I did a little shopping..... mostly for summer staples.  At the GAP I got three pairs of pants, two pairs of shorts, and 5 T-shirts for $124!!!!  When I checked out I asked the sales associate about the steals, he said it's the perfect time to shop because next week stores get in their fall merchandise.

(Image courtesy the GAP)

So drop by your favorite shops to grab the deals before they're gone.  With summer in Texas lasting virtually until October, you can find some amazing prices on the hottest trends of the season.

Another protest -- more questions remain about the raid at the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth. There were a handful of arrests for public intoxication and one injury when FW police officers and agents with the TABC came into the gay bar for an inspection a week ago.

Police are conducting an internal investigation -- as is the TABC and it will be interesting to see if this week yields some answers from either entity. So far, requests for the backgrounds of the officers -- called an internal affairs jacket -- have been stuck in slo-mo. By law, the cops do have 10 days to respond and it appears they may take every bit of that time. 

There appears to be no gray in this story -- witnesses tell one story, police tell another ... we'll see if the TRUTH, whichever side that comes from, arrives this week.

Why can't Goodwill Industries find a home for it's new GW Boutique that it wants to bring to some city in NE Tarrant County. The boutique would be one of about five in the country and feature high-end, designer women's wear for a bargain price. But, so far two cities (Colleyville and Grapevine) have said thanks, but no thanks.

Right now, Keller is considering the project -- that is far from green-lighted. Other cities are worried about hassles with the drop-off center and hurting other community resale shops. All of those are legit concerns, but as one person said today, "where is the free enterprise"? 

It will be interesting to watch this "designer debate" go on -- to see if Goodwill will get the chance to be the good neighbor that it claims it will be if the project ever finds a home.

Nearly 500 dogs were seized from a Bowie kennel this morning and taken to a temporary shelter in Fort Worth, authorities said. 

The dogs -- 496 in all --  were seized by the Montague County Sheriff's Department and the Humane Society of North Texas early Tuesday morning from the Heddins Ranch and Kennel, said Sandy Grambort, a supervisor with the Humane Society. 

"This is not a typical rescue. It is extremely large. Now we are in the midst of this -- one of the largest puppy situations that we have seen in many, many years."

Authorities were told by customers that the owners were not properly caring for the animals, and investigators with the Humane Society were able to verify those complaints. 

Parkland Hospital is now paperless. Pres. Obama is encouraging hospitals to transition to electronic records. Not many have, but Parkland is ahead of the curve. Now with a keystroke or two, records are abvailable to doctors and nurses all over the hospital. There are layers and layers of security to make sure patients personal information is safe. You want progress? Old records were secured about a mile away from the hospital and when someone needed them, it would take about a day to get them back to the hospital. They hope it saves time and lives. I worked in a paperless newsroom in Arizona. I hope Parkland's works better than the one we had. Or maybe it was just us newsies who have a deep, deep need to print everything we see.

Tonight I continue my quest for the coolest bars and nightclubs... and this stop was to a laid back bar that caters to both the uptown yuppies and the East Dallas hipsters.  Their wrap around patio is packed nearly every night of the week and I wanted to know why.  Check it out and let me know what you think, does it measure up to other pubs in town?  Cheers!  Roni

This summer, the liquor of choice seems to be vodkas, and they're all flavored.  Some of the popular ones I've seen are root beer vodka, espresso flavored vodka and sweet tea vodka.  The iced tea vodka is great with soda and fresh cut mint, but beware it's pretty sweet.  But the weirdest flavor by far, is bacon vodka!  Right now it's only sold in a few states including Connecticut, but I hope it makes it down to Texas soon.  No one likes their bacon more than Texans, and I'm curious to see how it sells down here.  If you get your hands on some, holler! 

Image courtesy Bakon Vodka

...for more credit card crackdowns? A local credit consultant says all the banks are making some sort of changes. You probably won't like them.

See "why" over on the news side. It could help your credit score and who doesn't need that right now?

So a 7th quake hits Cleburne and that has many residents there wondering what is going on. The last month has been crazy for the citizens there. SMU researchers are now monitoring the area, looking for answers.

But, a geologist with the USGS says this can happen. It is called "swarm earthquakes" ... where small quakes pop up for an unknown reason and then go away. It will be interesting to watch.

