The Colony Courier-Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 40, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 12, 2003 Page: 1 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Colony Newspaper Collection and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the The Colony Public Library.
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972-436-3566
ww.colonyleader.con
50c
VOLUME 22, NO. 40
WEDNESDAY WRAP
Colony Courier-LEADER
Inside
Veterans
remembered
The Colony’s Veterans
Memorial opened to
the public Saturday
— See Page 10A
Sports
The Colony
season
nears end
The Colony Public LibsarPage 1B a__m
6800 Main St. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2003
Wait ‘til next year
School will start on
Thursday, Aug. 12, for Lewisville
ISD students next year, accord-
ing to the curriculum council’s
preferred calendar for the 2004-
05 school year.
That means that the LISD
would have to ask for its third
consecutive waiver to begin
classes before the date required
by state law, which is the week
that contains Aug. 19. An alter-
native calendar developed by
the committee has a start date of
Monday, Aug. 16. That would
require no waiver.
Those two class days would
be made up during
Thanksgiving week. The pre-
ferred calendar gives students a
break for the entire week - Nov.
22 to 26, 2004. The alternative
provides for only Thanksgiving
Day and the day after.
Both calendars have the holi-
day vacation beginning on
Thursday, Dec. ’23, 2004.
Students would return to class
on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005 under
the preferred calendar, on
Monday, Jan. 10 under the alter-
native. The school year would
end on Tuesday, May 24, 2005
under the preferred plan; the fol-
lowing day under the alterna-
tive.
The State Fair day is Oct 11,
2004, under both calendars, and
spring break will be March 21 to ’
25, 2004, with Monday, March 28
thrown in if bad weather doesn’t
close schools beforehand.
The LISD board will conduct
a public hearing on the calendar
on Dec. 8, then vote on the mat-
ter in January.
No fault found in
sex offender case
Report finds
man did not
have to register
as offender
A due salute
Exercise is defense
against diabetes
Making a commitment to
BY K. SHELBY SKRHAK
STAFF WRITER
The Colony police came under
fire when a police officer from
another city charged it did noth-
ing to arrest an out-of-state sex
offender. But an internal investi-
gation found the alleged sex
offender was not required to reg-
ister in Texas and the local officer,
in turn, did nothing wrong.
Haw kins reserve police officer
Wade Kern filed a formal com-
plaint against The Colony police
officer Sophia Gracia last month
and claimed neglect of duty and
discourtesy when he intervened
in a May incident.
Kern had witnessed a man,
later identified as alias Michael
Myers, who is a South Carolina
sex offender, offering to buy chil-
dren candy at the Chevron gas
station on State Highway 121 and
.Paige Road in The Colony.
Witnesses say Myers never
made contact with the girls and
left The Colony on May 27.
Police Chief Joseph T. Clark
said Gracia, specially qualified in
handling sex offender cases, did
not violate any policies in not
reporting the May incident with
Sex offender
registries identify
only segment of
convict population
BY K. SHELBY SKRHAK
STAFF WRITER
veryone in the homeowners' association knows
about the registered sex offender living at 123 Any
Town Avenue, but they don’t know the quiet soc-
cer coach living next to him may be more dangerous.
That’s because sex offenders convicted before
Texas’s new stringent Ashley’s laws took effect and
those convicted in other states are not required to regis-
ter as sex offenders.
A Plano murder case against convicted death row
inmate Michael Blair prompted the Texas Legislature in
1993 to pass “Ashley’s laws,” a package of tough sexual-
predator measures that require longer prison terms and
public registration of sex Offenders — making it one of
the strictest sex-offender statutes in the nation.
That has some worried that the community may be at
risk.
“Sex-offender registration is so important for the
safety of both children and adults too,” said Dan Leal,
executive director of the Denton County Children’s
Advocacy Center Dan Leal. “Registration puts them
under the public microscope and could possibly deter
them from offending again.”
The Lewisville based center works with local law
enforcement agencies to investigate sexual abuse, which
constitutes 95 percent of their case load, and severe
physical abuse of children. It also helps reduce the trau
See SEX, Page SA
JOSHUA HUNTER/STAFF PHOTO
Veterans from all branches of the armed services were present on
Saturday during the Veterans Memorial dedication at Five Star Complex in
The Colony. •
increase physical activity now
decreases the chances of devel-
oping type 2 diabetes later, says
Dr. Abhimanyu Garg, professor
of internal medicine at UT
Southwestern Medical Center at
Dallas.
