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Texas News: October 16-31, 1996
- 10/31 - Number of Texas Youths in Jail
Expected to Rise
- 10/31 - Education Programs Being Reviewed: The U.S. Department
of Education is reviewing federal education programs to ensure students
are well served and tax money is spent properly.
....Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Debbie Graves Ratcliffe said Wednesday
the examination is a normal, routine review that's being conducted a new
way by the federal agency.
....Rather than reviewing each program separately, the agency is looking
at them collectively to determine how well they are functioning.
....The new approach grew out of changes in federal law allowing states
and school districts to consolidate their applications and programs for
a number of federally funded initiatives.
- 10/30 - Recent Case Could Lead to Legal
Protection for Unborn Children
- 10/30 - Democrats Make Last-Minute
Push Across State
- 10/30 - Sideline Role for Handicapped
Teen-Ager Sparks School Dispute
- 10/29 - Texas Gains More than 2,000
Police Officers
- 10/29 - Butter Knife Gets Girl Suspended
from School
- 10/29 - Good Teachers Hard to Find
for Current Salaries
- 10/29 - Morales On the Road (In Pickup) Again: A confident Victor
Morales was behind the wheel of his pickup truck Monday, on the road again
for a last week of campaigning that he predicted would bring victory over
two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm.
....Morales, the schoolteacher who has logged 72,000 miles in the white
Nissan truck since beginning his quixotic quest for the Senate, voiced confidence
about the Nov. 5 vote despite Gramm's lead in both fund-raising and opinion
polls.
...."It would take a miracle for Phil to win ... I think Phil Gramm
is going to be shocked at the results. And I would be shocked if Phil Gramm
would win," the Democrat said.
...."I feel like it's near Christmas, and you want to open that package,
and you know you've been good, and you want to see what you got."
....Coal, predicted Gramm spokesman Larry Neal. "My message to Mr.
Morales is - expect a miracle," Neal said. "All we've got on our
side are the issues and the voters."
- 10/29 - Republic of Texas loses case: A state district judge
found the Republic of Texas group and its top leaders in contempt of court
Monday for trying to take over state bank accounts.
....Judge Joseph Hart ordered the group to rescind letters mailed to about
175 banks, directing them to transfer all accounts held by the state, its
agencies and political subdivisions to the organization.
....Hart gave the group one week to comply with the order before facing
$10,000-a-day fines that will double each day until the letters are recanted.
....Hart told officials from Attorney General Dan Morales' office they could
seek higher penalties or arrest of group leaders if they do not comply with
his order.
....Richard McLaren, ambassador of the so-called Republic, said Hart has
no authority to order the group to do anything. He contends that the people
of Texas will take action if the state tries to enforce the fines.
- 10/29 - First Juror Selected in Routier Trial: The first juror
has been selected in the capital murder trial of Darlie Routier, the Rowlett
homemaker accused of stabbing to death her two young sons.
....A 33-year-old man, a contractor, was chosen Monday during the first
day of individual questioning of potential jurors.
....Testimony in the trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 6.
....Mrs. Routier, 26, is charged with the June 6 stabbing deaths of her
sons Damon, 5, and Devon, 6. She claims an intruder killed them as they
slept in the living room of the family's suburban home and that the attacker
slashed her neck and shoulder before fleeing through the garage.
....But police claim there was no intruder and that Mrs. Routier wounded
herself to cover the crime.
....The capital murder trial was moved to Kerrville because of pre-trial
publicity in the Dallas area. Last week Mrs. Routier's new attorneys lost
a bid to have the case moved back to Dallas.
- 10/29 - PUC Reports Benefits of Competition: Texans could benefit
from competition in the local electricity market, but there could be as
high as a $22 billion cost someone will have to pay, according to a Public
Utility Commission staff report released Monday.
....Lawmakers are expected to debate next year whether to allow competition
in the Texas electric market. That would mean customers large and small
could buy power from the seller with the lowest price even if that company
was not their local electric company.
....One major issue is how much electric companies have invested in power
plants and how those investments would be paid for if customers were allowed
to purchase electricity from other companies.
....Many utilities argue that they have made their investment decisions
based on the fact that they had guaranteed customer bases. They say if their
customers are allowed to leave, someone will have to pay for their so-called
stranded investments.
