Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 25

Wednesday December 8 2004 5B Balias I State wwwstar-telegramcom LEGISLATION BRIEFLY Bill would boost protective services Serial killer sentenced to life in Michigan DETROIT Serial killer Coral Watts was formally sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole for killing a 36-year-old Ferndale Mich woman a quarter of a century ago "I did not kill Helen Dutch-er" Watts told Oakland County Circuit Judge Richard Kuhn late has been like reading a horror novel with case after case of child abuse seniors living in deplorable conditions and foster NELSON she had cut off the arms of her 10-month-old daughter The infant died Caseworkers from Child Protective Services had investigated the family on suspicion of neglect but the inquiry was halted in August after the woman received psychiatric treatment A 5-year-old Bexar County girl died last week even though CPS workers had investigated reports of abuse at least seven times Police were told the girl who was severely malnourished was covered in bruises and had two severe head injuries a fractured rib and a lacerated spleen In November state officials proposed a $34 million plan to boost training for adult protective service workers and reduce caseloads John Moritz (512) 476-4294 jmontzstar-telegramcom month State Rep Suzanna Gratia Hupp R-Lampasas is working on similar legislation in the House state government we are the voice for the vulnerable our children the frail and the said Dewhurst who appeared with Nelson and other lawmakers at the news conference must do everything we can to ensure their voices are Several high-profile cases involving children and adults who have died or suffered injuries after intervention by state caseworkers have triggered loud cries for legislative action Gov Rick Perry said this fall that he had lost confidence in the leadership of the state Department of Family and Protective Services Perry has ordered an investigation of reports of caseworkers allowing senior citizens to live in unsafe and unsanitary conditions: Among the cases that prompted the outcries: In July 9-year-old Davon-tae Williams of Arlington died of malnutrition in his Arlington apartment CPS had investigated mother Marcella Williams six times on allegations of neglect and had removed the boy and a sibling from the home The agency returned the children to Williams after she completed parenting classes according to court documents Williams and her partner Lisa Ann Coleman have been indicted on capital murder charges in the death A Plano woman who had been treated for postpartum depression was charged last month with capital murder after she told a 911 operator that State Sen Jane Nelson's measure would upgrade training for those who work with children and the elderly By JOHN MORITZ STAR-TELEGRAM AUSTIN BUREAU AUSTIN Child-protection caseworkers would receive training comparable to that given to law enforcement officers to better detect life-threatening instances of abuse and neglect under legislation proposed Tuesday by a key North Texas lawmaker The measure outlined by state Sen Jane Nelson R-Lewisville would also require caseworkers for the Adult Protective Services division to be better trained and to work more closely with police when allegations of abuse or neglect surface the newspaper of children as young as 3 years old being placed on adult psychiatric Nelson said during a news conference Tuesday to unveil Senate Bill 6 which would address deficiencies uncovered in recent state reports in the agencies responsible for protecting youngsters and the aged Lt Gov David Dewhurst the Republican who presides over the state Senate said that passing the legislation will be a top priority when lawmakers return to Austin next They remember speaking for the first time in his own defense don't care how many times you bring me to court It's one killing I didn't do" The 51-year-old was convicted last month of first-degree murder for the 1979 slaying Although he admitted killing 13 women in Texas and Michigan he had never been convicted of murder Because of a plea deal in 1982 Watts is serving a 60-year sentence in Texas for burglary with intent to commit murder but he was scheduled to be paroled in 2006 Had he not been convicted in the Dutcher case he would have been the first serial killer ever paroled in the United States -Knight Ridder News Service Longtime astronaut announced retirement HOUSTON -The longest-serving astronaut in history announced his retirement Tues-m day John Young I who has spent 42 i years at NASA plans to leave the space agency Dec 31 He is 74 Young who commanded the first shuttle mission and flew twice to the moon was the first human to fly in space six times and the only astronaut to pilot four spacecraft He flew in the Gemini Apollo and space shuttle programs -The Associated Press Mega Million sales $289 million AUSTIN Sales for Mega Mil- lions topped $289 million for the game's first year in Texas state lottery officials said Tuesday j- Since Texans began playing the multi-V state lottery game Dec 3 2003 sales for the Mega Millions jackpot game reached $234 million with another $55 million spent by players buying Megapli-eittickets The Associated Press Veterans salute during a ceremony in remembrance of the Dec 7 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor at Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso on Tuesday Shown from left are Larry Marquez and Pearl Harbor survivors Joe Adams Ray Peavey and Floyd Stewart EL PASO TIMESVICTOR CALZADA VIA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The