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Investigative journalism in the public interest. That’s what we focus on in Dallas-Fort Worth and throughout Texas. Join the conversation. Help us expose the problems and provide solutions. March 2010
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They won't talk: Dallas County judges White and Creuzot silent on why they pardoned convicts Another Rick Perry appointee charged with misbehaving around youth; latest case at SMU SeaWorld's killer whale kills again. Now what? Retired Fort Hood Capt. Shannon Meehan is speaking out again about the human costs of war Are fire-exit doors chained at your school, too? Church arson suspect likes Nietzsche and bonfires The tax law that suicide pilot Joe Stack hated Do you have a tip about the Austin plane crash? Categories
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March 1, 2010
DMN reporter Kevin Krause had an astonishing story in Saturday's paper: Some Dallas Country criminal court judges have been handing out virtual pardons for years when releasing convicts from probation. And these elected officials are not explaining themselves. A little-known provision in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure lets judges turn back the hands of time. They may "set aside the verdict or permit the defendant to withdraw the defendant's plea," the code says, and they can "dismiss the accusation, complaint, information or indictment against the defendant, who shall thereafter be released from all penalties and disabilities resulting from the offense or crime of which the defendant has been convicted or to which the defendant has pleaded guilty." Caveats: People convicted of certain violent or sexual crimes are not eligible. Also, judges and licensing agencies who later deal with pardoned probationers may consider their criminal histories. Here's the fallout, as reported by Kevin: Former Constable Aurelio Castillo was convicted in 2000 of receiving an illegal campaign donation but now is free to run for county clerk, thanks to Judge Ernest White (above right). And David Chang, a former Dallas police officer who was convicted in 1996 of stealing from motorists during traffic stops, was free to run for Balch Springs mayor in 2008 (he lost). His pardon came from Judge John Creuzot (lower right).
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The entry "They won't talk: Dallas County judges White and Creuzot silent on why they pardoned convicts" is tagged: Aurelio Castillo , Balch Springs , clemency , Code of Criminal Procedure , constable , county clerk , criminal court , Dallas County , David Chang , discharge , dismissal , district judges , Ernest White , John Creuzot , mayor , pardon , probation February 26, 2010
Gov. Rick Perry has had some bad luck recently when appointing prominent Dallasites to state posts. Two of them soon got themselves arrested on charges of misconduct around young people. The latest mess involves businessman Lee William "Bill" McNutt III (right), whom Perry named Texas Commission on the Arts chair in December. McNutt has since been arrested for trespassing at Southern Methodist University, reports Lori Stahl of The Dallas Morning News. SMU says it warned him to stay away in 2008 after getting "multiple student complaints against Mr. McNutt alleging behavior that violates University policy, such as offering alcohol to minors." McNutt, 54, graduated from SMU and was founding president of its Young Alumni Association, a governor's press release said. He worked in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and the first President George Bush, according to the arts commission. McNutt has resigned from the commission, The Daily Mustang is now reporting. He's also a deacon at Highland Park Presbyterian Church. The previous Perry-appointee mess involved Catherine Evans, a former Dallas County state district judge. Perry named her Texas Youth Commission ombudsman in September. Several weeks later, she was charged with trying to smuggle a knife, a cellphone and prescription drugs into an East Texas TYC facility. Please let me know if you get more information about what's going with either of these matters.
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The entry "Another Rick Perry appointee charged with misbehaving around youth; latest case at SMU" is tagged: Bill McNutt , Catherine Evans , chairman , George Bush , George H.W. Bush , Highland Park , Highland Park Presbyterian Church , Lee William "Bill" McNutt III , Lori Stahl , minors , ombudsman , Rick Perry , Ronald Reagan , SMU , smuggling , Southern Methodist University , Texas Commission on the Arts , Texas Youth Commission , trespassing , TYC , University Park , Young Alumni Association February 25, 2010
One of Texas' top tourist attractions opens for the season Saturday. But will SeaWorld San Antonio's best known show go on? Company officials aren't saying what the future holds after a killer whale lived up to its name yesterday at SeaWorld Orlando. Horrified tourists watched as trainer Dawn Brancheau (right) perished, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Tilikum, the orca that killed her, had been involved in the deaths of two other people -- a trainer in 1991 and a visitor who sneaked past security in 1999. SeaWorld isn't saying much today on its Web site -- just this: "SeaWorld Orlando and SeaWorld San Diego will be open Thursday, February 25 as scheduled (SeaWorld San Antonio is not yet open for the season) but Believe shows and Dine with Shamu experiences at all SeaWorld locations have been suspended; no decision has been made for future dates at this time." Do you have a tip about amusement park safety? Send me an e-mail or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "SeaWorld's killer whale kills again. Now what? " is tagged: amusement park , Dawn Brancheau , killer whale , orca , Orlando , San Antonio , San Diego , Sea World , SeaWorld , Tilikum , tourism , tourist , tourist attraction , trainer February 24, 2010
Rarely have I talked with someone who speaks so unflinchingly as retired Army Capt. Shannon Meehan (right). First he wrote the book Beyond Duty, explaining how he accidentally killed a family in Iraq and how depression nearly killed him afterward. Then, shortly after the Fort Hood massacre, he told me that shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan had been seeking to have psychiatric patients on the base prosecuted for war crimes. That wasn't a popular thing to say at the time, given that a Hood higher-up had recently called Hasan a "hardworking, dedicated young man who gave great care to his patients." Speaking up also meant Meehan had to reveal that he had been a psych patient at the Central Texas post. His latest soul-baring appears this week in The New York Times, where he also issues a challenge to us civilians: "In recent months I've been trying to honor the lives I took by writing and speaking in public about my experience, to show that those deaths are not tucked neatly away in a foreign land," Meehan writes. "They may seem distant, but they are not. Soldiers bring the ghosts home with them, and it's everyone else's job to hear about them, no matter how painful it may be."
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The entry "Retired Fort Hood Capt. Shannon Meehan is speaking out again about the human costs of war" is tagged: Army , Beyond Duty , depression , Fort Hood , Iraq , massacre , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan , psychiatric patient , psychiatrist , Roger Thompson , Shannon Meehan , war crimes February 23, 2010
Last week's fire at Dallas' Samuell High School exposed the "fairly common" practice of chaining school exit doors, The DMN's Diane Rado reports today. Her main source: the State Fire Marshal's Office. Principals, it seems, are creating firetraps in the name of preventing crime. A chained door at Samuell temporarily trapped people who were trying to evacuate Thursday, though no one was hurt. The DISD Blog gave one teacher's scary account of the mess. A Samuell official says the door was chained because locking it from the outside didn't provide sufficient security. Students inside would open the door, sometimes allowing weapons into the school. Do you have a tip about fire safety? School security? Send me an e-mail or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Are fire-exit doors chained at your school, too?" is tagged: chained doors , chains , Dallas Independent School District , Diane Rado , DISD , DISD Blog , exit doors , fire hazard , fire safety , firetraps , Samuell High School , school security February 22, 2010
East Texas church arson suspect Jason Robert Bourque (right) calls himself "Mr. Brightside" on his MySpace page, lists his religion as "Christian -- other" and prominently displays this quote from the 19th century anti-Christian philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: "Never give way to remorse, but immediately say to yourself: that would merely mean adding a second stupidity to the first. -- If you have done harm, see how you can do good. -- If you are punished for your actions, bear the punishment with the feeling that you ARE doing good -- by deterring others from falling prey to the same folly. Every evildoer who is punished may feel that he is a benefactor of humanity." On his Facebook page, Bourque says he's a fan of bonfires. A couple of clicks takes you to hundreds of photos of blazes. Bourque was arrested Sunday with Daniel George McAllister (lower right). The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives blames the two for a string of 10 recent church fires in East Texas. The two men used to attend a Baptist church in the East Texas town of Ben Wheeler that was not torched, says Dallas Morning News reporter Richard Abshire.
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The entry "Church arson suspect likes Nietzsche and bonfires " is tagged: arson , ATF , Ben Wheeler , church fires , Daniel McAllister , East Texas , Facebook , Friedrich Nietzsche , Jason Bourque , MySpace , Nietzsche , Richard Abshire , Tyler , Van High School February 19, 2010
The New York Times has a fascinating background piece today on the tax law that software engineer Andrew Joseph Stack III (right) blasted in his suicide note. The 1986 legislation started as a favor to IBM and "made it extremely difficult for information technology professionals to work as self-employed individuals, forcing most to become company employees," The Times reported. "Many software engineers and other such professionals say that the law denies them the opportunity to become wealthy entrepreneurs and that it makes it harder to increase and refine their skills, eventually diminishing their income." Joe Stack, in the note he posted online before flying a plane into IRS offices in Austin yesterday, said those who wrote the law "could only have been more blunt if they would have came out and directly declared me a criminal and non-citizen slave."
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The entry "The tax law that suicide pilot Joe Stack hated" is tagged: Andrew Joseph Stack III , Austin , IBM , Internal Revenue Service , IRS , Joe Stack , plane crash , software engineer , suicide attack , suicide note , suicide pilot , tax law February 18, 2010
Send me an e-mail or join the conversation by commenting below. What we have so far: A small plane crashed this morning into the Echelon office complex in northwest Austin. Austin TV station KVUE says the building that was hit is at 9430 Research Blvd. The IRS has offices there, according to the Austin American-Statesman. And the FBI has a field office elsewhere in the complex, at 9420 Research Blvd. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Do you have a tip about the Austin plane crash?" is tagged: Austin , Echelon , FBI , KVUE , plane crash , Research Boulevard February 16, 2010
Texas nursing-home investigators usually miss deadlines for responding to complaints with a "high potential of harm," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. Chris Traylor, the new commissioner of the Department of Aging and Disability Services, vows to improve response times soon. The agency says it "expects to complete 1,550 nursing home investigations during a two-week, statewide blitz later this month" and will start hiring 35 new investigators next month. Do you have a tip about a nursing home? Regulators? Send me an e-mail or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Texas nursing-home regulator: We'll move faster" is tagged: abuse , Chris Traylor , Department of Aging and Disability Services , investigation , nursing homes , regulation February 15, 2010
Now that my power's back on and the igloo in the front yard is melting, I'm catching up on some news from late last week. One item near the top of the pile: Federal authorities released sketches of three men they want to identify and question about the East Texas church fires. Click on the link and see if you recognize them. Use the magnifying glass icon to blow up the images and check out the tattoos -- one (at right) appears to be an upside-down cross, and the other looks like flames. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Around-the-clock tip lines include: 1 (888) ATF-FIRE (888-283-3473); (903) 675-0061 and (903) 675-0062. Also, you can send me an e-mail or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "East Texas church fires update: Know these guys?" is tagged: arson , ATF , church fires , East Texas , reward , sketches , upside-down cross February 11, 2010
Dallas lawyer Ralph Janvey is the court-appointed receiver assigned to recover money that disgraced Texas banker Allen Stanford (at right) allegedly obtained by defrauding investors. Among those Janvey is seeking funds from are the many politicians who benefited from Stanford's generosity -- members of Congress and fundraising committees for both major political parties. Janvey started asking them to pay up a year ago. Many have not done so, reports Dave Michaels of the The Dallas Morning News' Washington bureau. Click here for Janvey's list of who has paid and who owes what.
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The entry "Politicians are not returning donations from alleged Texas Ponzi schemer Allen Stanford" is tagged: Allen Stanford , Congress , Democratic Party , Ponzi scheme , Ralph Janvey , receiver , receivership , Republican Party
College presidents quit in mid-semester all the time, right? Two weeks' notice is standard, right? So there's no need for the University of North Texas and its president, Gretchen Bataille (pictured here), to explain why she is suddenly resigning, right? The taxpayer-funded school's Wednesday press release and Bataille's "message to the UNT community" total 755 words and explain nothing. The stonewalling continues today at the UNT Board of Regents meeting, as the Denton Record-Chronicle is now reporting: "When approached at the meeting for comment as to why she is resigning mid-year, with only a few weeks' notice, Bataille only shook her head, making it clear she did not want to discuss her reasons for leaving." Can somebody please shed some light on this situation? You can send me an e-mail or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "They won't talk: University of North Texas leaders are silent on why president is quitting. So is she." is tagged: chancellor , Gretchen Bataille , Lee Jackson , president , resignation , University of North Texas , UNT February 10, 2010
Some blame Muslims for the East Texas church fires. Some blame Palin-hating liberals. Some blame the devil. The online speculation was enough to make me call Tom Crowley, spokesman for the Dallas office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Here's a quick summary of what we talked about: Q: Does any evidence point to Muslims, liberals or Satan? Q: Any sense of what's motivating the arsonist(s)? Q: What do you see as the possible motives? Q: What sort of other crime? Q: Where on church property were the fires set? Q: What types of churches have been targeted? Q: What accelerants, if any, have been used? Q: Any advice for churches and their neighbors?
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The entry "Q&A with ATF on East Texas church fires" is tagged: ATF , Baptist , Christian Scientist , church fires , devil , East Texas , Methodist , nondenominational , Protestant , Satan , Tom Crowley February 9, 2010
Two more East Texas churches burned down Monday night. Authorities aren't saying yet whether the fires are part of the string of several arsons plaguing Tyler and surrounding areas. But don't be surprised if they're connected -- these last two blazes broke out within 45 minutes of each other, just a few miles apart. The first was reported about 8:45 p.m. at Dover Baptist Church (right). The second was reported about 9:20 p.m. at Clear Spring Missionary Baptist Church. Last week, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was activating a national response team after Russell Memorial United Methodist Church in Wills Point was torched. Tips? Send me an e-mail.
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The entry "Who's torching East Texas churches? And why? " is tagged: arson , ATF , Bureau of Alcohol , church fires , churches , Clear Spring Missionary Baptist Church , Dover Baptist Church , East Texas , Firearms and Explosives , Russell Memorial United Methodist Church , Tobacco , Tyler February 8, 2010
Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan wasn't the only guy with extremist ties counseling soldiers at Fort Hood last year, as my story in Sunday's Dallas Morning News shows. There was at least one more: Louay Safi (shown at right). A month after the worst military-base massacre in U.S. history, he taught Islam to officers who were deploying to Afghanistan. He'd been doing this work on bases around the country, as a military subcontractor, since 2005. That same year, federal prosecutors named Safi an unindicted co-conspirator in the terrorism-support trial of his old buddy Sami al-Arian. The reason: a wiretapped phone call in which the two men mocked a U.S. order banning dealings with foreign terrorist groups and agreed that Jews controlled the White House. Al-Arian has since been convicted. But he still faces criminal contempt charges for refusing to testify before a grand jury about the International Institute of Islamic Thought -- a northern Virginia think tank that counterterrorism agents raided in 2002, when Safi was its research director. Safi now faces a criminal inquiry by the military but has never been criminally charged. He denies wrongdoing. He also has described post-9/11 counterterrorism crackdowns as a "campaign against Islam."
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The entry "Fort Hood fallout: Military suspends trainer with ties to terror suspects; criminal inquiry pending" is tagged: 9/11 , Afghanistan , al-Qaeda , Anwar al-Aulaqi , Anwar al-Awlaki , campaign against Islam , Dar al-Hijrah , FBI , Fort Hood , hijackers , IIIT , International Institute of Islamic Thought , Islam , Islamic Society of North America , ISNA , Louay Safi , massacre , military subcontractor , mosque , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan , North American Islamic Trust , Sami al-Arian , terrorism , Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , Underwear Bomber , war against Islam , Yemen February 5, 2010
I've found there is very little help out there for people who owe money on old bills. There are a number of churches and charities which help when a current utility bill is beyond a person's resources. That helps keep the lights and water on. But in the case of Todd and Shirley Ritrovato of Greenville, the utility debt was 14 years old. and created when their daughter was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. The Ritrovatos have known they owe the money for the past two years, but have not had much extra money to pay it. The couple lives on less than $700 a month, along with food stamps and housing assistance. I've had some readers interested in helping out. If that's you, Hunt County Shared Ministries is willing to handle any donations for the couple. The address is 3724 Oneal St
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The entry "Problem Solver: Couple owes hefty utility bills" is tagged: Problem Solver; GEUS; Greenville Electric Utility System; utilities; charity; Hunt County Shared Ministries February 3, 2010
As I read the court records today from State Rep. Terri Hodge's guilty plea on tax fraud, one sentence contained a detail that seemed new and intriguing. Federal prosecutors noted that some of the $73,000 that went unreported on her tax returns was "campaign contributions made by various donors to Hodge, which she used for her own personal benefit ... ." But that's where they left it. I re-read the 2007 indictment against Hodge, as well as a 2008 filing citing supplemental evidence that authorities had gathered. I didn't see anywhere allegations of her using campaign contributions for personal use. Prosecutors say in today's plea agreement that they will present later a routine supplement. Perhaps that's the time and place when they will elaborate on the contributions. For now, they remained focused on the rent payments Hodge received -- and failed to report to the IRS -- from Dallas developers Brian and Cheryl Potashnik, whose low-income housing projects needed her support for millions in public subsidies. Until we hear more from the prosecution, I'm left wondering who made these campaign contributions, were there any strings attached, and how did Hodge use them for her personal benefit?
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The entry "Terri Hodge case: Hey, what's this line all about? " is tagged: bribery , corruption , Dallas City Hall , FBI , fraud , Gladys Evelyn Hodge , IRS , Potashnik , representative , Southwest Housing Development , tax credits , tax returns , Terri Hodge , trial February 2, 2010
Over the weekend, fire departments in two of Texas' biggest cities were in the news again over allegations of employee misconduct. The News' Selwyn Crawford told us about the lawsuit headed to court accusing some inside Dallas Fire-Rescue (Chief Eddie Burns shown at right) of "rampant sexual and gender harassment." One female worker claims she was touched and sent a photo of a naked woman. Another was "repeatedly propositioned," according to the lawsuit. The Houston Chronicle followed with a story that summed up the issues there in the first sentence: "Racist graffiti, threats, profanity and a noose hanging in a locker; claims of harassment and a culture of accepted sexism, evidenced in part by a topless female firefighter posing in panties on a widely distributed calendar." Fire officials in Houston and Dallas say these allegations are not indicative of their departments. Dallas, in addition, disputes the lawsuit allegations and cites an internal review that found some to be uncorroborated. Do you have thoughts or tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "R-rated accusations hit Dallas, Houston fire units" is tagged: calendar , Dallas Fire-Rescue , discrimination , Eddie Burns , gender bias , harassment , Helen Watts , inappropriate touching , lawsuit , Leanne Siri , racism , Rick Flanagan , sexism , sexual harassment February 1, 2010
Different types of concerns are on residents' minds in two different suburbs: 1. Arlington's mayor and council members have reaped free tickets and food at the city's luxury suite at publicly subsidized Cowboys Stadium, the Star-Telegram reports. The market value of the "perk of the office," as one leader called it, is around $400,000. Some observers fear this creates a conflict of interest. 2. In Frisco, residents living near a battery-recycling plant continue to worry that their health is at risk. The News' Valerie Wigglesworth and Matthew Haag cite study results from 15 years ago that found 45 children had "lead levels that today are linked to myriad health issues, from learning disabilities to behavior problems to brain damage." Do you have thoughts or tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Hot Links: Arlington leaders enjoy Cowboys perk, Frisco residents concerned about battery plant" is tagged: Arlington , Cowboys Stadium , Environ Corp. , Exide Technologies , exposure , food , Frisco , GNB Battery Technologies , Law Engineering and Environmental Services Inc. , lead , Mel LeBlanc , perk , Robert Cluck , suite , Texas Department of State Health Services , tickets January 27, 2010
Robert McKenzie continues to struggle after being declared dead accidently by a local hospital. Most recently, he had problems trying to get his health care coverage reinstated. The 72-year-old man was working with the Social Security Administration to get his Medicare card back, but instead got an expired Medicaid card in the mail. I made a call on his behalf and I've been promised he should get the correct card in the next few weeks. McKenzie may actually qualify for Medicaid though, so his case worker is looking into that for him. He and his wife support their grandchildren on limited funds.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Prematurely dead, still troubled" is tagged: Medicaid , Medicare , Problem Solver , Robert McKenzie , Social Security Administration January 25, 2010
Dallas-Fort Worth commuters have begun paying tolls in recent years because, they were told, tax dollars were too few to expand all the congested roadways and build new ones. The Star-Telegram did a nice job this weekend showing how there has been, in fact, public money to spare. Since 1991, nearly $1 billion has been dedicated to projects that had "little to do with mobility," the newspaper reported. Two examples: $16.1 million for the Battleship Texas restoration project on the Texas coast and $262 million spent on highway rest stops across the state, including one for $10 million off Interstate 35 with Wi-Fi connections (shown at right). Who's to blame? Texas transportation officials say the federal government ties their hands by requiring spending on enhancement projects, as these are called, in order to get a much larger chunk of construction change. Once the money is here, state lawmakers then push to use it on pet projects, such as $2 million for a Houston fire museum. Do you have thoughts on how government is deciding to spend these transportation dollars? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Not enough money for Texas roads? Think again." is tagged: funding , highways , pork , Recovery Act , rest stops , roads , Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee , Texas Department of Transportation , Texas Transportation Commission January 20, 2010
Although her actions were "not exemplary," Judge Sharon Keller can continue presiding over the state's highest criminal court after a special master found that her decision to close her court hours before a death-row inmate's execution did not keep his attorneys from using other options in filing last-minute appeals. The special master wrote that the "majority of the problems" that 2007 day were in fact the "responsibility" of the attorneys for the inmate, who had raped and murdered a Houston woman. Among other things, the attorneys "untruthfully told the media" they were ready to file 20 minutes after Keller closed her doors, the special master found. They also could have contacted other Court of Criminal Appeals judges for help after she was gone -- a point Keller had previously made. The decision now has one of the inmate's attorneys, David Dow, playing defense, as colleague Diane Jennings is blogging today.
