Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 31

Saturday October 27 2001 1 Star-Telegram wwwdfwcom 1 5B everytime I speak to a political group they want to ask me questions about homeland Land Commissioner David Dewhurst STORY BELOW DALLAS District 30 shift opposed Retain African-American demographics Johnson urges 1 I Police to host Asian Safety and Health Fair The Dallas Police Office of Community 1 Affairs will host the second annual Asian Safety and Health Fair from 10 am to 2 pm today at Hong Kong Market and Shopping Center 12809 Audelia Road It will be free and open to the public Levi Williams manager of the community affairs office said the goals are to improve the relationship between police and the Asian US Rep Eddie Bernice Johnson says placing all area black communities into one congressional district would be wrong community promote safety awareness and increase knowledge of police and fire services Included among the attractions will be fingerprinting for children Kids and Cops trading card signing and police recruiting Several free health services will be available such as cholesterol and diabetes testing blood pressure checks dental examinations eye exams and mammograms For more information call (214) 670-5387 By JOHN MORITZ STAR TELEGRAM AUSTIN BUREAU AUSTIN US Rep Eddie Bernice Johnson testified Friday that any effort to pack the African-American communities of Fort Worth and Dallas into a single congressional district would be unfair to both cities Johnson a Democrat who represents an area from the northwest Dallas County suburbs through the central city and almost down to the southern Dallas County line urged a panel of three federal judges to keep District 30 largely intact so that it remains a safe seat for an African-American to run in and win hard as we worked to get this seat like to be sure that an African-American could get elected after Johnson told the judges presiding over the congressional redistricting trial in Austin Now in her fifth term Johnson said she will probably retire after the 2004 tion denounced a GOP-backed map that would probably ensure her own re-election but would extend District 30 across the Tarrant County line and pick up the predominantly African-American Stop Six neighborhoods in east Fort Worth At present Stop Six is in Rep Martin District 24 Frost D-Dallas backs a plan that would keep the region in his district The African-American communities in Dallas and Fort Worth have separate identities and different needs she said thinks Dallas and Fort Worth are together except Dallas and Fort Johnson said sparking chuckles through the courtroom The trial began Monday and is likely to continue through next week and possibly longer Once the congressional lines are in place the judges will take up the task of drawing new district lines for 150 districts in the Texas House and for the 31-seat state Senate John Moritz (512)476-4294 jmoritzstar-telegramcom STATE election cycle She was elected to Congress in 1992 winning one of the two new seats awarded to Texas after the 1990 census Redistricting which is done every 10 years to reflect population changes determined by the census is in the hands of the courts because the Legislature adjourned in May without redrawing the political boundaries for Congress and the Legislature The judges are hearing testimony on a variety of plans While Republican groups are pushing plans that would end the centurylong control of congressional delegation Democrats are seeking to at least preserve their present four-seat majority Representatives of minority groups want to make the delegation more diverse Johnson one of two African-Americans in the Texas congressional delega Dewhurst responds to criticism ad THE ASSOCIATED PRESSHARRY CABLUCK Land Commissioner David Dewhurst Republican candidate for lieutenant governor said Friday that he can discuss his role as Texas' homeland security chief while campaigning without taking political advantage of the position Behind him is a replica of the Texas flag from the battle of Gonzales on Oct 2 1835 By JIM VERTUNO THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AUSTIN Land Commissioner David Dewhurst a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor said Friday that he will continue discussing his role as homeland security chief on the campaign trail but promised he can do it without being political Many Democrats have criticized Dewhurst showcasing his security role in campaign ads including one that mistakenly used a photograph of a German soldier in front of an American flag The full-color Texas Monthly magazine ad hit newsstands this week stating that Chairman of the Task Force on Homeland Dewhurst encourages Texans to support President Bush and armed forces they fight to eliminate terrorism and work to restore confidence in our I had it to do over again I would have said the same words I might not have said it chairman of the task force on homeland Dewhurst said Democrats accuse Republican David Dewhurst homeland security chief is drawing fire from Democrats for showcasing his security role in his campaign for lieutenant governor Dewhurst of trying to capitalize on his appointment by GOP Gov Rick Perry and of politicizing the task force ink dry yet on the appointment when he was sending out political brochure copy to the print said Kelly Fero spokesman for the Texas coordinated campaign Dewhurst however said that people ask him about security issues and that continue to mention his appointment on the campaign trail in a way that politicizes what doing for the he said every time I speak to a political group they want to ask me questions about homeland security I make a point of saying: right stopped talking about politics going to talk about a state issue and let me tell you what my thoughts loss we had hoped would happen was the building would be gutted except for the courtroom where I served and some of the historic the judge said The three-alarm fire began shortly after 730 pm Stephen Reveile project director for subcontractors Demolition said he and a co-worker tried to put out the fire on the third floor but the flames spread too quickly were gutting the building anyway but we were saving the historical parts like the courtroom and the Reveile said He said contractors have lad problems with transients trying to inhabit the building TYLER 4an pleads guilty in 1 atal high-speed chase An East Texas man has pleaded guilty to two counts of evading arrest in a highspeed chase with authorities that resulted in the death of a 5-year-old girl His decision to plead guilty Thursday came a day before a jury was to be selected for his trial Junior Earl Jameson Jr 29 of Teaselville is accused of leading state troopers on a pursuit through a Bullard subdivision after he refused to stop for a traffic violation The chase ended when the patrol cruiser collided with a pickup in northern Cherokee County about 100 miles southeast of Dallas Donna Morales died in the May 14 crash Her mother Misty Morales and two Texas Department of Public Safety officers were injured The younger Morales of Tyler was thrown into an intersection She had not been restrained inside the truck said Cherokee County