HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-08-24 Euless ArticlesDISTRIBUTED TO:
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STAR-TELEGRAM
Euless
4. Land sale
Royal Parkway south of
Texas 10
Daniel and Laura Hewitt have
bought 4.33 acres for construc-
tion of an office and ware-
house.
Broker: J. Searcy of Coldwell
Banker Commercial Kelly, Ge-
ren & Searcy represented the
seller, Green Fields Real Prop-
erties.
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CITIES council members indicated
their sumort last week for
districts
help fund
police
Some Rrlington council members
support funding the district, as
ofiicials do in other cities.
By CYNTHIA NEFF cneff@star-telegrarn.corn
Crime tax districts are helping to provide
officers and equipment that police d'e-
partments could not otherwise afford, of-
ficials in several cities said.
As police try to keep a handle on crime
and meet the needs of
increasing populations,
many cities have sought
voter approval to in-
crease their sales taxes
up to a half-cent to raise
money for the districts. !
Some 22 cities in Tarrant County, in-
cluding Colleyvllle, Hurst, Keller and
North Richland Hills, already benefit from
the districts. Some have been around
since 1995. All requlred voter approval.
"Since the crime control district began,
we've been able to reduce priority 1 re-
sponse times by four minutes with added
personnel on streets and improved tech-
nology," said Mary Edwards, a spokes-
woman for North Richland Hills. Riority 1
calls require an immediate police re-
sponse. Response times to those calls fell
from nine minutes in 1996 to about five
minutes in 2006, she said.
Arlington may be next. Some Arlington
raising se sales tax rate to
8.125 cents from 8 cents per
dollar. The money - about
$5.8 million annually - could
be used to pay for as many as
50 police officers, equipment
and crime prevention pro-
grams. The council plans to
discuss the measure again at
Tuesday's meeting.
Some residents, including
in Arlington, want the money
used for equipment and pro-
grams rather than people. But
cities with a crime tax say they
set aside money in case voters
don't renew the tax. The tax
comes up for renewal after five
years once it's first put into
place. Then cities can try to re-
new it for five, 10, 15 or 20
years.
"We've put money into a re-
serve to make sure that all per-
sonnel hired through the tax
could be continued for two
years ifthe tax failed to give the
city time to phase in those po-
sitions as part of the general
fund or reduce those staff,"
said Becky Britton, president
of the Fort Worth Crime Con-
trol and Prevention District's
board of directors. "That
means that no one would be
outof a job the next day."
'A real good program'
In several cities, most of the
funds go toward salaries for
police officers and other staff
including clerks, jailers, and
school resource officers.
The crime tax pays for 238
positions.in Fort Worth. But it
doesn't fund the "front-line"
officers, said Lt. Dean Sullivan,
Fort Worth police spokesman.
"It's school security officers,
neighborhood officers," he
said. "Additional layers that
help us maintain and create a
safe environment."
The department has 1,391
sworn officers and 376 full-
time civilian employees.
8 /I3 7~ NEIU,, FFVST
Hurst's tax funds 30 em- much as we can to put as mar
ployees, including 12 police officers as we can on tk
officers, said Assistant Police streets," Cluck said, addir
Chief Steve Moore. The tax, that he would like to hire ;
started in 1996, brought in many as 60 officers, plus fun
about $5 million in fiscal 2007. community programs. TI
If the fundingwere cut, the city money would help decrea!
could rely on its transitional the city's staffing shortag
fund - but not for long. which began about 12 to I
If the sales taxis not passed months ago with the loss
in late 2009, the council codd .I13 people through attritic
try to raise property taxes or since the 2005 fiscal year, I
look into cutting programs or said.
officers, said city spokeswom- Cluck said he would su]
an Ashleigh Whiteman. 1 port banking some of tl
Keller is in the minority-it money in case the taxwere nl
doesn't use the money from renewed.
the three-eighths-cent tax to Councilman Steve McCa
pay for personnel, instead fa- 1~ has long supported
voring capital improvement sales-tax increase for a crin
projects and new technology. district. When then-counc]
"That's a choice the crime man Wayne Ogle asked tl
control board could make," council to consider the me,
said Police Chief Mark Hafner. sure in 2003, McCollum w;
In Arlington the tax could supportive. But the rest of tl
go to the voters Nov. 6. council didn't want to use L
"I think people would glad- what was left under the sale
ly vote for that," Mayor Robert tax cap.
