DMN INVESTIGATES

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.

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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.

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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.

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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
Rockwall County: 7.5
Tarrant County: 6.5
Collin County: 5.6
Kaufman County: 5.1
Denton County: 4.6
Ellis County: 4.6
Parker County: 3.2
Wise County: 2.9
Johnson County: 2.0

Dallas County's rate is also higher than that of major urban counties elsewhere in the state:

Travis County (Austin): 7.7
Harris County (Houston): 7.1
Bexar County (San Antonio): 6.1

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.

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Channel 8 investigative reporter Brett Shipp recently brought to light what we'll call the Mystery of the Disappearing DWI case. The main character was Collin County prosecutor Kerrie Walker (right, trying to get away from Shipp), who -- for reasons she wouldn't explain -- took over a subordinate's drunken driving prosecution, presented no witnesses and essentially forfeited the case.

Now Walker has quit the DA's office. Collin County District Attorney John Roach says he's investigating.

Walker is a former Frisco police officer. She graduated from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in 2007, according to the State Bar.

Do you have a tip about Kerrie Walker? DWI prosecutions? 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.

Here is a look at some of the interesting public-interest stories from over the weekend:

1. Frisco officials worry that expansion of Exide Technologies' battery recycling plant could increase lead pollution, The News' Matthew Haag and Valerie Wigglesworth report. As it now stands, lead emissions from the plant (shown right) make Collin County "one of only 18 counties nationwide not expected to meet new, more stringent air-quality standards." Exide has told the state that production increases won't raise emissions.

2. The investigation into two Dallas County constables gets weirder. Last week, Dallas County Judge Jim Foster ordered records seized from one of the two, Jaime Cortes. But, wait: Those must be returned after a judge sided with Cortes, who argued Foster lacked authority to take the materials.

3. The Catholic Diocese of Dallas is paying out $4.65 million to five more abuse victims, The News' Sam Hodges tells us.

Do you have tips to share? Leave a comment or e-mail me.

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Our blog has featured a couple of items on complaints with the North Texas Tollway Authority's billing system. The most common we've received: The agency doesn't keep track of toll payments then assumes drivers haven't made good, levies a stiff late fee and sics a bill collector on them.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's watchdog columnist, Dave Lieber, reported this weekend on similar complaints he's hearing. One reader was told he could be arrested if he didn't pay up.

A top NTTA official says the fees -- $25 per toll violation, plus other costs -- are needed to cover its collections operation. But state Sen. Jane Nelson is skeptical.

"It's gotten out of hand," she told Lieber. "What really bothers me is this is not supposed to be a revenue source for the NTTA."

The implication: Funding is tight as NTTA expands with more toll roads. Nelson also told Lieber that when she's made inquiries about this with agency officials, "They've been very defensive."

Do you have an experience with NTTA's billing system? Post a comment.

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.

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.

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.

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Not surprisingly, there were no arrests in the rash of tire slashings up in Plano this spring. Tires were hacked and punctured on more than a dozen vehicles on April 10, causing damage of roughly $15,000.

Police didn't think they would catch the person since cases of this sort are usually so random. They were right.

A request for information filed under the Texas Open Records Act with the Plano Police Department came back with the answer that no arrests have been made.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

Change is coming to the Dallas North Tollway and to the criminal courts, as today's Hot Links show.

1. The North Texas Tollway Authority is taking new steps to warn wrong-way drivers, Dallas Morning News transportation writer Michael Lindenberger reports. Read Michael's blog for more discussion about whether the blame for recent crashes lies entirely with drunken drivers or also with tollway design.

2. The recent Supreme Court decision requiring lab analysts to testify in court about their findings is a huge boost for crime suspects, The Washington Post reports. "This is the biggest case for the defense since Miranda," a defense lawyer tells the paper. Legal-minded readers, are you seeing any local impact yet?

Do you have a tip about tollways? Lab analysts? 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.

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."

Paula McComas of The Colony wrote in to say she had gift cards from a Kwik Kar Wash in her city, but it had gone out of business. "I don't have money to discard. They closed down without any type of notice or anything," she said. "Anything you can do will be greatly appreciated."

Because the carwashes are franchises, the $86 in gift cards actually are not good anywhere else but the place they were purchased.

Even so, Kristin Poulain, manager of the Kwik Kar Lube & Tune in east Plano, said she'd be happy to honor them. Poulain said the credit could be used for oil changes, as well as carwashes and detail service. McComas was delighted with the offer.

That was one thought I had this morning while looking at some of the public-interest items in The Dallas Morning News:

1. The city of Dallas raised taxes in 2007, faced a funding deficit in 2008 and is staring down a "brutal" one right now. Council member Carolyn Davis, though, stands by the $1,700 that she spent to travel to sunny Belize last year for what she described as a "trade mission." She's not on the city's economic development committee, and officials cannot cite for The News' Dave Levinthal any tangible benefit from the trip.

