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#2161 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:44 am

UNT president leaving post

Denton: In office since 2000, he cites a loss of enthusiasm for job

By MATTHEW ZABEL / Denton Record-Chronicle

DENTON, Texas - University of North Texas President Norval F. Pohl announced Tuesday he would leave the Denton institution when his contract expires next year because he is losing enthusiasm for the job he's held since 2000.

"My personal career experience is that my level of enthusiasm for any job lasts about six or seven years, and I'm at the end of my seventh [at UNT] now. I think it's time for me to make a move," said Dr. Pohl, 62.

Dr. Pohl came to UNT as an executive vice president and provost in January 1999 and became its 13th president in October 2000 when the university's Board of Regents split the jobs of the chancellor and president into two positions.

Dr. Pohl said he does not have another job yet, but he is considering several options, most likely in academia but possibly in the business community.

The president's contract expires Aug. 31, 2006, but Dr. Pohl could leave before then, depending on when he finds another position, UNT Chancellor Lee Jackson said.

Mr. Jackson praised Dr. Pohl for his leadership and said he appreciated receiving notice so far in advance so the university could begin its replacement search.

"He brought a very personal, warm style to campus leadership," Mr. Jackson said. "He renewed the campus spirit, not only around athletics, but in campus residency as well. He was highly regarded by the community for his hands-on approach."

The Board of Regents is scheduled to conduct Dr. Pohl's annual review at its quarterly meeting next month and would have considered a contract extension at that time. Several regents said Tuesday they had not discussed whether they would have extended Dr. Pohl's contract.

Dr. Pohl earns a base salary of $260,687 annually, plus incentives.

John Robert "Bobby" Ray, chairman of the Board of Regents, said he wasn't surprised by the announcement because Dr. Pohl had recently talked with board members about his desire to move on.

The board will discuss initiating a search for a new president at its August meeting.

Dr. Pohl's leadership style enabled him to have a strong rapport with students, faculty and the city of Denton, Mr. Ray said. "He was a great visionary," Mr. Ray said.

Dr. Pohl made his announcement in a campuswide e-mail Tuesday morning.

In it, Dr. Pohl cited numerous improvements that had occurred at UNT during this tenure. His achievements include the university's acquisitions of the former Texas Instruments property in north Denton and the Liberty Christian School property on South Bonnie Brae. He also noted the university's expansion onto the former Eagle Point Golf Course, now home to a new dormitory, dining hall and athletics center. A new football stadium is also planned for that property.

Dr. Pohl also noted improvements during this tenure that were "less visible, but ultimately more important to the future of UNT," including the development of the College of Engineering, a $150 million capital campaign, $7 million in federal research money, 47 patent filings and the licensing of intellectual property.

Some faculty members credited Dr. Pohl with making the campus more unified, while others said he made it more divided.

"I'm disappointed that we will lose such a great leader," said Frances van Tassell, associate professor of teacher education and chairwoman of the UNT Faculty Senate.

Last spring, faculty members gave Dr. Pohl's overall presidential performance a 1.4 rating, based on a scale of 0 to 4.

Don Smith, a biology professor and president of the UNT chapter of the American Association of University Professors, called Dr. Pohl "utterly disdainful of faculty."

Dr. Pohl acknowledged the year has been stressful because of controversy regarding individual faculty members who were denied tenure, as well as overall tenure qualifications. But, he said, "that isn't something that would cause me to leave UNT."

UNT regent Tom Lazo Sr. called Dr. Pohl "a great academician" who tried to work with faculty.

Dr. Pohl's departure is disappointing, Mr. Lazo said, because he has a lot of experience at UNT, but it also "gives us a new challenge to bring in a new face."
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#2162 Postby TexasStooge » Wed Jul 20, 2005 2:07 pm

BREAKING NEWS: Small plane crashes in Saginaw; 3 dead

SAGINAW, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Three people were killed when a small plane crashed Wednesday afternoon in a residential area of Saginaw.

The single-engine aircraft went down around 12:30 p.m. in the backyard of a house in the 11900 block of Gaucho Court, about ¼ mile from the end of the runway at Hicks Airport.

The three victims were all on board the plane.

Tarrant County sheriff's spokesman Terry Grisham say the plane was attempting to land when the pilot made a courageous effort to land between two houses. The houses are part of a new subdivision and are about 30 yards apart.

The plane hit between the two houses, bounced and crashed into flames. The plane also struck a boat, which caught fire. The propeller from the plane landed 45 yards away.

The homes are part of a new subdivsion just east of U.S. Highway 287. "The pilot made a very valiant effort to miss the houses," Grisham said. Officials from Saginaw have also responded to the scene.

Firefighters sprayed foam on the wreckage and covered the cockpit with a blue tarpaulin.

Tarrant County officials were waiting for federal investigators to arrive at the scene.

Saginaw is 10 miles northwest of Fort Worth in Tarrant County.

Dallas Morning News writer Debra Dennis and the WFAA.com staff contributed to this report.

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WFAA ABC 8
The plane struck a boat and a fence.
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#2163 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:24 am

Woman burned attempting to help 3 dead in plane crash

SAGINAW, Texas (WFA ABC 8) - Three people were killed when a small plane crashed Wednesday afternoon in a residential area of Tarrant County near Saginaw.

