Arlington Morning News (Newspaper) - October 3, 1999, Arlington, Texas WEATHER Partly cloudy and warm High of 88 Winds south westerly at 10 to 15 mph Heat index to 91 Low of 62 See Page 2A BUSINESS PLUGGING IN Hightech companies pushing home builders to adopt wiring standards See Page SPORTS TRIUMPH FROM TRAGEDY bimar football player Donnie Lopez has found a family See Page IB SPORTS HOCKEY SEEKS SUPPORT Own Newspaper Arlington Texas Sunday October 1999 SO cents Builder leaving mark on industry By Kevin J Shay Staff Writer of the Arlington Morning News In an industry that helps people realize their dreams of home own Reginald Yorks dream is something of an anomaly Involved in the construction business for most of his career Mr York wanted more than merely working for someone else So in the early 1990s the Mississippi native branched out to pursue his dream which present ed more than the usual obstacles Mr York an was about to try to break into an industry that among owners is about as good ol boy dominat ed as they come these days Ive always wanted to be in business for said Mr York 37 whose business Fort York Builders has constructed homes throughout the area My dream was to be a Please see Builder on Page Winning ways Signing Nolan Ryan was turning point for Rangers teams image Arlington Morning Mark Reginald York is the owner of York Builders one of only a few businesses in the home building industry Fort York Builders has built homes throughout the area By Todd Wills Staff Arlington Morning Rangers manager Bobby Valentine called it the most important move in club history Reflections 2000 proved Mr Valentine right Arlington When gener al manager Tom Grieve signed free agent pitcher Nolan Ryan on Dec 7 1988 the acquisition did more lbin improve the team on the field The Rangers sent a message to their fans and to the rest of the country the Arlington franchise serious about the product they were putting on the field It changed the perception of the said former Rangers team president Tom an original member of the George Rose ownership group that purchased the Rangers four Please see Ryan on Page FUNDING A DREAM Arlington Morning News Tom Thelma Arendale grandmother of Grady Hicks an organizer for the Dallas 2012 Olympics campaign plays bridge with other members including Bob Hodges left at the Arlington Duplicate Bridge Club in North Arlington She gave toward the Olympics application fee Womans enterprising spirit helping her grandsons Olympic pursuits By Kathy A Goolsby Staff Writer of the Arlington Morning News Time was running out on Grady Hicks dream when he stopped by to see his grandmother on Oct Thelma Arendale Mimi to Mr Hicks could see the frustration in her grandsons face For more than a year Mr Hicks had pursued the possibility of bringing the 2012 Olympics to North Texas Community and business leaders were skep tical but the Arlington native persevered He spent countless hours on the phone searching for people willing to donate the application fee the International Olympic Committee requires from prospective Olympic sites Mr Hicks boss Bob Duncan donated to the cause but 10 days before deadline he was short with no bene factor in sight That problem wasnt the reason Mr Hicks stopped by to see his grandmother but she asked how his efforts were going Not good Mr Hicks told her his frustration evident in his voice and on his face I didnt want the Olympic project to die because so much good could come of it regionally so it had me kind of said Mr Hicks 33 While her grandson talked about other things Mrs Arendale mulled over his predicament She knew he was at the end of his rope and she knew she had the financial means to solve the problem She also knew he would never ask her for the money I could see his she said A lot of people thought he was just some wild kid wild idea but I knew him better than they Finally Mrs Arendale told her grandson that if he couldnt find the funds anywhere else she would give him the needed to meet the deadline There was so much relief that came over me but at the same time I didnt want her to feel like she had to do Mr Hicks said She assured me that was not the case She wanted to give something back to the community that has done so much for the Please see Olympics on Page INSIDE Classifieds Business Living Lottery Movie TV listings Obituaries Opinions Sports 1C 2A 2A 1B 83197 00026 competition toughens Industry professionals ponder future of print media in digital age By Jennifer Arend Staff Writer of the Arlington Morning News Steve Collins doesnt seem to have much to be optimistic about when it comes to the future of newspapers The University of Texas at Arlington journalism professor who teaches a media writing class says its almost shocking how infrequently his students read newspapers One student he said admitted to having read a Writing contest begins paper only three times ever before coming to his class This student isnt the tion to the Mr Collins said I mean most have read the paper more than three times but if on one end of the continuum are peo ple who read religiously every day far too many young people are falling to the other But even while he laments what many industry experts have also discovered that todays younger generations are causing per circulation executives to panic with steadily declining readership Mr Collins does have hope Sunday marks the beginning of National Newspaper Week dedi to recognizing the impor tance of newspapers as they play a vital role in recording the history of our country This years theme for the week which is sponsored by the Newspaper Association of Managers is Newspapers Please see Industry on Page Police say woman was slain Mother found strangled drowned in apartment Bv Nancy and John Mores ilv Arlington M Vti The Tarrant County Medical ruled Saturday that a woman found dead in her East Arlington apartment was slain Summer Ann Little an Arlington mother t two died as a result of strangulation and drowning Arlington police said Saturday Her children were ma home Friday when her body was found slumped over her par filled bathtub Neighbors said she uas pregnant with her third child Investigators have not made any arrests or identified any suspects in connection with Ms Littles slaying at Pebble Creek Apartments in the 1900 block of Pebble Stone Circle Theyre still trying to interview some people and theres still some work left to do with said Officer Dee Anderson police spokesman A possible link to the unsolved strangulation deaths of two East Arlington women in 19 has all but been ruled out police said Saturday and Christine Vu were found strangled and bound in their bathtubs at Peartree Apartments located a tew blocks from Pebble Creek Forensic evidence linked the unknown man thought to be responsible for the two educators deaths to a sexual assault at the I rm v of Texas at Arlington in February They have found nothing so far that has made them believe that they are connected to Ms Littles death said Officer Anderson Of course they have to investi gate all possibilities but there are some differences so they felt pretty confident this is not the Friends found Ms Littles body when they went to visit Friday afternoon Police said the apartment s door was unlocked and there were no signs of forced entry Friends said it was pretty normal to find her door Officer Anderson said There was also nothing that they could pinpoint as signs of a struggle Ms Little was found naked on her knees facing the tub Her upper body was bent over and her head was submerged in the water police said Police questioned several people Friday and Saturday as part of the ongoing investigation Neighbors said Ms Please see Police on Page Manfred Ayers an Arlington resident reads the Arlington Morning News on the Coffee Haus patio Saturday morning Despite many papers declining readership industry professionals day newspapers are vital to American life