- 10/28 - Legislators Want Teachers to Make
as Much as Coaches
- 10/27 - Presidential Race Neck and Neck
in Texas
- 10/27 - Texas Poll Shows Both Candidates
Have Strengths
- 10/26 - Midland Lee Cheerleaders Sidelined
for Hazing
- 10/26 - Dole Woos Texas Voters at Rally
- 10/26 - Area Farmers Helped by Nelson: Despite recent showers
that have eased price pressures on Texas hay, some small farmers still are
feeling the pinch this fall after the disastrous drought of the first half
of 1996.
....That's where Willie Nelson and company stepped in.
....Nelson's Farm Aid concert two weeks ago raised nearly $1 million in
its effort toward assisting American family farms. Among the programs is
Hay Lift, which runs a hotline for farmers and ranchers in dire need.
....The Hay Hotline began operation Sept. 1, right around the time heavy
rains began dousing the state's hay country. The crop that quickly emerged
since has helped depress the sky-high prices of summertime, though the relief
wasn't universal.
- 10/26 - Bush Talks about Deregulation: Gov. George W. Bush says
competition in the electric utility market could be good for Texans, but
he hasn't decided whether to make the issue a priority in the 1997 legislative
session.
....Deregulation of the electric utility industry is expected to be a hot
issue for lawmakers when they convene next year.
....The Texas Public Utility Commission, which regulates the industry, has
weighed the issue throughout this year and interest groups on both sides
are gearing up to push or fight the effort.
....Consumer groups and some business groups say electric rates in Texas
could be lowered in a competitive market. Environmental groups also say
competitors could be forced to use more environmentally friendly resources
like wind and solar power to attract customers.
- 10/26 - Good and Bad Whooping Crane News: There's both good news
and bad news about this fall's migration of the endangered whooping cranes
to the Texas coast.
....This year's fall migration could be the largest on record this century,
wildlife officials said Thursday.
....But that good news is perhaps overshadowed by growing fears that the
whoopers could face hardships when they arrive at Aransas National Wildlife
Refuge for the winter.
....A severe drought has reduced the population of blue crabs, a favorite
food for the whooping cranes. Officials also fear the whoopers could become
sick if they eat mussels infected with red tide algae that has bloomed recently
at the refuge.
- 10/26 - Divers Hunt for Texas Navy Ship: Divers were to hunt
this weekend for traces of the Invincible, a flagship of the first Texas
Navy, which ran aground off Galveston Island in 1837.
....The private National Underwater & Marine Agency, a nonprofit organization
founded by best-selling adventure author Clive Cussler, announced in August
1995 that it may have found the shoal where the Invincible and several other
ships sank.
....This week, Cussler revealed at a book-signing appearance in Denton that
volunteers from Austin-based NUMA would return Saturday to the possible
wreck site.
...."We're trying to wrap up the remains of the Texas Navy in the surf,"
Cussler said Tuesday.
...."Of the 12 ships known to have served the Republic of Texas, all
but three were either lost at sea, transferred to the U.S. Navy when Texas
became a state and ultimately scrapped, or vanished from recorded history,"
Cussler wrote in "The Sea Hunters," a new book about his expeditions
to find historic shipwrecks.
- 10/25 - Presidential Race in Texas Too Close to Call: With only
11 days before the election, the presidential race in Texas is still too
close to call, according to the Harte-Hanks Texas Poll.
....Forty-two percent of likely voters support Republican Bob Dole compared
with 39 percent for President Bill Clinton and 8 percent for Reform Party
candidate Ross Perot. Ten percent are still undecided.
.....With a plus or minus 3 percentage point margin of error, the race is
a statistical dead heat between Clinton and Dole.
....Analysts say the poll results indicate that Republicans - including
Dole - took Texas for granted and could pay the price on Election Day.
...."Things are closer than they should be in a state that is supposed
to be dominated by Republicans," said Bruce Buchanan, a University
of Texas professor who specializes in presidential politics.
.....Dole is expected to visit Texas today for the last time before the
election for rallies in Houston and Dallas. He has been in the state twice
this year, and this will be his first visit since winning the Republican
nomination.
.....The poll results mirror other Texas Polls from June and September,
which show the two candidates locked in an even race for Texans support.
.....The outcome in the Lone Star state could rest on whether religious
conservatives or Texas minorities get the most people to the polls on Nov.
5, analysts say.
- 10/25 - Gun Permits Pass 100,000: More than 100,000 Texans have
been licensed to carry concealed handguns since the state's concealed carry
law was approved last year, the Department of Public Safety reported Thursday.
