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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-03-13 Euless ArticlesDISTRIBUTED TO: i1L1 YOR CITY OVCL CITY A TTNY SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIM.1L CNT JlcDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LlBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED 3/13/1 do DATE OF ARTICLE did 'i/I ,;( NEWSPAPER_----'F::.....oW,.:..::S:..:.,.T Races take shape for Texas House Posted Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012 BY AMAN BATHEJA abatheja@star-telegram.com Following months of uncertainty, several state House races in Tarrant County began to take shape Wednesday after a San Antonio court proposed a new map redrawing the state's 150 state House races. Under the map, Tarrant looks identical to the version passed by the Republican-led Legislature. Most candidates filed last year under a different court-drawn map that was later tossed out by the U.S. Supreme Court. Filing is expected to reopen soon and candidates will have a chance to switch races or withdraw. Already Wednesday, most candidates were making their intentions clear in Tarrant County: District 90 State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, faces a primary challenge from Fort Worth school board Trustee , , Carlos Vasquez. District 91 At least four Republicans will battle to replace state Rep. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, who is running for state Senate. State Rep. Barbara Nash, R-Arlington, and Pat Carlson of Fort Worth said they will run in District 93 instead. Former Tarrant County Republican Party Chairwoman Stephanie Klick had filed for the District 101 seat when an earlier map had put it in northwest Tarrant County. Under the current map, Klick said she will join the race for District 91. Others who had previously filed for the seat say they are still in the race: Former North Richland Hills Councilman Ken Sapp, former North Richland Hills Mayor Charles Scoma and Lady Theresa Thombs of North Richland Hills. District 92 State Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, has said he is thinking of running for state Senate but otherwise will run for re-election. Jonathan Stickland of Euless has challenged Smith in the primary. District 93 Matt Krause of Fort Worth was the only Republican to file for this seat. He will be joined by at least two other candidates in the primary: Nash and Carlson. "Now, it's time to really get to work!!" Krause told supporters on Facebook. DISTRIBUTED TO: CITY 4TTNY SUTTER i"/CKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANll'J'/AL CNTYCVCLJ/,·I YOR CIT 1 ..... . Hc'DONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LlBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED._3:::::::....t-1L-i.:;;;:3:-J/L......:-/d,--,-_ DATE OF ARTICLE ;;/ c19 / /;< NEWSPAPER FWST Nash is the incumbent, but the district changes dramatically under the new map. Nash now represents parts of Arlington, Grand Prairie and Mansfield. Under the new map, the district will hold on to part of north Arlington but gain parts of north and northeast Fort Worth. Democratic interest in the area was based on an earlier map that had the district centered in southeast Arlington. Under the new map, that district now most closely resembles District 101. District 94 State Rep. Diane Patrick, R-Arlington, has said she is running for re-election and is unopposed. District 95 State Rep. Marc Veasey confirmed that he is nmning for a new congressional seat. Two Democrats and a Republican had filed to replace him. Democrats Nicole Collier and Dulani "Jamal Jones" Masimini confirmed Wednesday they are still in the race. Republican Derek Cooper also filed for the seat. District 96 State Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, is facing a primary challenge from former Mansfield Councilman and current school Police Chief Mike Leyman. District 97 The open race to replace state Rep. Mark Shelton, R-Fort Worth, who is running for state Senate, initially drew two Fort Worth Republicans: Craig Goldman and Susan Todd. Former Fort Worth school Trustee Chris Hatch recently joined the race, too. District 98 State Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller, is in a rematch against Republican Giovanni Capriglione of Southlake, who previously tried to unseat her in 2010. District 99 State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, is currently unopposed. District 101 The Legislature drew it last year as a Democratic-leaning district in southeast Arlington and Grand Prairie. A court-drawn map moved the district to northwest Tarrant County prompting two Republicans, Klick and Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school board President Dick Elkins, to file. Klick has now moved to the District 91 race. Elkins has ended his bid for the Legislature. With the district back as the Legislature had intended, two former state House members, Chris Turner and Paula Pierson, both Democrats. confirmed they are switching to that race after having originally filed in District 93. Aman Batheja, 817-390-7695 DISTRIBUTED TO: MA YOR CITY CNCL CITY A TTNY SUTTER MCKAlmE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT .HcDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED 3//3 / I ~ DATE OF ART/CLE'--=:';{..L.LI-=~'--'---L9_-,-!