CBS Dallas / Fort Worth

Carrollton Company Cited For Safety & Health Hazards

ktvtdeborah — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:47:20 +0000

CARROLLTON (CBSDFW.COM) – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a Carrollton company for 15 safety and health violations — two considered willful and 13 others deemed serious.

According to OSHA spokeswoman Elizabeth Todd, the Western Extrusions Corporation exposed workers to a variety of hazards at its North Texas aluminum products plant.

Some of the violations include failing to provide personal protective equipment to employees and failure to label hazardous chemicals.

(Click here to see the complete list of citations.)

“The company, Western Extrusions, has 15 business days from the receipt of the citation to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s Dallas-area director, or they can contest the citations,” Todd explained.

KRLD NewsRadio 1080 contacted Western Extrusions and was told the issues have been resolved and there have been no injuries.

Because of the nature of the violations OSHA officials will have to perform follow-up inspections to make sure the company is in compliance with the law.

As it stands, OSHA is proposing $212,000 in penalties.

The Western Extrusions plant in Carrollton employs some 900 workers.

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Disco Queen Donna Summer Dead At 63

ktvtdeborah — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:57:30 +0000

Singer Donna Summer, whose songs defined the music of the Disco 70′s has died after a battle with cancer, according to her family.

Fort Worth’s 2nd Food Truck Park Opens

ktvtdeborah — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:25:12 +0000

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Hungry? There’ s new dining option in Fort Worth. Cowtown Chow Down, the city’s newest food truck park, opened today.

Cowtown Chow Down is on North Main Street, between the Downtown Cultural District and the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Menu varieties have a lot for the discerning food truck palate. Customers can ‘chow down’ on everything from sushi, to pizza, bacon sandwiches and grilled cheese.

Garland “Goose” Geeslin is serving Chicago-style dogs at Sassy Hot Dogs.

“You got either fresh onions or gilled onions, which grilled onions is Texas-style,” Goose explained. “Then you go the bright green relish out of Chicago, two Serrano peppers, two tomato wedges, a kosher pickle, a splash of celery salt and a nice long line of mustard on a fresh-baked bun, with a Vienna beef dog. You’re in heaven.”

There’s even a hot dog named after Fort Worth’s leader. Mayor Betsy Price, was on hand for the opening, explained, “They called and said ‘Does the mayor like any kind of hot dog?’ and I said, ‘Yeah! Chili-cheese with Fritos on top.’”

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price ‘chows down’ on a Mayor Betsy’s Crunch Dog — a hot dog named for her. (credit: Chuck Schechner/KRLD NewsRadio 1080)

The creation is called Mayor Betsy’s Crunch Dog.

Cowtown Chow Down is the city’s second food truck park and is located on a site that formerly housed a gas station. Charlie Flores owns the property.

Flores spent two decades in the car business but recently had to come up with new business ideas.

On the ‘birth’ of Cowtown Chow Down Flores said, “The economic recession really impacted my car business and so we were specifically looking at what could we do with our property.”

The food park can hold as many as 20 trucks and Flores says the location ties in closely with city development.

“Connecting downtown Fort Worth to the Stockyards and progressing this Trinity River vision project that’s coming down the pike… I think it all makes sense.”

Cowtown Chow Down is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. — except Friday and Saturday when the park stays open until 10:30 p.m.

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Business Integration Planner – Weber Aircraft

mgoodman — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:21:32 +0000

Title: Business Integration Planner
Employer: Weber Aircraft
Location: Gainesville
For More Info: (940) 668-4812

Gas Prices Fall By 5 Cents Across Texas

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:58:55 +0000

HOUSTON (AP) - Retail gasoline prices across Texas continue their slide by declining by a nickel a gallon this week.

AAA Texas on Thursday reported the average price statewide has slipped to $3.56 per gallon.

Gas prices nationally also continue to slide, down 2 cents this week to settle at $3.72 per gallon.

The association survey finds that Amarillo has the least expensive gasoline in Texas, at $3.43 per gallon. El Paso has the most expensive gasoline, going for $3.69 per gallon.

AAA says declining crude oil prices and renewed global economic concerns have sent retail gasoline prices down in the past month.

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Solar-Powered Trash & Recycling Bins Installed

ktvtdeborah — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:18:40 +0000

(credit: City of Denton)

DENTON (CBSDFW.COM) - Imagine trash and recycling bins that use power from the sun to compact and will give staff a ‘call’ to let them know when they’re full. Well, if you’re in the City of Denton you don’t have to imagine.

This week the city installed 10 sets of the new age containers downtown, in the Main Courthouse Square.

In a press release statement Economic Development Program Administrator Julie Glover said, “I’m happy we now have a ‘green’ solution for downtown waste.”

The new containers all feature solar panels that power an internal compactor. The solar ‘fuel’ means the containers won’t have to be emptied as often.

The containers also have an onboard communication system that sends out a signal to let staff know when they are full.

Twelve sets of the solar-compacting containers were purchased with a grant from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Several other solar-compacting trash containers, across Denton, have been in place for years, but the largest concentration of receptacles are now located around the downtown square – just in time for Thursday’s ‘Twilight Tunes’ concert.

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Student Hit In North Texas School Parking Lot

ktvtdeborah — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:00:44 +0000

HALTOM CITY (CBSDFW.COM) – Scary moments outside of a North Texas high school, after a student is hit by a car.

The accident happened around 7:30 a.m. in a parking lot at Haltom High School.

“The student darted out from behind a dumpster or something back in the teacher parking lot and was struck,” explained Birdville ISD spokesman Mark Thomas.

The student suffered head injuries.

“But there’s no serious injuries. They did transport him,” Thomas said. “The paramedics think that it might be a concussion.”

The teacher driving the vehicle wasn’t hurt.

“We’re thankful,” Thomas said. “Anytime you have a person in a car accident you hate that, so we’re very thankful it wasn’t more serious.”

Police are investigating the incident.

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New $26 Ballpark Hot Dog Named For Josh Hamilton

jeffburkett — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:42:18 +0000

ARLINGTON (AP) – A 2-foot-long bratwurst dubbed the “Great Bratbino” and selling for $26 will be offered at Rangers Ballpark in honor of Texas slugger Josh Hamilton.

Delaware North Companies Sportservice on Thursday announced plans for its next big gastric delight, on sale May 25 as the Rangers host Toronto.

Spokesman Charles Roberts says the company named the brat as a salute to Hamilton’s success.

The former AL MVP hit .467 with two doubles, nine homers and 18 RBIs over seven games. Hamilton, who’s on a 16-game hitting streak, was getting a rest and sitting out Thursday’s home game with Oakland.

Sportservice last month unveiled a 1-pound, 2-foot-long hot dog at the Ballpark, also going for $26. The bratwurst creation will come with sauerkraut, but can be topped with chili, nacho cheese, grilled onions and jalapenos.

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2 People Found Dead In Fort Worth Apartment

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:30:16 +0000

FORT WORTH (AP) - Police are investigating the deaths of a man and a woman whose bodies have been found in a North Texas apartment.

Names of the pair and further details on the deaths at the Fort Worth complex were not immediately released Thursday.

Fort Worth police say an employee of the apartment complex discovered the bodies late Wednesday. The worker was trying to drop off a notice at the unit when the bodies were found.

Police say the man is believed to have been in his 30s. The woman apparently was in her 60s.

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Dallas Mom Warns Of Drunk Driving Dangers

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:15 +0000

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A new study by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) found that one in four 12th grade students got drunk in the last month, and Texas leads the nation in drunk driving crashes and fatalities. With prom season now underway, there is a strong push to keep teens from drinking and getting behind the wheel.

