I just returned from an amazing trip to New York and Connecticut.  Central Park was aflame with fall foliage and it was inspiring to see all the trees changing color.  Here in Dallas we're not as lucky, but there is finally a hint of fall in the air.  If you're wondering what are the looks for the next few months, tonight I'm bringing the fashion trends straight from a celebrity stylist.  Here's just a hint of what you'll see, although there's lots more to come!

Alexander Wang, courtesy Saks Fifth Avenue

No, I'm not talking about alcohol.  I'm talking about candy.  We had a great Halloween at my house; the kids could barely contain themselves.   I made "mummy hot dogs" for dinner, but my daughter decided she would have none; she just wanted candy. When we got back from trick or treating, my little one dumped all her candy on the living room floor and gorged herself.

Fast forward to 1am and I have a 4 year old who is throwing up, because all she ate was candy.  A whole lot of candy.  I don't think she'll devour as much any time soon.

So what do you think of my costume? I dressed up as a leopard!  Thought it would be fun, and apparently so did Michelle Obama.  Great minds think alike.  Hope you had a Happy Halloween!!!

If you're contemplating cutting your hair, or going darker for fall, don't miss my segment tonight on the latest trends for fall hair.  I have to admit I usually play it safe (especially after a horrible haircut in which my husband called me Monchichi for a couple months) but this segment made me a little more adventurous.

Tune in tonight at 9!

Dallas County Health Department officials are ready for their first H1N1 walk-up clinic. They spent Tuesday making sure they were ready. 20 screeners, 20 nurses and 20 more are on standby if they are needed. If department estimates are correct, they probably will. More than 5,000 people are expected. The department has 10,000 doses and will have other clinics until it runs out of doses. The clinic is for people who are Dallas county residents and are both uninsured and have underlying health conditions. Department officials say the long lines would not be an issue if they had more of the H1N1 vaccine. This is a simple case of supply and demand, with demand far outstripping supply. Wednesday should be interesting.

It may seem basic but those stripes that separate the lanes of traffic along the highway come at a hefty price. Txdot' Dallas region will spend $20 million dollars to restripe roads this year. The stripes are made from a thick synthetic paint mixed with crushed glass so it's reflective. Add in the additional cost to apply the stripes onto the road and your looking at .38 cents per ft. With tens of thousands of miles in the Dallas region alone... you do the math.

I love the Fall! It is sooo beautiful! It is my favorite season. Unfortunately, as a producer I spend most of my time INSIDE the newsroom.

But ...last week ... Rebecca Miller headed to the Arboretum to see all the pumpkins they had on display. Then she brought some back some special treats back to the newsroom...

 Walt of course took the opportunity to act inappropriately.    And because Rebecca Miller wouldn't pose... our Assistant News Director did:

There are so many of them tonight in Texas and beyond.  The 33 News brought you updates and stories most of the day on this afternoon's shootings at Ft. Hood. 

During our 5:30pm newscast, I reported to viewers (hopefully you!) about a news conference with Governor Rick Perry.  He offered his prayers to those affected by the shootings and told a crowd of dozens Texas was ready to help the US military in Ft. Hood.  He also ordered flags lowered until Sunday.

Tonight during our 9pm newscast, I reported to viewers (hopefully you!) the American Red Cross in Dallas received a blood delivery from Tulsa via Southwest Airlines.  The blood will either go to Killeen or stay locally to supplement supplies sent south earlier in the day.

It was a hard day and tough news to present.  Take care and be safe.   

After such a horrific tragedy at Fort Hood, now many are asking what could have motivated the alleged gunman. He is muslim and that has prompted some to wonder if his religious roots played any role in the rampage.

Those who belong to the same faith and worship just down the highway doubt that islam played a role. They say that even though Nidal Hasan did not attend the mosque he could not be considered a devout muslim if he did open fire on his fellow soldiers.

Some specualte that it was his fear of deploying overseas that may have motivated his actions. Hasan was to deploy to Afghanistan on Nov. 28th and apparently had tried to get out of doing that duty. He went so far as to offer to pay back the military for his medical training. 

The one person who could answer questions can't speak. Hasan remains hospitalized. 

So many people want to know more about the fallen heroes who died getting ready to go to war for their country. Below are vignettes from the Associated Press about some of the victims who died during the rampage. They are truly warriors who gave all, for us.