The single-engine aircraft went down around 12:30 p.m. in the backyard of a house in the 11900 block of Gaucho Court, about ¼ mile from the end of the runway at Hicks Airport.

The three victims were all on board the plane.

Tarrant County sheriff's spokesman Terry Grisham say the plane was attempting to land when the pilot made a courageous effort to land between two houses. The houses are part of a new subdivision and are about 30 yards apart.

The plane hit between the two houses, bounced and crashed into flames. The plane also struck a boat, which caught fire. The propeller from the plane landed 45 yards away.

The homes are part of a new subdivsion just east of U.S. Highway 287. "The pilot made a very valiant effort to miss the houses," Grisham said. Officials from Saginaw have also responded to the scene.

A woman rushed to help, but the flames drove her back.

"The lady came and tried to see if there was anything she could do to get the people out," said Sheriff Dee Anderson of Tarrant County. "But by the time she got to the plane it was already on fire and she couldn't do anything to save them. She apparently received some minor burns on her feet and she was tremendously traumatized by what she saw."

The names of the victims have not been released but sources said the owner of the plane was an elderly minister and he used the plane for missionary work.

Firefighters sprayed foam on the wreckage and covered the cockpit with a blue tarpaulin.

Tarrant County officials were waiting for federal investigators to arrive at the scene.

Saginaw is 10 miles northwest of Fort Worth in Tarrant County.

Dallas Morning News writer Debra Dennis and the WFAA.com staff contributed to this report.
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#2164 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:25 am

Dangerous fumes force seniors to evacuate

BENBROOK, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Dangerous fumes forced some senior citizens to evacuate from their rooms at an assisted living center Wednesday night on the 4000 block of Bryant Irvin Road in Benbrook.

Firefighters said an improper mixture of cleaning chemicals caused a hazardous vapor cloud to form inside the retirement home. About 40 residents were briefly moved from their rooms to other areas while crews ventilated the building.

Four workers went to a hospital for precautionary reasons, but officials said no residents were hurt.
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#2165 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:26 am

Perry calls another special session

AUSTIN, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — Even before the summer's first special session on education funding had collapsed, Gov. Rick Perry told lawmakers he's keeping them in Austin to try again and warned they'll stay here until they find a solution.

Perry called another 30-day special session, forcing the Legislature to take another crack at what has proven to be a thorny issue for Democrats and Republicans alike for the last two years.

The session was scheduled to begin 10 a.m. Thursday, 10 hours after lawmakers left the Capitol in failure Wednesday night. Perry called the new session about two hours before the previous one formally ended.

"Education reform and property tax relief are the two most significant issues the Legislature faces," said Perry, a Republican. "Lawmakers won't leave Austin until both priorities are addressed."

Many lawmakers and Perry have campaigned on promises to change the public school funding system and reduce local property taxes which pay for much of it.

Meanwhile, Texas is under court pressure to change the school funding system, and the state Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming months on whether it violates the state constitution.

This will be the fifth session since 2003, including three special sessions, in which lawmakers have tried to overhaul the state's education funding system. Previous special sessions have cost about $1 million each.

Some lawmakers thought they could achieve at least partial success Wednesday night.

Although a compromise tax plan designed to lower property taxes and raise others had failed, Perry and leaders in the House and Senate hoped to pass an education funding bill.

That bill would have created pay raises for teachers, and put more money into bilingual education, transportation and other measures.

That plan failed in the final hours Wednesday night as opponents stalled it with parliamentary maneuvers and a two-hour, 15-minute filibuster led by Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston. The filibuster took the session to its midnight deadline.

A filibuster is a tactic that allows a member to speak on a bill as long as the member wants. It's sometimes used to kill bills late in a session.

"This bill does not solve school finance in any significant way," Whitmire said at the beginning of his remarks. "It has united Democrats and Republicans to oppose this."

The education measure would give districts enough money for teachers to get about $2,000 more in 2006 and an additional $500 in 2007. That pay raise included the full restoration of a $1,000 health care stipend that was cut in half two years ago.

Teachers' groups have criticized the salary increase as insignificant. Brock Gregg, a lobbyist for the Association of Texas Professional Educators, said the health care stipend that teachers were promised four years ago eradicates most of the boost in pay.

Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst remained optimistic that lawmakers could pass the education and tax measures in the next special session.

"I think we're a lot further along than we were 30 days ago," he said.
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#2166 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:29 am

WFAA plans new downtown studio

By CHRIS HEINBAUGH / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - By this time next year, WFAA-TV will have a new broadcast studio at Victory Plaza in downtown Dallas.

Channel 8's 5,000 square foot facility will look out on the Plaza and newscasts there will be able to include live audiences.

Overhead, large TV monitors will move across the front of the buildings.

The design will let Channel 8 connect with its viewers like never before.

"If you picture 'Good Morning America' and how the live audience just brings energy to that show—that's what we want to do," explained WFAA-TV president and general manager Kathy Clements.

Clements said other television stations in markets like Chicago and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. have recently added downtown studios.

In 2001, the adjacent American Airlines Center opened with great hoopla and hope. The developer Palladium promised a $600 million project to accompany the sports stadium.

But when the economy soured, Palladium pulled out. The Victory project, decided to go it alone, with the W Hotel and Residences, now under construction, as the centerpiece.

