A judge for the U.S. Northern District of Texas, Dallas division, has ordered that a face-to-face conference between plaintiff David Trent and Safelite be held this month to discuss a possible settlement to allegations that Safelite violated Fair Labor Standards (FLSA) by not compensating for overtime.

"Individual parties and their counsel shall participate in person, not by telephone or other remote means," orders U.S. District Judge Reed O'Conner in court documents. "All other parties shall participate by a representative or representatives, in addition to counsel, who shall have unlimited settlement authority and who shall participate in person, not by telephone or other remote means.

Sterling Autobody donated prizes for Pennyslvania-based Indian Valley Middle School's recent field day fundraiser. The event aimed to raise money for Plaza Towers Elementary, which was damaged during the May 20 tornado in Oklahoma.

Sterling donated shirts and baseball caps and supplied field day prizes, including an iPad and gift cards. Sterling will also match the day’s donations and will be refurbishing a vehicle for a local Moore, Okla., family.

As part of the field day event, students traced their hands and wrote heartfelt messages of support to the students of Plaza Towers Elementary. They also joined voices to sing “Lean on Me”, and a taped recording will be sent along with their donations.

Jackie Ferrier, senior national account manager at Sterling Autobody, and her sister Vanessa, a physical education teacher at Indian Valley, came up with the idea for the school fundraiser.

“I didn't expect these kids to care so much," said Jackie. “The feelings they expressed and the love that was put into the messages written on their hands went so much deeper than I would have thought. There was true excitement in the weeks building up to their field day. It was completely contagious.”

After a yearlong hiatus, Amarillo College’s auto collision program will resume in the fall with a leader and a revamped curriculum. Courses in the two-semester program will cover painting, welding and general auto body repair, said Eddie Casias, who will head the program.

“I’m excited to take what I’ve learned and pass it on to new students, and hopefully produce enough help to get employees in shops,” Casias said.

The body shop industry has a high demand for qualified workers, he said.

“The average age of a person working in collision is in the mid-40s, and there are not a lot of new people entering the business to take the place of people retiring or getting out of it,” said Brian Jacob, AC coordinator of automotive, collision and diesel.

Casias, who began working on cars as a freshman in Palo Duro High School’s mechanics program, said high schools have gotten away from teaching the trades.

“I think they need to open back up trade schools, because college is not for everyone, and some schools have pushed college. So the market is flooded, and it leaves the trade side empty,” he said.

Forest Holt, owner of Southwest Body Shop and a member of the auto collision program advisory board, echoed concerns about the push for students to pursue four-year college degrees rather than careers in trades such as plumbing and welding.

“Working with your hands has a special satisfaction to it,” Holt said. “A lot of people miss out on that, and we miss out on bright kids who would make great service-type folks.”

AC’s auto collision program had been in place for about 25 years, but it was put on hold for the last year to move into and equip a different building on the East campus, Jacob said.

“One of the things we’re working on is having a comprehensive program,” he said. “The collision program will teach every skill needed in all entry-level jobs in every body shop in town.”

Five students are enrolled in the program. AC also plans to offer evening continuing education auto collision classes in the spring, Jacob said.

NEW ORLEANS - The owner of the body shop at which police found the car allegedly involved in a fatal hit and run of an officer bonded out of jail the morning of July 11.

Best of the Best Auto Shop owner Bill Cager, 33, was booked with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact to manslaughter on Tuesday. His bond was set at $100,000.

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