Shootout Victims ID'd as Cabin Investigation Continues

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Dorner Believed to Have Hidden in Big Bear-Area Cabin

A neighbor near a Big Bear-area cabin where suspected murdered and former LAPD Officer Christopher Dorn is believed to have hidden says he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary inside the cabin in the remote area near the mountain resort community. Patrick Healy reports from the Big Bear area for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Feb. 12, 2013.

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Forensic experts will determine whether the charred remains found Tuesday after a deadly shootout at a Big Bear-area cabin are those of Christopher Dorner -- the former LAPD officer wanted in a series of shooting deaths that were part of a revenge plot involving law enforcement agents and their families.

Timeline: Revenge-Plot Slayings | Map: LAPD Manhunt | 10:30 a.m. PT: Memorial for Slain Officer

Investigators remained Wednesday at the burned cabin where a man believed to be Dorner was involved in a shootout that killed a San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy -- one of four deaths connected to the 33-year-old fired officer in a revenge plot that targeted law enforcement officers and their families.

The slain officer was identified Wednesday afternoon as Detective Jeremiah MacKay, 35. The father of two young children, MacKay was a 15-year veteran of the department, Sheriff John McMahon said in a press conference.

Deputy Alex Collins was also struck during the shootout and is expected to recover after surgeries at Loma Linda University Medical Center, McMahon said.

A positive identification of the charred remains found in the cabin will require forensics tests, authorities said.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Dorner's driver's license was found in the cabin. The AP cited a source who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation.

Positive identification might require days or weeks to complete, police said.

"Those types of identifications can be expedited, and I'm sure everything will be done to do that in this case," LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman said at a Wednesday morning news conference.

Until that identification is confirmed, the LAPD will continue protecting law enforcement officers and their families that were named as possible targets in an 11,400-word manifesto apparently written by Dorner, according to the LAPD.

"About a dozen or so" subjects mentioned in the Dorner document remain under protection, Neiman said.

Neiman did not provide details on the investigation in the San Bernardino Mountains, adding that San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department investigators will address questions regarding events at the cabin. The sheriff's department planned to conduct a news conference Wednesday, but it was not immediately clear when that would occur.

The homicide investigations involving Dorner will continue, Neiman added.

"We don't just stop a murder case simply because we suspect that the suspect in that case is no longer with us," Neiman said. "There are some families that are literally traumatized."

A man believed to be Dorner entered the cabin Tuesday afternoon after abandoning a stolen vehicle near Highway 38 at Seven Oaks Mountain Cabins in the unincorporated community of Angelus Oaks (map). The man never came out of the structure, which was destroyed in the fire.

It is not clear how the fire started, and McMahon on Wednesday said that authorities were not involved in starting the blaze.

"We did not intentionally burn down that cabin to get Mr. Dorner out," the sheriff said.

Several walls of the cabin were knocked down with an armored vehicle, then authorities heard a single gunshot from inside, a law enforcement source told NBC4.

The cabins are southwest of Big Bear, where Dorner's burned-out vehicle was discovered Thursday after he allegedly shot and killed a Riverside police officer.

Brief Pursuit Leads to Cabin Shootout

Events unfolded Tuesday after authorities initially responded to a stolen vehicle report at 12:22 p.m. in the 1200 block of Club View Drive in Big Bear, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

A man believed to be Dorner held a couple captive at a Big Bear cabin near a command center that was set up to coordinate the multi-agency search, according to sources inside the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The two were interviewed by investigators and released.

The pair came to the house on Tuesday morning, surprising the man believed to be Dorner, who was inside, according to a spokesman for the California Fish and Wildlife Department.

The couple was tied up by the man, but the woman was able to free herself and call 911, officials said.

Initially, it was reported that the two captives were mother-daughter housekeepers. Mountain Vista Resort owners Karen and Jim Reynolds on Wednedsay night told media that they were tied up by the man before he stole their SUV.

After leaving the cabin, Dorner is believed to have stolen two vehicles before the gunfight.

A Department of Fish and Wildlife warden first noticed a driver matching the fugitive's description driving on Highway 38 at about 12:45 p.m. near Glass Road. The warden then called for backup and three additional CDFW wardens in two separate trucks began pursuing the driver, said Lt. Patrick Foy, with CDFW.