"When that live television, that kind of celebrity activity goes on inside that space, you can engage the crowd that's outside, you get a certain electric environment you can't get any other way," said Jonas Woods, president of Hillwood Capital, developer of the Victory project.

Channel 8's new studio is scheduled to open next May. It will not replace WFAA-TV's current home in downtown Dallas on Young Street or bureaus in Tarrant and Collin counties.

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Artist's conception of new Channel 8 studio facility.
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#2167 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:30 am

Arrest made in man found stabbed, burned

By REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police are investigating the death of a man who was stabbed and then his body set on fire around 4 a.m. Wednesday on 1400 block Brook Valley Lane in South Dallas.

Police questioned several people late Wednesday afternoon and announced they arrested Gregory Bradford in the murder of his cousin.

There have been reported problems at the home on Brook Valley Lane for months. Around 2 a.m. police received an initial call for domestic abuse. Officers arrived, after they saw no major injuries they allowed the wife to leave.

"To my understanding it was a very minor assault," said Sr. Cpl. Max Geron. "They saw fit to allow the female to leave the location."

However, a short time later paramedics were called back for a medical emergency.

"When they arrived they heard what they described as sounds of a struggle coming from the garage," Geron said.

Paramedics called police, who found smoke coming from the garage. After firefighters put out the small fire, they discovered the body of 42-year-old Marcus Bradford, who is related to the husband involved in the domestic argument. He had been stabbed and his body set on fire.

The question now is did police do the right thing when they decided not to arrest anyone after the first call. In most domestic violence cases it is common for someone to go to jail.

"Under most circumstances the officers, if there is any doubt in their minds, will probably make the arrest if they have reasonable grounds to do so," said Lt. C.L. Williams.

But police said every situation is different and in this particular case officers thought everything was under control. There are some states that require police to make an arrest in every domestic violence case.

But, in Texas there is no such law and Dallas police said their policy for decades has been to leave it up to the officers at the scene to determine if that is necessary.

As is standard procedure, this case will be reviewed.
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#2168 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:56 am

City's nuisance law under scrutiny

Panel to focus on whether officers bullied businesses; Dallas has defended practices

By KAREN M. BROOKS / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas House committee charged with looking into allegations of official corruption is taking the rare step of investigating local affairs and will zero in on Dallas as early as September.

The House General Investigating and Ethics Committee said Wednesday that it will hold public hearings on whether the city and police officers used public-nuisance abatement laws to intimidate and shake down businesses.

Mayor Laura Miller and officials with the city attorney's office have denied wrongdoing and defended their use of public-nuisance laws, saying the practice helps them crack down on business owners and homeowners who allow crime to happen on their properties.

Committee chairman Kevin Bailey, D-Houston, said that if accusations that surfaced in the Legislature early this year prove to be true, the panel could call in the Texas attorney general, Texas Rangers or local district attorneys to look at charges such as official oppression.

"It's just amazing to me what may be going on there," Mr. Bailey said. "It does, on the surface, appear to be a very serious situation."

The public hearings will be in Dallas jointly with the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. The investigation is expected to be approved by House Speaker Tom Craddick, his staff said Wednesday.

Rep. Will Hartnett, a Dallas Republican who is not on the committee, called the decision "unprecedented, in my experience."

"Personally, I have not heard of anything egregious enough to justify this kind of legislative involvement with municipal management," Mr. Hartnett said. "I always become very concerned when committees inject themselves into things that are not of a typical legislative nature."

The accusations included accounts from a business owner who said a dozen police officers parked in his lot to intimidate him.

There also were complaints that city officials sued business owners based on the number of times they called police for help and that businesses were pressured to hire off-duty officers to get the city to back off public-nuisance claims.

The sheer volume and nature of the accusations, Mr. Bailey and other lawmakers said, was enough to warrant the panel's unusual actions.

Police Chief David Kunkle, who took over after the incidents are alleged to have happened, has said the law had been interpreted too narrowly in some cases. He also has said he will review all cases before they are referred to the city attorney's office.

"We're addressing those issues internally and changing the way we do things," he said.

He said Wednesday that the department would "fully cooperate with the committee and to answer any of their questions and to be totally transparent about our practices."

Ms. Miller is on vacation and couldn't be reached for comment.

City Attorney Tom Perkins declined comment, saying he needed more information about the investigation.

But some Dallas leaders bristled at the idea of lawmakers bringing their beef to the city's turf, saying the legislators are playing politics and overreaching their authority.

City Council member Mitchell Rasansky called the committee's decision ridiculous and said some "liberal person" in Austin is "trying to make a name."

"Let them come down here. I really don't care," he said. "We do everything we can to try and protect our citizens. I can't believe they're coming down here to see what good they can unravel."

House leaders slammed Dallas officials during public hearings and from the House floor during the regular legislative session when Dallas carwash owner Dale Davenport and other businesses owners told lawmakers they were being singled out and harassed by police and city officials.

As a result, lawmakers changed the public-nuisance law with overwhelming support from the House and Senate.

Austin GOP Rep. Terry Keel, chairman of the jurisprudence committee conducting the hearings with Mr. Bailey's panel, carried the legislation.

"For some reason, the usual checks and balances ... [have not] worked in Dallas," said Mr. Keel, who characterized the alleged incidents as "appalling." "It is an old-fashioned shakedown. Corruption run amok."

Mr. Davenport, whose business is in South Dallas, welcomed the hearings.

