News from the Lone Star State

[TexasStooge]

Fire damages White Settlement apartments

By MARISSA ALANIS / The Dallas Morning News

WHITE SETTLEMENT, Texas - Forty firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze at an apartment complex in White Settlement Friday morning.

The fire started about 8:15 a.m. at the Ridge Apartments in the 9200 block of Dale Lane, White Settlement firefighter R.J. Schwartz said. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

The fire spread to three units at the complex.

The American Red Cross was at the scene assisting displaced residents.

The Lockheed Martin fire department was assisting White Settlement firefighters.

[TexasStooge]

Fire destroys airport hangar near McKinney

MCKINNEY, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A three-alarm blaze destroyed a hangar at a private airport in northwestern Collin County Friday morning.

McKinney fire officials said the blaze began shortly before 5 a.m. at the Aero Country airport in the 10000 block of Vought Lane, just south of Highway 380.

Investigators determined two employees of a landscape company that rents the hangar were welding and spilled some gasoline, and a spark ignited the vapors.

No one was injured in the fire, but the hangar's roof collapsed. No planes were housed in the building, officials said.

A damage estimate has not been determined.

WFAA-TV contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Woman killed in S. Texas chopper crash

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) — A woman died and three men were hospitalized in critical condition after a helicopter crash near a Fredericksburg airport.

No identities were released, but officials said the woman was from San Antonio. The three men were airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, 60 miles to the southeast.

Fredericksburg Police Chief Paul Oestereich said the R-44 Robinson helicopter crashed after taking off from Gillespie County Airport shortly before nightfall on Thursday. He said the chopper clipped some power lines and crashed in flames.

One of the injured men was from San Antonio, while the other two were said to be from Austin.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.

[TexasStooge]

Woman's fatal shooting investigated

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/DallasNews.com) - Dallas police on Friday were trying to figure out why a woman was fatally shot after some sort of discussion with a man in South Dallas.

Lt. Rick Watson said officers were called to the 1700 block of Peabody Avenue about 10:55 p.m. Thursday. Witnesses told them that a man in his late 30s, who was driving a large, silver, four-door vehicle, had approached one of them and “engaged in a conversation.”

He then drove off, and later returned, engaging in conversation with the victim.

“It was at that time that the victim walked off and then the suspect fired once at the victim,” Lt. Watson said.

Paula Jackson, 35, whose hometown was not immediately available, was pronounced dead about 11:30 p.m. at Baylor University Medical Center. Lt. Watson said police were not releasing the gunshot wound’s location.

It was unclear if Ms. Jackson had any relationship to the suspect or what was said between them.

“We’re talking to the witnesses there and trying to determine was it an argument or was it just a conversation or what,” Lt. Watson said.

Anyone with information should call 214-671-3661.

[TexasStooge]

3 injured in I-20 wreck

By MARISSA ALANIS / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH, Texas - Two children and their mother were in critical condition at Fort Worth-area hospitals Friday after their vehicle rolled over on Interstate 20 on the Benbrook-Fort Worth border, an official said.

Fort Worth police Sgt. Rodney Bangs said the woman was driving east in her SUV on I-20 near U.S. Highway 377 about 10:20 a.m. when the back left tire blew out, causing her to lose control. Her vehicle crossed the median and ended up on West Loop 820 South. Her 5-year-old son was ejected from the car.

The boy was taken by medical helicopter to Cook Children's Medical Center, and the mother also was taken by medical helicopter to John Peter Smith Hospital. The four-year-old girl was taken by ground ambulance to Cook Children's Medical Center.

The wreck caused a lengthy backup along eastbound SW Loop 820 and I-20.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.


WFAA ABC 8
Two children and their mother were injured in the accident.
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Live Dallas/Ft. Worth Traffic Reports from Traffic Pulse

[TexasStooge]

Texas officials alerted to mumps epidemic

From The Dallas Morning NewsStaff and Wire Reports

Texas health officials have notified doctors to be aware of a mumps epidemic in the Midwest, although no related cases have been reported here.

Texas Department of Health spokesman Doug McBride said information about the outbreak and diagnosis was sent to doctors, hospitals, school nurses and local health departments. He noted that at least a generation of health-care givers has never seen mumps or its symptoms.

It was reported earlier this week that two infected airline passengers may have helped spread Iowa's mumps epidemic to six other Midwestern states.

Although one of the infected people flew through Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, only three Texans apparently were exposed. Two have been located and say they are fine, McBride said.

The mumps epidemic is the nation's first in 20 years. Health officials say 515 suspected cases have been reported in Iowa, and the disease also has been seen in six neighboring states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Iowa health department identified two people who were potentially infectious when they were traveling in late March and early April.

Officials in other states have not linked any cases to the air travelers. But because the illness's incubation is two to three weeks, cases may not begin appearing until about now, Kevin Teale, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Health.

This week the CDC put out an advisory about the passengers to state health departments. "Infectious diseases can travel easily on planes and other modes of transportation," said Dr. Jane Seward, acting deputy director of the CDC's viral diseases division.

