All-American Alexis Jones scored 37 points as the state’s top-ranked MacArthur Lady Cardinals survived a valiant effort by sixth-ranked Plano West 67-60 in the regional quarterfinals Tuesday night.

Sophomore Ariel Atkins tallied 21 points as third-ranked Duncanville took care of Southlake Carroll 60-46, as the Pantherettes joined the Lady Cards in Friday’s Class 5A Region I tournament at Wilkerson Greines Activity Center in Fort Worth.

This weekend, a total of 15 DFW girls teams will try to win trips to next week’s UIL state tournament. Below is the schedule of Friday’s regional semifinal games.

Class 5A

Region I – Fort Worth

6:00 p.m. – MacArthur vs. Lubbock Coronado

8:00 p.m. – Duncanville vs. Amarillo

Finals – 1:00 p.m. Saturday

Region II – Waco

6:00 p.m. – Sachse vs. The Woodlands

8:00 p.m. – DeSoto vs. Spring Dekaney

Finals – 6:00 p.m. Saturday

Class 4A

Region I – Snyder

4:00 p.m. – Granbury vs. Clint Horizon

6:00 p.m. – Mansfield Summit vs. Canyon

Finals – 6:00 p.m. Saturday

Region II – Garland

6:00 p.m. – Rockwall vs. Bryan Rudder

7:30 p.m. – Highland Park vs. West Mesquite

Finals – 3:00 p.m. Saturday

Class 3A

Region I – Lubbock

7:00 p.m. – Kennedale vs. Lubbock Cooper

8:30 p.m. – Abilene Wylie vs. Shallower

Finals – 8:00 p.m. Saturday

Region II – Commerce

6:00 p.m. – Celina vs. Pittsburg

8:00 p.m. – Princeton vs. Liberty Eylau

Finals – 1:00 p.m. Saturday

Class 2A

Region II – Stephenville

4:00 p.m. – Brock vs. Crawford

6:00 p.m. – Alvord vs. Bruceville-Eddy

Finals – 12:00 p.m. Saturday

Class A – Division II

Region II – Abilene

5:00 p.m. – Lipan vs. Wink

7:00 p.m. – Bronte vs. Strawn

Finals – 2:00 p.m. Saturday

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The Lady Bears, who had a full-scale celebration after gaining at least a share of the title over the weekend, wrapped up the conference championship with an 80-59 victory over Texas on Tuesday night. The clincher was soured by another injury to guard Shanay Washington in the closing seconds.

“It’s a big downer, a big downer,” coach Kim Mulkey said. “You just won a conference championship outright, you clinched it, you played dominating, everybody played. And to have something like that happen in the last seconds of the game, life’s not fair.”

Washington, who returned just a month ago from a torn ACL in her left knee after playing only five games last season, crumbled to the floor with 16 seconds left after contesting a shot. The sophomore guard grabbed the bulky brace protecting her knee and could be heard crying as the home crowd went silent.

Mulkey said Washington heard a pop after coming down with most of her weight on that knee and that the player believed she re-injured the knee. Washington had a combined four ACL surgeries, two on each knee.

“I guess her prognosis is that she thinks it’s torn again,” Mulkey said. “Shanay knows what she feels.”

Washington remained down for several minutes before getting up with help and walking gingerly off the court. She was taken to the hospital after the game.

Griner, who arrived at Baylor with Washington, had 18 points and 10 rebounds for her 40th career double-double.

After a pregame ceremony when the 6-foot-8 junior phenom was recognized for becoming Baylor’s fourth 2,000-point career scorer earlier this season, Griner put the Lady Bears (28-0, 15-0 Big 12) ahead to stay with a layup only 31 seconds into the game.

The Lady Bears had clinched a share of the title with a win over Texas Tech on Saturday night, when they cut down the nets and got championship T-shirts for their second consecutive Big 12 regular season title, and third overall.

After beating Texas (15-12, 5-10) to ensure they wouldn’t have to share the title, the reaction was much more subdued.

