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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-22 Euless Articles Euless Police Release Photo in Search for Pickup Involved in Fatal Hit-and-Run By Irving Weekly Staff| Published October 10, 2024 At approximately 3:35 am on Thursday, October 10, 2024, a silver or gray full-size pickup truck was involved in a fatal auto-pedestrian crash in the 1200 block of W Euless Blvd, Euless, TX. After striking the pedestrian, the driver fled the scene. The vehicle will have noticeable damage to the front bumper and undercarriage areas. Though the photo released by the Euless Police Department is not clear, authorities hope someone will recognize the vehicle by its color and involvement in the crash. Anyone with information is urged to contact Sr. Cpl. Robert Provost at 817-835-4841. Multiple boats damaged in fire at Grapevine Lake marina, one injured GRAPEVINE — Multiple fire departments responded to a fire at a Grapevine Lake marina where several boats were damaged and one person was injured. The Grapevine Fire Department was called around 1:20 p.m. and was able to locate the exact location of the 2-alarm fire about 17 minutes later, the Grapevine Fire Chief said. "[I] pulled up and I heard this big boom, and I was like, 'h oly cats,'" said boat owner Mark Austin. "And you saw a boat engulfed in flames!" "I was walking into the shop to clock in, I heard a loud explosion - it sounded like one of the dumpsters that we have getting set down by the garbage truck but it sound ed like it was on the dock, and I was like, 'what is that,'" said Grady Hendrickson, who works at Silver Lake Marina. Ten units from Grapevine FD plus crews from Bedford, Colleyville, DFW Airport, Flower Mound, Euless, Lewisville, Hurst and North Richland Hills worked to extinguish the fire, Grapevine FD said, adding that water supply was a "significant challenge." "It becomes manpower intensive because our companies have had to physically lay out the hose from the engine that's pumping the fire all the way down to the docks all the way to the fire," said Darrell Brown, Grapevine Fire Department Chief. Brown said that based on an initial survey, four boats sustained extreme damage in the fire, and up to six boats were also damaged, but fire crews were able to keep the fire from spreading from its initial location. "The bottom line is this is still very sketchy and this may change," said Brown, "but we believe somebody went to start their boat, there was either an electrical short or some kind of malfunction and there was an ignition of a fire and that's what started this whole thing." Brown said one person was removed from the boat where the fire started but did not have any information about the person's injuries. He also mentioned the 90 -plus-degree heat Sunday made things harder on fire crews and several other departments helped out so that crews could rotate. "You know you take a lot of things for granted when you're on the water like that you don't think you're gonna see something like this and when you see it unfold it's very surreal," said Austin. In a letter to members Sunday, the marina said that the area is closed while the authorities conduct their investigation; however, it will shuttle members by boat to unaffected slips, if needed, beginning Monday. Greek Orthodox church opens its doors for celebration of culture, faith in Euless by Marissa GreeneOctober 14, 2024 6:17 pm Nestled within a small Euless neighborhood, one Greek Orthodox church has made a name for itself in helping residents get a taste of the culture and religion. Thousands of Tarrant County residents visited Saint John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Euless from Oct. 11-13 for its annual Mid-Cities Greek Fest. During the past 32 years, the festival has become a way for the church to engage with the com munity and offer a space for people to learn more about the faith and celebrate Greek culture. Food tents lined the perimeter of the festival grounds right next to the church. The savory smells of gyros, juicy souvlaki — a Greek dish of grilled meat or vegetables cooked on a skewer — and flaming saganaki cheese filled the air as people lined up to order. Inside the main tent, attendees got a taste of sweet baklava, a flaky pastry layered with chopped nuts and honey, and washed it down with authentic Greek coffee while watching dances performed by the parish’s youth. The City of Euless Repeals Texas’s Only Predictive Scheduling Ordinance By Melissa Ackie and Martha Keon on October 14, 2024Print The Euless, Texas Fair Overtime and Scheduling Standards Ordinance that imposed predictive scheduling obligations on covered employers is no more. The Unusual Origin of the Ordinance The people of Euless may propose legislation by initiative by submitting a petition to the City Council that is signed by 3% of registered voters. Euless is home to the southwestern portion of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. During