Foy said the man was driving a purple Nissan -- which he may have commandeered from the two captives -- when he was first spotted by the CDFW warden. The driver crashed the Nissan before carjacking a white pickup truck, Foy said.

One of the wardens exchanged gunfire with the subject before the man fled into the cabin, authorities said. Officers could hear audio of the cabin shootout, Neiman said.

"It was horrifying to listen to that firefight," Neiman said. "To hear those words, "officer down," is the most gut-wrenching experience you can have as a police officer."

The manhunt conducted over a widespread area of Southern California led to Big Bear Thursday after the discovery of Dorner's burned-out pickup south of Big Bear Lake. The truck was found about seven hours after Dorner shot and killed a Riverside police officer, according to investigators.

Officer Michael Crain's 10:30 a.m. memorial service was attended by some 8,000 people Wednesday.

NOTE: NBC4 incorrectly reported that the pair held captive inside a Big Bear cabin were mother-daughter housekeepers. A couple who own the Mountain Vista Resort on Clubview Drive on Wednesday evening told media that they were tied up by the man before he stole their SUV. 

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Report Calls Hospitals a Revolving Door for Elderly

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A national study revealed that a majority of hospitals in North Texas' largest cities have a revolving door for its elderly patients.

The NBC 5 Investigates Consumer Unit analyzed the North Texas data in a national study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. While the study revealed that one in six nonsurgical patients in this country had to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of being discharged, the numbers were even higher at a majority of hospitals in North Texas' largest cities -- Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and Plano.

The findings are based on 2010 readmission rates from hospitals across the country. The study is called "The Revolving Door: A report on U.S. Hospital Readmissions." It blames high readmission rates on a number of factors including differences in patient health status, quality of in-patient care, care coordination and the availability of primary care.

Of North Texas' four largest cities, Heart Hospital Baylor had the highest nonsurgical readmission rate of 22.6 percent compared to the national rate of 15.9 percent. Texas Health Harris Methodist Southwest Fort Worth had the lowest in our area at 13.4 percent.

For surgical patients, Heart Hospital Baylor in Plano again had the highest readmission rate of 15.7 percent compared to the national rate of 12.4 percent USMD Hospital at Arlington had the lowest rate at 6.1 percent.

Asked how hospitals should reduce the number of readmissions, NBC chief medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman said: "If you look at the racial and socioeconomic population of your area, I would argue that one method doesn't work for everybody and it requires leadership to realize it's a national problem that must be fixed locally."

She pointed to hospitals that have taken initiatives to reduce the rate like assigning health care officials to patients at the highest risk to educate them about how to care for themselves after they're discharged.

Administrators at Heart Hospital Baylor in Plano tell NBC 5 investigates they've already put in place a number of initiatives to reduce their readmission rate. The hospital sent NBC 5 Investigates the following statement:

"The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, now six-years old, is a specialty facility focused on treating some of the most complex cardiovascular cases regionally and throughout the United States. Because of this, The Heart Hospital recognized the need two years ago for innovative approaches to the follow-up care of patients after they leave the hospital, as we know that is vital to preventing repeated hospital admissions. For example, we now fund nurse practitioners dedicated to visiting high-risk patients in their homes for up to three months after their stay at the hospital. We know these new and innovative approaches to follow-up care have been successful as we have published these data in a peer reviewed journal (1) and internal, more current data, show our overall readmission percentage at The Heart Hospital is 6%, one of the lowest readmission rates within the Baylor Health Care System which has ranked in the best 10% of U.S. hospital systems for readmissions based on analyses performed over the past 5 years by the American Hospital Association."

Asked if patients should have reservations about being admitted to a hospital with a high readmission rate, Snyderman said no, but said patients should be aware of the rate and take measures to assure you remain healthy following discharge. She advises that you should have a written plan when you leave the hospital and you shouldn't hesitate to ask your health care team any questions.

More patient tips on reducing readmission rates and the full national report can be found on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's website.

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Owner Watched as Cabin Burned in Calif. Manhunt

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Candy Martin turned on her television Tuesday to see her family's vacation compound near Big Bear, Calif., at the center of a standoff between law enforcement officers and a man believed to a fugitive ex-police officer wanted in connection with a string of revenge-style slayings.

"At first it was just utter shock," Martin told NBC4 Los Angeles during an exclusive on-camera interview.