_I_:?~_ NEWSPAPER __~F",,",W.:...:=:S:..!..T Star-1'elegram Cheers and Jeers/Feb. 29 Posted Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012 Jeers: To the city of Euless. South Euless has mud for a walking trail. North Euless has concrete. After three letters with pictures, still no help. --Tom Shaw, Euless DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE~OFL 1\-1..1 YOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER ,t;ICKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL eNT McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LlBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED ,,3 II 3//~ DA TE OF ARTlCLE3 I;:; / I ,;{ NEWSPAPER FWST----=-=..... March 02, 2012 Smith to announce whether he's in state Senate race next week State Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, appears to be ready to join the race to replace state Sen. Chris Harris, according to attendees at a candidate forum Thursday evening. Smith's comments at the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition's forum prompted several people to report on Twitter and Facebook that Smith had jumped into the race for Senate District 9. But Smith says he didn't announce anything last night. "I think that what I actually said last night is I'm likely to make an announcement in the next week," Smith said. When asked if he had made up his mind yet, Smith said, "It's not the right time to announce it for a variety of reasons." State Reps. Kelly Hancock of North Richland Hills and Rodney Anderson of Grand Prairie, and former state Rep. Toby Goodman, all Republicans, are currently filed in the race to replace Harris. Under a new court-drawn map of the state's senate districts approved last week, Senate District 9 will become much more Tarrant County-focused, gaining all or part of Euless, North Richland Hills, Bedford, Southlake, Keller and Haltom City, while losing its portion of Denton County. Candidate filing for the primaries reopend today and ends next Friday. Candidates can file for a race or change or withdraw an earlier filing. -Aman Batheja DISTRIBUTED TO: MAYOR CITY C/\'CL CITY A TTNY SUTTER MCKAitJlE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT McDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LlBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED ,3/13 / I.;) DATE OF ARTICLE 3 /8 /1 c:< NEWSPAPER____-LF~W.~S~T Ex-secretary of state files to seek Texas Congressional District 25 seat Posted Thursday, Mar. 08, 2012 BY ANNA M. TINSLEY atinsley@star-telegram.com FORT WORTH -Former Secretary of State Roger Williams is on the move. The devout Republican and Weatherford car dealer formally filed paperwork in Austin on Thursday to begin a congressional campaign in District 25. a revamped district that stretches from the outskirts of Tarrant County to Travis County, and end his campaign in Congressional District 33, a once Republican-leaning district that federal judges recently converted into a minority district. "This is a great district," Williams said of District 25. "It's a pretty diverse district. from the University [of Texas at Austin] to Fort Hood and Comanche Peak. "Texas deserves another strong conservative voice in Congress and one that has small business experience to directly counter Obama's destructive policies, which are harming job growth, our economy and our nation's future," he said. "During the next 82 days, we will be engaging folks and discussing our limited-government vision that repeals Obamacare, balances our federal budget by cutting spending, lowers taxes to help small businesses grow and encourages a new American energy revolution." Williams was among the dozens of candidates filing for places on the May 29 primary this week. The filing deadline is 6 tonight. By switching to District 25, Williams now joins more than a half-dozen other Republican candidates, including former Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams (no relation) of