Renee Varela lost her son to an underage drunk driver. Anthony Varela was in the midst of looking for a career. He loved music and had just spoken with a military recruiter. It has been two years since Anthony’s death, but Renee said that the pain is still raw. “They had a green light,” she said. “An underage 19-year-old drunk driver, two times over the limit, was going 80 mph. Ran the red light and hit the vehicle my son was in.”

That crash happened at the intersection of Bruton Road and Buckner Boulevard, in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas. Word quickly spread, and one of Anthony’s closest friends told Renee about the terrible wreck.

Renee stood face-to-face with the drunk driver in court. Aldo Valderrama pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault, and Renee remembers how he trembled. “I felt bad for him,” she said, “because he was alone. And they were going to sentence him that day, and he had no family members with him.”

Valderrama received a 12-year and 10-year prison sentence to be served concurrently.

“He’s going to get out and be able to have a girlfriend, wife, kids,” said Renee. “That’s something I’m never going to get from my son.”

But the Dallas mom is now reaching out to make sure that other teens make it home safely. She wants others who drink and drive to know about the tough decisions that her family had to make after Anthony’s death — like whether or not to donate his organs. “Knowing my son the way that I knew him, he loved to help people,” Renee said. “So, I knew that’s what he would have wanted to do.”

Five months after Anthony’s death, Renee got to meet Eric Ford, the man who received her son’s heart and kidney. And Renee listened to that heart beat again. Anthony Varela’s organs, skin, tissue and bones helped keep a total of 114 people alive and well. Now, his mother hopes to save the lives of even more people.

Renee reaches out to anyone who is willing to hear her story, especially at graduation time, when many underage people decide to drink. “I just want them to know that drinking, even though people may tell them that it’s fun and stuff like that, it’s very dangerous,” Renee said. “And I wouldn’t want anybody to have to bury their child like I had to bury mine.”

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Hamilton Has Day Of Rest, Out Of Lineup Thursday

jeffburkett — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:56:38 +0000

ARLINGTON (AP) – Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is out of the lineup for the first time since a hot streak that vaulted him to the American League lead in all three Triple Crown categories.

Hamilton was the last of five key starters to get a rest in a four-game stretch that ends Thursday against Oakland.

The former AL MVP has cooled off some – but not much – since hitting .467 (14 of 30) with two doubles, nine homers and 18 RBIs over seven games. The run was sparked by the 16th four-homer game in major league history May 8 at Baltimore.

Homerless in his past four games, Hamilton still has a 16-game hitting streak. He entered Thursday leading the AL in average (.404), homers (18) and RBIs (45).

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Biking To Work Isn’t A Crazy Idea

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:30:32 +0000

Fort Worth will recognize National Bike to Work Day on Friday. While biking to work might seem like a silly idea, the right equipment makes it much more feasible than many people realize.

Another White Powder Letter In N. Texas Thursday

Kent — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:27:37 +0000

Updated: 2:01 p.m. 5/17

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – Two more envelopes containing white powder turned up in North Texas Thursday morning.

Dallas police say the one found at the Crowley Courts building was sent from a prisoner to a judge there. They say it’s unrelated to hundreds of others sent across the country.

That envelope was found at 8:33 a.m. and three people were “sheltered in place” because they were near the envelope when it was opened. Nobody was hurt, Dallas Fire Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said in a release.

An envelope found Thursday at 8:45 a.m. at a packing and shipping business in Plano also caused authorities to block the entrance to the shopping center where the business is located, at 18208 Preston Road.

At the scene, the U.S. Postal Inspector said there was no white powder found in the letter –– contrary to what was originally reported. It is not related to the large-scale FBI investigation, the inspector said. Authorities would not say why the letter spurred the blockade.

The FBI says it suspects the mailings of the envelopes over the last four years are the work of someone in Texas.

The FBI released a statement Wednesday saying the letters contain postmarks from North Texas and similar references to subjects such as al-Qaida and Nazis.

A $150,000 reward is being offered for information leading to a conviction in the case. More than 380 threatening letters in envelopes containing white powder have shown up across the U.S. and overseas since 2008.

Last week, more than 20 were mailed to daycare centers, elementary schools and an aerospace-related business in Texas and other states. Tests showed the powder wasn’t hazardous.

The letters also have been sent to government offices, churches, schools, restaurants and U.S. embassies overseas.

Preakness Stakes: A Derby Rematch Set For Baltimore

jeffburkett — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:27:03 +0000

The Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, will be contested at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday. Six colts who ran in the Kentucky Derby will return for the Preakness including the top two finishers I’ll Have Another and Bodemeister. Also returning are the fourth and fifth place finishers Went the Day Well and Creative Cause as well as also-rans Daddy Nose Best and Optimizer. The remainder of the field will be made up of unproven colts and minor stakes winners that would be a shock should they come anywhere near a winner’s circle on Saturday.

In recent years, the Preakness has been the most predictable of the Triple Crown races with only three winners since 2000 paying more than $10 for a $2 win bet. During that same period the Kentucky Derby has had eleven win payouts over $10 and the Belmont Stakes has had nine. Another thing to consider is colts that compete in the Derby tend to win the Preakness. Since 1997, only three Preakness winners did not run in the Derby. If the trends hold, the winner of this year’s Preakness will be one of the six that ran in the Derby and will go off at odds of less than 4 to 1.

Here is a closer look at the eleven who will line up for the 2012 Preakness Stakes:

Bodemeister
Morning Line Odds: 8-5
While I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby, more attention is being paid to second place finisher Bodemeister. In fact, Bodemeister was made the morning line favorite in this year’s Preakness. From a pace perspective, he ran one of the most impressive Kentucky Derbys in history. He set a blistering pace and only lost by a length and a half. In perusing the past performances of the field for the Preakness, there are no other colts with early speed so Bodemeister should have an easier time of it on the lead. This anticipated pace scenario makes him the one to beat when the gates open on Saturday.

I’ll Have Another
Morning Line Odds: 5-2
I’ll Have Another, the second choice on the morning line, has been perfect in 2012 and enters the Preakness as the only one with a shot at sweeping the Triple Crown. He shipped to Pimlico soon after his Derby win and reports from the scene say he has trained brilliantly over the track. In looking at his past performances, he has the ability to press a fast pace, so watch for him to run close to pacesetter Bodemeister from the start. The question is: Will he have what it takes to make the lead if Bodemesiter is able to set a more reasonable pace in the Preakness?

Went the Day Well
Morning Line Odds: 6-1
While Bodemeister has received all the attention for his valiant but losing effort in the Derby, Went the Day Well also ran a tremendous race to finish fourth. In only his fifth career start, he ran into trouble early in the race and around the first turn. Jockey John Velazquez had to check twice, literally pull back on the reins, when other horses cut into his path. He was eighteen lengths from the leaders with only three beaten when they turned into the backstretch. Just a few hundred yards from the finish, he was moving as fast as any horse in the field, and ended up only two and a half lengths away from the winner in the end. He will get a better trip in the Preakness and could be in a prime position to make a winning move in the stretch.

Creative Cause
Morning Line Odds: 6-1
The California-based Creative Cause is as game a race horse as any among this year’s 3-year-olds. He showed his class in the Derby making it to third in the deep stretch before being passed by Went the Day Well and Dullahan. He finished fifth just three lengths behind the winner. He will run well in the Preakness, as he always does, but it’s hard to figure him turning the tables on the three that finished in front of him in the Derby.

Teeth of the Dog
Morning Line: 15-1
Teeth of the Dog is the lone entry that did not run in the Derby with a chance to fill out the bottom of trifecta and superfecta tickets. He made his graded stakes debut in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial where he finished third at odds of 53 to 1. He comes into this race as a mystery but his trainer Michael Matz has no reason to embarrass himself with an entry in the Preakness that can’t run.