"And we're looking and we say, 'Oh these are cabins, these look like,' and there's no doubt that those are my cabins."

Martin said it was "surreal" to see the Seven Oaks Mountain Cabins on the news as the purported hiding place for a man believed to be former LAPD Officer Christopher Dorner.

Authorities believe the man – who several witnesses said matched Dorner's description – held two cabin owners captive at a separate residence, commandeered their sport-utility vehicle and initiated a string of dramatic events – including a carjacking, shootout, stand off and inferno that ultimately burned Martin's cabin to the ground.

"Then the fire. Oh my gosh," Martin said. "That was heart wrenching to see, the fire. I just started crying. I couldn't talk at that point."

Authorities on Tuesday said that because they believed the person inside the cabin was potentially armed, they would not send firefighters in to extinguish the blaze. By Wednesday morning, it had been reduced to ash and rubble, pictured below.

Martin bought the Seven Oaks Cabins in 2005 as a getaway for her family and with the intent to rent out the six smaller cabins on the property, which has been featured in movies and television shows.

"It's hard for me to imagine him in there," she said. "And I did do that. I imagined, what is he doing? What room is he in?"

Made of solid wood paneling and floors, the cabin was built in 1928. Any photos of the 90-year-old cabin were lost in the fire, Martin said.

But despite losing a central piece of her family's history, Martin said she feels like one of the luckier players in the tragic, week-long drama surrounding the massive manhunt for Dorner.

"I'm not the worst victim," she said. "The one's are the families who lost their loved ones. Even my daughter said, 'Mom, it's a cabin. It's not a life.'"

Detective Jeremiah MacKay, 35, was killed during Tuesday's gunfight, the San Bernardino County Sheriff said. MacKay is survived by a wife and two children – a 7-year-old daughter and a 4-month-old son.

Riverside Police Officer Michael Crain was killed on Feb. 7 while on duty waiting at a red light with his partner.

Both slayings – plus those of a former LAPD captain's daughter and her fiancé – are suspected to be connected to Dorner and the plans he allegedly laid out in a manifesto targeting law enforcement officers and their families.

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Manhunt Continues for "Dangerous" Miami Fugitive

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The manhunt for the "dangerous" and "desperate" Florida prisoner who stabbed a detective and escaped in Grapevine while being transported to Nevada continues throughout North Texas for a fourth day.

Alberto Morales, is "a schizophrenic" who vowed not to return to prison, according to authorities and a 911 call released Wednesday.

Though law enforcement officials said Morales had been "appropriately restrained" during transport, Grapevine police told NBC 5 they do not think Morales is in shackles any longer and that he may have gotten out of the shackles somehow inside the SUV. Police have not located the shackles that were on Morales.

Search Continues for Fugitive

The search continues for Alberto Morales who police say stabbed a Miami police officer Monday night in Grapevine and hasn't been seen since.

Search for Morales Centers Around Walmart

Prisoner Alberto Morales, 42, has been a fugitive since police say he stabbed one of the two Miami-Dade detectives who were transferring him Monday while they were in Grapevine awaiting the arrival of a third officer who was flying in to join them. The police search Wednesday centered around the Walmart in Grapevine.

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The 42-year-old Morales escaped Monday after using a piece from his eyeglasses to stab Miami-Dade Detective Jaime Pardinas, one of two officers transferring the prisoner by car to Nevada. The escape happened while they were stopped in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Grapevine, TX.

Grapevine police spokesman Robert Eberling said authorities continue to search near the airport and will do so until they believe they should look elsewhere. He said the search covers "any place anybody can hide," including yards and drainage ditches.

Police are warning neighbors to watch out, describing Morales as a "dangerous" and "desperate" fugitive from the law.

"Make sure your garage door's shut, your doors are locked, you're secure and make sure your house is secure. If your cars are locked out on your driveway, if you happen to park them out there, your keys are where they are.  You know where everything is. Just be aware of your surroundings,"  Lt. Todd Dearing of the Grapevine Police Department told NBC 5 on Wednesday.

"If you see someone that looks like him, please call us.  Even if you're on that edge of, 'Is it or isn't it?'  Call us.  Let us go out and talk to the individual, because you never know when that one person's going to call in, and that's actually going to be him," said Dearing.