Baylor players had the customary postgame handshake with the opposing team, and then stood in front of the band for the usual playing of the alma mater. They slapped hands with a few fans lining the edge of the court, but nothing like the raucous celebration three nights earlier, especially with Washington already in the locker room.

“Just a loss of words. It was very hard to see her go down like that and crying and saying that it’s over,” Kimetria Hayden said. “After the game, we went back there and prayed for her, told her everything is going to be OK.”

Hayden had 17 points in 21 minutes for the Lady Bears. Destiny Williams had 11 points and 10 rebounds for her 11th double-double in 52 career games.

Yvonne Anderson had 16 points to lead Texas. Chassidy Fussell had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Baylor extended its school record with its 39th consecutive home victory, matching fifth-ranked Miami for the second-longest active streak. Second-ranked Stanford has won 76 in a row at home.

“I think they proved once again why they’re the No. 1-ranked team in the country,” Longhorns coach Gail Goestenkors said. “We did some things defensively that bothered them initially, but they did what they always do. They adjust.”

The last home loss for the Lady Bears was in March 2010 against Texas.

With their poor shooting, the Longhorns never had a chance to repeat that feat.

Baylor jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the first 7 minutes.

The only points for the Longhorns in that opening spurt came on Fussell’s 3-pointer from the right wing 2 1/2 minutes into the game. They then missed eight shots in a row over the next five minutes before Fussell finally made a jumper.

After Brooklyn Pope’s strong move inside for a layup with 10:35 left in the first half put the Lady Bears up 18-7, they maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game.

Baylor built as much as a 28-point lead in the second half, when Griner played only sparingly before Mulkey had several little-used reserve players on the court together.

Baylor plays its next two games on the road, at Kansas and Texas A&M, before its regular season finale March 3 at home against Iowa State.

Three Texas starters were scoreless at halftime, when the Longhorns trailed 40-20 and were shooting only 21 percent (8 of 39), doing their best to avoid Griner. They finished shooting 34 percent (25 of 73).

“I feel like we came in timid,” Fussell said. “And she’s so tall and blocks so many shots.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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League officials said Tuesday that its compliance committee determined Nicholls’ 78-59 victory should be forfeited after it was discovered that an ineligible student-athlete participated in the Jan. 7 game. The committee ruled that the player made a noticeable contribution to the win and thus the game should be forfeited.

The team records of both schools will be adjusted to reflect the forfeiture.

Heading into Wednesday’s conference games, Nicholls’ overall record reverts to 13-12 (6-6 Southland), and UTA’s mark is adjusted to 6-18 overall (4-8 Southland). The adjusted team records will also be reflected in upcoming tournament seedings.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Whitney Hand added 11 points and seven rebounds for the Sooners (18-9, 10-5 Big 12), who tied the Aggies (19-7, 10-5) for second place in the conference standings. The schools split two meetings this season.

Sydney Carter had 12 points and Tyra White 11 for Texas A&M, which shot just 28.6 percent (18 of 63) from the floor en route to seeing its six-game winning streak against Oklahoma snapped.

Adaora Elonu’s layup with 4:53 remaining got the Aggies within 54-50, but those were their last points until 33 seconds remained. In that stretch, Texas A&M missed six shots while Hook scored four points to help the Sooners to a 60-50 advantage.

Elonu had nine points.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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The 48-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, was pushing a stroller when she was struck. Gregg Allen, El Paso’s chief of police, said the wound was caused by a “full metal jacket hard-nosed bullet” like those used in assault rifles.

Because of that, he said, the projectile caused a clean exit wound. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was treated and released.

El Paso Mayor John Cook asked residents to remain calm, saying there is “no way to prevent incidents like this from happening” and the odds of getting hit by a stray bullet are minimal.

Many people who were in the area at first didn’t realize what had happened.

“We didn’t hear anything. The first thing we heard was the firemen coming, but we didn’t know what was happening,” said Luis Gomez, a pedestrian who was shopping in the same area where the woman was hit.