January 2020, a union representing airport catering workers filed an initiative petition with the City of Euless proposing Fair Overtime and Scheduling Standards. The petition had 1,280 valid signatures, exceeding the 907 (3%) required for it to be presented to the Euless City Council for consideration. The City’s Home Rule Charter gave the City Council no discretion to amend the proposed initiative – it could only make a counter- proposal on the same subject to appear on the ballot on Election Day, which it did not do. As a result, the Fair Overtime and Scheduling Standards appeared on the ballot on Election Day, November 3, 2020, as Proposition B: Proposition B “Employers with more than 200 Employees in the city of Euless shall provide their Employees with a written Work Schedule no later than 10 days before the first day of any new schedule. An Employee may decline, without penalty, to work any hours or additional shifts not included in the Posted Week Schedule. In an Emergency, an Employer may require an Employee to work additional hours or shifts not included in the Posted Work Schedule without obtaining their consent; these additional hours or shifts shall be paid at a rate three times that of the regular hourly rate of pay. If an Employer reduces an Employee’s hours from what is included in the Posted Work Schedule, Employee shall be paid for one-half of the total hours reduced at the Employee’s regular hourly rate. The Employer must keep records and file reports with the City when it utilizes the Emergency overtime option. Retaliation against employees who exercise their rights under this ordinance is prohibited.” The Proposition passed by a wide margin, with 15,828 for and 5,833 against, and a 70.69% voter turnout. It was incorporated as Chapter 95 of the Euless Code, and became effective on November 12, 2020, covering employers with at least 200 employees (except hospitals, other facilities providing medical care, and public employers). Lack of Attention or Enforcement During its Four Years in Effect Unlike the short-lived Texas paid sick leave ordinances in Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio that were quickly challenged at the state legislative level and eventually enjoined by the courts, the Euless Fair Overtime and Scheduling Standards Ordinance received little attention, and remained in place. There were no publicly reported complaints or enforcement—likely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air travel and covered businesses, and that the City of Euless had no department to promote, provide guidance or enforce the law, which had not been enacted in the normal course through the City Council. The Texas Death Star Law Provided Relief, But Was Then Subject to Court Challenge On September 1, 2023, the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act took effect. Known by critics as the Death Star Law, in its broadest reading, the Act nullified any local employment law that conflicted with or exceeded state law. While the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act was immediately the subject of legal challenge and found unconstitutional by a state district court judge, the state immediately appealed. The Office of the Texas Attorney General prompt ly issued a statement that the litigation had no immediate impact on the enforceability of the Act because the appeal had automatically stayed the effect of the court’s declaratory judgment. Despite this statement, Texas employers continued to feel uncerta in regarding their obligation to comply with local employment laws, including the Euless Overtime and Scheduling Standards Ordinance. In this environment, most cities have not acted, waiting for the courts to decide the validity of the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act. But now Euless has acted. September 24, 2024: Euless City Council Repealed the Fair Overtime and Scheduling Standards Ordinance On September 24, 2024, the Euless City Council unanimously voted to repeal the Euless Overtime and Scheduling Standards Ordinance, noting that it was preempted by the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act. For covered employers (employers with at least 200 employees, except hospitals, other facilities providing medical care, and public employers) this repeal confirms that they have no obligation to comply with the Ordinance. Many covered employers were already posting work schedules at least 10 days before the start of the workweek and are likely to continue to do so. However, the repeal of the Ordinance clarifies t hat covered employers are not required to pay predictability pay for employer -initiated schedule changes or get written consent for adding hours not included in the posted schedule. To ensure an orderly transition, we recommend employers communicate with impacted employees regarding any changes to their scheduling practices they may implement in response to the repeal.