More detectives from Miami are expected to come to Dallas to help with the search that already involves the U.S. Marshal's Service, authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border and law enforcement officials from Miami and Nevada, Eberling said.

Miami police officials said they will remain in North Texas until Morales is caught.

Police initially thought Morales might be in a vehicle stolen Tuesday morning at a motel near the airport, but Eberling said Wednesday that's not the case. He said the vehicle has been recovered in Dallas and is not believed to be connected to the incident.

Investigators say it's possible Morales has gotten some help and escaped from the area. He's now on the state's Top 10 Most Wanted List and a reward of $10,000 has been issued for information that leads to his capture.

Officials: "He's not going back to prison"

Eberling said inmates who knew Morales in prison have told investigators that he had vowed not to return.

"He's made it pretty clear that he's not going back to prison," Eberling said.

On a recording of a 911 call released Wednesday, Pardinas can be heard breathing heavily as he tells the operator that he's been stabbed. He described Morales' height, weight and appearance and then added, "He's a schizophrenic."

On another 911 call, a bystander told the operator: "There's a guy with a gun and somebody on the floor bleeding." The caller than clarified that "the guy with the gun is helping the guy that's bleeding."

Pardinas was accompanied by Miami-Dade Detective David Carrero during the transfer. They flew to Houston with Morales and then decided to drive the rest of the way after he became disruptive on the flight. They had stopped near the Wal-Mart while waiting for a third officer who was flying in to the Dallas area join them. Department policy requires three officers to be present for ground transfers of prisoners.

Pardinas, 54, remained hospitalized in Dallas on Wednesday after undergoing surgery. He's "making progress" and expected recover, a Miami-Dade police spokesman said.

In a news conference at Parkland Hospital Wednesday, authorities said Pardinas was stabbed very deeply in the neck and back and that he suffered a collapsed lung.  While his condition is improving, he is still listed in serious but stable condition.

Pardinas and Carrero were taking Morales to Nevada to serve a sentence of 30 years to life for a conviction of sexual assault with a weapon.

Officials said Morales fled wearing only one shoe and was wearing shorts at the time.

Previous Coverage:

Associated Press writers Danny Robbins and David Warren contributed to this report.

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Irving Man Pulled From Burning Bed

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Irving emergency crews saved a man from his burning bed early Thursday morning.

Firefighters were called to the Garden Plaza Apartments in the 2700 block of Irving around 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning. The woman who called told fire crews she and her husband, along with 3 dogs, were trapped inside.

Police arrived and were able to pull the man out of the apartment. The woman and the dogs were able to walk out of the apartment.

Fire crews say the man was confined to the bed and that's where the fire started.

The man was treated and taken to Parkland. He suffered burns to his arms and smoke inhalation. The woman was checked on the scene and released. 

An official cause is still under investigation.

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Marriage Counselor Accused of Sex with Patient

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A marriage counselor charged with sexual assault is on trial in Tarrant County, accused of using her position of authority to have sex with a patient.

Sheila Loven counseled a couple in 2009 and allegedly used her counseling influence to encourage the wife to file for divorce; then had an affair with her husband. 

Assistant District Attorneys Betty Arvin and Sean Colston are prosecuting the case.

The wife took the stand on Thursday and testified about her relationship with Loven, which she described as "visiting her best friend once a week to talk."

The wife said Loven spoke unfavorably about her husband for months and encouraged the two to divorce. 

"It wasn't marriage counseling, it was divorce counseling," the wife said in court. 

In Sept. 2009, after the wife filed for divorce, she met Loven at Flip's in Grapevine, Texas. Throughout lunch she disclosed to Loven suspicions she had about her husband seeing someone. She testified that after a possible girlfriend was mentioned, Loven admitted her involvement.

"It's me, it's me," the wife said Loven told her. "She had developed an interest in my husband and wanted to seek a relationship with him," she said in court.

The wife added that she was numb after the conversation with Loven and eventually got up and left the restaurant. 

The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports that Loven and the husband had an affair for two months in 2009 before the couple reconciled after realizing that Loven had been deceiving them during their separate counseling sessions.

"I thought she was my friend, I thought she cared," the wife testified.

After the couple's reconciliation, they started receiving sexually graphic, threatening and insulting text messages in Jan. 2010, allegedly from Loven. 

