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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-11-22 Euless ArticlesDISTRIBUTED TO: DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE ~ OF~ M4YOR CITYCNCL CITYATTNY SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED__I_I....L./_,;(_~--L./_I..;...I_ DATEOFARTICLE / / ./ II / 1/ NEWSPAPER ____~F~W.~~~T "Our goal is not just to provide Christmas for our clients but to help them get stable again," he said "It's important for people to know that the thrust is to help families regain financial stability." Community Storehouse Community Storehouse is staffed primarily by volunteers to help its client families in the Northwest and Keller school districts, volunteer coordinator Sheryl Seyer said. Holiday House is the next event with opportunities to serve, as Keller High School on Pate Orr Road is converted into a toy and gift warehouse run by elves and snowmen. Seyer said 125 people per shift work from noon to 4 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. helping with the expected 1,000 client families. There are still second-shift openings for elves -adults who help clients find the toys and gifts they need -and snowmen --high-school-age boys and men who carry boxes of food and gifts to cars. There are also plenty of opportunities to help give Christmas to about 4,000 kids, from babies to 18-year-olds, Seyer said. "The most important thing we need right now are toys, wrapping paper and gift cards of $1 0 and $20 value that we or the families can use to buy turkeys and hams," she said. "We often don't have enough gifts for teenagers •• like hoodies, warm socks, gloves, coats -because most people like to get the cute toys for little kids." The Christmas campaign is staffed by volunteers, from individuals to corporations and student bodies. For Thanksgiving, Community Storehouse tends to partner with various churches. "If you don't know what we do, this is a good time to come out and see the impact," Seyer said. "It really is a community effort, and we're just the conduit. Our volunteers are highly valued." Visit communitystorehouse.org and click on the red volunteer button. Terry Evans, 817-390-7620 DISTRIBUTED TO: DISTRIBUTED TO: DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE~OF~ MAYOR ClTYCNCL ClTYATTNY SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DfSTRfB UTED.--,-I--,-I-LI_~-'--~"""I-/_I_I_ DATEOFARTICLE /1/.:20/,1 NEWSPAPER____~F~W.~~~T Euless grade school turns unused plot into a classroom out of doors Posted Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011 BY SARAH BAHARI sbahari@star-lelegram.com EULESS - A few straw-colored weeds had taken root in an area outside North Euless Elementary School. Looking out his classroom window, art teacher Scott Matula envisioned something far more useful for the 9,OOO-square-foot space. Nearly two years later, the North Euless Outdoor Learning Area is nearing completion. "Our students are stuck here in the middle of suburbia," Matula said. "I want them to experience a little bit of the real outdoors, to walk outside and see native plants and trees and smell fresh air." The space will include a waterfall emptying into a pond flanked by boulders where students can sit A raised garden will grow beans, vegetables or native plants. Dogwood trees and loblolly pines will grow in the small plot designated "East Texas." A few feet away, mesquite, vitex and Chinese pistache trees will grow in ''West Texas: Frogs and turtles will be free to scamper about. In the corner, an awning-covered classroom will have chairs and a whiteboard for instruction. The outdoor learning area, called NEOLA by the school, will focus on environmental education and teach cross-disciplinary lessons. Science students, for example, could run experiments on soil; math students could measure and chart the growth of different plant species; and art classes could draw or paint their surroundings. "So often, we tell our students about something," Principal Melissa Meadows said. "Now they will be able to see and touch and smell. We're going beyond our classroom walls." II\Iith the help of teachers, Matula raised about $75,000 in donations and goods. Matula's brother, David, a landscape architect with Waterfalls Over Texas. donated his time as the contractor. TXU Energy provided the trees, and B&S Fence Co. built the fencing. The school received grants and donations from Lowe's, the city of Euless and several others. Over the weekend, students, parents and teachers laid soil and planted trees to prepare for classes that are expected to start in the spring. Community groups and other schools will be invited to use the space, too. "This is an amazing way to get students outside and learning, rather than staring at the computer screen all day," Jarrett Trusty, whose two children attend North Euless Elementary, said as he hauled a wheelbarrow of acidic soil to the East Texas plot. Third-grader Kylie Smith plans to donate Shelley the turtle, whom she caught at home. She said she is excited to learn about the various critters that will call