She was struck at the same time Juarez police were battling alleged carjackers a few hundred feet from the U.S. border. Allen said reports indicate up to 50 shots were fired in that gunfight.

Police notified the public school district about the shooting and three El Paso schools were put on lockdown.

The bullet was sent to the Texas Department of Public Safety for ballistic analysis, but Allen said it is unlikely the owner of the gun will be found.

Since drug-related violence in Juarez spiked in 2008, bullets have struck El Paso buildings, including a local high school, City Hall and the University of Texas at El Paso. However, this is the first time a person has been hit.

Juarez and El Paso share a large metropolitan area. Their downtown areas are separated by the Rio Grande and the border fence. While El Paso has been dubbed one of the safest cities in the U.S., Juarez’s homicide rate put it among the most dangerous cities in the hemisphere.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Tangled metal intertwines with charred wood after a fire destroyed the main building of the Selwyn Preparatory School in Denton.

DENTON (AP) - Investigators say a fire that damaged a North Texas prep school has been ruled arson.

Nobody was injured in the Jan. 26 blaze that destroyed the main building at Selwyn College Preparatory School in Denton.

Fire Marshal Rick Jones says testing of a carpet and nearby materials indicated a flammable liquid was used to fuel the blaze.

The Denton Record-Chronicle reports the lab results came back Tuesday.

Authorities say no one has been arrested over the fire that broke out before classes began for the day.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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In a filing late Tuesday, T-Mobile USA said the Federal Communications Commission should stop the deal between Verizon Wireless, Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc., Bright House Networks and Cox Communications because it would place an “excessive concentration” of wireless spectrum in Verizon’s hands.

Nine public interest groups also filed motions to block the deal on Tuesday, ahead of a filing deadline on Wednesday.

With more wireless spectrum, a phone company can raise download speeds and serve more data-hungry devices like smartphones and laptops with cellular broadband.

Verizon Wireless, the country’s No. 1 cell phone company, already has a relatively large amount of spectrum, while T-Mobile, the No. 4, does not.

T-Mobile’s petition to block the deal is the first by a major Verizon Wireless competitor. Two weeks ago, T-Mobile joined Sprint Nextel Corp., the No. 3 wireless carrier, and DirecTV Group Inc., the satellite TV company, in asking the FCC to make Verizon and the cable companies produce more information about the deal.

Last week, a New Jersey’s Division of Rate Counsel, a state agency that advocates for consumers, asked the FCC to block the deal, also citing the spectrum accumulation issue.

Verizon Wireless has defended the deal, saying it means unused spectrum will become available to wireless subscribers.

In early December, Verizon Wireless announced a deal to buy spectrum from Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks for $3.6 billion. The cable companies had bought the spectrum jointly at an FCC auction in 2006, with loose plans to start a wireless company or form a joint venture with one. Those plans never came to fruition.

The parties said they hoped to close the deal by the middle of this year. But opposition to it has been mounting, with T-Mobile’s petition to block it being the most salient move so far.

Verizon later struck a similar but separate deal to buy spectrum held by Cox for $315 million. Cox had started setting up its own wireless service, but gave up last year, saying it would be too small to compete against the big cellphone companies.

Under the deals, Verizon Wireless and the cable companies will be marketing each other’s services in their stores, even though Verizon Communications Inc., the New York-based majority owner of Verizon Wireless, competes with the cable companies in providing pay-TV and broadband service.

Shares of Verizon Communications slipped 10 cents to $38.39 in morning trading Wednesday.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - We love our cheerleaders here in North Texas. So, the thought of a Broadway-caliber musical all about the fine art of cheering? Sounds like a great idea, especially if you add some great characters, a little drama and lots of fun music and tons of pom poms!

Loosely based on the 2000 film of the same name, “Bring It On” officially opens our Dallas Summer Musical’s 72nd season and continues at the Music Hall at Fair Park until Sunday, February 26. The national touring company is currently in town with all the pom(p) and circumstance of any major theatrical production. But perhaps the best thing about the rousing musical is the fact that we have two North Texans representing in all their spirited glory!