The defense argued in court that the messages could not be authenticated. Judge Ruben Gonzalez over ruled the objections.

Prosecutor Betty Arvin quoted in court a text message to the husband that read: "When are you going to figure out that you are nothing without me? I made you a man." 

A text sent to the wife read: "I want you to suffer."

The couple is now divorced.

Loven could face two to 20 years in prison if convicted. If convicted, as a first-time offender, she could get probation.

The trial is expected to resume on Thursday. 

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Obama to Push Preschool Programs in Ga.

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President Barack Obama's ambitious plan to expand preschool programs comes as one out of every 13 students already in Head Start classrooms is at risk of being kicked out if lawmakers don't sidestep a budget meltdown.

With a visit to the College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center in Decatur, Ga., just east of Atlanta, Obama was set to talk about enlarging early childhood education programs such as Head Start during a stop Thursday in Georgia. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, meanwhile, was telling senators on Capitol Hill that the pending budget cuts could be devastating to current students.

For full U.S. news and politics coverage, visit NBCNews.com.

Obama's team is warning Congress — and lawmakers' constituents — what is expected to happen if leaders fail to avert $85 billion in automatic budget cuts set to begin March 1. With the cuts looming, the administration has increased its pressure on lawmakers, and Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday made clear he was not looking for compromise as he began his second term.

"I propose working with states to make high-quality preschool available to every child in America," Obama told Congress and a national television audience.

The White House fleshed out Obama's plan Thursday, proposing a "continuum of high-quality early learning for a child, beginning at birth and continuing to age 5." Government would fund public preschool for any 4-year-old whose family income is 200 percent or less of the federal poverty level — a more generous threshold than the current Head Start program, which generally serves kids from families below 130 percent of the poverty line. All 50 states and the federal government would chip in.

Obama also is proposing letting communities and child care providers compete for grants to serve children 3 and younger, starting from birth. And once a state has established its program for 4-year-olds, it can use funds from the program to offer full-day kindergarten, the plan says.

Still missing from Obama's plan are any details about the cost, a key concern among Republicans. The White House says federal investment in Head Start, an $8 billion program that serves almost 1 million kids, will grow. But Obama's aides have stressed that the new programs would not add to the nation's nearly $16.5 trillion debt.

"The last budget had over $1.5 trillion of mandatory and revenue savings, things like reductions in entitlements, closing loopholes," Jason Furman, a deputy director at the National Economic Council, told reporters Wednesday. He said the new initiatives would be smaller than that.

If the White House wants to move ahead, officials are going to need help from the states to provide political cover and dollars alike. House Speaker John Boehner said Thursday involving the federal government in early childhood education was "a good way to screw it up." The Republican chairman of the House committee overseeing education policy was cool toward the proposal and was unlikely to approve new spending on it. And even Obama's allies acknowledged there was little Washington could do without governors' help.

"We can all agree on the importance of ensuring children have the foundation they need to succeed in school and in life," said Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. "However, before we spend more taxpayer dollars on new programs, we must first review what is and is not working in existing initiatives, such as Head Start."

Obama will outline details about the plan's cost when he sends his 2014 budget proposal to Congress next month, Furman said. Ahead of that, the White House and Congress are weighing whether to let the deep automatic spending cuts to take hold on March 1. If that happens, some 10,000 teachers could be out of work and 70,000 students could be kicked out of Head Start programs, the White House has warned.

The cuts would also force an additional 14,000 Head Start workers to be laid off and would mean 1.2 million students from low-income families would have their schools' funding cut. Washington also would stop paying its share of 7,200 special needs educators' salaries.

The federal government doesn't directly pay the salaries of those workers but sends money to states based on the number of students in specific categories, such as those with learning disabilities or from at-risk communities. The states generally dole out those dollars to the individual districts based on the schools' share of those students.

The automatic, across-the-board budget cuts were designed to kick in only if lawmakers failed to reach a broad agreement to reduce the nation's debt.

"Should these cuts occur, they would be harmful not only to our agency, but to critical domestic and defense priorities across the government and across the country," Duncan told Education Department employees last week, warning they might be forced to take unpaid leave to deal with the budget crunch.