“Avoiding sedentary behav-
iors and increasing physical
activity, particularly for individu-
als with a family history of dia-
betes, lowers the chances of
someone developing type 2 dia-
betes later in life,” Dr. Garg says.
Type 2 diabetes, the most
common form of the disease,
affects 16 million Americans.
The cause of diabetes is
unknown, although both genet-
ics and environmental factors
such as obesity and lack of exer-
cise appear to play a role in its
onset
November is American
Diabetes Month, which raises
awareness about preventable
diabetes complications: blind-
ness, amputations and heart dis-
ease.
Seeking those with
JFK story to tell
Do you have a story to tell
from the day Dallas became
infamous - Nov. 22,1963?
The Colony Courier-Leader
is seeking local residents for
special coverage of the upcom-
ing 40th anniversary of the
assassination of President John
F. Kennedy.
Do you remember where you
were when you first heard the
President had been shot or were
you among the crowd when
shots rang out? A collector of
Kennedy memorabilia, a nurse
at Parkland Hospital, a Dallas
policeman on duty that day - no
matter the story, we want to
hear it Contact us via e-mail at
sorterd @starcntexas. com
INDEX
Local Beat....
Police Reports.
2A
3A
Around Denton County... 4A
Education.....
Sports........
Calendar......
Home and Health
5A
1B
2B
4B
How to Contact Us:
Gen. Office:972-424-6565
Classified Ads: 972-422-SELL
Circulation: 972-424-9504
7
64709 00010
4
See REPORT, Page 9A -- .
ATM stolen from
charity resale shop
BY K. SHELBY SKRHAK
STAFF WRITER
A resident of The Colony has
been
charged
with bur-
glary of a
building
after police
discovered
the 21-year-
old employ-
ee of The
Colony
Resale Store
allegedly
used a store
William Moseley
forklift to haul an ATM machine
from the Christian Community
Action-operated store.
William Martin Moseley, 21, of
The Colony was arrested and
charged in the incident. He was
taken to the Denton County jail
on $40,000 bail. If convicted, he
could face up to two years in jail
and a maximum $10,000 fine.
Police say the automated
teller machine, which had been
bolted to the floor and contained
approximately $2,200 in curren-
cy, had been ripped from the
floor with a store forklift. The
suspect then allegedly transport-
ed the 350-pound machine, val-
ued at $3,000, to a rear exit door.
The ATM machine and $2,200
in $20 bills have not been recov-
ered, police said.
Employees at The Colony
Resale store, 5000 Main St., dis-
covered the burglary the morn-
ing of Nov. 3 as they returned to
work.
The suspect did not use
forced entry, but possibly hid
himself inside the store after
closing, said Lt. George Wintle
with The Colony police criminal
investigations division.
Moseley had been recently
employed at the store on a crimi-
nal work release program for a
traffic violation from The Colony
police. While working at the
store, Moseley familiarized him-
self with driving the warehouse
forklift.
“[The suspect’s friend] stated
that Moseley got the idea to steal
the ATM when he started doing
community service there and
thought it would be an easy
score,” a warrant affidavit states.
Wintle said Moseley allegedly
acted alone and no other sus-
pects are said to be involved.
Following the burglary, The
Colony police officers were led
to a residence in the 10 block of
Latimer Circle, where they dis-
covered evidence associated
with the theft.
Evidence included spools of
white receipt paper from an ATM
machine inside an alley trash can
and a torn receipt with The
Colony Resale printed at the top.
Shortly after police spoke
with the suspect, he was
observed by household members
fleeing the residence with the
stolen ATM machine.
A family member had
See ATM, Page 8A
Social Security rule has
LISD, teachers scrambling
District girds for
mass retirements;
educators seek to
keep loophole
BY STACY WRIGHT
STAFF WRITER
The clock is ticking for '
Lewisville ISD employees who
qualify for retirement
If teachers don’t retire by
December, they could face los-
ing Social Security benefits if
Congress passes the Social
Security Protection Act of
2003. It is now on hold in the
U.S. Senate.
The bill, which closes the
loophole that employees use to
receive Social Security bene-
fits, could be passed at any
time.
So just in case a huge num-
ber of employees retire
between now and next spring,
the LISD wants to be prepared.
Therefore, the district is having
its first fall job fair, which is
scheduled for,5 to 8 p.m.
Tuesday at Durham Middle
School, 2075 Edmonds in
Lewisville.