"I hope that the truth will come out about the widespread corruption in the city of Dallas," he said.

Mr. Davenport began his fight against the city after he and his father lost a lawsuit in which the city accused him of doing too little to stop crime at his South Dallas carwash. A judge forced the Davenports to install tall fencing to stop trespassing, to pay security guards, to hire security guards and to post a $10,000 bond.

"We are still forced to provide very costly security while the other businesses do not have to," Mr. Davenport said. "They turned a profitable business into a money-losing business in an area that needs more economic growth."

Mr. Bailey's committee was created to conduct investigations that often lead to criminal charges. It is the only one of 39 House panels that may hold meetings in secret and take private depositions. And while the committee has the authority to investigate local government actions, it rarely does so.

Staff writers Tanya Eiserer and Emily Ramshaw contributed to this report.
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#2169 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:58 am

Bush Turnpike link on fast track

NW Dallas County: I-35E-LBJ connector to open month early

By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News

PLANO, Texas – A crucial, missing segment of the Bush Turnpike will be open to traffic Sept. 9, about a month earlier than the North Texas Tollway Authority had most recently estimated, officials announced Wednesday.

Originally, the agency hoped to open the turnpike's missing link connecting Interstate 35E and LBJ Freeway in northwest Dallas County sometime in October. But on Wednesday, the tollway authority and project managers advanced the schedule, a move that many northern cross-town commuters and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport users have waited years to hear.

"This is going to make a tremendous difference," said Jack Miller, a former Denton mayor and the Denton County representative on the tollway authority board of directors. "It's going to make it a breeze."

The 5.2-mile, $338 million segment has had a stop-and-go history. In 2002, the need for additional environmental reviews forced the tollway authority to delay the segment's original summer 2004 opening date. Motorists were forced to find alternate routes – including the increasingly clogged I-35E – to navigate around the turnpike's missing link.

In addition, costs have risen substantially as the project evolved from a turnpike originally planned to be built on existing flood control levees to a turnpike segment consisting mostly of bridges over Trinity River flood plain. However, the final costs came in noticeably lower than earlier estimates of $428 million.

Carrollton leaders hope the turnpike segment, known as the Super Connector to many who have followed its progress over the years, will help reduce traffic on side streets and on I-35E.

But the new roadway will do even more than that, Carrollton Mayor Becky Miller said.

"This will help our property values go up and attract new people to Carrollton, because you can get anywhere now pretty much from Carrollton," she said. "It's really great for the city. When the George Bush was first proposed, I think a lot of people kind of felt a little negative toward it. They thought it would divide the city. But I've not seen any negative coming from it."

In Farmers Branch, the opening of the toll road will improve access to and help spur development of nearly 1,000 acres west of I-35 and south of Valley View Lane.

"We're doing everything we can to get the west side started developing, which it is doing," Farmers Branch Mayor Bob Phelps said. "This is going to speed it up, get more people coming through there."

Incentive clauses and good weather two summers ago helped the project's four major contractors complete the project early, said Mark Bouma, director of engineering for the tollway authority.

Dry weather in summer 2003 helped crews quickly build most of the turnpike's necessary bridges above the flood plain. That gave crews the ability to work without being seriously hampered by wet weather.

In addition, the agency will pay the four contractors $2.8 million in incentives for finishing early. Although the agency will pay several million dollars to open the road early, it expects to collect an estimated $6.5 million in additional revenue during the extra weeks the road is open to traffic, Mr. Bouma said.

"To the region, this is a great benefit," Mr. Bouma said. "Incentives are a powerful tool in construction. And had we had a wet summer in 2003, we would have struggled to meet with the early 2006 deadline."

The turnpike segment is expected to handle about 80,000 vehicles a day by the end of the year. When the segment opens, traveling the 30.5-mile turnpike from Garland to Irving near D/FW Airport will cost $3 for TollTag users and $3.75 for cash customers.

Also Wednesday, the tollway authority board of directors repeated their pledge to build the Southwest Parkway project in Fort Worth and the eastern extension of the Bush Turnpike in the Rowlett and Garland area. Both projects have faced substantial cost increases, which led the board to agree to an outside review of its project cost estimate process.

"We're going to build the Southwest Parkway. We're going to figure out how to finance it," board chairman David Blair Jr. said.

Staff writers Stephanie Sandoval and Eric Aasen contributed to this report.
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#2170 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:00 am

Biblical center backers cling to hopes

Dallas: Fire officials now looking at whether blaze was accidental

By KIMBERLY DURNAN / DallasNews.com

DALLAS, Texas - The fate of the charred Biblical Arts Center remains uncertain, except for its supporters' desire to rebuild the beloved museum dedicated to Christian art.

Fire engulfed the North Dallas center on June 29, destroying much of the building and its prized painting, the giant Miracle at Pentecost, completed by artist Torger Thompson in 1969. Firefighters first suspected arson, then faulty electrical wiring. Now they are looking at whether the blaze was accidental, Dallas Fire-Rescue Lt. Joel Lavender said Wednesday. He would not elaborate.

“A portion of the building was destroyed. Unfortunately, the portion destroyed was the area that also contained the painting,” said John Goble, a Miracle at Pentecost Foundation board member. “It has been declared a loss by the insurance company. The walls and ceiling in the room that contained the painting have collapsed.”