this place home. Spending time outSide helps students learn to solve problems and think critically, Matula said. "With video games and TV and iPhones, kids lose their touch with this part of the world," he said. "This will give them a small taste of the outdoors, even if we're just at school." Sarah Bahari, 817 -390-7056 DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE__10FL MA YOR CITY CNCL CITY A TTNY SUTTER iUCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL II I/.2 ,:2/, / I DATE OF ARTICLE / I pO (II NEWSPAPER FWSTDATE DISTRIBUTED DFW and state briefs: Prisoner found hanging in the Euless Jail dies Posted Sunday, Nov. 20,2011 Prisoner found hanging in the Euless Jail dies EULESS --A 36-year-old man died Sunday after being found hanging in his jail cell, police said. Jail staff found Eli Davis hanging and nonresponsive about 2 p.m., according to a police news release. Jail staff performed CPR until paramedics arrived, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Davis was arrested Friday after police executed a search warrant at his home. He was being held on suspicion of engaging in organized crime/forgery and unlawful posseSSion of a firearm by a felon, with total bail set at $102,500. -Marty Sabota DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE f OF '— MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTR McDONALD COLLINS --11 W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY /ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL J — DATE DISTRIBUTED / / /`�" l / / DATE OF ARTICLE l l / I l i t NEWSPAPER DMN Man found dead in Euless jail cell; apparently hanged himself itByAvi Selk/Night Reporter asetk@dallasnews.corn I Bio 5:50 PM on Mon..Nov.21,20111 Perrnalink A man was found dead in his Euless jail cell Sunday from an v xs s- '� '''` apparent self-hanging. t Eli Davis,36,was alone in the cell about 2 p.m.when staff ` • found him and tried to revive him,according to police.He was _ pronounced dead at the scene. ,. .eve _.; Police said they are investigating Davis'death and the it e charges against him—he was arrested Friday on suspicion of ` . '- organized crime(forgery)and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. ar Picture:Davis'mugshot(via fax,so poor quality) DISTRIBUTED TO: MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY A TTNY SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED /1 I ;:;,;{ /11 DATE OF ARTICLE /1 /:;( c:;( / /1 NEWSPAPER____~F~W.~S~T Euless officer dies of heart attack while playing racquetball Posted Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011 BY TERRY EVANS tevans@star-telegram.com Euless police officer Richard Wong died Monday evening after having a heart attack, an official said. Wong had the heart attack while playing racquetball with his father at the Hurst Recreation Center, 700 Mary Drive, said Euless Police Capt. Gary Landers. "It was kind of surreal last night," Landers said Tuesday. "I'm meeting with the family this moming." Landers would not say more until he talked with Wong's family. Wong was taken from the recreation center to a hospital, but could not be revived, CBSDFW.com was reporting. Wong was a 17-year veteran of the Euless Police Department. He had been a school resource officer at Trinity High School, 500 N. Industrial Blvd., Euless, since 1998, principal Mike Harris said. Students held an impromptu candlelight vigil at the school Monday evening, the CBS website reported. "He interacted with the kids all day every day," Harris said. "As a resource officer, his primary job is to build relationships with the students so they feel comfortable talking with him, so they will report information or just feel safe here. He was outstanding at that." Harris said that Wong was loved by Trinity students, so the candlelight vigil wasn't a surprise to him, though he wasn't aware of it until he got to school Tuesday morning. "There were some candles on my front step this morning," he said. "The vigil must have been set up by the students themselves on Facebook. Who all was there and when they did it, I don't know." Harris said that counselors at other district campuses are standing by in case they are needed. Tuesday is the last day before the Thanksgiving break, and Wong's death was to be part of the morning announcements. "Counselors from other campuses are always available when one of our campuses needs them," Harris said. "At this moment, they're on stand-by. Until all the kids get here, we don't know how much counseling support they'll need or want, but we certainly want to be ready." By 9 a.m. Tuesday, there were almost 1,000 likes on the R.I.P. Officer Wong page on Facebook. Comments include that another vigil may be planned for Tuesday night. A biography from the city of Euless states that Wong was a Pinkerton security officer in Fort Worth and also worked security at North East Mall in Hurst before becoming a police officer. He became a senior police officer in 1997. Wong graduated from Meridian High School in Sanford, Mich., and earned 60 hours in law enforcement from Della College in University Center, Mich.