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The entry "Texas Judge Keller can stay on bench, court rules" is tagged: Austin , Court of Criminal Appeals , David Berchelmann , Michael Richard , Sharon Keller , Texas
An environmental group says yes -- and that adds to the list of concerns about gas drilling activity in the lucrative Barnett Shale covering western Dallas-Fort Worth. The News' Randy Lee Loftis writes that companies can use a certain type of unregulated fluid that has high levels of benzene -- which can cause leukemia and other disorders -- as part of the drilling process. Some residents in Denton and Tarrant counties were already worried about drilling's impact on the air, drinking water and safety. In some cases, research backed up their worries. A spokeswoman for the Texas Railroad Commission told Randy that state rules have prevented cases of groundwater contamination. So the agency "does not see a need to monitor fracturing fluids," she said. Do you have thoughts on drilling in the Barnett Shale or have tips on other stories? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Loophole lets drillers inject benzene into ground?" is tagged: Denton , distillates , energy , Environmental Working Group , fracking , gas drilling , Hood , Johnson , Ramona Nye , Safe Drinking Water Act , Tarrant , Texas Railroad Commission , Wise January 15, 2010
A reader signed up for a fixed-rate electric plan, but was surprised to see an "Oncor Delivery Rate Increase" show up on the bills. Can they increase the fee with a locked-in rate, she asked? The answer is yes. According to the Public Utility Commission, retail electric providers are allowed to increase the bills if transmission rates increases. There are other instances as well, such as charges for "storm recovery."
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The entry "Problem Solver: PUC lets Oncor, electric providers increase fees to customers' fixed-rate plans" is tagged: electric bills , Problem Solver , PUC January 13, 2010
A new report Tuesday reiterates what anyone who drives by the Trinity River in Dallas and inhales already knows: It's icky. Filled-with-junk-from-sewage-treatment-plants icky. The News' Randy Lee Loftis reminds us in his story that this is merely the latest dinging the Trinity has taken. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality -- an agency frequently accused of having a light touch -- previously deemed the river unsafe for extended human contact because of a high level of pollutants. Not the kind of assessments Dallas city leaders want to hear as they seek to develop the Trinity into a business and recreation destination.
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The entry "Trinity River among Texas' most polluted waters" is tagged: advocacy group , Clean Waters Act , Environment Texas , Environmental Protection Agency , Gulf Coast , Riverfront , Texas Commission on Environment Quality , tollway , Trinity River January 8, 2010
New technologies are causing fits for open government advocates everywhere. Up until recently, it was arguably easy to apply the Texas Public Information Act to access government communication using modern technologies. E-mails sent between public officials could be accessed relatively easily because they were stored on servers owned and usually maintained by government bodies. Now we have Facebook, Twitter, text messages, instant messages --- all sorts of communication that isn't stored where government officials can easily retrieve copies when requested by the public. Now a story from South Florida shows the issue's importance (Full disclosure: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel is my former employer).
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The entry "Modern technology and open government" is tagged: openness , public access , public servant , technology December 15, 2009
Dave Michaels just sent me this dispatch from The Dallas Morning News' Washington bureau: FBI agents who discovered Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's extremist ties before the Fort Hood massacre may not have had access to key Army records on the psychiatrist, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (right) said today. That's because some information counter-terrorism investigators need stays in military education or training files "and does not make its way to the personnel files" that intelligence agencies would get for an initial review, said Collins. She's the top Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, which is investigating how pre-massacre intelligence about Hasan was handled. Hasan's colleagues and superiors repeatedly raised concerns about him during his psychiatric training in the Washington area, as has been widely reported since the Nov. 5 slaughter. Issues included his fundamentalist Islamic leanings, religious proselytizing, commitment to the Army, poor work performance and mental stability. "It doesn't appear that the military has updated its personnel policies to reflect the threat of Islamic extremism," Collins said after a closed hearing with Defense Department officials. "There appears to be a real gap in the protocols in the personnel procedures, and that is an issue we're exploring." Army spokesman George Wright said he couldn't comment on Hasan's personnel file. But in general, he told The News, a soldier's supervisor decides whether to include letters of counseling or reprimand in the soldier's personnel file.
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The entry "Fort Hood massacre update: Military policies fail to meet 'threat of Islamic extremism,' senator says" is tagged: Anwar al-Aulaqi , Anwar al-Awlaki , Army , Carla G. Hawley-Bowland , Defense Department , extremism , FBI , Fort Hood , George Wright , Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee , imam , James Clapper; Karl Schneider , Joseph Lieberman , massacre , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan , personnel files , radical , Senate , Susan Collins , terrorism , Walter Reed Army Medical Center December 14, 2009
A decade ago, federal transportation officials hired Traffic.com to install high-tech sensors that measure freeway speeds and volume. The data can trigger traffic-jam alerts to electronic signs and other equipment. But state and local governments can't post the alerts unless they pay the contractor a fee, The New York Times reports today, citing a non-yet-public audit by the U.S. Department of Transportation's inspector general. Never mind that taxpayers have committed more than $50 million to the project. The transportation department responded to the audit, according to Times, by citing "nine letters from members of Congress -- many of whom had received frequent campaign contributions from executives at Traffic.com -- who demanded, among other requests, that it skip a competitive bidding process and give more money to Traffic.com." The story does not identify the politicians. It says Traffic.com, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Navteq, didn't respond to a request for comment. In case you're wondering, yes, Traffic.com alerts do appear on dallasnews.com. Do you have a tip about traffic? Government contracts? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Government told to pay for traffic-jam alerts, even though taxpayers subsidized system" is tagged: alert , dallasnews.com , electronic signs , freeways , government contract , highways , inspector general , message board , Navteq , taxpayers , traffic , traffic jam , Traffic.com , transportation department December 8, 2009
The FBI announced an independent review today of its "policies, practices and actions prior to the tragic events at Fort Hood" -- in other words, the Nov. 5 massacre that Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan is accused of perpetrating. Federal Bureau of Investigation boss Robert Mueller said the review will be conducted by William Webster (right), who formerly headed the FBI and the CIA. FBI officials have acknowledged that one of its terrorism task forces intercepted e-mails a year ago between Hasan and an extremist imam in Yemen. The officials say no investigation resulted because the correspondence was consistent with Hasan's psychiatric research on Muslims in the military. Intelligence experts consulted by The Dallas Morning News say any contact with the imam, Anwar al-Awlaki, should have been pursued. The FBI said it has completed a preliminary review of its pre-massacre actions and policies. A spokesman declined to comment today on what that probe found. "We must be sure that the systems we have in place give investigators the tools they need to carry out their responsibilities. At the same time, we must ensure constitutional protections and the confidence of the American public we serve," Mueller said. "It is essential to determine whether there are improvements to our current practices or other authorities that could make us all safer in the future." Webster will coordinate his work with reviews being conducted by the military and will seek not to interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation, the FBI said.
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The entry "Fort Hood update: FBI seeks outside review of its pre-massacre "policies, practices and actions"" is tagged: Anwar al-Aulaqi , Anwar al-Awlaki , Army , CIA , extremist , FBI , Fort Hood , imam , massacre , Muslims in the military , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan , psychiatrist , Robert Mueller , terrorism , William Webster , Yemen December 7, 2009
I wrote a column on Sunday about a reader's interest in getting AT&T's U-verse, a high-speed Internet service. It obviously brought up a sore subject for numerous readers who are waiting for any type of broadband product in their neighborhood -- let alone one that is considered cutting edge. "I live in Henderson County off a very populated state highway south of Athens. We barely have telephone service, much less broadband," one reader wrote. "Where on earth do rural residents have access? I currently subscribe to a dial-up service." The state of Texas applied for stimulus funds to find out exactly. At the end of July, a contract was awarded to map broadband availability in the state. A statement from the Department of Agriculture at the time said that the "initial phase of broadband mapping" should be done by the beginning of February.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Broadband sore spot" is tagged: AT&T , broadband , Problem Solver , stimulus funds , Texas Department of Agriculture
Authorities captured prison escapee Arcade Joseph Comeaux Jr. (right) this morning in Houston, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Michelle Lyons says. Comeaux, 49, a child rapist who's spent much of his adult life behind bars, reportedly was armed with two pistols when captured. Last week, he used a smuggled pistol to overpower prison officers who were moving him between units. "TDCJ officials are conducting a thorough review of the incident and have taken the immediate action of placing the Estelle Unit on lockdown," Lyons writes. "All individuals entering and exiting the facility are required to undergo a pat-search, and additionally, a walk-through metal detector has been installed." Do you have a tip about TDCJ? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Escaped rapist nabbed in Houston" is tagged: Arcade Comeaux , Arcade Joseph Comeaux , child abuse , escape , Estelle Unit , lockdown , Michelle Lyons , rapist , smuggling , TDCJ , Texas Department of Criminal Justice , U.S. marshal December 3, 2009
Dave Michaels, my colleague in The Dallas Morning News' Washington bureau, just sent in this dispatch: Almost a month after the Fort Hood massacre, lawmakers investigating it still don't have information from federal agencies regarding what they knew in advance about shooter Nidal Malik Hasan. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (right), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said today that his investigators haven't been able to interview members of an FBI-led joint terrorism task force who knew about Hasan's contact with a radical imam before the Nov. 5 shootings. Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut, said his committee also requested documents that haven't been produced. "Put me down as restless right now, but still understanding that they have a lot they are doing."
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The entry "Senator: We can't get info on Fort Hood shooter" is tagged: Anwar al-Awlaki , Caryn Wagner , Charles Allen , Dave Michaels , Department of Homeland Security , FBI , Fort Hood , Homeland Security Committee , Joseph Lieberman , massacre , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan , Peter Hoekstra , Senate , Susan Collins December 1, 2009
Today's a waking nightmare for the Texas officials who are paid to keep dangerous folks locked up: 1. Catherine Evans (right), a former state district judge in Dallas County, faces a felony charge of trying to smuggle a knife and other contraband into a Texas Youth Commission facility, reports Christy Hoppe of The Dallas Morning News. That's embarrassing all by itself. It's made worse by the fact that Gov. Rick Perry recently named Evans TYC ombudsman -- a job in which she was supposed to make sure that juveniles in state lockups were kept safe from harm. Evans has resigned and could not be reached for comment Monday. Why do we need an ombudsman? Well, the agency has a history of physical and sexual abuse scandals, as The News showed in a 2007 series of investigative reports. 2. Arcade Joseph Comeaux Jr. (right), a repeatedly convicted child rapist, used a smuggled gun Monday to overpower state prison guards and escape in southeast Texas, The Associated Press reports. TDCJ has a wanted poster up on its Web site but no information today about where Comeaux is or how he got the gun, prisons spokeswoman Michelle Lyons tells me. Do you have a tip about TYC? TDCJ? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Ex-Dallas judge embarrasses TYC; smuggling scandal also hits adult prison system" is tagged: abuse , Arcade Comeaux , Arcade Joseph Comeaux , Catherine Evans , Christy Hoppe , escape , judge , juvenile , lockup , Michelle Lyons , ombudsman , rapist , Rick Perry , smuggling , TDCJ , Texas Department of Criminal Justice , Texas Youth Commission , TYC , wanted November 23, 2009
The air near a North Texas natural gas drilling operation had over five times more benzene than the state considers safe for short-term exposure, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports today. A Texas Commission on Environmental Quality official told the paper that the level "is the equivalent of a person sniffing a can of gasoline." Benzene can cause leukemia and other disorders. The air sample was taken near a tank that collects drilling byproducts. The tank was described as being seven miles west of the tiny Denton County town of DISH (right) -- near the Denton-Wise county line, in other words, and a few miles north of the Tarrant County border. DISH commissioned its own tests and posted results on its Web site. TCEQ says it doesn't know how widespread the problem is and wants to do more tests. Drilling has become quite common in the Barnett Shale gas field, sometimes very near homes. Drilling companies say they support more testing. Some have questioned whether their wells emit hydrocarbon vapors. Do you have a tip about drilling? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Gas drilling spews cancer-causing chemical near Denton County community" is tagged: Barnett Shale , benzene , cancer , carcinogen , DISH , drilling , Fort Worth , Mike Honeycutt , natural gas , TCEQ , Texas Commission on Environmental Quality November 19, 2009
Only one of the 13 people (right) killed in the Fort Hood massacre was a civilian. And that's no accident, The Austin American-Statesman reports today. Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan apparently targeted soldiers and avoided others nearby, U.S. Rep. John Carter and an anonymous source close to the investigation told the paper. The story makes sense in light of previous reports that Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, had ties to a radical Muslim cleric in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki. Before the massacre, the imam advocated killing soldiers who fight against Muslims; afterward, he called Hasan a hero. Do you have a tip about Fort Hood? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Hasan reportedly skipped over civilians" is tagged: Anwar al-Awlaki , Army , Austin American-Statesman , civilian , cleric , extremist , Fort Hood , imam , Islam , Islamist , massacre , Muslim , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan , psychiatrist , radical , Rep. John Carter , soldier , Yemen November 17, 2009
Every follow-up story on last year's 17-fatality bus crash near Sherman seems scarier than the one before. In October, it was the National Transportation Safety Board's long list of crimes and errors that preceded the disaster. Now here's the latest, from Dallas Morning News reporter Jason Trahan: Texas DPS officials say 5-Minute Inspections, the Houston company that issued the bus' inspection sticker, routinely awarded such certificates without actually inspecting the vehicles. 5-Minute Inspections' Web site says: "need a quick inspection? tired of dealing with crooks? Come see the 5 Minute Inspection TEAM!" Readers, do you know of other businesses that are doing this? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Inspection sticker but no inspection?" is tagged: 5-Minute Inspections , auto inspection , bus crash , DPS , Houston , Jason Trahan , National Transportation Safety Board , NTSB , Sherman , sticker , Texas Department of Public Safety November 13, 2009
Here are the key links: 1. A Texas congressman says Nidal Malik Hasan wired money to Pakistan, which Muslim extremist groups use as a base to raise funds and carry out terrorist attacks. 2. Hasan is permanently paralyzed, one of his lawyers says today.
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The entry "Fort Hood massacre update: DMN has more on the Pakistan connection -- and Hasan's paralyzed" is tagged: Army , Fort Hood , jihad , massacre , Muslim extremist , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hassan , paralyzed , Rep. Michael McCaul , terror
Here it is mid-November, and the state health department's Web site still doesn't say which private health-care providers have received swine flu vaccine. See the "Vaccine Locations" section on this page? There's no link -- just the words "Coming Soon." Coming soon? Now that about 22 million people have gotten sick around the country and 3,900 have died? The Dallas Morning News got tired of waiting for the state to provide data. So reporter Jeffrey Weiss wrote an open-records request for vaccine shipment information. What resulted is our own searchable database of providers in the Dallas area who are supposed to have the shots and mist. Check it out. Do you have a tip about swine flu? The Department of State Health Services? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Find H1N1 vaccine with our database" is tagged: CDC , Centers for Disease Control , Department of State Health Services , H1N1 , Jeffrey Weiss , mist , searchable database , shot , swine flu , vaccine November 12, 2009
Here are the latest developments regarding last week's slaughter at Fort Hood: * Formal charges were filed against Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan -- "13 specifications of premeditated murder, in violation of Article 118, Uniform Code of Military Justice," as the Army puts it. More on this below. * The White House released a copy of a memo that President Obama sent to the secretary of defense, the director of national intelligence and the head of the FBI. It reads: "On November 6, 2009, I directed that an immediate inventory be conducted of all intelligence in U.S. Government files that existed prior to November 6, 2009, relevant to the tragic shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, especially anything having to do with the alleged shooter, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, U.S. Army. In addition, I directed an immediate review be initiated to determine how any such intelligence was handled, shared, and acted upon within individual departments and agencies and what intelligence was shared with others... Preliminary results of this review shall be provided by November 30, 2009." * The Dallas Morning News' Dave Michaels reports that authorities have been looking into whether Hasan wired money to Pakistan, which is battling a massive Islamist insurgency and is widely believed to be Osama bin Laden's hiding place.
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The entry "Fort Hood update: murder charges, Obama order and a DMN story on the Hasan money trail" is tagged: Army , Barack Obama , FBI , Fort Hood , insurgency , Islamist , massacre , murder , national intelligence , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan , Osama bin Laden , Pakistan , secretary of defense , slaughter , Uniform Code of Military Justice November 11, 2009
Was Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan insane? Officials discussed the question last year at his military medical school and the Army hospital in the Washington, D.C., area where he later worked, National Public Radio is reporting.
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The entry "DC-area health officials questioned Hasan's sanity" is tagged: Army , Fort Hood , massacre , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan
My fellow investigative reporter Lee Hancock and photographer Courtney Perry got a look today inside Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan's apartment (right), now that criminal investigators in Killeen are done with it. There were no obvious clues left behind, of course. But there was a plastic container for this LaserMax sight -- the kind of thing you might buy if you were planning to shoot a bunch of people. ("FIRST SHOT CONFIDENCE," the manufacturer advertises.) Price tag: $229.99. Guns Galore, the Killeen store where Hasan bought a handgun in August, sells the product for that price. Lee says they also saw several old bottles of prescription pills. One, from early 2001, was for the HIV medication Combivir. Combivir (in combination with another anti-HIV drug) was a popular weapon against HIV in 2001. That's according to Dr. Brady Allen, a Dallas HIV specialist who just spoke to my colleague Sue Goetinck Ambrose. Combivir sometimes was prescribed to health care workers immediately after they feared they'd been exposed to HIV via needle stick or blood splash. Hasan graduated from a military medical school in Maryland in 2001. For reasons that aren't immediately clear, the prescription came from a pharmacy on Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio. Also in Hasan's apartment were Jordanian and Israeli coins, a high-grade paper shredder and a book from India called Dreams and Interpretations. Hasan, you may recall, moved out of the apartment last Thursday, a few hours before the shooting rampage. The complex manager gave journalists permission to view the unit today.
