The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX) articles from December 2002

The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX) archives from December 2002

San Antonio Arena Stays Alive Despite Appearance of New SBC Center.
December 1, 2002... Byline: David McLemore Dec. 1--SAN ANTONIO-When the San Antonio Spurs moved out of the Alamodome, their home of 10 years, into the shiny new $190 million SBC Center, it seemed hard to believe that obsolescence could have occurred so...

University of Texas Southwestern Program Reunites Doctors, Research.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Victor Godinez Dec. 1--Dr. Chris Adams likes to split his time between the beaker and the bedside. He is one of two fellows in the new Physician Scientist Training Program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center....

EDITORIAL: Dallas Mayor Should Take Smoking-Ban Lead, Urge Suburbs to Follow.
December 1, 2002... Dec. 1--Dallas Mayor Laura Miller should press ahead with her efforts to ban smoking in restaurants and bars, and should encourage the suburbs to follow her lead. Other major cities already have headed this direction, and surveys...

The Dallas Morning News Follow-Up File.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Katie Fairbank Dec. 1--BIG BOY LOCOMOTIVE: When a group of Dallas filmmakers announced they would restore Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4018 for a motion picture, train fans were delighted. The idea was to mechanically rebuild and...

Goodwill's Move to Bigger Dallas Facility to Triple Workforce.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Kendall Anderson Dec. 1--Many know Goodwill Industries as the place to get second-hand stuff cheap. But more than 1,300 local people with disabilities and economic disadvantages count on Goodwill Industries of Dallas for their...

The Dallas Morning News Health Career Column.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Jon Nielsen Dec. 1--Michael Marr Methodist Hospitals of Dallas, Charlton Methodist Hospital Age: 47 Position: Education coordinator, emergency department Time in current position: Six months Education: "I have...

Holiday Cheer Eludes Laid-Off Tech Workers; Experts Warn of Seasonal Anxieties.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Victor Godinez Dec. 1--Tech workers laid off during the holidays need to be careful they don't get overwhelmed by Christmas stress. Experts say employers are no longer reluctant to cut jobs near the end of the fourth quarter,...

Dallas-Area Hospitals Confront Terrorism Threats but Some Training Stalls.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Victor Godinez Dec. 1--While United Nations inspectors comb Iraq looking for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, local hospitals are training their workers to respond to attacks from such weapons. Paulette Standefer,...

The Dallas Morning News Ideas at Work Column.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Cheryl Hall Dec. 1--Ruth Huffman-Bell has vast plans for the all-American bison. The Dallas native wants to corner the market in buffalo hair, organize the bison industry, build a mill for yarn in Oklahoma and make the fluffy...

Insurer to Stay in Texas after Agreeing to Lower Rates, Pay Refunds.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Terrence Stutz Dec. 1--AUSTIN, Texas-Farmers Insurance Group and state officials reached a settlement Saturday that will allow the state's second-largest homeowners insurer to remain in Texas as long as it lowers rates 6.8 percent...

For Dallas-Area Engineer, Job Hunt Proves Challenging.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Patricia V. Rivera Dec. 1--Hal Daugherty is a veteran manufacturing professional, with decades of experience in running industrial plants. He knows the industry so well that he now helps manufacturers fill jobs as president of...

Dallas-Area Drivers Recall Stories of Lemon Cars.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Steve Steinberg Dec. 1--You know the car we're talking about. It's the one that wouldn't start. Or run. Or stop. The one that made you freeze in winter, bake in summer and sweat all year round. The one you wanted to take...

Machine Operators Likely to See Growth in Technology, Trade.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Patricia V. Rivera Dec. 1--Jeannie Holmes had a simple reason for taking a job straight out of high school that required her to prepare machines that extruded rubber. She could make more money doing this than anything else in her...

The Dallas Morning News Robert Miller Column.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Robert Miller Dec. 1--Contrary to common perception, even a nationally ranked charitable hospital such as Parkland Memorial Hospital cannot retain its rating of excellence with tax funding alone, says Barbara Lord Watkins,...

Tech Firms Look to Young for Tomorrow's Gadgets.
December 1, 2002... Dec. 1--A dozen college-age strangers recently spent three weeks living together so they could be observed while working to launch an imaginary Internet venture. Real World takes a dot-com twist? Nope. Peering in on them were...

School, Fun Drive American Teens' Mastery of Widening Digital Domain.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Doug Bedell Dec. 1--DUNCANVILLE, Texas--Hand-written warnings often plaster the computer in the Gebauer family kitchen: "Don't Touch!" "Keep Away!" To an unenlightened visitor, it might appear a household of technophobes. In...