Courtney Corbeille and Dahlston Delgeo have been friends for years, and have enjoyed cheering competitively in Arlington since their teens. She went to Fort Worth Country Day School and cheered not only in high school but also at the University of Oklahoma as well. He was raised outside of Dallas, but moved to Arlington to be a part of the highly respected cheering organization. Her real dream though? Despite hearing about tryouts for the new musical in the New York Times — and scoring a perfect audition — the peppy North Texan really wants to cheer alongside America’s Sweethearts on the sidelines of Cowboys Stadium someday.

You would think co-starring in the national tour of a big splashy musical would be enough of a dream come true for any young girl — especially if you are not only dancing and acting on stage, but cheering too! Courtney said that she still holds her dream of being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader near and dear to her heart, and has plans to try out soon, if possible, despite her newfound theatrical success.

Dahlston is very supportive of her dream and said that he thinks she has a strong chance of making that team someday! All of her past teachers, friends and even her parent’s friends tell her they knew her cheering skills would make her famous one day. Most have come out to the show to see her in action, and tell her they are proud she has remained the same humble girl she always has been!

While touring, the two Texans admit having fun on the road, but told me they let out a super cheer when they knew they had finally arrived back in North Texas with the show. Because after all — if you can make it here, in what we proud North Texans like to think is the cheerleading capital of America, you can make it anywhere! Or at least you can cheer anywhere! And Courtney plans to take that confidence to DCC auditions one day soon.

You can see our local stars in “Bring It On” through Sunday on the big Music Hall stage. And maybe someday at Cowboys Stadium! Goooo team!

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State District Judge Andy Chatham will read on Wednesday the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruling of “actual innocence” for Richard Miles. He’s been free on his own recognizance since a judge recommended that he be declared innocent in October 2009.

Miles was released after an advocacy group found evidence implicating another man wasn’t given to the defense when he was convicted in 1995. However, Miles wasn’t cleared and entitled to state compensation until the appeals court ruling.

Miles’ attorney has said he’d now seek compensation under the Tim Cole Act, which provides those wrongfully convicted with $80,000 for every year of incarceration.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Dallas-based Southwest last year bought AirTran for $1.4 billion.

The dispute, which is complicating Southwest’s job of combining the two airlines, could go to arbitration. Seniority often determines job assignments and pay in the airline industry.

Members of Local 11 of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, which represents about 1,600 Southwest mechanics, voted against combining the seniority lists. Voting ended Tuesday.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Stephen Barbee (credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice)

FORT WORTH (AP) - A hearing is set to determine whether a Texas man sentenced to death for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old son should get a new trial.

Attorneys for Stephen Barbee plan to argue Wednesday that the 44-year-old death row inmate received ineffective counsel when he was convicted in a 2006 trial that lasted less than three days.

They claim Barbee’s court-appointed attorney, William H. “Bill” Ray, had a “secret deal” with the trial judge, Bob Gill, to move cases quickly through the judge’s court.

Gill retired in 2007 and now works is an assistant district attorney in Tarrant County.

State District Judge Louis Sturns, Gill’s successor, will preside over the hearing and recommend whether a new trial is warranted.

The hearing is expected to last two days.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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WEATHERFORD (AP) - The punishment phase is starting in the trial of a North Texas man who kidnapped his ex-neighbor and held her captive for nearly two weeks.

Jeffrey Allan Maxwell faces up to life in prison. Prosecutors on Wednesday will call more witnesses.

Maxwell was found guilty Tuesday of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated sexual assault.

During closing arguments, prosecutors said DNA evidence on items in Maxwell’s home support the victim’s account of her ordeal last March. She testified that after her kidnapping, Maxwell whipped and sexually assaulted her on a deer-skinning device.

She says she endured other assaults and was chained to a bed before she was rescued when authorities arrived at his Corsicana home, 50 miles south of Dallas. They went there to question him about her disappearance.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Tarrant County Fire Marshal Randy Renois is quick to point out there is still a lot of dormant brush above the green grass. And that presents a new problem.
He says the wind can quickly spread the flames. But, he adds, the muddy fields could make it tough to get fire fighting gear to the fire.

