By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 25A Larry Faulkner, president of the University of Texas, had a blunt message for the students of South Oak Cliff High School. “Here’s my pitch: We want you,” he told an audience of juniors and seniors Monday. “We want to see you in Austin, and we’re going to stay […]
Year: 2002
Flaws found in screening of teachers; Up to 2,400 with criminal records may slip through yearly; Texas agency urges fingerprinting for all prospective hires
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A As many as 2,400 people become teachers in Texas every year despite having unnoticed criminal records, according to a state agency that is recommending all new teachers be fingerprinted before being allowed into a classroom. “There’s no surefire way of protecting the children, but we want to do […]
Master urged for W-H; State report blasts troubled school district over ‘disregard for law’
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 29A The long-troubled Wilmer-Hutchins school district has displayed “a pattern of disregard for law” and needs a full-time state master to oversee its activities, according to a withering report issued Thursday by the Texas comptroller’s office. “You can fix things our way, or you can fix it your way,” […]
More schools turning to lockerless lifestyle; Educators extol combination of order, fewer security worries
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A But where do they hang their Britney Spears posters? The photos torn out of Tiger Beat and YM? The loving mash note never sent to Johnny in Miss Thompson’s homeroom? At Birdville High School, students have somehow learned to live without what for generations has been a bedrock […]
With test mandate, companies score big; San Antonio becomes industry center as states scramble for exams
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A SAN ANTONIO – It’s within the city limits, but Harcourt Educational Measurement qualifies as its own boomtown. Like other champions of the No. 2 pencil and the properly filled-in bubble, Harcourt has exploded in size over the last decade thanks to education reform. Its campus, a 560,000-square-foot string […]
Oilman’s UT gift biggest of its kind; Jackson’s donation of $150 million is largest to one public campus
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A Eighty-eight-year-old John “Jack” Jackson never had children, but his generosity will help generations of Texas young people. The University of Texas will announce Saturday that Mr. Jackson, a retired Dallas oilman, will give at least $150 million to improve UT’s program in earth and environmental sciences. It is […]
Games glide to an end; ‘Something magical happened here’; Colorful finale caps Utah’s victory over security concerns
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 1A SALT LAKE CITY – When Olympic organizers announced Kiss would be performing at Sunday night’s closing ceremony, conservative Utahans weren’t sure how to react. The Deseret News, a local daily owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ran a story quoting several local citizens concerned […]
Beer-fueled crowd clashes with police; Salt Lake City lawmen fire foam-tipped bullets to quell fracas
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 10A SALT LAKE CITY – Police fired about 40 foam-tipped bullets to disperse a rowdy crowd outside an alcohol-themed venue Saturday night, officials said. Twenty people were arrested. The melee began when Bud World, a downtown beer garden set up for the Olympics, became overcrowded, forcing people out onto […]
Could’ve been Texas; Forthcoming book: Mormon Church nearly settled here
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 29B SALT LAKE CITY – When Brigham Young entered the Great Salt Lake Basin, legend has it he had but four words to say: “This is the place.” But if history had unfolded slightly differently, “the place” might have been Corpus Christi. In 1844, Mormon leaders were in serious […]
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Osmonds rock Salt Lake City; Utah’s first family still packing in fans from around the world
By Joshua Benton Staff Writer Page 28B LEHI, Utah – “We’ve been through a lot as a family,” said Merrill Osmond, sweating profusely after more than an hour on stage, playing the greatest hits of Utah’s first family. “But we’ve gotten through it all. And we appreciate all the love and support you’ve given us […]