Cluck Said during Tuesday's "These things take time 1
budget presentation to the gel," he said. "Maybe we we
COU~C~~. "We clearly cannot procrastinating, but now i
add enough police protection been kind of slapping me
through the general fund the face."
without dropping everything Councilwoman Lana wo
else." said she supports letting vo
A police staffing formula ers decide. "I want a real goc
shows that the department program that makes a diffe
should have 294 patrol offi- ence" she said.
cers. There are now 240, s$d
Christy Gilfour, police spokes-'
woman. The department is
budgeted for 583 officers but
has 553, police said.
Talk of an Arlington crime
tax is not new. A former Arling-
ton group, Back the Badge,
pushed for the tax for several
years, and the council last dis-
cussed it in 2003.
Most council members, in-
cluding the mayor, support
creating a crime control dis-
trict.
"I'm anxious to use as
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The crime tax
When initiated, a crime tax is put in place for five years; Voters
can then renew the tax and crime control district for five, 10,15
or 20 years, according to a spokesman for the state comptrol- ' ,
ler's office. Funds can't be used for capital improvement pro- Crime-districts
jects with'a five-year renewal. In total, the crime tax raised
$63.5 million for the cities in 2006. That doesn't include Grape-
vine, which created a crime control district this year.
Other cities with a crime tax
FOR Worth: The more than $40 million raised annually by the
half-cent tax will pay for 238 positions, replacements for high-
mileage vehicles, a gang unit, a school security initiative and an
after school program, among other things, according to the
crime control district, which began in 1995.
Colleyville: A half-cent tax approved by voters 1999 will bring
in $1.029 million in fiscal 2008, said Colleyville spokeswoman
Mona Gandy. The money has gone to service debt on the Col-
leyville Justice Center and pay for equipment; vehicles and one
investigator. Next year the money wiH fund two more,entry-
level patrol officers, she said. A few years ago the tax was re-
newed for 20 years.
Hurse: A half-cent t,ax funds 30 employees, including 12 police '
officers, four dispatchers and four jailers. The money also pays
for equipment, utilities and training, said Steve ~oore, assistant
policechief. The tax, which brought in $5 million this fiscal year,
is up for renewal in late 2009. '
Keller: 70 percent of voters'favored renewing the crime ti in :
May 2006 for 15 years. It was first approved in 2002. The mon-
ey, about $1.3 million, will be used for equipment, new police
cars, new technology and the renovation and expansion of the
jail, said Police Chief Mark Hafner. In previous years the tax was
used to fund a $5 million expansion of the police facility, he said. - Source: Sratecomp~ollehoffice
North Richland Hills: A half-cent tax has raised $3.9 million . ~
this fiscal year, 76 percent of which has gone toward personnel.
It's allowed the city to add 29 police officers and 15 support
personnel since 1996 and purchase computer equipment, vehi-
cles and a computer-aided dispatch system, said May, Edwards,
city spokeswoman; Voters renewed their crime tax in May 2001
for 10 years.
Staff writer Sally Claunch contributed to
this report.
CYNTHIA NEFF, 817-548-5421
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EULESS
Man taken
to hospital
after fire at
residence
Star-Telegram
EULESS - Fire destroyed a
Euless mobile home and sent
one man to a hospital early
Monday morning, an official
said.
The man got home about
2:50 a.m., found the home on
fire and awoke his parents,
possibly saving their lives, Bat-
talion Chief Gary Thompson
said.
By the time firefighters ar-
rived at the home at 82 Kevin
.Drive, it was completely in-
volved, but the residents were
outside, Thompson said. The
man, who was not identified,
was burned and cut when he
went back inside to save some
pets, Thompson said.
