Accusations of Bullying in 13-Year-Old's Death

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More than 100 angry parents and students demonstrated outside Furlough Middle School in Terrell on Monday over a death they blame on bullying.

Zusette Moreno died in the hospital Friday on her 13th birthday after telling relatives she was assaulted in a school restroom Tuesday.

"One of the girls backed up on her neck and pushed her back up into the wall, basically. And another girl kicked her in the stomach with her foot," said the girl's aunt, Lupita Primero.

Primero said the girl attended the school for about a month after moving to Terrell with her mother to be closer to other family members there.

The aunt said another bullying incident happened to Moreno with the same girls before Thanksgiving, but that Zusette did not want her mother to report it to the school.

"She said 'No, I can't handle that, Mom.' She said, 'I can't mention that,'" Primero said.

Some parents at the protest said their daughter were also bullied but that the school did not take action when they complained.

"My daughter was one," Carla McLenee said. "She's been bullied by these people, and I'm here to stand behind the parents that lost their little girl Friday morning."

"It needs to stop," Hope Beech said. "A parent shouldn't have to worry if their kids are going to be safe or not at school."

Terrell Independent School District police investigated the girl's death, and Superintendent Kelly Rodgers said preliminary autopsy results from the Dallas County Medical Examiner indicate that there was no assault on Moreno.

"Our police officers looked into every rumor allegation, and there's nothing indicating that anything traumatic happened to the student physically at the school," he said.

Rodgers said grief counselors have been at the school since Friday and will remain there as students and staff cope with the death.

"She was a very, very likable student -- well-liked by the staff and students here -- and that's the way we want to remember her," Rodgers said.

The superintendent said a separate investigation is under way about the accusations of past bullying against Moreno.

"I think our officers receive that complaint from the parent Saturday, and they're investigating bullying," Rodgers said.

The demonstrators are demanding answers and changes from the school.

"They need more guards at the bathrooms," McLenee said. "They need more teachers to hire. Funding doesn't allow it, so we lose our children because of it. It's not fair."

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Crews Fight Massive Apartment Fire in Irving

Scott Gordon, NBC 5 News

A fire has destroyed all 21 units of an apartment building at the Arbors of Las Colinas in Irving.

Fire Destroys Irving Apartment Building

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Firefighters battled a large fire at an apartment complex off the President George Bush Turnpike in Irving.

The fire at the Arbors of Las Colinas in the 1000 block of San Jacinto Drive was reported at about 8:35 p.m. Crews had the blaze under control after 10 p.m.

According to initial information, the fire destroyed the building's 21 units, leaving 60 to 70 residents homeless.

Five people were injured by smoke inhalation, according to initial reports.

There were no reports of anyone trapped in the fire, the fire department said.

Crews from Dallas and Farmers Branch helped fight the fire.

The Salvation Army and the Red Cross are assisting the residents displaced by the fire.

NBC 5's Scott Gordon contributed to this report.

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Another Donkey Shot, Killed With Bow and Arrow

Ellen Goldberg, NBC 5 News

Fort Worth police and the Tarrant County game warden are investigating the deaths of two donkeys killed with arrows.

Archer Shoots, Kills Two Donkeys

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Police in Fort Worth are investigating a disturbing case of animal cruelty.

Someone shot and killed a donkey with arrows for the third time in just more than a year.

The donkey was killed Monday on private land between two busy highways -- Old Decatur Road and Highway 287 in north Fort Worth.

"'Are you kidding me?' That's exactly what went through my head," said Karen Oney, owner of the donkey.

Her family has about 15 donkeys on its land near Saginaw. A Fort Worth police officer driving by spotted one of the donkeys with two arrows in her mid-section.

"This morning at seven, she was alive and standing up," Oney said. "At 8:30, she was lying down and, by 10, she was gone," Oney said.

It is not the first death. In October 2011, someone killed two of Oney's other donkeys -- also with a bow and arrow.

