Frisco ISD Closes Tax Building Over Conn. Shooting

Omar Villafranca, NBC 5 News

Parents going to pay their school tax in Frisco say they are confused about why the collection building is closed.

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The Frisco school district tax building is closed for the winter break -- but not for reasons most parents are used to hearing.

A note taped to the building tells parents: "Due to the recent events in Connecticut, the FISD administration is requiring us to keep this building locked during the winter break."

In a statement sent late Friday night, Frisco Independent School District spokesman Jamie Driskill said the district decided to keep the building locked during the winter break when the building was not fully occupied because of "security concerns heightened by recent events."

The note on the building tells parents they can drop their payment in a drop box and apologized for the inconvenience.

Driskill said payments are collected daily. Payments are noted as being paid that day, and receipts are then mailed, he said.

The building's note caught Sunil Malik by surprise. The parent was coming to pay his taxes and get a receipt. He said he didn't understand why the building, which is near a middle school but not connected to the classrooms, was closed.

"It says it's a security concern, but the shootings were related to the kids, and it's not a school," he said.

Rejesh Chauhan, another parent, drove up to the building to pay his taxes. He read the sign and thought the note perhaps was a show of compassion for the recent tragedy in Connecticut. But he said he wasn't too pleased about having to drop his check into a drop box.

"If they put this note, I wish they would send a little sweet letter at home telling the exact reason, right?" he said.

Driskill said the district agreed that the note on the building was confusing, saying that a better solution would be determined in the future and communicated better.

The office will be open during its regular hours next week Wednesday through Friday and until noon on Monday, he said.

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Classic Cars Torched at Forney Shop

Amanda Guerra, NBC 5 News

A vandal smashed the windows of several classic Mustangs at a Forney shop and then set them on fire on Christmas morning.

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Investigators are trying to find the person who torched several classic cars at a business in Forney on Christmas Day.

Gerald Gauthier, owner of the Mustang Shop, said a friend called on Christmas morning to tell him that several cars parked outside his lot were on fire.

"He said, 'Your business, it looks like a war zone,'" he said.

Gauthier arrived to find three classic Mustangs gutted and several more with smashed windows.

"The first thing he did is, he went to destroy glass on all the vehicles," he said.

The vandal was caught on surveillance cameras installed outside Gauthier's business.

In the video, the person can be seen walking up to the vehicles, smashing the windows and then lighting something on fire. Shortly afterward, several of the vehicles can be seen erupting into flames.

"They're gone; they're completely gone. The '69 is somewhat salvageable, but these two here, they're just plain gone," said Gauthier while pointing to two classic Mustangs that were scorched and gutted by flames.

Gauthier said it has taken years to build up his business. What happened will set him back thousands of dollars, he said.

"I think someone that does this wouldn't hesitate to do it again to someone else," he said.

Now he just wants the person caught before he strikes again.

"I think somebody doesn't have any Christmas spirit," he said. "I don't have any words for it. I couldn't really even explain it."

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Unions Move Ahead On AA-US Airways Merger

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AA Merger Talks May Be at Critical Point

Pilots from both American Airlines and US Airways are taking part in four-party discussions with both companies.

APA On Standby for Merger

Leaders of the Allied Pilots Association are on standby, hoping they might be able to reach an agreement that could lead to a merger between American Airlines and US Airways.

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Leaders of the pilots union at Fort Worth based American Airlines have now approved a framework for a labor agreement if the airline merges with US Airways.

On the morning of Saturday, December 29, the Allied Pilots Association Board of Directors voted 11 to 5 to approve what's called a "memo of understanding."

The memo outlines temporary wages and work conditions if the two airlines merge. It also addresses seniority and other issues. Now American gets to look at it along with the pilots and the management at US Airways.

Unless all four parties agree to it, the Allied Pilots Association says a merger appears unlikely before American emerges from bankruptcy.  The pilots union cannot talk about specifics but said it wanted to have something done before AMR's Board of Directors meets a week from Wednesday.

Merger talks continue between the two airlines, and American Airlines is expected to emerge from bankruptcy in just months.

Click on this sentence for the statement from APA Communications Director Gregg Overman.

On Saturday, American Airlines released this statement:

"American Airlines remains actively engaged in discussions with US Airways, APA and USAPA to develop a framework for the terms of employment for pilots in the event of a merger.  The APA's proposal for this framework, approved this morning by its Board of Directors, is now subject to review and approval by American, US Airways and USAPA, which represents the US Airways pilots.  If agreed upon, a memorandum of understanding will assist our stakeholders, including the AMR Board, in making an informed decision as to whether a merger should be pursued.  This step comes as a result of American, in collaboration with the creditors committee, inviting the unions to take part in these discussions to better evaluate the costs of operational and pilot seniority integration.  We remain committed in our efforts to secure the best outcome for our financial stakeholders, our people and our customers."  Mike Trevino, AMR spokesman

The board of directors of American's parent company, AMR Corp., has scheduled a meeting Jan. 9 and could vote on a merger then, NBC 5 has learned.

People involved in the process stressed that many difficult details still must be ironed out before a merger vote can take place.

Company officials did not want to be quoted by name because of the sensitivity of the ongoing discussions.

The judge in charge of American's bankruptcy and the influential committee of creditors also would have to sign off on a deal.

American's three major unions -- representing pilots, flight attendants, and ground workers -- have already signed new labor agreements with the bankrupt airline. The talks now under way essentially involve new contracts with a merged company.

Combining workforces is full of potential pitfalls for each company. US Airways has not successfully combined labor groups since it merged with America West seven years ago. A merger with American could allow it to solve its current labor issues all at once -- or merely add to their complexity.

A merger would likely mean thousands of American employees would be pushed lower on the seniority list, but the value of a new deal could be a huge incentive. American pilots, for example, could add $100 million per year to their overall compensation, union insiders say.