Daddy Nose Best
Morning line: 12-1
After emerging as many racing pundit’s longshot pick leading up to the Kentucky Derby, he ran mid-pack throughout and finished a disappointing tenth. Should he revert to the form he flashed in winning the Sunland Derby in March, he has a chance to fill out the bottom of exotic tickets but he seems a step below the top contenders.

Zetterholm
Morning Line: 20-1
Zetterholm has won three of five career races but all of his wins have come in races restricted to horses bred in New York. The Preakness is a monumental jump in class and it’s hard to comprehend him being competitive against this group.

Optimizer,
Cozzetti,
Tiger Walk,
Pretension

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Thunder Rally To Edge Lakers 77-75 In Game 2

jeffburkett — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:10:14 +0000

Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder dunks against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 16, 2012 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Kevin Durant scored 22 points and rattled in the go-ahead basket on a baseline runner with 18 seconds left, and the Oklahoma City Thunder scored the final nine points to rally for a 77-75 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals Wednesday night.

Oklahoma City trailed by seven with 2 minutes left before surging back with a series of defensive stops by its stars to take a 2-0 lead.

Game 3 is Friday night in Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum scored 20 points apiece for the Lakers, who came up empty on their last six possessions after Bynum’s hook shot made it 75-68 with 2:09 remaining.

Russell Westbrook added 15 points for Oklahoma City.

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Impressionism On Display At Kimball Art Museum

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:00:51 +0000

The Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth is currently showing an impressive collection of paintings from the impressionist era. Check out a preview of the exhibit.

Celtics Top 76ers 107-91 In Game 3 For 2-1 lead

mreal197 — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:58:15 +0000

Kevin Garnett scored 27 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and used a dominant second quarter to help the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-91 on Wednesday night and take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

‘Aggressive’ Pierce Puts Knee Sprain Behind Him In Game 3

mreal197 — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:58:00 +0000

BOSTON (CBS) – He may be battling an MCL sprain, but it certainly didn’t look like the injury was bothering Paul Pierce on Wednesday night.

The Celtics captain put in 24 points in Boston’s 101-91 Game 3 victory over the 76ers in Philadelphia, putting his knee injury behind him and getting aggressive when it came to pretty much every aspect of the game.

“Whether I shot the ball well or not, everything I was going to do was being with aggression,” Pierce said.

Aggressive might be an understatement. Pierce was in attack mode early on, even if his shots weren’t falling. Early in the first quarter, he missed four shots from close range, but it was the fact he fought for the three put-backs in the paint that showed he was determined to make a difference after scoring just seven points in Boston’s Game 2 loss.

He continued to go strong to the basket, following up his early misses with two ferocious dunks. Pierce finishing with nine points in the first 12 minutes of the game. He ended up hitting six of his 17 attempts from the floor, but did most of his damage at — and getting to — the free throw line. After just two trips to the charity stripe on Monday, Pierce found his way to the line 14 times in Game 3, scoring 11 of his points at the line.

Special Coverage: NBA Playoffs

He made it known to all of Philly when he was making his way to the line, following each drive to the hoop with an aggressive scream that would make Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” jealous.

“Everything I was going to do was going to be aggressive because they were really collapsing on me on the down-screens, on my jumpers,” said Pierce. “I just tried to get to the hole and I was able to get to the line; able to get to the rim a number of times. It’s something I have to continue to do.”

“Paul is just a grinder,” head coach Doc Rivers said following the win. “He really is. You look at him at times and you wonder, ‘How is this guy getting open?’ He just has great fundamentals. He never does it with speed. He just knows how to play basketball. He’s a throwback guy, that he knows how to play basketball. We jokingly call him our ‘professional scorer’ and that’s what he is in a lot of ways.”

“[Pierce] played great for us tonight,” said point guard Rajon Rondo, who scored 23 points of his own while dishing out 14 assists. “Paul has been struggling scoring, but he has been doing the intangibles. On those [first-quarter] drives, he didn’t get some calls early in the game and thought they were fouls, so he went out and was aggressive and finished strong.”

Recap: Thunder Go Up 2-0 On Lakers

Pierce had been just 5-for-20 in the series in the first two games, but helped the Celtics send a message as they took a 2-1 series lead. While he only added four assists, he credited the team’s ball movement for getting the offense going.

“Our offense finally came alive,” Pierce said. “We moved the ball. We knew that’s what we were going to have to do to score 100 points.”

“We just wanted to come out and establish who we are as a team,” Pierce said.

They certainly did that. Now they just need to keep it going on Friday night.

Southwest Airlines Delays Jet Deliveries

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:30:12 +0000

DALLAS (AP) - Southwest Airlines is pushing back delivery of 30 Boeing 737s to save money and get a better return on its investment.

CEO Gary Kelly says Dallas-based Southwest got its first 737-800 from Boeing Co. in March. It had planned to get 20 more next year and 10 more in 2014.

Kelly on Wednesday told shareholders that those deliveries will now be pushed back to 2017 and 2018. He says Southwest will save more than $1 billion through 2014 with the delays.

Southwest flies only 737s, and it had 558 at the end of March. Its AirTran unit flies 737s as well as 717s.

Also, Southwest is doubling its $500 million share buyback program to $1 billion and raising its quarterly dividend to 1 cent per share.

Southwest’s repurchase program was approved last August.

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Blacktop Gypsy Coming To ‘Taste Addison’

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:14 +0000

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The 20th annual Taste Addison event gets underway on Friday, and a lot more than food will be featured at the popular North Texas festival. An amazing collection of local bands are among the featured entertainment, including Blacktop Gypsy. The group stopped by the CBS 11 News studio on Thursday morning to offer a sampling of what they’ll play this weekend. Watch the videos below to see the full interview with the band, and their special live performance.

Several of the Taste Addison bands have joined CBS 11 News over the past week. Check out special live performances from Jon Christopher Davis and Zane Williams before they hit the stage this weekend.

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Devils Silence Garden Faithful, Get Better Of Rangers In Game 2

mreal197 — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:58:03 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — The New Jersey Devils quickly changed the game plan: instead of letting the New York Rangers block their shots, they decided to deflect some themselves.

It worked twice, and the Eastern Conference finals are all even, as a result.

David Clarkson scored a tip-in goal off Adam Henrique’s shot 2:31 into the third period to break a tie and lift the Devils to a 3-2 victory over the Rangers that squared the series at one game apiece on Wednesday night.

“It’s a very hard building to play in, and 1-1 sounds much better than down 2-0,” Devils captain Zach Parise said. “We’re happy. We would have liked to have snuck out of here with two wins, but it didn’t happen.

“We’ll take 1-1.”

For the third straight series, the Rangers are wondering what went wrong in Game 2 after they took the opener. They stressed how important it would be to grab a 2-0 lead, which would have been their first two-game edge in this postseason, but didn’t provide the necessary effort to get it done.

New York was riding high after its 3-0 series-opening win on Monday night, but now has relinquished home-ice advantage again.

“You need to improve as a hockey team every game,” said succinct and disappointed coach John Tortorella, who declined to say what areas were deficient.

Game 3 will be Saturday in New Jersey.

Clarkson built off the momentum created by Ryan Carter’s deflected goal late in the second that tied the game, 2-2. Ilya Kovalchuk had given the Devils a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal in the first. Defenseman Bryce Salvador added two assists, and Martin Brodeur stopped 23 saves for his 108th playoff win.

Clarkson has three goals in this postseason, and every one has been a winner, including the clincher against Philadelphia in Game 5 of the second round.

“Mr. Clutch? I don’t know about that,” Clarkson said. “I’m going to skate up and down and finish the checks and just bounce off people. It’s just a great feeling to be able to contribute. To get a tip on that felt pretty good.”

New Jersey had 26 attempted shots blocked in Game 1, five more than they got through to goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The Devils cut the blocks to 16 on Wednesday and managed to get 27 on goal — two more than New York.