Police never made any arrests in the first two cases. Now there is even more pressure to find the person seemingly using the animals for target practice.

"What pleasure do you get? We see how friendly they are -- they come right up to you -- so what kind of sport is that? I don't get it at all," Oney said.

Fort Worth police seized the arrows as evidence in the case.

Oney said she believes investigators have some leads in the case that they are not sharing.

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Previous Coverage:

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Dozens Of Dead Birds Discovered In Collin County

Randy McIlwain, NBC 5 News

NBC 5 viewer alerts us to dozens of birds killed at a busy Collin County interchange.

Dozens Of Dead Birds Discovered In...

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There's an eerie scene in McKinney. There are dozens of dead birds lining White Avenue and Central Expressway.

An NBC 5 viewer emailed pictures of the dead birds to isee@nbcdfw.com.

We contacted the Collin County Game Wardens Office. A member came out and looked at that bird. While it was bleeding from it's mouth it had not been shot and appeared to die only recently.

By our count there are close to 50 dead birds, mostly Grackles, Starlings and Pigeons.

While this is a heavily traveled area, no one seems to know how or why the birds are dying.

The Collin County Game Warden's office visited had not received any calls about the birds prior to NBC 5 contacting them this afternoon.

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December 2nd Heat Sets Record

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We are really feeling the December heat wave!  We started the month with temperatures well above average in the 80s. 

In fact, on Saturday, we tied our record high of 83 degrees at DFW International Airport.  The previous record of 83 was set in 1950.  It was even mild late at night, with temperatures only dipping into the 60s overnight.

Sunday turned out to be another record-setting day across North Texas.  We set a new record high at DFW International Airport when the temperature reached 83 degrees Sunday afternoon.  The previous record high for Sunday was 81 set back in 2007 and 1995.  We also set a new record high minimum temperature Sunday of 67.  The previous record was 63 back in 1922 and 1993. 

A cold front will arrive by Tuesday to bring us slightly cooler air.  But at this time, a big outbreak of very chilly air is not expected at least over the next seven days.

These very warm temperatures are far from average for North Texas this time of the year.  Normally, we would have afternoon highs near 60 and overnight lows near 40.  That means that temperatures are running over 20 degrees above average.  Temperatures are expected to stay above average for at least the next seven days. 

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Overpayments Kept in NTTA Secret Account

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The North Texas Tollway Authority is quick to send drivers a bill for using toll roads in North Texas, but the agency is not so fast in tracking down customers when it owes them money.

An NBC 5 investigation has discovered that money from drivers who overpay on ZipCash bills is deposited into what the NTTA calls the Overpayment Account -- not refunded or credited toward a future trip on a toll road.

The NTTA has not previously made the bank account public. It contains more than $57,000 collected from ZipCash users who have overpaid.

NTTA toll roads are cashless. Drivers without TollTags are billed by ZipCash, the agency's pay-by-invoice system.

The NBC 5 Investigates team filed an open records request to find out how many people have money sitting in the account. The list of names is more than 950 pages long.

The list NTTA provided to NBC 5 Investigates did not include any identifying information beyond the drivers' names.

Haskell Tilson's name appears on the list. NBC 5 Investigates got Tilson's license plate number and sent it to the NTTA to confirm that he is the same person with money in the overpayment account.

Tilson's $2.22 in the account is certainly not a lot of money, but he said it's the principle that concerns him.

"Why don't they just credit it to the next bill or be honest about it and just send me a check for $2.22?" he said.

While the agency spends money sending bills to collect small toll amounts, the NTTA doesn't want to spend money to send out small refunds.

"And if that costs more to return it, we can't be using dollars to chase dimes," NTTA spokesman Michael Ray said. "That's not a good use of toll-payer money. They expect us to be good stewards of their money."

Drivers have no way of knowing if their money is stuck in the overpayment account. Even though NTTA posts lists of people who owe the most in tolls, it has never publicly shared the list of people stuck in limbo.

