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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-08-22 Euless Articles $1.75 million winning Texas Lottery ticket sold in Dallas-Fort Worth by: Caleb Wethington Posted: Aug 9, 2022 / 08:45 AM CDT Updated: Aug 9, 2022 / 11:41 AM CDT DALLAS (KDAF) — Well, it seems that someone in North Texas has a new lucky day or number for the rest of their lives; August 8, 88. They’re basically a legendary Dallas Cowboys wide receiver at this point with the winning they just experienced. The Texas Lottery reports a $1.75 million jackpot-winning Texas Lottery ticket was sold in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex from Monday night’s Texas Two Step drawing. The winning ticket matched all four of the winning numbers along with the bonus to win the massive prize. The winning numbers were 4, 11, 17, 33 and the Bonus was 9. The ticket was sold at a QuikTrip on Industrial Boulevard in Euless (this was a Quick Pick ticket). The lottery says, “Tickets must be claimed no later than 180 days after the draw date.” A $47 million replacement for Bellaire Elementary School is being constructed in Hurst, Texas. The district will donate land next to Hurst Community Park and the city will donate land to expand Bellaire Elementary, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The community will be able to use the playground at the new school under the agreement. While construction is underway, students will continue attending the existing Bellaire building. Funds for the school will come from the district's 2018 bond program and the district's capital improvement budget. The school is expected to be completed by December 2023. Huckabee Architects is the architect. Major residential development is coming to Euless. More than 63 acres will soon be home to a mix of single- and multi-family living options known as Watercolor. The planned community is at the intersection of Texas state highways 360 and 183, just minutes south of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The project includes a 35,000-square-foot lake with a boardwalk. The water feature will connect to a trails system for hiking and biking. Watercolor is expected to create more than 760 total housing units and leaves potential for a hotel and restaurants. Members of the Euless City Council voted unanimously to approve rezoning of the property during a meeting Tuesday. The property serves to complete a previous mixed-use project that started back in 2011, then known as Riverwalk. “That’s important for the city, because there were certain commitments made by the developers at that time to provide a riverwalk, a water feature and various amenitie s for use of the single-family residences that are north of the Watercolor development,” said Michael Warrix, planning and economic development director for Euless. The developers of the former Riverwalk changed ownership in 2020 before project completion. Roughly 400 single-family homes and 500 multi-family lofts had already been constructed. But residents were left waiting for promised amenities including the water feature, restaurants and retail. Now Centurion American Development Group will take the lead on the project. The North Texas real estate developer led a similar mixed-use development project in Euless called Founders Parc on South Industrial Boulevard and Airport Freeway. Previous master-planned communities by Centurion American have included golf courses, parks, water park themes and hiking and biking trails. “Getting the Watercolor project completed up there and closing the loop on the Riverwalk project has been really important for the city over the years,” Warrix said. “Now we feel we’re in a good position to do that successfully, because we’re working with the same development company that we worked with on Founders Parc. They’re familiar with how we work, our development regulations and our building regulations.” Not only will the Watercolor development follow through on promised amenities for residents of the community, it fills the city’s growing need for residential development. The close proximity to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport drives investment in multi- family housing, Warrix said. “We frequently get calls asking about the availability of vacant land primarily for multi -family development,” Warrix said. “Euless is near building out. There simply isn’t a lot of available land that’s vacant for development in the city, and that’s an issue for folks wanting to do similar projects.” The completion of Watercolor represents one of the last remaining large tracts available for development in the city, Warrix said. Once it’s built out, there will be few significant parcels available to accommodate large-scale development, he said. “Any opportunities going forward for any large-scale type of mixed-use developments or multi-family developments will in all likelihood be the result of a redevelopment project taking existing developments that have reached their economic life and redeveloping those sites into something else,” Warrix said. Arlington 'Texas Two Step' jackpot winner bought ticket at Euless QuikTrip BY ANNIE GIMBEL AUGUST 15, 2022 / 10 :21 AM / CBS DFW AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM) – Someone from Arlington bought a jackpot-winning Texas Two Step prize worth $1.75 million on Aug. 8. The new millionaire chose to remain anonymous. He/She bought