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."

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These images all come from The Meadville Tribune in northwest Pennsylvania, where the latest failure occurred.

At right is what the facility looked like when under construction in 2008.

Below are scenes from Wednesday's collapse.

We're back after an extended break during the holidays. Let's ease into our familiar routines with a look at some of the interesting public-interest stories from the weekend:

1. If you're catching up on the recent rise in terror threats, The News published a nice takeout by The Washington Post exploring Al-Qaeda's re-emergence in Yemen. Yemen is the base of the imam who advised the Army psychiatrist behind the Fort Hood killings, as my colleague Brooks Egerton has blogged, and has apparent ties to the Nigerian who tried to blow up a plane bound for Detroit.

2. Much has been written about the economic wonders of the new Cowboys Stadium. The News' Jeff Mosier reminds us that in one instance what Jerry giveth Arlington, he taketh from Dallas. Fair Park had a "hollow feeling" as the annual Cotton Bowl football game was played out west for the first time Saturday. Makes you wonder what the economic losses were for Dallas?

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Several design flaws contributed to the May 2 collapse (right) of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility, according to a draft report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The federal report also urges all owners, designers and builders of similar steel-framed, fabric-covered structures to evaluate their safety.

Canada-based Cover-All Building Systems has said it designed the structure to withstand 90 mph winds, as required by the city of Irving's building code.

But "the wind speed at the time and location of the collapse was in the range of 55 mph to 65 mph," the federal report says.

The disaster left Cowboys scouting assistant Rich Behm permanently paralyzed below the waist. Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis suffered a broken neck but escaped paralysis. Ten others suffered lesser injuries.

No other nearby structures suffered significant damage during the May 2 thunderstorm.

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.

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Stockbroker/clergyman William Warnky has resigned from the Episcopal priesthood, church representatives say.

Meanwhile, Dallas Episcopal leaders are cautioning clergy not to talk to me about discipline scandals -- whether Warnky and fellow broker/priest Raymond Jennison's financial dealings with parishioners or another priest's three-year suspension for harassment.

Episcopal bosses also have hired one of the Dallas area's top crisis-management consultants, the LeMaster Group.

A decade ago, group president Lisa LeMaster (right) talked to me often -- she helped the Dallas Catholic Diocese manage the aftermath of child sex-abuse scandals. I covered that mess for years.

More recent clients include the National Football League and local sports magnate Tom Hicks. But LeMaster's Web site also notes: "You probably don't know who many of our clients are -- and that's the way we like it. In fact, when we do our job, your audience usually won't even know we were involved. From CEOs, executives and politicians to athletes, coaches and teams, we've helped many prominent public figures express themselves impeccably and deal with tough situations."

LeMaster told me today that she's Episcopalian herself. Asked for comment on the gag order, she sent this via e-mail: "These issues involve some sensitive personnel matters that should only be discussed at the diocesan level. That's what's fair and right for everyone involved."

Two Dallas Cowboys employees who were seriously injured in the collapse of the team's practice facility are filing suit this morning against several companies involved in building or renovating the massive tent-like structure.

Click here for a full report.

Scouting aide Rich Behm (above right) and special teams coach Joe DeCamillis (below right) accuse all the defendants of negligence and two of conspiracy -- of knowing at least two years ago that the facility was unsafe and covering it up.

The prominent Dallas trial lawyer Frank Branson represents both Behm, who is permanently paralyzed below the waist, and DeCamillis, who suffered a broken neck but escaped paralysis.

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

1. The interesting part of Matthew Haag's story on the felony indictment of Mesquite's legendary ex-football coach is that school board initially declined a year ago to prosecute. Instead, they opted to let the coach retire "due to health problems." Then the board expressed surprise upon learning the severity of the charges stemming from him pawning more than $100,000 in district equipment.

What message is the board sending to its other employees? Why didn't it act when the allegations were first brought to its attention?

2. As a soon-to-be father, stories about day cares catch my attention. The Star-Telegram is reporting this morning that a worker at a Grapevine center was arrested on suspicion of fondling a youngster there. I checked the center's licensing history and found that it had fired a worker in the last year after a child was injured.

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

Hope you had a good Memorial Day holiday. Let's catch up on a few of the public-interest stories in The Dallas Morning News and around the Web-o-sphere:

1. Remember the FBI's public corruption investigation involving affordable housing deals at Dallas City Hall? Nearly five years after it began, we may finally see the start of the long-awaited trial, Jason Trahan tell us. Unless former Mayor pro-tem Don Hill and his co-defendants decide to make last-minute plea deals.

2. Interesting story line in Jeff Mosier's profile of Arlington mayor Robert Cluck is that a predecessor, Richard Greene, isn't convinced the publicly subsidized Cowboys Stadium will bring the city the national profile it craves. Greene cites as evidence Rangers Ballpark, another recipient of taxpayer money.

3. Hundreds of airplane mechanics may have been improperly licensed during the last decade, raising safety concerns and questions about the Federal Aviation Administration's regulation, WFAA (Channel 8) reports. It is the latest installment in an ongoing investigation.

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

On the same day that Dirk Nowitzki's love interest moved a step closer to prosecution, Brad Townsend and I are learning more about her troubled past.