“That team blocks so many shots,” Clarkson said. “It’s unbelievable how many. I think we found a way to shoot it and get sticks on it, and definitely that was big for us.”

Marc Staal and Chris Kreider scored power-play goals in the second for the top-seeded Rangers, who received 24 saves by Lundqvist.

New Jersey got even at 2 when Salvador wound up for a shot at the blue line and fired a drive that Carter — with his back to the net — brilliantly deflected past Lundqvist with 1:51 left in the second. Marian Gaborik stood up straight in front of Salvador, but didn’t drop down as many of his teammates have to try to block the shot. For that, he was pinned to the bench by Tortorella, even through New York’s power play in the third.

Gaborik returned to the ice with 8:40 remaining as the Rangers pressed to tie.

The Devils kept the pressure on the Rangers at the start of the third and wiped out the good work the Rangers displayed in the second.

“It was a much different reaction when we went down by a goal than it was in the first game,” Parise said. “We didn’t change the way we played, and I think that was a big difference. We were comfortable with how we were playing.

“All I think they got was really on their power play.”

After spending much of the first trapped in their own end, the Rangers rebounded to erase their early deficit and briefly take the lead thanks to the previously inept power play.

With Alexei Ponikarovsky off for interference, Staal fired a shot that sailed wide of the net and struck the back boards before popping back in front and pinballing into the net off Salvador and Brodeur at 2:23. The goal was originally credited to Derek Stepan, who was in front, but the puck managed to miss him both on the way toward the net and on the bounce back.

“I saw most of the pucks, but the Rangers came out hard,” Brodeur said. “They were around me a lot, and there were some bad bounces. It’s such a tough place to play sometimes here. There are bad bounces, and the boards are terrible.”

Staal nearly netted another moments later when he ripped a drive that Brodeur had to lunge fully to his left to snare with his glove.

Kreider, the rookie from Boston College, scored for the second straight game to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 12:19. Anton Stralman let go a shot from above the right circle that ticked Kreider’s stick and fluttered past Brodeur for the rookie’s fourth goal. He had to wait to get it because it was first given to Stralman before being changed during a commercial break.

But that was hardly the longest delay of the night. Before Kreider’s power-play goal, the action was stopped for about eight minutes as arena workers struggled to get the door to the Devils’ penalty box opened. Travis Zajac stood patiently as he waited to have a seat in the box. He even managed to laugh as did New Jersey coach Peter DeBoer and the usually stoic and agitated Tortorella.

Zajac, who first was sent to the Rangers’ box, stayed in New Jersey’s sin bin for only 1:47 before Kreider scored the Rangers’ second power-play goal of the night.

New York registered the first six shots of the period before New Jersey had its first about eight minutes in, but the teams were even at 17 through 40 minutes.

Lundqvist had a bit of glove magic of his own midway through the second when a shot by Anton Volchenkov was deflected by Kovalchuk but tracked and grabbed by Lundqvist.

The Devils got their elusive first goal of the series, and the all-important lead in the game, when Kovalchuk connected on the power play late in the first period.

After Brian Boyle was sent off for slashing Parise, the Devils continued their puck-possession prowess in the Rangers’ end. New Jersey moved the puck all around the zone in search of a clean shot that could get past the diving New York defense and perhaps challenge Lundqvist, who made 21 saves in the series-opening win.

Marek Zidlicky curled with the puck to the center of the blue line and slid a pass down to the left circle to Kovalchuk, who calmly and patiently drifted in and snapped a shot up and under the crossbar in the upper corner of the net for his sixth goal of the playoffs and fourth on the power play.

“We had to keep going to the net, and I think we were doing some good things,” Clarkson said. “We’ve been playing some good hockey and we’ve got to continue to do it. That is a big win for us.”

The Devils didn’t record a shot on goal until 6:01 in when Patrik Elias put a wrist shot in on Lundqvist, but New Jersey finished the first period with an 8-5 edge in shots — despite having six more blocked by the Rangers.

Whether Brodeur was kidding or not about wanting Rangers to be injured by blocking shots, the home team wasn’t deterred from getting in front of drives. New York forward Brandon Prust was doing a bit of a dance in front of the dangerous Kovalchuk, trying to deny any potential drive, even though he was defending without a stick.

“We have to try to get in lanes,” Rangers captain Ryan Callahan said. “Try to limit their time with the puck. If we do that, they are not going to have time to shoot.”

When Kovalchuk finally scored later in the period, he let out a big yell — part celebration and an exclamation of relief — as he skated in front of the glass behind the net.

“We have built some momentum,” Brodeur said. “And now, we have to try to take that into our building, and make our building a tough place to play.”

NOTES: The Rangers were 10 for 61 (16.4 percent) on the power play in the postseason before Wednesday. This marked the second time they netted a man-advantage goal in consecutive games, but the fourth time they scored two in a game. … The Devils returned defenseman Peter Harrold to the lineup and sat rookie Adam Larsson. Harrold replaced Larsson in the lineup late in the season and started the first nine postseason games. Larsson played in the previous five games.

‘Ring Of Fire’ Eclipse To Be Visible In Texas

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:30:56 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sunrises and sunsets often dazzle, but they’ll have a special ring to them in a few days for people in the western United States and eastern Asia: The moon will slide across the sun, blocking everything but a blazing halo of light.

It’s been almost two decades since a “ring of fire” eclipse was visible in the continental United States. To celebrate the end of that drought, nearly three dozen national parks in the path of the eclipse will host viewing parties.

The solar spectacle is first seen in eastern Asia at dawn Monday, local time. Weather permitting, millions of early risers in southern China, northern Taiwan and southeast Japan will be able to catch the ring eclipse. Then it creeps across the Pacific with the western U.S. viewing the tail end.

The late day sun will transform into a glowing ring in southwest Oregon, Northern California, central Nevada, southern Utah, northern Arizona and New Mexico and finally the Texas Panhandle where it will occur at sunset on Sunday. For 3 1/2 hours, the eclipse follows an 8,500-mile path. Viewing, from beginning to end, lasts about two hours. The ring phenomenon lasts as long as 5 minutes depending on location.

Outside this narrow band, parts of the West, Midwest and South — and portions of Canada and Mexico — will be treated to a partial eclipse. The Eastern Seaboard will be shut out, but people can log online to sites such as the Slooh Space Camera, which plans to broadcast the event live.

A ring eclipse — technically called an annular solar eclipse — is not as dramatic as a total eclipse, when the disk of the sun is entirely blocked by the moon. As in a total solar eclipse, the moon crosses in front of the sun, but the moon is too far from Earth and appears too small in the sky to blot out the sun completely.

“A bright ring around the sun at mid-eclipse is still pretty cool,” Geoff Chester of the U.S. Naval Observatory said in an email.

Asia is abuzz over the event. In Japan, cable cars will run early to give tourists an unobstructed view from the mountains. Ferries will make special trips so that others can enjoy the scene offshore. The Taipei Astronomical Museum will open its doors at dawn while Hong Kong’s Space Museum will set up solar-filtered telescopes outside its building on the Kowloon waterfront.

The last time this type of eclipse was seen in the U.S. was in 1994. This year’s solar show offers ringside seats at 33 national parks along the eclipse path including the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon. A partial eclipse can be viewed from another 125 national parks.

For die-hard sky gazers, six U.S. locations will see the moon cover about 95 percent of the sun’s diameter. They include the Petroglyph National Monument, Redwoods National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Zion National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Wherever you are, do not look directly at the eclipsed sun or you can get a serious eye injury. Wear specially made protective glasses that can be bought online or create your own contraption by punching a small pinhole in a cardboard box.

If you buy special eyewear, you can recycle it. Two weeks later, Venus will crawl across the face of the sun — a rare occurrence known as the “transit of Venus” that will also require viewers to take precaution.