Allen, Texas, Telecom Firm Bucks Trend with Focus on Home, Rural Markets.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Steve Quinn Dec. 1--ALLEN, Texas--At a time when telephone giants are struggling to survive, Sage Telecom has thrived by defying the industry's accepted thinking. "It wasn't too long ago that it was the conventional wisdom...

Garland, Texas, Mayor Wants to Act on Transit-Related Development.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Richard Abshire Dec. 1--Mayor Bob Day said the Nov. 18 opening of two Dallas Area Rapid Transit light-rail stations was a milestone for Garland. Now, he wants zoning that will help the city capitalize on an economic...

The Dallas Morning News Where I Work Column.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Victor Godinez Dec. 1--NAME: Heather Campbell AGE: 28 COMPANY: CompuCom Systems Inc., Dallas TITLE: Technical support technician JOB DESCRIPTION: "I work in a help desk environment supporting Windows NT and 2000,...

International shipping vehicles vulnerable to terrorist attacks, FBI warns.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Gregory Katz LONDON _ With al-Qaida stepping up its sporadic attacks on western targets, there is a consensus among terrorism experts and the FBI that international shipping is increasingly vulnerable to suicide bombs and other...

Nash, Van Exel quite a tandem for Mavericks.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Eddie Sefko DALLAS _ Perhaps during the Mavericks' hot start they forgot just how vital Nick Van Exel is to their success. He reminded them quickly Saturday night. Van Exel, playing for the first time since knee surgery...

After feasting on East, Mavs get test out West.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Mike McAllister DALLAS _ Other than Thanksgiving night in Indiana, the Eastern Conference has been the source of much pleasure for the Mavericks this season. A few blowout wins. Signature victories at New Jersey, Detroit and...

American teens are masters of widening digital domain.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Doug Bedell DUNCANVILLE, Texas _ Hand-written warnings often plaster the computer in the Gebauer family kitchen: "Don't Touch!" "Keep Away!" To an unenlightened visitor, it might appear a household of technophobes. In reality,...

Internet cafes give Mexican youths access to information.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Brendan M. Case CHALCO, Mexico _ Just off the bumpy streets of this gritty Mexico City suburb, Lucila Flores pays $1.20 an hour for a daily lifeline to the outside world. Flores researches her homework on the Internet, thanks...

USC becomes key player in BCS setup.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Bill Campbell Lurking in the muddy waters of the BCS has been Southern Cal. A Pac-10 team is never the ideal choice for bowls east of the Rockies, much less a two-loss Pac-10 team that would eat up a BCS bowl's at-large bid _...

Firefighter recovering from burns uses gentle touch with newborn.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Robert Tharp DALLAS _ All the high-pressure football games and the 15 months of the Dallas Fire-Rescue academy hardly compare to what Eric Beal faced when he woke up in a hospital bed in August. His wife, Leaane, was past the...

Nashville brings Stars back to earth.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Chuck Carlton NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ So many of the elements that put the Stars on top of the NHL disappeared Saturday at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Gone were the discipline, the standout goaltending and the efficient...

Stars want to sustain momentum after avoiding early stumble.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Chuck Carlton DALLAS _Dallas Stars general manager Doug Armstrong already had circled the first two months of the season long before the Stars played a game. Captain Derian Hatcher remembers being called into Armstrong's...

Olympic judging? Give it a 0.0.
December 1, 2002... Byline: Kevin B. Blackistone Like most everyone else, the new major-domo of the Olympics, Jacques Rogge, thinks that the Olympics have become a little unwieldy. There seem to be a zillion sports. A gazillion athletes. And, more important,...

The Dallas Morning News Technology Career Column.
December 1, 2002

The Dallas Morning News Trades Career Column.
December 1, 2002

Plan for Plano, Texas, Rail-Station Development Draws Fire.
December 2, 2002... Byline: April M. Washington Dec. 2--The blueprint for development around the Parker Road light-rail station is still a rough sketch, but the plan is already drawing criticism for what's not included. Auto repair shops, used-car...

Digital Devices Are Lifesavers to Dementia Sufferers.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Sherry Jacobson Dec. 2--Billy Elkins was found lying in the middle of a vast soybean field two years ago after a massive rescue effort. The field could have been a final resting place for the 68-year-old Alzheimer's patient. ...

Energy-Trading Firms Feel Effects of Enron's Downfall.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Sudeep Reddy Dec. 2--The predictions came from every direction: Energy-trading operations would retrench. Deregulation would be sideswiped. The electric power industry would face more financial problems. Most of those...

