IRVING HEARS FROM JONES ABOUT A NEW STADIUM FOR COWBOYS

          Irving Mayor Joe Putnam says that the city received a
     letter from Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones asking to "open
     discussions on a staff level" about a new stadium, according
     to Richard Alm of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS, who wrote that up
     until this letter, Jones had not contacted the city since
     "resurrecting his campaign for a new stadium in September." 
     Putnam said while the sides are in the information gathering
     stage, he "insists" that Irving "won't simply toss money at
     Jones."   Putnam: "We all would like to keep the Cowboys
     here if possible.  What you get into is the same issue other
     cities face -- at what price can you reach an agreement?" 
     Alm reported that Jones "remains coy" about the location of
     the new stadium, "not ruling out" the current TX Stadium
     site, other locations within Irving and Arlington or other
     cities.  Two years ago, the Irving Convention and Visitors
     Bureau issued a study "pegging" TX Stadium's impact on the
     Irving area at $455M per year (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/18).