That's the case for 2,300 workers at GM's assembly plant in Arlington.  After an 8 week furlough, the plant reopens under a bankruptcy restructuring. 

I talked with a husband and wife team who says they're thrilled it's a work night, as are their co-workers.  They hold out hope this time will be different and they'll once again be a viable American company.

Check with us tomorrow; I'm sure we'll have an update.

If you watched the news tonight, then you saw that AC companies are scrambling to meet a "hot demand". Many companies are working round-the-clock, answering calls for AC maintenance. Well, there's no doubt that sometimes you have to call an expert, but the experts assure me there are things all of us can do at home to increase efficiency and save money during this hot summer.

1. Wash the coils -- a hose will do and go to it.

2. Change the filter -- more often if you have pets in the house.

3. Improve ventilation in the attic -- temperatures there can reach 160 degrees or more.

I'm told all of this will help improve the bottom line until the temperatures cool off.

I can't.  More than 100 passengers on a Southwest flight got the ride of their lives yesterday, when a hole broke open on the top of the plane.

No one was hurt and experts say it could have been much worse.  Investigators say the plane's safety system did what it should have, limiting the the damage to a small space.

What caused this most bumpy ride?  You know where to go. A few clicks over at the33tv.com.

Here's a picture of Tree Yoga from our shoot.  I've been getting some great feedback on Tree Yoga, and I have to say Chief Photographer John Papa (in picture above) did an amazing job capturing the scene.  He even climbed to the top of the tree and shot looking down (not easy with a 50 lb camera!!)  And I have to give props to Scotty Fralicks, a great piece can't work without stellar editing!

www.treeyoga.org 

If you have cool, unique ideas that you think would me to feature, send me an email, I get some of my best stories that way!

Cheers,

Roni

My story today was about teen texting. I have one word for you. WOW. A recent study found the average teenager texts about 2,000 times a month. No wonder their thumbs, elbows and shoulders hurt. The 13 year old girl we interviewed averages nearly 4,000 texts a month and she is feeling the pain. Baylor-Garland Dr. Jane Sadler has the following tips for people who text like crazy. Here they are in no order of importance.

1) Limit texting, 50 a day should be plenty

2) Sit up straight, don't slouch

3) Consider a touch screen, you don't have to press as hard

Good luck everyone!!

There is a connection, with one local attorney saying his new client numbers are through the roof.

The city of Dallas is being descended upon by Mary Kay's annual seminar. It will bring 31,000 people and an estimated nearly $80,000,000 to the area over the next few weeks.

One of our summer interns (yo, Robin!) took more than 100 pictures. Some are quite funny. Check them out on the picture gallery here at the33tv.com

Grapevine city council is set to vote next week on a tobacco ban for all outdoor parks, swimming pools and athletic facilites. This plan seems to be latest in the wave of "smoking bans" sweepting not only Texas, but the country.

You know this will be fodder for critics, who believe that smoking -- especially in the outdoors -- is a freedom issue. But, supporters will say, that it doesn't send the right message to children to see adults smoking in places like parks.

It looks like this will get the go-ahead from Grapevine officials. What do you think, right or wrong? Send me your thoughts.

Tonight is it.  The first time the Cowboys Stadium and the Rangers ballpark host events on the same day. 

45,000 are expected to attend Gold Cup soccer quarterfinals and 25,000 are expected to attend the baseball game.

Will there be enough lanes, parking and patience for fans to get through the day?  Check us out at 9pm and then on the33tv.com.

• The city may look into raising its storm water fee 50 cents to offset the rising costs of trash pickup, but it likely would not go into effect until next October.
  
• A Diversity Task Force has been developed to revamp the city's policies and educate employees. The City put the task force in place after the city became embroiled in the Rainbow Lounge incident.
• The City released the names of the Fort Worth police officers involved in the Rainbow Lounge incident. One officer has been suspending more than once for previous violations. Fort Worth is set to release more names Wednesday.
• The City Council unanimously approved a resolution to ask the U.S. Attorney to open an independent investigation into the Rainbow Lounge incident.
  
• The Senate pulled the plug on the F-22 project.