The man was taken to Park-
land Memorial Hospital in
Dallas but his injuries were
not considered life-threaten-
ing. The cause is under inves-
tigation. ' - Mark Agee
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DATE DISTRIBUTED 8123.107 DATEOFARTICLE f//51d7 NEWSPAPER FIVST
AREA BRIEFS
Country singer to perform at library
EULESS - Country singer-songwriter Verkn 'Fhompson will
perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the Euless Public Library, 201 N.
Ector Drive. He's written the songs You Say Y&u Will, sung by
Trisha Yearwood, and Boats to Build, sung by jimmy Buffett
and Alan Jackson. the event is free. For reservations, call
81 7-685-1679. - Stafiveports
Online: ww.ve~lonthomp~on.corn
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BASEBALL . In the lawsuit, filed in
Tarrant County civil court
Tuesday, Haddock is ask- League : ing the court to block any - effort by the teams to form
-. a new league using the sues 7 : same concepts as, c,
Haddock places the value
''* of the TCL at more than $3
Haddock and his law- teams - yer, JeErey Wolfe, declined
t6 comment on the law- . ' suit, but court documents
Most of the teams in ttie state that the league "will
Texas Collegiate Leaguq have no choice but to
decide to take their bat; cease operations" unless
and balls and go home:'. other teams are found to
. , t+e,the place of the seven
By MAX B. BAKER ' teams. maxbakermstar-telegram.com 'I' The teams iamed in
FORT WORTH - The Tex: the lawsuit are: Denton
as Collegiate League may Outlaws, Duncanville
have played its last gal: Deputies, Coppell cop-
Seven of the nine teams perheads, Colleyville
in the baseball summeS LoneStars, Wichita Fds
league have told 1eae;lie ~~z~&~k~, Mineral
Chairman and Chief Exec: Wells Steam and Weather-
utive Gerald Haddock t@ ford Wranglers. ~ot in-
they do not intend to re- cluded were the Brazos
turn next year. Haddo+ valley Bombers and Mc-
has responded by suing Kinney ~arshals.
the teams. The lawsuit states that
"We are all under agree- the TCL was poised to add
merit that we are not going teams and possibly enter a.
to play under this business televised playoff series
model," said Jeff Najork, with other college leagues.
general manager of the But several teams appar-
lhncanfle Deputies. ently were striking out fi-
"There is no way any of us . nancially.
will come back. It sounds Stacey Hollinger, thb
like to me that we can't lose Lonestars owner and pres-
any more money." ident, would not say how
Haddock, a Fort Worth much money his team has
investor and former mi- lost. He said the league's
nority owner and general fees and other charges
counsel for the Texas made it tough to survive.
Rangers, said in his lawsuit
that the teams' action is a - 8. BAK~~,817-390.7714
"textbook example of an il-
Iegal group boycott" and a
violation of Texas antitrust
laws.
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DATE DISTRIBUTED 13 /c2 - 1 DATE OF ARTICLE ?/ / {Q /(� / NEWSPAPER FWST
Esther Ruth Russell
r
I 1 '$
a ` "
•
I FORT WORTH -,Esther Ruth
Russell, 76, passed away Wednes-
day,Aug.15,2007,in Fort Worth.
I . GRAVESIDE SERVICE: 10 a.m.
Monday in -Laurel Land Memorial
Park of Fort.Worth.Visitation:6 to 8
p.m. Sunday at Laurel Land Funeral
I
Home.
MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers,
donations may be made to a charity
of choice.
Ruth was the youngest child born
Ito Frank Wesley and Lillie May Bro-
die.She was born in Jermyn on Oct.
27,1930.By the time she was 8,she
was an orphan and was sent to the
I
Masonic Home in Fort Worth. Ruth
was a member of Trinity Cumberland
Presbyterian Church,where she was
an elder and a longtime Sunday
school teather. She was a retired Mother of Parks Secretary
I teacher with the Fort Worth ISD and
a graduate of TCU.Ruth was a mem-
ber Lux.
of the Order of Eastern Star
Wedgwood#756 for over 34 years.