the potentially life-changing ticket at the QuikTrip located at 700 S. Industrial Blvd. The winning Quick Pick ticket matched all four of the white ball numbers drawn (4-11-17-33) and the Bonus Ball (9). Texas Two Step jackpots start at $200,000, and the jackpot amount increases for the next drawing until there is a winner. School Accountability Scores Released Monday In Texas; See Your School's Score By Wayne Carter • Published August 15, 2022 • Updated on August 15, 2022 at 6:04 pm North Texas schools received their annual report cards from the state on Monday. Students at Beck Elementary in Garland got their report card hand-delivered Monday by the state's education commissioner. Beck received a solid A grade after coming in barely a C a few years ago. "It is amazing what you accomplished. Let me do what everyone should do to educators for what you’ve been able to deliver to our kids," said Education Commissioner Mike Morath as he bowed before teachers. Similar bows are deserved all around North Texas. The Hurst-Euless-Bedford, Sunnyvale and Frisco ISDs some of several districts scoring an A on the state's score card, which relies heavily on STAAR to measure key metrics of "achievement, growth and closing the gaps." "The state accountability ratings show what we already know -- We provide a high- quality education for our students here in Frisco ISD," said Wes Cunningham, associate deputy superintendent of Frisco ISD. The three biggest districts, Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, are all B districts. "We are very very pleased with a B, an 86 districtwide, that’s where we were pre- pandemic. That indicates we have collectively worked to make sure our students are where they were pre-pandemic," said Stephanie Elizalde, superintendent of the Dallas ISD. "It’s one indicator of how schools and students a re doing. It doesn’t tell you the whole picture of a school, but it's an important indicator," added Marcelo Cavazos, superintendent of the Arlington ISD. Fort Worth ISD's B grade is an improvement from the C they scored on the last ranking, but they still have several campuses that need improvement. Birdville and Cedar Hill were the only two C districts in the immediate area and Lake Worth ISD was not rated. That means they scored lower than a C. “We are disappointed in the results. However, we will continue to work diligently with our educators to ensure that the proper tools, resources and supports are available to them so that our students can achieve academic success. I am confident that we will demonstrate student performance improvement during the 20 22- 2023 school year," said Rose Mary Neshyba, superintendent of the Lake Worth ISD. Morath broke down the data and said the low scores aren't to shame any district. "The idea that this is some kind of rating of poverty is false," said Morath. "We know tha t doing this, providing clear performance information about schools, helps students and has a positive impact on students at risk." 'Deprived of our rights as Texans': H-E-B, Texas, wants an H-E-B Author: Ryan Osborne Published: 10:33 AM CDT August 16, 2022 Updated: 4:18 PM CDT August 16, 2022 HURST, Texas — H-E-B wants an H-E-B. It's only fair, right? For the uninitiated, the three suburbs southwest of the DFW Airport are colloquially known as "H-E-B": Hurst, Euless, Bedford. Which doesn't make complete sense, given that Bedford comes after Hurst, if you're driving west to east along Texas 183. But that's another issue. And, honestly, Hurst-Euless-Bedford has a better ring to it than another combination of the three. We digress. The real issue here goes back to the other H-E-B: The famed Texas grocery store that, after many years, has finally made an expansion into North Texas' largest counties. At least six H-E-B stores are planned in Collin County; one in Tarrant County, one in Rockwa ll County and one in Kaufman County. H-E-B also owns land across the Metroplex -- including a plot in Euless! -- along with several store locations on the outskirts of DFW. But nowhere are there any concrete plans for an H-E-B in the H-E-B, Hurst-Euless-Bedford. Not yet, anyway. And an H-E-B resident has apparently taken notice of this. Amanda San Miguel started an online petition on Change.org to Stephen Butts, the CEO of H - E-B the grocery store. "Living in midcities, aka H-E-B area, the lack of an H-E-B store within reasonable distance is frustrating," San Miguel wrote. "Please consider expanding closer to central part of the DFW Metroplex." So far, 121 people have signed the petition - hey, you have to start somewhere, right? - but it's hard not to be moved by a passionate plea for a Texas staple. Especially when it was signed like this: Sincerely, Those who have been deprived of our rights as Texans of not having a convenient H -E-B. Here are the North Texas school districts that received an A rating from the TEA by: Tyler Manning Posted: Aug 16, 2022 / 12:11 PM CDT Updated: Aug 16, 2022 / 12:11 PM CDT DALLAS (KDAF) — The Texas Education Agency has released its ratings for each school district and campus in the Lone Star State this week. These are the first ratings the agency has done since 2019 after the agency paused rating in the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So how did North Texas School districts do? Well, here are the school districts in town that received an A-rating. To find out how your child’s school district did click here. SEARCH: How