WATCH THIS: http://www.the33tv.com/news/sns-ap-us-fort-hood-victim-vignettes,0,2575890.story

Francheska Velez

Velez, 21, of Chicago, was pregnant and preparing to return

home. A friend of Velez's, Sasha Ramos, described her as a

fun-loving person who wrote poetry and loved dancing.

"She was like my sister," Ramos, 21, said. "She was the most

fun and happy person you could know. She never did anything wrong

to anybody."

Family members said Velez had recently returned from deployment

in Iraq and had sought a lifelong career in the Army.

"She was a very happy girl and sweet," said her father, Juan

Guillermo Velez, his eyes red from crying. "She had the spirit of

a child."

Ramos, who also served briefly in the military, couldn't

reconcile that her friend was killed in this country just after

leaving a war zone.

"It makes it a lot harder," she said. "This is not something

a soldier expects - to have someone in our uniform go start

shooting at us."

---

Capt. John Gaffaney

Gaffaney, 56, was a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego

County, Calif., for more than 20 years and had arrived at Fort Hood

the day before the shooting to prepare for a deployment to Iraq.

Gaffaney, who was born in Williston, N.D., had served in the

Navy and later the California National Guard as a younger man, his

family said. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he tried to sign

up again for military service. Although the Army Reserves at first

declined, he got the call about two years ago asking him to rejoin,

said his close friend and co-worker Stephanie Powell.

"He wanted to help the boys in Iraq and Afghanistan deal with

the trauma of what they were seeing," Powell said. "He was an

honorable man. He just wanted to serve in any way he can."

His family described him as an avid baseball card collector and

fan of the San Diego Padres who liked to read military novels and

ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Gaffaney supervised a team of six social workers, including

Powell, at the county's Adult Protective Services department. Ellen

Schmeding, assistant deputy director for the county's Health and

Human Services Agency, said Gaffaney was a strong leader.

He is survived by a wife and a son.

---

Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka

Nemelka, 19, of the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan, Utah,

chose to join the Army instead of going on a mission for The Church

of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his uncle Christopher Nemelka

said.

"As a person, Aaron was as soft and kind and as gentle as they

come, a sweetheart," his uncle said. "What I loved about the kid

was his independence of thought."

Aaron Nemelka, the youngest of four children, was scheduled to

be deployed to Afghanistan in January, his family said in a

statement. Nemelka had enlisted in the Army in October 2008, Utah

National Guard Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen said.

---

Pfc. Michael Pearson

Pearson, 21, of the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Ill., quit

what he figured was a dead-end furniture company job to join the

military about a year ago.

Pearson's mother, Sheryll Pearson, said the 2006 Bolingbrook

High School graduate joined the military because he was eager to

serve his country and broaden his horizons.

"He was the best son in the whole world," she said. "He was

my best friend and I miss him."

His cousin, Mike Dostalek, showed reporters a poem Pearson

wrote. "I look only to the future for wisdom. To rock back and

forth in my wooden chair," the poem says.

At Pearson's family home Friday, a yellow ribbon was tied to a

porch light and a sticker stamped with American flags on the front

door read, "United we stand."

Neighbor Jessica Koerber, who was with Pearson's parents when

they received word Thursday their son had died, described him as a

man who clearly loved his family - someone who enjoyed horsing

around with his nieces and nephews, and other times playing his

guitar.

"That family lost their gem," she told the AP. "He was a

great kid, a great guy. ... Mikey was one of a kind."

Sheryll Pearson said she hadn't seen her son for a year because

he had been training. She told the Tribune that when she last

talked to him on the phone two days ago, they had discussed how he

would come home for Christmas.

---

Spc. Jason Dean Hunt

Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla., went into the military after

graduating from Tipton High School in 2005 and had gotten married

just two months ago, his mother, Gale Hunt, said. He had served 3

1/2 years in the Army, including a stint in Iraq.

Gale Hunt said two uniformed soldiers came to her door late

Thursday night to notify her of her son's death.

Hunt, known as J.D., was "just kind of a quiet boy and a good

kid, very kind," said Kathy Gray, an administrative assistant at

Tipton Schools.

His mother said he was family oriented.

"He didn't go in for hunting or sports," Gale Hunt said. "He

was a very quiet boy who enjoyed video games."

He had re-enlisted for six years after serving his initial

two-year assignment, she said. Jason Hunt was previously stationed

at Fort Stewart in Georgia.