If you want to go out ingocnito, don't drop by Javier's.... but if you want a stylish night out, and have all eyes on you, definitely hit up this Dallas institution!  On the night that we covered Javier's, I ran into an old high school classmate, a few friends... and my husband!!  He was having dinner there, but we didn't expect to run into each other (you can imagine his surprise when a camera crew arrived at his table!) :)  I have been there on many occassions, and funny, I always order the same thing, Pescado Veracruzano (a typical fish dish with a tomato and olive sauce).  And a Mexican Martini is my new favorite cocktail!  I used to drink them in Austin at Trudy's, picture below, courtesy of the 'Coffee and Queso Blog':

http://coffeeandqueso.blogspot.com

This week we found out there was a second incident of TAKS test irregularities at Lang Middle School in Dallas.  The Texas Education Agency says it have reason to believe there was cheating on the 7th grade writing portion of the test.  You'll recall just last month 8th graders had to retake the math portion of the test because of irregularities.

DISD has told us it was an adult not a student who committed the cheating. But who we won't know until an investigation is complete is September. 

So what are the consequences?  Here's what the Texas Education Agency told me.

If it was someone with a certification, such as a teacher, that person could face a 3rd degree felony criminal charge and a revocation of their certification.

If it was the school district or an administrator, the consequence will be determined based on the severity of the incident.  They could actually lose their academic rating.

DISD has until September 1 to turn in investigation results to the TEA.  We should then who is responsible,.

Sometimes, bringing you (viewers!) the latest news requires working a "little" overtime. Shocker, huh? That was my world today in covering the Dallas City Hall Corruption trial.

Hopefully the Biggest Loser will be ME!

25 people from the entire station are WEIGHING IN to compete in a weightloss type contest.

Today we got measured for HEIGHT. (below that's me...being measured by the wonderful organizer Jennifer)

Monday it will be time to be weighed on the dreaded SCALE! Scary.

Over the next few months we'll weigh in each week to see who is shedding the most weight. No one ON AIR is actually in on the competition, but we are all excited to promote healthy living at THE33News!

But this means.. no more late night fast food runs for the newsroom :(  Which I'm normally in charge of.

Rahr Brewery can barely keep up with demand these days. 

Sales jumped 71 percent this year as people opt to cut back on higher prices items and indulge on cheaper items, such as a six pack of beer. 

"We certainly weren't expecting the growth that we've seen in 2009 as a result of that we are behind in our production," said General Manager Tony Formby.

The questions and controversy just keep coming surrounding the plight of Officer Alex Garcia, who was injured during a special assignment in Colorado. First, insurance refused to pay to fly Garcia home from Denver because the trip was not considered an "emergency". That was the beginning of the calls for the city to do the "right thing".

Now, there are questions about Garcia's workman comp. Another city insurance carrier has denied his claim, saying his condition (the aftermath of blood clotting) is not an injury that is covered. That has rankled police colleagues, who are calling for fairness for this officer.

So you have a cop -- who was giving back in the Explorer program, that is geared toward troubled youth, he gets sick/injured while on duty and now the city won't pay. What do you think? .. what is the right thing to do? Give me an earful of your comments. 

Hello, viewers.  Asking for your help here. 

Is anyone worried about a parent's financial future or helping care for a parent financially because that parent has been laid off or lost his/her savings?

If so, please contact me if you'd like to talk about it.  I would like to talk to you.

Thank you!  Take care.

A Fort Worth police officer shot a man was shot this afternoon after authorities said the man repeatedly stabbed a female UPS driver. 

The man, who has not been identified, was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. His condition was not immediately known this evening. 

According to police, the man approached the driver and repeatedly stabbed her in the back with a knife at the Bent Tree Apartments in the 2800 block of Randall Way in west Fort Worth. 

A storm ripped through the North Texas area Sunday evening sparking fires in Arlington, Hurst and Fort Worth, but no major injuries have been reported. 

At the Shadow Creek Apartments in North Richland Hills, the storm hit around 7 p.m. and lightening caused a fire in the upstairs unit, fire officials said. 

"It was like lightening hit inside my apartment," Cherri Kehoe said. "My TV went off but none of my electricity went off."

Just a few doors down, Rayburn Hatfield heard the noise and knew lightening hit close, but he didn't think it had hit a unit. 

A few minutes later, he smelled the smoke and walked out to a cloud of dense white smoke. 

Has anyone gotten one? Let me know if you do and what you think.  Pulleeeze? 

I'd like to talk to you.

Thank you!