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The entry "Scene at Fort Hood massacre suspect's apartment: gun device, pill bottles, high-grade shredder" is tagged: AIDS , apartment , Army , Brady Allen , Combivir , Courtney Perry , Fort Hood , gun sight , Guns Galore , HIV , Killeen , LaserMax , Lee Hancock , massacre , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan November 10, 2009
Patsy Thompson wrote to Problem Solver saying she would like to take all three. She has a piece of land and several other animals. She would have been happy to add the mix. "You just want to take them all. I'll drive up there and get them," she said. I contacted the city of Garland immediately and they checked for me and the kittens were no longer there. Unfortunately, the city was unable to say where they went without identifying numbers. They may have been adopted. They may have been euthanized.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Kittens gone, but where?" is tagged: animal shelter , Garland , kittens , Problem solver November 9, 2009
My co-worker Holly Hacker recently introduced me to a terrific do-it-yourself reporting tool called Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas. It's maintained by the state's higher education board and contains a long list of unaccredited schools, diploma mills and more. Holly used the list most recently for a story about Carrie Gordon, who is mayor of the little Dallas suburb of Balch Springs and a Dallas city planner. She likes to call herself Dr. Gordon, though her degree comes from a defunct correspondence school on the state list. Previously, Holly wrote about Juanita Wallace (right), a local NAACP leader who recently lost a run for Dallas school board. She likes to call herself Dr. Wallace, citing a degree from a still functioning school on the state list -- Madison University. Using degrees from such places is a crime if it helps you obtain any financial benefit "or gain a position in government with authority over another person, regardless of whether the actor receives compensation for the position," the state says. These ladies have not been charged with wrongdoing. Do you have a tip about people using questionable degrees? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Two Dallas-area leaders are touting worthless degrees; can you help us find more?" is tagged: Balch Springs , bogus degree , Carrie Gordon , Columbia Pacific University , correspondence school , Dallas city planner , Dallas school board , diploma mill , distance learning , fake degree , Holly Hacker , illegal degree , Institutions Whose Degrees are Illegal to Use in Texas , Juanita Wallace , Madison University , mayor , NAACP , Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board , unaccredited , virtual campus , worthless degree November 5, 2009
Fort Hood massacre suspect Nidal Malik Hasan (right) is a Virginia-born Army psychiatrist who counseled soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder. Authorities initially said they killed the major after he took part in a shooting rampage that left about a dozen colleagues dead at the Central Texas base. Tonight, inexplicably, they are saying that Hasan was wounded but survived. Hasan worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the nation's capital for six years before being transferred to Texas in July. He was going to be sent into a combat zone overseas soon and didn't want to go, relatives and other said. Hasan graduated in 2003 from the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine in Bethesda, Md., which is part of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Its curriculum is longer than those found at other U.S. medical schools, with students getting training in areas specific to career-oriented military physicians. Virginia Board of Medicine records say he completed his residency in psychiatry in 2007 at Walter Reed. He recently completed a fellowship there in disaster and preventive psychiatry. The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, which is part of Uniformed Services University, lists Hasan as a member. The organization describes itself as "one of the nation's oldest and most highly regarded, academic-based organizations dedicated to advancing trauma-informed knowledge, leadership and methodologies." Do you have a tip (as opposed to a rant) about Hasan? Email me, please.
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The entry "Who is Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan?" is tagged: Army , Fort Hood , massacre , Nidal Hasan , Nidal Malik Hasan
Here are the numbers of swine flu vaccine doses that state health officials have allocated to Dallas-area counties, per 100 residents: Dallas County: 8.3 Dallas County's rate is also higher than that of major urban counties elsewhere in the state: Travis County (Austin): 7.7 The allocation figures only cover shipments to private health-care providers. They have received the vast majority of vaccine in Texas. Want to check my math or look up another county's allocation? Click on the "Doses by County" link on this Department of State Health Services site. Then look up the county population total on the U.S. Census site. State health officials say they consider several factors when allocating vaccine, including its current scarcity, providers' requests and the need for geographic balance. Do you have a tip about swine flu vaccine allocation? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Why is Dallas County getting so much more swine flu vaccine per capita than neighbors?" is tagged: allocation , Bexar County , Census , Collin County , Dallas County , Denton County , Department of State Health Services , Ellis County , H1N1 , Harris County , Johnson County , Kaufman County , Parker County , Rockwall County , swine flu , Tarrant County , Travis County , vaccine , Wise County November 4, 2009
The Dallas Morning News' front page today features two examples of government spending that wasn't all it was cracked up to be: 1. Officials overstated the number of Texas jobs created or saved with federal stimulus funds, reports Dave Michaels, who does investigative work in our Washington bureau. Want to check out stimulus spending for yourself? There are plenty of search tools on this Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board site. 2. Texas' $300 million investment in teacher merit pay did not boost student achievement, researchers from Texas A&M and other universities conclude. Do you have a tip about stimulus spending? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Government spending in Texas did not produce all the successes that officials claimed" is tagged: Dave Michaels , economic recovery , government spending , jobs , merit pay , Obama , Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board , Rick Perry , stimulus , student achievement , teachers , Terrence Stutz , Texas A&M November 3, 2009
You're a high-risk patient. You need a swine flu vaccine. Your doctor has none. Where can you get help? We're hearing this anguished question over and over again. The Texas Department of State Health Services knows the answer -- and isn't sharing it. Its Web site has the obligatory FAQ section, but this question isn't on the list. Another section of the site is labeled "H1N1 vaccine distribution," with categories for allocations by county, to local health departments and to private providers. But there are no links -- only the words "coming soon." Early this morning, my colleague Jeff Weiss asked state health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams: "Why does the state not post on its Web site the names of every provider that you've ordered vaccine shipped to and the amount of vaccine that you have had shipped there to date?" Her only responses: So all most people know is what we've been able to figure out so far: Dallas County's health department is having a mass clinic tomorrow, aimed at high-risk people without insurance. And Farmers Branch entrepreneur Jeff Vitt (right) is selling vaccines for $20 a pop to anyone who walks through his door.
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The entry "They won't talk: State officials withhold info on which health-care providers have H1N1 vaccine" is tagged: Carrie Williams , Dallas County Health Department , Farmers Branch , Flu Shots of America , H1N1 , high risk , Jeff Vitt , mass clinic , Star Medical Group , swine flu , Texas Department of State Health Services , vaccine November 2, 2009
As of the weekend, state health officials were accusing a Farmers Branch business of misrepresenting itself to get a huge stash of swine flu vaccine. Now a spokeswoman for Jeff Vitt's Star Medical Group says he did nothing wrong and blames the dispute on a communication problem -- failure to clarify the distinction between Star Medical and another Vitt company called Flu Shots of America. Texas health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said Friday that Star claimed to be a private medical practice, making it eligible for an early shipment of vaccine. The state's theory has been that such practices are the best way to reach the highest-risk patients first. But Vitt's business turned out to be what the state calls a mass vaccinator, and it was selling shots to anyone willing to pay $20. Vitt's spokeswoman, Elaine Vitt, said in an email today:
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The entry "Flu Shots of America owner Jeff Vitt denies misrepresenting himself to get vaccine stash" is tagged: CDC , Department of State Health Services , DSHS , Elaine Vitt , Farmers Branch , Flu Shots of America , H1N1 , Jeff Vitt , mass vaccinator , Star Medical Group , swine flu , Texas health department , vaccine October 30, 2009
Flu Shots of America clinic owner Jeff Vitt tells The Dallas Morning News that he has received 11,570 doses of swine flu vaccine. That's more than the Dallas County Health Department has. And Vitt's clinic (right) has been vaccinating anybody willing to pay $20 -- not just those in highest-risk groups who are supposed to be first in line. They are, according to the Centers for Disease Control, "pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age, health care and emergency medical services personnel with direct patient contact, children 6 months through 4 years of age, and children 5 through 18 years of age who have chronic medical conditions." The state health department says it is investigating. Vitt says he has done nothing wrong. Do you have a tip about Flu Shots of America? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Why does Farmers Branch entrepeneur have more swine vaccine doses than county?" is tagged: CDC , Centers for Disease Control , Dallas County Health Department , Farmers Branch , Flu Shots of America , H1N1 , Jeff Vitt , swine flu , vaccine October 28, 2009
Texas has no shortage of amazing criminal justice stories. Here's the latest to hit my radar screen: State law says it's OK to show pornography to children -- as long as they're your children and the stuff is otherwise legal (no kiddie porn, in other words). Now a Panhandle prosecutor wants the Texas attorney general's office to check his reading of the penal code section on showing harmful material to minors. An AG's spokesman said the matter is under review and declined further comment. Randall County District Attorney James Farren's request grew out of a divorced Dallas-area woman's experience. Her three grade-school-aged daughters were living with their dad earlier this year when he allegedly got liquored up late one night and showed two of them porn on his computer. They later told a counselor, who alerted authorities. Amarillo police investigated, found the girls believable and sought advice from the DA's office before proceeding. Farren concluded that that his hands were tied. No search warrant ever got issued, so there's been no independent look at evidence. "We have to convince the Legislature to review this issue," Farren told me. State Sen. Bob Deuell, a Republican from Greenville, said he will push for change in the next legislative session. "It's not going to be an easy issue," he warned. Why? There will be talk that the state is trying to dictate what parents can teach their children.
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The entry "Texas law: It's OK to show porn to your kids" is tagged: Bob Deuell , children , Dallas Children's Advocacy Center , district attorney , harmful material , James Farren , Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation , obscenity , pornography , Randall County , Tati Santiesteban , Texas penal code , Wynne Shaw
There's an astonishingly long list of crimes, errors and other things that went wrong before last year's bush crash near Sherman killed 17 people, Dallas Morning News reporter Todd Gillman details today. Here's a partial list of National Transportation Safety Board findings, in chronological order: * Federal authorities ordered the bus company off the road because of safety violations. Do you have a tip about transportation safety? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: The bus ride from hell" is tagged: Angel de la Torre , Angel Tours , Barrett Broussard , bus crash , bus safety , Iguala BusMex , National Transportation Safety Board , NTSB , Todd Gillman October 26, 2009
The front page of Sunday's Dallas Morning News was one of the strongest we've had in a while. Highlights: 1. Death-penalty opponents such as the Innocence Project say Texas executed an innocent man in Cameron Todd Willingham. Not so fast, concluded an investigative report I co-authored with Steve McGonigle and Gary Jacobson. We found that Willingham did much to incriminate himself after the 1991 Corsicana house fire that killed his three little girls (right). And the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published a long statement from Willingham's ex-wife, Stacy Kuykendall, that reinforces our findings. 2. Police-beat reporters Tanya Eiserer and Steve Thompson raised new doubts about Dallas crime statistics. They found that DPD doesn't consider crimes such as this to be attempted burglary: Masked men are seen on video attacking a business entrance with bolt cutters and an ax. Because they failed to get inside and fled when an alarm sounded, police said it was only "criminal mischief." 3. Dallas County constables have dramatically increased traffic enforcement, Ed Timms and Kevin Krause reported. They followed up today with a look at other types of expansion that have essentially turned constables' offices into their own police departments. Do you have a tip about a capital case? Crime stats? Constables? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Did Texas execute an innocent man? Dunno. But Willingham's story doesn't add up." is tagged: arson , attempted burglary , Barry Scheck , burglary , Cameron Todd Willingham , capital punishment , constables , Corsicana , crime statistics , Dallas County , Dallas police , death penalty , DPD , Ed Timms , Gary Jacobson , Innocence Project , Kevin Krause , Stacy Kuykendall , Steve McGonigle , Steve Thompson , Tanya Eiserer , traffic enforcement , Willingham October 22, 2009
Let's play a little game. Pretend I'm a famous columnist who covers pro sports. My boss is running for governor. In all my spare time, on my own personal stationery, I start asking the teams I write about to give money to the boss' re-election campaign. Now let's look at some facts. Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission chairman Jose Cuevas is asking owners of the bars and restaurants he regulates to donate to Gov. Rick Perry's re-election campaign, reports The Dallas Morning News' Wayne Slater. The solicitations are legal. They don't name Cuevas, a Midland restaurant owner, as TABC chairman (although he admits the obvious: recipients recognize his name). The Perry campaign says there's no problem. Having trouble reading the four words under the TABC logo pictured above? They are service, courtesy, integrity and accountability. Do you have a tip about political fund-raising? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: TABC boss asks bars to give to Perry" is tagged: Jose Cuevas , political fund-raising , re-election campaign , Rick Perry , TABC , Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission October 21, 2009
There were no clear procedures for monitoring a North Texas soldier who was known to be unraveling mentally before he allegedly killed five colleagues at a counseling center in Iraq, according to a new military report. Sgt. John Russell is accused of the deadliest soldier-vs.-soldier attack in the six-year war. His father, Wilburn Russell of Sherman (right), told The Dallas Morning News back in May that macho military culture inhibits men from seeking help: "If a guy actually goes to the clinic and asks for help, they think of him as a wimp, and he's got something wrong with him and try to get rid of him." But the military report also notes: "There is no clear procedure ... for managing soldiers identified as 'at risk' for suicide or the proper way to conduct suicide watch." Do you have a tip about mental health and the military? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: North Texas soldier went unwatched" is tagged: Army , counseling center , Iraq , John Russell , mental health , military , Sherman , soldier-vs.-soldier , suicide watch October 15, 2009
"Ouch" is the Hot Links word of the day. Ouch. Ouch. Less than two weeks ago, my newspaper published a glowing feature story about Catherine Rohr (right). She's attracted widespread coverage for founding and running the Prison Entrepreneurship Program, or PEP, which trains inmates and parolees to start free-world businesses. Now comes word that Rohr was having "inappropriate relationships" with some of the guys and has resigned as PEP's CEO. PEP's chairman says Rohr disclosed the inappropriate relationships to her board a month ago. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice sent her a letter Sept. 9 banning her from prison units, spokesman Jason Clark told me today. Now, he added, TDCJ will take a fresh look at PEP's programs. Man, it's a long way from 2007, when PEP won the governor's Criminal Justice Volunteer Service Award. Do you have a tip about Catherine Rohr? PEP? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Texas prisons expel non-profit leader" is tagged: Catherine Rohr , Cheryl Hall , PEP , Prison Entrepeneurship Program , TDCJ , Texas Department of Criminal Justice October 14, 2009
I received a call from a reader that an elderly woman's caregiver was not taking care of her. The reader said the caregiver wasn't showing up daily, but she was frightened of the worker and was afraid of a confrontation, so didn't want to say anything. So, she asked me to look into the situation. I reported the problem to both the caregiver's employer and to Adult Protective Services. The state investigated the situation and said that the elderly woman is getting adequate care. The reader agrees that the situation is better for the elderly woman and that the caregiver is now coming to work. If you see an abusive situation of the elderly, children or the disabled, you can call APS to investigate. Their toll-free number, 1-800-252-5400, is answered round-the-clock. You might experience a wait though. It took about an hour for me to get through.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Reporting neglect of the elderly" is tagged: Adult Protective Services , elderly , Problem Solver October 6, 2009
The liberal Center for American Progress is calling out Texas lawmakers who voted against the $819 billion stimulus in January - and are now asking the Obama administration for $3 billion in stimulus funds to bolster the budget of NASA, a major Texas employer. This comes on the heels of a September audit that questioned the use of federal tax dollars by another Texan who scorned the stimulus: Gov. Rick Perry. The federal audit found that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission under Perry had billed the Medicaid program for nearly $300,000 in care and prescription drugs it shouldn't have given legal and illegal immigrants.
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The entry "Your tax dollars: Hypocrisy in the heart of Texas?" is tagged: Barack Obama , immigration , John Cornyn , Kay Bailey Hutchison , NASA , Pete Olson , Rick Perry , stimulus , Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Public Citizen's lawsuit against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, filed Tuesday in Travis County District Court, cites arguments identical to those that the U.S. Supreme Court endorsed in a 2007 federal case. That case was Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency. Public Citizen also added some twists to reflect Texas law. "We just took a page out of Massachusetts v. EPA, said Tom "Smitty" Smith, Public Citizen's Texas director. In brief, the suit says the law requires Texas regulators to take action to curb any harmful emissions, including carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases -- harmful, the argument goes, because global warming brings a host of problems for human and ecological health. The TCEQ has declined to do so, and Gov. Rick Perry, who appoints the state agency's commissioners, strongly opposes regulating CO2. TCEQ Chairman Bryan Shaw, Ph.D., issued a statement in response to Public Citizen's suit. Here it is, in full: "The science on global warming is far from settled. Neither Congress nor the EPA have been able to promulgate final rules on greenhouse gas regulation. What is certain is that if done incorrectly, CO2 regulations will impose great costs on Texas, without any guarantee of a measurable environmental benefit. Reducing CO2 in Texas will do nothing to lower CO2 globally, but will have the effect of sending U.S. jobs to China and India."
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The entry "Lawsuit says Texas must regulate CO2" is tagged: climate , global warming , Gov. Rick Perry , lawsuits , Public Citizen , TCEQ , Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
In fact, as today's stories remind us, we've got a ways to go until these big news events conclude. 1. As a now-convicted Don Hill wonders why jurors and God did not "give us this one," I wondered when the other public official enmeshed in the FBI's bribery investigation will go on trial. The News' Gromer Jeffers Jr. happened to report today that the judge is asking about possible courts dates for State Rep. Terri Hodge (shown at right). Meanwhile, it appears some are already trying to undercut her 2010 re-election opponent. Their argument: He's too educated. 2. On the list of people who can consistently strike fear into Child Protective Services, state Sen. Jane Nelson has got to be near the very top. She has long led reform efforts targeting the agency. Now she is questioning whether four recent deaths of children while under CPS' watch, including that of an Arlington toddler, is a broader pattern, report The News' Brooks Egerton and Scott Goldstein. Do you have tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog or me on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Hot Links: Dallas City Hall, CPS cases not done yet" is tagged: abuse , bribery , Child Protective Services , CPS , D'Angelo Lee , Dallas City Hall , Darrell "Tre" Singleton III , Darren Reagan , death , Don Hill , extortion , FBI , federal investigation , Gladys Evelyn Hodge , hot car , Jane Nelson , Keashia Matthews , kickbacks , neglect , Sheila Farrington , Terri Hodge , trial October 5, 2009
You missed a lot if you missed the paper this weekend. You can catch up quickly with these Hot Links: 1. Yes, utility operator Ken Weaver (right) really was a stock car driver. But college football star? College baseball star? College degree? That stuff was all made up, my colleagues Steve McGonigle and Ed Timms discovered. They found that Weaver also has a record of plane and car theft. But the Texas Public Utility Commission didn't seem to notice. It let him run Freedom Power, which sells prepaid electricity to the poor and amassed the highest rate of consumer complaints of any electricity provider in Texas. 2. Comments posted on my colleague Dave Tarrant's report from Jordan suggest that many readers don't want any back story on Ellis County terrorism suspect Hosam Smadi. But for those of you who do, this piece is a must-read. 3. Keashia Matthews, the Arlington mom at the center of a scandal we exposed over how Child Protective Services works, is defending herself to Channel 8. Sort of, anyway. My favorite quote from the TV piece regards the thought that has haunted her since she left her toddler to die in a hot truck: "Just what I could have done different." Do you have a tip about child welfare? CPS? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Does PUC care about exec's record?" is tagged: Arlington , child death , Child Protective Services , consumer complaints , CPS , Darrell Singleton , Dave Tarrant , day care , deregulation , Ed Timms , electricity , Freedom Power , Hosam Smadi , Italy , Jordan , Keashia Matthews , Ken Weaver , prepaid service , Public Utility Commission , PUC , scandal , Steve McGonigle , terrorism October 2, 2009
Child Protective Services is changing its tune regarding a neglect investigation that could have saved the life of Darrell Singleton (right) -- but didn't. Yesterday, CPS spokesman Chris Van Deusen said that leaving a 1-year-old such as Darrell unsupervised all day in a home doesn't put the child at immediate risk of serious harm and thus is not a top-priority case for investigation. Now he's just sent me an e-mail stating the opposite: "It is the agency position that allegations of pre-school children who are at home alone right now, or who are being left home alone regularly, constitutes an immediate threat to their health and safety, and those allegations require immediate investigation." Another new position regards the May complaint about the welfare of Darrell and his two siblings, ages 5 and 6. Yesterday CPS said that someone who knew the children reported that they were being left home alone all day in Arlington while their mom, Keashia Matthews (right), worked in Bedford. Van Deusen's new e-mail says: "The May intake we received did not allege that the children were currently in danger. The report was that one of the children said she had in the past been left with her siblings at home. There was no allegation that this was an ongoing practice or that children were currently home alone." That's why CPS didn't consider this a top-priority case, the spokesman says. What I still don't understand is why, regardless of whether this was Priority 1 or Priority 2, CPS closed the matter after mom arranged for day care. Consider: 1. Why is day care a solution if there was no ongoing problem?
