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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-06-14 Euless Articles�HECKQIJT Y OUR PI• Texas Star in Euless is a municipal course that gives off a country club feel By David R. Holland I May 25, 2022 Updated 21 hrs ago John R.Johnson EULESS, Texas — When Texas Star opened 25 years ago in the Pipeline Industrial Area of this mid -cities town between Dallas and Fort Worth there were lots of questions about just how popular and financially successful it would be. A landfill is within a driver's distance, although you will never see it. Texas Star was a gem, designed by Keith Foster, when it opened and it is even better today thanks to more than $500,000 in upgrades and improvements. Make a list of Texas' Top Ten municipals and I'd put it ahead of many, including El Paso's Butterfield Trail and Dallas' Stevens Park. I'd rather play Texas Star any day than daily -fee layouts like LaCantera Palmer in San Antonio and PGA Tour stop TPC Las Colinas in Irving. "This is just a beautiful piece of property with hills and elevation changes," said Scott Boven, superintendent. "During construction they kept as many trees as possible so on most holes you don't even see adjacent holes. "Golfers always tell me this is a municipal that gives a country club feel — from the minute you drive into the parking lot until an attendant takes you back to your car. Service and conditions are a No. 1 priority." The improvements of Texas Star Major upgrades included replacing the 17-year-old bentgrass greens with ultra -dwarf Bermuda mini-verde which is recommended by experts for the D-FW Metroplex. Bentgrass is a cool weather grass; Bermuda thrives in the heat of August. Also the 50 bunkers were rebuilt and filled with premier -white sand made from crushed quartz, known to be easier to hit out of for players of all skill levels. Add 80 new golf carts with GPS that includes lightning warning, a rework on tee box leveling and a cleanup of the pond on No. 16 and you have a today's technology golf experience. Texas Star: the layout This par-71 test of 6,936 yards has targets and options in abundance. Foster sculpted it out of 275 acres of rolling terrain with 100-year old oaks and natural woodlands, tall native grasses and Hurricane Creek traversing through it. No homes infringe on the course. Instead of a walk through an industrial park you have a Texas Hill Country feel with many star quality holes less than 30 minutes for D-FW International Airport. No. 9, a par-4, 422 yards, is the No. 2 handicap hole. It's named Devil's Point and requires thought for the long hitters. There's water crossing the fairway about 100 yards out. In fact, you must contend with water on holes 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 18. Other obstacles include ridges, grass bunkers, sand and Scottish -links style eyebrows -- which are basically protrusions and upheavals of turf right there in the middle of the fairways or spots you wouldn't imagine. Johnson's Crossing opens the back nine with an uphill tee shot on a 539-yard par-5 that slopes left. The tee shot must clear two large fairway bunkers, then you have to negotiate the creek which crosses in front of the green. Double Barrel on 11 gives you the option of going low left or high right on the tee shot. It's only a 337-yard par-4, but there are three bunkers surrounded by thick grass on a ridge in the middle of the fairway. On 13, Coyote Bluff, you have a blind tee shot that doglegs slightly left. Hit a good one and you can see the green well below you on this 414-yarder. Battle Cry, the 370-yard par-4 15 is the best -looking hole with a waterfall centerpiece. You have the option of hitting it long and right over the creek to have the best angle to the green. You can also hit it straight and short of the creek, dodging a bunker, to have an uphill shorter second shot. Presidio, the short and scenic 179-yard downhill par-3, follows as No. 16. The hole spotlights a stacked rock wall edging the creek on the right. The finale, named Deguello, is a par-5, 535-yarder filled with target options. There's water on the first and second shots and average players will have to hit a shorter second shot because the creek crosses the fairway. You will also have to steer clear of a fairway bunker right near the 150-yard pole. Big hitters going for the green in two have to watch out for hanging the shot right, because the creek passes to the right of the green. Texas Star is a partnership with the City of Euless. The golf course was completed in 1997 as part of the 321-acre Texas Star Sports Centre complex in Euless. It is an amateur athlete's dream, the overall complex also includes Parks at Texas Star baseball, tee -ball and soccer fields, batting cages, Softball World fields and pro shop and the Euless Dr Pepper StarCenter. Texas Star is a winner. The clubhouse looks like a Hill Country ranch house. The practice facilities are impressive and the restaurant named Raven's Grille