By BJ Austin, KERA News & Wire Services
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-936445.mp3
Dallas, TX – In an effort to cut down on drunk driving over the holidays, 14 Dallas Police Officers will be dedicated to DWI enforcement starting Wednesday through January 4th. Many departments across North Texas are doing the same.
Mike Taylor helped kick off the Dallas Police Department's "Home for the Holidays" program today. His 16 year old daughter Kara was killed in a wrong-way crash on the Dallas Tollway. The woman who hit her was convicted of intoxication manslaughter.
Taylor: I wasn't aware of all the statistics before. We're amazed everyday at some of the numbers that we learn, and that Texas leads in drunk driving deaths. It affects a family every 40 minutes in this country.
Over the weekend, North Texas reported two suspected drunk driving crashes. One killed a mother and her two year old daughter in Dallas. A one year old boy died in what police say was an alcohol-related crash in Grand Prairie.
TCEQ Air Monitor in Flower Mound
The state's environmental agency says it has now installed a sixth air monitoring station to test for contamination in the Barnett Shale natural gas drilling area.
The latest monitor in Flower Mound will test for 46 volatile organic compound including benzene which has been linked to cancer.
The state has also installed the $250,000 air monitoring stations in Dallas, Decatur, Dish, Eagle Mountain Lake and Fort Worth.
Hit and Run Hurts Girl At Ice Cream Truck
An 11 year old Dallas girl is recovering from a hit and run.
Police say she was making a purchase from an ice cream truck on Newmore Avenue, near Love Field Monday afternoon when she was hit by a car. The driver did not stop. Police say 51 year old Cheryl Boyce was arrested a short time later a few blocks away. She faces a charge of failure to stop and render aid. Police say the little girl is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Deputies On Lookout For Illegal Parking in Handicap Spaces
Dallas County Sheriff's Deputies will be keeping a close eye on crowded shopping mall parking lots this holiday season. They'll be targeting people who illegally park in handicap spaces.
Last year, from "Black Friday - the day after Thanksiving - to January 2nd, officers ticketed more than 100 drivers, and handed out 70 warnings.
The price for illegally parking in a handicap space is 225 dollars.