....As of Wednesday, 104,526 licenses had been mailed. There were 3,801
people awaiting word on their applications and 1,015 had been denied licenses.
....The DPS on Thursday released a monthly report with information through
Oct. 2, detailing 99,266 mailed licenses and 738 denials. Information about
permits issued and denied after Oct. 2 will be included in the agency's
November report.
....According to the figures as of Oct. 2:
....- About 81 percent of the 99,266 licenses (80,274) mailed out were issued
to men.
....- White men, including Hispanics who are not counted as a separate group,
had 75,012, or 76 percent of the total.
....- Black men held 2,737, or nearly 3 percent, of the total.
....- 683 of the 738 people denied licenses were men, including 580 white
and Hispanic men and 72 black men.
....- The oldest concealed gun carrier was 93. The concealed carry law does
not allow any personal information about individual carriers to be released.
- 10/25 - Drug Use Up in Texas: A new report on substance abuse
trends in Texas shows that overall illicit drug use is up, and author Jane
Maxwell said four trends are particularly alarming.
....The use of marijuana and "club drugs" such as Rohypnol and
GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) are on the rise, said Ms. Maxwell, while two
national epidemics involving white heroin and methamphetamines seem to be
headed toward Texas.
...."What we're seeing is four trends happening at the same time that
worry me," she said.
....The trends were cited Thursday in the Texas Commission on Alcohol and
Drug Abuse's annual report on substance abuse trends.
....Marijuana use is becoming the primary problem drug for Texas youths,
the report said.
- 10/24 - Lotto Winners from Clute Take
Luck in Stride
- 10/24 - Witnesses Uncooperative in Cadet Case: Some witnesses
aren't cooperating in the case alleging two former military cadets killed
a 16-year-old girl to exact revenge for a brief sexual encounter, a prosecutor
said Wednesday.
....As a result, grand jurors have been asked to help uncover evidence in
the case, Assistant District Attorney Mike Parrish told The Associated Press.
....Meanwhile, a defense attorney said he plans to file a motion this week
seeking a bond reduction and evidentiary hearing for his client in an effort
to learn more about the state's case.
....Parrish said he has gone to the grand jury "a couple of times"
to try to gain cooperation from unhelpful witnesses, who can be subpoenaed
to appear before the panel.
...."We're using the grand jury for what it was designed for, as an
investigative tool," he said. ....Parrish wouldn't say to whom he was
referring or how many people he may have subpoenaed.
....But the attorney for former Air Force Academy cadet David Graham said
he assumes prosecutors are trying to get his client's fiancee and co-defendant,
Diane Zamora, to testify.
- 10/24 - State Farm Paying $22 Million: State Farm Insurance Co.
has agreed to pay some of its Texas policyholders about $22 million in a
dispute with Attorney General Dan Morales over automobile deductibles.
....The case represents the largest consumer settlement in Texas history,
Morales said Wednesday.
....The attorney general said the automobile insurer since 1991 has not
properly fought to recover all of the deductibles paid by its policyholders
in wrecks where other drivers were at fault.
....Under Texas law, insurance companies are required within six months
to recover their policyholders' deductibles - or inform the policyholders
that they can try to recover the money - in wrecks in which they were not
at fault.
....Not all wrecks result in policyholders paying deductibles when they
are not at fault.
- 10/24 - Record Lows in Texas: A chilly morning gave way to a
sparkling autumn afternoon in Texas Wednesday, with plenty of sunshine and
cool temperatures prevailing across the state.
....The clear skies triggered some record lows Wednesday morning. It was
28 in El Paso, breaking the record of 30 set in 1882. Records also fell
in Midland, Corpus Christi and San Antonio.
- 10/23 - Fort Worth Girl Released From Hospital: The 10-year-old
Fort Worth girl whose medical condition triggered an international custody
battle was released from a North Carolina hospital Tuesday, eight days after
successful colon-removal surgery.
....Rachel Stout, who was stricken with severe ulcerative colitis, underwent
the surgery Oct. 14 at Duke University Medical Center.
....Rachel's case made headlines as her parents battled Texas child-welfare
authorities over her treatment. Although several doctors recommended the
surgery to save the child's life, her parents held out for alternative treatment.
....After seeking treatment in Toronto and several medical opinions in Texas
and North Carolina, Steve and Patricia Stout ultimately allowed the surgery.