Cristal Taylor complicated the life of a second pro athlete, former NFL quarterback Tony Banks, in 1997. After a brief relationship, Banks said, she began harassing him, his agent and his coach to the point that he had to notify St. Louis Rams security.

Rams security investigated her past and found some of the same things we've told you since her arrest at Nowitzki's home. We'll have additional details in Thursday's print edition story.

"I can't believe she got as far as she did with Dirk, to be engaged," Banks told us.

Banks' comment underscores lingering questions we -- and probably you -- have had about the saga.

How could Taylor have met Nowitzki -- an athlete who is so guarded and private that his mention of a girlfriend made national news last summer in Germany -- and then moved into his inner circle? How could she have gained access to his finances?

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?

Brad Townsend and I report today that the love interest of Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki may have gained unauthorized access to his credit cards, a source familiar with the situation tells us.

That is the latest development in an episode that broke Wednesday with Cristal Taylor's arrest at Nowitzki's home. Since then, we've reported on her history of financial crimes and use of multiple aliases that dates back at least a decade and spans two states.

We also report new information about her pattern of financial trouble. Her ex-husband divorced her in 2001 -- around the time she had disappeared from her probation officer -- after he says she racked up tens of thousands dollars in bad checks and credit-card bills. That forced him into bankruptcy, listing $330,000 in debt.

Authorities won't say whether they are investigating the questions about her gaining access to Dirk's credit card. It's unclear how much Dirk knew about Taylor's past.

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

1. One question lingering from the arrest of Dirk Nowitzki's love interest is: Who blew the whistle? Brad Townsend, Steve Thompson and I write today that the woman was a fugitive who goes by multiple aliases and had a history of financial crimes spanning a decade and two states. It's unclear what all Dirk knew, but team sources said he clued in at some point. What happened from there?

2. Rowlett's city government just slashed $2 million to make up for a budget shortfall. But Richard Abshire tell us it is spending $25,000 to send a dozen employees to the coastal city of Tampa, Fla. to lobby for an award.

3. Here's a lawsuit to monitor: People who sought advice from the Mexico consulate in Dallas allege they were steered to lawyers whose help they didn't want or need, the Associated Press reports. The lawyers were accused of paying consulate officials for the referrals.

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

My first question about the collapse of the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility was why Saturday's storm caused no other major structural damage nearby (right).

Since then the questions have multiplied: Why did the Cowboys hire a designer/builder that had just suffered a collapse of another of its large steel-framed, fabric-wrapped buildings, in Philadelphia? What happened to the city of Irving records that are supposed to show which engineer approved the design? Is it a coincidence that other records show the same engineer supervised design of both failed structures?

Our latest story makes me wonder: Is anybody in government going to seriously investigate what happened here?

No answers so far. So we'll keep digging. Thanks to all who've joined the conversation here in recent days.

Brandon Formby, who covers Irving for The News, is reporting that the Dallas Cowboys failed to have city officials to inspect roof work done last year on its indoor practice facility.

Under Irving's building code, the Cowboys, as general contractor, were required to notify the city that the re-roofing was completed and ready for inspection.

A team spokesman declined today to answer questions about the work.

Brandon obtained about two dozens city documents involving the facility, which collapsed Saturday as storms moved through North Texas. You can peruse them on the continuation.

This just in from Summit Structures regarding Saturday's collapse of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and their families. This is obviously a very difficult time for each of them and for the Cowboys organization. I have flown to Texas along with other representatives of our company to assist in anyway possible. We will be working with the Cowboy's organization and local professionals and officials to fully assess this severe weather event. Here is a statement from the National Weather Service regarding the conditions at the time:

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. We had several developments the day after storms toppled the Cowboys' indoor practice facility, injuring 12 people, Jason Trahan tells us. A team staffer learned he was paralyzed. OSHA, the federal agency that typically inspects workplaces for safety violations, launched a review. And the Cowboys already may have hired a structural engineer who investigated the collapse of a similar facility in 2003.

2. Doug J. Swanson recently wrote about a push by state lawmakers to regulate the profitable payday loans industry. The city of Irving isn't waiting on reform and proposes a limit to the interest rates lenders can charge, Brandon Formby reports.

3. Gov. Rick Perry's appointees to state boards and commissions have contributed nearly $5 million to his political campaign, the Houston Chronicle reports. A watchdog group called it patronage, but a spokesman for the governor said the money did not factor into his decisions.

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

If you read far enough into today's Dallas Morning News coverage of the Cowboys practice facility's collapse, you'll see Irving police say their city suffered no other structural damage in Saturday's storm.

So was this building just in the wrong place at the wrong time? It's an odd thought, given that the whole point of the steel-framed, fabric-covered building is to give the team a place to practice in bad weather.

The manufacturers, Summit Structures and Cover-All Building Systems, tout their work in building other sports facilities, including ones for the New England Patriots and Texas A&M. But I can't find any mention on the company Web sites of the Cowboys facility. Why?

Another issue we're looking at: A Summit-built warehouse in Pennsylvania partially collapsed during a 2003 snowstorm, less than two months after opening. A 2007 court order blamed Summit for design flaws.

"We design for snow load and wind load," an executive for the manufacturers told a Canadian newspaper in 2003, as I reported today in The News. "It's not a bubble."