watchdog role TEXAS AT LARGE CRIME New task force to focus on ID theft The move comes two months aftera lawmaker's identity was stolen By NATHANIEL JONES STAR-TEIEGRAM STAFF WRITER DALLAS The Dallas County district office and the Texas Department of Public Safety are teaming up to create a task force dedicated to fighting identity theft The district office receives about 400 forgery complaints a month Though most are related to hot checks some involve identity theft according to the office The joint task force comes two months after Rep Helen Giddings D-DeSoto made headlines when she had her identity stolen She vowed in October to push for tougher laws to speed up the reporting of identity theft among merchants and law enforcement is saying we are serious about fraud we will look for you and will come after the south Dallas County state official said Tuesday are the two agencies that worked my case and this shows that together they can better solve these types of The six-member team will be composed of four Dallas County investigators and two DPS investigators DPS will also provide all the necessary computer equipment The team is expected to begin work this month In the Giddings case investigators seized hundreds of checks fake licenses and Social Security cards at Budget Suites in northwest Dallas They also seized computers and other equipment believed to have been used to make the identifications and checks Nationally fraudulent purchases cost businesses and banks close to $120 billion annually according to financial industry experts In most cases the crimes reported until numerous purchases have been made lot of times when someone is arrested it usually means it affects multiple said Rachel Horton a spokeswoman for the district office once you make an arrest you are breaking up a sophisticated Nathaniel Jones (972) 263-4448 njonesstar-telegramcom Preserving memories of WWII We work to serve the public interest by independently examining the workings of government and other powerful institutions Watchdog Journalism the shining examples of contribution to this important chapter in our Texas women and minorities played significant roles in World War II the commission pointed out in a news release native Oveta Culp Hobby commanded the Army Corps Jos6 Mendoza Lopez born in Mission to immigrant parents received the Medal of Honor for his service as an infantryman Miller an African-American sailor from Waco earned the Navy Cross for bravery under fire during the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec 7 Awareness of World War II has been heightened in this country Stephen film Saving Private Ryan and the HBO series Band of Brothers raised our collective consciousness Books like Tom The Greatest Generation Stephen Citizen Soldiers and James Flags of Our Fathers all added depth and breadth to that awareness Perhaps the biggest factor in the historical revival though is the distressing knowledge that we are losing those veterans at a rate of 1200 to 1500 a day They are our fathers and grandfathers and they will soon be gone is important to move quickly to capture these amazing stories and commemorate our heroic fellow Texans so they are not forever lost in time but preserved for the Texans of said Tom Alexander a his State organizations prepare for a yearlong look at involvement in World War II On a summit 20 miles outside Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country workers are clearing away foliage Eventually they will scorch the hill turn it black with ash By February the charred landscape will be transformed to look as much as possible like Iwo Jima the hellish Japanese island that saw one of the bloodiest battles of World War II Next year all across the Texas the second world war will be commemorated with re-enactments celebrations salutes and memorials It is a collective effort to recognize Texans who served in the war The Texas Historical Commission is joining with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department the Texas Veterans Land Board the Texas Veterans Commission the Texas State Historical Association and Preservation Texas and Texans played major roles in World War II from national leadership to military said John Nau III chairman of the historical commission Dwight Eisenhower Admiral Chester Nimitz and Audie Murphy are among torical commission member THC plans to network with universities and organizations around the state that are committed to recording and preserving reminiscences of both military service and the Texas home One of those organizations is the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg which is planning the Iwo Jima re-enactment The event scheduled to begin Feb 19 will put the spotlight on Iwo Jima survivors There will be parades World War II vehicles and equipment and a flyover by World War II aircraft The museum staff says that it will lead several hundred volunteers to two large-scale re-enactments recreating the fighting around the base of Mount Suribachi and the two flag Participants will include re-enactors from the United States Japan Australia Korea and Taiwan The museum has two other major events planned for the year One in June will center on the Aztec Eagles an often-overlooked fighter squadron from Mexico that served with Gen Douglas MacArthur in the Pacific and in September a symposium will be held on the Battle of Okinawa Sept 2 2005 will mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II ONUNE: wwwthcstatetx us wwwnimitz-museumorg Art 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