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The entry "Update: CPS changes story on dead Arlington tot" is tagged: abuse , Arlington , Arlington police , child death , Child Protective Service , child welfare , Chris Van Deusen , CPS , Darrell Singleton , day care , Keashia Matthews , neglect
I asked. They answered. And I still don't get it. Yesterday my question was whether CPS alerted Arlington police in May that Keashia Matthews (right) was leaving her three little children -- ages 1, 5 and 6 -- home alone all day while she worked. And as you can see in today's follow-up story, the answer is yes. But CPS didn't ask for police help, because it didn't think Matthews was putting the kids at risk of serious, immediate harm. And so this woman, who had a history of neglecting other children and losing custody of them, never got charged with endangerment. That could have sent her to jail and given the three little kids some chance of finding a safer home. Instead, CPS closed the books on the matter after she arranged for day care. Now, of course, the youngest child, Darrell Singleton III (right), is dead, and mom has been charged with contributing to his demise by deliberately leaving him in a hot car. Arlington police say they're now reviewing their actions to see whether they could have done more to prevent the death. Do you have a tip about child welfare? CPS? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Why wasn't mom charged with neglect?" is tagged: Arlington , Arlington police , Child Protective Services , child welfare , CPS , Darrell Singleton , endangerment , Keashia Matthews , neglect September 30, 2009
President Obama has vowed to eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud as part of a proposed overhaul of the nation's health care system. A federal report released on Wednesday identified yet another area where investigators should start digging. The report from the federal Government Accountability Office identified possibly widespread fraud in Texas and other states involving purchases of controlled substances under Medicaid, the federal-state medical program for the poor. Among the interesting Texas tidbits was a case of "doctor shopping" by a Medicaid beneficiary who used prescriptions from more than 70 doctors to obtain 4,700 pills of Vicodin from 40 pharmacies. In our recent "Cost of Care" series on why health care is so expensive in North Texas, I touched on fraud in the home health industry. Medicare and Medicaid are lucrative targets for fraudsters. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General recently reported that state Medicaid fraud control units across the country recovered $1.3 billion in fiscal 2008.
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The entry "Medicaid fraud report fingers Texas" is tagged: fraud , Government Accountability Office , Gregg Jones , healthcare overhaul , Medicaid , Obama , prescription drugs September 29, 2009
Hot Links looks today at how money gets spent in Austin: 1. Gov. Rick Perry's re-election campaign is paying "volunteers" to recruit more "volunteers," The Dallas Morning News' Gromer Jeffers reports today. My favorite quote in the story is from Dallas County Republican Party chairman Jonathan Neerman (right), who was a volunteer in Perry's 2006 campaign and said there were no cash rewards then. "I want my check," he said. 2. The $19 billion Texas Permanent School Fund is the second-largest educational endowment in the country. It pays for textbooks and other school supplies. And the State Board of Education has taken to rejecting the investment advice of the fund's professional staff and hiring a consulting firm that cost much more than the competition, free-lance writer Jeff Horwitz reports in The News. The key advocate of these moves: board member Rick Agosto (right), a San Antonio Democrat who had prior business contacts with the consultant. He denies wrongdoing. Do you have a tip about politics? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Perry campaign pays 'volunteers' " is tagged: consultant , Dallas County Republican Party , Democratic Party , endowment , Gromer Jeffers , investment , Jeff Horwitz , Jonathan Neerman , re-election campaign , Rick Agosto , Rick Perry , State Board of Education , Texas Permanent School Fund , volunteer September 25, 2009
Hot Links today make the world seem somehow upside down. 1. The more you need help, the less likely you are to get it. That seems to be the logic transportation officials are using in deciding how to spend federal stimulus money. Reports USA Today: "Dallas trails only Los Angeles in miles of bad roads, yet it has received less than 1% of the $530 million that Texas approved for road repairs." A TXDoT official says our roads are so bad that fixes would cost too much to be eligible for funds. 2. The Dallas Morning News' Victor Godinez has a fascinating back story today about the Perot family confidant who's accused of insider trading. Reza Saleh, it turns out, helped rescue Perot employees from a prison in his native Iran 30 years ago. Now he's adding to the embarrassment facing Perot-affiliated investments this year. My colleagues Gary Jacobson and Brendan Case wrote a few months ago about the multi-billion dollar collapse of a family hedge fund. Do you have a tip about street repairs? Hedge funds? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.N
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The entry "Hot Links: Stimulus money bypasses Dallas roads" is tagged: Brendan Case , Gary Jacobson , hedge fund , insider trading , Iran , Parkcentral Capital Management , Perot , Reza Saleh , road repairs , SEC , Securities and Exchange Commission , stimulus , Texas Department of Transportation , TXDoT , USA Today , Victor Godinez September 24, 2009
What a tangled web they weave in making money: 1. Maria Refugia Camarillo (right) gets to spend the next 44 months of her golden years in federal prison, a judge decided yesterday. The 72-year-old Fort Worth grandma arranged sham marriages for up to $12,000 apiece between many members of her extended family and green-card seeking immigrants. More details are in a Justice Department news release issued when she pleaded guilty in July. 2. Lubbock lawyer Kevin Glasheen stands to make millions representing 12 former prisoners who have been exonerated by DNA evidence and are seeking compensation from the state. But now, The Dallas Morning News' Jennifer Emily reports, one of the Dallas exonerees has hired a different lawyer to sue Glasheen. Lawyer 2 alleges that Lawyer 1 did no legal work and shouldn't collect a $1 million fee. Glasheen denies the claim. 3. Reza Saleh made about $8.6 million by trading on advance knowledge of Dell's purchase of Perot Systems, federal regulators alleged yesterday. Saleh's employer, according to The News' Victor Godinez: Parkcentral Capital Management, an affiliate of Perot Investments. Do you have a tip about marriage? Lawyers? Insider trading? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: FW granny's immigrant marriage racket" is tagged: compensation , Dell , DNA , exoneration , exoneree , green card , immigration , insider trading , Jennifer Emily , Kevin Glasheen , Maria Refugia Camarillo , marriage fraud , Parkcentral Capital Management , Perot Investments , Perot Systems , Reza Saleh , scam , scheme , SEC , Securities and Exchange Commission , sham marriage , Steven Charles Phillips September 23, 2009
Robert Crandall (right), AA's former CEO, is backing a U.S. Senate bill that would let passengers leave planes that have been stranded on the ground for more than three hours. "Every responsible airline executive I know thinks these things are an outrage," he said yesterday, when he testified before Congress. The bill was born in large part out of December 2006 storms in Texas, during which many people were stuck on parked American flights for more than eight hours. That led the Fort Worth-based carrier to talk of reform and a four-hour limit. "Because no similar situation has occurred in the 80-plus years of American's history, it is a rule that may never be used again," the airline told Congress and reporters at the time. But the rule soon turned out not to be a rule, as The Dallas Morning News' Terry Maxon reported in 2007. The push for the federal law has largely been driven by California real estate agent Kate Hanni (right), who was among those stranded in 2006 and who founded FlyersRights.org. The Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines, says new rules are a bad idea. Do you have a tip about airlines? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: American Airlines' ex-boss breaks ranks with industry, supports passenger-rights bill" is tagged: Air Transport Association , American Airlines , FlyersRights.org , ground delays , Kate Hanni , parked flights , passenger rights , Robert Crandall , storms , stranded , Terry Maxon September 21, 2009
Our first item in Hot Links explains what your bank account has probably been feeling. 1. The idea was competition would lower Texans' health-care costs. What patients got instead were fatter bills and less effective treatments, according to a Dallas Morning News multi-day series called "The Cost of Care" that began Sunday. Some of my colleagues who contributed reporting will be blogging here on their findings this week. 2. Closing arguments are expected to begin later this morning in the Dallas City Hall corruption trial, The News' Jason Trahan reports. After these end, jurors will deliberate on a verdict for what could be weeks. 3. I didn't hear NBC give a shout-out last night to the Arlington voters who agreed to subsidize the new Cowboys Stadium. The upshot: NBC did compare it to the pyramids, Parthenon, Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal and Roman Coliseum. We'll see if it attracts similar numbers of tourists so that Arlington can recoup the tax dollars residents are giving Jerry Jones. Do you have tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog or me on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Hot Links: Health-care bills falling? Didn't think so." is tagged: Arlington , bribery , corruption , Cost of Care , Cowboys Stadium , D'Angelo Lee , Dallas City Hall , doctors , Don Hill , exams , football , Health care , hospitals , Jerry Jones , medical bills , nurses , patients , Sheila Farrington , tax subsidies , treatment , trial September 18, 2009
I aced college geography. But I wouldn't have been able to find Mbabane, Swaziland, on an African map before reading a Fort Worth Star-Telegram story about two Cowtown city council members who are traveling there this week at taxpayer expense. The trip is part of Fort Worth's Sister Cities program, which sends a delegation to seven locales around the world to glad-hand and talk a little business. Fort Worth has provided about $350,000 in public funding toward this and usually pays the cost of a couple of elected officials to attend -- in this case, two to Swaziland at a cost of nearly $10,000. The timing could not have been worse. Just last week, the council approved budget cuts and fee hikes for residents. One of the traveling council members insisted, "This is not about tourism. This is about AIDS in Africa and the significant issues that are faced in that part of the world. It is very important we have these exchanges." The Sister Cities trip reminded me of other recent examples of big-ticket municipal travel -- Rowlett, Dallas and Mesquite. Leaves you wondering taxpayers believe they're getting a good value, or whether they'd like their neighborhood library open a few more hours.
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The entry "Hot Links: Another city in North Texas cuts services, but elected officials keep traveling" is tagged: Dallas , elected officials , foreign , Fort Worth , Mesquite , municipal , overseas , Rowlett , Sister Cities , Travel , trips September 17, 2009
Hot Links today are all about capital punishment: 1. Charles Dean Hood (right) may well deserve to die for murdering two people in Plano. But I'd feel a whole lot better about killing killers if I knew they got a fair trial. And that's very much in doubt here. The latest: Texas' highest court said yesterday that it's too late for the defense to use evidence that the trial judge and Collin County's DA were, um, romantically entangled. Defense attorneys tried to work this angle earlier but lacked evidence -- the affair, like most, was secret. But now they have admissions from former DA Tom O'Connell (under Hood) and paramour Verla Sue Holland (below). 2. The appeals court decision comes at a particularly difficult time for Texas' image. I recently summarized three other ongoing capital punishment embarrassments, including two in which there's real doubt about a convicted man's guilt. In one of those cases, the defendant has already been executed. Do you have a tip about law enforcement? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Can Texas use death penalty fairly?" is tagged: Cameron Todd Willingham , capital punishment , Charles Dean Hood , Collin County DA , death penalty , district attorney , judge , Michael Toney , Michael Wayne Richard , prosecutor , Sharon Keller , Texas Court of Criminal Appeals , Tom O'Connell , Verla Sue Holland September 16, 2009
Today's Hot Links look at how the tables have turned on two former representatives of the Texas legal system. 1. Was he trying to make the Guinness Book of World Records? Michael Meissner (right) worked for 17 small-town police agencies in 18 years, The Dallas Morning News reports today. Now he's jailed, facing child-porn and organized crime charges in Dallas and Tarrant counties. He worked most recently for a town in Central Texas, but it's hard to understand how that was possible. WFAA-TV (Channel 8) reported two years ago that Meissner lost his peace officer's license in 2003, used a phony college degree and had an arrest record. 2. Former Dallas municipal court Judge Tiffany Lewis (right) pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing tens of thousands of dollars while working as a private lawyer in a Tarrant County probate case, reports The News' Tanya Eiserer. Lewis was sentenced to 60 days in jail and 10 years of probation. The State Bar of Texas took away her law license in 2005. Do you have a tip about law enforcement? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Child-porn charge for North Texas cop " is tagged: Byron Harris , Channel 8 , child porn , Dallas municipal court , disbarred , gypsy cop , judge , Michael Meissner , organized crime , peace officer license , probate , State Bar of Texas , stealing , TCLEOSE , Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education , Tiffany Lewis , WFAA September 14, 2009
For today's Hot Links, let's catch up from the weekend: 1. Another family is accusing child psychiatrist William Olmsted (right) of misconduct with their daughter. And they're likewise mad at the Texas Medical Board, saying that it did nothing after they complained. Last week, Dallas Morning News writer Diane Jennings reported that the board let Olmsted keep his medical license after a Dallas County court put him on probation for molesting a girl. Board officials won't talk about why they chose this disciplinary route. 2. The Plano Chamber of Commerce wants residents to shop within the city, News reporter Theodore Kim reports. Seems that sales tax revenue has plummeted as new shopping magnets have beckoned further north. How long will it be, do you think, before Frisco starts losing out to the next big thing even further north? What will be the first Dallas suburb in Oklahoma? Do you have a tip about doctor discipline? The Texas Medical Board? Other professional disciplinary issues? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: 2nd rap vs. Dallas molester-doctor" is tagged: child psychiatriast , Diane Jennings , doctor discipline , doctors , Frisco , medical license , molestation , Oklahoma , Plano Chamber of Commerce , probation , sales tax , shopping , sprawl , Texas Medical Board , Theodore Kim , William Olmsted September 11, 2009
The results of Dallas Morning News investigations are all over the paper today: 1. A Dallas County court put child psychiatrist William Olmsted (right) on probation for child molestation. But he can still work as a doctor. That's because the Texas Medical Board recently decided not to take his license away, as Dallas Morning News reporter Diane Jennings shows today. The board decided it was enough to limit his practice to treatment of men, in a group setting. Olmsted must also get a psychiatric evaluation, attend "professional boundaries" courses and pay a fine. All of which recalls my colleague Doug Swanson's 2002 investigation showing that the board was reluctant to punish doctors who sexually assaulted or otherwise harmed patients. And it recalls Doug's 2007 follow-up on a Texas legislator who was in business with a doctor and called a special hearing to see whether the board was too aggressive in its discipline. 2. Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert says real police officers will begin checking out car-burglary complaints in person instead of letting civilian call takers handle the task by phone. And there will be a sweeping review of all 2009 reports that Dallas police labeled untrustworthy. The changes come in direct response to News reporters Steve Thompson and Tanya Eiserer's recent findings that cops weren't counting all crimes. 3. Today's update on the Dallas Episcopal Diocese's stockbroker-priest scandal: A second clergyman has left his pulpit -- and he's talking about suing parishioners who accuse him of investment-related misconduct. Do you have a tip about doctor discipline? The Texas Medical Board? Other professional disciplinary issues? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Dallas molester keeps medical license" is tagged: Bishop James Stanton , Brooks Egerton , car burglary , child abuse , child psychiatriast , crime statistics , Dallas Episcopal Diocese , Dallas mayor , Dallas police , Diane Jennings , discipline , First Canterbury Securities , leave of absence , molestation , parishioners , Paul Lambert , probation , Raymond Jennison , reforms , Steve Thompson , stockbroker-priest scandal , suffragan bishop , Tanya Eiserer , Texas Medical Board , Tom Leppert , William Olmsted , William Warnky September 8, 2009
Difficult questions about pregnancy linger in my mind from the weekend papers, even though the newsprint's already on the recycling pile: 1. Why does Texas lead the nation in repeat teen pregnancy? Bob Garrett of The Dallas Morning News' Austin bureau looked at several factors in Monday's paper. Among them: Only Utah and the Lone Star State require state-funded clinics to get parents' consent before giving their teens birth control. And Utah at least tells young people on a state Web site to go to Planned Parenthood if they don't want to involve their parents. 2. Have you ever thought about what you'd do if you were pregnant and knew the baby was doomed? Over the past two Sundays, my colleagues Lee Hancock and Sonya Hebert traced one family's journey in words, photos and video. If thus stuff doesn't haunt you, have someone check your pulse. Do you have a tip about matters of life and death? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Texas leads in repeat teen pregnancy " is tagged: abortion , birth control , birth defect , Deidrea Laux , genetic abnormality , Lee Hancock , parental consent , Planned Parenthood , pregnancy , repeat teen pregnancy , Robert Garrett , Sonya Hebert , state-funded clinics , T.K. Laux , teen pregnancy , Thomas Laux , trisomy 13 September 3, 2009
Today's main Hot Link highlights another case that gives Texas' capital punishment system a bad name. 1. Longtime death row inmate Michael Toney (right) is free on bail, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The Texas attorney general's office, following Tarrant County prosecutors' admission that they withheld evidence, moved to dismiss charges that he killed three people in a 1985 Lake Worth bombing. Beyond that, you're not going to learn much from the Star-Telegram story. Click here for the definitive series on the Toney case, written in 2005 by my Dallas Morning News colleague Doug Swanson. 2. Other recent death penalty-related messes: The top judge of the state's top criminal court, Sharon Keller, is facing possible discipline because she closed her doors instead of waiting for a death row inmate's appeal. And a study commissioned by the state Forensic Science Commission cast serious doubt on the science used to convict -- and execute -- a man whose three children died in a fire. Do you have a tip about a capital case? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Another death-penalty case in doubt" is tagged: arson , bombing , Cameron Todd Willingham , capital punishment , Corsicana , death penalty , death row , district attorney , Doug Swanson , fire , Lake Worth , Michael Toney , Michael Wayne Richard , Sharon Keller , Tarrant County , Texas Court of Criminal Appeals , Texas Forensic Science Commission , Texas State Fire Marshal , withheld evidence September 2, 2009
Robert Peters (right), the former DISD principal we wondered about in this morning's Hot Links, has surfaced: He is a principal in the Manor school district, just outside Austin. Officials there say he has "cooperated fully" with the Dallas district's investigation of TAKS cheating at Lang Middle School. Dallas district boss Michael Hinojosa tells a different tale. He says Peters quit cooperating and bears some responsibility for the scandal, as my co-worker Tawnell Hobbs reported in The Dallas Morning News. There's still no word on who at the East Dallas school actually changed hundreds of students' answers on the state test. Watch this blog and Tawnell's DISD blog for more on this and other evolving stories.