Republicans and conservatives have questioned the effectiveness of Head Start programs, citing studies such as a Health and Human Services Department report last year that showed that while at-risk students enrolled in the pre-kindergarten programs saw tremendous gains in vocabulary and social development, those benefits largely faded by the time students reached third grade.

The HHS report didn't explain why the students saw a drop-off in performance or predict how they would fare as they aged. But it was a favorite reason to question Obama's plan.

"There's reason for huge skepticism," said Mike Petrilli, the executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education think tank. "Most states are still in a ditch financially and it's going to be a couple years before they're out of it. ... I don't know where the states are going to come up with the money for this."

Scores of other studies, however, were more favorable on the program, which has been shown to make at-risk students more likely to complete high school and avoid criminal arrests. In pure dollars and cents, academics called it a smart investment.

Advocates for more early childhood education said states already are working to help the most at-risk students and could be willing partners for Obama if it was worth leaders' time.

"There is no way to work on the scale he's describing without engaging with states and partnering with states," said Kris Perry, executive director of the First Five Years Fund, which advocates early education programs for at-risk children. "He's going to have to work on both sides of the aisle. He has the strength of great evidence but he'll need help from everyone to get this through."

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Carter Passes Bird as Mavs Put Away Kings 123-100

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Vince Carter scored 26 points to pass Larry Bird on the NBA's career scoring list, and the Dallas Mavericks headed into the All-Star break with a 123-100 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

Carter earned his nickname with circus dunks but can't quite rattle the rim like he used to. He's more dangerous these days from one of the places that made Bird did plenty of damage: the 3-point line.

The 14-year veteran turned aside a Sacramento rally in the third quarter by going 5 of 7 from long range and scoring 17 of Dallas' last 21 points in the period. He ended the night with 21,796 career points for 29th on the all-time list, five ahead of Bird.

"There were open shots and I was shooting them to make them. I wasn't shooting to get attention," said Carter, who also became the 11th NBA player with at least 1,600 3-pointers. "I've talked to Larry before. He is a legend and one of the greatest to play the game."

Tyreke Evans scored 23 for the Kings, who lost their 18th straight regular season game in Dallas dating back almost 10 years.

The 3-pointer that pushed Carter past Bird came from a couple of feet behind the line with 2.9 seconds left in the third quarter and gave Dallas a 92-77 lead.

"It seems like every night, one of our guys is breaking a record," said Shawn Marion, one year shy of Carter in NBA experience. "It's cool what we've accomplished in this league. And we got a `W.' All that stacked on top of each other is good."

Carter was 6 of 9 from beyond the arc, and the Mavericks made six straight from long range spanning the third and fourth quarters. Dallas finished 13 of 34 from 3-point range. 

"It speaks to how well he's taken care of himself and longevity," said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, who played with Bird in Boston. "You don't pass Larry Bird on the scoring list unless you've been in it a long time."

Dirk Nowitzki finished with 17 points, including a 3-pointer to put Dallas ahead 100-79 early in the fourth quarter. Nowitzki also had eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.

The Mavericks were up 18 early in the third quarter before Sacramento went on a 17-6 run to get within seven. Nine of the points came on free throws, and DeMarcus Cousins had a pair of baskets early in the run.

The Mavericks, who rallied from 17 down for an overtime win in Sacramento last month, didn't let the Kings do the same thing on their home court, thanks to Carter. He hit consecutive 3-pointers to end Sacramento's surge and start the Mavericks on a 19-11 run over the final five minutes of the third quarter.

The Kings, playing their fourth game in five nights before the All-Star break, didn't get closer than 17 in the fourth quarter. Cousins and Jason Thompson had 17 apiece, and James Johnson had 16 off the bench.

Cousins, who had a game-high 13 rebounds, stayed out of trouble for Sacramento after his previous two meetings with Dallas were marred by incidents. He was suspended for a game in December for hitting O.J. Mayo in the groin area during a game in Dallas, and was ejected for a flagrant foul after elbowing Carter last month in Sacramento. The foul helped the Mavericks clinch the overtime win.

Cousins, who insisted the contact was incidental both times, exchanged handshakes and hugs with Mayo and Carter after the game.

"He's going to figure it out," Sacramento coach Keith Smart said. "Believe me, whether it's going to here with the Kings or with anyone else. It's going to happen for the young man. Life is going to settle down and all his game is going to come together."  