Mumps is a virus-caused illness spread by coughing and sneezing. The most common symptoms are fever, headache and swollen salivary glands under the jaw. But it can lead to more severe problems, such as hearing loss, meningitis and fertility-diminishing swollen testicles.

No deaths have been reported from the current epidemic.

A two-dose mumps vaccine is recommended for all children, and is considered highly – but not completely – effective against the illness. About a quarter of the Iowans who have suspected cases got the vaccine, Teale said.

Dallas Morning News staff writer Linda Leavell and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
_____________________________________________________________

ALSO ONLINE:

What you need to know about mumps (CDC.gov)

[TexasStooge]

Parents offered G.P.S. to track children

By BRAD HAWKINS / WFAA ABC 8

What would you think about being able to push a button and find out where your kids are anytime, anywhere?

Global positioning technology is not new, of course, but starting this week, one the country's biggest mobile phone providers is using G.P.S. to give parents a tool to locate anyone in their family.

As a single parent of three, Rob Knebel is used to juggling.

He and his 17-year-old stay in touch.

They agreed to try the new Family Locator for us.

Andrew took the kid handset and took off.

"To be checking on them every 10 or 15 minutes, I'm not sure I'd want to be doing that. But then there are times I would like to have a device like this," said Rob Knebel.

He pushed one button and 30 seconds later his only question - what Andrew had ordered at the neighborhood coffee shop.

The Lake Highlands junior did get a text message saying his Dad wasn't just checking in but checking on him.

It leaves a bitter taste.

"I think it's kind of offensive that we're expected to carry something that could track us. It's kind of the same as a parolee," said Andrew.

The software works all over the country, specific down to street level. So, if little Susie says she's playing soccer in the neighborhood the phone won't lie if she spent the day in Deep Ellum, instead.

Sprint is marketing this is a safety tool but some are concerned that parents might use it to snoop.

"You could implicitly, without ever saying a word, tell your child 'I really don't trust that you say where you're going to be and now I have a way to find it out,'" said Dr. Pete Stavinoha.

Sprint says everyone has to consent for the download.

The provider will charge $10 a month to make four phones, on one account, trackable 24/7.

And from any computer, parents can get a password-protected history of where their kids have been. Our demo phones, you can see, were in Austin earlier this week.

Emergency responders already have saved many lives locking in to 911 calls to find people in trouble. Putting it in a parent's pocket is new, just time for the prom when curfews could push a little later.

"He keeps an eye on me, he knows where I am," adds Andrew.

[TexasStooge]

Dallas couple set to 'adopt' embryos

By MACIE JEPSON / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - More than 450,000 frozen human embryos now exist—waiting to be destroyed, donated or kept in a cryogenic state indefinitely.

Most are the results of in vitro fertilization, the last chance for couples to conceive.

But what if other infertile couples could use those embryos?

Adam and Beth Harris of Dallas are joining a growing number of couples who want to adopt unused embryos.

They thought they'd be the parents at a playground by now. "I'd like to have two, at least," Beth said. "We have different ideas. I come from a big family."

But after six years of infertility treatments, there is no baby for the Harrises.

"For a man who shows it differently, it's hard to see your wife like that," Adam said.

Doctors say Beth can carry a child, but she can't get pregnant—even with the help of in vitro fertilization.

"You start to go through emotions like loss of hope, and feeling kind of alone," Beth said.

The Harrises are rare. Most couples who undergo IVF end up with too many embryos, even after their families are complete.

The Harris had none.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of leftover viable embryos are abandoned—frozen in temporary holding tanks with limited futures. For more than 20 years, couples chose to destroy them, save them or donate them anonymously.

Then an adoption agency in California did the unthinkable by coordinating the adoption of frozen embryos between pre-matched clients.

"This option provides those families the opportunity to place those embryos with adoptive families with all the safeguards of traditional adoption," said Natasha Nechiporenko of Snowflake Adoptions.

And it lets infertile women experience pregnancy.

It's important to note that Snowflake adoption agency is a Christian agency that believes life begins at conception.

"It's something that you created, and now you have to take responsibility for making the right decision for those embryos you created," Nechiporenko said.

Hospital ethics boards across Texas are examining the ramifications of such adoptions. Adopted embryos are already implanted at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas and are being considered by Presbyterian hospitals.

"Most of these things have to be taken to an ethics committee," explained infertility specialist Dr. James Douglas. "The technology for cloning, as you know, is here. You could clone a human embryo, if the government said, 'Now it's okay,' within a year you're going to have cloned babies. We don't need that. We don't need 'designer embryos.' We need embryos that were formed for a good reason, and instead of throwing them away, use them."

And doctors are getting better at using them. Twenty years ago, they saw a five percent success rate with frozen embryos.

Today, frozen embryo implantation results in pregnancy half the time, compared to a 55 percent success rate of traditional IVF.

The Harrises say their struggle changed them.

"New hope comes when you find that maybe it really is about being parents and not about having your own biological child," Beth said.

They've begun their own frozen embryo adoption process, and hope to be matched with a batch of embryos in four to six months. If successful, Beth could be pregnant by September.