It's unclear who would lead a combined airline. But analysts say a merger would likely push out American's top executive, Tom Horton, who has led the airline since it declared bankruptcy last November.

US Airways' executives have said if they win control, they would use American's brand name and keep its headquarters in Fort Worth.

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Helium Shortage Could Affect Your NYE Party

Mark Schnyder, NBC 5 News

Supply is down, demand is up and cost is way up.

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Business was popping inside Party Warehouse on Camp Bowie Road in Fort Worth Saturday morning.  But party balloons aren't all that's being inflated there.

"We've had to raise prices," said owner Steve Steffgen.

Steffgen says his helium costs are up 300%.  He is charging his customers more on a dozen helium balloons.  From $6.99 to now $9.99.

Steffgen fills his customers in about the helium shortage which he said is a supply and demand issue.  Most of the demand comes from the medical industry.  An entrepreneur with three party stores is not on the priority list for helium.

"We've had to raise prices on helium tanks that we rent and we've even had to stop renting for a while," Steffgen said.

The shortage has forced Party Warehouse to become more creative, coming up with arrangements that use less helium or none at all.  Steffgen showed us "balloon columns" on display in his story.  They're decorative and festive and the balloons are filled with air, no helium.

Steffgen said people planning on picking up helium balloon arrangements for New Year's Eve not to do it too early in the day.  His and other stores are filling some balloons with 20% to 40% air to save helium, which means the balloons will deflate a few hours sooner.

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NYC Woman Charged with Hate Crime in Deadly Subway Push

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Cops Seek Suspect in Deadly 7 Train Push

Police have released a sketch of a woman they say hurled a hardworking Queens immigrant from India to his death in front of a moving 7 train in Sunnyside. Andrew Siff reports.

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A 31-year-old Bronx woman has been charged with murder as a hate crime for pushing a man in front of an oncoming No. 7 train at a Queens subway station Thursday evening, prosecutors said.

According to the Queens district attorney's office, Erika Menendez confessed to the crime, saying she pushed 46-year-old Sundando Sen onto the tracks because she has hated Hindus and Muslims since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

"The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter's worst nightmare – being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train," said Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown. "The hateful remarks allegedly made by the defendant and which precipitated the defendant's actions can never be tolerated by a civilized society."

Menendez was charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime Saturday. She was awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court.

Authorities said Menendez was seen walking back and forth on the platform of the 40th Street station and talking to herself before sitting down, alone, on a wooden bench near the north end of the walkway. When the train pulled into the station shortly after 8 p.m., she allegedly got up off the bench and pushed Sen.

The suspect then fled the platform, running down a flight of stairs to the turnstile area and down a second flight to Queens Boulevard, witnesses said.

Police said Menendez was taken into custody Saturday in Brooklyn after a passerby recognized her from a surveillance video that captured her leaving the station. Menendez was later identified by witnesses in a lineup.

According to prosecutors, Menendez told detectives, "I pushed a Muslim off the train tracks because I hate Hindus and Muslims ever since 2001 when they put down the twin towers I've been beating them up."

Sen, a native of Calcutta, had been in the country for more than 20 years and was part owner of New Amsterdam Printing on Amsterdam Avenue, according to his three roommates. Sen had opened the business six months ago and worked seven days a week, commuting by subway daily, his friends and roommates said.

Naeem Davis, a 30-year-old deli worker, was recently arrested and charged with second-degree murder for allegedly pushing Ki-Suk Han, 58, off a midtown subway platform to his death on Dec. 3. Han was struck by a southbound Q train at the 49th Street station in Manhattan.

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Woman Survives Attempted Murder-Suicide

NBC 5

Police responded to a shooting at a home on Oakcrest.

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A Denton County woman is in a Dallas hospital after being shot by a family member overnight Saturday, police say.

Aubrey police said someone called 911 and then hungup from a home on the 1300-block of Oakcrest. When officers arrived at the home, they found an injured woman conscious and talking.

Officers quickly discovered the woman had been shot and that a second victim in the home, a man, was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Paramedics flew the woman to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.  Her condition is not known.

Investigators believe the man shot himself after shooting the woman.

A third adult woman was in the house at the time of the shooting, but she was not injured.

The shooting is under investigation, though police said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the shootings.

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Fort Worth Gun Show Drawing Big Crowd

Sara Story, NBC 5 News

Gun enthusiasts lined up at gun shows across the country and in North Texas.

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Fort Worth Gun Show Draws Big Crowds

NBC 5's Sara Story reports on one of the first gun shows in North Texas after the Tragedy in Sandy Hook. Fears over gun control regulation prompted many gun collectors to show up.

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Gun enthusiasts were met with long lines at the Will Rogers Memorial Center Saturday for The Original Fort Worth Gun Show.
  
"The attendance has just been over the top," said Tim Finucane, the show's owner.

Finucane said the gun show has been in his family for decades, but Saturday's crowd was a first. He said this crowd was driven by the uncertainty of gun laws in the wake of the school shooting in Sandy Hook, CT., that left 20 children and seven adults dead.
 
"The talk of restricting gun ownership, restricting ammo, restricting accessories, people are concerned," Finucane said. "They think they need to get out and buy it before the government takes it away."

President Barack Obama has formed a team that will look at gun control laws and possibly recommend new regulations.

Meanwhile, as the demand goes up, so do prices.

"Last year, I paid $345 for my .40 caliber hand gun. Now. I paid $557," said gun owner James Smith.

There were no protests visible to NBC 5 crews on Saturday.  However, a small crowd held a protest outside The Dulles Center in Virginia where "The Nations Gun Show" took place.

The Fort Worth gun show runs through the weekend -- and organizers expect as many people to show up on Sunday.

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