Arlington; conservative activist Bill Burch of Grand Prairie, who heads the Grass Roots Institute of Texas; Cleburne Mayor Justin Hewlett and Chad Wilbanks, former executive director of the Texas Republican Party and son of Grapevine Mayor Pro Tem C. Shane Wilbanks. Other candidates: Dianne Costa, Highland Village; Dave Garrison, Austin; Brian Matthews, Austin, and Wes Riddle, Gatesville. Redistricting converted this district, now represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, into a district favoring Republicans, prompting Doggett to switch to a different race. While the bulk of the districrs population lies in the Austin area, it includes all 150,000 residents in Johnson County and more than 7,000 Tarrant County residents. "He needs to be in a district that is Republican leaning, and that wasn't the case with District 33," said Jim Riddlesperger, a political science professor at Texas Christian University. "This would be his chance to win. "Whether he can make his appeal in that district. that's up in the air," he said. "It's not a place he's been campaigning . ." Switching races Williams --whose father, Jack Williams, was a well-known Chevrolet dealer in Tarrant County -played baseball at TCU from 1968 to 1971, then played in the Atlanta Braves' farm system before retuming to TCU as a baseball coach. He became head coach in 1975 but resigned the next year to devote more time to his family's auto dealership. This is the th ird political post that Williams - a mainstay and a key fundraiser in the Republican Party for years who served as secretary of state 2004-07 -has sought this election cycle. The 62-year-old initially announced years ago that he planed to run for the U.S. Senate when Kay Bailey Hutchison left office. Last summer, he switched to the Republican-leaning District 33, a new district drawn by the Legislature. But in recent months, federal courts redrew the district's boundary lines, creating a minority district. "VVhen you get activist judges and courts together, they can sure mess things up," Williams said. "The whole landscape of [District 33] changed." Like Roger Williams, Michael Williams started out with a Senate bid, and he also moved into District 33 before switching last year to District 25. While the two were in the same races. political observers mused over the possible confusion of a ''Williams versus Williams" race. "There are some very good candidates in the race," Roger Williams said. 'We're just one more option for the people living in the district." Congressional candidates do not have to live in the district they seek or represent -and many of those running for 25 don't. Williams, who has homes in Fort Worth and Weatherford, said he will "be looking at a place centrally located." 'We're going to be running fast and furious," he said. "'t's a 13-county district. It will take a lot of energy and resources." DISTRIBUTED TO: SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANII\;fAL CNT GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL MAYOR CtTYCNCL CITY ATTNY J/cDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES DA TE OF ARTICLE NEWSPAPER__--=-F"""W.""'S;..::..TDA TE DISTRIBUTED,__-::S-!..../..:-J _3--L/_I_~__ 3/g I ):.:{ Other filings Republicans; Bedford Councilman Roger Fisher joined the Texas House District 92 race against Jon Stickland. Incumbent state Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, has filed to run for Texas Senate District 9. Democrats: A flurry of candidates filed Thursday to run for District 33. On the Tarrant County side of the Trinity River, state Rep. Marc Veasey, Fort Worth Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks and Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Manuel Valdez filed; on Dallas County's side, former Dallas Councilman Steve Salazar and former state Rep. Domingo Garcia filed. They join J.R. Molina of Burleson and David Afameel of Dallas, who had already filed. In other districts, Euless' Tim Rusk filed for Congressional District 24, Coppell's Brianna Hinojosa-Florez for Congressional District 6 and Hurst's Pete Martinez for Texas Senate 9. Anna M. Tinsley, 817-390-7610 PAGEDISTRIBUTED TO: JICKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNTMAYOR C1TYCNCL ClTYATTNY SUTTER LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELLMcDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL DATE DISTRIBUTED_3.=...