DMN INVESTIGATES

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).

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.

Mesquite police and ISD officials stonewalled when The Dallas Morning News asked what they found on longtime school board member Randy Dobbs' district-issued laptop.

Whatever it was made Dobbs (right) resign, even though officials said he'd committed no crime. So reporter Karel Holloway did what good reporters do: She filed an open-records request. And now, at last, the tawdry truth is out, thanks to a ruling from the Texas attorney general:

Dobbs' laptop contained "hundreds of pornographic images and videos of clearly adult male subject," Karel reports today, citing a police report. "Dobbs was a participant in many of the images."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is a high-profile national organization that speaks out frequently when it believes Muslims are being mistreated.

Recently, for example, it denounced the introduction of full-body scanners in airports as a violation of Islamic rules about modesty. Its Web site carries many press releases on a variety of civil rights issues.

But CAIR has been quiet about the recent deportation order against Richardson resident Nabil Sadoun (left), a longtime member of the group's national and DFW chapter boards.

When I asked national CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper for an interview, he responded with this e-mail: "Peace. Perhaps speak to his attorney. She is the best source of information on the case." Hooper did not respond when I followed up with written questions about CAIR's view of the deportation case and its relationship with Sadoun.

Sadoun's attorney, Kimberly Kinser of Richardson, didn't respond to my phone call and e-mail.

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?

1. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found levels of cancer-causing benzene in the air at North Texas sites impacted by Barnett Shale gas drilling, The News and other outlets reported. A state official said there was no "widespread air-quality issue." But the mayor of one Denton County town faulted the state's testing, saying it didn't get enough samples from populated areas because "I don't think they want to find anything."

2. The board of Dallas County's public hospital, Parkland Memorial, is standing by the bonuses -- I forgot, we're supposed to call these incentives -- paid to executives worth 19 percent to 31 percent of their base pay. That caused consternation last week among rank-and-file employees. The hospital had cut jobs recently and handed them merit raises of mostly 2 percent.

3. The Dallas County district attorney's investigation of misconduct allegations inside constable offices produced its first charges Wednesday. Among other things, Lt. Howard Watson was accused of coercing sex from two women in exchanging for not arresting them. He has been unavailable for comment.

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

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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.

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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The financial news coming out of Dallas County's public hospital last fall left an impression that money was tight.

Parkland Memorial eliminated 200 jobs and laid off 100 workers. Employees who remained only received modest merit raises, and top officials volunteered not to take any. And the hospital increased residents' taxes to pay for a new $1.2 billion campus.

That impression sure seems wrong today. The News' Sherry Jacobson reports that 27 of Parkland's executives received bonuses over the holidays -- presumably the same ones who'd months earlier declined merit raises. These bonuses ranged between 19 percent and 31 percent per person, and totaled nearly $2 million.

I should warn you against calling these bonuses. Incentive is the preferred noun, Parkland's board chairwoman says. That's because the executives met job-performance goals -- like reducing the hospital's hideously long emergency room waits, blamed in the death of one man in 2008.

To those improvements, I'm sure everyone will say, "Job well done." But will everyone agree with bonuses incentives that are worth -- as the chart I posted on the jump shows -- more than some people make in a year?

Do you have thoughts on the executive pay? Leave a comment or e-mail me.

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Hope you had a better holiday weekend than the three subjects of today's blog post.

1. Another public servant in trouble: A former Irving police officer pleaded guilty to defrauding a Housing and Urban Development program that sought to revitalize slumping neighborhoods by enticing law enforcers to live there with a 50 percent discount off the list price on a home.

2. Were you customers of these electric providers -- Pre-Buy Electric of Grapevine and National Power Inc. of Houston? If so, you may be due a refund after the Texas Public Utility Commission penalized each nearly $2 million.

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

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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."

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.

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.

The company that built the Dallas Cowboys' failed practice facility (right) has suffered another collapse of one of its large tentlike structures.

This one's at a fairgrounds in northwest Pennsylvania, reports a little paper there called The Meadville Tribune. And fortunately, no one was hurt -- unlike here, where one Cowboys staffer was permanently paralyzed below the waist, another suffered a broken neck without paralysis, and 10 others were injured less seriously.

Last fall, a federal agency blamed the Cowboys collapse on a long series of design failures and warned that many similar tent-like structures remain in use around the world. "All of those buildings, the National Institute of Standards and Technology said, need to be checked for similar problems," we reported in October.

A judge in Philadelphia previously blamed a third collapse there on design errors by the same company: Canada-based Cover-All Building Systems and its U.S. subsidiary, Summit Structures. It has denied wrongdoing and insisted its buildings are safe.

The Philadelphia collapse occurred after a heavy snow in early 2003, as did the latest Pennsylvania collapse. Last year's disaster in Irving occurred during a thunderstorm.

Do you have a tip about crime stats? Dallas police? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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For $2,000 in cash, Fernando Hernandez promised he could keep his colleagues at IRS from launching one of those dreaded audits.

That bribe now has him staring down a maximum prison sentence of 15 years and $250,000 fine, as part of a plea deal he reached this week.

Any time a public official like this is involved in bribes, I'm interested. But authorities were a tad vague in court records and a press release on a few details. Now I'm even more curious.

They say the case involves just one bribe, way back in 2005, but had Hernandez had solicited others? They don't reveal his job at the IRS or describe the "U.S. taxpayer" who paid the $2,000. And they write that the case "is being investigated" by four federal agencies, so is there more to come?