Neither team led by more than six before the Mavericks went on an 18-4 run for a 57-40 lead late in the first half. Darren Collison had eight points, including a three-point play when he took a feed from Marion for a layup after Marion jumped over diminutive Sacramento guard Isaiah Thomas to catch an entry pass from Nowitzki.

Collison finished with 18 points and nine of Dallas' 27 assists.

The Dallas spurt included the first points from Mayo, whose dunk on an assist from Collison ended an 0-for-4 shooting start for the Mavericks' leading scorer. Mayo finished with 10 points but was 0 of 7 from long range.

It was an efficient first half for the Mavericks, who had 15 assists and just two turnovers while shooting 49 percent and taking a 59-44 lead. 

NOTES: Mavericks C Chris Kaman missed his eighth straight game with a concussion sustained in practice Jan. 28. He has passed the league-mandated concussion test but is still experiencing headaches. ... Kings G Marcus Thornton missed the game with a bruised right hand. He sustained the injury against Memphis. ... Eight different Mavericks scored in a 30-point first quarter. Nowitzki and Marion led with six apiece. ... Isaiah Thomas, who is headed to Houston for the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star weekend, extended his free throw streak to 35 over seven games. He was 3 of 3.

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AA, US Airways CEOs Discuss Merger

NBC 5 will live stream a 10 a.m. press conference featuring the CEOs of American Airlines and US Airways who will discuss the new company.

American Airlines and US Airways have officially confirmed their merger to become world's largest airline -- the "new" American Airlines.

The boards of American Airlines and US Airways both on Wednesday approved a merger deal. The formal announcement of the merger came early Thursday morning on American Airlines' website.

The companies will merge into the "new" American Airlines, keeping the recently revealed new livery and branding of the company, and dropping the US Airways name.

AA, US Airways Approve Merger

The boards of American Airlines and US Airways both on Wednesday approved a merger deal, NBC 5 has learned. Sources tell NBC 5 that a formal announcement is not expected until Thursday.

AA-US Airways Merger Affects Local Businesses

A merger between American Airlines and US Airways not only affects the airlines and their employees but also businesses near American's headquarters in Fort Worth.

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A new website for the combined company details many of the frequently asked questions about the merger.

The deal is valued by the companies at $11 billion of combined equity value based on US Airways' stock price on Feb. 13, 2013.

American Airlines CEO Tom Horton will serve as Chairman of the airline's combined Board of Directors through the first annual stockholders meeting, according to an official press release. US Airways CEO Doug Parker will serve as CEO of the new company and be a member of the Board of Directors until transitioning to the Chairman role following Horton's first year.

The company details its new board as having three American Airlines representatives, including Horton, four US Airways reps, including Doug Parker, and five AMR creditor reps.

The new airline will keep its headquarters in Fort Worth.

"Glad to see it finally happening. It will be a great airline for travelers and continue to grow. Fort Worth will remain their home and we are very pleased about that. Still lots of details to be answered, but I feel good about it," Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price told NBC 5.

The "new" American Airlines released the following statement from its leaders Thursday morning:

"Today, we are proud to launch the new American Airlines – a premier global carrier well equipped to compete and win against the best in the world," said Tom Horton, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of American Airlines.  "Together, we will be even better positioned to deliver for all of our stakeholders, including our customers, people, investors, partners, and the many communities we serve."

"The combination of American and US Airways brings together two highly complementary networks with access to the best destinations around the globe and gives us a strong platform to provide our customers the most connected, comfortable travel experience available.  The operational and financial strength of the combined airline is expected to enable continued investment in new products and technologies and will create exciting new opportunities for our people, even as we deliver strong cash flow and sustainable profitability."

"Over the past year, the American team stood tall as we established a rock solid foundation for long-term success through an efficient and effective restructuring.  As part of this process, after months of exhaustive analysis and a thorough review of all alternatives, we concluded that this merger is the best outcome for our company, delivering not only the greatest value for our financial stakeholders, but also positioning us well for sustainable success over the long term."

"This merger provides enhanced potential for full recovery for our creditors.  In addition, I am pleased that we were able to obtain the support of a sizable portion of our unsecured creditors for a plan that provides a recovery of at least a 3.5% aggregate ownership stake in the combined airline for our shareholders.  It is unusual in Chapter 11 cases – and unprecedented in recent airline restructurings – for shareholders to receive meaningful recoveries.  I look forward to working closely with Doug Parker, whom I have known as a friend for more than 25 years, and with the leadership teams of both companies to assure a smooth integration and the creation of a new industry leader."

