February 4th, 2010
There will be more security in place at Duncanville High School after the second gun incident in a week’s time at the campus. Roberto Araiza Jr, 18, brought an unloaded gun to the campus Tuesday, just days after a 16-year-old student snuck a loaded gun into the school. Authorities do not believe the incidents are related. The 16-year-old’s case is being investigated by juvenile authorities. Araiza has been charged with possession of a weapon in a prohibited place.
Both students are suspended for the rest of the school year. Security measures are being put in place including random searches and Dallas County law enforcement officials. The school will also install metal detectors and use portable detectors.
Tags: Duncanville, Duncanville Crime News, Duncanville High School
Posted in Duncanville | No Comments »
February 1st, 2010
An anonymous Crime Stoppers tip allowed police to track down a Duncanville High School student that brought a loaded gun to school Friday in a backpack.
In a letter to parents posted on the school website, Principal Mike Chrietzberg had this to say:
“The student was taken into custody and removed from the campus. School administrators will continue to work closely with the Duncanville Police Department during further investigation of this matter,” the statement reads.
“We encourage you to talk to your children about informing teachers and school administrators when they are aware of important and potentially serious issues. Please note that following any such situation, I will communicate with you in this manner to keep you involved and informed on behalf of your child,” he continued.
DHS parents received a school messenger to alert them about the incident.
Tags: Duncanville, Duncanville High School
Posted in Duncanville | No Comments »
January 29th, 2010
DeSoto Dining and Dialogue is a volunteer organization that puts on private dinner events allowing people to discuss the issues facing the city. The discussions are held three times a year and a number of things are on the table for discussion.
The upcoming agenda will include public transportation possibilities for DeSoto. The event will be Feb. 27 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. The deadline for registration is February 10. For more info or to register, visit the Dining and Dialogue site.
Tags: DeSoto, DeSoto Dining and Dialogue
Posted in DeSoto | No Comments »
January 25th, 2010
On Tuesday the nation witnessed something very few who follow American politics thought possible – Massachusetts voters elected Republican Scott Brown to fill their United States Senate seat made vacant by the passing of Edward Kennedy last year.
This election is of national importance for two reasons. First, it is correctly viewed as the voters’ second referendum (after the New Jersey and Virginia governors elections late last year) on the Democrats’ domestic policies, including specifically their proposed health care reform. More importantly, though, Scott Brown campaigned as the “41st vote,” and his election deprives Senate Democrats of their 60 vote filibuster proof majority.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Massachusetts 2010 Senate Election, Scott Brown
Posted in Opinion | No Comments »
January 25th, 2010
Public transportation is never very far from the forefront of debates about the area’s future. The city is asking questions about the topic at its blog. Also, the city will host a town hall meeting Jan. 30 at 9 a.m. in the City Council Chambers, 211 E. Pleasant Run Rd.
Public transportation will also be discussed at the Feb. 27 DeSoto Dining and Dialogue event Feb. 27. The city blog, town hall meeting and DeSoto Dining and Dialogue give you multiple chances to have a say on this important issue. I urge you to take advantage of as many as you can.
This is a pretty huge decision and you don’t want your leaders making it without your input.
Tags: City of DeSoto Blog, DeSoto, Public Transportation
Posted in BSW, DeSoto | 3 Comments »
January 18th, 2010
The biggest story in Lancaster continues to be the school district. Lancaster ISD has not had the best of luck with its superintendents in recent years. His administration predates my time covering the district, but there are still many people who still blame former superintendent Bill Ward for the financial problems.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Lancaster, Lancaster ISD, Pamela Morris
Posted in Lancaster, Opinion | No Comments »
January 14th, 2010
After some more fiddling about with the site, it seems to boil down to this: People using Internet Explorer can’t comment. Obviously, since that’s the browser an overwhelming majority of people use, this is a problem and people with much more tech savvy than me are currently working on it.
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
January 5th, 2010
As I mentioned on a comment thread, I did a number of things to the site including upgrading to Wordpress 2.9. I am unsure which, if any, allowed us to be able to post comments again.
With computers, I’m sure another issue will crop up soon enough. But I’ll focus on the right now. Right now, we’re going to look back at some of the stories that captivated us over the past year. I wanted to be sure folks could comment on those “Year in Review” stories before I posted them.
The timing isn’t what I had hoped for, as I am out of town on business starting tomorrow morning. Through the magic of pre-arranged posts I will still have some goodies for you, but I won’t be able to put out any 406 error fires that may erupt while I’m gone.
Other than that, enjoy yourselves. Homer’s in charge while I’m away.
Tags: 406 errors, Best Southwest Citizen, BSW Citizen
Posted in BSW, Opinion, Uncategorized | 13 Comments »
December 29th, 2009
The Victoria Advocate reports on the case of Charles Ray Sempe, killed in Dallas County jail after his Lancaster arrest on a misdemeanor drug charge.
In the 1990 incident, Sempe could not afford $200 bond and was placed in a holding tank with 46 other men. The holding tank’s capacity was 24 men. One of the other inmates fatally struck Sempe after he changed TV channels.
That inmate, Darrell Keith Hartfield was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He served only a year and a half of that sentence before his release, then returned to prison for violating parole conditions.
Sempe’s sons, Chris and Carl, filed a lawsuit against the county in 2000 and will get a February court date. Some twenty years later, the county jail is still plagued with concerns ranging from overcrowding to medical care. Inmate Craig Morris died of pneumonia in the jail Aug. 2, not even 24 hours after being booked into the jail. Construction of a $48 million jail infirmary is scheduled for 2010.
Tags: Charles Ray Sempe, Dallas County Jail
Posted in BSW, Dallas County, Lancaster | 1 Comment »
December 29th, 2009
We have another local candidate for Dallas County Judge, former Duncanville city employee Debra Carlson. She would be considered a long shot at this point, but then the same was true of current Dallas County Judge Jim Foster.
Foster, however, rode a Democratic party surge into office as did current Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. Carlson is running as a Libertarian, which will make things more difficult.
Cedar Hill City Councilman Wade Emmert is running for the Republican County Judge nomination,and former Cedar Hill School Board member Ken Mayfield has a battle for his District 4 county commission seat on his hands.
Tags: 2010 Dallas County judge race, Debra Carlson, Duncanville
Posted in BSW, Dallas County | 1 Comment »