I emailed U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Kathy Colvin about those points late yesterday. As I wait to hear back from her, I wondered whether any of you in blogosphere could fill in these blanks?

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

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News doesn't necessarily slow to a crawl during the holiday season. So let's continue catching up on more of the interesting items that published during New Year's week:

1. Politically connected Texas billionaire Allen Stanford may be in trouble with the feds over an alleged Ponzi scheme. But U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions of Dallas, shown at right, still loves him. Sessions said so in an email. It's not the first time in recent months that Sessions has shown himself loyal to campaign contributors.

2. Deporting immigrants who commit crimes is one thing. Enforcing penalties after they illegally re-enter the U.S. is a more complicated matter, The News' Jason Trahan reported.

3. We've highlighted the investigation into the Dallas police's methods of classifying -- or not classifying -- some crimes, leading to a rosier crime rate. News beat writers Steve Thompson and Tanya Eiserer updated their fine work with a story showing that the department will change the way it handles car burglaries.

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

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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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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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A recent Dallas Morning News article about missing-in-action real estate mogul/arts philanthropist Eric Brauss noted that he and his wife owned three German luxury cars worth over $300,000 each.

That was "an unfair depiction of a couple who lived modestly compared to their wealth," says Sara Marotto of Denton in a letter to the editor published today.

In that light, check out this video tour of Eric's home in Addison (right), which is now for sale. The original list price of $2.9 million has been cut to a cool $2,495,000.

Eric is listed as a million-dollar donor to the new performing arts center in Dallas and as associate producer of a low-budget slasher flick, The Dead Don't Scream (right).

Courts are now trying to sort out what went wrong with and what will become of the Brausses' real-estate empire, as The News' Gary Jacobson reported recently.

Where, I wondered Friday, is embattled Dallas real estate mogul and arts philanthropist Eric Brauss (right)?

Some commenters pointed toward Brazil. Now Dallas Morning News reporter Gary Jacobson is finding some evidence of that in court documents.

One filing in Dallas state court quotes a Nov. 17 email from Brauss as saying he was on a "very primitive tour in the Amazon rainforest."

And a Nov. 20 email from Brauss to one of his investors purportedly said: "Sorry I did not get back to you until now, but needed to wait for my lawyer's directions...Until we come to an agreement with you...I need to stay here in South America."

As The News reported last week, Brauss' Today Realty Advisors, which invested in hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of projects, has closed its Far North Dallas headquarters. In court, several investors seek restitution of what they allege are millions of dollars in diverted funds.

Gary's working on a longer story now. Among the questions he's trying to answer: Has Brauss already made good on his $1 million donation to the new performing arts center in Downtown Dallas?

Dallas Morning News archives drip with references to Dallas real estate mogul Eric Brauss' wealth.

In 2004, he and wife Christine (right) were described as owners of three Maybachs -- German luxury cars worth over $300,000 each. Eric was also named as the owner of a $160,000 watch.

In 2007, they made the list of million-dollar donors to the new performing arts center downtown. And they gave $50,000 that year for a Dallas Opera gala.

Now comes word from News reporter Steve Brown that Eric is nowhere to be found. And the Far North Dallas headquarters of his Today Realty Advisors is shut down.

Late last month, a Dallas court granted investors a temporary order that bars the Brausses from spending or transferring millions held by real estate partnerships.

Local real estate execs told Steve they don't know whether Brauss is still in the country. He's from Germany and also has lived in Canada, where Today Realty has another office.

Do you have a tip about Eric Brauss? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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.

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Here's a loose end from the long holiday weekend: Federal banking regulators ordered Dallas-based Jefferson Bank to end its many "unsafe or unsound banking practices and violations of laws and/or regulations."

Bank chairman Barry Orr blamed the bank's problems on the the lousy home-building market and "a significant fraud loss," The Dallas Morning News' Brendan Case reported. What kind of fraud? All Orr would say was "customer fraud, not internal fraud."

Jefferson Bank's management team was dismissed as of Sept. 1. The institution agreed to follow Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. orders but did not admit wrongdoing.

Readers, can you tell us more about what's going on here? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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Robert McKenzie of Dallas was shocked to hear he was declared dead.

When he left Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas in July he was actually feeling fine. It wasn't until later that he found that the hospital had mistakenly marked him deceased instead of discharged.

"My income, even my Medicare was cut off," McKenzie told Problem Solver. "I'm 72 years
old. I can't be going through this mess."

Once Presbyterian found out it was an issue, workers tried to make things right.

"We did notice the mistake pretty quickly and notified Social Security. We were shocked when you called, and we found out that it hadn't been fixed," said Stephen O'Brien, a spokesman for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. "We made a mistake, plain and simple. We goofed, and we apologized. We reviewed our processes and identified this as a coding error. It was an isolated incident."

The hospital offered McKenzie a settlement to try and make up for the hardship, which he accepted.

Texas law says only charities and nonprofits can hold raffles. But that hasn't stopped some law-enforcement folks -- such as Dallas County Constables Derick Evans and Jaime Cortes from using them to raise campaign cash, The Dallas Morning News' Kevin Krause and Ed Timms reported over the weekend.

Some of the constables' employees say they've been pressured to sell the tickets. The constables, through their lawyers, deny wrongdoing.

Do you have a tip about constables? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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.

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Embattled Dallas County constables Jaime Cortes and Derick Evans used to say they had no contracts with Dowdy Ferry Auto Services, which has seized thousands of vehicles for them.