Legislators from U.S., Mexico Defy Stereotypes in Trying to Assist Region.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Alfredo Corchado Dec. 2--EL PASO, Texas-Sometimes, things aren't what they appear to be. There are Silvestre Reyes and Jeffrey Jones - legislators separated by a border. The one with the Spanish surname calls El Paso home and...

Internet Cafes Give Mexican Teens Access to Information.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Brendan M. Case Dec. 2--CHALCO, Mexico--Just off the bumpy streets of this gritty Mexico City suburb, Lucila Flores pays $1.20 an hour for a daily lifeline to the outside world. Ms. Flores researches her homework on the...

The Dallas Morning News Personal Finance Column.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Pamela Yip Dec. 2--Each holiday season, personal finance experts advise setting up a spending budget. This year, that wisdom takes on added value. "It's more important than ever that people try to follow this advice...

Retailers' Strong Start May Not Make Up for Shorter Shopping Season.
December 2, 2002... Dec. 2--American consumers sped out of the gate the first official holiday shopping weekend, gobbling up clothes, toys, decorations and jewelry, but experts worried Sunday that they may lose steam in the short run-up to Christmas. Experts...

The Dallas Morning News Angela Shah Column.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Angela Shah Dec. 2--Enron Corp. began a dramatic coda to the Roaring '90s. Thousands of employees lost their jobs; many lost their life savings. One of the new economy's darlings turned out to be a house of cards. Its demise...

Risk of Shipping Attacks Grows.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Gregory Katz Dec. 2--LONDON-With al-Qaeda stepping up its sporadic attacks on Western targets, there is a consensus among terrorism experts and the FBI that international shipping is increasingly vulnerable to suicide bombs and...

Analysts Wary of Declaring End to Bear Market after Rally.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Bill Deener Dec. 2--Extreme skepticism has greeted this otherwise splendid stock market rally. Since hitting their bear market lows in early October, the three major indexes have snapped back in fine fashion. The Dow Jones...

Pacers' profitable start yet to earn them credit.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Mike McAllister At some point, whether willingly or grudgingly, we're going to have to respect Isiah Thomas and his Indiana Pacers. Their start this season is nearly as impressive as the Mavericks'. They reeled off a 14-2...

Teens dream and imagine new possibilities.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Alan Goldstein and Vikas Bajaj A dozen college-age strangers recently spent three weeks living together so they could be observed while working to launch an imaginary Internet venture. Real World takes a dot-com twist? ...

Sooners' loss helps Georgia.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Bill Campbell The movement in the new BCS standings released Monday was below the breaking point. Miami and Ohio State remained in the all-important top two positions that determine the pairing for the BCS's national...

Buffaloes rely on herd at RB.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Keith Whitmire DALLAS _ Injuries could keep Colorado's top two running backs out of Saturday's Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship game, yet there's no sense of panic in the Buffaloes. That's because for the last two seasons, it...

Solid and stable not enough for Texas A&M.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Kevin Sherrington DALLAS _ R.C. Slocum used to keep an old shoebox, a reminder from his childhood growing up poor in Orange, Texas, on the flood-prone banks of the Sabine River. A local barber set him up when R.C. was in the...

Slocum fired by Texas A&M after 6-6 year.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Al Carter BC-FBC-TEXASAM-2nd-LEDE:DA _ sports (840 words) COLLEGE STATION, Texas _ R.C. Slocum, the winningest football coach in Texas A&M history and architect of one of the nation's most feared defensive dynasties, was fired...

Texas A&M fires R.C. Slocum.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Al Carter BC-FBC-TEXASAM-1st-LEDE:DA _ sports (410 words) COLLEGE STATION, Texas _ R.C. Slocum, the winningest football coach in Texas A&M history and architect of one of the nation's most feared defensive dynasties, was fired...

Rams are no longer in good hands.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Rick Gosselin The demise of the St. Louis Rams in 2002 is a sad tale of hands. First, there was the broken bone in the hand of franchise quarterback Kurt Warner that disrupted his season. Then there was the controversial...

Bear in mind: ESPN movie may not be truth.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Barry Horn ESPN's relentless self-hype for its made-for-cable movie, ``The Junction Boys,'' is about to go into high gear. That means between now and the scheduled Dec. 14 air date, Bear Bryant and Texas A&M will get more...