2. Up in Frisco, city officials reported having a $3 million shortfall four months ago, forcing a 4 percent budget cut and freezing of 28 unfilled jobs. But the council voted this week to shell out $25,000 to plan ornamental entry markers at the city limits -- and set the stage to spend more to commission artwork and designs, The News' Valerie Wigglesworth reports.

In the grand scope, this spending is a small fraction of the two cities' budgets, I realize. But you have to wonder about the message it sends to residents at a time when services will be cut or taxes will be raised.

Do you have an opinion? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail.

A caller let Problem Solver know that he was tired of seeing that the southbound High Occupancy Vehicle lane on Central Expressway has been shut down in parts of Allen and Plano for "no discernible reason."

There is a reason why the lane is not being used. It was shut down last October from Bethany Drive in Allen to Park Boulevard in Plano so that a contractor could build a wide center support for a bridge at Parker Road.

The closure is necessary to keep workers safe as they do the work, Hartzel said. "We're hopeful to get this back open by October," he said.

When Irving city council members approved a significant increase in the city manager's compensation last week, they did so without first disclosing the proposed terms, releasing copies of the agreement or discussing the merits publicly.

Seems like basic information, no?

This led Brandon Formby, The News' beat writer in Irving, to explore in a story Sunday other less-than-transparent moves by the council and the impact on city business.

A couple of council members took umbrage with the story's thesis -- and the Gonzalez flap in particular. They put the onus on residents to pay closer attention.

"You've got to participate in the process," said City Council member Rick Stopfer. "You can't just sit back and say, 'They didn't tell me everything I wanted to know.' "

A reader called in to ask, "Why are Plano's bond referendums only in English and Spanish, since the city's population is 10 percent Asian?"

The 2000 U.S. Census did show that Plano's population at the time was 10.2 percent Asian. But that percentage was made up of several separate Asian populations, who speak different languages.

But the Asian populations are believed to have grown, so Plano is watching closely to see what happens with the 2010 census, said Diane Zucco, the city's secretary. "While we may have seen a marked increase in the Asian population, it's not reflected during elections yet, because we have not had a census since 2000," she said.

A reader using the name "Taxpayer" left a comment Thursday wondering why the Plano Economic Development Board removed most all its meeting agendas and minutes from the city's Web site.

"PLANO SHOULD BE ASHAMED," the reader wrote, "OTHER CITIES HAVE THEIR RECORDS ONLINE!"

I first touched base with our Plano beat writer, Ted Kim. He told me the Plano Economic Development Board recently overhauled its Web site. That could explain the limited number of agendas and minutes, he said.

Then I contacted Sally Bane, the board's executive director. I e-mailed her a link to the blog post with the comment and asked four questions:

Here's a look at some of the public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere:

1. More public servants in legal trouble: News broke late last night that two Dallas police officers are under criminal investigation for allegedly beating up a prisoner in the city's drunk tank, Tanya Eiserer reports. They were apparently caught on video, too.

2. Transportation officials blame the increase in wrong-way driving deaths on the Dallas North Tollway primarily on drunks behind the wheel, Scott Goldstein tells us. They're taking safety measures, but a MADD rep says it's not enough. What do you think?

3. The Texas Department of Transportation is a frequent whipping boy of residents and politicians frustrated over congestion and construction. Sometimes it's deserved, sometimes it's not. But Michael Lindenberger's story raises the question: What happens if the agency can't be rescued from closure?

Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.

We start today with questions, as we look at some of the public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere:

1. What's leading to all the fatal wrong-way crashes on the Dallas North Tollway? Overnight we had yet another one. Police say alcohol may be a factor in what The News' Scott Goldstein counts as the fifth such crash since October.

2. Are some homeowners' associations getting a little overzealous? One in Lake Highlands threatened to tow the vehicle of a Vietnam vet if he didn't remove military decals that he had displayed on his ride, News columnist James Ragland tell us. The HOA likened it to advertising.

Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.

Here's a sign that the federal stimulus package is reaching into North Texas: Funding for local transportation projects.

In the latest installment of our Citizen Watchdog column, Jennifer LaFleur shows us a new online tool that we can use to keep track of the $2.2 billion in funding for new roads, bridges, bike paths and walking trails due to Texas.

The Texas Department of Transportation is operating the site. The information is organized by county. After clicking on a particular project, you can pull up a construction schedule, location map, funding breakdown and construction company in charge.

Jennifer used the TxDOT site to find that Harris County leads the state so far in the number of projects with 18. Tarrant County has the highest dollar amount, more than $1.2 billion.

Did you find the TxDOT site helpful? Did you spot an interesting trend? Leave us a comment and let us know.