Now, mysteriously, Dowdy Ferry says it does have written deals, The Dallas Morning News' Kevin Krause reports today. And somehow I wasn't shocked to see that Dan Wyde (right) is the lawyer doing the talking for the towing firm.

It reminded me of a 2006 story about Wyde's history. He was running for DA at the time and had attracted attention for using his synagogue's private membership directory to send campaign solicitation e-mails.

Among the other Wyde controversies mentioned in the story:

* As a young prosecutor, he left the DA's office after allegations that "he had an improper discussion with a jail inmate without the man's defense attorney being present."

* Later, as a judge, he began contempt-of-court proceedings against a prosecutor who allegedly disparaged him in a private conversation outside Wyde's presence. Another judge ruled that Wyde's effort had no legal basis and raised "serious free-speech issues."

* A defense attorney was barred from his courtroom for four years because she would not apologize in writing for questioning one of his rulings. Another judge ordered Wyde to recuse himself from more than a dozen cases that the defense attorney had pending in his court.

Wyde denied any wrongdoing.

Do you have a tip about constables? Towing firms? Lawyers? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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.

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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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During the past few months, I've had several people write to say their bills skyrocketed when their meters were changed out for the new digital version.

In several cases, I've found that there was a misread when the replacement was made. In the case of Gary Borman of Mesquite, the amount of electricity his family used doubled on his next bill.

But that was incorrect. It turned out that Oncor's reading was off by 1,000 kilowatt-hours. To fix the situation, he wound up with an $89 credit.

When companies figure out a misread, it can often take several months for the credit to wind up on the bill. Oncor sends the corrected information to the electricity provider, which then has to make the credit.

Even with my involvement, it took weeks for Borman to see his money. That's an added frustration after a lot of aggravation.

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:
* "We are working on a county-by-county list of totals. Hopefully we will be able to post those numbers soon."
* "Providers receiving vaccine at this point are getting amounts to serve their own patients. They are reaching out to their own high-risk patients and are quickly exhausting their supplies, which are limited right now due to national production."

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.

Remember Randy Dobbs (right)? He quit the Mesquite school board under a cloud last month because of something found on his district-issued laptop.

At the time, no one would say what that something was. So Dallas Morning News reporter Karel Holloway filed an open-records request. And now comes word that the computer's hard drive has been wiped.

When? Why? By whom? Mesquite school officials aren't explaining.

Do you have a tip about Randy Dobbs? Mesquite schools? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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:

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.

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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.

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While animal advocates plan protests in Garland over the city's continued use of carbon monoxide gas to euthanise animals in its shelter, Richardson has quietly shelved its gas chamber.

Richardson quit using carbon monoxide gas in its shelter earlier this year, according to city officials. The chamber was removed from the animal services facility last week, Richardson City Secretary Pamela Schmidt confirmed.

Meanwhile, Garland Citizens for Reform of the Animal SHelter (Garland CRASH) are planning a protest outside tonight's Garland City Council meeting.

Garland changed its euthanasia policy earlier this month after The Dallas Morning News reported that the shelter had illegally gassed some animals. The new policy, to be fully implemented by Jan. 1, restricts the use of carbon monoxide gas only to animals that could pose a danger to staff.

That policy doesn't go far enough, according to a news release.

"The city council has made it clear that it does not care what the citizens want, and that the council will do nothing to end the gassing of feral cats, wildlife, and so-called 'dangerous animals'," the release says. "Public pleas to the city council over several weeks have been ignored and ridiculed, including 19 speakers (all Garlanders) and 67 filed cards (most Garlanders) opposing gassing at the last two city council meetings. Nobody has spoken in favor of gassing."

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.

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With this morning's Hot Links, we wonder about the behavior of men with guns:

1. Attention family-violence victims in Dallas: Was Mickey East (right) the detective assigned to your case? Did he work it or just stash the file in his garage? That's the question raised by Dallas Morning News reporter Tanya Eiserer's story today. East has been put on auto-pound duty while officials reassess more than 2,000 cases. This mess comes close on the heels of another massive DPD review -- of crime reports the police labeled unfounded without investigating. That probe followed an investigation by Tanya and colleague Steve Thompson into car-burglary claims that were ignored.

2. How tight is security at U.S. airports? An American Airlines passenger flying from San Antonio to Thailand via Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has been arrested while changing planes in Japan. Seems he had a loaded handgun in his bag, the Japan Times reports. U.S. Transportation Security Administration officials say that the security breach occurred in San Antonio and that they're investigating.

Do you have a tip about Mickey East? The Transportation Security Administration? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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Dallas County's scales of justice are settling into a new balance:

1. Richard Miles (right) is on the verge of being exonerated for a 1994 murder and attempted murder, my colleagues Steve McGonigle and Jennifer Emily report. He would be the second man cleared by District Attorney Craig Watkins without DNA evidence. The key factor here: Dallas police evidence pointing to another man was missing from prosecution files and apparently withheld from the defense.

2. Meanwhile, DNA evidence proves the guilt of another Dallas County convict, a rapist named Timothy Hill (right). "The majority of the old cases we have tested have resulted in confirming the person's guilt," Watkins said. Hill, he added, "has not only earned himself a return bus ride to prison, but also a letter from the district attorney's office to the parole board to notify them of his frivolous claim of innocence."

Do you have a tip about the players in the Miles case? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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.

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.