did your school or district fare in TEA’s Accountability Ratings? • Allen ISD • Caroll ISD • Coppell ISD • Dallas ISD • Grapevine-Colleyville ISD • Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD • Frisco ISD • Prosper ISD • Rockwall ISD • Lovejoy ISD • Argyle ISD • Sunnyvale ISD • Princeton ISD • Aledo ISD • Melissa ISD • Rockwall ISD JPS defends closure of Fort Worth area school clinics, touts partnership with Cook Children’s BY CIARA MCCARTHY UPDATED AUGUST 17, 2022 9:12 AM Officials with the JPS Health Network defended the closure of 15 school-based health centers last year, saying it allowed for expanded access to medical services because of a new partnership with Cook Children’s health care system. They spoke to Tarrant County commissioners about the closures for the first time on Tuesday. Some commissioners said they first learned of the closures after reading an article published in the Star-Telegram Aug. 5. “I only wish we could have come to you before the recent article hit the papers,” said Dr. Karen Duncan, the hospital’s CEO and president. “Because the true headline is creating health equity through strong community partnerships.” To care for children, JPS has directed families to its neighborhood clinics and partne red with Cook Children’s, which operates neighborhood clinics and urgent care clinics throughout the county. Cook Children’s is the primary health care provider for children in Tarrant County, although it operates as a nonprofit and is not a public entity in the same way as JPS. Joy Parker, a vice president with JPS, said by directing county children to clinics in the community operated by JPS or Cook Children’s, the partnership could actually provide better care for children. The school-based clinics were typically staffed by one nurse practitioner and only open during school hours, she said. The community clinics, known as medical homes, have a larger staff and a wider array of services, like dental care and mental health care. And, she said, because these medical homes also have social workers on staff, these locations are better able to help families who might be struggling to find housing, adequate food, or other essential needs. Parker and Duncan also said that some campuses are now equipped with telehealth services for children’s behavioral health needs through a statewide network called the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine. The program is not available on all campuses or in all districts. In the Fort Worth school district, the program is available on 13 of about 140 campuses. Hospital leaders first began discussing the clinics in 2017, Duncan said in an interview Tuesday. Commissioners said they would have wanted to be notified of the change earlier. “It took four years for somebody to bring it to our attention,” Commissioner Gary Fickes said. “I just wish somebody had come to us and said, Hey, here’s what we’re doing and we’re working on this and we’ve been working on it since 2018.” “We hear you,” Duncan said. “We take your suggestions to heart.” Under the school-based health center model, JPS would enter into a partnership with a school district. The school district would typically provide the physical space for the clinic, and JPS would provide the staff and medical care for the chi ldren, according to copies of the agreements reviewed by the Star-Telegram. The clinics offered a range of preventive health services, including routine vaccinations, sports physicals, and treatment for minor injuries and illnesses as well as chronic conditions like diabetes and asthma. The model was designed to serve children who might otherwise go without medical care, particularly children without health insurance or who are underinsured. JPS first approached officials with Fort Worth’s district, where they operated five clinics, in 2018 to tell them they ultimately planned to phase out the program, said Michael Steinert, the district’s assistant superintendent for student support services. “We definitely don’t feel like the rug was pulled out from under us,” Steinert said. “We understand that the needs change, the models change, the sustainability of it changed.” But the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw district said they weren’t notified of the decision until 2020. “When COVID shutdowns occurred in spring 2020, JPS made the determination to close the school-based clinic without consulting the district,” said spokesperson Megan Overman. “We requested they leave the clinic open to serve our local fami lies, especially in a global pandemic, but that did not occur.” Duncan said Tuesday that the disruption caused by the pandemic, which forced schools and some non-emergency medical providers to close for several months, helped affirm the decision to close the school-based clinics. “As the children were asked to go home and schools closed down, and we no longer were close to where the children were living, it allowed us the opportunity to really move forward with plans that we were already working through with Cook’s,” she said. There are two school-based health centers still open. One is near multiple campuses in the H- E-B school district, and the other is in Mansfield’s school district. Duncan said there were no plans to close either of those clinics, as both were determined to be in a health care desert. Staff writer Abby Church contributed to this report. This story was originally published August 16, 2022 4:20 PM.