While fire investigators continue their work, board members have been discussing whether they can restore the building and its most famous painting, Goble said.

“The board is waiting for the final report from the insurance adjusters,” he said. “At such time we receive that information, we will make a final decision on how to proceed in terms of rebuilding the facility and in some form redoing the painting, given the fact that the artist who painted it is now deceased.”

The story of the painting begins with Thompson, the Dallas artist who dedicated 10 years to creating the 124-by-20-foot mural. It was his masterpiece, his passion, his piece of immortality. “You see, when I finished that painting, I was all set in life,” Thompson wrote in The Miracle at Pentecost: Creation of a Masterpiece, his 1976 book about the painting. “I could have gone anywhere and done anything! Do you know what it means to an artist to have a painting like that on display?”

Before Thompson died in 1988, at age 82, he asked to be buried at Hillcrest Cemetery, about 100 yards from the museum where the painting was housed, so he could “watch over it.”

“It didn’t do him much good,” said his 60-year-old daughter, Roxie Wood. “It’s such a loss.”

Thompson grew up in Minnesota and South Dakota, the son of a cigar-making father and a mother who rode bareback in Buffalo Bill’s circus. He graduated from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Thompson married, moved to Dallas in search of a warmer climate, and opened a graphic arts company that created logos for Texas Instruments and 7-Eleven.

After becoming active at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, he began incorporating his artistic abilities with religious lessons in what became known as “chalk talks,” biblical lessons illustrated with chalk drawings.

“He was famous for his chalk talks,” recalled Nannette Geeo, a longtime friend of the Thompson family. “He was just a regular guy, but down to earth. He was fun, one of those guys that everyone really liked.”

Eventually, Thompson began focusing his attention on the Pentecost, described in the Book of Acts as the day when the Holy Spirit appeared before the disciples after Jesus' ascension into heaven and inspired them to spread his word. According to the Bible tale, the Holy Spirit gave the disciples the ability to speak in many languages, and after that, whenever they addressed a crowd, each person in the audience would understand the message as if it were being delivered in his or her native tongue.

Family friend Bill King said Thompson would show him three-ring binders full of research about the Pentecost and biographies of the people he planned to put in the painting.

Thompson spent a year painting a smaller version to serve as preparation for the larger painting. He asked local residents to serve as models, and he and his assistants took another three years to paint the final version.

Al Barnes, a former employee of Thompson’s graphic arts company, had just graduated from college when he was asked to help paint both the model and large mural. Barnes said his involvement helped keep him afloat financially, honed his artistic skills and launched his career.

“I’m just amazed he put up with all my shenanigans the way he did,” Barnes recalled. “I came in late, left early. He knew my painting ability. We went through a lot together, and he was close to me. He told me he felt like I was his son. It was very moving.”

In a 1987 interview with The Dallas Morning News, Thompson said he was desperate to find financing when Dallas philanthropist Mattie Caruth Byrd agreed to fund the long-term project, which she expanded by making the painting the focal point of her dream of creating a biblical arts center. “I was ready to sell my house and everything to pay for that painting,” Thompson said.

Craig Millis, who knew Thompson from Sunday school class, said Thompson drew attention as he worked on the enormous painting in an open-air hangar. There were bleachers for the public and scaffolding for the painters, Millis said.

“He was full-time devoted to the Lord and his work,” Millis said. “The painting had a lot of depth and feeling. You could feel the excitement in the people, and he got that across. You could study that painting for hours and realize there are so many emotions. It’s a big loss.”

The painting was Thompson’s last major work. A month after he finished, Thompson suffered an injury that blinded his left eye and ruined his depth perception.

It has been more than 36 years since Barnes worked on the painting, but he said he felt an acute loss when he came home for lunch and watched the report about the fire on CNN.

“After all these years, I thought I had detached myself, but when it happened, it was like losing a loved one. It was a strange feeling. I watched coverage most of the day. It was strange when I saw the firemen and the door they had the hose going into – I knew right where they were. When you paint something that big with a small brush, well, I knew every inch of it. I knew right where they were hitting it with the water,” he said.

Wood, who lives in Fort Smith, Ark., said she learned that her father’s painting was in jeopardy when her husband came home and said, “Your daddy’s picture is burning.”

Wood said she’s upset that the guardians of her father’s work didn’t protect it. The building had no windows or sprinkler system.

“Obviously, we regret that the painting was destroyed,” Goble said. “Whether sprinklers were there to protect the painting, we are not sure it would have helped. We did have an extremely elaborate smoke detection system in there that had the fire department on the scene in two to three minutes.”

Since the fire, church groups and individuals have contacted the Biblical Arts Center to offer encouragement, said co-director R.J. Machacek. The center was a popular stop for busloads of Christian organizations and an aesthetic place for weddings.

“We are getting inundated with e-mails,” Machacek said. “Our phone system is down, but we have a tiny flow of phone calls. People who do know us have come out to the site and talked to us. It’s been overwhelming and very, very encouraging.”

The foundation has several photographs of the painting that show clearly the detailed work. But the question remains as to whether the painting could be re-created.

Barnes, who now lives in Rockport, Texas, said he doesn’t know if he would be tapped for such a project, and while he’s emotionally attached to the painting, he has his own galleries in Florida, Colorado and Georgia to run.