"It startes giving you hope back, that you don't have to die to all of your dreams," Beth said. "I think for a woman that is a unique thing."

With new hope, a walk in the park isn't so hard anymore.

Snowflake Adoption Agency has a regional office in Dallas. We're told the agency's 100th and 101st babies were born on Thursday—twin sisters.

[TexasStooge]

Nail salon offers pipeless foot spas

By BRAD WATSON / WFAA ABC 8

Jennifer Colon puts her feet in a whirlpool foot spa for a pedicure feeling safe.

All foot spas look about the same but these at the new spa at the Baylor Landry Fitness Center are different - they're pipeless.

And after learning about them, Colon likes them.

"No one wants to get sick and it's not relaxing anymore if you have to worry about that," she says.

The pipeless foot spa circulates water in the basin with a plastic impeller.

Because of the increasing concern about sanitation and bacterial skin infections from pedicures, Landry chose pipeless.

"So you don't have that opportunity of dirty water flushing back and forth during your pedicure. And it's also very, very easy to clean," says Lesly Evans from the center.

Most salons that feature whirlpool foot spas use the kind that run water through the basin with pipes.

State regulation requires salons to disinfect and flush piped systems to kill bacteria.

Spas, such as the Elegant Touch in McKinney, say piped spas are not the problem.

"I think it's the human beings who are supposed to be maintaining them. It doesn't take that long to clean it and make sure that it's done properly," says Shari Gibson from the salon.

But piped spas retain some water after draining and can't be scrubbed clean internally.

Sanijet Corporation in Coppell builds pipeless spas and says they pass tests by the National Sanitation Foundation.

"They have validated that our system can be cleaned to a hospital grade level of disinfection in just a matter of minutes," said Philip Klement from Sanijet.

As consumers take the time to learn more about salon sanitation, they find they now have a choice between piped and pipeless.

[TexasStooge]

On wobbly ground

Masons, once a bedrock of U.S. culture, face aging, declining membership

By HOLLY LEBOWITZ ROSSI / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, Texas - In a long-in-the-tooth corner of downtown Dallas, between the Farmers Market and the Stewpot, sits the solid, well-maintained – but largely vacant – Masonic Temple.

The 65-year-old landmark has been on the market since October. (Asking price, $3.6 million.) Like the organization it represents, the temple has seen better days.

The Freemasons were once a cornerstone of American society, counting among their members nine signers of the Declaration of Independence, 14 presidents, and 42 U.S. Supreme Court justices.

The organization is a fraternity, social club and "brotherhood" that, using the ancient craft of stonecutting as a metaphor, seeks to instill morality and upright behavior in members. At monthly lodge meetings, Masons perform rituals to induct new members, attend classes on what they call "the craft," and organize charitable activities in their communities.

But the organization is in serious decline – and, looking at the downtown temple, one might even call it an institution of generations past.

That assessment, however, doesn't take into account the building directly across Harwood Street from the Dallas temple. The Dallas Scottish Rite Cathedral, run by a subgroup of the Freemasons, recently underwent a significant renovation and is an active center for the charitable work and ritual ceremonies that epitomize Masonry.

Any close look at the centuries-old Masonic fraternity reveals more than a dying group with a mysterious past.

Freemasonry today echoes questions that are being asked in churches and other religious institutions across the country. How do we recruit new members? Should we change to fit modern social conventions? How do we overcome biases against us?

To be sure, Freemasonry is at a crossroads. Popular with the World War II generation, the Masons hit their peak in 1959, with more than 4 million U.S. members. Now, membership is around 1.5 million.

Ward Guffey, president of the Masonic Temple Corp., which owns the downtown Dallas temple, said it was once home to nine lodges with a combined membership of roughly 10,000. Today five lodges, with a total of 2,000 to 3,000 members, meet there.

"Modern-day people, especially younger people, just don't have as much time to devote to social and fraternal organizations," he said. He added that many Masons in days gone by were downtown businessmen – and many of those downtown businesses have moved or disappeared entirely.

At the same time, though, Masons do seem to be making a cultural splash. The May release of the film version The DaVinci Code has piqued interest in secret societies and ancient rituals. DaVinci author Dan Brown's next book, The Solomon Key, is rumored to be about Masonry and the Founding Fathers. Masonry also figured prominently in the 2004 Nicolas Cage adventure film, National Treasure.

Many Masonic leaders see the spike in interest as an opportunity to re-energize Freemasonry and its various subgroups – which include, in addition to the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, the Order of the Eastern Star, and the Shriners.

The fraternity has a lot of history on its side – and legend, precisely the kind that is so fascinating to eager consumers of tales like The DaVinci Code.

There are different theories about the origins of the Masons. In the most popular narrative, the fraternity looks back on two historical moments in particular.

One is the building of King Solomon's Temple, which Masons say was completed in the 10th century B.C. by stonemasons of three skill levels – entered apprentice, fellow craft, and master mason.

The second dates to medieval times, when a group known as the Knights Templar, or the Poor Knights of Christ, was sent to protect Crusaders on their way to Jerusalem. Legend has it that the Knights were actually on a different mission, having learned that treasure had been buried by the builders of Solomon's Temple, which was destroyed in 587 B.C.