Coalition goes to court to keep Mexican trucks out of U.S.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Brendan M. Case MEXICO CITY _ A coalition of U.S. environmental, labor and industry groups asked a federal court in San Francisco to block Mexican trucks from rolling into the United States, warning that the rigs pose an...

Opening weekend surprises retailers with 12.4 percent sales jump.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Maria Halkias DALLAS _ More tallies are in, and the three-day weekend proved stronger than many retailers dreamed for the traditional kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. U.S. retail sales for the Thanksgiving weekend were...

Physicists flummoxed by brothers Bogdanov.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Tom Siegfried If you think physics is hard to understand, don't worry. It isn't so easy even if you are a physicist. Students of physics spend years memorizing the jargon and mastering the math. They build models and machines,...

Cornyn becomes newest member of Senate.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Robert Dodge WASHINGTON _ John Cornyn swapped jobs Monday, leaving his post as Texas attorney general to become the state's junior U.S. senator. The Republican was officially sworn into office Monday. For the next month, he...

Texas A&M sets its sights on Nebraska's AD.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Al Carter COLLEGE STATION, Texas _ The search for a new Texas A&M athletic director is now tightly focused on Nebraska athletic director Bill Byrne, A&M sources told the Dallas Morning News An announcement on a new Aggie AD...

`The Junction Boys,' premiering Dec. 14 on ESPN.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Ed Bark Are you ready for some brute ball? ESPN's latter-day love affair with tyrant coaches resumes in earnest this week with a jarring look at Paul "Bear" Bryant's hell-on-earth boot camp in his first year as Texas A&M's...

In Venezuela, nationwide strike seeks ouster of Chavez.
December 2, 2002... Byline: Tod Robberson CARACAS, Venezuela _ Venezuela's political crisis deepened Monday as business leaders, labor unions and millions of middle-class consumers joined forces in a nationwide strike _ the fourth this year _ to demand...

Dallas City Council Gets Glimpse of Vision for New Downtown.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Victoria Loe Hicks Dec. 3--Like kids with their noses pressed against a shop window, Dallas City Council members got a peek Monday at a vision of a downtown where pedestrians stroll along landscaped boulevards from Uptown to the...

Texas Health Resources Executives Seek to Cure Industry Maladies.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Roger Yu Dec. 3--The health care industry may be in distress, but Texas Health Resources president and chief executive Doug Hawthorne said the Arlington-based hospital system still has control over the delivery of care -- and is...

Opening Weekend of Holiday Season Surprises, Encourages Retailers.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Maria Halkias Dec. 3--More tallies are in, and the three-day weekend proved stronger than many retailers dreamed for the traditional kickoff to the Christmas shopping season. U.S. retail sales for the Thanksgiving weekend were...

Small Firms Fill Texas Insurance Gaps.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Anuradha Raghunathan Dec. 3--Get established with a few good agents. Wait for the wind to blow on the coast. Grab market share after disaster strikes. That was insurance executive David Lacefield's plan for growth when he set...

Rate Cuts Work, Says Chief of Dallas Federal Reserve Bank.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Angela Shah Dec. 3--Even before the Federal Reserve policy-makers cut rates by a half-point last month, analysts questioned whether the move would do any good. After all, central bankers had already brought rates down to...

United States Doubts Iraq's Compliance with Inspections.
December 3, 2002... Byline: G. Robert Hillman Dec. 3--WASHINGTON-President Bush said Monday the "signs are not encouraging" in Iraq that Saddam Hussein will fully comply with the new U.N. weapons inspections. And Vice President Dick Cheney, in separate,...

Groups Oppose Bush Decision on Mexican Trucks in the United States.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Brendan M. Case Dec. 3--MEXICO CITY--A coalition of U.S. environmental, labor and industry groups asked a federal court in San Francisco to block Mexican trucks from rolling into the United States, warning that the rigs pose an...

The Dallas Morning News Robert Miller Column.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Robert Miller Dec. 3--The North Dallas Chamber of Commerce will host a half-day telecommunications conference Friday at the Hotel Inter-Continental Dallas. Tools for Restoring Telecom Value - Telecom 2002 is for executives and...

Dallas Woman Is Promoted to President-CEO of Neiman Marcus.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Maria Halkias Dec. 3--Karen Katz, a Dallas native who said she "grew up shopping at Neiman Marcus," has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of Neiman Marcus Stores. Ms. Katz reports to Burton M. Tansky,...

TXU Shuts Down Glen Rose, Texas-Area Power Plant after Radioactive-Water Leak.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Randy Lee Loftis Dec. 3--A tube carrying radioactive water was found to be leaking at TXU's Comanche Peak nuclear power plant in September, leading to a reactor shutdown and a federal inspection, according to government documents....