The district’s job fair usually
takes place in the spring, but
because of the Social Security
bill, the LISD decided an extra
one was needed.
“We still don’t know the
impact of the Social Security
bill in Congress,” staffing and
human resources director Jed
Reed said.
Reed said the district is just
trying to be prepared, just in
case something “unusual devel-
ops” between now and the
spring semester.
District officials do not
know how many teachers the
bill will affect, Reed said, but
they have heard a “reasonable
number” of people talking
about it.
“We believe a number of
teachers retired this year
because of the possible change
in the law and based on the
phone calls we have been
receiving,” said Richard Kouri,
Texas State Teachers
Association. “We expect an
increase in mid-year retire-
ment.”
The Social Security
Protection Act of 2003 closes a
loophole that has been intact
for employees whose pension
plans are not part of the Social
Security system. Under law,
employees of public entities
that do not participate in Social
Security, such as the LISD,
would not receive full spousal
benefits from Social Security.
Their own benefits from previ-
ous jobs or second jobs with
employers who do participate
in Social Security also would
be reduced.
However, they could work
for as little as one day - their
final day before retirement - in
a school district that partici-
pates in both the Social
Security and the state Teacher
Retirement systems to get full
benefits earned. This practice
has become increasingly popu-
lar over the years, as the word
spread about the loophole.
For example, teachers may
go work at a Social Security
district for as little as a day as a
janitor and receive full bene-
fits.
But Section 418 changes the
eligibility requirements for full
benefits from working one day
See EDUCATORS, Page 9A
0
The Record
66
We expect
an increase in
mid-year
retirement.
99
— Richard Kouri
Shop The Colony program launched to increase spending
BY K. SHELBY SKRHAK
STAFF WRITER
Live in The Colony, but go to
Plano for your haircut, Lewisville
for dinner and Carrollton for
your child’s day care? The
Colony Chamber of Commerce
wants you to keep your tax dol-
lars at home.
Hoping to boost The Colony’s
commercial sector by encourag-
ing residents to buy from their
local merchants, the chamber
has launched “Shop The Colony”
and offers weekly drawings for
$100 gift certificates to reward
residents for shopping here.
The first drawing is slated for
Friday.
“We want people to shop here
in The Colony and our participat-
ing chamber members in
Lewisville, Carrollton and
Frisco, who are supporting our
local economy,” said Delana
Hammock, owner of Gifts and
Cards Unique and chair of the
“Shop The Colony” program.
What makes this program
unique is that it includes home-
based businesses as well.
“People always talk about
supporting local businesses with
storefronts, but in this program,
we included home-based compa-
nies as well,” Hammock said.
“Often, that’s how many busi-
nesses start here in The Colony.”
Residents may enter the
drawings weekly by visiting any
of the participating merchants.
No purchase is necessary to
enter.
The chamber will draw the
name of a new winner weekly
and give them $100 in Chamber
Bucks. Drawings run Nov. 14
through the Christmas holiday.
The Chamber Bucks are the
same as cash and can be spent at
any participating merchants.
Chamber Bucks are also
available in $20 increments for
purchase through the Chamber
of Commerce at 6900 Main
Street.
"Already, I have a can full of
entries here in my store,”
Hammock said.
The chamber of commerce is
a non-profit organization funded
through membership dues and
special event fundraisers to help
sustain economic development
in The Colony.
A complete list of participat-
ing merchants is available at
www. thecolonychamber. org.
Short-term, the program
hopes to boost The Colony’s
sales tax revenues. The long-
term goal is to educate The
Colony residents about the
importance of spending money
locally.
Sales-tax revenue is generat-
ed from the 1-percent tax on
applicable business activity in
The Colony. Taxes are collected
each month by businesses, who
then file monthly returns that are
reported to the state and then
delivered to municipalities.
The program comes at a time
when retailers start gearing up
for the holiday shopping season
and shoppers head to the stores
for their gift-giving needs.
Without a shopping mall in
town, Hammock said the city’s
economy relies on such intercity
commerce.
“We want to keep the tax base
here,” said Hammock. “We also
want to support the ‘mom and
pop’ stores that contribute to the
schools, help with charities and
sponsor the various little
leagues.”
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Sorter, Dave. The Colony Courier-Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 22, No. 40, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 12, 2003, newspaper, November 12, 2003; The Colony, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1621796/m1/1/?q=%22led+zeppelin%22: accessed June 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Colony Public Library.