---

Michael Grant Cahill

Cahill, a 62-year-old physician assistant, suffered a heart

attack two weeks ago and returned to work at the base as a civilian

employee after taking just one week off for recovery, said his

daughter Keely Vanacker.

"He survived that. He was getting back on track, and he gets

killed by a gunman," Vanacker said, her words bare with shock and

disbelief.

Cahill, of Cameron, Texas, helped treat soldiers returning from

tours of duty or preparing for deployment. Often, Vanacker said,

Cahill would walk young soldiers where they needed to go, just to

make sure they got the right treatment.

"He loved his patients, and his patients loved him," said

Vanacker, 33, the oldest of Cahill's three adult children. "He

just felt his job was important."

Cahill, who was born in Spokane, Wash., had worked as a civilian

contractor at Fort Hood for about four years, after jobs in rural

health clinics and at Veterans Affairs hospitals. He and his wife,

Joleen, had been married 37 years.

Vanacker described her father as a gregarious man and a

voracious reader who could talk for hours about any subject.

The family's typical Thanksgiving dinners ended with board games

and long conversations over the table, said Vanacker, whose voice

often cracked with emotion as she remembered her father. "Now, who

I am going to talk to?"

---

Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow

DeCrow, 32, was helping train soldiers on how to help new

veterans with paperwork and had felt safe on the Army post.

"He was on a base," his wife, Marikay DeCrow, said in a

telephone interview from the couple's home at Fort Gordon, Ga.,

where she hoped to be reunited with her husband once he finished

his work at Fort Hood. "They should be safe there. They should be

safe."

His wife said she wanted everyone to know what a loving man he

was. The couple have a 13-year-old daughter, Kylah.

"He was well loved by everyone," she said through sobs. "He

was a loving father and husband and he will be missed by all."

DeCrow's father, Daniel DeCrow, of Fulton, Ind., said his son

graduated high school in Plymouth, Ind., and married his high

school sweetheart that summer before joining the Army. The couple

moved near Fort Gordon about five years ago, he said.

About a year ago, his son was stationed in Korea for a year.

When he returned to the U.S., the Army moved him to Fort Hood while

he waited for a position to open up in Fort Gordon so he could move

back with his wife and daughter, Daniel DeCrow said.

DeCrow said he talked to his son last week to ask him how things

were going at Fort Hood.

"As usual, the last words out of my mouth to him were that I

was proud of him," he said. "That's what I said to him every time

- that I loved him and I was proud of what he was doing. I can

carry that around in my heart."

---

Sgt. Amy Krueger

Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., joined the Army after the 2001

terrorist attacks and had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden, her

mother, Jeri Krueger said.

Amy Krueger arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to

be sent to Afghanistan in December, her mother told the Herald

Times Reporter of Manitowoc.

Jeri Krueger recalled telling her daughter that she could not

take on bin Laden by herself.

"Watch me," her daughter replied.

Kiel High School Principal Dario Talerico told The Associated

Press that Krueger graduated from the school in 1998 and had spoken

at least once to local elementary school students about her career.

"I just remember that Amy was a very good kid, who like most

kids in a small town are just looking for what their next step in

life was going to be and she chose the military," Talerico said.

"Once she got into the military, she really connected with that

kind of lifestyle and was really proud to serve her country."

---

Pfc. Kham Xiong

Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., was a father of three whose

family had a history of military service.

Xiong's father, Chor Xiong, is a native of Laos who fought the

Viet Cong alongside the CIA in 1972; Chor's father, Kham's

grandfather, also fought with the CIA; and Kham's brother, Nelson,

is a Marine serving in Afghanistan.

"I very mad," Xiong's father said Friday. Through sniffles and

tears, he said his son died for "no reason" and he has a hard

time believing Kham is gone.

Kham Xiong was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan, and his

sister Mee Xiong said the family would be able to understand if he

would have died in battle.

"He didn't get to go overseas and do what he's supposed to do,

and he's dead ... killed by our own people," Mee Xiong said.

Xiong was one of 11 siblings and came to the U.S. when he was

just a toddler. He grew up in California, then moved to Minnesota

with the family about 10 years ago, Chor Xiong said.

He was married and had three children ages 4, 2 and 10 months.

He and his wife had moved to Texas in July, Chor Xiong said.

Xiong attended Community of Peace Academy, graduating in 2004,

said high school principal Tim McGowan.