is a favorite of locals, not just golfers. Don't miss the chicken -fried steak. Home -buying isn't supposed to be "demoralizing," but in North Texas it is Author: Teresa Woodard Published: 8:13 PM CDT May 24, 2022 Updated 10:09 PM CDT May 25, 2022 DALLAS — Not too long ago, a home -buying story like Wendi Hinson's would not have been believable. "We put in seven bids. Every single bid was well over asking. Sometimes we put in a bid without ever seeing the house," Hinson said. Six of those offers were rejected. "It was never even close," she said. "We ended up going about $60,000 over our original budget. For a house built in the 1970s." Hinson and her husband had just had a baby. They were moving to North Texas from Austin for work and assumed the local real estate market would be better than central Texas. "We were wrong," she said. Kishwar Mehdi's had a similar experience. He and his wife started shopping for homes near the end of 2020. A baby was on the way and they were hoping to purchase in Hurst, Euless, or Bedford to stay close to family. "Every offer we were putting in for months kept being rejected," Mehdi said. "It was demoralizing at times. But we had to take it on the chin and keep moving." The Mehdis came to the realization the HEB area was not attainable. Their baby is now 8 months old, and they will finally close on new construction in the Eagle Mountain area at the end of May. "This was a grueling experience. It wasn't fun," Mehdi said. According to the Re/Max National Housing Report, Dallas -Fort Worth saw the largest spike in home sales prices in the nation. Home prices are up 39.5% over 2021. The report says the median home price in DFW was $362,782 in April. That's well over Stephanie and Marco Meza's budget. And as mortgage rates tick up, their budget gets squeezed. "At first we'd do like $275,000 to $300,000 and then the rates went up. So, we started looking at $250,000 to $275,000. And then the rates went up more and then we started to $225,000 to $250,000," said Marco. The Mezas were looking for a three -bedroom, two -bath brick home in an older neighborhood. They preferred Dallas, but it was "out of our price range," Marco said. They put in three offers on homes that were rejected. All those offers were over asking, "but you have all these other people that are going $40,000 or $50,000 over asking price," Marco said. The Mezas are in their late 30s. They've been married seven months and compared looking for a home to being on a dating app. First thing every day, they looked at listings. "I mean literally at 5:00 in the morning," Stephanie said. It was also the last thing they did every night. "This is our daily routine for six months," she said. Going to look at a home felt like speed dating. "It would hit on a Thursday. By Saturday it would say, `multiple offers, highest, best offer by Monday,"' Stephanie described. "It's literally 24 hours for you to decide if you want a home or not, which is outrageous." The Meza's realtor is Lisa Moya King of Sotheby's. "I think the most I've ever had to do with a buyer is probably 22 offers," King said. "There have been times when buyers have gotten emotional. And I'm like, I don't know who you believe in, but I believe there are these real estate gods. And when it's supposed to happen, it's gonna happen." She said she has to remind her clients — and herself — to breathe and believe in the process. King and her team recently sold two homes on Bryan Parkway in Dallas, one street from historic Swiss Avenue. One home was listed for $1.195 million. It went under contract for over that. The house across the street sold for $200,000 over the $895,000 asking price. King isn't shocked by the numbers anymore. "Every year we think it's going to normalize, and the market is going to slow. But we still have a housing shortage," she said. "So as long as we have that shortage, it's simple economics. Supply and demand." She said she counsels buyers who are overpaying to remember that purchasing a home is a long-term investment. "Do not expect to put your house right back on the market and get what you paid for it," she said. King said she's starting to see a few indications of market "softening." In ZIP code 75228 in East Dallas, King said she's seen some price decreases and homes sitting on the market for not just days, but a week or two. And in ZIP code 75233 in southwest Dallas County, King saw a $50,000 price reduction on a five -bedroom, three -bath house. "So, keep looking," she said. "Have patience." King helped the Mezas put in what she calls a "super clean" offer on a home in Garland. The definition of super clean, according to King, is no option period, "probably doubling or tripling earnest money, and an appraisal waiver." Also, "not asking for any sort of home warranty, closing as soon as you can, and giving a leaseback for free to the seller to live in their house until they find the next one." It worked. The Mezas closed on the home in Garland one week after they put in the