Veteran eclipse chaser Jay Pasachoff has traveled to remote corners of the globe to see the moon take a bite of the sun. This time, the Williams College astronomer will travel to New Mexico with his students to collect data.

Sunday’s event will be his 14th ring eclipse and 55th solar eclipse overall. So what does someone who has seen it all look forward to?

Seeing “the symmetry of a ring of sunlight around the dark silhouette of the moon,” Pasachoff said in an email.

The next ring eclipse won’t be visible in the U.S. for more than a decade — October 2023.

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Hot & Windy Weather Continues For DFW

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:10 +0000

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Thursday brings another orange Air Pollution Watch, as light winds continue and high temperatures remain near 90 degrees. (Where did spring go?) Winds should pick up enough on Friday to prevent another orange air quality day.

Temperatures hit 89 degrees on Wednesday, and that looks to be the target for Thursday as well. Breezy south winds pick up on Friday, with more sunny skies and high temperatures edging close to 90 degrees once again.

A cold front should flirt with North Texas over the weekend. There is a very isolated storm chance to the northwest on Saturday and Sunday. Most of the area will stay dry, except for a 10 percent chance of rain far off to the northwest. The overall rain chances remain slim on Monday — the best shot for storms at 20 percent.

Monday will see more high temperatures in the upper 80s.

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Trinity River Basin In New Water Quality Initiative

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:30:47 +0000

CORSICANA (AP) - The Trinity River Basin is to be included in a national water quality initiative launched to improve impaired watersheds.

A statement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture says that as home to nearly 8 million residents, the Trinity River Basin is the state’s most polluted river basin.

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service plans to provide funding to farmers, ranchers and timberland owners in the Chambers Creek Watershed of the Trinity River Basin.

State Conservationist Salvador Salinas of the agency is scheduled to visit a ranch in that watershed near Corsicana on Tuesday to detail how the program is to work. Representatives of state and local soil and water conservation agencies also are scheduled to attend.

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American Airlines Wants To Add Brazil Flights

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:59 +0000

FORT WORTH (AP) - American Airlines, which is operating under bankruptcy protection, is seeking permission to add more flights to Brazil.

American said Wednesday that it’s filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation for the right to fly 17 more weekly flights between the U.S. and Brazil.

Fort Worth-based American currently runs more than 80 weekly flights to Brazil.

Chief Commercial Officer Virasb Vahidi says Brazil is a growing market for American, with the company hoping to start running expanded service as early as Oct. 1.

If approved, American said it would add flights from its Miami and New York-JFK hubs to various Brazilian cities.

American’s parent company, AMR Corp., filed for Chapter 11 reorganization last November.

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Moderate Earthquake Rattles East Texas

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:20:56 +0000

TIMPSON (AP) - A moderate earthquake rattled an area in east Texas near the Louisiana border.

National Earthquake Information Center geophysicist Amy Vaughan says the quake happened at 3:12 a.m. Thursday and had a magnitude of 4.3. It was centered near Timpson, Texas.

Shelby County Sheriff’s dispatcher Jacob Allen says the only injury reported they’ve received is an elderly woman who fell out of her bed and cut her arm. Allen says the quake caused broken windows and fallen dishes, but no major damage has been reported.

Vaughan says the quake was felt within 75 miles of its epicenter. She also said the same area was the site of a 3.9 magnitude quake on May 10.

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TCU Sold Full Allotment Of 2012 Season Tickets

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:08:02 +0000

FORT WORTH (AP) - The Big 12 is already a boon to TCU football.

TCU announced Wednesday that it has sold out its full allotment of 30,000 season tickets for 2012, when the Horned Frogs begin Big 12 play in newly renovated, 45,000-seat Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Along with those season tickets, there will be about 5,000 tickets set aside for students each game and another 4,000 for each opponent.

It’s the third consecutive year that TCU has set a new mark for football season ticket sales. It sold 19,143 season tickets in 2010, and 22,500 last year.

The number of season tickets has more than doubled since 14,400 in 2007.

TCU’s season opener is Sept. 8 at home against Grambling State. The first Big 12 home game is Oct. 6 against Iowa State.

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McNamee Says He Lied About Steroids Initally

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:03:33 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) - Brian McNamee, the chief prosecution witness in the Roger Clemens perjury trial, conceded Thursday he initially lied about his involvement with steroids.

In January 2007, McNamee sent an email to Jim Murray, an employee of the agency that represents Clemens, complaining about “gross inaccuracies” in a newspaper story that identified him as a steroids supplier. He also claimed in the email he had been assured by Jeff Novitzky, at the time an Internal Service Revenue agent investigating drug use in sports, that McNamee was not named in a search warrant affidavit referenced in the story.

“It was a lie wasn’t it?” Clemens lawyer Rusty Hardin said.

“Yes,” McNamee said, adding, “It was just self-preservation.”

In fact, McNamee didn’t have any contact with Novitzky until several months later.

Hardin also highlighted an email that McNamee sent to Clemens around that time.

“Explain to the jury about how you would write emails to the supposed co-crook with you … professing your innocence?” the lawyer demanded.

“It was to explain to Roger I had his back, and I wasn’t going to rat him out,” explained McNamee, Clemens former long-time strength and conditioning coach.

Clemens is on trial for allegedly lying to Congress in 2008 when he denied using steroids or human growth hormone. McNamee testified he injected the former pitcher multiples times in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Hardin also tried to get McNamee to admit that he never told Clemens he was discussing the pitcher’s alleged drug use with federal authorities. McNamee said that Clemens never asked.

“How could he ask if he didn’t know?” Hardin demanded.

“How could I answer if he didn’t ask?” McNamee replied.

“You’re serious?” Hardin said.

Also Thursday, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton told lawyers out of earshot of the jury that some jurors had wondered how long the trial, now in its fifth week, will last.

“At this pace, I’ll guess we’ll be here forever,” the judge said.

A prosecutor said he expected to finish the case by the end of next week — or at the latest early the following week. He said the government had 14 more witnesses after McNamee.

“Fourteen additional witnesses?” Walton said incredulously.

After the government’s case, the defense then brings its own witnesses if it chooses to.

Walton said that the case is dragging on too long, and that jurors want to get back to their lives. He warned that one side could suffer — although he didn’t know which one.

“Like flipping a coin — 50/50,” Walton quipped, a reference to former Clemens’ teammate Andy Pettitte’s testimony in the trial. Pettitte testified earlier that Clemens said he used HGH, but under cross-examination agreed there was a 50/50 chance he might have misunderstood Clemens.

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Citi Field To Host 2013 MLB All-Star Game

KTVTPhil — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:59:44 +0000

A general view of the exterior of Citi Field on March 25, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

NEW YORK (CBS SPORTS) - Mr. Met stood near the podium with baseball commissioner Bud Selig, Mets owner Fred Wilpon and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. “Thanks for bringing your boss along,” Bloomberg said to the mascot. “Does he pay you well?”

After more than three years of trouble on and off the field, the Mets feel things are looking up. Major League Baseball finally announced Wednesday that the 2013 All-Star Game will be hosted by the New York Mets at Citi Field on July 16 — the latest date for the game since 1985.

The Mets last hosted the All-Stars in 1964, the year Shea Stadium opened, when Johnny Callison’s three-run homer capped a four-run ninth inning and gave the NL a 7-4 win. The game was last in New York in 2008, the final season of the old Yankee Stadium, when the AL won 4-3 in 15 innings.

“I think we are headed in the right direction,” Wilpon said, using a cane following left hip-replacement surgery two weeks ago. “I know Major League Baseball believes in the Wilpons and the Mets.”