·'-s-1-,-/3--,--1_,_a__ DATE OF ARTlCLE,_3~/_8---=-1_1_;;)__ NEWSPAPER__-..:..F..:..:W."",,'S,-,-T Celtic rock kicks off MasterWorks Concert Series Posted Thursday, Mar. 08, 2012 BY FAYE REEDER freeder@star-telegram.com They're backl Irs time again for the MasterWorks Concert Series. More than 85 free concerts across Northeast Tarrant County will feature music ranging from classical and Celtic to country and Western to jazz and blues. At 7 p.m. Monday, head out to the Euless library at 201 N. Ector Drive to hear Celtic rock performed by Needfire. This once-regional band now popular nationwide includes fiddles. bagpipes, tribal didgeridoo, mandolins, dulcimer and a rock rhythm section. "The group is very interactive, often mingling with the crowd while performing, and are high-energy crowd pleasers," Bobbie MCFarland of the Arts Council Northeast said. Find the whole concert season at www.artscouncilnortheast.org. Top 10. Congratulations to the Southlake Women's Club, whose annual Art in the Square has been named the NO.8 Best Fine Arts Festival in the country by The Art Fair SourceBook. The 20-year-old publication is popular with art lovers. artists and show organizers. "To be named by the Sourcebook in the Top 10 of art festivals in the nation is such an honor," said Robin Snyder. professional artist/original chair of Art in the Square. "The Sourcebook is known as the go-to publication by artists for information on art festivals. They utilize this information in chOOSing which shows to apply to." This year's Art in the Square will be April 27-29 at Southlake Town Square. Information: www.artinthesquare.com. Bird on the Run. Here's a chance to test your trail-running skills while enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Cross Timbers. Sign up for a four,mile trail run or a one-mile trail fun run that starts at the barn at Bob Jones Nature Center on March 31. Each participant gets a ribbon and T-shirt, and awards will go to the top finishers in various age groups. Register early, because race-day registration will be allowed only if space is available. Proceeds benefit the nature center. To sign up, contact Emily Galpin at director@bjnc.org. Arbor Day Celebration. The first 50 families at the big Arbor Day event at the Haltom City library Saturday will get a free tree to plant in their yard. Also on the agenda are refreshments, a presentation by a professional arborist and a dedication of three memorial trees on the library lawn. To celebrate its silver anniversary, the Haltom City Garden Club claims this day to kick off a year of special occasions. Festivities are 10 a.m. to noon at the library, 4809 Haltom Road. Please join our Fan Page at www.Facebook.com/SociaIEyes.ST.SendyourSociaIEyesnewstofreeder@star-telegram.com. DlSTRIBUTED TO: PAGELOF ;:{ MA YOR CITY CNCL CITY A TTNY SUTTER MCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIJ"IAL CNT ,1-1cDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY AD/tIlN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED 3/13 LI a DATEOFARTICLE 3/12 UqJ NEWSPAPER FWST-_--:....=.:.. Southlake Journal Southlake seniors pushing for a new activity center now Posted Monday, Mar. 12,2012 BY NICHOLAS SAKELARIS nsakelaris@star-telegram.com SOUTHLAKE -Senior citizens had a change of heart regarding where they want a new activity center, especially after a field trip to Euless. A group of 56 seniors attended the March 6 City Council meeting with a unified message: They want to be part of the Southlake multi-purpose center that will also include a recreation center and meeting space. 'What we want to do is facilitate that and move it forward as rapidly as we possibly can," said Dick McCauley, the vice president of Southlake Senior Advisory Commission. McCauley called on the council to add the senior center back into the multi-purpose center plan and make it a priority on the facility master plan list. Seniors who have been active at the existing senior center want to enjoy a new facility in their lifetime, McCauley said. 'We've worked hard." he said. 'We love our city and we ... look at it as payback time. Please keep us in mind." The next planning meeting is set for April 9. Last year, seniors told the council they wanted to build a stand-alone facility on city-owned land near Byron Nelson Parkway and Southlake Boulevard. They said they didn't want to be part of any proposed multi-purpose recreation center where they'd mix with a younger crOWd. Their plan was to solicit private businesses and individuals for $2.5 million in donations, then ask Southlake to match those dollars. They had floor plans drawn for a 21 ,OOO-square-foot facility. McCauley explored his options using Southlake Senior Funding Inc., the nonprofit organization he helped create. He's president of the organization and was successful in raiSing money for a bus in 2010. Despite his efforts, the economic reality