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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."

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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.

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Our colleagues covering the arrest of the 19-year-old Jordanian accused of trying to blow up a Dallas skyscraper included in their latest story snippets of an interview the suspect's father gave from his home in Jordan.

In addition to the father defending Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, he told the Agence France-Presse that his son "suffered psychological problems after the death of his mother of cancer in 2007, when he decided to go to the United States to live and study with his friend.

"But regardless of these problems," he added, "I know my son is innocent."

You can read more of the Agence France-Presse story here. And you can catch up on the latest developments from The Morning News on our Crime Blog, and even read the criminal complaint for yourself.

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.

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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.

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In today's Hot Links, Dallas-area TV stations show public employees endangering schoolkids on roadways.

1. Channel 8 obtained dash-cam video of a Dallas police response that sped through active school zones and past school buses. Doesn't Chief David Kunkle's strict speeding policy apply here?

2. Channel 11 reported that a Dallas County Schools bus driver lost a mentally disabled child for about two hours. Happy ending: The Oak Cliff boy apparently was asleep on the bus the whole time. Do drivers not check all their seats at the end of a route? What if this had happened in hotter weather?

Do you have a tip about schools and transportation safety? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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Passions are running hot in the debate over carbon monoxide euthanasia at the Garland animal shelter and I want to make sure that the things I've written are clear.

So, I thought I better make some points:
1. The state does not require inspections of carbon monoxide chambers. The state does require annual inspections of shelters for larger cities. They just don't run any tests on the chambers while they are there.
2. The fact that Garland does not have outside inspections of its carbon monoxide chamber, does not mean that it does not allow overall inspections.
3. Current animal shelter workers may have had nothing to do with the incidents that occurred two years ago. In addition, there have been some discipline actions in regards to mistakes with euthanasia. These are personnel matters and not open to the public.

While researching the practices of the Garland Animal Shelter for a story, I was interested to find that there are no state-required inspections of shelter-run carbon monoxide chambers. That means Texas also doesn't track which animal shelters use carbon monoxide for euthanasia.

Garland is self-insured, so no outside insurance companies are inspecting the city's chamber either.

Officials over the shelter say the carbon monoxide that is in use is actually less dangerous than chlorine chemicals which are used at the water treatment plant.

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.

Do you have tips to share about Sister Cities travel or other trips your local city officials are taking? Leave a comment or e-mail me.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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JCI, a Las Vegas company that advised the Dallas Cowboys on fixing its practice facility before it collapsed, has filed for bankruptcy protection. JCI owner Scott Jacobs filed for personal bankruptcy, too.

The company -- which is seeking to reorganize and now uses the name S2 Engineers -- also has issued its first statement about the collapse: "Scott Jacobs and JCI stand by the services rendered for Summit Structures regarding the Dallas Cowboys indoor practice facility. Mr. Jacobs and JCI do not have any further comment at this time as litigation is pending."

Pennsylvania-based Summit and its Canada-based parent, Cover-All Building Systems, designed and built the practice facility in 2003. The two people most seriously injured in its May 2 collapse -- Cowboys staffers Rich Behm and Joe DeCamillis -- sued the two companies and JCI last month, alleging that they conspired to conceal the giant tent-like structure's defects.

Public safety is the name of the game today:

1. Dallas City Council member Dwaine Caraway (the frowning guy in the suit) and Police Chief David Kunkle (the animated guy with the badge) say they're going to fix problems that Dallas Morning News reporters Steve Thompson and Tanya Eiserer exposed Sunday: Cops aren't counting all car burglaries, which skews crime stats.

2. Read deep into my colleague Kevin Krause's roundup today of Dallas County Commissioners Court activity, and you'll see that two top security officials have quit under fire. But county officials are saying precious little about why emergency management director Robie Robinson and security chief Alonzo Banks quit.

Do you have a tip about Dallas police practices? Dallas County safety officials? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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Three readers wrote to Problem Solver asking if something could be done about the fact that animals are euthanized at the Garland shelter with carbon monoxide gas.

Roughly one-third of all animals leave alive from the Garland shelter each year. That average is similar to the national shelter average, but poor when compared to neighboring Plano's live placement rate of 80 percent.

I requested an interview with Garland Animal Services manager Diana Oats but was referred to the city's public information office. I then filed a Texas Open Records Act request for data involving the shelter's advisory board, as well as the shelter's operations and budget during the past three years.

For the thousands of animals that are euthanized each year, shelter staff estimates that carbon monoxide gas is used between 60 percent and 70 percent of the time. Lethal injection is used for puppies or kittens under four months old and for dogs or cats with obvious respiratory distress, according to Jason Chessher, deputy director of Garland's health department.

In today's Hot Links, we see why I a) have a fear of flying and b) am glad I'm not Dan Morales' ex-wife.

1. American Airlines is rejoining Southwest on the list of carriers facing regulators' ire over maintenance practices. According to The Wall Street Journal, the FAA suspects that AA mothballed a plane to hide defects. The move reportedly occurred as regulators investigated possible improper repairs to at least 16 MD-80s. American says allegations of impropriety "misrepresent the facts." Southwest, meanwhile, recently got permission to keep flying dozens of planes with unauthorized parts. Back in the spring, you may recall, the FAA made both airlines cancel hundreds of flights over inspection and repair issues.