“I said naturally it could be redone,” Barnes said. “I think they should reproduce it.”

Thompson’s friends say the artist was meticulous about every detail, including his choice of paint, because of his desire for the painting to be enjoyed for centuries.

“The sad part is I remember him getting these Dutch oils that are very expensive,” King said. “The world’s best oil paints were made in Holland. He had a ringer washing machine and he would cut off the ends of the tubes and run them through the washing machine and it would squeeze out a little more paint on the palette. He said, ‘I want this thing to last hundreds of years.’”

Geeo recalled that an acrylic paint company offered Thompson its wares for free as an advertisement, but he refused.

“That’s what gets me. He was sure it would last and look what happened,” she said. “It didn’t last.”
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#2171 Postby TexasStooge » Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:23 pm

Teen arrested for grandfather's murder

By JIM DOUGLAS / WFAA ABC 8

CLEBURNE, Texas — A teenage girl was arrested Thursday morning in connection with the stabbing death of her grandfather.

The 16-year-old girl, whose name was not released, was staying at her grandparents' house in the 300 block of Meadowview Drive after being released from a juvenile detention facility on Wednesday afternoon.

Police said David Underwood and his wife were helping to care for the girl, who was described as "extremely troubled" by neighbors.

Shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday, police received a 911 emergency call from Underwood's wife, who said he had been stabbed.

"It was definitely a brutal crime," said Cleburne police Sgt. Amy Knoll. "There were many stab wounds involved in this; it was a very brutal stabbing."

Underwood, 64, was dead at the scene. Police took the teenager into custody.

Investigators said the girl had been previously sent to the juvenile facility for an assault with a knife, but no details of that incident were available.

Residents of the serene neighborhood near Nolan River Country Club said they were relieved to learn that this was not a random crime, but were nevertheless jarred by the violence in their midst.

"We generally don't have this type of offense," Sgt. Knoll said. "It's been several years since we worked our last murder case, so it's not a common occurrence here."
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#2172 Postby rainstorm » Thu Jul 21, 2005 10:28 pm

violence seems to be on the increase
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#2173 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:45 am

Children die in mobile home fire

EDGEWOOD, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Two children died Friday morning in a fire at a mobile home near Edgewood in Van Zandt County.

Two other children were injured in the fire on State Highway 19. A helicopter ambulance rushed a five-year-old girl to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas by air ambulance. She was said to have burns over 50 percent of her body.

An 18-month-old child was rescued by neighbors and also was hospitalized.

Those in North Central Texas, watch News 8 Midday at noon for a full report.
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#2174 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:47 am

Woman alleges rape by fake officer

BY REBECCA LOPEZ / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas police are on the lookout for a fake cop who may have raped a woman during a bogus traffic stop. Police said a Mesquite woman had just shopped about 11 p.m. Wednesday at a Wal-Mart off of Buckner Boulevard and I-30.

After getting in her car, she drove down a service road when she said she saw flashing lights.

"The individual came up posing as a police officer," said Sr. Cpl. Max Geron. "He had a t-shirt on with big letters across this chest that said police."

The victim told police the man forced her out of her car and into his.

"[He] sexually assaulted her in the back of that car and then left location." Geron said.

Sources told News 8 that the distraught and disoriented woman found her way to the Dallas County Jail where she told officers what had happened and gave them the suspect's description.

He's a white male about 45-years-old, 6-feet tall and weighing about 240 lbs. He was wearing a T-shirt that read police across his chest.

The incident was similar to a reported sexual assault at I-20 and Breen Oaks Boulevard that Arlington police investigated last week. Arlington police now question the truthfulness of that victim.

Dallas police said they have no reason to doubt what happened in this case.

"We are fully investigating this as if the incident happened as it was reported to us." Geron said.
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#2175 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:48 am

Police question couple after possible abduction

DUNCANVILLE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Thursday night a woman who runs a North Texas ministry is safe after Duncanville police looked into her possible abduction. However, police still have questions for her and her husband.

A picture of 43-year-old Dominique Johnson was taken today at a bank on video surveillance. It showed her visibly shaken, crying and standing near her husband.

Police were concerned because they had just received a 911 call from her ministry's office and police found evidence of a physical altercation there.

The couple is now cooperating with police.

Image
WFAA ABC 8
Dominique and Larry Johnson looked visibly shaken at a local bank.
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#2176 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:50 am

Pleasant Grove residents demand more police attention

PLEASANT GROVE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - The Pleasant Grove area, which is plagued by crime, demanded action Thursday night from the Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle.

Residents complained the department was not paying enough attention to the area. The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now - also known as "ACORN" - organized a meeting with the chief Thursday. Residents said they want improved police response time when they report crimes.

Every Friday-Saturday night I hear gunfire while I'm lying in my bed trying to sleep," said one resident. "Five casings of 45 shells lying in the middle of the street."

Kunkle responded back to residents' questions and opinions.

"And there's a choice, you can have a cop going out chasing bad guys or you can have them all taking reports," he said.

Chief Kunkle said his main objective is to get guns and drugs off the streets and he had sixty officers patrolling the Pleasant Grove area Thursday night to do just that.
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#2177 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:52 am

Headed to High Five? Steer clear

Weekend ramp, lane closures to divert tens of thousands

By TONY HARTZEL / The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - Motorists will face some very slow going around much of the Dallas High Five construction zone this weekend.