"His greatest attribute was his ability to make people smile

and make people laugh. Looking back, that's the fondest memory I

have - is that smile of his and that smile that he brought to my

face," McGowan said.

For his father, the death of the little boy who followed his dad

everywhere was hard to take. "I don't think he's dead," Chor

Xiong said, then whispered, "I don't think he's dead."

---

Juanita Warman

Warman, 55, was a military physician assistant with two

daughters and six grandchildren.

Her sister, Margaret Yaggie of Roaring Branch in north-central

Pennsylvania, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that her sister

attended Pittsburgh Langley High School and put herself through

school at the University of Pittsburgh. She said her sister spent

most of her career in the military.

---

Major L. Eduardo Caraveo

Caraveo, 52, arrived in the United States in his teens from

Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, knowing very little English said his son,

also named Eduardo Caraveo.

He earned his doctorate in psychology from the University of

Arizona and worked with bilingual special-needs students at

Tucson-area schools before entering private practice.

His son told the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson that Caraveo had

arrived at Fort Hood on Wednesday and was preparing to deploy to

Afghanistan. Eduardo Caraveo spoke to the newspaper from his

mother's Tucson home.

His father's Web site says he offered marriage seminars with a

company based in Woodbridge, Va.

The US Army rolled out a new $125 million "fitness" test for soldiers. It is a private, online survey that is meant to tell soldiers if they might have problems, or need help. But some argue it should have come a long time ago. 

Vietnam vet, Frank Filipponi didn't get help for years for PTSD after his tour of duty in the war zone. He says the problems wrecked his life, marriage and jobs. He is glad the Army is beefing up services for younger troops, but hopes they will take advantage of it. He worries there may still be too much stigma for soldiers who need help, to come forward and get it. 

The program came out before the Fort Hood shootings, but the timing just seems uncanny. Look at the picture gallery below of some of the truly poignant images from the post.

http://www.the33tv.com/news/chi-091105-fort-hood-pictures,0,5710842.photogallery

Actually, it's been awhile since I got sick. It started two Sundays ago. I went to bed and woke up Monday with a little tickle in my throat. Tuesday, that tickle had turned sore. By Wednesday afternoon my head was on fire. I knew it wasn't H1N1. I mean, what kind of self-respecting flu takes three days to drop you? I don't know what it was, but it's the same thing that smoked me last year about this time, only then, I had to leave work because I couldn't get two words out without my voice skipping. Fast-forward to today. I still sound like someone who shouldn't be at work, but I feel fine. But if you see me, don't shake my hand.

 Steve Goodie (FB)

Fump.com's Steve Goodie pokes fun at the Northwest Airlines crew that became distracted and flew 150 miles past their destination.  The crew flew for 78 minutes without talking to air traffic controllers and only became aware of their mistake when a flight attendant called to ask when they would arrive!  Click the link to sing along...

http://tiny.cc/OYxWw

More details http://tiny.cc/eRkrh

A stroll through the video game store will tell you all that you need to know about what games sell the most. Among the rows of auto racing, football and avatar titles are countless first person shooters. The fps make up more than half of the games on the market today and for good reason. The roaming environments and fast nonstop action has wide appeal for most serious gamers. While most FPS include mowing down monsters or taking out slow moving zombies several titles like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty, don't mess around. Solders shooting terrorist, gang members killing cops, it's just become part of norm. I know from talking to most parents it's not the violence that they have issues with but rather the strong language and sexual content. I'm not sure why parents feel this way. It seems little eyes watching overly violent images might be equally harmful.

You only have to mention teenage offenders and you get a wave of opinions. Some want to go easy because they are "kids". Others say treat them just like grownups, if they do an adult crime.

The US Supreme Court is debating whether it is cruel and unusual to send teenage criminals away for life without parole. But, you have to ask yourself is every 13 year old and/or his crime the same? The answer has to be no. Perhaps there may be teens who can be "saved" in the juvenile system and that would be great if a youngster can become a productive person. But, what about those who can't be helped? Where do you send them? Some say the only answer is prison, for life.

Look for much more debate to come. Share your thoguths and take our web poll.

A Dallas man who had two precious husky dogs stolen will ask city council members this week to beef up the city's animal laws. Brad Kirby wants the city to pass a law that would require good samaritans who pick up strays or lost pets to check for a microchip. Kirby hopes to will alleviate some of the dog theft in the city.