- 10/23 - Texas Refuses Utah's Disposal Application: Texas environmental
officials have refused to consider a Utah company's application for a license
to dispose of government-generated low-level radioactive waste.
....Texas' Natural Resource Conservation Commission returned the application
to Envirocare of Texas Inc., saying the law only allows the agency to issue
licenses to public entities specifically authorized to dispose of such waste.
...."We interpret this statute to preclude the TNRCC from undertaking
licensing or oversight of any private facility disposing of radioactive
waste from private or public sources," TNRCC executive director Dan
Pearson said in a letter dated Oct. 18.
- 10/22 - Drunk Driver Sentenced in Fetus
Death
- 10/22 - Jury Selection Begins for Rowlett Homemaker: A Rowlett
homemaker accused of stabbing to death her two young sons got a new high-powered
defense lawyer Monday who wants to move the capital murder trial back to
Dallas.
....The latest legal twist in the case of 26-year-old Darlie Routier came
as jury selection got under way in Kerr County.
...."We'll find out tomorrow whether or not we're going back to Dallas,"
defense attorney Doug Mulder told reporters outside the courtroom. He declined
to discuss his reasons for wanting the trial relocated, noting the gag order
imposed by state District Judge Mark Tolle.
....A defense motion states among other things that a fair trial can be
had in Dallas County and that most witnesses in the case live there.
....Defense attorneys said they expect Tolle to hold a hearing Tuesday on
the request to move the trial again. It came to this Hill Country community
after Mrs. Routier's previous lawyers sought to have it moved from Dallas
because of pre-trial publicity.
...Mrs. Routier is accused in the June 6 stabbing deaths of her sons Damon,
5, and Devon, 6. She claims an intruder killed them as they slept in the
living room of the family's suburban home and that the attacker slashed
her neck and shoulder before fleeing through the garage.
- 10/21 - Fetus Jury Resumes Deliberations: Jurors are slated to
resume deliberations today on the punishment for a drunken driver who crashed
into a pregnant woman's car, causing the premature birth and death of her
child.
....The case, one of the first in Texas to test whether a person can be
held criminally liable for harming a fetus, faces the possibility of a mistrial
after jurors went home for the weekend deadlocked on a sentence.
....The same seven-woman, five-man jury took just one hour to convict Frank
Flores Cuellar of intoxication manslaughter. But after deliberating 4-1/2
hours Friday on punishment, the panel said it could not reach a decision
and was sent home.
....Cuellar, 50, faces anywhere from probation to 20 years in prison for
the death of Krystal Zuniga, who was delivered shortly after the June 15
accident.
....According to testimony, Cuellar was intoxicated at more than twice the
legal limit when he collided with a car driven by Jeannie Coronado as she
returned from a late-night trip to the grocery store.
....Coronado, 7-1/2 months pregnant, gave birth to Krystal by emergency
Caesarean section. Weighing just 4 pounds and having suffered extensive
brain damage, the infant died 44 hours later.
- 10/21 - State Fair Attendance Dips: The State Fair of Texas registered
a slight attendance dip during its three-week run this year but still managed
to draw nearly 3.6 million people, the second-highest total ever.
....The fair, which closed Sunday, had 3,558,749 visitors, off about 3 percent
from the record count of 3,656,610 last year. Together, 1995 and 1996 marked
the best two-year attendance total in the fair's 110-year history, officials
said.
....This year's dip came despite sunny days and mild evenings throughout
much of its three-week run.
....Turnstile counts were down considerably during the first nine days of
this year's event, compared with 1995. However, crowds during most of the
final two weeks outpaced last year's record pace.
....A group of State Fair ride operators and concessionaires paid a record
price of $43,000 for this year's grand champion steer. In all, buyers paid
$407,000 for animals displayed by young exhibitors.
- 10/20 - Fetus Case: What a Travesty of
Life
- 10/20 - Judicial Candidates Running in
Shadows of 'Big' Races
- 10/19 - Jurors in Fetus Case Deadlocked: Jurors deliberated for
4-1/2 hours Friday before declaring a deadlock on the punishment of a drunken
driver convicted of killing a baby girl who was born prematurely after he
crashed into her mother's car.
....State District Judge Robert Blackman ordered a recess for the weekend
late Friday and told the 12 jurors to return Monday to resume deliberations
on the punishment of Frank Flores Cuellar.