Two major closures – a weekend-long shutdown of a major ramp and a Sunday morning shutdown of all lanes of Central Expressway – will detour tens of thousands of motorists.

Ramp from eastbound LBJ Freeway to northbound Central Expressway will be closed from 9 tonight to 6 a.m. Monday.

All lanes of Central Expressway at Churchill Way will be closed Sunday from 12:01 to 9 a.m.

Starting at 9 tonight, state contractors will shut down the ramp from eastbound LBJ Freeway to northbound Central Expressway. The closure, which could last until 6 a.m. Monday, will allow crews to remove a layer of cracked concrete on the ramp surface and install a layer of asphalt.

The project was required after project managers discovered cracks in the 2-inch concrete layer on top of several flyover ramps. The cracks did not pose a safety hazard but would cause problems by allowing water to possibly seep into the bridge structure.

Officials hope crews can finish the project early, but they won't make any commitments.

"They're going to open it as soon as it's ready to open," said Cliff Franklin of the North Central Mobility Task Force, a liaison between the Texas Department of Transportation and affected property owners.

For eastbound motorists wanting to go north on Central, project managers suggest exiting to southbound Central, taking the Forest Lane exit, making a U-turn and entering Central Expressway just before LBJ Freeway. In addition, the remaining southbound Central motorists will not be allowed to exit at Forest so that detour traffic can flow more easily.

The other challenge for High Five-area motorists involves TXU Energy's need to shut down all main lanes and frontage road lanes of Central Expressway for up to nine hours early Sunday to string electrical wire across the highway. The closure, centered on the construction of the Churchill Way bridge just south of LBJ Freeway, is expected to cause considerable delays.

Power company officials will close the road Sunday from 12:01 to 9 a.m. at the latest.

State officials suggest Coit Road and Greenville Avenue as alternate routes for motorists.

Although the closures promise to be a major inconvenience to motorists, state workers don't appear overly concerned.

"These are really two different things," Mr. Franklin said. "The guys who do the work say that this is not going to be a problem."

The worst may be over after this weekend, but motorists will have another major closure as early as the following weekend.

The state transportation department has tentatively scheduled the repaving of the ramp from westbound LBJ to southbound Central for July 29 to Aug. 1.
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#2178 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:02 am

Demand for apartments rises

Leases reach levels not seen since '85

By STEVE BROWN / The Dallas Morning News

"For Rent" signs are vanishing in Dallas-Fort Worth after landlords leased more apartments in the second quarter than they had in almost 20 years.

New leases increased by almost 12,000 units from the first quarter, according to industry analyst M/PF YieldStar Inc.

You have to go back to 1985 – in the middle of the last real estate boom – to find a quarter with stronger demand, said Greg Willett, M/PF's research director.

"That suggests that the job growth figures we've seen lately are probably understated," he said.

The combination of a better local employment market and a slowdown in home sales to first-time buyers caused the surge, Mr. Willett said. "Losing fewer renter households to home purchase clearly is a factor in the strong apartment demand."

The net leasing number released Thursday is more than the total for all of 2004 in D-FW.

"This is the real deal," said apartment developer Robert Shaw, who has new projects in West Plano and North Dallas.

"The leasing we are seeing now is unbelievable, and the rental concessions are down."

Homebuilding analysts had already reported that low- and moderate-priced home sales in North Texas are weakening, and thousands of renters have already made the switch to homeownership.

"I think that trend is pretty much completed," said Ted Wilson of housing analyst Residential Strategies. "We are hearing from the homebuilders that a lot more of their business is from people moving in for new jobs."

The rush of apartment rentals lifted overall occupancy in the market to 91.2 percent, and average rental rates rose 1.8 percent to $697 a month, according to M/PF.

M/PF calculates its figures by surveying landlords about occupancy rates. The group releases occupancy and net leasing figures, not a total number of apartment units leased in the area.

So, given the explosion in apartment leasing, how long before apartment builders gear up to add thousands of new units to the market?

"We are seeing an increase in rents and occupancy, and we like it," said Bob Buzbee of Trammell Crow Residential.

"We are looking for development sites."

There were just 2,465 new apartments added to the market in the second quarter, and 9,902 were still under construction at the end of June.

Most of the building is in Las Colinas (1,800 units), near downtown Dallas (1,400), in Lewisville (1,000), and in West Plano and northwest Tarrant County (800 each), Mr. Willett said.

Adding top-tier apartment units to the D-FW market wouldn't be "necessarily inappropriate," Mr. Willett said. "Our challenge lies in the stockpile of vacant older product," mostly in close-in neighborhoods.

"There seems to be real opportunity for someone who wants to revitalize that product, upgrading it to appeal to young singles who can't afford the best and newest apartments, or repositioning it to better serve the needs of recent immigrants – especially Hispanic households," he said.
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#2179 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:03 am

Jail plan relies on expertise

Dallas County: Agency in mental health field would regulate care

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

DALLAS, Texas - Dallas County commissioners are considering a move to spin off care of the mentally ill in jail to an agency with specific mental health expertise to overhaul the troubled program.

Mental health advocates say that no matter who runs the jail's health care, the severe problems won't improve unless there are systemic changes and enough money to hire more staff.