2. Dan Morales (right), the Texas attorney-general-turned-federal-felon, secretly made a key to his ex-wife's house and entered it without permission, Texas Lawyer reports. Now a judge has ordered ol' Dan, who was freed from prison on probation, to have no contact with his ex. Remember why he went to prison? Tax fraud (not telling the IRS about his personal use of political contributions) and mail fraud (related to his pursuit of fees in the state's multibillion-dollar tobacco lawsuit settlement).

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FBI agents today arrested former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Eugene Lockhart (right) on mortgage fraud charges.

The so-called Hitting Machine played for America's Team from 1984-90 and, according to a federal indictment, went on to work in businesses that played off his former employer's name. They allegedly included America's Team Mortgage, America's Team Realty, America's Team Funding Group, Cowboys Realty and Cowboys Mortgage.

Lockhart, of Carrollton, and eight others are accused of running a scheme from 2001 to 2005 that generated "approximately $20.5 million in fraudulent loans" in the Dallas area, federal prosecutors said.

Ray Harton of Rockwall just wanted to pay his electricity bill. He got a new digital meter in April, but then stopped getting bills from TXU Energy.

There are often delays between fixes at the meter and an electric bill. Unfortunately, this went on for some months and Harton was concerned about how he would be able to know if the looming bill was correct by the time it arrived.

"I called TXU in early June to inform them and got little help," Harton wrote. "I asked them how to contact Oncor in regards to the meter problem and was not given any assistance there as well."

Problem Solver relayed his information. He finally got a bill this month. It was indeed a whopper, coming in at $1,200. Harton said he plans to pay at his own pace.

All of the questions in today's two Hot Links have the same short answer. Read on:

1. This is 2009, right? And entering a suspect's bail info in one Dallas County computer doesn't get it into other computers? And a man (Ezequiel Moreno, right) accused of sexually abusing a teen and plotting her kidnapping can get out of jail because the computers aren't connected, as my colleagues Scott Goldstein and Jennifer Emily report today? And Dallas County commissioners want to cut spending on criminal justice?

2. Do shrinking newspaper budgets make it easier for government officials to hide what goes on in courtrooms, as The New York Times reports today? Does a bear poop in the woods?

Do you have a tip about Dallas County government? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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A reader said she needed help because she had two faucets she could not turn off, wasting thousands of gallons of water a month. "Please help me if you possibly can," she said.

The woman, who asked that her name not be used, is retired and living on Social Security. She lives alone and has no family to turn to for a loan. She has no credit cards and no savings to draw on. She supplements her income by substitute teaching during the school year, but that wasn't going to help her out of this situation any time soon.

"I won't get even a small check from school for at least six weeks, and these faucets have been leaking for months. I'm an environmentalist, so I just hate wasting this water, and the bill is huge. I'll have to be two weeks late to even pay it," she said.

"These leaks are a constant stream in both the kitchen sink and bath tub, wasting many gallons per hour. This is my family home and fixtures are old. It was built in 1956," she said.

Today's Hot Links begin with another look at household dangers. Then we move on to a scare in the air:

1. See the red ring around this little boy's neck? It's a reminder of the window-blind cord that nearly killed him a few months ago. His family, the Yearouts of Garland, say last week's federal recall of several brands of window blinds didn't go far enough in addressing strangulation risks, The Dallas Morning News' Ray Leszcynski reports. The Yearouts now advocate banning corded products from day-care facilities in Texas. Thinking about all this took me back to my recent post on killer bassinets.

2. Is part of the Southwest Airlines fleet about to be grounded? The News' Eric Torbenson says the hometown air carrier is about out of time to resolve its latest maintenance mess.

Do you have a tip about a household product? Southwest Airlines? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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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Mystery is the word of the day for Hot Links:

1. Who killed pastor Carol Daniels (right) in her Christ Holy Sanctified Church? Why? And why are authorities warning other pastors to be wary in the little Oklahoma town of Anadarko, about 200 miles north of Dallas? The authorities aren't talking publicly.

2. Why has the Dallas County Precinct 5 constable's office been the target of so many criminal investigations? Kevin Krause, who covers Dallas County for The Dallas Morning News, traces the ugly history back almost a decade on the paper's crime blog.

Do you have a tip about a mystery? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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.

Why is the RISD boss gone? What is the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas going to do with a priest who got in trouble as a stockbroker? Read Today's Hot Links:

1. The Richardson school district is back in session today. And David Simmons (pictured at right) is being paid $300,000 not to be superintendent any more, as Dallas Morning News reporter Jeff Weiss explains. Why? School board members suggest that the payoff is the most efficient way to get rid of Simmons, who quit Aug. 3. And why did they want him out, given that the district has a balanced budget and four straight years of "recognized" status? They aren't giving much of an explanation.

2. Securities regulators told William Warnky last week not to work as a stockbroker because he defrauded a former client and disregarded an order to repay him $50,000. What will become of Warnky's other career as a priest? We're waiting to hear from Dallas Episcopal Bishop James Stanton or his No. 2, Bishop Suffragan Paul Lambert.

Do you have a tip about RISD? David Simmons? The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas? William Warnky? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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.

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Here's an update about car-accident victim Alyssa Cisnero, 25, whose family fought Methodist Medical Center to keep the hospital from sending her back to a nursing home they thought offered horrendous care.

Cisnero, who is in a coma with a tracheotomy, feeding tube and numerous broken bones, is doing well in a second nursing home that was found for her. She is showing improvement, her family says.

"Alyssa is doing better at this new home. They are working with her and doing rehabilitation," said her sister Jessica Bustillos.