I
Ruth was preceded in death by
her parents; her.husband, E.H. Rus-
sell; a sister, Mildred Hogan; and a
granddaughter,Maegen Ruth Elving-
ton.
I
SURVIVORS: Son, Terry Russell
and wife,Gina;daughters,:Linda.Lux,
Sharon.Peak and husband, George,
and Trina Elvington Lisenbey and
I
Roger Lisenbey; sister, Opal Rolls;
brother,Archie Brodie,both of Bowie;
11 grandchildren; and five great-
grandchildren.
Laurel Land Funeral Home-Fort Worth
I
7100 Crowley Road,817-293-1350
View and sign guestbook at
www.star-telegram.com/obituaries
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WHAT'S NEW •
I
Euless office complex
I
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Construction is almost complete on the 8,000 square-foot office build-
ing at Silver Creek Drive on Westpark Way.Professional Home Health
and Hospice Co.has leased half the building,said William Brewer of NAI.
Huff Partners,who is handling leasing for the remaining space.
I
STAR-TELEGRAM/R.JEENA JACOB
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
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SCHOOL SECURITY
Enemy is fake, but lessons are real
The training teaches first-responding officers the tactics
to stop a shooter on campus.
By DEANNA BOYD
dboydpstar-telegram.com
FORT WORTH - A moaning
man sits in the hallway to
their left. A classroom is to
their right.
As two officers search the
classroom for a gunman and
another keeps watch on the
back hallway, Euless patrol of-
ficer Rocky Firnbres keeps his
gun trained on the moaning
man, unsure whether he is a
victim or the shooter.
"Keep your hands up,
brother. Relax," Fimbres or-
ders thman.
There aren't any students
in the school; it's a teacher
work day.
Suddenly, a different man's.
voice bellows from a different
classroom at the far end of the
hallway.
"Mary, you b----! Where are
YOU?" shouts a man - gun in
hand - as he emerges from
the classroom, making his way
across the hallway toward an-
other classroom.
\ The four officers run down
the hall in a diamond forma-
tion, yelling at the man to stop
and drop his weapon, but he
never even turns around.
Before the officers can
reach the classroom and shoot
we gunman, he shoots thee
more victims.
Fortunately, the victims
and gunman are really fellow
officers, and the "bullets" are
capsules filled with blue or
pink liquid soap. .
- Buf the lessons learned
from this and other scenarios
last week at Central High
School in far north Fort Worth
aim to prepare first respond-
ers for the real thing and their
ultimate mission - get inside
and stop the shooter.
i It is far cry from less than a
decade ago, when the respon-
sibility of the first officers
on the scene was to t~y to es-
tablish contact with the shoot-
er until SWAT teams arrived.
"The driving event was Col-
umbine," explained Fort
Worth officer Chris Moody, re-
ferring to the 1999 shooting in
which 45 minutes passed be-
fore SWAT officers entered the
high school.
"Then it was still get to the
scene, set a perimeter, start
hying to establish cornrnuni-
cations and negotiate," Moody
said. "Now, when we arrive on
he scene, if there's still a sus-
pect actively shooting, we en-
ter the school, office or what-
ever it may be, and stop the
shooting."
Advanced Law Enforce-
ment Rapid Response Train-
ing, a partnership project of
Texas State University, San
Marcos and Hays County, is
funded through state and fed-
eral grants and is open to state
and federal officers and active
military personnel.
This past weeks training in-
cluded Fort Worth marshals,
Denton County sheriff's
deputies and police officers
from Aubrey, Euless and Fort
Worth.
Moody, a program instruc-
tor, said officers study the pen-
dulum of changing tactics -
from the pre-SWAT days of the
University of Texas tower
shootings to the more recent
tragedy at Virginia Tech. '
They are tau@ forma-
tions, how to enter, clear and
exit a room safely, and how to
address a shooter. They are
then expected to use that
knowledge in drills that mimic
red-life shootings, Moody
said.