Click Here To Read More From CBS Sports

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Rangers Rally To Beat Oakland 4-1

gileshudson — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:54:48 +0000

ARLINGTON, TX – MAY 16: Josh Hamilton #32 of the Texas Rangers hits in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on May 16, 2012 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Rick Yeatts/Getty Images)

ARLINGTON (AP) – Yu Darvish pitched 7 2-3 strong innings and Adrian Beltre had a two-run homer to help the Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics 4-1 on Wednesday night.

Darvish (6-1) gave up one run and four hits while striking out seven to win his sixth game in seven decisions. After giving up a run in the first, Darvish settled down and retired 11 of the last 15 batters he faced. He lowered his ERA to 2.60.

Mike Adams struck out Johnny Gomes, who represented the tying run, for the final out in the eighth. Joe Nathan struck out the side in the ninth his eighth save.

Craig Gentry and Elvis Andrus each had two hits, including run-scoring singles in a decisive fourth inning.
Oakland rookie pitcher Tommy Milone (5-3) gave up four runs in seven innings, holding the Rangers’ offense down until the fourth.

The Rangers sent nine players to the plate in a four-run fourth inning that was started by Josh Hamilton’s infield single and Beltre’s home run.

Gentry and Andrus added run-scoring hits. Hamilton, who extended his hitting streak to an AL season-best 16 games, had two hits and a run scored.

Beltre has tormented Oakland pitching. His homer was his ninth against the A’s in the last two seasons.

Josh Reddick gave Oakland a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. He struck out in his next three at-bats.

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Fair Park Aiming For Year-Round Events

jaygormley — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:00:31 +0000

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - When North Texans think of Fair Park in Dallas, the State Fair is likely to come to mind.

After that, many locals seem to draw a blank. “I haven’t been there [ because I don’t hear a whole lot about anything going on, so I just don’t go,” said Dallas resident, Katie Pablo.

Fellow Dallas resident Carissa Armstrong agrees. “I really don’t hear of any other events going on there, besides the fair,” Armstrong added.

Dallas councilman Dwaine Caraway wants to change Fair Park’s image of being a one-trick pony, by utilizing the fairgrounds year-round. “A lot of money leaves the city of Dallas because there’s nothing to do,” explained Caraway.

The State Fair is Fair Park’s biggest draw. It attracts 3,000,000 people every year. The next biggest draw is Earth Day Dallas which brings in about 75,000 visitors. The North Texas Irish Festival draws about 73,000.

Fair Park executives say the latter two are great festivals, but they want to go after larger events that last three, even four days long.

They also realize the events need to be promoted. “I think unless you come to the events, you don’t really know what’s taking place,” said Fair Park G.M., Daniel Huerta.

Huerta says plans are in the works for the new “Summer Adventure.” The three-month long event will feature amusement rides, cooling pools, food vendors, and a 500-foot observation tower called the Top Of Texas. Summer Adventure kicks off in May of 2013 and will remain open through August.

Other events set for Fair Park include, “Holiday Lights” which is scheduled to open in December, 2014. The “Cotton Bowl Spectacular” laser light show will open in June of 2015.

Councilman Caraway has suggested bringing in a marketing director to get the word out, but so far, that has yet to happen.

Garland 2-Year-Old Fights Juvenile Arthritis

Ryan Crowe — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:55:35 +0000

GARLAND (CBSDFW.COM) – With a shock of bright red hair, 2-year-old Courtney Warren is hard to miss. “When the red came in, I knew she was going to be really feisty,” said her father, Jason Warren.

When she was just 10 months old, Courtney started walking. By 13 months, though, her parents noticed a limp and a look of pain on her face.

One day, she refused to even crawl. “It’s just hard to see her. She was in pain,” said her father.

Courtney endured X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs, and surgery, before doctors finally diagnosed her with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, a condition with no known cause or cure.

Courtney now depends on daily injections and medications to control her pain and inflammation. It’s not easy on her or her parents, who say they have to pin her down to give her shots.

“I worry about her trust in me, because I’m hurting her,” said Shelley Warren “I want her to know that I have to do it.”

Ten years ago, though, Courtney might have suffered permanent disability and joint damage. “The medication she’s on was only developed in the 90′s and that was through research,” said her mother.

This Saturday, the family will take part in the Dallas Arthritis Walk – helping fund further research. They hope scientists will one day find a way to make Courtney’s medication less painful, more effective – or better yet unnecessary.

“The future is so uncertain for her,” said Shelley Warren. “But right now, she’s doing great – and we treasure the time she’s doing great – and we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The Dallas Arthritis Walk will take place Saturday, May 19. Registration opens at 8:30am. For more information or to make a donation, head to www.dallasarthritiswalk.org

Foster Kids Abuse Case: “We Should Be Embarrassed”

Ryan Crowe — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:54:38 +0000

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – This is the story of three courageous children … from the moment they were born to the hopes and heartaches that followed.

It will likely leave you with the strong feeling that the state of Texas owes these children … and perhaps thousands of other kids … a big apology.

They are called this state’s “Forgotten Children” … thousands of them in foster care… hidden from the public as they are taken from abusive homes …and moved elsewhere … over and over again.

CBS 11 News gained exclusive access to records that, in incredible detail, tell the journey of three of those children — a boy, his sister and another child who would eventually become their brother.

That journey eventually led them out of the state, to the small Ohio town of Troy, where Texas authorities approved their adoption to Kenneth Brandt, an insurance claims adjuster who is unmarried. Another Texas foster boy was also placed with Brandt, but his adoption was never completed and he has since been returned to the state of Texas.

Brandt promised to offer a safe, loving home to his new children from Texas. He asked for and received financial assistance from the state to help him raise the children, including, in the case of one child, $128 a month for “tuition to (a) private Christian school,” which he said “would better meet the needs of the child …”

But authorities now say Brandt was not a good father. We will not tell you the real names of the young children mentioned repeatedly in the child welfare reports obtained by CBS 11.

But all children deserve a name …respect… especially these kids … for what they’ve been through.

We’ll call them Billy, his sister Susan, and Timmy.

Billy was born at the Medical Center of Lewisville in April 2001. His sister, Susan, stepped into the world a year and two months later.

Trouble began almost immediately. “The family reportedly resided in a car … under bridges … in motels …,” said one report.

It went on: “On occasion, the parents gave the children alcohol, which (Susan) said she spit out because it tasted bad …”

“The children were starved and neglected and reportedly abused if they asked for food …”

The state responded, ruling their parents to be unfit. When that happened, Billy confided in a counselor, who put in her report: “He is sad that his parents weren’t able to parent him.”

In a different part of the state, from a different set of parents, Timmy was born in February 2000 in Athens, Texas. Birth records show him to be healthy …ready to go.

But, like for Billy and Susan, things turned bad quickly for Timmy as well. “Two black eyes … injury to his forehead … injury to his buttock …injuries on his thigh,” said one report. …”

And then a boyfriend of the boy’s mother picks up a weapon. “Shot him in the head and buttocks with the BB gun because he was bad,” said the report.

Timmy was six when the state took custody of him.

As horrible as these reports are, a CBS 11 News investigation has found that they are not, unfortunately, unique to what thousands of kids go through in Texas.

Child advocates, judges … a senator … they all told us of breakdowns in the very system meant to protect our children.

One of the problems is that child welfare caseworkers are historically overworked and underpaid.

A former caseworker told CBS 11 News she routinely tried to watch out for an average of 60 abused kids at the same time, keeping her up at nights worrying about how she was going to accomplish such an impossible task.

And where do state foster children, especially the ones emotionally and physically scarred, go?

In Texas, it’s a problem because residential facilities for foster children are not evenly located throughout the state. So abused children are not just taken from their abusers … they’re also forced to leave their friends, their teachers, a beloved pet …

The only support they knew. “Be that 5-year-old child who’s been shipped off to Houston, and won’t ever see a face he recognizes again,” state juvenile court Judge Bill Mazur Jr. said.