Many historians are skeptical of a direct link between the Knights Templar and Freemasonry. But scholars do agree that around 1717, Freemasonry emerged in England as a fraternal order, distinct from the medieval craft guilds. (Starting in that period, working as a builder was no longer a criterion for membership in the Masons.)

Masonry arrived in America by 1730, when Benjamin Franklin became a member in Philadelphia. In 1733, the fraternity's American presence became official with the establishment of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.

Freemasons today view the tools of the masonic craft as metaphors: They see their lives as "spiritual and moral edifices," and they try to fulfill the fraternity's motto, "We make good men better."

Masons advance through the ranks by "degrees." To move up, a participant must undergo a ritual in which he learns secret handshakes and words, as well as moral and ethical lessons.

The first three degrees bear the same names as those of Solomon's era. To move beyond those three, a candidate joins either the Scottish Rite, which awards degrees 4 through 32, or the York Rite, which includes the degree of Knight Templar – the only Masonic degree that requires Christian faith.

Knights, secret rituals, and treasure aside, Masonry is, its leaders say, fundamentally about giving back to the community and being a force for good in the world.

"If everyone lived in the world based on our teachings – not what we preach, but what we actually do – the world would be much better off," said Jeffrey B. Hodgdon, grand master in Massachusetts.

Although Freemasonry requires a belief in God or some higher power, the fraternity is adamant that it is not a religion, and it welcomes members of all faiths.

"To be a religion, you have to have some form of a means of salvation. Masonry doesn't touch that – that's the church's job," said Brian Dodson of Sugar Land, grand master of the Grand Lodge of Texas.

However, Steven C. Bullock, a historian at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts and an expert on American Masonry, said the organization, with its rituals and almost ecclesiastical leadership structure, does function somewhat like a religious body.

"Masonry is not a religion, but it's religious in all sorts of ways," he said.

Some religious groups, leery of the Masons' focus on rites, vows, and rituals, warn members to steer clear. In particular, the Roman Catholic Church has famously objected to Masonry since the 1730s.

A 1983 Vatican declaration, the most recent reiteration of the church's position, said: "Catholics enrolled in Masonic associations are involved in serious sin and may not approach Holy Communion." Freemasonry, according to the Catholic Almanac, is "a naturalistic religion, active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice."

No one, however, questions the Masons' devotion to charitable works.

In most states, Masonic charities fund hospitals, old age homes, and other philanthropic activities. Mr. Hodgdon, from Massachusetts, estimated that nationwide, Masons spend $3 million a day on charitable projects.

This dedication only heightens the urgency brought on by the decline in membership – having fewer members means less in dues to be used for charitable purposes.

But like any organization where each branch governs itself – there is no national Masonic body; each state or "jurisdiction" sets its own bylaws – there is disagreement about how the fraternity can best attract new members.

Several jurisdictions, including those in Massachusetts, Ohio, New York, Oklahoma, and Washington, D.C., have greatly streamlined the initiation process. They have introduced one-day programs through which men can perform the necessary rituals to become "Master Masons" in a single day, rather than over several months.

The program has brought in new blood in Massachusetts, including an 82-member lodge near Harvard University. For that lodge, Mr. Hodgdon granted a special dispensation, exempting several young men from the minimum age requirement of 21.

Besides Catholics, other faith groups have raised eyebrows at the Masons. In the early 20th century, Scottish Rite Masons, concerned with "Americanism" as immigrants poured into the country, stirred suspicions among Jews that the fraternity might be anti-Semitic. But Jews have historically been able to join, Dr. Bullock said. Indeed, the grand master of Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War was Jewish.

And some evangelical Christians are put off by Masonry's non-Christian rituals, or by its prohibition against religious proselytizing among members.

"That would cause strife," said Mr. Dodson, the Texan. "We're looking for a brotherhood."

Mr. Dodson, an Episcopalian, said Texas lodges have lost some members in recent years when the men learned that Masons can take their vows by placing their hands on any holy book, including the Hebrew Bible or the Quran.

"The reason that type of Christian leaves Masonry is because of our tolerance," he said.

That tolerance – and the fraternity, charity, and community that the Masons represent – will keep the group strong, said Frank Brown of Dallas, a highly degreed Mason and Knight Templar who is also a Son of the Republic of Texas.

