotional chord with him.

The 26-year-old died after an apparent spinal injury during the Avengers' game April 10. He was making a routine tackle on a kickoff return.

"I count my blessings every time I walk on that field," Mr. Powe says, "and every time I walk off of it."

Mr. Powe, normally a safety, is playing inside linebacker on this day. The Drillers' first three defensive possessions end with a safety, an interception and a turnover on downs. Mr. Powe takes pride in his unit, made up mostly of former Midwestern State players like himself.

"There are no fat guys on this team," he says proudly. "We take care of ourselves."

While the offense is on the field, Mr. Powe jokes with his best friend from college, Eric Luster, who also plays on the Drillers defense.

"He's the guy that calls out the defenses," Mr. Luster says. "He's one of the smartest guys you'll talk to about football. ... He doesn't have to study film. He's always in the right spot at the right time."

Having that instinct for the ball has made Mr. Powe a fan favorite.

It has also left him sore in the days after games when he's teaching world history to 10th-graders at MacArthur.

"On Tuesdays," Mr. Powe says, "I get tears in my eyes, I hurt so badly."

Mr. Powe hesitates to tell anyone why he is in so much pain, though.

"It's like the movie Fight Club," Mr. Powe says. "No one talks about it."

Mr. Powe stays in shape by working out three days a week and playing indoor soccer Wednesday nights. He's also the head boys soccer coach at MacArthur. One might wonder how he stays motivated, but as Mr. Powe puts it, "You're the sum of your experiences."

There are still a few experiences Mr. Powe would like to enjoy, such as getting married and having a family. He'd love to end up in Wichita Falls, coaching in some capacity at Midwestern State and, naturally, playing for the Drillers.

"I'm definitely getting the itch to settle down," Mr. Powe says. "All the other coaches, they have families and everything. I just haven't found the right girl. If you're a coach, you have to have a flexible wife."

Mr. Powe practices flexibility in his life and on the field. In fact, his signature dance move after a sack, "the worm," is a lesson in flexibility.

"It's the ugliest thing you'll ever see," Mr. Luster says, laughing. "It's like he's having convulsions. He thinks it's smooth."

At halftime, one of Mr. Powe's fans, an elderly man, asks Mr. Powe when he's going to see the worm.

So, in the third quarter, where's Rudy Powe?

Where else but blitzing every down, trying to sack the Abilene quarterback?

There's no place he'd rather be.
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#1437 Postby TexasStooge » Mon May 02, 2005 9:37 am

Seeking teacher diversity

District works to attract minorities; some say ethnicity not an issue

By RUSSELL RIAN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - From preschool through high school, Irving's Hispanic students are being taught, counseled and disciplined by an overwhelmingly white teacher population.

Irving students were three times more likely to encounter white teachers than non-white teachers, whether seeking homework help, personal advice or a role model. But the student seeking that help was three times more likely not to be white, a review of district statistics from 2003-04 shows.

"We're trying to gain on that each year," said Neil Dugger, Irving ISD's personnel director, "but probably not as much as we would like."

Some numbers to consider:

•Although there are 15 students for every teacher, there are five white students for every white teacher, 54 Hispanic students for every Hispanic teacher, 38 black students for every black teacher and 47 Asian students for every Asian teacher.

•Nearly 60 percent of students are Hispanic, but only about 16 percent of teachers are. Fewer than a quarter of the district's students are white, but more than three quarters of teachers are white.

•There were no Irving campuses without some white and Hispanic teachers. But more than 40 percent of campuses – 14 of 33 – had no Asian teachers. About 18 percent – six in all – had no black teachers.

•At the high school level, there are seven white students for every white teacher, but 165 Hispanic students for every Hispanic teacher, 103 Asian students for every Asian teacher and 45 black students for every black teacher.

In the field, some suggest it is the quality of the teacher, not the ethnicity, that matters.

"Speaking for myself, skin color and ethnic origin is not a factor, period," said Tina Moore, a third-grade teacher at Thomas Haley Elementary. "Children respond to the language of love and respect. Our school is so diverse that if we start focusing on ethnic origin or skin color in other than a positive, enriching manner, we would be doing our students and parents a disservice."

Irving administrators say they have not received any complaints about the lack of minority teachers.

"Probably who raises it the most is the personnel department," said Dr. Dugger, director of personnel for the district.

"I think they [parents] want a teacher who is good," he said.

Studies demonstrating a clear academic impact are sparse and inadequate, focused on case studies rather than broad data, researchers and education experts say.