Several interesting items from the weekend. The first three we'll bring you have a trend in common: peculiar financial transactions involving public officials.

1. What is going on in the offices of Dallas County constables Jamie Cortes and Derick Evans? The News' Kevin Krause brings us another in an increasing list of stories on their activities, which always seem to involve vehicles or a towing company they're employing.

2. Dallas' Mexican consulate office is under investigation for financial improprieties, The News' Alfredo Corchado tells us. Similar allegations arose a few months ago. Trend or coincidence?

3. Tarrant County College trustee Robyn Medina Winnett was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, the Star-Telegram reports. It's the latest unflattering headline for TCC's administration.

4. Haven't heard from former U.S. House Majority Leader and Texas' own Dick Armey in a while. Talking Points Memo's Muckraker blog explores how Armey's lobbying firm apparently received blowback from his advocacy group's role in organizing health-care protests.

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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.

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The star witness in the federal bribery trial, developer-turned-informant James R. "Bill" Fisher, took the stand yesterday. He continues to add texture to a narrative that leaves you feeling icky about how things get done at City Hall. (Follow today's testimony in Jason Trahan's live blog.)

1. "It's pay to play." There's your quote of the day from Fisher (shown at right), as prosecutors proceeded to walk him through a series of incidents where co-defendants, chiefly former Plan Commissioner D'Angelo Lee, hit him up for financial favors in exchange for votes. One example: Lee gave a not-so-subtle hint that he liked Fisher's colleague's swanky leather coat and volunteered his own coat size.

2. Details of Lee's antics may not be surprising to trialwatchers. This, however, may be: High-powered political consultant, Carol Reed, was among those advising Fisher to go ahead and pay a security firm run by deceased councilman James Fantroy at a time when the developer needed the official's votes. Columnist James Ragland notes the advice came after the conflict of interest had caused a ruckus publicly.

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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.

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.

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Margaret, 69, has had a heart attack and stroke. She suffers from asthma and uses an oxygen tank. She called me, asking for help in getting the air conditioner fixed in her Pleasant Grove apartment. "I'm in a mess and I would appreciate your help," she said.

Margaret said she reported that her air conditioner was leaking and no longer putting out cool air last week to the out-of-state owner of Cherokee Village Apartments. She said a worker showed up and cut out a piece of carpet that was soaked from the leak.

But he didn't do anything to repair the air conditioner. "No cold air comes out, and they didn't fix it," she said.

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.

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What a weird week in the Richardson school district.

Superintendent David Simmons (shown at right) abruptly resigned at a board meeting Monday after what appeared to be a rosy tenure. And resigned weeks before the start of a new school year.

The board president, Kim Quirk, said that she and her colleagues weren't happy with a focus on test scores and wanted a leader with a "more strategic vision." Seems an ambigious explanation. But Simmons, for his part, chose not to speak.

Did he do something wrong? Did someone do him wrong?

Now this: Simmons signed an agreement to receive a separation payout $300,000 that also calls for him and his former employers from making "disparaging remarks" about each other, The News' Jeffrey Weiss reports.

For $300,000, it is only fair and reasonable that taxpayers get more answers.

The folks in University Park thought the Texas Open Meetings Act would let them speak about controversial plans to renovate their public pool at Curtis Park.

University Park's attorney, Robert Dillard, read the law differently. He advised the City Council to block residents from addressing the issue when it came up during a meeting Tuesday because doing so may be a violation. That's after they had waited an hour for their turn.

Needless to say, the residents were confused by the city's logic. So were experts interviewed by The News' Lori Stahl, whose story today quotes them as saying the Open Meetings Act allowed residents to have their say.

"There is absolutely no basis for the city attorney's advice that allowing these comments would have been a violation" of the law, one expert told Lori.

Dillard, incidentally, wouldn't talk about not letting the residents talk.

We have conflicts of interest in various facets of life -- housing deals, law enforcement and medicine -- in today's morning round-up of stories:

1. There's a new twist in the controversial dealings between Dallas County constables and the troubled towing company they're using: One of the law enforcers gave a worker from the firm a job, The News' Kevin Krause blogs. A state agency is investigating.

2. Dallas' housing director testified in the City Hall bribery trial that he thought Don Hill and co-defendant D'Angelo Lee were too cozy with developer Brian Potashnik, The News' Jason Trahan reports. Hill approved Potashnik's projects against recommendations from the housing department, which we reported in this 2005 story.

3. The New York Times explores the pharmaceutical industry's influence on scientific research: A company secretly paid a ghostwriter to draft published papers backing hormone therapy in women, benefiting later as sales of the drugs it produced soared.

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Several readers' emails scorched my computer, taking me to task for writing about Alyssa Cisnero, who was severely injured when she drove her car into a metal pole on Cockrell Hill Road.

Some questioned whether she had been drunk or drugged when she had her accident. No, she wasn't. She had no alcohol or drugs in her bloodstream, her family says.

Others wanted to know if she was on welfare. She was not. She worked for her grandfather in his electrical supply store for about eight years.

Twenty-five-year-old Alyssa Cisnero was in a car accident in May and is now in a coma with a severe brain injury. She has 19 broken bones and both a trachea and a feeding tube. She also is uninsured.

Methodist Dallas Medical Center was recently working to move Cisnero to one of the few nursing homes locally that would accept her. But her family had found that home appalling during a previous stay, so they refused to sign a release allowing the transfer.