"It's something I would recommend to anyone who is striving for relationships with people who they know they can trust – and who they want to be trusted by," he said.
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NOTED MASONS

A partial list of famous Freemasons:

Presidents

(chronological)

George Washington

James Monroe

Andrew Jackson

James K. Polk

James Buchanan

Andrew Johnson

James A. Garfield

William McKinley

Theodore Roosevelt

William Howard Taft

Warren G. Harding

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Harry S. Truman

Gerald R. Ford

Politicians/ Statesmen

William Jennings Bryan

Robert Byrd

Winston Churchill

W.E.B. DuBois

Benjamin Franklin

John Glenn

John Hancock

Jesse Jackson

Paul Revere

Strom Thurmond

Businessmen

Henry Ford

Andrew Mellon

Dave Thomas

Athletes

Jack Dempsey

John Elway

Scottie Pippen

Entertainers/Artists

Irving Berlin

Mel Blanc

Nat "King" Cole

Cecil B. DeMille

Leonardo DiCaprio

Duke Ellington

Clark Gable

Rudyard Kipling

Wolfgang Amadeus

Mozart

Michael Richards

Peter Sellers

Red Skelton

John Philip Sousa

Mark Twain

Florenz Ziegfeld

Texans

Stephen F. Austin

Gene Autry

Bob Bullock

George Bannerman

Dealey

James Fannin

Sam Houston

Thomas Rusk

Juan Seguin

William B. Travis

Lorenzo de Zavala

Others

William Clark

Meriwether Lewis

Charles Lindbergh

Douglas MacArthur

Thurgood Marshall

Booker T. Washington

Earl Warren

Brigham Young

SOURCES: Freemasons for Dummies; Freemasonry: A Celebration of the Craft; 10,000 Famous Freemasons; The Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts

[TexasStooge]

Terrell fire leads to evacuation, road closures

By MARGARITA MARTÍN-HIDALGO and JAY PARSONS / The Dallas Morning News

TERRELL, Texas — Smoke could be seen for miles erupting from a massive fire at an air filter manufacturing plant Saturday afternoon in Terrell. No one was injured, but air contamination fears led to the evacuation of a Wal-Mart and shut down nearby roads.

The plastic material inside the material “burns just like diesel fuel,” Terrell Fire Chief Jim Harper said. “The wind being what it is today, it was too much fire when we got here.”

Over 50 employees were inside the building at the time, but they were unharmed.

"Two guys working said, 'Fire in the building, get out!" said plant employee Robert Bishop. "Whenever I looked back, I seen smoke. It was pretty thick."

Police blocked off several roads, including all directions of the Highway 80 and FM148 intersection. FM205 was shut down between Highway 80 and Coquitt Road.

It’s unclear what caused the fire at Precisionaire’s building on 100 FM148 South. Firefighters were still fighting the blaze at 3:45 p.m., more than two hours after the fire started.

Several stores and restaurants were evacuated, including Wal-Mart, CVS pharmacy and a car dealership. Rescue personnel said they were concerned about air contamination . A nearby residential area was not evacuated but a police officer said that the houses were not in danger.

The fire was under control by 6 p.m., but the remains of the building were still too dangerous for fire investigators to try and determine a cause.

WFAA-TV reporters Bert Lozano and John Pronk in Terrell contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

School finance lessons

Can Texas legislators learn from a recent history of failures to pass an overhaul of education funding?

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas – Lawmakers face a day of reckoning on school finance and property taxes in just six weeks. But even with that court-ordered deadline to meet and a blue-ribbon plan from the governor, the task is enormous, according to those who have fought such battles before.

In five attempts since 2003, lawmakers made little progress. So, few expect that when they convene for a special session Monday, the House and Senate – not to mention Democrats and Republicans – can easily put aside long-standing differences on taxes and education.

Not in just 30 days. Not with campaigns looming on many lawmakers' minds.

As former House Speaker Pete Laney knows from his decade in charge, the issues are among the most volatile lawmakers face.

"When you're dealing with school finance and taxes, there's not any part of society you're not touching," said Mr. Laney, a Hale Center Democrat who will retire from the House after this year.

"Talk about people's kids and the taxes they pay, and you get practically everybody's attention," Mr. Laney said.

To satisfy the Texas Supreme Court, lawmakers will consider a plan that would reduce property taxes and increase what businesses and smokers must pay. Some will push for higher teacher pay. Others will lobby to simply use a budget surplus to reduce property taxes.

The last time the Legislature overhauled school funding, creating the "Robin Hood" plan in 1993, the legislation passed just days before a Supreme Court deadline – June 1, the same date looming now.

"As you get closer to the deadline, it's easier to pick up votes," said former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, a Republican who authored the 1993 law as a senator. "At that point, members can go home and say they didn't like the plan, but they had to vote for it to keep the schools from closing."

Mr. Ratliff, now a consultant to the Texas Association of School Boards, predicted that any decision by lawmakers "will go down to the wire, if not past the wire."

"But in the end, I don't think a majority of legislators are willing to take a chance on missing the deadline."

Tax-and-spend charges

Former Rep. Paul Sadler, a Democratic member of the negotiating team that hammered out the 1993 agreement, said politics has everything to do with reluctance to cast votes on taxes and funding for schools.

"It creates a record that an opponent can distort down the road," Mr. Sadler said. "It opens you up to claims that you're a tax-and-spend politician."

Hard feelings over last year's fights on school finance popped up in primary elections this year as some incumbents lost, including House education chief Kent Grusendorf, R-Arlington. Many may return to Austin angry over the campaign wars.

Gov. Rick Perry, who has had no luck trying to lead the way on school finance in the past, thinks he has a winning strategy this time.