Dallas-Area Regional SEC Office Expects Growth.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Bill Deener Dec. 3--Life may soon become a little more uncomfortable for financial scamsters in Dallas-Fort Worth. The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission's district office in Fort Worth says his staff of...

Sprint PCS Employees Must Give Up Office Space to Work from Home.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Patricia V. Rivera Dec. 3--Sprint PCS professionals who want to work from home have the option -- if they will give up their own company office or cubicle. That's the arrangement the cellular phone division offered workers as...

With Buildup Under Way, Bush Could Move Quickly against Iraq.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Richard Whittle Dec. 3--WASHINGTON-If President Bush decides to wage war on Iraq, he won't have to wait for the long military buildup in the Persian Gulf that was necessary when his father made a similar decision. Mobilization...

APA pilots want to take over all flying for American Airlines.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Eric Torbenson Job protection will be the focus Wednesday when contract talks resume between American Airlines Inc. and its pilots' union. The Allied Pilots Association wants American parent AMR Corp. to combine the seniority...

`Analyze That'.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Philip Wuntch Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal and director Harold Ramis may curse the day "The Sopranos" was born. Their current venture, "Analyze That," a continuation of 1999's "Analyze This," benefits from the De Niro/Crystal...

Despite injuries, Dallas finds right fit with its role players.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Eddie Sefko DALLAS _ When Don Nelson found out forward Eduardo Najera wouldn't be with the Dallas Mavericks on their three-game road trip that begins Wednesday night at Portland, it gave him another reason to be thankful for his...

Publishers reload shelves with shooting games.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Victor Godinez If it's the holiday season, it must be time to shoot something. Video game publishers traditionally release their big guns around the busy December shopping season, and this year is no different. Two of the...

`Equilibrium'.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Gary Dowell "Equilibrium" is a guilty pleasure, a tasty bite of sci-fi pulp fiction that lifts its elements from "A Brave New World," "Fahrenheit 451," "A Clockwork Orange" and just about every other classic of dystopian fiction....

An eight-team tournament would keep seven bowls busy.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Kevin B. Blackistone According to the college football schedule, there are thirtysomething games remaining on the schedule. They include a handful of games this weekend, counting the Big 12 Championship between Oklahoma and...

Hawkeyes apparently knock Irish out of prime bowl slot.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Bill Campbell Iowa apparently wrapped up a Bowl Championship Series bid Tuesday, but officials were either unaware or unwilling to acknowledge the latest transaction in the continuing game of BCS stratagem. A guarantee for Iowa...

BCS may be far from perfect, but it sure beats alternative.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Tim Cowlishaw In the world of easy targets, there is none quite as oversized as the BCS with its goofy computer formulas and mind-boggling selection guidelines. In fact, I have lobbed a few darts in its direction for past...

Q-School: make it or break it time.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Bill Nichols Most of them have made it through eight difficult rounds. They have survived windy conditions and muddy fairways, watched putts curl around cups and lip out, then waited anxiously as scores were tabulated, knowing...

Sharks need to show a little less bite and start having some fun.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Mike Heika San Jose Sharks fans might not enjoy this logic, but they can put some of the blame for the firing of Darryl Sutter on the Dallas Stars. Yes, the Stars' fast start has created a lot of pressure out west for the...

Landrieu touts herself as independent; Bush stumps for opponent.
December 3, 2002... Byline: David Jackson NEW ORLEANS _ It won't decide control of the Senate, but Louisiana's overtime race between Sen. Mary Landrieu and challenger Suzanne Haik Terrell has many of the makings of a major contest: big infusions of cash,...

What's opening in theaters next week.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Philip Wuntch OPENING DEC. 13: STAR TREK: NEMESIS _ The Enterprise crew is more or less minding its own business when the spaceship is drawn to unfriendly Romulan space. MAID IN MANHATTAN _ This one seems like a "Pretty...

Town in need of therapy doesn't shy from putting shrinks on screen.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Philip Wuntch Hollywood has never had a shortage of shrinks. In the current "Analyze That," Billy Crystal plays a psychiatrist driven batty by the demands of his most daunting patient, mobster Robert De Niro. Even in the future...

Reservists have much to do before they're deployed.
December 3, 2002... Byline: Pamela Yip When naval reservist Andrew Bettinson was activated recently, he and his wife were prepared: They had a plan for managing their financial affairs. The Bettinsons started planning when he was on active duty and...