KRLD’s L.P. Phillips Reports:

Currently, only Denton County has a burn ban in place.  It’s a modified ban that changes on a day-by-day basis.

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Café Brazil’s slogan “not just another coffee house” describes the café exactly, because it serves delicious food in addition to a large selection of coffees. Breakfast is served all day, but the bread bowls are a must try. The bread bowls come with a choice of homemade chili, tortilla soup, black bean soup, or the soup of the day, which often includes favorites like chicken noodle and tomato bisque. Café Brazil has 11 locations around the Metroplex and most are open late night, or even 24 hours on the weekends.

Mostly known as a salad place, this healthy lunch locale also serves your choice of soup in a bread bowl, but you won’t find the standard soups here. Instead try tasty and unique flavors like pear and pumpkin, pesto soup, and ancho tortilla soup. A bread bowl is only $5.25 or you can try three flavors with a soup sampler for $9.25.

Related: Best Pizza In Dallas

(credit: themainbakery.com)

Main Street Bakery is not only a bakery, but also a full service restaurant and catering company. One of its offerings (only as long as that morning’s batch lasts, though) is a bread bowl filled with tomato basil or the soup of the day. There is not a set soup of the day, so it varies depending on what the chef wants to make, but has included cream of mushroom, French onion, potato, corn chowder and chili.

(credit: Emilie DesJardins)

Good Eats advertises its menu as “handmade food, Texas style,” so expect the portions to be big. The bread bowl favorite at Good Eats is on the appetizer menu. The spinach artichoke dip is served in a wheat bread bowl with a side of tortilla chips, giving you two options to scoop the warm dip. It’s enough to share if you want to try one of the “home cooking” style entrees such as the chicken fried steak, meatloaf or chicken pot pie, as well.

(credit: bjsrestaurants.com)

Although it’s known for handcrafted beer, the full menu at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse offers its share of soup. The hearty minestrone, piranha pale ale chili and broccoli cheddar are all tastier in a sourdough bread bowl. This option is available upon request, and much better than the cold, hard, plastic one it would come in otherwise. Try a Harvest Hefeweizen or BJ’s P.M. Porter along with your soup and sourdough for the perfect meal.

Related: Best Dallas Meals Under $20

Emilie currently works in Dallas television and worked with KRLD Restaurant Week for several years before that. She is always trying new places around the Metroplex to find the best food and unique things to do. See her work here.

Get organized

To eliminate the hassle of always searching, misplacing, or even spreading colds from using other’s personal items, try putting up at least one double hook and having a personal caddy for things used every day. “If you have more than one child, let that child pick out his or her favorite color, which reduces the need for labels,” says Kym Williams of Neat and Simple Organization in Dallas, Texas. “Color coding helps everyone keep up with their items and keeps the confusion down of who used what.”

Organizing your cleaning supplies also helps when it’s time to clean the bathroom. “If you keep the bathroom cleaning supplies in a caddy or bucket, and store them all in one cabinet or on a shelf, it allows for quick easy access,” adds Williams. If you have smaller children, storing your cleaning supplies in a hall closet shelf or even using child safety locks for the cabinets ensures their safety and also de-clutters the bathroom.”

De-clutter your bathroom space

Yes, there are times when you need a lot of items to get ready for your day, but take things you don’t need out of the bathroom, or store them in a designated area. “Things that are not used every day or extra supplies should be stored out of the way in areas under the sink or high up on a shelf or closed cabinet,” Kym says.

Dallas bathroom specialty stores like Uptown Country Home and Kiva Kitchen & Bath have individual style choices for everyone in your home and can help you meet your organizational needs.