offer. "I cried," Stephanie said. It was a crazy process, they said, but worth it. "Good things don't come easily," Marco said. ff iHart Some Texas School Districts Adding More Secu rity By Ginny Reese Mav 25, 2022 Photo: Getty Images Following Uvalde Shooting Some schools across Texas are now taking extra security precautions following shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. WFAA reported that some schools in the Dallas -Fort Worth area are adding extra security measures to end their school years safely. None of the following school districts have received any threats, but are putting the extra measures in place out of an abundance of caution. Here are some school districts that adding extra precautions: • Cedar Hill ISD released a statement saying that there will be extra security in place on Wednesday and Thursday. • Celina ISD will have patrol officers from Celina Police at Celina ISD campuses. • Colleyville-area school districts will have more officers present at all campuses in the Grapevine-Colleyville and Keller school districts. • Dallas ISD will have additional patrol from Dallas police. There will also be extra mental health services available for students and staff who are still processing the tragedy. • Denton -area school districts will have extra police presence for the last few days of the school year. • Garland ISD says that there will be extra police presence across the distance. • Grand Prairie ISD says that there will be extra police at all of their elementary and secondary schools for the last two days of the school year. • H-E-B ISD the Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District will have extra police patrol around campuses for the rest of the week. • Irving ISD will have extra district patrol and staff watching over campuses before students arrive and after they are dismissed. • Keller ISD will have the additional presence from police patrol and security during the last few days of the school year. Mansfield ISD will have extra protection from the Mansfield Police Department. • Saginaw -area school districts will have extra officers "in and around" campuses in the area. CLUB INDUSTRY EdSFITNESS a? BETTER GYM. BETTER PRICEE, EoS Fitness is moving its headquarters to Dallas as it plans "a steady buildout" of gyms in Texas. (Photo courtesy EOS.) EoS Fitness is moving into Texas for the first time with a plan for "a steady buildout" of new gyms and a move of its headquarters from Phoenix to Dallas, the company announced on May 23. The company did not share how many clubs it plans to build in Texas. EoS Fitness will bring its 42,000-square-foot clubs into the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston areas, starting with a club in Euless, Texas, that will open in late 2022. Euless is a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth. It will open at least two more clubs in 2023, one in DeSoto, Texas (a suburb south of Dallas), and one in Fort Worth, Texas, according to the company. "EoS Fitness is putting down roots in Texas, and we're bringing with us our energy and excitement for accessible and affordable fitness," EoS Fitness CEO Rich Drengberg said in the announcement. "We're investing in building out the fitness and wellness communities EoS is known for. We're passionate about elevating our members' fitness experience with a support system focused on helping them have fun while they develop daily fitness habits they feel great about." In January 2019, EOS Fitness received a $120 million one -loan debt facility from New York -based lender Golub Capital to refinance and ultimately expand its club footprint in the United States. At that time, EoS had 30 locations across Phoenix, Las Vegas and Southern California. Today, the company has more than 100 locations open or planned in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Utah. Its clubs offer equipment, workout classes, personal training options, and at-home workouts starting at $9.99 per month. The company's new corporate office provides a more centralized location for national support to its gyms across the country and for support of the growth planned in Texas, according to the announcement. Club Industry has reached out to EoS to find out how many of the corporate staff will move to Dallas. Texas woman pleads guilty to embezzling millions while working for Italian shipping company, says Department of Justice Author: Paul Livengood PublishE 1:03 PM CDT May 31, 2022 Updatec 1:37 PM CDT May 31, 2022 EULESS, Texas — A Texas woman pleaded guilty on Friday to embezzling more than $2.6 million from her former employer, federal officials announced. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said 36-year-old Vika Latai Moa, of Euless, was charged on May 17 for wire fraud and pleaded guilty 10 days later on May 27. According to court documents, Moa admitted that between June 2016 and October 2019, she was employed as an operations manager at Savino Del Bene USA, Inc. (Savino USA) in the Dallas area. Savino USA is an American subdivision of Savino Del Bene S.p.A., a global logistics and freight forwarding company based in Florence, Italy. The company provides transportation services to its customers in the United States by subcontracting local deliveries to third -party trucking companies, the DOJ said. Moa's role with the company was to select and pay the local subcontractors. According to the DOJ, Moa lied to the company that invoices to trucking services were owed and had the company submit payments of more than $2.6 million to a bank account that she had access to. The DOJ said Moa led Savino USA to pay false invoices to fake businesses. As part of the plea agreement, Moa agreed to pay $2,623,888.44 in restitution. She faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Moa's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 22. New To Disney+ Today (US) June 3, 2022 by Michelle Beck Here is a look at everything that's coming to Disney+ in the United States today. DISNEY+ ORIGINALS: Hollywood Stargirl — Original Movie — Premiere (L-R): Grace VanderWaal as Stargirl Caraway, Tyrel Jackson Williams as Terrell, and Elijah Richardson as Evan in Disney's live -action HOLLYWOOD STARGIRL, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "Hollywood Stargirl" follows Stargirl's journey out of Mica, Arizona, and into a bigger world of music, dreams and possibilities. When her mother Ana (Judy Greer) is hired as the costume designer on a movie, they relocate to L.A., where Stargirl quickly becomes involved with an eclectic assortment of characters. They include aspiring filmmaking brothers Evan (Elijah Richardson) and Terrell (Tyre) Jackson Williams); Mr. Mitchell (Judd Hirsch), one of Stargirl's neighbors; and Roxanne Martel (Uma Thurman), a musician Stargirl admires and encounters on her journey. NEW LIBRARY TITLES: A look behind the scenes as Mack Beggs, a gifted athlete from Euless, Texas, struggles against the outside forces that stigmatise transgender athletes. DA LLAS New Salata Franchise Location to Open in Euless POST BY: DANITA WHITE I JUNE 6, 2022 Salata is coming to the Glade Parks shopping mall in Euless by early 2023, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The restaurant will occupy a space of 2,260 square feet. With an estimated cost of $300,000, renovation work on the location is set to begin in September 2022. The forthcoming location will be the first Salata for the Tarrant County city and is being brought to the area by franchise owner Mark Robbins and his Pegasus Restaurant Group. The group owns and operates several other Salata locations throughout the Dallas -Fort Worth metroplex. Founded in 2005, the Houston headquartered built -to -order salad kitchen brand offers fully customizable, built -to -order salads and wraps, soups and organic teas and lemonades. All fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins are prepared and chopped in-house daily. Guests can choose from five salad bases, more than 50 toppings, and 11 house -made, gluten -free dressings to build meals that fit their lifestyle. Salata has more than 80 corporate -owned and franchise locations in Texas, Georgia, Southern California and Louisiana, and plans to open in multiple new markets, including Charlotte, North Carolina. 1911114441 21 14*1.141 JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. TO SPEND $2,500,000.00 TO OCCUPY 3,752 SQUARE FEET OF SPACE IN EULESS TEXAS. June 8, 2022 Craig Etkin Euless, Texas —According to state and local economic development sources JPMorgan Chase & Co. plans to invest $2,500,000.00 to build out 3,752 square feet of new space in Euless. The company plans to occupy the new space at 1010 W Euless Blvd in Euless, on or about January 1, 2023. According to the company website JPMorgan Chase & Co. operates as a financial services company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). The CCB segment offers s deposit, investment and lending products, payments, and services to consumers; lending, deposit, and cash management and payment solutions to small businesses; mortgage origination and servicing activities; residential mortgages and home equity loans; and credit card, auto loan, and leasing services. For over 200 years, JPMorgan Chase & Co has provided innovative financial solutions for consumers, small businesses, corporations, governments and institutions around the world. Today, were a leading global financial services firm with operations servicing clients in more than 100 countries. Whether we are serving customers, helping small businesses, or putting our skills to work with partners, we strive to identify issues and propose solutions that will propel the future and strengthen both our clients and our communities. The company also provides ATM, online and mobile, and telephone banking services. JPMorgan Chase & Co. was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in New York, New York. To learn more about JPMorgan Chase & Co., visit http://www.ipmorganchase.com/.