Farmers Branch Times from Farmers Branch, Texas • 1

EILT to host nichardson Newman Smith at Pearce Page I3A TrTh Fin 0 nu to host Richardson Newman Smith at Pearce Pago 13A ch Times BEST AVAILABLE Co Tiers Thursday November 2 1989 2 Sections Voters to decide fidtt BEST Al Thursday Nc WMIMIrB71017- lotICAners Jm44-1 A 1 VOI 33 N) 1 1 arm( rs Voters to ed fdite of Bus riders tout ease of passage Need for system gets mixed views 4 if i tt' 1 el 1 II 1 1 arkAkt 4 :74 Nilt? I' 44 4 IA 0--N 'Ii1 I'll' (' 4 i tt I 't 1 '1 lbs i 4 Ar 20 7 1 7f1''' 4 i i 40 t''' I '7-- '7: 1 gt 704e the DART system not only stand in support of public transportation but also support DART's ability to provide those services DART they say has just begun to reach the point when it will truly be able to make a difference in suburban mobility That difference will come in the form of light-rail lines express lanes for carpoolers and cash to cities fot use on streets to improve local mobility According to DART records 13100 Farmers Branch residents ride DART buses monthly The buses travel some 472000 miles annually across suburban roads including those in Farmers Branch Services in Farmers Branch in By LINDA BURKE Staff writer For Farmers Branch residents who use the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system daily Tuesday's elections could make a difference in how they get to work Elsa Brodhead said she hopes everyone gets out Nov 7 to vote in favor of keeping DART in Farmers Branch regardless of whether they use it A Farmers Branch resident Brodhead said she's been using the Downtown Express bus twice a day for the last several years "It's a convenient way to go and I'm not going to attempt to drive downtown" she said "DART is important the city needs it" Others using the Park and Ride service near the Word of Faith Family Outreach Center said they favor continuing the transit service in Farmers Branch and plan to vote "yes" Nov 7 at the Farmers Branch Manske Library polling place "DART serves a good purpose because it allows people to have positions downtown and still enjoy living in the suburbs" said Farmers Branch resident Greg Turn to RIDERS page 6A By ANITA KELLEY Staff writer When Farmers Branch residents go to the polls Tuesday they will decide among other things whether their city will remain a part of the controversial Dallas Area Rapid Transit system Many residents say that decision was made when other nearby cities such as Carrollton and Irving voted earlier this year to remain a part of DART Had the cities all banded together they may have been able to produce an alternative they say But on their own Farmers Branch has little choice but to join the other cities if it choses to have public transportation at all Others however who support DART officials say ridership from Farmers Branch per month Tuesday's vote will determine whether Joan SheahanTimes photo amounts to an average of 13100 the service continues to the city Exxon to boost school tax base higher Pursuing Hig Her scores Moremerit scholars Objective More merit scholars 7 4 By LINDA BURKE Staff writer Carrollton-Farmers Branch school officials are excitedly punching calculator buttons this week after Exxon Corp announced it will relocate to the Las Colinas area With all of the 132-acre site contractod for purchase by Exxon in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district officials say the amount of money gained in property taxes will be substantial Exxon the world's largest oil company did not seek tax abatements as part of the relocation package The company plans to relocate from its New York offices to interim office space in a Las Colinas office building in August 1990 Jack Litty district tax assessor This is the second in a two-part vt series examining the increased -----1 '''4''4 -Y 1 i emphasis education officials are 4 1 placing on SAT and PSAT scores and 4 '14'' National Merit Semifinalists i-111'V i 1 'r -'7 i i By LINDA BVRKE I Ct Staff writer 1 RL Turner senior Borany 4 2 Penh knew she needed to im- 1' i 1 1 ttliPir i it pw 1 prove her vocabulary to get a '4 good score on the Preliminary 'N 4 4 4 4-4 ''''''K'- Scholastic Aptitude Test 's I t' is ikft '''''N 11 I il '''itl: N4 -N i I For weeks she carried around I --4 a legal pad with nearly 900 high- -r :11190 4 lighted words she intended to memorize before taking the test 7 4 The list came from about 2000 i i turtrrio rrx7eart trt hetto kxr rns-vestifeNy This is the second in a two-part series examining the increased emphasis education officials are placing on SAT and PSAT scores and National Merit Semifinalists By LINDA BVRKE Staff writer RL Turner senior Borany Penh knew she needed to improve her vocabulary to get a good score on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test For weeks she carried around a legal pad with nearly 900 highlighted words she intended to memorize before taking the test The list came from about 2000 words given to her by Carrollton-Farmers Branch teachers Walter Dewar and Sharon Smith as part of a prep course for the PSAT Dewar and Smith worked together to develop the practice program which they have sold to several school districts including Lewisville Coppell and Dallas Though the different districts use the course in different ways Dewar said the main purpose of the program is to increase the number of National Merit Semifinalists who receive exemplary scores on the PSAT A precursor to the Scholastic Precinct closes at 7 votes tallied at 7:01 pm Joan SheahanStaff photo says the course used by Coppell Lewisville Dallas and Carrollton-Farmers Branch has helped Increase the districts' numbers of National Merit Semifinalists Walter Dewar who teaches a PSAT prep course he and teacher Sharon Smith developed instructs students Tapash Pa lit left and Ann Marie Willer at Newman Smith High School on some tips to take the test Dewar Turn to DART page 6A collector said he's been studying the 132-acre plat to find out how much taxes the district will collect from Exxon The district will receive five years' back taxes on the land which has been set at a lower agricultural