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The entry "Principal blamed for East Dallas cheating scandal has new school job near Austin, is defended" is tagged: cheating , Dallas Independent School District , Dallas ISD , DISD , Lang Middle School , Manor , Michael Hinojosa , principal , Robert Peters , scandal , state test , superintendent , TAKS , testing August 28, 2009
Scam artists are going after consumers desperate to pay their bills. One reader wrote in to Problem Solver to say she had to borrow money from her in-laws to get out of a jam when she was conned out of $2,900 by a secret-shopper scam. Another said she, too, had lost money. "Kate, is there anything that I can do to go after these people and get some sort of restitution?" one of the readers asked? Columnist Pamela Yip wrote about this type of scam in June, but unfortunately the reader didn't see her warning. There are various twists to the shopping con. One has the shopper giving the con artist access to bank information to cash their "paycheck." Another has the shopper receiving a money order to buy several small items then sending back the cash to their "employer." The money order winds up as a fake and is later denied at the bank. The cash and employer are long gone by that time. There is usually no recourse in getting any money back, but if you're caught up in something like this you should report it to the authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission and Texas Attorney General's office. These scams seem to proliferate, but at least if the right people have the information a few thieves may get caught.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Readers caught in shopping scam" is tagged: secret; shopper; scam; con; Problem Solver;
Two utterly unrelated spats caught my eye this morning in the back pages of The Dallas Morning News: 1. The controversy surrounding the car-towing practices of Dallas County constables Derick Evans and Jaime Cortes grows more interesting by the day. Evans has now hired powerful state Sen. Royce West (right) as his lawyer amid a corruption investigation by the Dallas County District Attorney's office, reports Kevin Krause. West has been a major donor and adviser to DA Craig Watkins. And Watkins' office, meanwhile, defends constables when they face civil lawsuits. What do you make of all these potential conflicts of interest? 2. Jaguar of North America filed a federal lawsuit accusing Plano-based Millennium Motor Cars of submitting more than $2 million in false warranty claims and other charges, Terry Box reports. Millennium owner David Stephens (right, with one of his babies) has counter-sued. He blames service department employees for any irregularities and accuses Jaguar of withholding information. Do you have a tip about constables? Senators? Prosecutors? Car dealers? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: New twist in Dallas constable inquiry" is tagged: conflicts of interest , constables , counter-suit , Craig Watkins , Dallas County , David Stephens , Derick Evans , district attorney , Jaguar , Jaime Cortes , Kevin Krause , lawsuit , Millennium Motor Cars , Plano , Royce West , Terry Box , towing , warranty claims August 26, 2009
Dallas Episcopal Bishop James Stanton (right) confirmed today that he has suspended a priest-stockbroker who, as I reported Sunday, owes an ex-parishioner/ex-client $50,000 for securities fraud. Stanton said he was unaware of what I discovered late yesterday: A Dallas judge put the Rev. William Warnky (below right) on 10 years of probation in 2006 for contempt of court after he failed to pay about $50,000 in child support to his second wife. Warnky should have disclosed this to Dallas Episcopal Diocese leaders, the bishop said. "Mercy," he added. "That is a very serious matter." This spring, the Texas attorney general's office sought to jail Warnky because of continuing child-support failures. The judge let him stay on probation. Warnky has been making payments since, the AG's office said. The priest declined to comment today. He led services Sunday at his church, Good Samaritan, which is a few blocks south of White Rock Lake. Stanton said his suspension from ministry took effect Monday.
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The entry "Dallas priest suspended over stock-fraud case" is tagged: Bishop James Stanton , bishop suffragan , child support , contempt of court , Episcopal Diocese , Financial Industry Regulatory Authority , FINRA , First Canterbury Securities , Good Samaritan Episcopal Church , jail , Paul Lambert , priest , probation , securities fraud , stockbroker , suspension , Texas attorney general , William Warnky
So many questions, so little time. A few of our favorite new ones arise in today's two Hot Links: 1. There is increasing support for the idea that the state of Texas executed an innocent man, reports Christy Hoppe of The Dallas Morning News' Austin bureau. Cameron Todd Willingham (right, in a photo being held by a cousin), of the North Texas town of Corsicana, was convicted of killing his three young children in a fire. He insisted that he was innocent but was put to death in 2004. A new study commissioned by the state Forensic Science Commission concludes that a fire marshal who investigated the deaths "seems to be wholly without any realistic understanding of fires and how fire injuries are created." The Chicago Tribune has been dogging this case for some time; click here for more detailed coverage. 2. Southwest Airlines' maintenance practices are facing new scrutiny from the FAA, reports Eric Torbenson of The News. This time the issue is whether the Dallas-based airline used unauthorized parts when repairing older Boeing 737s. Still no word on why a football-sized hole opened up during a Southwest flight last month. Do you have a tip about the Willingham case? Airline maintenance? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Innocent Dallas-area man executed?" is tagged: Boeing 737 , Cameron Todd Willingham , capital murder , Chicago Tribune , Christy Hoppe , Corsicana , Craig Beyler , death row , Eric Torbenson , executed , FAA , Federal Aviation Administration , hole , innocence , maintenance , Manuel Vasquez , repairs , Southwest Airlines , Texas Forensic Science Commission , Texas State Fire Marshal , unauthorized parts August 25, 2009
Today's Hot Links are swerving all over the road: 1. In January of last year, Dallas Plan Commission member Neil Emmons wrote Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert (right) a letter. He urged him to push for disclosure requirements for local lobbyists, as my colleagues Jason Trahan and Gromer Jeffers Jr. reported Sunday. Leppert wouldn't talk for that story. But today, lo and behold, with the City Hall corruption trial grinding on, he is proposing some reforms. 2. Here's the sound of another nail being banged into a box that looks a lot like Paul Quinn College's coffin: Dallas Morning News reporter Holly Hacker explains that the region's only historically black college has lost its accreditation appeal. 3. Why are all those baby bones lying around outside a mobile home in southern Tarrant County? The trailer sits on a street -- I'm not making this up -- called Tranquility Circle. Do you have a tip about local lobbyists? Paul Quinn College? Baby bones? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Dallas mayor starts talking reform" is tagged: accreditation , baby bones , corruption , Dallas City Hall , Dallas mayor , Dallas Plan Commission , disclosure , Gromer Jeffers , historically black college , Holly Hacker , Jason Trahan , lobbyist , mobile home , Neil Emmons , Paul Quinn College , reform , registration , Tarrant County , Tom Leppert , Tranquility Circle , trial August 24, 2009
Ronnie Dawson of Greenville couldn't pay his electric bill and was worried about how he'd survive. It wasn't the heat so much as the lack of refrigeration for the insulin that he takes daily for his diabetes. Dawson just bought and moved into his mobile home in May. He was floored by his first electricity bill when it arrived. "I got this high-dollar light bill, and it killed me," Dawson said. "I've gotten in over my head." The bill from city-owned Greenville Electric Utility System was initially a little more than $365. But Dawson, 56, asked for another read of his meter. That did knock $89 off the total, but the clock was ticking. He now had fewer than 48 hours to come up with $276. "It might not be much to you, but it is to me when I don't have [the money] and they won't work with me," said Dawson.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Diabetic gets help on bill" is tagged: Greenville; air conditioner; Adult Protective ; municipal owned electric company , Problem Solver; GEUS August 20, 2009
Does wearing a black robe mean never having to say you're sorry? Do you deserve a taxpayer-funded car allowance? Today's Hot Links make me wonder: 1. Sharon Keller says she would do it again. The presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (at right, waiting for her misconduct trial to begin) testified Wednesday that there was no reason to keep the court open late in 2007 for a death-row inmate's last-minute appeal. Hours later, the killer was executed. Now that the tables are turned and she's facing trial, Keller faces possible removal from the bench. And this isn't the former Dallas County prosecutor's only legal woe; another stems from her failure to list millions in personal assets on a financial disclosure form, as my colleague Steve McGonigle's investigation showed. 2. The Dallas suburb of Richardson spends more than $800,000 a year on employee car allowances, Dallas Morning News reporter Ian McCann finds. Many of the employees do lots of on-the-job driving -- but some are just getting perks. How does this compare to what other cities do? Are city-owned car fleets a better alternative? Do you have a tip about judicial conduct? Car allowances? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Texas judge Keller is unrepentant" is tagged: Bill Keffler , car allowances , death row , executed , financial disclosure , Ian McCann , inmate , judge , Michael Wayne Richard , personal assets , Richardson , Sharon Keller , Steve McGonigle , Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct , Texas Court of Criminal Appeals August 19, 2009
Today's Hot Links focus on some lurking dangers: 1. A new study raises questions about the promotional campaign for a cervical cancer vaccine that Gov. Rick Perry unsuccessfully tried to mandate for Texas girls. Gardasil manufacturer Merck funded messages by medical groups that "did not address the full complexity of the issues surrounding the vaccine and did not provide balanced recommendations on risks and benefits," the study says. It was published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 2. Lake-wrecking zebra mussels are emerging in North Texas, WFAA-TV (Channel 8) reports. What is to be done about these little pests, which can clog public water-supply pipes? Do you have a tip about public health? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Study questions vaccine campaign " is tagged: cervical cancer , Channel 8 , Gardasil , Gov. Rick Perry , JAMA , Journal of the American Medical Association , lakes , Merck , North Texas , promotional campaign , vaccine , WFAA-TV , zebra mussels August 18, 2009
Two questions this morning: Is Texas using its regulatory resources wisely by focusing on small-time gambling operations? And does probation really mean anything in this state? 1. Execs of Dallas-based Aces Wired have pleaded guilty to running a gambling operation, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The company, which runs game rooms in several Texas counties, previously insisted that its machines met state requirements by not awarding cash prizes. Now it will forfeit more than $1 million, and the bosses will be put on probation. Prosecutors had planned to present allegations at trial that the execs bribed a Fort Worth police officer, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported recently. 2. Plano resident William Fletcher pleaded guilty to securities fraud three years ago and was put on probation. Now he's been charged with doing it again and using the proceeds to pay court-ordered restitution from the 2006 case, The Dallas Morning News' Elizabeth Souder reports. Will Fletcher -- who did business under the names Texas Oil Equities and Raptor Oil & Gas -- get probation again? Do you have a tip about gambling? Regulators? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: Gambling crackdown in North Texas?" is tagged: Aces Wires , bribery , cash prizes , eight liners , Fort Worth police , gambling , game rooms , probation , Raptor Oil & Gas , regulators , restitution , securities fraud , Texas Oil Equities , William Fletcher August 14, 2009
Several items in the news today reminded me of the State of Neglect series that my colleagues on the investigations team produced earlier this year. That explored how Texas government, through its mangled bureaucracy or deference to big business, leaves the little guy lacking. 1. Oncor customers will pay a total of $115 million more statewide after the Public Utility Commission agreed to the company's request for higher rates, The News' Elizabeth Souder reports. That move ignored a previous ruling by a panel of administrative law judges that found Oncor should get only $30 million to subsidize an "imprudent" purchase of high-tech meters that didn't meet PUC requirements. 2. Star-Telegram watchdog columnist, Dave Lieber, has a nice piece on a 78-year-old military veteran who can't get his food stamps allotment renewed because of confusion within the Health and Human Services Commission. Some residents have sued to try and get results. 3. An employee who helped stage those infamous fights among the mentally disabled residents at a state-run Corpus Christi school was convicted Thursday. Those were not the only problems at the facility, which operates under the oversight of the Department of Aging and Disability Services. Do you have thoughts or tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog or me on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Hot Links: Revisiting Texas' "State of Neglect"" is tagged: abuse , Department of Aging and Disability Services , fight club , fights , food stamps , Health and Human Services Commission , mentally disabled , meters , neglect , News investigations , Oncor , Public Utility Commission , rates , State of Neglect August 13, 2009
Testimony is reaching a critical stage in the Dallas City Hall bribery trial. Jurors will earn their $40-a-day pay after times like Wednesday. 1. Federal prosecutors, in the meat of their case, scored as developer-turned-informant James R. "Bill" Fisher testified about paying a load of money to Don Hill's associates and finally winning his vote. However, in a boost to Hill's defense, Fisher acknowledged Hill never asked for cash and Fisher never paid him directly. (Trial is recessed until Monday, fyi.) 2. We know Rick Perry is the longest serving governor the state's had. And we know before then, he toiled in Austin as well. So why was he also claiming a home in College Station to get a tax exemption? He dropped it after the Associated Press broke the story this week. 3. Now for a little media talk: The Texas House is apparently blocking a Houston-based online news organization from covering an upcoming session. I know this news org, Texas Watchdog, is a competitor to The News. But c'mon, House. We Texans need more -- not fewer -- journalists covering Austin. Give them access. Do you have thoughts or tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog or me on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Hot Links: City Hall trial news, Perry's tax break" is tagged: bribery , D'Angelo Lee , Dallas City Hall , Darren Reagan , Don Hill , extortion , governor , homestead , House , House of Representatives , housing , James R. "Bill" Fisher , Marcus Busch , media access , Rick Perry , tax exemption , Texas Watchdog , trial August 11, 2009
Alan and Kathy Lynn Dieken of Kaufman did get their money back after taking a honeymoon cruise to nowhere. The couple booked a trip at the end of April on Carnival Cruise Lines out of Galveston that was supposed to port in Mexico. But when swine flu broke out in the country, cruise ships all headed to other ports. Not theirs. It parked in the Gulf. It also returned to Texas early because of a medical emergency. Despite my intervention, Carnival only refunded the couple a total of $80 in port taxes and offered 50 percent off a future cruise. So the Diekens disputed the remaining $1,770 they paid to their credit card. "They took it off completely," said Dieken. He said he is now satisfied with the result.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Couple gets card refund for cruise" is tagged: Carnival; cruise; Problem Solver; swine flu; Mexico
That's one takeaway, among many, that you should have from the Dallas City Hall bribery trial. Let's explore: 1. Co-defendant Allen McGill (shown at right) testified Monday that his sham Black State Employees Association of Texas opposed a housing developer's project to force the hiring of minority contractors who'd give it kickbacks later, The News' Jason Trahan reports. Once the developer played ball, the opposition lifted. McGill and his cohort, Darren Reagan, realized that they were ones worked over months later: The developer was an FBI informant. 2. The Hearst network of newspapers, which includes Houston and San Antonio, is wrapping up a series that finds about 98,000 people die each year from preventable medical errors. That echoes The News' State of Neglect investigative series, which earlier this year found that Texas lets hospitals hide their mistakes from the public. Do you have thoughts or tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog or me on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Hot Links: In Dallas, "support" ain't what it seems" is tagged: Allen McGill , Black State Employees Association of Texas , bribery , BSEAT , corruption , Dallas City Hall , Darren Reagan , deaths , doctors , errors , hospitals , medical , medicine , mistakes , nurses , trial August 10, 2009
The state's academic testing program in grammar and high schools has fed a running argument over whether it puts emphasis more on scores or learning. Critics surely will seize on this data analysis by The News: 1. Holly K. Hacker's Sunday story found half of college-bound graduates from some North Texas high schools earned less than a C average their freshman year. That includes middling results from kids at Dallas' nationally recognized magnet school. The state's higher education commissioner said it was a "serious problem" that students are "stunned when they arrive on a college campus." Look up your school with this online database. 2. Current and former members of the non-profit that runs the Alamo has been squabbling over finances. That brings this to light: The state may own the landmark, but no agency provides management oversight. That worries San Antonio's mayor, The News' Marjorie Korn reports. 3. News reporters aren't the only ones who fight for records. An audit released this morning shows the FDIC wouldn't share documents with the State Auditor's Office as part of a review of the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending. Do you have thoughts or tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me. Use social-networking media to get your news? Follow the blog or me on Twitter, or join our Facebook group.
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The entry "Hot Links: Are Texas students ready for college?" is tagged: Alamo , colleges , Daughters of the Republic of Texas , David Stewart , Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending , FDIC , Patti Atkins , public information , public universities , Raymund Paredes , records , Rick Perry , San Antonio , State Auditor's Office , TAKS , Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board July 28, 2009
You may have missed this item deep inside The Dallas Morning News' metro section today: The University of Texas at Dallas forwarded complaints against its own police officers to the Collin County district attorney. The action comes two months after UT Dallas' police chief, Colleen Ridge, resigned. A few weeks ago, the assistant chief and an officer who had been on leave were fired. Another employee also quit, and one more remains sidelined. That's a lot of HR paperwork. But what makes this potentially criminal? UT Dallas and prosecutors continue not to discuss it publicly. News reporter Holly Hacker did manage to narrow things down after receiving a letter from the University of Texas System's lawyers seeking permission from the state attorney general to keep records about the complaints private. The UT System lawyers indicate the police matters involve these multiple choices: a) ethical questions, b) standards of conduct, c) financial reporting and/or d) internal accounting practices. If you know the correct answer, post a comment or e-mail Holly or me directly.
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The entry "UT Dallas police under investigation, but for what?" is tagged: Colleen Ridge , Collin County district attorney , complaints , Debra Marable , firing , investigation , Mary Spradlin , police , resignations , Ryan Ballard , Tammy Grigg , University of Texas at Dallas , University of Texas System , UT Dallas July 22, 2009
So will this be the day that the Justice Department's bribery case against former Dallas Mayor Pro-Tem Don Hill (shown at right) falls apart? Or will it be the day that his smiling demeanor changes? We're about to find out, as questioning of the low-income housing developer who has pleaded guilty to bribing Hill begins this morning. The News' Jason Trahan is stationed at the federal courthouse and live-blogging the developments. In a News interview four years ago, lawyers for developer Brian Potashnik explained his role for the first time, framing him as a victim of opportunistic city officials.
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The entry "Big day in Dallas City Hall trial: Developer testifies" is tagged: Brian Potashnik , bribery , D'Angelo Lee , Dallas City Hall , Don Hill , extortion , FBI , investigation , Justice Department , prosecutors , Southwest Housing Development Co. , trial July 16, 2009
Turmoil in the suburbs. A drug war near the Texas border. What's a politician to do? 1. Irving's power structure is under siege. The local icon, Texas Stadium, is turning into an eyesore. The Dallas Cowboys will soon be playing in Arlington, leaving behind controversy over their practice facility's collapse and the city's dubious role in inspecting it. Now comes a federal judge's ruling that the city's at-large system for electing the City Council is illegal, as reported today by Jeff Mosier and Katherine Leal Unmuth of The Dallas Morning News. Members of the all-white council said they thought things were working just fine. Hispanics are about 40 percent of the population -- the largest group in town. 2. The Los Angeles Times has a fascinating look today at possible ties between drug lords and elected officials in Mexico. Seems a recently elected member of Congress there, Julio Cesar Godoy, is now a fugitive. He has been linked to a narco gang that has killed at least 16 police officers in recent days. He is also a half-brother of Michoacan state's governor. Do you have a tip about Irving? The Dallas Cowboys? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at DMNInvestigates. You can also check us out on Facebook.