....Cuellar, 50, faces anywhere from probation to 20 years in prison for
the death of Krystal Zuniga, who was delivered shortly after the accident
but died 44 hours later.
....There was no announcement Friday of how the jury is split. Attorneys
have declined comment, citing a gag order imposed by Blackmon.
....The case is one of the first in Texas to test whether a person can be
held criminally liable for harming an unborn child. Cuellar's attorney has
said she will appeal.
....The jury on Thursday convicted Cuellar of intoxication manslaughter.
....Defense attorney Anne Marshall has asked for probation, arguing Cuellar
is an alcoholic who would be helped more by rehabilitation than imprisonment.
- 10/19 - Speeding Tickets Down in Texas: Speeding tickets dropped
by more than 5,000 this year after state troopers were pulled off Texas
roads to help process applications for concealed handguns.
....But speeders shouldn't expect to keep dodging that bullet, Department
of Public Safety officials said. The backlog of handgun applications is
coming to a close, and patrolmen are back on the highways.
...."We had to pull troopers off the roadways to do background investigations
on the (concealed handgun) applicants," said DPS spokesman Mike Cox,
who added that troopers also cut some slack to drivers because of new speed
limits. "We just didn't have as many people on roadways to issue tickets."
....The number of tickets issued in the first six months of 1996 was 25
percent less than the tally issued in the same time period last year.
....From January to June this year, 207,686 speeding tickets were issued
in Texas. Last year, 276,374 speeding tickets were issued, according to
preliminary DPS statistics.
...The concealed handgun law, which went into effect in January, required
attention from DPS troopers statewide who were responsible for doing background
checks on applicants from their areas. The DPS is the state agency responsible
for issuing permits.
- 10/19 - Strong Standards for Nursing Homes OK'd: Strong new standards
of conduct for nursing home administrators and fines for those who violate
the rules were approved Friday on an emergency basis by state regulators.
...."I think it'll help administrators know what to concentrate and
focus on," said Michael Sims of Waco, chairman of the Texas Board of
Nursing Facility Administrators.
...."Personally, for me, these are in the back of my mind. I look at
things in a different way," said Sims, a nursing home administrator.
"The main issue to me with all of this is everybody's saying we need
to hold somebody accountable and responsible for what happens."
....The board unanimously approved the standards and penalties at a meeting
in Dallas, he said. They become effective Tuesday, when the Texas Register
is published, said Bobby Lane, interim executive secretary to the board.
....A public hearing to get additional comment is scheduled for Nov. 13
at the Texas Department of Health in Austin.
////The board is taking action after an Austin American-Statesman report
that the agency hasn't disciplined anyone in three years, despite hundreds
of complaints.
- 10/18 - Traffic Deaths Blamed on Speeding and Lack of Defensive Driving:
A 21 percent increase in Texas traffic deaths this year has been linked
by public safety officials to a combination of higher speed limits and fewer
drivers in defensive driving courses.
...Some officials point to higher speed limits in the state, raised to 70
mph on some Texas roads last December, as a factor contributing to the increase
in deaths.
...But defensive driving advocates say their classes - meant to teach Texans
to be safer drivers have seen a dramatic enrollment decrease in recent years.
And fewer drivers taking the class means fewer Texans learn to be safer
motorists, said Kathy Kenerson, director of driver training for the Texas
Education Agency.
..."When we see fewer people taking the course, we feel that it does
have a direct impact on the fatality rate," Kenerson said. "With
the death rate up, and the fact that we feel education plays a big part
in bringing it down, this is the very key to reducing the fatality rate."
- 10/17 - Drug Kingpin Nabbed in Houston: Mexican drug kingpin
Juan Garcia Abrego was convicted Wednesday of masterminding the shipping
of tons of cocaine into the United States and then illegally laundering
the profits.
...Garcia Abrego looked stern and one of his hands appeared to twitch as
he was found guilty of 22 counts of trafficking nearly 15 tons of cocaine
and illegally laundering some $10.5 million.
...Jurors took 12 hours to convict the 52-year-old leader of the Gulf drug
cartel.
U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. set a Jan. 31 sentencing date. Garcia
Abrego faces a life prison term.
...After the verdict, Werlein held a brief forfeiture hearing. Jurors deliberated
for about two hours before deciding that $350 million in assets should be
seized from the man nicknamed "La Muneca," or "The Doll,"
for his baby face.