Some state studies indicate white teachers are more likely to assign Hispanic students to special education classes than they would similarly achieving white students, according to a 1994 Texas Education Agency report. Studies also show Hispanic teachers are less likely to misdiagnose language difficulties as learning disabilities, the report said.

In Irving, although non-white students generally had lower passing rates on state assessment tests, it did not correlate to ethnic student-teacher ratios, a campus-by-campus analysis showed.

Disciplinary data was mixed, and the research didn't indicate whether the race of teachers influenced placement in disciplinary programs.

•About 13 percent of Irving students were black in 2003, and 19 percent of students in alternative disciplinary programs were black.

•That same year, 55 percent of students were Hispanic, and 52 percent of those in alternative disciplinary programs were Hispanic.

•Whites made up about 26.6 percent of students and about 26.4 percent of disciplinary placements.

A challenge

Diversifying the workforce is a challenge.

Irving school board policies encourage diversity in the teaching population, "whose culture and ethnic origins reflect the diversity of the Irving ISD student population."

And the District Improvement Committee, a group of parents, administrators and teachers who review the district's goals annually, has suggested the district strive for a 3 percent increase in the number of minority teachers and staff

Hitting that goal can be difficult.

Irving still has to draw from state and national teaching ranks that remain predominantly white, with whites making up 70 percent of teachers in Texas and 90 percent across the nation.

And by law, districts aren't allowed to consider race as a factor in hiring and can't ask candidates about their ethnicity. Even during the busy hiring season, which runs from March through August, officials don't know the ethnicity of candidates being called in for interviews.

"That anti-discrimination law actually works against us in hiring minority applicants," said Dr. Dugger, the district's personnel director.

In Irving, principals do most of the hiring and flip through applications via a computer database.

Targeting minorities

Irving targets traditionally minority universities such as Prairie View, Grambling, the University of Texas-Brownsville, Pan American University and the University of Texas-El Paso in its efforts to diversify its applicant pool.

It also targets alternative certification programs, which traditionally have more non-white candidates, and recruiters annually take trips to areas where there are large numbers of non-white candidates, such as South Texas.

But that's no guarantee. On a recent trip to Texas A&M, Irving officials said only two of 40 candidates were obviously minority candidates. And many in South Texas aren't anxious to leave family and friends to head north.

"It's very difficult to get people to move out of the Valley," Dr. Dugger said.

In the interim, experts said bringing in people of color to read to youngsters or for assemblies and presentations can also help diversify classrooms and give students an opportunity to see role models.

"They can really provide role models and smooth the way through the system," said Maureen Evans, senior policy analyst for the Washington-based Community Teachers Institute, an advocate for diversity in the teaching ranks.
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#1438 Postby TexasStooge » Tue May 03, 2005 8:31 am

Complaints against builder illustrate agency's problems

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - After moving into new homes, many Texas homeowners have just one goal in mind: to sue their builders.

So two years ago, the state Legislature created an agency designed to help consumers and builders work out their differences - but critics say the agency does more harm than good.

Home construction in Texas is a booming industry that's full of problems. That's why builders must now register with the state's two-year-old Texas Residential Construction Commission, or TRCC. But that agency, designed to help consumers, has now also become the target of complaints.

In one particular instance, people are angry at one homebuilder, Robert Tidwell.

"He got me for $25,000," said Bob Bryant.

"I'd spent $220,000, and it wasn't completed," said Britt Moreland.

"All I wanted was the house," said Lisa Partington. "I wanted this house."

Tidwell said he has hundreds of satisfied customers.

"I built probably half the homes in this neighborhood," he said.

Brian and Lisa Partington say you couldn't prove it by them.

"When he quit building after about three or four months, the green roof was on the house," Lisa Partington said. "No brick - nothing inside finished. That's it."

It was supposed to be their dream house. More than four years ago, the Partingtons hired Tidwell to build it. They signed over their lot to him; he took months to build a little, then quit. They sued him and won $65,000, but Tidwell never paid them, and they lost everything - the lot and their partially-finished house, where someone else now lives.

It's all because Tidwell declared bankruptcy. He blames his financial problems on 9/11, a bad court system, not enough legal funds, a bad bank, questionable appraisers and the Partingtons.

"They're very greedy," Tidwell said. "Mr. Partington is especially greedy."

But records obtained by News 8 raise questions about Tidwell's credibility. He said he has no assets, but he just finished building two houses near Forney. It turns out they're in his sister-in-law's name.

The builder is listed as JM Builders and Investments; the president is Tidwell's wife and records show the firm has the same office address as Tidwell's in Dallas.

"He's taken our life savings, and he's hurt us emotionally," Partington said.