"They [Methodist] gave us an ultimatum. Either you find a place or she goes to your house," said Cisnero's sister Jessica Bustillos. "That's basically sending her to her deathbed."

The family said they appreciated the care offered by Methodist's medical staff, but they were offended by how they were treated by the administration. A spokeswoman for Methodist said they were unable to speak about specifics of this case because of patient privacy.

We have updates on some stories that have been in the news in the last few months -- and been the subject of our blogging:

1. The legendary football coach at Mesquite High School who pawned more than $100,000 in school equipment agreed to plead guilty late last week if the felony charges against him were reduced, The News' Matthew Haag reports. Questions still remain, though: Like why didn't the school board get to the bottom of this sooner? And why isn't the district's auditor digging deeper to root out other hints of financial fraud?

2. Did your schools see an improvement in the latest TAKS tests? Mine did. But don't forget this: The grading got easier this year, as some kids who failed were counted as having passed, The News' Holly K. Hacker explains.

3. We're learning a major narrative of the upcoming trial of the state's highest criminal court judge, Sharon Keller. She was the one who closed her office before a death-row inmate could file a last-minute appeal, ensuring his execution. The narrative: Did computer crashes really delay the inmate's lawyers from completing paperwork sooner? Keller is trying to raise those doubts, the Austin American-Statesman tells us.

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Interesting how things aren't always what they seem. That's a theme in our stories today:

1. Dallas Congressman Pete Sessions has ripped earmarks. And yet he gave a sweet one worth $1.6 million to an Illinois company that wants to build a blimp the military could use, Politico reports. A former aide to Sessions just so happens to lobby for said company, which said it had no government contracting experience.

2. Were you one of the Texas parents who locked in cheaper college tuition for your kiddo by prepaying years ago? Well, that piggy bank is nearly broke, the Houston Chronicle tells us. The state comptroller asks you not to panic just yet.

3. Jury of your peers? A Dallas County judge said prosecutors unfairly eliminated minorities from hearing the death-penalty case of a black man, leaving only whites, The News' Jennifer Emily reports. This reminds me of our investigation team's 2006 series, Striking Differences. It found both prosecutors and defense sought to remove jurors based on race.

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A couple days ago, I wondered what was behind complaints that the University of Texas at Dallas sent to the Collin County district attorney's office regarding possible misconduct in the campus police department. UT Dallas and prosecutors weren't commenting publicly. So it was difficult to know what was going on.

The News' Holly K. Hacker reports today that the ex-police chief, Colleen Ridge, was allegedly using her university SUV to tool around town on personal errands and using a work credit card for unauthorized purchases. And then there's this: Ridge also used her position to benefit a private business venture with her husband and may have had her employees do labor for it.

A lawyer for Ridge, who was put on leave and then resigned, denies the allegations. The chief had strong performance reviews over time, the lawyer added.

Other police employees who were put on leave -- some were subsequently fired -- say they were treated unfairly by UT Dallas. Officials were upset that they didn't blow the whistle sooner, but a lawyer representing some of them say they were merely following Ridge's orders.

Here's a question to ponder as this continues to unfold: What were Ridge's supervisors at UT Dallas and the University of Texas System doing to oversee her?

The common theme is investigations. Let's take a closer look at today's stories:

1. State regulators are now investigating the car-towing company used by two Dallas County constables that has created controversy in recent weeks, The News' Kevin Krause reports. The company -- which has no county oversight -- is run by a troubled businessman who also has an auto salvage shop.

2. Protections for federal employees who blow the whistle on corruption were expanded yesterday, USA Today tells us. Most can now request that a jury hear their case, excluding intelligence agency employees. Advocates wanted protections for all workers.

3. Perhaps the biggest story in Dallas is the City Hall bribery trial. But it's not the only corruption case in the courts. A suburban D.C. jury is deliberating the fate of former U.S. congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana.

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Abel Lachica of Mesquite wrote in to sympathize with the six Oncor customers we wrote about last week. They all saw discrepancies in their meter readings after new digital meters were installed.

Lachica said his July 2009 meter read a usage of 1,508 kilowatt-hours, as compared to about 800 kwh from the same month last year. That's even though he has not bought new appliances or changed any usage habits.

"I talked to a couple of our neighbors and they experienced the same thing," Lachica said in an e-mail to us. "I would really appreciate if you would continue to investigate this matter because I believe that lots of people are being ripped off."

Three very different stories. But they all come back to money: how to get it, or how to keep it.

1. One of the feds' star witnesses in the Dallas City Hall bribery trial, Southwest Housing Development's Brian Potashnik, finished four days of testimony yesterday. Some observers and blog commenters thought Potashnik stumbled at times to show Don Hill personally benefited from contracts given to associates. But Unfair Park's Jim Schutze had a different take.

2. Speaking of the Dallas City Council, some of its members are reluctant to trim their own office budgets amid a $190 million shortfall, The News' Rudy Bush reports. I'm sure city workers and residents will sympathize.

3. College sports' umbrella organization, NCAA, is facing lawsuits from former athletes who accuse it of cashing in on their likenesses in video games without sharing the proceeds. A ranking member of a Congressional panel has questioned why the NCAA still receives tax-free status as a nonprofit when it acts more like a commercial enterprise.

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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.

The Texas Attorney General's Office today filed a consumer-fraud lawsuit against the college-prep software company that I first raised questions about in April.