made fundraising on that scale difficult, McCauley told the City Council March 6. "Now we know there is a good, and maybe an even better alternative," McCauley said. Their minds started to change, McCauley said, when they toured the new 22,OOO-square-foot Euless Senior Center, which is combined with that city's recreation center on Midway Drive. Like Southlake, seniors there were apprehensive about combining with a recreation facility, said Diane Eggers, the senior center supervisor. But since the facility opened, membership has skyrocketed with about 1,500 seniors paying dues and an average of 4,000 visitors a month. "Nobody likes change," Eggers said. ''They came up here with open minds and open hearts and they really enjoy it and they're glad we're here." DISTRIBUTED TO: ,1-'1.1 YOR CITY CNCL CITY A TTNY SUTTER tUCKA,1;IIE BROWN YOUNG ANIJ'J;IAL CNT JlcDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATEDISTR/BUTED 3/1 .....1//:2 DATE OF ARTICLE 3/1 :;(! / Q NEWSPAPER__....!F....:;W.~:s:.:..T Activities at the Euless center include aerobics, yoga, art classes, games, meals and field trips, Eggers said. McCauley has met with Mayor John Terrell and city officials recently, and says he hopes Southlake could mimic the success Euless has had. Building one combined facility will be more efficient for Southlake, Terrell said. "You're not paying two different contractors to grade two different sites and construct two different sites," Terrell said. They can also share a parking lot, he said. DISTRIBUTED TO: M-IYOR ClTYCNCL CITY A TTNY SUTTER IUCKAMIE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT :"I£'DONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LlBRARYAD,lllN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATE DISTRIBUTED 3/13 / )~ DATE OF ARTICLE 3/1 ~! /,;), NEWSPAPER__.!...:FW,='S,-=-T Southlake Journal Colleyville could gain Euless land Posted Monday, Mar. 12,2012 BY NICHOLAS SAKELARIS nsakelaris@star-telegram.com COLLEYVILLE -The city's border with Euless could be shifted slightly, providing new economic development opportunities for southeast Colleyville. On March 20, the Colleyville City Council will consider annexing a 4.4-acre triangle bordered by Heritage Avenue, Cheek Sparger Road and Woodpark Lane. The heavily wooded land is undeveloped and is currently within Euless city limits. The Euless council approved the boundary adjustment Feb. 28. If approved, Colleyville would likely abandon the current Heritage Avenue alignment from the top of the triangle to Cheek Sparger Road, said Ron Ruthven, community development director. Then, Wood park Lane would become the new Heritage Avenue, creating an intersection with a 90-degree angle rather than the confusing merge that currently exists. The new hard corner at Heritage Avenue and Cheek Sparger Road would be a prime location for a gas station or other retail establishment, Ruthven said. The land exchange has been in the works for about four years. Both Heritage Avenue and Woodpark Lane are old bumpy, narrow roads covered with potholes and asphalt patches. Zoning is already approved for 269 homes on a separate tract on Cheek Sparger Road in Colleyville, which will generate impact fees for road improvements, Ruthven said. The proposed boundary includes a tiny "appendage" along Cheek Sparger Road that would be in the city limits of Colleyville. On first reading March 6, some council members were suspicious of that. wondering why Euless would draw the map that way. Some even wondered if Euless wanted to get rid of a problem area. "That's going to be on our maps from now on," Councilman Mike Taylor said. "I don't know why they would send it over here like this." Councilman Michael Muhm had similar concerns. ''I'd like to square it up," Muhm said. Ruthven said he would have a better explanation from Euless officials by the March 20 meeting. DISTRIBUTED TO: 1\;11 YOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY SUTTER /tJCKAI'lHE BROWN YOUNG ANIMAL CNT l"lcDONALD COLLINS W. RHODES GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF HARTSELL DATEDISTRIBUTED.__3_1_1_3_1_';:J.__ DATEOFARTICLE 3/I;;' / J [;i NEWSPAPER__~FW.~:S~T Ron Young, director of public works for Euless, called it a "hawk's beak" and said if it's not transferred to Colleyville, Euless street crews would have to cross into another city to work on that section of Cheek Sparger Road. "It just doesn't make sense," Young said. "It would just seem kind of odd to have just a sliver of street right-of-way in the middle of Colleyville city limits and Bedford city limits. We think it would be cleaner to be included in the city limits of Colleyville."