When the Partingtons' problems with Robert Tidwell began, there was no agency regulating home builders in Texas. Now, there is the TRCC - but critics said it's had little impact.

"The TRCC was not created to help the consumers," said consumer advocate John Cobarruvias. "It was created for the builders; it was created by the builders."

The fact is, for $150 anybody can register to be a builder with the Texas Residential Construction Commission. But it costs a consumer $350 to register in the complaint resolution process. Consumers don't necessarily get that money back.

Bryant said the TRCC doesn't protect consumers or subcontrators like him against bad builders. He said Robert Tidwell owes him $25,000 for electrical contracting, and Tidwell has other judgments against him. But the TRCC doesn't even collect that information.

As for keeping Tidwell from taking advantage of others, he currently can't build - but his registration with the TRCC is pending.

Consumers can't find out about general complaints against a builder because the TRCC doesn't release them. Only the number of formal complaints against a builder, called SIRPs, are listed on the TRCC's website; to find out specifics a consumer has to ask in writing.

"They'd have to contact us directly to get that information," said the TRCC's Steve Thomas. "It'd be an open-records request, and we'd provide it."

The Partingtons have lost their dream home, but they fight on, hoping to prevent their misfortune from happening to others and improve the agency that's supposed to protect the public.

"This was everything we had, this was everything," Lisa Partington said. "This was our life savings."

Three bills to change the TRCC went before the Legislature this session; they all died. One reason might be that the homebuilding industry spent nearly $9 million lobbying in Austin over the last four years.

As for Robert Tidwell, he has still not paid the Partingtons a dime.
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#1439 Postby TexasStooge » Tue May 03, 2005 8:32 am

Fire destroys part of Arlington church

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

ARLINGTON, Texas - A fast-moving fire destroyed much of a large church in south Arlington Monday night.

No one was injured in the four-alarm blaze, which required the work of 60 firefighters including mutual aid from Fort Worth and Euless fire departments.

A kids' bible study was under way when alarms first sounded around 6:45 p.m. at the Church on Rush Creek, in the 2300 block of southwest Green Oaks Boulevard.

Witnesses said it appeared to start in the attic above a children's area at the church.

"We saw smoke coming out of a maintenance closet where all of the heaters and AC units are kept," said witness Daniel Good.

"Early on, we went from an offensive fire, which is (firefighters) inside attacking the fire, to a defensive fire, where we pull all of our firefighters out and set up aerial ladders," said Arlington Fire Department assistant chief Brian Riley.

The church's senior pastor Russ Barksdale said 27 children were inside the church when the blaze began, but all were quickly taken to safety outside the building.

"There's some grieving, but also some celebration because nobody was hurt," Barksdale said.

The Church on Rush Creek draws nearly 1,300 on Sunday mornings, and on this night the flames drew nearly that many to watch.

"Lots of memories," one witness said.

"I got married here," said another.

Even as the oldest part of the church burned, members gathered in the undamaged new sanctuary next door to sing and pray. The fire didn't delay worship there, but ignited it.

Officials said the church's children's area, offices and a theater will likely be a loss.
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#1440 Postby TexasStooge » Tue May 03, 2005 8:35 am

Dallas murder rate on rise again

By BERT LOZANO / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police are trying to make good on a promise to cut the crime rate, but the city's murder rate continues to rise.

So far in 2005, murders are up 22 percent city-wide over the same period in 2004 - and murders in the southwest sector alone spiked 75 percent.

The latest homicide statistic was notched Monday morning, when police found the body of a man stuffed inside a garbage can. It was the 21st murder on the southwest side, compared to 12 for the same time last year.

"The goal for 2005 is to reduce murder by 20 percent," said DPD Deputy Chief Vince Goldbeck. "Of course, we're nowhere near the goal."

The year actually began slow in the southwest division, but in mid-January officers responded to a quadruple murder, followed the very next evening by the stabbing deaths of two at a beauty salon.

The division has also handled what is probably the highest-case profile in the city so far this year, the kidnapping and murder of restaurant owner Oscar Sanchez.

"It's very frustrating that the officers are working so hard out here, and it doesn't seem like we can make a dent in the homicide rate," Goldbeck said.

Still, the department plans to shift its strategy. Officers are meeting with managers of apartment complexes where investigators see problems, in an effort to get more residents to report crimes.

"We as a people in the community, we've got to communicate with the officers," said resident Elson Coleman. "It's not being a snitch ... you want to live in a decent community."

Police said robbery and drug use seem to be the motives in many murders they investigate. They believe by hitting those problems now, they can still meet their goal by the end of the year.
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