...Prosecutors had said the seizure could reach $1 billion, based on testimony
about the amount of cocaine that Garcia Abrego was accused of bringing into
the United States.
But defense attorney Mike Ramsey said such "speculative amounts"
were an "impossible burden" on the jury. He told jurors to decide
that no assets be seized.
...Garcia Abrego's sister, Blanca Esthela Garcia Abrego, was shaken and
tearful about the verdict.
..."We're very upset," she said. "We're very hurt."
- 10/16 - Poorer Texans Being Targeted: Consumer advocates and
state telephone regulators say poorer Texans are being targeted by a new
breed of phone companies.
....A handful of credit loan and finance companies have been licensed to
sell phone services - a result of the state's effort to foster competition
and lower prices in the local telephone market.
....However, state utility regulators say they aren't comfortable with the
situation, but say they have little choice under the law.
....And Suzi McClennan, a state-paid consumer advocate, says Texans approached
by these companies should beware.
....Lawmakers last year approved changes to state laws regulating phone
service. They said competition should be encouraged throughout Texas.
- 10/16 - Troops, Families Continue Preparation: Political maneuvering
that apparently delayed their departure had little effect on thousands of
1st Cavalry Division troops Sunday as they prepared to deploy to the Middle
East.
....Kuwait on Sunday temporarily withheld permission for additional troops
to take part in ongoing military exercises sparked by renewed threats from
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein toward Kuwait.
....Military officials said they expected permission to deploy would come
from Kuwaiti leaders, but the delay did not keep at least 3,000 troops from
finishing up final arrangements. ...."They are all eager to do what
they have come to the 1st Cavalry to do," said Col. Eric Olson, who
commands the division's 3rd Battalion.
....The battalion was alerted to prepare for deployment on Friday.
- 10/16 - Potent Date-Rape Drug Called 'The Mickey Finn of the 90s':
An illegal "date rape" drug is being dispensed clandestinely at
Gulf Coast nightclubs as a clear liquid in designer water bottles.
....As many as 30 people have overdosed on Gamma y-hydroxybutyrate - better
known as GHB - and been treated in hospital emergency rooms in the past
six months, according to Houston Poison Control reports.
....The depressant is blamed in last month's death of La Porte High School
student Hillory Farias. Investigators say the drug apparently was slipped
into her soft drink.
....Miss Farias, 17, complained of a severe headache when she came home
after midnight Aug. 4 from a night out with girlfriends. Her grandmother
found her unconscious after daybreak.
....Most victims in the overdose cases were rushed to a hospital because
they couldn't breathe or they passed out in their cars and nobody could
arouse them, said Mike Ellis, director of Poison Control.
- 10/16 - Racial Disparities in Lending Surpass 1995 State Average:
The number of home mortgage loans obtained by black and Hispanic applicants
almost quadrupled from 1992 to 1995 in a five-county Central Texas area,
according to a study by the Austin American-Statesman.
....However, the computer analysis reported in the newspaper's Sunday editions
showed that lenders still were biased toward Anglos.
....A report showed that in 1995, lenders statewide turned down about one
of every four whites who applied for a mortgage loan but rejected one in
three blacks and Hispanics.
....Results showed greater disparities in home loan denial rates for the
Austin area, including Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties:
18 percent for whites but 33 percent for blacks and 37 percent for Hispanics.
...."Clearly, there are still some disparities" in loan denial
rates for Public Affairs at the ....University of Texas, told the newspaper.
- 10/16 - City Officials Mulling Over $3 Million Debt Owed By Prostitutes:
Prostitutes collectively owe the city of Fort Worth more than $3 million,
and city officials are not having much luck with the proposition of collecting
the unpaid debt.
....City officials gave little explanation for the lack of enforcement of
such debts, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Sunday. However, they
acknowledged there is backlog of 60,000 citations that were issued, not
paid and not processed for warrants and another 4,000 cases pending that
haven't been set for court.
....There are also some instances where indigent defendants might be unable
to pay fines or serve jail time.
....Reformed streetwalker Carla Berliner's misdemeanor fines, mostly for
prostitution, total over $27,000. The 26-year-old woman, who was released
from a yearlong stint in jail earlier this month, said she has no plans
to make good on her debt.
....While acknowledging she deserved many of her citations, Berliner said
she was often ticketed while simply standing outside.
All content copyright 1996, Knight-Ridder/Tribune Media Services,
Associated Press, The Abilene Reporter-News and Reporter OnLine
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