Mr. Perry, a Republican, tapped former state Comptroller John Sharp, a Democrat, to lead the panel that drafted an ambitious plan swapping lower school property taxes for higher taxes on businesses and cigarettes. It would reduce the state's reliance on local property taxes to fund schools, addressing a major complaint of the Supreme Court.

"We believe this plan can bridge the differences in the Legislature that have caused previous efforts to falter," said Mr. Perry, who will lead a $6 million advertising and grass-roots campaign for the tax proposal.

But as Mr. Laney noted: "If you have to spend $6 million to sell it, it means that this is not going to be easy."

Leading business groups, including the powerful Texas Association of Business, have endorsed the Perry-Sharp tax plan. It's an unprecedented level of business support, but many lobbyists will still work tirelessly to protect their clients.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, leader of the Senate, and House Speaker Tom Craddick have not embraced the proposal – though some leaders in both chambers have said the tax commission's blueprint is a "good starting point."

House gets 1st chance

The House will work first on a tax proposal, while the Senate will craft a school improvement package to give teachers a pay raise, create a merit pay plan for teachers and increase funding for high schools. Mr. Dewhurst and Senate leaders have been adamant that any school finance plan must be accompanied by such initiatives.

The House and Senate sharply disagreed last year on such initiatives, and negotiations could bog down on such questions again.

In last year's sessions, another impediment was intense opposition from school districts and education groups. While they're being more cautious this time, they still question how schoolchildren will benefit from a tax swap that puts no new money into schools.

"It does nothing to help school districts," said Clayton Downing, former superintendent of Lewisville schools and director of the Texas School Coalition.

Mr. Perry has said that if there's time, teacher raises can be considered. But Mr. Downing isn't expecting a windfall for schools.

"Our biggest fear is they will do a quick fix, give a few pennies of tax relief and then go home," he said. "I want to be optimistic, but I'm not hearing things that make me optimistic."

[TexasStooge]

Baby born after police crash dies

By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH, Texas - An infant born prematurely died Friday, two days after a Fort Worth police squad car struck the car the baby's mother was in and caused her to go into labor, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff's spokesman Terry Grisham said Friday that the Tarrant County medical examiner notified him of the baby's death about 6:50 p.m.

"We're heartbroken for the family and for the police officer," Mr. Grisham said. "No one is going to be more heartbroken than that officer who took an oath to protect people."

According to Mr. Grisham, the accident happened about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday when off-duty Fort Worth Officer C. Fearneyhough crossed the center line and struck a car in far southwest Tarrant County. The officer had a take-home car because he is a neighborhood patrol officer, Mr. Grisham said.

"The police car struck it head on and then proceeded to actually ride over the top of the vehicle with the front tires of the police car coming to rest about equal with the drivers side windows," Mr. Grisham said.

The car was driven by Ada Navarro of Euless. Also in the car were her seven-months-pregnant daughter, Laura Navarro, as well as two small children.

The Navarros and the police officer were taken to Fort Worth-area hospitals. Information about the conditions of the rest of the Navarro family was not available at the family's request.

Fort Worth police officials could not be reached for comment Friday night.

The Sheriff's Department investigation into the accident continues. "We have not reached any conclusions," Mr. Grisham said.

[TexasStooge]

Congregation of burnt church finds Easter cheer

Carol Cavazos, WFAA ABC 8

LANCASTER, Texas - A congregation, whose church burned to the ground last week, celebrated Easter in a borrowed room.

Johnson Chapel Community Church lost their main building and everything in it when fire broke out last Saturday.

Helena Mosley is the principal of the Fourth Grade Center School allowing the church to hold temporary services and she's a church member.

"I think it is divine. I think we're all in a place for a reason," she says.

Church officials say an accidental fire broke out near the sanctuary last Saturday. The word spread and 100 members watched their church - home of seven years - succumb to flames.

"We were all standing around holding hands and praying and singing and crying together, so it was just like a funeral," said Dr. L.D. Dabney, a church administrator.

One week later, on Easter Sunday, they're discovering all they lost.

"My robe was burned. We didn't have communion trays. So, all of those things we think about each time we get ready to do something. But we're blessed no one was hurt," said pastor Dr. Karen Hollie.

A day like Easter gives them pause for reflection and with the transition, comes revelation.

"I had to reflect on what a Christian really is. It really was never about that building. It was about the love you have for God in your heart," said Dr. Dabney.

[TexasStooge]

Body recovered from Grand Prairie pond

GRAND PRARIE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - Grand Prairie police recovered the body of a man from a pond near an apartment complex Sunday. Police said the man, whose name has not been released, was first reported missing by his friends Saturday night.

After interviewing friends who said it was uncharacteristic for the man to miss church Sunday, police began searching in a pond near the Towns of Riverside apartment complex in the 2800 block of Riverside Parkway. A body was found there Sunday afternoon, police said.

[TexasStooge]

Man found shot dead in Dallas doorway

DALLAS, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) - A shooting on Saturday left a man dead in an apartment doorway in the Red Bird complex in Dallas.

Police said they were called to an apartment unit in the 7200 block of Marvin D. Love Freeway at about 9 p.m.