Establish bathroom rules

This may be one of the most important rules for a multiperson use bathroom. Rules help establish order and keep the chaos to a minimum in the morning. To get started, just type, print, and post bathroom rules on coordinated paper. Place the rules in a frame and post or mount them near the mirror or sink area. “A few rules to get you started should include instructions such as hang damp towels on the towel bar, not the floor, re-cap the toothpaste after every use, and even no wet clothes in the hamper,” says Kym. “If you have more than one child then be sure to add a special rule to not use other people’s items without permission. Trust me, it will keep down confusion.”

Don’t be afraid to install more space

Even if you live in an apartment, there’s always room to add more space to meet your storage needs. Another tip for installing space includes helpful storage tools that help increase valuable space. BizPro Bargain Expo in Dallas offers Dallas residents thousands of square feet of shopping for homes, but particularly the bathroom.

Visit these three stores to start getting organized 

Hours: Mon to Fri – 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sat – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun – Closed

Hours: Mon to Fri – 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun – Closed

Hours: Mon to Sat – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sun – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Ivy N. Carter has been professionally writing since 1998 when she started writing for the Texas Southern University The Herald student newspaper. Since then Ivy has enjoyed writing for several magazines, newspapers, businesses and other publications throughout the country. She has a MBA is the owner of Written By INC a professional writing and editing company. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.

UNIVERSITY PARK (CBSDFW.COM) - Highland Park High School’s star basketball player didn’t suit up Tuesday night. In fact, the senior guard didn’t even sit on the bench.

“I was sitting there wishing I was out there and I could help them,” recalled David Allen.

Allen cheered on his teamates from the stands in Prosper as they faced Carrollton Newman Smith in the playoffs.

The 18-year-old was suspended from play after being arrested for driving while intoxicated. Allen, who averages 23 points a game, told his team before tip off that he let them down.

“I talked to them all. I had to apologize to them first and tell them I’m sorry,” explained Allen. Then I had to get them pumped up and ready to go,” he added.

Allen was arrested this past Saturday night in University Park after police say he hit a parked car and then drove away. According to the arrest record, Allen registered a .11 on a breathalyzer. The legal limit in Texas is .08.

David’s father says he had a long talk with his son and says that the past few days have been difficult. “He’s just dying. He’s just dying, Mike Allen repeated. “He made a mistake. He’s 18,” added David’s father.

The Allen family says there are no plans to fight the suspension and that David will remain off the court for as long as the district mandates.

David says he plans to go to college, but where and when now depends on the outcome of his DWI charge.

Highland Park went on to win the game to advance in the playoffs.

Mike Ribeiro, in his regular-season return to Montreal, and Tom Wandell also scored for the Stars (30-26-4).

Carey Price stopped 33 shots for the Canadiens (24-27-10), who have lost four of five after a four-game winning streak.

The Stars took control in the first period, outshooting the Canadiens 15-6. The shots were 9-0 in favor of Dallas before Montreal recorded its first at 8:14.

For a fifth straight game, the Canadiens allowed their opponent to strike first when Garbutt, just called up from the minors, snapped a shot from the circle over a crouched Price.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – When trips to the salon ate too much of a paycheck, some women started making their own hair care products at home –– and saved hundreds of dollars in the process.

Danea Thuemmel has had problems with her hair and scalp for months.

“I had itchy, dry scalp, and it was getting on my clothes,” she said.  “Normally in the mornings when I’m at my computer doing my emails and stuff, I’m always kind of itching and scratching.”

The mother of two from Coppell says she tried specialized shampoos, but nothing seemed to work.  So, she decided to take matters into her own hands by making some homemade remedies.

“I blended up half a cucumber, half an avocado, and a third of sour cream,” Thuemmel explained.  The mixture is supposed to help relieve itchy, dry scalp, and Thuemmel says it does work.

“With a lot of professional products, there’s a lot of dyes, a lot of acids, and a lot of stuff I cannot even pronounce,” said expert hair stylist, Susan Channell.

She encourages her clients to use homemade products when available.

“This kind of strips it down to the complete basics, and the cool thing about this is it eliminates all the unnecessary fillers,” Channell said.

African American woman can to add softness and strength to their hair naturally with Molasses.  To pre-treat, wet your hair and apply 1/4 cup of molasses from root to tip.