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:

1. A man held in Collin County jail for 83 days for missing jury duty was released Saturday after his case was profiled by DMN Problem Solver columnist Katie Fairbank. She had found a series of mistakes by court officials that contributed to his stay.

2. The Los Angeles Times is publishing an interesting series on how school officials can't -- or won't -- get troubled teachers out of the classroom. The latest installment looks at those with past allegations of sexual misconduct. It reminds me of a 2006 News series that explored how teachers with criminal records managed to get hired in Dallas ISD.

3. In New Jersey, roughly 40 cents of every dollar spent by government comes through contracts awarded to companies outside the normal bidding process, an Asbury Park Press investigation found. This left me wondering what the figure for Texas might look like -- higher, lower?

Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.

Few of us really want the summons to appear for jury duty. Most of us go then dream up a reason why we can't serve, hoping for a dismissal.

Masonry contractor, Douglas Maupin, simply didn't attend. So Collin County authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. Six years later, he was picked up during a traffic stop and taken to jail.

He's been there for 83 days -- but that may be over now that the DMN Problem Solver columnist, Katie Fairbank, has begun asking questions. She found a myriad of mistakes that left him there so long. Confusion among judges' staff. Failure to allow him access to a public defender.

The case raises interesting questions, Katie notes. In Collin County, the average cost of holding an inmate is $69.70 a day. Doing the math, Maupin's case totaled roughly $5,785. Was that worth the taxpayer expense? Was the public's interest served?

Let's catch up on a few of the public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere:

1. Two law enforcers are facing questions about their conduct. The head of the Texas Department of Public Safety quit after a female officer complained of sexual harassment, Christy Hoppe of The News' Austin bureau reports. And a Dallas County constable's job status is under review after an off-duty incident that led to police involvement, Ed Timms and Tanya Eiserer tell us.

2. Plano's new animal-control rules are causing confusion. Plano beatwriter Ted Kim has a handy tip sheet to help. (Residents, for instance, can be fined for failing to "visibly carry" pooper scoopers when walking pets.)

3. A government panel said yesterday that KBR, the Houston-based contractor assisting U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, is the subject of at least 16 reports of alleged fraud or improper conduct. A company spokeswoman defended KBR's record and told the Associated Press that it has been quick to report employee wrongdoing.

Did I miss a good story? Or do you have a tip? Send me an e-mail and let me know.

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.

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.

A frustrated reader wants to know what is taking the Plano Police Department so long in handling a rash of tire slashings in her neighborhood. Tires were punctured and gashed on more than a dozen vehicles on April 10 -- a not-so-good Friday for the owners.

When the reader called police to see how the investigation was progressing, she was told that no one was handling the case.

"There's probably $15,000 of damage. I don't want it to just go away. I called and they said no one was assigned to it," she said.

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.

I made my monthly trip from East Dallas to Plano the other day -- time for a Costco run. Going there always makes me think of heroin.

Next door to Costco on Central Expressway is a trailer park where, in 1997, I went searching for the mother of a seventh-grade overdose victim named Victor Garcia (right).

That was when we first started hearing about drug dealers' brilliant marketing strategy of mixing heroin with sleeping pill ingredients and calling it something cool. Back then it was chiva. Now, of course, it is cheese.

Today it sounds like heroin has killed two more young people in North Texas. That puts the total since 2005 at around three dozen.

Is anybody besides low-level dealers ever going to be punished? There have been a few bigger fish charged, but not many.

News reporter Sarah Perry tells us that a "bridge over State Highway 114 near the Texas Motor Speedway could be closed for nearly two months for emergency repairs."

"The bridge on FM 156 was closed Wednesday after crews discovered a damaged beam on its underside, said Keith Nabors, a maintenance supervisor for TxDOT."

Bridge and roadway quality was thrust into the national spotlight when the I-35W bridge across the Mississippi River collapsed Aug. 1, 2007, killing 13. The collapse was caused by design flaws.

More than 1 in 4 of America's bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

So take some time and check the bridges near where you live and drive on our new searchable database.

Do you see something interesting in the data? Send us an e-mail.

A man dubbed the "Chinese Warren Buffett" ran a Ponzi scheme that took millions from investors in the Dallas area and beyond, federal regulators said today. A judge in Dallas has frozen his assets.

Toronto-based Weizhen Tang targeted Chinese Americans and Chinese Canadians, authorities say. Similar complaints are pending in Canada. His Plano companies include WinWin Capital Management.

On his blog, Tang admits hurting investors but denies stealing.

Tang raised up to $75 million, the feds say. That's real money, but still a far cry from claims involving the politically well-connected Texas billionaire Allen Stanford. In a new interview with ABC, he denied wrongdoing, cried and threatened to punch a reporter.