So here is the list of the 31 police agencies in Texas -- that are getting a shot in the arm from federal stimulus dollars to hire/retain officers. But, so many are wondering why did Houston come up empy-handed? 

Also, Fort Worth police were swamped with questions about why they too received nothing. Turns out the department didn't think it fit the criteria for the grant dollars because it has not and has not intention to lay off cops and didn't turn in an application.  

The COPS Hiring Recovery Program funds were awarded to the following applicants in Texas:

Agency Name Officers Awarded Award Amount

Galveston, City of 8 $1,670,464.00

City of Dallas 50 $8,896,300.00

El Paso ISD Police Services 2 $311,498.00

Weslaco Police Department 3 $451,206.00

Harlingen Police Department 6 $924,834.00

Newton, City of 1 $146,509.00

Port Arthur, City of 6 $1,155,294.00

San Antonio Police Department 50 $10,354,400.00

Arlington Police Department 31 $6,107,248.00

Pittsburg Police Department 1 $144,327.00

Jacksonville, City of 1 $138,917.00

Lancaster Police Department 3 $639,096.00

Forest Hill, City of 1 $213,946.00

Cleveland Police Department 1 $162,615.00

Galveston County Sheriff's Office 9 $1,816,155.00

Beaumont ISD Police Department 1 $155,276.00

Marshall Police Department 2 $291,436.00

West Tawakoni, City of 1 $117,714.00

Wichita Falls, City of 4 $713,676.00

Harlandale Independent School District 1 $115,499.00

Addison, Town of 3 $713,490.00

Sansom Park Police Department 1 $134,407.00

Alamo, City of 1 $131,059.00

Alvarado Police Department 1 $176,675.00

Webb County 1 $167,607.00

Normangee Police Department 1 $137,816.00

Roma Police Department 1 $114,733.00

Willis Police Department 1 $178,422.00

Donna Independent School District 1 $114,486.00

Corsicana Police Department 2 $372,924.00

Hutchins Police Department 1 $130,550.00

The economy is crippling some people's sex lives.  Statistics show millions of couples are in sexless marriages and they are relationships the recession can worsen.  

Hear what one local therapist has to say a few clicks here over on the33tv.com. 

The Feds are entering the fight against texting & driving...pushing states to ban the practice or risk losing federal transportation funds.

What do you think?  Is it too much government, not their fight or is it needed?

Yes, he's adored by hundreds of fans, but it's not easy being Tony Romo

"As you get older, you understand that not everyone's going to like you. Not everybody is going to want to cheer for you," Romo said.

Tony has faced his fare share of criticism over the off season, mainly for the attention he's gained away from the field. Critics have accused Tony of putting too much time into his golf swing and not enough into his preparation for the upcoming season. Over the last month, more has been made of who Tony is or isn't dating; than the fact he has yet to win a playoff game. But now that he's entering his 3rd full season as a starter, Tony has learned extra criticism comes with being the quarterback of America's Team.

Romo says, "When you play the quarterback position, all those things are put on the table. You can either handle all the stuff that comes along off the field, and you can handle all the stuff that's on the field and if you can't, then your not going to last very long. That's part of being good at what you do." 

Public perception isn't always reality according to Romo. Tony says he's always been focused on football and plans on the hard work paying off this season. Romo says if critics disagree with how he lives his personal life, then that's their problem, not his.

Romo says, "There's nothing about me I'm going to change. You don't get to this position being something you're not. The only way to get better and achieve your goals is to keep plugging away. The secret is just hard work."

Be sure to catch our story on Tony Romo and the rest of Day Two of Cowboys Training Camp tonight on The 33 News at Nine.

You know I do this from time to time: try to pick your collective brain!  SO, as I've mentioned before (cue to help me), I'd like to know what's important to you with regard to the economy.

How are you being affected?  What changes has your family had to make to pay the bills, sleep at night, hold on to your retirement, help your parents or kids?

Please let me know how you feel. 

Thank you.

There is much-debate about the government program that allows people to trade in an older model car for a new one, along with a rebate.

Some car dealers in North Texas say they haven't seen a dime in reimbursement from Uncle Sam and are operating on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in rebates. Consumers too are worried. Some have signed paperwork saying if the government doesn't pay the dealer, they must give back the cash. No doubt a recipe for confusion and in some cases anger.

The government is promising more cash and a better system -- time will tell if those promises are honored and whether this was a good deal, or a bad one.