tax rate as it sat undeveloped Exxon will assume the cost of the rolled back taxes after the land use is changed from agricultural status A current market value and the school district's tax rate will be applied to the land and made payable when the land use changes "There will be some rollback involved maybe somewhere around $100000 to $150000 but we won't really know until Exxon closes the deal in the next 120 days" Litty Turn to EXXON page 64 Northern Railroad on the east and Interstate 635 on the south "We got up early had breakfast and just waited for her to arrive Edna Haskins said of a law firm representative who brought the ballot box to their home Sat urday morning The couple said they voted first thing and just waited for the day to pass The voting was done on the kitchen table and the ballot box was kept under a table just inside the front door At 6:45 pm the VIA representa Turn (o VOTES page 10A Legislature Speaker of the House Gib Lewis selected him as a member of the Committee on State Federal and International Relations and the Financial Institutions Committee Ills work during the session prompted Texas Monthly Magazine to name him one of the Most Valuable Players He said two of his top priorities if Turn to MARCHANT page 10A Index Obituaries 2A' Sports 1316A Business Spotlight 10A Dining Guide 21A Religion 22 Community Calendar 23A Real Estate 21-25A Bridal "GA 'Where to go to vote In the Nov 7 elections Page 5A It didn't take long to count the votes The "Yes" column numbered two the "No" column zero The two qualified voters in the Valwood Improvement Authority's election Saturday gave their approval for the issuance of $35 million in bonds to control flooding in a 2400- acre industrial complex Edna and Charles Haskins were the only two voters because they are the only people -living in the area bounded by Belt Line Road on the north the Elm Fork of the Trinity River on the west the Burlington ists which means scholarship opportunities for the students and good public relations for a school district Officials in the Coppell and Lewisville school districts in tracking National Merit Semifinalists the last three years say they don't have any established goals Rep Marchant plans to seek third term Police program targets rising vehicle thefts Category Sept '89 Aug '89 Sept '88 Robbery 1 3 6 Burglary Residential 10 16 19 Burglary Building 29 22 14 Theft 74 93 60 Auto Theft 23 34 19 for scholars but hope they turn out students with potential for academic success in college Carrollton-Farmers Branch Superintendent BL Davis set a goal two years ago to get the number of semifinalists in the district to 35 in Turn to TESTING page 7A Times Graphic dar year Farmers Branch police reported a 107 percent increase in building burglaries for September compared to last September and a 33 percent increase for the year Reports of residential burglaries in Farmers Branch were down 47 percent for September compared to a year ago and 19 percent for the year Residential but glary reports in Carrollton dropped 15 percent in Turn to CRIME page 7A Aptitude Test a college entrance exam the PSAT has been getting more attention in the last five years as the relation of scores on that test and the SAT became more advertised Students performing well on the PSAT were recognized as Commended Scholars and National Merit Semifinal whether the driver is the owner Dallas and Highland Park police recently implemented the program "People have to understand even if the owner is driving it gives an officer the right to stop the car" Anderson said "The department has the decals and is waiting for the agreements to be printed" Capt Jerry Smith said Farmers Branch police have discussed the decal technique with leaders of the neighborhood crime watch programs "We've told the crime watch people if they can get enough people who want to participate we'll implement it" he said Smith said printing the decals and agreements is expensive and the department wants to make sure citizens are interested before going to the expense The overall crime statistics through the end of September are very similar for the neighboring State Rep Kenny Marchant of Coppell announced Tuesday he will seek a third term in the Texas House of Representatives Marchant r- said his deci- if sion to run again was nev- -Ntk i er in doubt be- 1 cause he has enjoyed his work in the state and looks forward to Marchant making the next legislative session his most productive "1 think the most important thing to remember is that all committee assignments are based on seniority" Marchant said "The more longevity you have the more you can get done for the district This will be my third term and 1 think this time I have a chance for some very key positions in the next session Marchant was first elected to the House in 1986 During the 71st By MARY GUGLIUZZA Staff writer The number of motor vehicles reported stolen has continued rising in both Carrollton and Farmers Branch according to police department records Carrollton police reported a 67 percent increase in its year-to-date totals for vehicle thefts while in Farmers Branch such thefts have risen 30 percent In an effort to combat the problem Carrollton police this month are planning to implement the HEAT program Help End Auto Thefts Citizens will have to become involved in the program for it to be effective said Sgt Gary Anderson Citizens sign an agreement and display stickers in the front and rear windows of their vehicles The decals will give Carrollton officers the right to stop the vehicle at their discretion if the vehicle is on the street between 1 and 5 am to determine Source: FBPD cities with both reporting increases and decreases in the same major crime categories "Whoever steals from us is stealing from Carrollton" Smith said "Those red and white street signs don't deter crime" Both cities report increases in building burglaries and decreases in residential burglaries reported in September and year-to-date Carrollton building burglaries jumped 72 percent in September this year compared to last September and are up 34 percent for the eaten 1 1 ON.