One of the drills pvolves an
extremist group that is armed
with guns and pipe bombs
and has taken over a school,
armed with guns and pipe
bombs.
As the team of four officers
make their way down the hall,
none notice the trip-wire at-
tached to an overturned chair
until they trigger the flash-
bang device.
It's a scary reminder to the
officers that forgetting to scan
the room from ceiling to floor
could cost them their lives.
After each drill, the teams
of four talk with the instructor
about 'their successes and
their mistakes.
Euless patrol officer Ray Hi-
nojosa kicked himself for his
team's ill-fated decision not to
shoot the gunrnan in the back
as he ignored their shouts and
continued walking toward his
next classroom of victims.
"Ifyou shoot the wrong guy,
you're done. You're it. You're
the bad guy now," Hinojosa
said. "It's not like the movies.
You don't get 15 retakes. You
get it one time. That's it. Milli-
seconds to make that deci-
sion."
Instructor Matt Wasko,
with the Hays County Sheriff's
Department, sympathized
with the officers but reminded
them that they had every justi-
fication in their particular drill
to shoot.
"It's all about coat-
ment," Wasko said. "Your child
is in this room. Your wife is in
this room. Whoever you cher-
ish the most in this world is in
this room, and you are going
to make it stop."
DEANNA BOYD, 817-390-7655 ,
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Euless
6.0fFice lease '
345 Westpark Way
Professional Home Health and
, Hospice Co. has leased half of
the 8,000-square-foot office
building at Silver Creek Drive.
Broker: William Brewer at NAI
Huff Partners is handling leas-
ing for the remaining space.
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/ EULESS
I I an fatally wounded after domestic fight
By MARK AGEE
rrnagee@star-telegram.com
EULESS - A 30-year-old Eu-
less man who was armed with
a knife was shot to death early
Monday morning by a neigh-
bor who intervened in a do-
mestic dispute, police said.
Police found Brandon
Couey wounded twice in the
chest after they received a 9 11
call at 4:20 a.m. from the Oak
Park Apartments in the 100
block of Ash Lane, authorities
said.
Couey was taken to Harris
Methodist HEB hospital,
where he was pronounced
dead, acco$ding to the Tarrant
County medical examiner's of-
fice.
Euless police spokesman
Lt. Wayne Pavlik said the incib
dent began with a disturbance
between Couey and a woman
outside the apartment.
Another man who lived in
the apartment complex came
outside and asked the woman
if she was OK, Pavlik said.
"It appears they all knew tion is pointing right now.) :;
each other," Pavlik said. The man fled after 'the
The neighbor, whose name shooting but later went todie
was not released, told police Euless police station, Pavlik
that he then went backinto his said. - d
apartment. No one has been arressd,
The argument continued Pavlik said :i-
and when the man went out- ~oue~waschar~edwitfrcds-
side to check on the worn? sault in connection wi$ 'a
again, Couey came after him, 1999 domestic dispute in%-
the man told police. lington, according to Tarrant
Couey "had a knife and County court records. "' ;
went into the other guy's , I
apartment," Pavlik said. .I '
"That's where our investiga- MARK AGEE. si7-m~-3s2r ',' '
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CITY GOVERNMENT
Euless proposes a-cent
drop in .property tax rate
For most homeowners, the
decrease would offset
rising property values.
By JESSICA D~LE~N
1
jdeleonmstar-teIegrarn.com
EULESS - Residents would
see almost a 2-cent drop in
their property tax rate while
the city increases spending
under the proposed 2007-08
fiscal year budget. Greater rev-
enue from sales taxes and in-
creased property values are
expected to make up the dif-
ference.
"The city is in very good
condition," Finance Director
Vicki Rodriquez said. "This is
one of our best years ever." '
The tax bill for the average
homeowner in Euless would
drop slightly despite a, 3 per-
cent increase in home proper-
ty values. The proposed $94.4
million budget, up- almost 18
percent from this year, is ex-
pected take effect Oct. 1.