NBC 5 Investigates asked Rey why the NTTA won't post the list and let people know about the account so they can call and ask that the money be credited to their ZipCash account.

"Well, because I think it makes good financial sense not to be starting a conversation over money that would cost us more to refund than it would be to send," he said.

While the money sits in the NTTA's hands, the agency is collecting interest on the $57,812.42 currently in the overpayment account.

The NTTA said it would refund money to customers with more than $2.50 in the overpayment account. But NBC 5 Investigates found that more than 1,500 people who are owed more than $2.50 have not received a refund or credit.

The NTTA claims it did not have enough information to find those people or set up an account for them.

If the money isn't claimed within three years, it will be sent to the Texas State Comptroller's unclaimed property division, which may ultimately notify people about their missing money.

The comptroller publicly posts a list of people with money in its account.

The tollway authority said it's just not worth the agency's time to post its own list because most of the people on the list are owed only pennies.

"And, honestly, that's what this is -- it's a lot of nickels and dimes, a lot of pennies and two cents," Rey said.

Search the NTTA Overpayment Database

NBC 5 is troubleshooting the database search and working to get it online. Thanks for your patience. In the meantime, you can search for your name in the following PDF files that are sorted by FIRST NAME:

A-D | E-J | K-Q | R-Z

The NTTA says there is currently $57,812.42 in the overpayment account.

The account was created in August of 2009. But the NTTA has only provided NBC 5 Investigates with a detailed spreadsheet documenting transactions from May 2010 to Nov. 26, 2012.

Customers who find their names on the list can call the NTTA customer service center at 972-818-NTTA (927-818-6882). The agency says it will credit the money to their account if the customers can provide proper identifying information.

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Second-Graders Charged for Bathroom Breaks

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The mother of a 7-year-old Irving elementary school student says her son wet his pants in class after his teacher refused to let him use the restroom Thursday afternoon.

"I was absolutely appalled," Sonja Cross said. "I could not believe it."

The first-year teacher at J.O. Davis Elementary awards her students with "Boyd Bucks" for good behavior. Going to the bathroom outside of the three scheduled breaks costs two Boyd Bucks per trip.

Cross' son, an honor roll student, needed to go to the bathroom, but he sat back down because he didn't have any Boyd Bucks, his mother said.

"He tried to hold it as much as he could, but he just couldn't," Cross said. "He came home from school, and he was crying and really upset."

"Really, that's just unhealthy," Cross said. "I think that she had no concern for the children."

Cross complained to the teacher, but didn't like the response.

"Originally when I first spoke with the teacher, she was just going to show my son special treatment, but then I said, 'That's just not good enough. I need for you to stop this for all the children,'" she said.

Cross informed school administrators, who quickly told the teacher to stop charging her students to go to the bathroom.

"It's not a bad idea to have a reward program in the class -- and they're going to continue that, but not for the bathroom breaks," Irving school district spokesman Billy Rudolph said.

But Cross said her son still has to face his classmates.

"The kids are teasing him and whatnot, and it's just over for him," she said. "This is something he's going to have to deal with for quite some time."

School administrators do not plan any disciplinary action. Cross said she may push for the teacher to be suspended.

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Perot Museum Hopes To Educate, Fill A Need

Mark Schnyder, NBC 5 News

Dallas' Perot Museum opens to oohs and ahhs Saturday.

Perot Museum Hopes To Educate, Fill A Need

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Perot Museum Set to Open Saturday

The Perot Museum is set to open on Saturday but NBC 5 got a sneak peak on Friday of what you can expect when you visit.

Perot Museum of Nature and Science Readies for Opening Day

Dallas's newest museum, The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, is just days away from opening its doors.

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The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is a spectacle inside and out, yet there were more jaw-dropping sights to be seen outside the museum Saturday as two acrobats danced to music while rappelling down the side of the museum. 

Minutes later, the museum opened and hundreds of people went in to explore Dallas' latest wonder.