Sheriff James Campbell Jameson faces five to 99 years or life in prison for one count of evading arrest BORDER Mexican official vows to explore water issue The head of the Mexican House of Representatives has promised to investigate allegations that the nation is stockpiling and using water owed to the United States Under a 1944 US-Mexico water-sharing treaty Mexico owes the United States 14 million acre-feet of water An acre-foot is equal to an acre of water 1 foot deep But as of Sept 30 Mexico had paid just 345000 acre-feet of water instead of the 600000 acre-feet it promised Speaking Thursday during a trip to Austin Mexican Rep Beatriz Paredes said that she had just heard about the issue am going to recommend that the water resource commission on behalf of Mexico establish contact with the foreign affairs commission to work on Paredes said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs said US officials believe that Mexico is stockpiling water it could release and Texas farmers are suffering as a result AUSTIN Unemployment fund coming up short Even without accounting for extensive layoffs caused by terrorist attacks Texas officials project that the unemployment fund will face a $660 million shortfall in a year triggering an automatic 2003 tax increase for employers The Texas Workforce Commission has announced that a shortfall this year will trigger an automatic deficit tax increase for employers next year to keep the fund solvent Commission spokesman Larry Jones said Thursday the estimated shortfall for October 2002 was based on unemployment through Sept 15 It was not until the following week that the Sept 11 attacks caused major layoffs in the airline industry Jones said there also were layoffs associated with the South Padre Island bridge collapse in September that are not included in the figures are likely layoffs that are not included that may further that shortfall he told the Houston Chronicle Jones said one commission program found that between Sept 1 and Oct 21 2000 91 Texas employers laid off 8300 1 workers But during that same period this year 202 businesses laid off 31215 workers Jones said Perry seeks federal for 4 counties AUSTIN Gov Rick Per-t by has requested that Presi-l dent Bush declare Gillespie McLennan Medina and Wise counties major disaster areas as a result of severe storms and tornadoes Oct 12 Perry said Friday that he 1 requested federal assistance after federal state and local assessment teams surveyed the the damage this week storms that struck these counties resulted in damage to more than 860 homes and displaced many I residents from their Perry said Road closures and disruptions in electrical pow-i er also hurt the counties I If a disaster declaration is I granted it could provide fed-i eral grants for individual assistance housing unem-j ployment assistance crisis i counseling and Small Busi-j ness Administration loans WACO i Fire claims sections I of federal courthouse A US district courtroom and other parts of the historic federal courthouse that was the site of a lawsuit in the Branch Davidian siege were gutted by flames during a renovation project i The blaze that apparently began in the 3-story down-i town attic Thursday night burned through the roof in at least four places Judge Walter Smith Jr said that his court among the areas being renovate in the million facelift was a total photo until Wednesday He said the mistake was the fault of the graphics consultant who worked on the ad our consultants and our staff make small mistakes Obviously when I had asked for a picture of an American soldier against a flag they made a Dewhurst said He identify either the consultant or the agency that produced the ad "The ad agency and the graphics consultant be doing further work for Asked if he as a former Air Force officer was embarrassed by the mistake Dewhurst said be Perry said Friday that Dewhurst can legitimately mention his security service to voters Perry said he would list anything he believed qualified him as a legitimate candidate be surprised if other people say what done in my life take a look at Perry said think pandering to The ad caused additional problems for Dewhurst when it was reported that the soldier standing in front of an American flag was a German air force officer Dewhurst said he had approved only the words in the ad and seen the Houston mayor bids for 3rd term Firefighter staffing has become the dominant issue as Houston Mayor Lee Brown tries to win his third term in office served as the drug czar in President Cabinet and stumped for A1 Gore in last presidential campaign against Texas Gov George Bush Bell also is a Democrat but has downplayed any party affiliation while Sanchez is a Republican and has courted GOP support A recent poll taken for the Houston Chronicle and KIIOU-TV showed Brown supported by 36 percent of the voters surveyed while Sanchez attracted 19 percent and Bell 15 percent Most of the rest were undecided The poll had a margin of error of 35 percent The winner next month must attract at least 50 percent of the votes to avoid a runoff between the top two finishers our years ago Brown succeeded popular Bob Lanier and inherited much of the backing from the city's power brokers after winning a rynoff in 1997 high-rise apartment building The widow speaking at his funeral suggested the city policy of three-person trucks one below the level recommended by national firefighting standards contributed to his death Brown responded by announcing a $16 million plan to boost Fire Department staffing lie said the idea had been in the works since the September terrorist attacks His opponents suggested otherwise public and council would have more confidence in the proposal if it did not simply appear to be a politically expedient knee-jerk Bell said Sanchez who had made the issue a cornerstone of his campaign even before the death called response a despicable and cynical act" Although the race is nonpartisan Brovin is an unabashed Democrat who By MICHAEL GRACZYK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON Despite a career dominated by public safety jobs Lee bid for a third two-year term could be derailed by a public safety issue A former police chief in Houston Atlanta and New York City Brown 64 faces two city council-men Chris Bell and Orlando Sanchez and three other unfunded candidates in the Nov 6 race for the top job in the fourth-largest city The first black mayor Brown will enter his final term if elected because term limits bar a fourth term Bell 42 is an attorney and former radio newsman who has been on the council for four ycqrs Sanchez 43 is a former probation officer and construction industry consultant who is winding up his third term as a councilman Brown is urging voters to return him to maintain his four-year momentum pointing to new businesses downtown development and a reduction in crime been good years years of growth and he says any indicator you can think All are in the right His opponents accuse him of budget mismanagement and point to torn-up streets broken sewers and water mains and undermanned firctrucks Firefighter staffing became the dominant issue after the Oct 13 death of a fire captain responding to a blaze in a.