The early budget optimism
contrasts to last year's budget
tensions, when three city
councilmen sought to lever-
age a lower tax rate by initially
voting against employee ben-
efits. Carl Tyson, the only one
of the three up for re-election
in May, was defeated after city
workers voiced outrage over
the move.
ljighlights for the proposed , budget:
Proposed tax rate: The tax
ratewould drop from 48.95 to / 47 cents per $100 of assessed
/ property value.
Good business: The city
took into account sales tax
revenue from new businesses in
The Shops at Vineyard Village at
Texas 121 and Glade Road,
including Lowe's, LA Fitness and
stores slated to open in January.
Tha 7nnQ-no firr=l \ao*r h, ,A_
he budget is based on a proposed tax rate of 47 cents per$100 of assessed prope
alue. That isa decrease from the current tax rate of 48.9 cents.The tax bill of the
Euless budget
Aug. 28 The seven-member City Council will conduct a public
hearing and first reading on the budget beginning at 7 p.m., $,
Euless City Hall, 201 N. Ector Drive. 7s
Sept 11 Second reading of budget, if needed. .The city charter f
requires that the budget be approved on two readings unless it ,J'
passes by at least five votes on the first reading.
Oa. 1 Budget takes effect
i 1
get is expected to be.bolstered
by even more sales tax revenue
when the Glade Parks shopping
center opens across Texas 121
from Vineyard Village, Rodri-
quez said.
Rebates: The city would give
sales tax rebates to the Shops at
Vineyard Village, Beall Concrete
and Acme Brick. The city also
shares revenue with DallaslFort
Worth Airport. Total cost:
$785,725.
Employee pay raise: Ern-
ployees are'expected to receive
5 percent pay increases, in
rnn+rx+ tn +ha 2 narrsnt nr A
P
percent increases they received :
in previous years. ,
"It gives an oppor?unity to
stay level with some of the
other cities," Rodriquez said,
New hires: The city wouDd
add three police officers and
thiee firefighters. It also would .;
turn two part-time library posi-
tions into a full-time position
and add a part-time utility billing
8 C clerk. rl "We were able to add some
needed staff," Rodriquez said.
4
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM HENNIG MCKAMIE RIDGWAY(2) BOYETT BROWN
IYOUNG McDONALD COLLINS/ C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR
DATE DISTRIBUTED / CRilL 1 6 7 DATE OF ARTICLE OR 1 U 7 NEWSPAPER FWST
Help in catching thief rewarded
t EULESS—The 15-year-old Trinity High School football
player who recently tackled a purse snatcher at an area
grocery store scored a lot of brownie points—and some
cash.
' Jonathan Valdez chased the purse-clutching thief out of
a Sack'n Save on Aug. 10,wrestled with
him until the thief lost his grip on the
purse and ultimately stalled the thief until
4 police caught up with him.The purse
owner had recently lost her job and would
have been left penniless,she later told
Valdez.
Valdez Jaime Garcia,owner of Pete's Chicken-
N-More in Euless,held a fundraiser to
reward the valiant teen last weekend.Customers donated
$85,and Garcia threw in$100 from the franchise to help
out with school supplies and clothing.
"We always tell our daughter that there's more good
people in the world than bad people,"Garcia said."This is a
' perfect example of that."
—Melissa Vargas
p
11
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM HENNIG MCKAMIE RIBOYETT BROWN
YOUNG McDONALD COLLINS C.BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR IDGWAY(2)
DATE DISTRIBUTED fi? 1 `;'?4/ DATE OF ARTICLE SP I C?LI I 0 iNEWSPAPER FWST
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Norann Lustfield,Frances Allen,Laura Satterfield,Sandy Mosser
and Kacey Bess
Library foundation members convene
Members of the Euless Library Foundation held a meeting this month
at the public library. SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM(MIKE LEWIS ..
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