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The entry "Hot Links: More shocks to the Irving system" is tagged: all white , Arlington , at-large system , City Council , collapse , congressman , Dallas Cowboys , drug war , fugitive , Hispanics , Irving , Jeff Mosier , Judge Jorge Solis , Julio Cesar Godoy , Katherine Leal Unmuth , La Familia , Los Angeles Times , Mexico , Michoacan , narco , police officer killings , practice facility , single-member districts , Texas Stadium , traffickers July 13, 2009
There are flies in the ointment of some Texas crime-catching innovations, as today's Hot Links show. 1. We all know canines can help track escaped prisoners. But can they correctly ID crime suspects? There are growing questions about the only dog handler in Texas who does scent-identification lineups, the Victoria Advocate reports. A faulty dog ID recently sent a South Texas man to jail for a rape he didn't commit. Some judges have now barred the handler -- Fort Bend County Deputy Sheriff Keith Pikett -- from testifying. 2. Gov. Rick Perry gave sheriffs $2 million to install Webcams on the Mexican border. But few arrests and drug busts have resulted, an El Paso Times investigation shows. Do you have a tip about dogs or dog handlers? Drugs? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at "DMNInvestigates."
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The entry "Hot Links: Texas dog handler catching criminals?" is tagged: deputy sheriff , dog handler , drug bust , El Paso Times , Fort Bend County , Gov. Rick Perry , identify suspects , illegal immigrant , Keith Pikett , Mexican border , Victoria Advocate , Webcam July 10, 2009
A reader called Problem Solver asking what should be done about a disagreement between her daughter and her daughter's landlord. When her daughter moved out of her apartment the landlord claimed the place was "trashed." But the daughter had hired a cleaning crew to scour the place. "Besides having lived there for two years, we had the carpets constantly cleaned, and [there were] some holes in the wall where we put pictures, it was clean," the daughter told my colleague Daphne Chen. "'Trashed' is the farthest thing from any truth at all." Now, the landlord is threatening to take the tenant to small claims court.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Apartment deposit advice" is tagged: Apartment; tenants; Problem Solver; deposit; landlord
Real? Fake? Hard to believe? Today's Hot Links are about guns in Texas: 1. Dallas banned public display of real-looking toy guns in 2007. But that did not stop a couple of guys from nearly getting shot by police recently, as The Dallas Morning News' Steve Thompson reports today. Do we need a law that bans the replicas outright, as other governments have tried? Who makes these products? Why is their manufacture allowed? Why do parents buy them for their kids? 2. The New York Times says John Shipley, an FBI agent in Texas, has been charged with running an unlicensed business: dealing guns that ended up in Mexico, used in narco-vs.-army shootouts. Do you have a tip about real guns? Fake guns? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at "DMNInvestigates."
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The entry "Hot Links: Fake guns can be really deadly in Dallas" is tagged: army , ban , Dallas police , fake guns , FBI , John Shipley , manufacture , Mexico , narco , New York Times , parental responsibility , public display , replica guns , shootouts , toy guns , unlicensed gun dealer July 9, 2009
If your apartment is roasting and the A/C is on the fritz, there are several steps you should take. Don't delay in doing something either. Texas heat can be deadly.
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The entry "Problem Solver: How to complain about A/C" is tagged: tenants rights; Problem Solver; apartment; landlord; air conditioning
Today's Hot Links touch on books, religion and traffic. 1. Who are the Texas textbook advisers saying that Thurgood Marshall and Cesar Chavez are not major figures in U.S. history? One is a Massachusetts evangelical named Peter Marshall, whose Web site would be happy to sell you books, DVDs and more. The other is a North Texas evangelical named David Barton, whose Web site would be happy to sell you books, DVDs and more. 2. Most of America lives in major metro areas. But we urbanites and suburbanites aren't getting our fair share of federal transportation stimulus money, a New York Times analysis suggests. Do you have a tip about textbooks? Stimulus spending? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at "DMNInvestigates."
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The entry "Hot Links: Who are the Texas textbook advisers?" is tagged: adviser , Cesar Chavez , curriculum standards , David Barton , evangelical , federal spending , metro areas , Peter Marshall , public schools , social studies , textbooks , The New York Times , Thurgood Marshall , transportation stimulus , WallBuilders July 8, 2009
The right to spend, and the right to bear arms: These are the Hot Links of the day. 1. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn uses more taxpayer dollars on travel than any of his colleagues. The Texas Republican says the Politico.com report was "a little bit of a cheap shot," according to WFAA-TV/Channel 8. 2. Should students have the right to carry concealed weapons on college campuses? Is Texas going to give the gun lobby its big break on this issue? The Wall Street Journal has an interesting national roundup today. Do you have a tip about politicians' spending? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at "DMNInvestigates."
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The entry "Hot Links: Texas Sen. Cornyn has big travel bill" is tagged: Channel 8 , college campus , concealed weapons , gun lobby , John Cornyn , Politico.com , taxpayer , travel spending , Wall Street Journal , WFAA-TV July 7, 2009
Since I wrote about the Carnival Cruise Line trip that parked in the Gulf, I've heard from a couple of readers. One person wrote that her family had a "crummy experience" last spring break, while another said she doesn't understand what the fuss is about because she often prefers to skip ports and stay on the ship. The upset reader said her family missed seeing Jamaica because the seven-day cruise returned to Galveston one day after it left because of a medical emergency. "What mayhem on the ship!" she wrote.
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The entry "Problem Solver: Cruisers weigh in on portless trip" is tagged: Carnival; cruise; port; Problem Solver; medical emergency
All aboard! Buckle up for today's rough ride to some theme-park Hot Links: 1. Despite Six Flags Over Texas' best efforts, some info is finally getting out about what went wrong with the Texas Giant last week. The wooden roller coaster promises "sheer white-knuckle terror" when it's working right. Sounds like its failure was pretty scary, too -- a safety inspector told me the last car on the train lost its proper track position and was dragged up to 300 feet, gouging the rails. 2. Six Flags isn't the only amusement park with safety problems. Federal regulators are investigating a deadly monorail crash that occurred early Sunday at Disney World, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Do you have a tip about amusement parks? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at "DMNInvestigates."
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The entry "Hot Links: New Six Flags coaster-failure details" is tagged: Disney World , failure , fatal crash , federal regulators , inspector , monorail , NTSB , Orlando Sentinel , safety problems , Six Flags Over Texas , Texas Giant , The Dallas Morning News , wooden roller coaster July 6, 2009
Even though Mexico had a swine flu outbreak, Alan and Kathy Lynn Dieken of Kaufman decided to go ahead with their honeymoon cruise. That's because when they called Carnival Cruise Lines before heading to Galveston to board the ship, they were told the ship would port somewhere -- maybe not Mexico -- but somewhere. But it didn't. The ship went out into the Gulf of Mexico, basically parked, then sped back to Galveston one day early, the couple said. Because of the change in itinerary, Carnival says it has refunded each passenger his or her $40 in port taxes and will offer 50 percent off a future cruise as a "goodwill gesture." "Our first experience was so horrible, I don't know if I want to spend another week on a ship," Kathy Lynn Dieken said. "We were essentially lied to."
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The entry "Problem Solver: Carnival misses ports" is tagged: Problem Solver; cruise; Carnival; ports; medical emergency
Let's catch up on a couple of mind-bending education stories that you probably missed over the holiday weekend: 1. George Orwell would have appreciated this: Some students who failed the TAKS test are counted as passing for purposes of new school accountability rankings, Dallas Morning News reporters Holly Hacker and Jeffrey Weiss showed. Why? A formula predicts that these failers are likely to pass the next time. What if the prediction is wrong? No problem. The schools' rankings don't drop. 2. Charter schools are privately run, but we taxpayers finance them. So the government exercises fiscal oversight, right? Wrong, reports The Dallas Morning News' Matthew Haag. Onto that stage steps Imagine Schools, a nationwide charter school management company with a real estate program that some officials say hurts students. It's planning to expand into McKinney next year. State officials OK'd the move despite concerns that Imagine lacked non-profit status. Do you have a tip about school testing? Charter schools? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at "DMNInvestigates."
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The entry "Hot Links: Love those Texas school-rule loopholes" is tagged: accountability rankings , charter schools , failing , fiscal oversight , formula , Holly Hacker , Imagine Schools , Jeffrey Weiss , management company , Matthew Haag , McKinney , non-profit status , passing , publicly financed , TAKS , taxpayers , TEA , Texas Education Agency July 2, 2009
Six Flags Over Texas is talking more since yesterday's post about the problems that have shut down its famed Texas Giant roller coaster for most of the week. Spokeswoman Sharon Parker said today that hot, dry weather caused misalignment of the wooden track. The ride will remain closed all day today, she added. But she did not initially answer this question: Did any riders report pain or injury when the ride was stopped Monday afternoon? Late today, she emailed this response: "Our First Aid department did not inform me of any." Amusement parks must tell the Texas Department of Insurance about all injuries that require a physician's attention, TDI spokesman Jerry Hagins said. But they only need to file reports quarterly, so there's no way to get new info today. State officials do not inspect the rides or require owners to notify them when safety problems arise. The state does require owners' insurance companies to hire an inspector. That person must perform an annual check and certify to the state that rides are fit to operate.
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The entry "They won't talk: Six Flags Over Texas update " is tagged: annual check , certificate , hot weather , injury report , inspect , insurance company , Jerry Hagins , misalignment , pain , roller coaster , safety problems , Sharon Parker , Six Flags Over Texas , sticker , Texas Department of Insurance , Texas Giant , wooden track
Let's get down to business. Today's Hot Links are about creative ways to make money in Texas. 1. The Wall Street Journal humorously pulls back the curtain on a "going out of business" expert in Dallas. Carpet salesman Cyrus Hassankola even called his business Going Out of Business at one point, until the Better Business Bureau and the Texas Attorney General's office took note. 2. A federal lawsuit accuses Dallas electricity retailer Stream Energy of operating a pyramid scheme, Dallas Morning News reporter Elizabeth Souder writes. The company hotly denies the claim and says it uses the time-honored multi-level marketing approach of Mary Kay. The suit takes aim at Stream's marketing arm, Ignite, whose Web site includes this pitch: "Find out how you can make money on your energy bill. Wouldn't you like to get paid every time you turn on the power?" Do you have a tip about rug sales? Multi-level marketing? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at "DMNInvestigates."
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The entry "Hot Links: Dallasite forever going out of business" is tagged: Better Business Bureau , carpets , degregulation , electricity , Elizabeth Souder , federal lawsuit , going out of business , Ignite Inc. , liquidation , Mark Kay , pyramid scheme , rugs. Cyrus Hassankola , sales , Stream Energy , Texas attorney general , The Dallas Morning News , The Wall Street Journal July 1, 2009
Today's Hot Links are about two things you cannot escape in life: death and databases. 1. Here's the most interesting proposal I've heard in a while: a a national database of undiagnosed diseases. The idea was inspired by the mysterious death of a suburban Austin boy named Charles August "Cal" Long, the Austin American-Statesman reports. It summarizes the goal this way: "doctors and scientists could describe symptoms, exchange information and compile data that could be used to solve medical mysteries." Two Texas legislators recently introduced a bill in Congress -- Rep. Michael Burgess, who is a physician from North Texas, and Rep. John Carter of Central Texas, who long ago lost one of his own children to an unknown disease. 2. The Social Security Administration is not only paying benefits to the dead, it's also denying aid to living folks who are misclassified as deceased. Here's the inspector general's report on which McClatchy Newspapers based its story. Do you have a tip about death, or databases, or another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. If you're on Twitter, follow our blog at "DMNInvestigates."
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The entry "Hot Links: Texans want mystery-disease database" is tagged: Austin American-Statesman , Cal Long , death benefits , denying aid , inspector general , McClatchy Newspapers , misclassified as dead , national database , Social Security , U.S. Rep. John Carter , U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess , undiagnosed diseases June 29, 2009
A number of grassroots groups are out to scuttle the application of John Hall, a former top Texas environmental official, to be regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. That's because Hall has been working as a lobbyist for more than a decade, representing big petrochemical companies, Waste Management, and other firms that frequently clash with anti-pollution activists. The opponents contend that Hall -- who has made as much as $9 million as a lobbyist since 1998 -- is hopelessly conflicted out of running the EPA in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico. They also weren't thrilled with his tenure as chairman of the old Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission, predecessor of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, from 1991-95. They plan a press conference Tuesday morning outside the EPA's regional office in downtown Dallas. Hall defends his performance in state office and his work as a lobbyist. He says he has scrupulously avoided conflicts of interest.
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The entry "In print: Groups target possible EPA regional chief" is tagged: Al Armendariz , Environmental Protection Agency , EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson , John Hall , Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
My post last week exploring whether dealings between a Dallas ISD trustee and a college-prep program's founder had posed a conflict reminded a reader about the state laws for disclosing such relationships. Reader "STC" was correct that Texas' Local Government Code, chapter 176, requires public officials to fill out forms disclosing conflicts of interest with prospective government contractors. But there appears to be several loopholes in the law. The biggest seems to be that the state law defines a conflict as a financial relationship, employment or business. Friendship -- which you and I might think warrants a heads-up to the public -- does not. Even if there is a financial relationship, it may not have to be disclosed under chapter 176, depending on the money at stake and the timing of the transaction.
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The entry "Reader Talkback: Disclosing conflicts of interest" is tagged: Attorney General , Chapter 171 , Chapter 176 , conflicts of interest , disclosures , filings , Local Government Code , public officials , reporting , Texas Ethics Commission , votes June 24, 2009
With a new crew in the White House and running the Environmental Protection Agency, the federal folks are talking tough about how Texas regulates emissions from big industrial plants. Environmental groups are generally delighted; Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Commission on Environmental Regulation, not so much. You can read more in my story from today's printed edition.
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The entry "Is EPA bulking up against Texas pollution?" is tagged: air , Environmental Protection Agency , EPA , Gov. Rick Perry , permits , pollution , TCEQ , Texas , Texas Commission on Environmental Quality June 23, 2009
Here are the stories giving me chills on a hot Texas morning: 1. Another month, another mass-transit disaster: This latest one, which killed at least seven people in the nation's capital, was supposed to be impossible, The Washington Post reports. A computer should apply brakes automatically if trains get too close. Another mystery: The driver of the train that crashed had a clear line of sight but apparently never braked, either. Was she incapacitated? Using a cell phone, like the drivers I wrote about last month? 2. Another week, another higher-ed exec getting paid by taxpayers not to work: Tarrant County College Chancellor Leonardo de la Garza has quit with two years left on his contract -- but still will receive $700,000, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The story lacks much context; go to the Fort Worth Weekly for that. Last week, Elsa Murano quit as Texas A&M boss. Here's her deal, as reported yesterday by my colleague Holly Hacker: "She will be on leave for a year and keep her president's $425,000 salary, plus an additional $295,000, and she agreed not to sue. She plans to return as a professor, at a $260,000 salary." Do you have a tip about mass transit? Higher ed? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Hot Links: Why are commuter trains crashing?" is tagged: brakes , cell phone , commuter train , computer , crash , DART , Elsa Murano , Fort Worth Star-Telegram , Holly Hacker , Leonardo de la Garza , Metrorail , paid not to work , resigned early , Tarrant County College , taxpayers , Texas A&M , The Dallas Morning News , Washington Post June 19, 2009
Here are a couple of stories about schools and rules that caught my eye in The Dallas Morning News this morning: 1. "Severe testing irregularities" mean that hundreds of Dallas middle-schoolers must retake the state math exam, The Dallas Morning News' Tawnell Hobbs reports. A preliminary report suggests that students are not to blame. I can't help but recall The News' 2007 investigation showing that cheating was widespread on the TAKS test. At the time, state regulators insisted otherwise. 2. Trainers say high school football coaches should ease up on twice-daily summertime practices to keep from killing students, The Dallas Morning News' Terrence Stutz and Brian Davis report. Need a reminder of how deadly the heat can be? Read this News investigative report about a Dallas high school student who died of heatstroke after a single practice in August 2004. Do you have a tip about cheating? Football practice? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Hot Links: School dazed and confused" is tagged: Brian Davis , Carter High School , cheating , Dallas Independent School District , deaths , DISD , Eric Brown , heatstroke , high school football , Lang Middle School , National Athletic Trainers Association , state math exam , summertime practices , TAKS , Tawnell Hobbs , Terrence Stutz , testing , two-a-days June 16, 2009
Here's a look at public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere that had me asking some questions over morning coffee: 1. Will we never know where $15,000 in missing ticket revenue in Mesquite ISD's athletic department went? A secretary responsible for depositing it quit after questioning, and the internal auditor said costs to dig deeper were twice as much, The News' Matthew Haag reports. It's the latest financial scandal for Mesquite sports. 2. Why did Cheryl Potashnik miss a pretrial conference Monday in which all defendants charged in the FBI's Dallas City Hall public corruption case were present or had written excuses? Speculation is the co-owner of Southwest Housing Development Co., who along with husband Brian is accused of bribing public officials, may have struck a plea deal, The News' Jason Trahan tell us. 3. How will Texans vote on a proposal to limit eminent domain powers of government? Protect property owner rights? Or leave government with its ability to seize land and give it to private developers? Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Hot Links: Where are the funds, the defendant?" is tagged: athletic department , audit , constitutional amendment , Dallas City Hall , election , Eminent domain , FBI , gag order , investigation , Mesquite , Potashnik , public corruption , Raynell Horton , secretary , ticket revenue , trial , vote June 15, 2009
We were reminded of how Rick Perry, through his longevity, has become perhaps Texas' most powerful governor through his appointment powers in two of today's public-interest stories from The News and Web-o-sphere: 1. One backdrop to Texas A&M president Elsa Murano's resignation is an emphasis among Perry friends and associates in commercializing research, the Austin American-Statesman reports. Perry, an A&M alum, is said to exert influence in other ways. This increasingly upsets the faculty members "by what they perceive as a command-and-control management style" by the Perry-picked chancellor and Board of Regents. 2. The state Insurance Commissioner, Perry appointee Mike Geeslin, will decide how much State Farm Insurance owes -- if anything -- as part of overcharging complaints on homeowner policies. The options: The state consumer advocate's office says $785 million plus interest; the Texas Department of Insurance says $250 million plus interest; and State Farm says zip. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Hot Links: Gov. Rick Perry's wide, vast reach" is tagged: chancellor , Elsa Murano , homeowners , insurance commissioner , Mike Geeslin , Mike McKinney , overcharging , policies , president , resignation , Rick Perry , State Farm Insurance , Texas A&M , Texas Department of Insurance June 11, 2009
Here's a look at public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere that raise serious questions about building practices: 1. Dallas Cowboys officials knew before building their practice facility that a new, similar structure erected by the same contractor had recently collapsed, I'm reporting today in The Dallas Morning News. 2. Another disaster killed three construction workers yesterday in Austin. The project's developer, Gary Perkins, has deep ties to the Dallas and Denton County areas. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Hot Links: Cowboys knew about prior collapse " is tagged: Austin , Cobalt Land Development , collapse , construction safety , construction workers , Dallas Cowboys , Gary Perkins , Philadelphia warehouse , practice facility , Summit Structures June 10, 2009
Here's a look at some of today's top public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Air traffic warnings about potential bird strikes are vague and of little help to pilots as presently handled, Texas' own Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger testified Tuesday. That's worrisome, because data previously analyzed by The News shows D/FW International Airport is among the top five in the U.S. reporting plane collisions with wildlife. 2. An expert told The News the smallish earthquakes jarring western DFW could be the result of gas drilling, prompting a dismissal from the industry. The Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy says worries over the tremors may be overblown. Yet officials in Johnson County's Cleburne have decided to do their own analysis. As more tremors are reported overnight, I wonder whether the U.S. Geological Survey will start investigating. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Hot Links: Navigating safety in air and on land" is tagged: air traffic , airports , bird strikes , Cleburne , collisions , earthquakes , FAA , Johnson County , planes , Sully , wildlife June 9, 2009
Let's catch up on a couple of public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Judges must not hear cases involving major campaign contributors, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. So what do we do in Texas with litigation involving billionaire home builder Bob Perry, who has given big bucks to all nine justices on the state's highest court? 2. Many new details of the tainted-syringe scandal are emerging in a ProPublica/Chicago Tribune report. It paints a chilling picture of problems at the Food and Drug Administration. Among the four people who've died is a Texas toddler. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Hot Links: What if all the judges have a conflict? " is tagged: Bob Perry , campaign contributions , Chicago Tribune , conflict of interest , donors , FDA , Food and Drug Administration , ProPublica , recusal , tainted syringes , Texas Supreme Court , U.S. Supreme Court June 8, 2009
Let's catch up on a couple of public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Many readers are outraged by Jennifer Emily's story on a cop who was caught on audiotape ignoring a robbery suspect's request for an attorney. They complain that the Dallas DA's office is soft on crime because it dismissed robbery charges against Mario Wright; they don't like The Dallas Morning News' slant on the story. Now, I share their frustration that a violent man might have escaped justice. But folks, think before you whine: Cops who don't follow the rules wreck cases for prosecutors. And it's a waste of taxpayer money to pursue cases you can't win in court. 2. U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, is mad at the press, too. He says liberal media bias is a greater threat to the nation than recession or terrorism. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Hot Links: Let's blame the media!" is tagged: Dallas County district attorney , Hot Links , Jennifer Emily , Jeremy Liebbe , liberal media bias , Mario Wright , Miranda , recession , request an attorney , robbery , terrorism , U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith June 2, 2009
I recently got an email alerting me that I had some unclaimed money in an IRS account. Wow, that sounded too good to be true. And, in fact, it was. Turns out that my email is a perfect example of a modern scam called "phishing," which involves the criminal use of the Internet to try to gain access to sensitive information, such as credit card and social security numbers. In this case, the fake IRS message attempted to trick unsuspecting victims, like me, into revealing personal information that could then be used to access the victims' financial accounts. "This is a big topic," said Clay Sanford, an IRS spokesman in Dallas. Taxpayers have forwarded more than 33,000 of these scam e-mails to the IRS, he said, and there are more than 1,500 different schemes to date.
