Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| How the Army's Flub let a Felon Become a Foster Parent in Texas |
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On paper, Gregory McQueen must have seemed like a great candidate to become a foster-care parent in Texas. A married man and Army veteran, McQueen had served as battalion representative on a task force to prevent sexual harassment at Fort Hood in central Texas. But some important information didn't show up in a state background check before a foster-care agency hired McQueen and his wife last March to care for abused and neglected children. Two years ago, former Army 1st Sgt. McQueen pleaded guilty to more than a dozen military charges for attempting to run a prostitution ring in Fort Hood. As part of the plea deal he was demoted to private, sentenced to 24 months in prison, was stripped of his retirement pay and received a dishonorable discharge. That record should have kept him out of the foster-care program, the state says. The Army acknowledges that it failed to submit information about McQueen's criminal record to an FBI database widely used for background checks.
Terri Langford, The Dallas Morning News 12/11/2017    |
| Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
| 'Immediate Jeopardy': How Safe are Kids at State-Monitored Timberlawn? |
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Two years ago, Texas threatened to shut down Timberlawn psychiatric hospital over severe safety problems that investigators said put patients in jeopardy. Instead, the state decided to let the Dallas hospital stay open but to monitor it more closely. Yet on the state's watch, Timberlawn has had many of the same problems ' and at least one new one, according to interviews and inspection records obtained by The Dallas Morning News. A scathing inspection report describes how Timberlawn put children at risk around the time that a 13-year-old girl says she was raped by a 17-year-old male patient in October. Some of the problems echo past failings: poor supervision of vulnerable patients, inadequate staffing levels and lack of medical care after assaults.
Sarah Mervosh & Sue Ambrose, The Dallas Morning News 12/11/2017 |
| Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
| Lawsuit: Dallas Uber Driver Accused of Rape had Family Violence Arrest |
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An elderly Tarrant County woman who told police an Uber driver raped her before dropping her off in October is suing the San Francisco company and the Dallas driver for more than $1 million. Hashem Ramezanpour, 40, is wanted on a charge of aggravated sexual assault. Fort Worth police said he may have fled the country. He is a citizen of Iran, according to court records. The 77-year-old woman -- identified in court records only as "Jane Doe" -- said in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Dallas that one of her sons used the Uber app on Oct. 22 to get her a ride from her friend's home back to her house. Ramezanpour picked up the woman in his white 2016 Honda Civic. But instead of driving her home, Ramezanpour took the woman to a secluded wooded area, where he "viciously beat and raped her," according to the suit.
Claire Ballor & Julieta Chiquillo, The Dallas Morning News 12/11/2017 |
| Read Article: The Dallas Morning News |
| In Harvey's Wake, Some Worry About TWIA's Pace at Paying Ike Claims |
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As thousands wait for insurance money to make repairs in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, more than a half-dozen school districts, cities and other government agencies are still awaiting payment from the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association on nearly $60 million in claims from Hurricane Ike. Texas City Independent School District leads the list with more than $17??million in outstanding Ike claims, followed by Dickinson ISD with $10.5 million and Chambers County with $9.5 million. Three other school districts, two cities and a community college are awaiting payment on additional claims of more than $22 million, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis. Officials said they have little faith that TWIA - the insurer of last resort - will pay the claims without further legal battles.
Shelby Webb, Houston Chronicle 12/11/2017 |
| Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| Study: Deaths From Window Blinds Show Need for Cord Ban |
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Children's injuries and deaths from window blinds have not stalled despite decades of safety concerns, according to a new U.S. study that recommends a complete ban on blinds with cords. Nearly 17,000 young children were hurt by window blinds between 1990 and 2015, and though most injuries were minor, almost 300 died, the study shows. Most deaths occurred when children became entangled or strangled by the cords. Injuries continued even after manufacturers adopted voluntary safety standards including warning labels. The industry now has a plan in the works to make cordless blinds the only option at retail stores and online.
LINDSEY TANNER, AP, Houston Chronicle 12/11/2017 |
| Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
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