"It's big," said Qwun Davis, referring to the building and not the dinosaur bones he's surrounded by in one exhibit.  "I like the outside.  I don't really know how it (the building) stands up because it's all placed weird.  It's cool."

On all five floors, and in all 11 permanent exhibit halls, there's something to engage or challenge the mind and boddy.

"I just think they're going to learn so much," said Ann Hardaway moments after watching her 7-year old daughter Charlotte play meteorologist in front of a map, camera and teleprompter.  "I think they've (the museum) done a really good job putting all the information together.  They've touched on all the things kids can understand layman-wise."

"It's spectacular and it's engaging, " said Walt Davis, who's touring the museum with his wife and grandsons.  "It draws you in and you do things and you learn things as you go along.

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is all about inspriring young people to want to learn about science and it's what Ross Perot said needs to happen.

"In our country, we don't have near enough scientists and engineers," Perot told NBC 5 shortly before the museum opened.  "80 percent of our PhDs at all of our elite engineering schools like Cal Tech and MIT come from two countries, China and India. Is that amazing?  We've got to create those engineers right here."

Organizers hope the museum is unlike any other and amazes all who enter.

"It's more than we ever expected," said former teacher, and Ross Perot's wife, Margot Perot.  "It's going to mean a lot to people of all ages so I hope people come again and again."

The five adult Perot children made a $50 million gift to get the museum named in Margot and Ross Perot's honor.

For more on the museum and to order tickets on line visit perotmuseum.org.
 

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Hagman to be Honored at Southfork Sunday

Getty Images

Larry Hagman, in 2011.

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Southfork Ranch in Parker will honor the life of Larry Hagman, aka J.R. Ewing, this Sunday.

The ranch will offer free public tours between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. followed by a public memorial reception where guests may leave cards, flowers and sign a memorial book.

Southfork Ranch released the following statement Monday:

Southfork Ranch mourns the loss of Larry Hagman along with his fans around the world. Southfork was considered the home of his long time larger than life character JR Ewing and Larry  also considered Southfork his home away from home. He was always excited to come back to the ranch and even had a family outing planned
the day of his passing.

Larry Hagman brought so much life and excitement to the show Dallas and his dynamic personality and great sense of humor will never be forgotten. The filming at the ranch has been like family coming home and we will all miss him.

Hagman, who was born in Fort Worth, died Friday at Medical City Dallas from complications in his battle with cancer. Small groups of people began memorializing Hagman at the ranch on Saturday.

Formal funeral and memorial plans for Hagman have not yet been revealed.

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Second-Graders Charged for Bathroom Breaks

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The mother of a 7-year-old Irving elementary school student says her son wet his pants in class after his teacher refused to let him use the restroom Thursday afternoon.

"I was absolutely appalled," Sonja Cross said. "I could not believe it."

The first-year teacher at J.O. Davis Elementary awards her students with "Boyd Bucks" for good behavior. Going to the bathroom outside of the three scheduled breaks costs two Boyd Bucks per trip.

Cross' son, an honor roll student, needed to go to the bathroom, but he sat back down because he didn't have any Boyd Bucks, his mother said.

"He tried to hold it as much as he could, but he just couldn't," Cross said. "He came home from school, and he was crying and really upset."

"Really, that's just unhealthy," Cross said. "I think that she had no concern for the children."

Cross complained to the teacher, but didn't like the response.

"Originally when I first spoke with the teacher, she was just going to show my son special treatment, but then I said, 'That's just not good enough. I need for you to stop this for all the children,'" she said.

Cross informed school administrators, who quickly told the teacher to stop charging her students to go to the bathroom.

"It's not a bad idea to have a reward program in the class -- and they're going to continue that, but not for the bathroom breaks," Irving school district spokesman Billy Rudolph said.

But Cross said her son still has to face his classmates.

"The kids are teasing him and whatnot, and it's just over for him," she said. "This is something he's going to have to deal with for quite some time."

School administrators do not plan any disciplinary action. Cross said she may push for the teacher to be suspended.

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