Mazur did not deal with the kids sent to Ohio. But he has seen hundreds just like them in his Dallas courtroom, standing there, wide-eyed and wondering …where next?

“That child is left alone …in the truest sense of the word,” Mazur said.

Taken from their birth parents, and now presumably safe in the hands of the state of Texas, for Billy, his sister Susan and Timmy, the road to misery had not ended.

Timmy, beginning when he was six, was shuffled from one foster home to another an incredible 21 times.

He first went to Houston, where most of the state’s residential facilities for foster kids are located, and then to Carrollton, Glenn Heights, Fort Worth, Arlington …and on and on.

At the beginning of this shuffle, Timmy told a therapist he thought adoption was “when someone wants to take you home and keep you.”

But then he began to wonder.

One therapist, in a report, said of Timmy: “He expresses doubts about whether anyone loves or cares about him.”

Still, between the fits of depression and thoughts of rejection, as doctors pumped him with drugs to try and balance his mood, Timmy showed signs of just wanting to be a little boy.

“Loves Spiderman and writing,” said one report. “He enjoys learning and he is very creative … enjoys soccer and baseball … can be loving and affectionate …”

While Timmy was trying to find a home, so were Billy and his sister Susan. They moved eight times, to foster homes in Plano, Corinth, Saginaw, DeSoto, Arlington, Fort Worth and Crowley.

Billy was growing up, a report says, with “freckles … blond hair … and blue-green eyes … “ So was his sister, described in another report as having “shoulder-length blonde hair … and blue-green eyes …”

They clung to childhood hopes … in the face of broken dreams. “He often puts his sister’s needs ahead of his own … he wants to find a forever home who will accept both him …(and his sister),” one caseworker wrote.

Between nightmares and emotional outbursts, Susan, according to one report, was a “sweet and curious child … she enjoys playing with Barbies … dolls … playing with make-up…dancing …”

She had a wish: ”Would like to be able to do magic.”

Magic, for all of these kids, was to find a place they could call home … forever … with someone who loved them … for real.

The state of Texas said they found that person, finally, in Kenneth Brandt, a 42-year-old man who seemed squeaky clean, a perfect fit to become a single dad in the small town of Troy, Ohio.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services relied on Action Inc., a private adoption group in nearby Dayton, to check Brandt’s background.

Records show that more than $33,000, compliments of Texas taxpayers, was paid to Action to develop the trust needed to place children in Brandt’s home.

But that trust evaporated in late February when Brandt and two other men, Jason Zwick and Patrick Reider, were implicated in a police sex sting operation.

They were soon charged with raping the Texas boys – Billy, Timmy and the third young boy in Brandt’s home, whose adoption had not been finalized. The men remain in jail in Ohio, awaiting trial, as residents continue to talk about the depravity.

“A father, for a lack of a better term, to loan his kids out to other males was horrifying to us,” Troy police Capt. Chris Anderson said.

Anderson laid part of the blame on Texas authorities who approved placing the four foster kids with Brandt in the first place. “Somebody, somewhere has to keep better track of these kids,” he said, adding, “It’s not about how fast you can clean out your inventory of adoptable kids … make sure they are going to the right places.”

The children sent to Ohio are not alone when it comes to Texas kids being left behind, seemingly forgotten, by a state system that is supposed to protect them, CBS 11’s investigation has found.

With 231 child deaths in Texas last year, including 30 in Dallas County and 8 in Tarrant County, this state leads the nation in fatalities caused by child abuse and neglect. They were the most unlucky among the 66,000 kids injured by abuse throughout Texas – with more than 13,000 of them living in North Texas, according to statistics compiled by our investigation.

Despite this state’s poor standing when it comes to caring for abused children, Texas lawmakers last year slashed millions of dollars from programs meant to prevent those attacks from happening in the first place, CBS 11 has learned.

While at the same time, legislators left intact a $9 billion reserve, known as the Rainy Day Fund, that critics say could have been tapped to help save those programs and keep thousands of children from losing services.

“We should be embarrassed, Texas should be embarrassed, when it comes to our efforts to prevent child abuse,” said Sen. Carlos Uresti, a member of the Texas Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee.

Uresti, a San Antonio Democrat, said that as he watched his colleagues cut services for needy kids, he couldn’t help but remember the pictures he saw in 2003 of the body of a 4-year-old boy, strapped to a bed post and starved by a family member.

“When you have 231 killed in Texas last year as a result of child abuse and neglect, that’s a problem that every Texan should not only be mad about, but should get involved, knowing what’s going on,” Uresti said.

We will tell you more about what’s going on with our “forgotten children” in Texas in future reports, only on CBS 11 News.

If you want to reach Jack Douglas Jr. with a news tip, you can email him at jdouglas@cbs.com

Grand Prairie Cemetery Taken Over By State

mgoodman — Thu, 17 May 2012 01:00:32 +0000

GRAND PRAIRIE (CBSDFW.COM) – A place intended for perpetual rest inside the city limits has instead become one of non-stop turmoil.

Vivian Ned’s son, Arthur, was buried at American Memorial Cemetery on Hardy Road in April. The question now is, where?

“We can’t even find him,” says Ned. “It hurts. I’m not over his death, yet, and then I come here and get this. I can’t find him. I’m wondering, is he over there in the woods somewhere?”

Arthur Ned was supposed to be buried on April 3. But, family members say when they arrived at the cemetery, there was no gravesite prepared. With severe weather looming, the internment was delayed.

But, just six weeks later, family members arrived at the cemetery to find row upon row of fresh graves –– but, nothing in the area where they were told that Arthur Ned was buried.

“I trusted them,” says Ned. “They don’t have a heart.”

Yolanda Tillmon can find her son’s headstone but that’s where the certainty ends. The tombstone, she says, has been flipped to face in the opposite direction as though it is resting at his feet instead of his head.

“Really, right now, I don’t know which way my son is laying in this grave. If you’ve turned his headstone around the other way, then it’s going to look like he’s the other way and you can bury someone on top of him, because you’ve turned it around.”

The cemetery’s current owner, Gerald Weatherall, says he bought the property two years ago, saying “I bought a mess.” Weatherall says he keeps the cemetery mowed and insists that is being property maintained. But, says he’s “exhausted” and by week’s end will be ”out of the cemetery business.”

But state regulators say Weatherall won’t have much choice in the matter.

Citing concerns about the cemetery’s finances, record keeping, and platting –– which is a fancy way of saying family should be able to easily find graves –– state regulators have halted the sale of future plots in the cemetery. Current owners must honor any current contracts and must continue to maintain the cemetery.

Angela Luckey, Grand Prairie NAACP President, says if she mounds of dirt, garbage, and overgrown thicket that currently mark the cemetery is Weatherall’s idea of ‘maintenance,’ then he should get out of the business.

“It’s shameful,” says Luckey. Luckey has both a professional and personal interest in the cemetery: Generations of her family are buried there. ”We want to be able to find friends and family, not be greeted with weeds and trees that have fallen over onto graves and you can’t even get to them.”

Lucky says the cemetery lies is what was once the heart of the black community, with graves dating back to the early 1900s.

“Freed slaves are buried here,” she said. “This is our history. It’s just heartbreaking.”

Concert Review: Spiritualized At The Granada Theater, 5/15

mgoodman — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:51:28 +0000

Spiritualized play the Granada Theater on May 15, 2012. (Credit: CBSDFW.com)

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Aligned in a crescent shape spread wide across the Granada Theater stage Tuesday night, Spiritualized began and ended with startling blasts of noise.

Their two hour set was methodical and intoxicating. Much like their albums, Jason Pierce and his band come off as supremely confident in the sound they’re offering the listener.