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The entry "Dallas IRS alerts taxpayers to email scam" is tagged: Clay Sanford , email , Internet scam , IRS , phishing , tax refund May 27, 2009
Crime, damned crime and statistics: That's our theme for today's roundup of public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. We're No. 2!!! Dallas is celebrating the loss of its standing as the big city with the worst crime rate in America, The Dallas Morning News' Tanya Eiserer reports. But keep reading her report to find the caveats. 2. We're No. 1!!! Dallas County is cementing its standing as the nation's leader in exonerations. Jerry Lee Evans is the latest man to go free for a heinous crime he didn't commit, The Dallas Morning News' Jennifer Emily reports. 3. We're not as bad as Mexico!!! The Los Angeles Times offers a new measure today of how far narco-corruption has spread into local governments in our neighbor to the south. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Wednesday, May 27, 2009" is tagged: corruption , crime rate , Dallas , DNA , exoneration , Jennifer Emily , Jerry Lee Evans , Mexico , statistics , Tanya Eiserer May 22, 2009
As the total number of confirmed swine flu cases continues to rise, Irving resident Kay Brooks wonders whether restaurant workers and food handlers are being checked for the disease. "I have not heard this particular issue addressed. I trust that our local health departments have some plans in the works?" she asks. The short answer is no. There are no new inspections or rules being created specific to H1N1, better known as swine flu. Industry folks say that's because food workers are already cautioned to wash their hands and are told not to report to work if they suffer from "diarrhea, vomiting, contagious illness, severe acne, boils, certain skin conditions, jaundice, etc." "It would be the standard advice regardless of what illness is involved. Employees need to practice good hygiene and stay home if they're sick. But nothing special for H1N1 flu," said Doug McBride, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. So far, none of the roughly 700 cases of swine flu in Texas were contracted in a restaurant setting. The Texas Restaurant Association credits safety requirements already in place. "It's a huge part of their business. It's not necessarily swine flu related, but they [restaurants] are subject to high sanitation standards," said Wendy Saari, spokeswoman for the association.
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The entry "DMN Problem Solver: Avoiding swine flu" is tagged: disease , H1N1 , restaurant , swine flu May 21, 2009
Let's catch up on a few public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. They're not calling it another exoneration, but that's what it amounts to: Antrone Johnson won a retrial Wednesday for a sexual assault that the original prosecutor's notes say never happened, The Dallas Morning News' Jennifer Emily reports. Dallas County DA Craig Watkins says he won't retry Johnson. (Sidebar: Anybody out there know what has become of the defendant's original lawyer, Vivian Ray Davis, who was convicted of bribing another prosecutor and surrendered his law license?) 2. DA Watkins, meanwhile, is warring over money with powerful fellow Democrat John Wiley Price, The News' Gromer Jeffers Jr. reports. What will the outcome of the budget fight mean for justice? 3. Here's a breaking story I want to know more about: American Airlines pilot fails breath test and is barred from operating a London-Chicago flight. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Thursday, May 21, 2009" is tagged: American Airlines , Antrone Johnson , breath test , budget , Chicago , Craig Watkins , Dallas County district attorney , exoneration , Gromer Jeffers , Jennifer Emily , John Wiley Price , London , Patricia Hogue , pilot , Ray Davis , sexual assault May 20, 2009
A cool new online tool lets you check out those phone solicitors who say they're raising money for law enforcement. The Texas attorney general's office built this little database, which shows that donations to many of the fund-raising groups are not tax-deductible. And a lot of the donations go to overhead, not to needy cops. "Each year, many generous Texans provide financial support to organizations that purport to benefit peace officers and their families," AG Greg Abbott said. "The online resource launched today ensures contributors have easy access to these organizations' financial information. As a result, Texans can make informed decisions and determine the percentage of their dollars that will actually benefit peace officers."
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The entry "Telemarketing for Texas cops? Get the facts." is tagged: database , fund raising , law enforcement , telemarketing , telephone soliciting , Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott May 19, 2009
Let's catch up on a few public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Information = immunity for airline workers who report safety violations. But government regulators have tolerated "inconsistent use" and "potential abuse" of the reporting program, The Dallas Morning News' Dave Michaels writes. His story is based on a federal safety audit that began after a Texas mechanic checking on an oil leak was sucked into a jet engine. 2. Abuse of mentally disabled people at the Corpus Christi State School was far worse than state officials claimed, records obtained by Dallas Morning News investigative reporter Emily Ramshaw show. 3. I see Dallas smokers toss their butts on the ground every day, and it drives me nuts. But is San Francisco's new plan -- a 33 cents-per-pack trash tax -- the way to go? Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Tuesday, May 19, 2009" is tagged: abuse , airline safety , ASAP program , aviation , cigarette , Continental airlines , Corpus Christi State School , Dave Michaels , Emily Ramshaw , FAA , fight club , government regulators , inspector general , mechanic , mentally disabled , open records , San Francisco , trash tax May 18, 2009
A reader wrote in to ask about the street lights at the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Shady Grove Road in Irving. The lights had been taken out when work was done recently and not replaced. Without the street lights, the intersection is too dark at night, the reader said. Jim Cline, public works director for Irving, immediately reacted when I called to tell him about the complaint. Within a week, lights were back up at the intersection. The lights are now working, but the city doesn't really like the way they look. So, the intersection will probably get a different long-term fix. "The ultimate plan is for us to put lights in the median closer to the intersection. They're nice looking poles right now, but there is a preference not to have the lights over the intersection," Cline said.
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The entry "DMN Problem Solver: Street lights back on" is tagged: Irving , Jim Cline , MacArthur , public works , Shady Grove , Street lights May 16, 2009
A reader wrote that he was traveling south of Dallas on I-35 and watched two Dallas police cars speed up to 85 mph without emergency lights on. Knowing he would have gotten a ticket for the same behavior, the reader was more than a little irritated. So he followed the squad cars at a high rate of speed -- for about 90 miles. Along the way, he reported the vehicles to a few law enforcement agencies: the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Dallas Sheriff's Department, the Waxahachie Police Department and the Red Oak Police Department. He also put in a call to the Dallas Police Department. "I called the Dallas Police Department from West, Texas. You'd think they at least would have called the officers to tell them to slow down," he said. He asked me to see if the officers were legitimately going over the speed limit and, if not, what had happened with his complaint. "I'd like you to check into it," he said.
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The entry "DMN Problem Solver: Cops talked to for speeding" is tagged: Dallas , police , Problem Solver May 15, 2009
Let's catch up on a few of the public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Oh, wait. Hold on. Looks as though the government has reconsidered and decided it will investigate the collapse of the Cowboys indoor practice facility that injured about a dozen people and left one coach paralyzed permanently. The agency conducting the review still isn't saying much to Brandon Formby and Brooks Egerton. 2. You see this? The much-hyped King Tut exhibit has drawn only 600,000 visitors, considerably below hopes of 1 million. The Dallas Museum of Art blames the attendance on the economy, Michael Granberry writes. I don't remember other major entertainment attractions, like sporting events, having such problems. 3. The Texas House is tightening ethics rules -- targeting lobbyists and political-action committees -- and directing state auditors to oversee how federal stimulus dollars are spent, Emily Ramshaw reports. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Friday, May, 15, 2009" is tagged: bills , collapse , Cowboys , Dallas Museum of Art , ethics , exhibit , House , indoor facility , investigation , King Tut , lobbyists , PACs , state accountability office , stimulus May 12, 2009
State lawmakers moved one step closer today toward slashing funding for the state's high school steroids testing program. The action comes months after 29,000 tests found 11 violators. Critics called the program, budgeted for $6 million in its first two years, expensive and wasteful. Gov. Rick Perry suggested it should be scaled back. Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano told The Associated Press that lawmakers didn't want to stop testing all together: "I think it's such an issue nationally. To say we tried it for just two years and then trash it would not have sent a good message." Texas is one of three states nationally with such a program. It came to fruition after a Dallas Morning News series by Gregg Jones and Gary Jacobson, The Secret Edge, found steroid use had trickled down to high schools. As parents or athletes, do you think this is a good move?
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The entry "Budget cuts likely for high school steroid testing" is tagged: high schools , steroids , testing , Texas , UIL , University Interscholastic League May 11, 2009
In this installment of the Citizen Watchdog column, Jennifer LaFleur walks us through using a state online database to examine the backgrounds of dentists. The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners' database lets you see whether the dentist has an active license or has faced disciplinary action. You can't get specifics on the punishment, but there is enough to get you started. Jennifer reminds us of one caveat when using the database: In 2005, the Texas state auditor found gaps in the TSBDE's processes for disciplining licensees and found the agency was not always enforcing sanctions against licensees. It also found problems with the agency's procedures for doing criminal background checks of licensees. The agency, for what it is worth, also was subject to critical audits in 2002, 2000 and 1997.
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The entry "Citizen Watchdog: Scrub your dentist's past" is tagged: database , dentists , discipline , license , online , Texas State Board of Dental Examiners , TSBDE
Bad weather recently wreaked havoc on airline schedules in North Texas - not surprisingly, since some of the thunderstorms were accompanied by microbursts, which are downdrafts of 70 mph or more. Add to that at least 3.89 inches of rain, and you wind up with a bunch of delayed, hungry and tired passengers at the airport. A couple of them wrote to me to complain about how American Airlines handled the weather. I'm aware of what bad weather does to airline schedules since I've had plans disrupted waiting for my husband - an American pilot - to get home. So I made some calls. One reader was really happy with how things turned out. The other -- not so much.
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The entry "DMN Problem Solver: Air travel weather woes" is tagged: airport , American Airlines , delays , luggage , Problem Solver , storms , Weather May 7, 2009
Let's catch up on a few of the public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Have you heard the one about the two judges standing in a courtroom office? The first said he wanted a chat. The second said the first wanted to throw down. Next thing you know, a bunch of investigators and attorneys are called in to sort it out. It's no joke, Kevin Krause reports. 2. An Austin outpatient clinic improperly charged veterans for treating trauma from sexual assaults they had in the military, The New York Times reports. The Veteran Affairs Department was supposed to provide free care. 3. We have blogged about state lawmakers trying to strip date-of-birth information on government employees -- an important tool for conducting accurate background checks -- from the Texas Public Information Act. The concern, they say, is preventing identity theft. If DOBs were really a culprit, then why would the Texas Department of Public Safety have sold the same information for $50 million last year to country clubs, pizza delivery companies and driving schools, as Ryan McNeill tells us. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Thursday, May, 7, 2009" is tagged: Austin , care , Carlos Cortez , counseling , dates of birth , Diane Patrick , Eric V. Moyé , fight , Helen Giddings , judges , Kevin Krause , military , open records , rape , Robert Duncan , Ryan McNeill , sexual assault , Texas Rangers , treatment May 1, 2009
A reader wrote in after reading a column about car dealerships and loan rates to say she had not been able to qualify for the loan she was originally offered. But when she returned the car, she didn't get her $500 down payment back. Months had passed and she wanted her money back. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the down payment should be returned in a situation like that. So, I made some calls to the dealership. During one of those calls, I was assured that the dealership always returns deposits in this type of case. The reader called to say she did get her money back and thanked the newspaper for the help.
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The entry "DMN Problem Solver: Down payment dilemma" is tagged: car dealership , down payment , loan rates , problem solver , Texas Department of Transportation
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Rich guys with money trouble, Part I: Dallas sports magnate Tom Hicks is dumping his rodeo (left), Dallas Morning News reporter Gary Jacobson writes. Hicks recently quit paying interest on Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars loans. Will he lose the teams? 2. Rich guys with money trouble, Part II: Another Dallas financier has been accused of participating in a pay-to-play scheme involving a big New York pension fund, Dallas Morning News reporter Brendan Case writes. This time it's Saul Meyer of Aldus Equity, who denies wrongdoing. Previously, hedge fund manager/classical music impresario Barrett Wissman pleaded guilty in the case. 3. For much of the world beyond our borders, today is Labor Day. So here's a sweet little tale from the Austin American-Statesman about government rewarding strike breakers. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Friday, May 1, 2009" is tagged: Austin , Barrett Wissman , Capital Metro , Dallas Stars , Mesquite rodeo , pay to play , pension fund , public transit , Saul Meyer , strike breaking , Texas Rangers , Tom Hicks
Some readers called to say they had tried to take advantage of late-night postal service on April 15 for last-minute tax filers. "We dropped off the check at about 10:30 that night by handing it to one of the workers," one of the readers said. "Everyone was clapping and cheering. People were out there with baskets gathering mail." But then the readers found out that instead of squeezing by before the midnight tax deadline, their envelope was postmarked for April 16. "When we tried to find out what happened, boy, did we get the run-around. We're wondering how many others didn't get their things postmarked?" the reader asked. McKinney Boyd, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service, said the envelope "should have been postmarked on the 15th, if she [the reader] placed it with a postal employee." Still, he also said if things go wrong, there's not really anything anyone can do about it. "There is no recourse, simply because there is no way we can prove she handed it to a postal employee," he said. So in the future, it makes sense to get some proof -- such as purchasing registered or certified mail and keeping the receipt. Boyd said workers were inside the I-30 Turnpike post office until 12:30 a.m. that night to handle that type of mail.
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The entry "DMN Problem Solver: Postmark is past due" is tagged: post office , problem solver , tax deadline April 30, 2009
Several readers let me know after last week's column that they, too, had similar issues when TXU Energy moved to a new computer billing system. Fortunately, the company is listening. It fixed the account for the reader who originally wrote in to say she was double-billed and for numerous other people who sent me their account numbers. Spokesman Mike Gutierrez promises to continue looking into any other problems which might have developed when it switched systems. If you are seeing issues with your bill, send me your information, and I'll pass it along.
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The entry "DMN Problem Solver: Double billing update" is tagged: double bill , electric company , problem solver , TXU
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. I said it in yesterday's Hot Links, and I'll say it again: Swine-flu news coverage needs more perspective. Every kind of flu kills. Today's gold star for combating hysteria goes to this report in the Los Angeles Times. 2. Dallas Morning News reporter Tanya Eiserer dug out the outrage story of the day: A police officer who was branded a liar, fired and banned from testifying got his job back and went right on testifying. Now an untold number of court cases may be ruined. 3. Federal transportation officials are finally ordering a national review of bus safety. This comes after a series of deadly accidents, including one blamed on a retread tire that killed 17 religious pilgrims near Dallas. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Thursday, April 30, 2009" is tagged: bus crash , bus safety , Dallas County district attorney , Dallas police , hysteria , pilgrims , Randy Sundquist , retread , Sherman , swine flu , Tanya Eiserer April 29, 2009
There is no bigger story right now than swine flu. With that in mind, I've compiled some online resources that you can use to stay informed. I'll try to update this as I find other tools. If I missed something, send me an email, and I'll add it to the list. 1. The World Health Organization has a helpful Web site. The highlights include FAQs on such topics as contracting swine flu, tips for treating it and food safety measures. You can check the flu's stage in the pandemic alert chart, download audio and print press briefings, and sign up for RSS feeds. 2. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has its own FAQs, counts U.S. cases and posts travel advisories. You can download podcasts and guides for treating sick children, pregnant women and airline passengers. And if you love Twitter, you can follow the CDC's tweets. 3. In Texas, the Department of State Health Services dedicates a page, which includes the latest press releases. Dallas County, Tarrant County and Collin County are tracking the number of local cases. 4. The Association of Health Care Journalists has links to video of government hearings and downloadable transcripts of officials' testimony. Other links are available only to members. 5. Last but not least, DallasNews.com has a survival guide with additional tools, Web links, Twitter pages and archives of news stories.
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The entry "Tracking swine flu: Resources and tools " is tagged: CDC , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Department of State Health Services , outbreak , resources , swine flu , WHO , World Health Organization
Wisconsin's governor is expected to sign a bill that would require day-care providers to equip vehicles with alarm systems to help prevent drivers from leaving behind children. The bill -- approved by state lawmakers yesterday despite industry objection -- follows the hyperthermia death of a 4-month-old boy left alone in a van for four hours. The charge for failing to install alarms would be a misdemeanor, the Associated Press reported. We've had our share of cases like these in North Texas. I think back to a 2006 case that Brooks Egerton and I covered: Four-year-old Jacob Fox, above, who was forgotten in a van and died in 104-degree heat. All of this had me wondering: Was Wisconsin onto a novel idea that Texas should consider? Presently Texas does not require day cares to equip vehicles with such alarms, a spokesman for the Department of Family and Protective Services told me. Leaving children under age 7 in a vehicle for longer than five minutes is a Class C misdemeanor, unless they have someone 14 or older with them.