Doug Parker, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of US Airways, said, "Today marks an exciting new chapter for American Airlines and US Airways.  American Airlines is one of the world's most iconic brands.  The combined airline will have the scale, breadth and capabilities to compete more effectively and profitably in the global marketplace.  Our combined network will provide a significantly more attractive offering to customers, ensuring that we are always able to take them where they want to travel, when they want to go."

Parker continued, "Today's announcement is possible only because of the important work carried out over the past year by Tom Horton and the American team.  No one cares more about the long-term success of American Airlines and its people than Tom.  Through a successful restructuring and this merger, Tom and the American team have established an excellent foundation for the new American Airlines to become a premier global airline.  I am grateful for all that Tom has done to ensure that American is in the best position possible for future success and am delighted he has agreed to remain on board to assist with the transition.

"I am particularly pleased for the employees of both US Airways and American.  This merger will create a stronger company, with the path to improved compensation and benefits and greater long-term opportunities for all our employees.  We are grateful to have the support of both companies' unions and thank them and their leaders for their hard work and vision.  We look forward to a bright future for our employees and enhanced service and choice for our customers.  With today's announcement, we start becoming one team and one new airline."

American Airlines flight attendants in the Association of Professional Flight Attendants said they "enthusiastically welcomed today's announcement" in a press release.

The Allied Pilots Association, which includes American Airlines pilots, said on Twitter, "This is a historic day for our airline, its employees and our passengers who rely on AA to take them across the globe."

"Soft Takeover" to World's Largest Airline

The Wall Street Journal first reported that both boards had voted on Wednesday to approve the merger.

The deal has been in the works since August, when creditors forced American to consider a merger rather than remain independent. American has been restructuring under bankruptcy protection since late 2011.

Together, American and US Airways will be slightly bigger than United Airlines. Travelers won't notice immediate changes. It will likely be months before the frequent-flier programs are merged, and possibly years before the two airlines are fully combined.

If the deal is approved by American's bankruptcy judge and antitrust regulators, the new American will have more than 900 planes, 3,200 daily flights and about 95,000 employees, not counting regional affiliates. It will expand American's current reach on the East Coast and overseas.

"If this is a takeover, it is one of the softest takeovers I've seen," said Rick Seaney with Dallas-based Farecompare.com. "Stays in Dallas, stays with advantage program One World, 70/30 deal, losing top management it looks like, but I'd say it's a pretty passive, aggressive takeover." 

The merger is a stunning achievement for Parker, who will run the new company. Parker's airline is only half the size of American and is less familiar around the world, but he prevailed by driving a wedge between American's management and its union workers and by convincing American's creditors that a merger made business sense.

"In the short-term, this deal is going to take about two years to happen, so we've seen airlines raise prices, attempt to at least three or four weeks, that's going to continue regardless of this merger," Seaney said. "Long-term prices will be higher, it'll be tempered by the economy and how much we can afford to pay for tickets right now. That's what's holding prices down at the moment."

Travelers at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport said Wednesday that they were not surprised to hear about the merger.

"I think it's good," Ethan McClusky said. "I think it betters the airline, and they said pilots are going to get better raises, so I think it's better overall."

Mark Boeller, who always flies American, said he thinks the merger will be great.

"It will give us access to the East Coast," he said. "American's going to continue being a primary player. I think it'll be awesome."

But Chris Desjardins said his experience with US Airways has not been good and said he doesn't think the merger will help American.

"When I use to fly up and down the East Coast, I would fly US Airways," he said. "All I can think of is, everything about American is going downhill; their customer service."

Just five years ago, American was the world's biggest airline. It boasted a history reaching back 80 years to the beginning of air travel. It had popularized the frequent-flier program and developed the modern system of pricing airline tickets to match demand.

But years of heavy losses drove American and parent AMR Corp. into bankruptcy protection in late 2011. The company blamed bloated labor costs; its unions accused executives of mismanagement.

NBC 5's Greg Janda, Scott Gordon, Ray Villeda and Brian Curtis contributed to this report.

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