Leave that in for 30 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Afterwards, shampoo and condition normally.

You can also make a deep conditioning pack by mixing 1/4 cup of molasses with equal part olive or avocado oil, and then add this to your conditioner.

For best results, experts recommend Black Strap Molasses, which is available at most grocery and natural food stores.

If oily hair is a problem for you, try using a mixture of water, chamomile tea, and apple cider vinegar or sea salt.

But, Channell warns if you have color-treated hair, this mixture could cause fading.  If that happens, though, there are homemade remedies to brighten your hue.

Blondes can use chamomile tea, while redheads may benefit from using carrots, cranberries, and honey.

“If you let it sit and put a plastic bag and put it under some heat because you want to open the cuticles a little bit,” Channell explained.  “It’ll deposit a little bit of color, but it also depends on what red you are.”

For a simple do-it-yourself volumizer, Channell recommends mixing sea salt and water inside a spray bottle.

Spray a little onto your roots, and then blow dry.  With many of these recipes, especially ones that call for oil, Channell recommends using an inexpensive sulfite-free shampoo afterwards just to rinse out the mix and get rid of any excess oils.

Thuemmel says she likes what she sees so far, and plans to find other recipes to try out. Interested? Visit these two resources to learn some of the tricks to save money without sacrificing hair health.

JOHNSON COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) – Ranchers who battled drought in the summer and hay thieves in the fall are now fending off criminals targeting any cattle that are left.

With cattle and beef prices hitting record highs, reports of cattle thefts are ticking up across North Texas. At least three families have been hit this year along the border of Ellis and Johnson counties.

Johnson County Sheriff’s Department investigators say 60 cattle have been reported stolen there over the last three months.

Chris Cannon lost 17 last week, including nine, 500-pound, unbranded calves. His neighbor Jim Ratjen has put up $2,000 in reward money for information leading to the thieves who hit his herd.

Across his herds in Tarrant and Dallas counties, James Lockridge estimates he’s lost 150 animals dating back through last year.

“Usually by the time a farmer counts his cows, they’ve already went through the sale barn,” Lockridge said. “We made it through everything and now they’re stealing my cattle. So, win one way, lose another.”

Lockridge, who hired security to protect his hay fields in the summer, now has them watching his cattle. He chased suspected thieves away from a field three-weeks ago. They are often on motorcycles, or off road vehicles he said, and can push 20 cattle into a trailer in just minutes.

With pastures now often surrounded by suburbs instead of other farmers, he said it’s rare someone notices anything suspicious about an unfamiliar truck and trailer in a field. He credited police in The Colony with keeping an eye on his herds, but he said the crime is becoming increasingly difficult to stop.

“You’re done,” he said. “You’re never going to get em back. You may catch who did it. You’re never going to get the money for them. You’re never going to get the cow back. It’s a no win situation.”

At the Alvarado Veterinary Clinic Dr. Clint Calvert said the word, and concern, is spreading fast among ranchers. He has started encouraging clients to make sure all their animals are branded so they can be identified at the sale barn.  “For the most part a brand is there, it’s a permanent ID, it’s your mark,” he said.

One of his clients, Victoria McCutcheon, lost two calves in the fall. Her fence was never cut. She said it appeared someone just led the animals right off her property.  “We gotta nip this in the bud,” she said. “We work hard for this stuff.”

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raiser Association is expected to release more details Wednesday about the extent of the problem. The group has offered up a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

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Ranferi Osorio, Kelvin Leon Morrison and Luis Carbajal were sentenced Tuesday for their November guilty pleas. U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay of Dallas sentenced Osorio to 10 years in prison, Morrison to 2 1/2 years in prison, and Carbajal to two years of probation.

According to federal complaints filed previously, investigators said the men met a confidential informant near Dallas in November and gave him 40 guns to take into Mexico.

Authorities later learned that a gun purchased in October by another member of the ring was used in an on two ICE agents, killing one and wounding another.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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