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The entry "Alarms in day-care vehicles: Should Texas do it?" is tagged: day cares , deaths , Department of Family and Protective Services , Jacob Fox , left alone , vans , vehicles , Wisconsin
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. I understand why people are concerned about swine flu. But how about a little perspective? Other kinds of influenza kill tens of thousands of people around the U.S. every year, as this government report reminds us. 2. No Child Left Behind, the law that Dallas' W touted so highly, isn't closing the achievement gap between whites and minorities, The New York Times reports. 3. Texas appears ready to join many other states in protecting reporters who protect their sources, writes Dallas Morning News reporter Terrence Stutz. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Wednesday, April 29, 2009" is tagged: achievement gap , CDC , confidential sources , George W. Bush , influenza , journalists , No Child Left Behind , shield law , swine flu , Texas Legislature
With ozone season kicking off Friday, it's time for a review of how North Texas is doing on knocking smog out of the skies. ("Smog," by the way, is a non-technical but apt word for the gunk in the air. In most places, including Dallas-Fort Worth, ozone is the main component of smog, so many people swap the terms in casual usage.) The main problem is that there's no one right way to measure progress against smog. The official version says Dallas-Fort Worth is making pretty good progress. The American Lung Association, in its 10th annual State of the Air report being released Wednesday, finds things getting worse. As is so often the case, both versions of reality arise from the same raw data. It's just shaken and stirred with different goals in mind.
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The entry "North Texas smog: Making clean-air progress? " is tagged: air , American Lung Association , environment , EPA , health , North Texas , ozone , smog April 28, 2009
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere:
2. A state rep says he will call for an impeachment vote on Texas' highest criminal court judge, Sharon Keller, before the legislative session ends. The last several months haven't been pleasant for the controversial judge. 3. So what are the state senators up to? The Star-Telegram reports that a group of them has asked Gov. Rick Perry to review Texas' environmental agency, which they say is too close to the businesses it regulates. Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth cites the agency's recent decision to renew the permit for TXI's Midlothian cement plant. An agency spokesman says it has "aggressive enforcement" that is "leading to a cleaner environment."
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Tuesday, April 28, 2009" is tagged: cement plants , ethics charges , impeachment , Jim Pitts , legislature , lobbyist , Midlothian , Rick Perry , Sharon Keller , TXI April 27, 2009
Are you a laid-off worker searching for your next job? Are you a college student wondering about your future career? Economic statistics -- largely pessimistic these days -- may hold clues to which industries are prime for job creation in Texas. Our latest installment of Citizen Watchdog column by Jennifer LaFleur (right) finds that health and education are two with such opportunities. Jennifer recommends two resources: The College Board, a nonprofit association of colleges, universities and other educational institutions, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Do you have a suggestion for a Citizen Watchdog column? Send us an e-mail.
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The entry "Citizen Watchdog: Using data for job leads" is tagged: Bureau of Labor Statistic , creation , economy , growth , jobs , The College Board
It's Monday. So let's catch up on a few public-interest stories that caught our eye this weekend in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere:
2. Some state lawmakers who wanted fast reform of the scandal-plagued juvenile justice system, the Texas Youth Commission, in 2007 are now urging a slowdown. Powerful senator, Houston's John Whitmore, questioned their actions: "They appear to be trying to protect the bloated bureaucracies," he told the Austin American-Statesman. 3. The investigations team had a couple of stories over the weekend, which we'll discuss more later. But I wanted to get you thinking about them now:
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Monday, April 27, 2009" is tagged: bird strike , campaign contributors , data , Kay Bailey Hutchison , payday loans , plane collisions , reform , Rick Perry , surrogacy , TYC , youth prisons April 24, 2009
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Can Dr. Alfred Gilman make Texas' cancer-research dreams come true? Dallas Morning News science expert Sue Goetinck Ambrose says he's quitting as dean of UT Southwestern's medical school in hopes that he can. But funding is a huge question mark, as Sue recently showed. 2. Big corporations that questioned whether fossil-fuel emissions contributed to global warming ignored their own scientific advisers, The New York Times reports. 3. URGENT! Can we get an investigative reporter to check this out? Seriously, this Austin American-Statesman headline is the funniest thing I've seen in a newspaper for a while: Biden visits to speak at private Democratic fund raiser; police investigate Austin bank robbery
Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Friday, April 24, 2009" is tagged: Alfred Gilman , cancer research , global warming , greenhouse gases , Joe Biden , lobbying , UT Southwestern April 23, 2009
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. A sports development without public financing? Minor league baseball near downtown Dallas? That's what these guys say. The site was once considered for the new Cowboys stadium, which is now going up in Arlington. Last we heard, development was not exactly booming in that area. Or at Dallas' Victory project. 2. I like wine just fine. But I'm not so sure about the Texas Legislature's priorities. Lawmakers can't seem to pass a bill requiring pharmaceutical companies to report the gifts they give to health care providers, Dallas Morning News investigative reporter Emily Ramshaw reports. But they are suspending rules and fast-tracking a bill that would allow BYOB at restaurants. Here's the official analysis of S.B. 2523. 3. When illegal immigrants go to jail in the United States, what happens to their children? Some are being adopted by citizens, The New York Times reports. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Thursday, April 23, 2009" is tagged: adoption , arena , BYOB , Cowboys , development , gifts , health care , Hicks , illegal immigrants , minor league baseball , Perot , pharmaceutical companies , restaurant , sports , stadium , Texas Legislature , Victory project , wine April 21, 2009
A reader asks whether the newspaper could regularly publish addresses, e-mails and phone numbers for elected officials. "The Dallas Morning News does a great job in presenting the issues, but falls short in helping the public react or participate," he wrote. Elected officials seem to send out a lot of bulk campaign mailers with that information, but few of us actually save those for when we need them. We do have the DMN Voters Guide, information on local races and candidates, on our website. And The League of Women Voters also has an incredibly nice interactive guide. Just enter your zip code and it'll break out who represents you.
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The entry "DMN Problem Solver: Reaching elected officials" is tagged: elected officials , problem solver , questions , solutions
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere:
2. Dallas-Fort Worth ranked high on Forbes' just-released list of top U.S. metro areas for job growth. But The News' Jason Trahan tells us about a more illicit type of business expansion in North Texas: Mexican drug traffickers using their base here to move shipments to Italian mafia. 3. U.S. Rep Joe Barton of Arlington is one of few lawmakers to spend his campaign dollars on the stock market and lost about $100,000 in the first quarter, the Star-Telegram reports. The practice is legal, and Barton says he has generally come out ahead. One Congressional watchdog questions Barton's use of the funds.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Tuesday, April 21, 2009" is tagged: Bus safety , campaign funds , Congress , crashes , drug traffickers , Italy , motor coach , stock market Joe Barton April 20, 2009
The Texas attorney general's office is investigating the question after receiving a complaint from a former Office Depot employee who accuses the company of manipulating prices. The ex-employee accused the Florida-based company of overcharging Texas public agencies that made purchases, in part, through a national contract for office and classroom supplies. His information has led to investigations in multiple states, and Office Depot has responded in some cases by repaying nearly $3 million. When we asked Texas AG spokesman Tom Kelley for a status report, he declined to comment. "We don't acknowledge investigations," he told The News. Office Depot, though, did acknowledge receiving what amounts to a subpoena from the AG. Spokesman Jason Shockley said the company was cooperating. "We intend to vigorously defend any allegations of wrongdoing lodged against our company," he said in a written statement.
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The entry "Did Office Depot overcharge Texas taxpayers?" is tagged: Attorney General , classroom supplies , David Sherwin , Office Depot , office products , overcharging complaints , U.S. Communities April 17, 2009
Remember my recent post about consumer complaints against a Coppell company that sells test-prep software? Well, now I've learned that it hasn't been paying sales tax. I called the Texas Comptroller's Office after I couldn't find The SAT and ACT Prep Center in the state's online database of sales taxpayers. The comptroller will investigate, spokesman R.J. DeSilva said. Company co-owner John Stuart gave me this reason for not paying: "We don't sell in Texas." But the Better Business Bureau in Dallas says it has received complaints from Texas and around the country. The Texas Attorney General's office now says it, too, is reviewing consumer complaints about the company.
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The entry "Tax officials, AG looking at Coppell test-prep firm" is tagged: ACT , attorney general , college prep , complaint , consumer , refund , SAT , test prep , Texas comptroller April 15, 2009
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. Happy Tax Day! Now sober up and consider this question: Is your tax preparer a crook? No problem, a Fort Worth Star-Telegram investigation finds. It focuses on a woman who has a history of financial crime but continues to work as a storefront tax preparer -- a profession that Texas and most other states don't regulate. Nor are there national standards, the IRS admits. The Fort Worth woman now faces charges that she helped clients cheat the IRS out of millions by claiming bogus dependents and bogus business expenses. 2. Plano ISD is shelving a proposal to quit penalizing middle-schoolers for cheating or late assignments, Dallas Morning News reporter Matthew Haag reports. This comes just a week after Matt showed, using an open-records request, that teachers were dubious about the plan. 3. Dallas investor Barrett Wissman has pleaded guilty to securities fraud, The New York Times reports. Wissman (right) is cooperating with an ongoing investigation of corruption in the New York state pension fund. Wissman reportedly was a managing director for HFV Asset Management, a money manager for Dallas' big-name Hunt family. The Times reports that the Carlyle Group, the prominent private equity firm, is also under scrutiny in the New York investigation. Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Wednesday, April 15, 2009" is tagged: Barrett Wissman , Carlyle Group , cheating , corruption , grading , HFV Asset Management , Hunt family , IRS , Matthew Haag , open records , pension fund , Plano ISD , Plano schools , regulation , securities fraud , tax evasion , tax preparer April 14, 2009
Here are a few public-interest stories catching our eye in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere: 1. OK, the good news first: No one has been hurt since stadium lighting poles (like the one pictured here) started falling at Texas high schools. But the rest of this investigative report from Cox Newspapers is terrifying. Denton, Tarrant and Ellis counties are among those where tragedy nearly has struck. The steel poles have a common -- and unregulated -- manufacturing lineage. 2. Bedford resident Jan Tidwell, a reader of this blog, sent us a frantic post yesterday. The local power company wanted to chop down her old oak trees. Dallas Morning News reporter Sherry Jacobson and videographer Nathan Hunsinger hustled to craft these balanced looks at the situation. Is Oncor overzealous in cutting trees near power lines? Or are homeowners like Jan putting shade ahead of safety? 3. We've been trying to avoid the White House puppy story, reasoning that there were too many other reporters covering this trivia. But Dallas Morning News reporter Jeffrey Weiss changed our mind today with a look at the risks associated with the Obamas' North Texas-bred pooch.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Tuesday, April 14, 2009" has no entry tags. April 13, 2009
The Legislature is still attempting to remove dates of birth from the records of public employees. I'm going down to Austin tomorrow to testify before the House State Affairs Committee against House Bill 4207. This is a companion bill to Senate Bill 1912. You can find the direct video feed of the proceedings tomorrow by clicking here. We'll try and give you a more direct link tomorrow. There's a few important things to know about this bill (by the way -- my birthday is July 27, 1977).
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The entry "DOB fight rages on in Texas Legislature" is tagged: dates of birth , identity theft , legislature , texas , texas public information act April 10, 2009
When some fellow reporters and I investigated whether Dallas Independent School District was hiring people with criminal records, we found a long list of employees with a history of fraud, felony drug offenses, aggravated assault and child endangerment. The school district itself was supposed to research employee records, but its system was riddled with holes and often ignored district and state rules. So, the newspaper took a crack at it. The reporting matched courthouse criminal conviction records with names, addresses and dates of births of school employees. We found that DISD was not doing its job and hiring people with criminal pasts to work with your children. Unfortunately, the ability to do that sort of investigation could soon be a thing of the past if some lawmakers get their way.
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The entry "Legislation could limit teacher investigations" is tagged: background checks , Dallas Independent School District , identity theft , open records , public information , teachers April 9, 2009
More tears for TIERS, the state's billion-dollar software system for handling public assistance requests. As Robert Garrett of The News' Austin bureau is reporting, Texas social services chief Albert Hawkins has postponed further expansion of the troubled system because of "some challenges in achieving the timeliness benchmarks" for processing food stamp applications. Our State of Neglect series in January examined Austin's social services outsourcing sweepstakes. When it comes to tax dollars, the TIERS software project is the big kahuna. State watchdogs previously have criticized various problems in rolling out the TIERS system.
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The entry "Streamlining services or enriching contractors?" is tagged: Albert Hawkins , food stamps , Health and Human Services Commission , TIERS
Here are some of today's interesting stories from The Dallas Morning News and around the Web to help your water cooler conversation:
2. Texas' own, Lance Armstrong, is again fending off accusations by France's anti-doping agency. Doctors said the legendary cyclist violated testing rules but did not find he used performance-enhancing drugs. He said he did nothing wrong. 3. The News' Editorial Board opposes legislation to remove state workers' date-of-birth information from Texas' open-records law. We've blogged about how this will limit government accountability and fail to address ID theft concerns, lawmakers' stated purpose for the bill.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Thursday, April 9, 2009" is tagged: anti-doping , cement plant , Clean air , cyclist , dates of birth , environmental quality , Lance Armstrong , public information , TXI April 8, 2009
Here are some of today's interesting stories from The Dallas Morning News and around the Web to help your water cooler conversation:
2. About 50 DWI prosecutions in Harris County are in question after a Houston police officer gave "false or mistaken evidence" in an intoxication manslaughter case. This comes after a state-certified examiner was charged last fall with falsifying drunken-driving records, jeopardizing 2,600 cases, the Houston Chronicle reports. 3. State Sen. John Carona of Dallas is proposing a new Texas Rangers unit that would investigate law enforcers corrupted by bribes, particularly from drug traffickers along the Mexico border. The legislation follows accusations last year that a sheriff and a deputy from two counties aided the drug trade, the El Paso Times reports.
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The entry "Investigates Hot Links: Wednesday, April 8, 2009" is tagged: bribery , DWI , false evidence , ID system , legislation , Voter fraud April 7, 2009
The 13 state schools for the profoundly disabled have been in the news a lot lately. Just today, as Emily Ramshaw in our Austin bureau reports, a bill aimed at protecting residents from abuse was approved by a House committee. "Rep. Patrick Rose's bill, which was voted out of the House Human Services Committee unanimously on Tuesday, will establish a state school ombudsman, a toll-free abuse hotline, and set up video surveillance cameras at Texas' 13 institutions for people with disabilities. It will also require all criminal abuse allegations to be handed by an Office of the Inspector General." So we want to ask the question: What about the working conditions in the state schools? We'd love to hear from any current or former state schools employees who'd like to tell their side of the story. You can comment here or send an e-mail. We'd love to hear from you.
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The entry "Working conditions for state schools employees" is tagged: mentally disabled , state employee , state school , texas
One frustration in investigative reporting is having government refuse requests for records. At worst, it keeps you from knowing vital information. At a minimum, it delays you from publishing your story. Sometimes government even refuses to share with itself. Consider this item that just crossed my desk: The treasurer in Delta County, about 80 miles northeast of Dallas, wanted to examine some of the sheriff's accounts, such as the jail commissary and forfeiture funds. The sheriff told the treasurer no, "you will have to look other places." So the treasurer asked the county attorney's advice. He, in turn, asked the Texas Attorney General's open records division to review it. After several months, the AG told the sheriff today to cooperate.
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The entry "Reporters aren't the only ones fighting for records" is tagged: attorney general , Delta County , open government , Open records April 6, 2009
A funeral home owned by a Houston-based corporation is accused of mishandling an estimated 200 corpses, including those of veterans awaiting burial at Arlington National Cemetery. The Washington Post reports that Virginia authorities are now investigating whistleblower complaints that bodies were left decomposing in unrefrigerated garages and hallways. The funeral home's parent company is Service Corporation International, the largest cemetery operator in the nation. An executive told The Post that a SCI inspection found its facilities "to be completely sanitary and in compliance" with regulations. In 2003, SCI reached a $100 million settlement over allegations at two Florida cemeteries of "burying people in the wrong places, breaking open vaults to squeeze in other remains and, in some instances, tossing bones into the woods," the Associated Press reported.
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The entry "Cemetery accused of mishandling vets' remains" is tagged: Funeral homes , Service Corporation International , veterans , whistleblower
Two items stand out in the latest installment of our "Citizen Watchdog" column, in which Jennifer LaFleur helps readers stay informed about government records and data that they can use to become watchdogs in their communities. First, I remain surprised by Gov. Rick Perry's office saying back in February it had no plans for a Web site that would help Texans track stimulus money coming here. Luckily, the state comptroller's office has launched such a resource. We will leave a link to it on blog for easy reference. Second, readers asked about data posted in a May 2008 column on problem gas pumps around the state. The Texas Department of Agriculture regularly posts records on its Web site about issues with pumps, such as not properly measuring fuel. If you're new to Citizen Watchdog, we've built an archive of past columns that you can mine for leads on helpful records and data.
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The entry "Citizen Watchdog: Gas pumps, tracking stimulus" is tagged: Citizen Watchdog , gas , Jennifer LaFleur , Perry , pumps , stimulus April 5, 2009
First, Gwendolyn Naag Hanford's husband died. Then, the San Antonio resident became one of an estimated 200 immigrants facing deportation because of U.S. officials' interpretation of the so-called "widow penalty." The Associated Press reports the government is rejecting citizenship bids because the applicants' American spouses died before their green cards were approved and before their marriages reached the two-year mark. This comes amid a U.S. crackdown on foreigners who try to gain residency through sham marriages. In Hanford's case, the 33-year-old who was born in the Philippines came to the U.S. legally with her American-born fiancée. She filed for permanent residency and settled into life in San Antonio. But he died while her application was stuck in bureaucratic red tape. She is now challenging the government's deportation in a San Antonio federal court. Others affected by the "widow provision" include men and women from all countries and walks of life, the AP reports. Among them: a Kosovo native who worked at the United Nations, the wife of a U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in action, and the former head chef for Princess Diana.
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The entry "Widows face deportation as U.S. rejects citizenship" is tagged: citizenship , Immigration , widow provision April 4, 2009
Texas ranks 49th nationally in per-capita spending on parks, a distinction won after years of the Legislature diverting their funding elsewhere. It reminds me again of our "State of Neglect" series, which showed how Texas government frequently falls short. A state advisory committee recommended in 2006 that lawmakers start using sales-tax dollars intended for parks on parks, which would increase spending by up to $85 million. The money would help fix equipment that had fell into disrepair through wear and tear, hire more employees and buy park land for the first time since 1967. State Rep. Harvey Hilderbran of Kerrville succeeded a year later in winning money for parks and historical sites. He's back this year with House Bill 7, which The Dallas Morning News' editorial board supported today. Legislative neglect aside, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has not done itself favors. The State Auditor's Office found in 2007 that the agency lost out on $16 million in revenue by giving undocumented discounts to visitors and not collecting after-hours entrance fees. Auditors for the state and department had dinged the department on the issues going back to the 1990s. "The delay in addressing these weaknesses is not attributed to particular individuals but, rather, is a reflection of the State Parks Division's limited expertise in business and fiscal management." Do you support the increase in parks funding? Do you think the department can manage its own financial house? Can't decide: then read the legislation itself after the jump.
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The entry "Can state parks manage funds they may soon get?" is tagged: government , legislature , Parks and wildlife , your tax dollars April 3, 2009
Word that the Tom Hicks (right) company that owns the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars is in financial trouble made me think about other sports-business headlines over the last eight months. Victory, the development anchored by the American Airlines Center, is struggling to draw in people and keep shops open. Its developer, Ross Perot Jr.'s Hillwood company, is also in a financial pinch. In Arlington, Jerry Jones' behemoth new Cowboys Stadium has yet to spur new construction in its neighborhood. That's been a similar story for Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. All three projects have one thing in common: public subsidies. Combined, the three received more than $600 million in assistance for construction and ancillary infrastructure. And so these recent headlines raise a fair question: Have taxpayers gotten a good return on their investments?
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The entry "Could sports projects' struggles hurt taxpayers?" is tagged: Ballpark , Cowboys , Hicks , Perot , public subsidies , sports arenas , Victory |