But, some fear it may do just the opposite and make good-hearted people turn away from helping strays. Thieves, they say, won't be bothered by a fine. What do you think? Share an opinion.

A new study paints a startling picture of how many sexual predators there may be on college campuses. In a survey of 1900 college men, 6% said they had raped or attempted to rape a woman. Woah!, does that blow you away. It did me. These guys are so brazen, they are willing to admit to their crimes.

Experts say college women are four times more likely to become victims of sexual assault because they are impressionable and vulnerable. If the numbers are to be believed, that means young women have to learn how to be smart, protect themselves and avoid situations that could turn out very bad. 

Technology. It can be maddening and it can be beautiful. Today, it was beautiful. Our story today was about a soldier stationed in Iraq who didn't miss the birth of his first daughter courtesy of Skype. Think about it, he's in Ramadi and his wife is in Arlington, and he sees his baby girl being born. The hospital tweeted and had hundreds of people following the birth. After the delivery, which dad witnessed, mom posted photographs on Facebook for family and friends to see. Technology is usually designed to make life easier, today, it simpy made it better. Not a cigar to be seen. Just Skype, Twitter and Facebook.

Click on the link for the full story. http://tiny.cc/elfsB

Check out more details: http://tiny.cc/Nyv0B

This is what happens when new technology collides with an old crime. A Lewisville woman, Lavinia Masters is finding out. She is fighting to keep the man who raped her at 13, behind bars. If he is released he will not be required to register as a sex offender, because of the way he was identified.

Kevin Glen Turner was never convicted of rape because he was identified 24 years after the crime, by DNA. Masters worries that if he is paroled next year he will be free in the public, without anyone knowing he is a sex offender.

Police admit it's a loophole, but they say only the legislature can make the changes necessary to force every sex criminal to register.

'Tis the season, for drinking and driving. Everyone knows that drunk driving increases during the holidays with more parties, gatherings, etc. Fatalities too, go up. In the wake of that, some people are questioning why Dallas Police would scale back on using a program proven to work against DWI offenders.

Police plan to seek fewer warrants for blood evidence under the "no refusal" program. They will only seek warrants for felony suspects, where it is required under the law. In cases where the cop can use discretion, he/she most likely won't seek blood evidence, which is considered the slam dunk in prosecution. Police officials say a lack of manpower and money forced the change in policy.  

This angers victims who have lost loved ones to drunk drivers. Some believe it is ludacrist for police not to use every tool available to prosecute drunk drivers. Watch the story and tell me what you think.  

http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-dpd-suspend-no-refusal-program-story,0,3697021.story

Trust me, I'm not the Grinch. I love the holidays, but here we are, two days before Thanksgiving and it just doesn't feel like the holidays. It doesn't matter how many commercials I see with cars and ribbons, or lovey-dovey earrings, or door-buster prices, it doesn't seem like the holidays. I'm convinced this is the reason: It's not cold enough. We need some cold, grey days. Maybe just for a tease, a nice flurry of something other than sunshine. I'm not talking ice, just some...weather. You know, something other than blue skies. Believe it or not, I LOVED the fog on Monday, it reminded me of growing up in California. I know a nice cold snap will snap me out of my holiday fog. If not, I'll have to reconsider my Grinchness.

For years, experts have thought there is a link between football and domestic violence, but now they may have data to prove that link.

A new study by two economists shows that police reports increased by 8% when the home team lost. The research showed that rival games escalated violence, as did games with a lot of hits, sacks and penalties.

Some believe it is wrong to blame the game and give abusers an "excuse". But, the new study may be a way for domestic violence shelters and police to plan where to put resources on the big game day. You can read the research below.

http://papers.nber.org/papers/w15497

Some fans of botox, mostly women, are crying foul over a plan by democrats to tax cosmetic procedures. Some see the tax as a way to hike revenue to pay for the healthcare overhaul, but others say it is just unfair.

Consider this: 60% of people who get cosmetic procedures make less than $90,000. That doesn't exactly jive with the idea that the tax would target the "wealthy". Still, it would bring in billions at a time when the government is desperate for cash. 

So what do you think? Give me your feedback. If you think botox and other procedures are just a luxury, what the story below by one my colleague, Shana Franklin. 

http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-economy-cosmetic-procedures-story,0,2859998.story