This wasn’t a concert to revel in the joy of improvisation –– shoegaze noise squalls stopped on a dime, giving way to bare, hypnotic guitar riffs. Psychedelic visuals projected upon the band often mimicked the peaks and valleys of the music it accompanied.

There was very little room for errors.

In the more sparse moments, we could hear Pierce most. The man once known as J Spaceman was often absorbed in the full, engrossing sound he’s painstakingly created since the group’s 1992 debut. On record, his pained lyrics are crisp above the mix. Live, they were part of the whole.

On Tuesday, Pierce was backed by a keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, a drummer and a pair of backup singers who, at times, seemed to anchor their leader.

Early in the set, during “Lord, Let It Rain On Me,” Pierce was hunched over, wailing. The song had morphed its spacey, gospel buildup into a rackety crescendo and while Pierce’s voice began to fracture, the singers offered a perfect contrast adding another sonic layer to the proceedings. All the while keeping their dazed, doo-wop dancing in perfect step.

Spiritualized made time for a smattering of the band’s catalogue, even covering Spacemen 3 track “Walkin’ With Jesus.”

Midway through the concert, the sample at the beginning of “Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” echoed through the room, triggering the biggest reaction of the night. The song had an intensely calming effect and was the beginning of a soothing three-song suite that included “Mary” and “Stay With Me.”

But Pierce wasn’t done –– he ended the set with a triumphant “Come Together,” only managing to top himself upon returning to the noise blast that welcomed us after “Cop Shoot Cop.”

And then the visuals stopped and Pierce stepped from behind his perch, offering us a final wave –– the audience got what they came for, and Spaceman knew it.

Just like he had all along.

Rangers Red Has Arlington Seeing Green

Ryan Crowe — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:11:39 +0000

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – The Texas Rangers have all kinds of good numbers; Two ALCS championships, a 23-14 record and a nine straight home game sellout setting a franchise record.

But there are other people cashing in on the team’s success. The City of Arlington is setting a financial record. Its a trickle down effect. In the resurgent downtown Arlington, when the Rangers are in town, people are in the restaurants.

“We know when there’s a game in town,” David Alvarez, a server at Mellow Mushroom said. “They (the customers) don’t show up if they’re out of town.

At the Mellow Mushroom, baseball is a huge hit. Fans eat before going to games. Fans who can’t get tickets stay to spend money during the games.

“When they come in here they’ll spend the majority of the game in here,” Alvarez said. “Even in the 7th inning when everyone there is going out they stay here because they don’t want to get in the traffic.”

At Babe’s restaurant next door, the manager says the Rangers have boosted business even more than the Cowboys.

The money from sellouts at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington spills over into all sorts of areas. Hotels have doubled the number of rooms rented from last year during rangers games. Even the Arlington Visitors Center next to the ballpark has a record number of tourists looking for other places to visit in town.

And it all adds up to another record for Arlington.

“We are today — not only because of them but other reasons — are at the highest level of sales tax we’ve ever been,” Mayor Robert Cluck said. “We’re at $50 million dollars already and we still have much of the year left.”

The surge in Rangers attendance, coupled with strong retail sales, have pushed the city to its sales tax record.

In fact, Arlington says the stretch of sellouts exceeds the number of home games in any playoff series or the world series That makes this stretch of sellouts more profitable than the post season.

So, does the mayor see any downside to the rangers success?

“I do!” Mayor Cluck laughed. “I wanted to get a ticket. I don’t have tickets tonight. I couldn’t get em. That’s because of Yu Darvish!”

3 Richardson Women Celebrate More Than 102 Years Of Life Each

Ryan Crowe — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:46:23 +0000

Three women who live in the same Richardson assisted living facility were celebrated for living more than 102 years each. And they all have some wisdom for a long, healthy life.

North Texas Singer On Road To Brilliant Career

Ryan Crowe — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:39:27 +0000

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) – Singing the National Anthem is an awesome experience at any age.

Since Wednesday is CBS 11 Weather Day at Rangers Ballpark at Arlington, a North Texas student will be singing it before the game.

Destani Wilson is a senior at North Forney High School, one of the schools affected by the recent tornadoes. And as discovered during a recent choir class, Destani has a voice you may never forget.

“When you told me who you were looking for,” said North Forney High School choir director, Michael Hitt, “Destiny’s voice came to mind. It’s a dark, rich, sound.”

“I would love to be an opera singer when I grew up,” explained the bright-eyed, energetic Wilson.

“When Mr. Hitt told me I could do it, I was a bit surprised. Other students had made it all the way to all State, and I haven’t done that. It was a really big shock.”

Wilson, who also dances on the drill team and plays the viola, says she did not discover her love for singing until middle school, when her mom made her join the choir.

But others have since discovered her.

The mezzo soprano just earned a two-year, full scholarship to a nearby community college. Destiny will be the first on both sides of her family to go to college.

“When I’m singing, I feel like I can do anything,” said Wilson. “Like I don’t have a care in the world. Everything goes away in that moment.”

So has she thought about this National Anthem performance being only the beginning of bigger and better things beyond high school?

“It’s pretty much the highlight of anything that could happen to me,” answered Wilson. “So I haven’t thought past it. I’m just thankful for what’s going on right now.”

Amid Protest, Dallas Council Hears Gas Drilling Recommendations

mgoodman — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:17:33 +0000

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A protest at Dallas City Hall Wednesday interrupted a discussion on allowing gas wells inside city limits that was months in the making.

About a half dozen protesters wearing hospital masks tried to hijack the discussion. It began as a silent protest, but when a councilmember began asking about safety issues, shouting erupted.

One by hospital-masked one, Mayor Mike Rawlings had each demonstrator removed.

The Natural Gas Drilling Task Force had spent eight months looking at how neighboring communities had dealt with gas drilling. Wednesday’s meeting was for the group to present its recommendations to the council.

Among them:

Testing for volatile chemicals in water used for hydraulic fracturing, or fracking
Prohibit so-called disposal or injection wells that would store used water
Noise restrictions
A 1,000 foot minimum distance between drill sites and homes or businesses

All recommendations could have some exemptions on a case-by-case basis.

Neighborhood opponents remain unmoved.

“Gas represents a much larger threat to the city of Dallas than either lead smelters or waste incinerators,” said resident Jim Sherbeck.

“We’re not going to get any money out of this; what we are going to get is a lot of toxicity, a lot of pollution, a lot of harm to our environment,” Marc McCord told the council.

A map of possible drilling sites has upset some groups –– most are clustered in far northwest or southwest Dallas, like at the former Naval Air Station. But some possibilities were shown in the Bachman Lake area, as well as the Trinity River bottoms.

The argument is gas rigs would change the area forever.

“We’re never going to put a swimming pool there,” argued councilman Scott Griggs. “We’re never going to put soccer fields there.”

But Jerry Allen cautioned that money from wells could address a host of city needs as what he termed “a generational asset,” adding, “and that might be an important part to have this conversation about; what is the offsetting benefit?”

These are strictly recommendations and this was the initial briefing. The mayor wants at least three more before debating the issue later this summer.

Carlisle Talks New Contract, Free Agency & Dirk

jeffburkett — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:59:14 +0000

DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) – Just a day after the Dallas Mavericks negotiated a new 4-year contract with coach Rick Carlisle, he checked in with 105.3 The Fan’s RAGE to talk about staying in Dallas and the future of the Mavs.

Besides bringing up obvious questions; Lamar, being swept from the playoffs, etc. RAGE also pressed the coach on the plans for finding new talent during Free Agency and the future of Mavs star Dirk Nowitzki.

PLAY: Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle with Richie & Greggo

Listen to Richie & Greggo “RAGE” weekdays 2:00pm – 7:00pm on 105.3 The Fan. Follow us on Twitter @1053RAGE @RichieWhitt @TCUWhiteTrash @ArmenontheAir @Sybil1053

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