Judge Margaret Keliher said Thursday that she and Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is chairwoman of a committee charged with improving jail health care, asked Commissioners Court administrator Allen Clemson to work up bid specifications for hiring an entity to handle mental health care at the jail.

Commissioners also are considering an order to have the county's Department of Health and Human Services test all inmates at book-in for tuberculosis.

The jail's health care came under scathing criticism in a February report that cited a shortage of staff and long waits for inmates to obtain medical help.

The University of Texas Medical Branch announced last week that it would not renew its contract, which expires in November, to oversee jail care. The commissioners have told Parkland Memorial Hospital officials that they should be ready to take over jail medical care as soon as UTMB leaves. Parkland's board has asked commissioners to approve a small tax increase to raise $6 million more for jail health care, raising the total budget to at least $20 million.

The severe problems are particularly acute for the mentally ill, who represent as much as 20 percent of the jail's population.

Because of a dearth of funding for community-based programs to help the mentally ill, should-be patients often go off their medication and get arrested for minor public-nuisance offenses. But jails were never built to be mental health hospitals.

"The jail has become an apology for underfunding our mental health system in Texas," said Dr. Ron Anderson, Parkland Health & Hospital System's president and CEO.

Because of poor screening at the book-in area, many mentally ill people go undetected. And even those who are identified as mentally ill often go weeks without proper medication because of a lack of staff to hand out anti-psychotic medication.

Ms. Keliher said hiring Dallas MetroCare Services or another entity with expertise in mental illness could ease the burden for Parkland and ensure proper care.

"MetroCare is certainly a highly respected service provider which would bring a lot of desirable aspects, but they aren't the only ones out there," Mr. Clemson said.

Dr. James Baker, MetroCare's CEO, was out of town and could not be reached.

Dr. Anderson said it would make sense to approach jail health by breaking it into pieces. "You can't eat an elephant in one bite," he said.

But he cautioned that if MetroCare or some other entity took on the mental illness portion of jail care, there would need to be significant coordination among all the jail's providers so patients didn't slip through the cracks.

"Patients don't come in individual packages like that," he said. "Many mentally ill also have multiple other medical problems."

Dr. Anderson said that without a thoroughly integrated system, quality of care would suffer.

He said the psychiatry department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, which helps to staff Parkland, wants its residents exposed to forensic psychiatry, and they might spend time working at the jail. But Dr. Anderson said the bulk of care would be provided by established doctors dedicated to service, not by people in training.

Ms. Keliher said commissioners are also thinking about assigning tuberculosis screening to the county health department.

Zachary Thompson, the county's health director, said the department would take up the role again. It had done so before UTMB took over jail health care in late 2002. He said the focus would be a skin test and chest X-ray for all new inmates, and possibly a more expensive blood test that could also screen for HIV and syphilis.

But he said it would take additional staff to conduct the testing. When the county ran TB testing, it had 10 to 12 employees involved, although some also handled other tasks in the jail.

Ms. Keliher said it was premature for Parkland to talk about a tax hike to cover new jail health costs, because other entities might be taking on chunks of the issue.

But Dr. Anderson said that no matter who took over, there would be real costs to improve care. MetroCare, he said, is already reeling from aid cuts that make it doubtful it could absorb costs related to care of the mentally ill in jail.

"It's important not to do this on the cheap," Dr. Anderson said. "We don't need a Cadillac program, but it can't be a 1954 Buick blocked up on the front lawn, either."

Vivian Lawrence, a criminal justice specialist with the Mental Health Association of Dallas, agreed. "If the program is not properly funded, it doesn't matter what agency runs the jail health care," she said. "We'll have the same problems we've always had."
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#2180 Postby TexasStooge » Fri Jul 22, 2005 11:04 am

Cause of plane crash investigated

Tarrant County: Preliminary report expected next week

By DEBRA DENNIS / The Dallas Morning News

SAGINAW, Texas - Investigators are still trying to find a cause for the crash Wednesday of a single engine airplane that missed two houses as it plunged to the ground in a northwest Tarrant County subdivision, killing all three on board.

"We're looking into the aircraft, looking at what was wrong and what was right," said Craig Hatch, an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board in Fort Worth.

The craft, a Mooney M20J, belonged to Donald R. Welborn of Keller.

Mr. Welborn, 72, died in the crash. He had taken two friends from out of state for a short ride, his family said.

The Tarrant County medical examiner is investigating the crash and will release the names of those killed when positive identification is made, officials said.

Witnesses told investigators the plane was coming in for a landing about 12:20 p.m. when it crashed between two homes and struck a boat and a fence.

Officials said Mr. Welborn, a father of six, steered the plane away from houses to spare other lives.

"I'm sure he was thinking, 'There are little kiddies in there and, with God's help, I'm going to do my best not to injure them or ruin their lives,' " said one of Mr. Welborn's daughters, Tammy Fuller of Georgetown, Texas.

Mr. Welborn, who investigators said held a private pilot certificate, kept his plane at a hangar at Hicks Airfield, which is near the subdivision where the crash occurred.

A traveling preacher, Mr. Welborn had recently organized a small church in North Richland Hills, his family said.

Federal investigators expect to issue a preliminary report early next week on what led to the crash, Mr. Hatch said.

The pilot's training, logbook and the aircraft's maintenance records will be part of the probe, he said.

Funeral arrangements for Mr. Welborn are pending.

WFAA ABC 8 contributed to this report.
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