The man had been shot several times.

He did not have any identification; police are still trying to work out who he is.

Police are calling on witnesses to come forward.

[TexasStooge]

Chain ban plans for San Antonio's River Walk

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (WFAA ABC 8/AP) -- Chain restaurants spreading along San Antonio's River Walk has the city's mayor backing a plan to stop cookie-cutter franchises from stripping the local charm.

With about 30 percent of River Walk restaurants now owned by national chains, Mayor Phil Hardberger has proposed an ordinance banning any more chains from opening along the famed tourist destination.

The plan -- supported by many locals but criticized by chain owners and executives -- is expected to go before the city's zoning commission and City Council next month.

"It's a very big concern, else you're going to have one chain after another and it's going to look like a shopping center in Minneapolis or New Jersey, and that's not appropriate for the San Antonio River," Hardberger said in Sunday's editions of the San Antonio-Express News.

Four of the six eateries that opened during the past two years on the River Walk were chains, according to the Paseo del Rio Association, a nonprofit group that works to preserve the strip's character. Another restaurant under construction there is also expected to be part of a chain.

Since February, about 6,500 San Antonio residents have signed a petition by jazz musician Jim Cullum to limit chains and re-establish a River Walk Commission.

But other locals, including those noting the economic impact chains bring to the area, feel familiar restaurants fill a need and deserve a place. Curtis Gunn Jr., who owns land on the River Walk where a Saltgrass Steak House is expected to open, said chains reliably serve visitors with cleanliness and familiar menus.

"I'm not fond of chains, necessarily, but chains provide things people want," Gunn said.

Under the proposed ordinance, hotels and Rivercenter mall would be allowed to keep their chain establishments. Restaurants already open along the River Walk -- such as Joe's Crab Shack and the Rainforest Cafe -- would be allowed to stay, and they could be replaced by another chain if they close.

Any future chains hoping to secure a new place along the River Walk would be denied. Landry's Restaurants, which own several eateries along the walk, says the areas needs a balance of local and national flavor.

"It is critical that the River Walk offer a healthy mix of nationally owned restaurants and fine local independents," said Tilman Fertitta, the company's president and CEO. "An appropriate blend of the two is essential to maintain the viability" of the attraction.

The mayor's office will present the plan May 2. In the meantime, Hardberger's staff continues to work on final details like how far from the riverbank the no-chain zone would extend and how many locations a restaurant must have to constitute a chain.

[TexasStooge]

Strayhorn holds power in session

Strayhorn's control over limits for school funding could put rival Perry in a tight spot

By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN, Texas – As lawmakers gather today for a politically supercharged math test on school finance, here's a rule to remember: Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn is the only calculator that counts.

Under state law, the comptroller tells the Legislature how much money the state has – and legislators can't spend a penny more.

That means Mrs. Strayhorn, who is challenging Gov. Rick Perry, controls the numbers in a special session that might reduce property taxes and make sure that schools open on time.

Or, to the governor's detriment, might not.

"In this situation, she is the most powerful player," said Republican consultant Royal Masset. "She controls the variable in this session – the spending limits."

The Legislature convenes today for a fifth try in two years to repair the state's system of funding public schools, which courts have ruled unconstitutional. Mrs. Strayhorn will announce how much money leaders have as they face a June 1 deadline to fix the system.

Mr. Perry, who seeks re-election in November, has his sights on lowering property taxes, and he has a plan to raise business and cigarette taxes to pay for it.

Mrs. Strayhorn, a Republican running as an independent in hopes of unseating the governor in November, has denounced Mr. Perry's leadership, dismissed his plan and chided him for not aspiring to higher goals on education.

She advocates an across-the-board pay raise for teachers and spending on education overhauls to cut dropout rates and raise standardized test scores.

If she announces a sizable surplus today and the Legislature then doesn't tackle education improvements – or simply fails to solve the property-tax issue – she could have a potent political issue in the fall, experts say.

The Perry camp sees a trap.

"She will, without a doubt, try to sabotage this session any way she can because it will be to her political benefit," said Robert Black, the governor's campaign spokesman.

Mrs. Strayhorn said she is required under the state constitution to provide an accurate revenue estimate and to certify whether the budget is balanced.

"The numbers are what the numbers are," she said Friday as she panned the governor's proposal. "I'm straight up. I take that responsibility very, very seriously."

In addition to declaring the state's fiscal health, Mrs. Strayhorn's office will also analyze tax proposals and their long-term effects. Though projections for years down the road can prove wrong as the economy changes, her assessments could create doubt about whether lawmakers are fixing the school finance system or creating new problems instead.

A potential advantage

Texas politics is rich with examples of comptrollers using their fiscal authority for political advantage, either to advance their own programs or damage an opponent.

Democratic Rep. Pete Laney, a former House speaker, recalled an old axiom: "It's real hard to take politics out of politics."

In 1986, Comptroller Bob Bullock damaged the re-election chances of Gov. Mark White, a political adversary, with a dire revenue warning that forced the governor to call a special session and raise $1 billion in sales and gasoline taxes.