The suit targets the Coppell-based SAT and ACT Test Prep Center and its operators, a Cedar Hill couple named Frances Stuart and John Joseph Stuart (at right, after his recent arrest on unrelated charges -- more on that below).

I just tried to reach the Stuarts at the Coppell business and got a recording saying that the phone had been temporarily disconnected. I also left a message for them at the Student Resource Center, a virtually identical business that Frances set up in May, using a downtown Dallas address.

My original blog post about consumer complaints led me to do a little digging about the Stuarts. I discovered that John had been convicted of sexually exploiting a child in Arizona, was a registered sex offender -- and had failed to tell police that he was working at the prep center. Cedar Hill police responded by arresting him.

The AG's office says the Stuarts' telemarketers made calls to several states, "falsely telling parents that their children had expressed an interest" in test-prep software. Many who bought the material "discovered that the CD they received matched an outdated, 2006 version that was offered by a nationally recognized company" for far less.

The Stuarts have previously denied wrongdoing. I last heard from them early this month, when Frances posted a comment on another of my blog posts and told me to "go to hell."

Today's stories of public interest feature a constable in trouble for policy violations and a state lawmaker in trouble for alleged criminal wrongdoing.

1. Dallas County administrators are starting to take action against constables who violated policy by doing work outside their precincts to boost their statistics, helping them lobbying for more staff. The News' Kevin Krause reports that constables -- such as Jaime Cortes, who did this most frequently -- will lose a total of 31 positions. The taxpayer savings: $1.7 million.

2. A grand jury indicted South Texas state Rep. Kino Flores on allegations he didn't disclose sources of income, real estate deals and gifts, including one from a lobbyist, the Associated Press reported.

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Developer Brian Potashnik, who has pleaded guilty in the Dallas City Hall bribery trial, has testified he donated $25,000 to a local church to gain support for his low-income housing projects.

The News' Jason Trahan mentioned the item during his live-blogging from the federal courthouse today.

I e-mailed Jason during the trial's lunch break to get a few more details. He told me that Potashnik (shown at right) didn't name the church and identified the pastor only as a Rev. Johnson, who has since died.

We may learn more specifics when prosecutors enter exhibits into the record, Jason tells me. For now, I'm left wondering:

Did someone instruct Potashnik to pay the church? Does this happen often with churches in Dallas?

If any of you know other examples, post a comment or send me a private e-mail.

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.

We have key developments in several stories that we've tracked here -- from Dallas County constable contracts to document destruction in Irving to Fort Worth police action.

1. Dallas County commissioners decided to consider instituting policies to control towing contracts of vehicles by law enforcement agencies under their control. The News' Kevin Krause has been telling us about two constables who have an arrangement with a troubled businessman that includes no oversight.

2. The Irving City Council will hear details today about how the staff there retains planning and inspection documents, an issue that arose after the Dallas Cowboys' indoor practice facility collapsed months ago. Some building records had been destroyed, as The News' Brandon Formby first reported. City councilwoman Beth Van Duyne has called for an investigation.

3. Sensing distrust in the gay community, the Fort Worth City Council requested an independent federal investigation into last month's police raid at a gay bar that turned violent. Meanwhile, newly released records show the supervisor for one of the raid's officers had previously warned that he had "a history of poor decisions and bad judgment," The News' Scott Farwell reports.

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Be careful with your vehicles and what you do inside them, as two stories in the news show us.

1. Wouldn't you like a deal like this? A businessman whose companies have stripped vehicles and sold parts builds a troubled record that includes loads of unpaid taxes. Yet he manages to get exclusive contracts with two Dallas County constables ... to tow vehicles. He and the constables end up doing so at a rate greater than some of the area's biggest suburban police forces. And, as The News' Kevin Krause tells us, he faces no oversight.

2. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration kept private research that showed driver inattention from cellphone use was similar to that of drunken driving. The agency worried Congress would become upset because it wanted researchers simply to gather data, not lobby states for action. Consumer groups now accuse the government of cover up, The New York Times reports.

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Two stories from The Dallas Morning News are shining a light in corners I didn't even know existed. And a third nearly made me lose my breakfast.

1. Dallas County's tax office holds secret hearings at which you can gain title to a vehicle with no evidence of ownership, Kevin Krause reports today. A big beneficiary of the process is County Commissioner John Wiley Price, a car collector.

2. Children as young as 10 are on Texas' public sex-offender registry, Diane Jennings reported in Sunday's paper. Other states will put kids as young as 7 on the lists. Diane did a great job of showing the lifelong consequences to everyone in a family in which two boys molested their sister.

3. Can someone tell me how children could be locked up and starving in a Dallas motel bathroom without someone in the outside world noticing? Scott Goldstein reports on a horror story that unraveled only when one of the parents sought police aid.

Do you have a tip about the tax assessor? Child abuse? Another subject? Send me an e-mail and let me know. Or join the conversation by commenting below.

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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.

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Despite promises last month to spruce up the bronze cattle and cowboy sculptures at Pioneer Plaza, it's still looking really shabby.

A recent tour of the second-most visited site in Dallas showed that the light was still broken and was topped with a milk crate and traffic cone. The trail was so eroded that wiring and sprinkler lines were exposed. Some of the sculpture pedestals looked dangerously unearthed. There was graffiti on the trash can. The water fountain was out of order. And cigarette butts and beer bottle tops peppered the ground.

Weirdly, there was also a pair of pants resting on the trail. You'd think someone would need those.

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.