"Mark White was probably leading [the governor's race] at that point," Mr. Masset said. "The tax increase did him in."

The political feud between Mrs. Strayhorn and Mr. Perry has escalated in recent years.

Mrs. Strayhorn rankled Republicans three years ago by rejecting a state budget that she said didn't balance, and more recently she stopped payment on a state contract with lobbyists tied to Mr. Perry.

With the governor's backing, Republicans stripped her office of two high-profile programs and conducted an audit of her office's tax rulings and campaign contributors. The Perry campaign is using the audit against her in the re-election race.

On Friday, Mrs. Strayhorn offered a scathing assessment of what she repeatedly called "Perry's tax-increase plan."

Moreover, there were indications she'll announce a healthy budget surplus today, perhaps even double the $4.3 billion lawmakers are already counting on. Experts say that could position her to bash Mr. Perry as raising taxes in times of plenty – or complain if money is spent only to cut property taxes and not give more to schools.

Session outcome is key

Politically, experts say, she would benefit most if the Legislature deadlocks. In her gubernatorial campaign, she says the state needs new leadership.

"She makes or breaks school finance," Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, who sponsored the 2003 legislation transferring programs from her office.

"I have never felt that Bullock or [former Comptroller John] Sharp were not a full participant in doing the best thing," he said. "I do not feel that about Carole."

Singer-author Kinky Friedman is also challenging Mr. Perry as an independent. The Democratic nominee is Chris Bell.

Some Democrats, fearing the comptroller's candidacy jeopardizes their party's prospects, have also targeted Mrs. Strayhorn as an opportunist capable of juggling the numbers for political gain.

"The bottom line is that you have two Republicans – Carole Strayhorn and Rick Perry – playing games," said Democratic consultant Ed Martin. "That isn't going to hire another teacher or buy another textbook or put another computer in a classroom or give anybody the property tax relief they need."

Meanwhile, Perry associates are bracing for Mrs. Strayhorn's outsized influence in the special session.

"I'm sure they're all trying to figure out what she's going to pull on them," Mr. Masset said. "They're like monkeys that can't do anything in the shock experiment. All they can do is wait for the shocks and hope they don't hurt too much."

[TexasStooge]

Arlington standoff ends with man's surrender

By CYNTHIA VEGA / WFAA ABC 8

ARLINGTON, Texas — An eight-year-old boy was safe Monday morning after being holed up with his heavily-armed father overnight at their home in the 200 block of Quail Meadows Lane in South Arlington.

The man, identified as Steven Gale, 48, freed the boy shortly after 7 a.m. after a tense drama that started with a domestic dispute call to police at midnight Sunday.

Police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said the man's wife fled the home safely, but the child was inside for hours while he threatened to shoot at officers who got too close.

An Arlington police SWAT team attempted to negotiate with Gale through the night. Gilfour said it appeared that the child was sleeping through most of the ordeal and that Gale did not make any direct threats to him.

Police said Gale owned several weapons and his wife said he also had night-vision goggles.

Tactical officers fired tear gas into the house just before 8 a.m. in an attempt to end the stalemate. Gale surrendered peacefully a short time later. No one was hurt.

Gilfour said Gale was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth for a psychiatric evaluation. Charges against him were pending.

About six neighboring homes in the usually quiet neighborhood were evacuated as a precaution.

Investigators said police had no previous reports of problems at the home.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[TexasStooge]

Irving considers its next bond election

City forms residents' committee to put together a package

By ERIC AASEN / The Dallas Morning News

IRVING, Texas - It seems like every North Texas city wants to hold a bond election in the near future – and Irving is no exception.

It's too early to say what would be on the ballot, but a couple of things are clear: Voters would probably go to the polls in May 2007, and the proposal probably wouldn't be as large as the nearly $250 million package passed in 1999.

The city has formed a residents' committee to discuss potential bond items before issuing recommendations to the City Council. It's up to the council to call an election.

The committee's goal is to come up with a bond package that makes sense and that voters will support, committee chairman Rene Castilla said.

"We don't want to come up with a huge bond package that is unreasonable and out of the question," he said.

The committee, which will meet through the spring and summer, could issue recommendations by late August, said Mr. Castilla, executive dean of educational partnerships at North Lake College. Residents will be invited to a June meeting to discuss what they'd like to see in the bond package, he said.

For now, Mr. Castilla isn't committing to any particular projects. But council member James Dickens has a long wish list. Building a new animal shelter is a top priority, he said.

"That old one is not even worth remodeling," he said.

Mr. Dickens also wants the city to have funding for infrastructure improvements.

Aging water and sewer mains need to be replaced, he said, and deteriorating streets need to be fixed and widened, particularly side streets.

In addition, he's interested in the city buying land to transform into parks.

"A city of this size and age warrants continued bond programs to keep the city up to par with the rest of the metroplex," he said. "One can't sit dormant."

The 1999 bond package, the largest in Irving history, received overwhelming support from voters.

Among the propositions, bonds were allocated for street and transportation improvements; park, library, fire station and police department upgrades; city facility improvements; and landfill improvements.