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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-05-24 Euless ArticlesHigh Winds Bring Apartment Carport Down Onto Vehicles May 11, 2016 6:49 AM Filed Under: carport, Euless, Euless Texas, High Winds, North Texas storms, Severe Storms, severe weather, Texas storms, wind damage, Winds Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter EULESS (CBSDFW.COM) – After a night of storms more severe weather could be an especially big setback for people living in Euless. The storms had thunder, lightning, and winds strong enough to uproot and topple trees. Across North Texas foliage and debris were strewn about. In Euless a carport at the Oak Park apartment complex came crashing down. High winds in the area brought the metal structure right down onto vehicles — ones owners had no doubt hoped were protected from the weather. A beam holding up the awning would normally be standing straight, but was ripped from the cement by the wind. This morning many of those crushed vehicles are still trapped underneath the carport. While there are scattered tree branches littering the grass, the toppled carport appears to be the worst of the damage at the complex near main and Ash. The springtime storms will continue moving across the central United States, with hail and powerful winds again a concern in some areas. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says scattered severe storms are likely Wednesday from parts of North Texas and Oklahoma into the Midwest. Forecasters say tornadoes are also possible. (©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.) Gusty winds cause damage in North Texas By: FOX4News.com Staff POSTED:MAY 11 2016 06:58AM CDT UPDATED:MAY 11 2016 09:51PM CDT HURST, Texas - Severe thunderstorms that rolled through North Texas Tuesday night brought lightning, hail and strong gusty winds. As they moved across the area they left a path of damage, but fortunately no deaths. In Euless, a Ferrari, Porsche and several motorcycles were crushed beneath a roof that was ripped off an industrial building. The man who owns the building said a tenant kept the luxury vehicles there in storage. “I believe we had straight line winds. Blew the doors out and blew the roof off. Folded back and ended up in the parking lot between the two buildings,” building maintenance supervisor Randy Bowden. Gusty winds cause damage in North Texas The building housed several businesses that may now have to move in addition to the storage units. “You got the Ferrari here. From what I understand there are only 80 of those made and then there's the Porsche over here,” Bowden said. Down the street the roof of the Euless Guns & Ammo store was also blown off. No one was hurt and no one was inside when it happened, but police had to help secure the building while the owner and workers tried to clean up the mess. “The alarms went off and the police department called us and told us that we’d had some roof damage. And we came up and we lost about half of our roof last night,” said Ed Lewis, the owner of Euless Guns & Ammo. Surveillance cameras at B&B Wrecking across the street captured the blustery rain and then an explosion of white insulation as the roof tore away. The gun store owner said fortunately the metal roof covered the old flat gravel one. “We still actually have a roof. It leaks but we still have one roof up there so the building is totally secure,” Lewis said. In Hurst, the wind knocked over a large tree. It landed on three antique cars in Dawn Davis’ driveway. Two of them will be a total loss. “We were standing in the front window when the storm came through and it was like slow motion. The tree just fell over onto the cars. It was just horrible. Like I said, my husband is just… these are his babies. They’re antique vehicles and we cannot replace them,” she said. NORTHEAST TARRANT MAY 11, 2016 6:43 AM Tuesday’s storms topple trees, damage buildings in H-E-B area Storms will develop northwest of Fort Worth Best chance for thunderstorms overnight Hail, damaging winds again possible Straight-line winds toppled trees across Northeast Tarrant County, including this on in North Richland Hills. Just in Time Tree Service Handout BY BILL HANNA billhanna@star-telegram.com FORT WORTH When severe thunderstorms packing 70-mph winds raced across Tarrant County Tuesday night, Justin Curtis Bills’ phone started ringing off the hook. Bills, owner of Just In Time Tree Service in Hurst, had 22 callers with tree damage by Wednesday morning. “I got calls at 10, 11, 12 and even 1 o’clock in the morning,” Bills said. “They’re in Hurst, Bedford, Richland Hills, North Richland Hills, Euless and even a few in Benbrook. I’m seeing a lot of Bradford pears — junk trees. I’m also seeing a lot of older trees past their prime.” The strong winds damaged buildings in Euless. By 9:49 p.m. there were still about 3,200 customers without electricity in Tarrant and Dallas counties, according to Oncor. One business, Euless Guns and Ammo, lost most of its roof during the storm. Other homes had damage to carports from downed trees. I’M SEEING A LOT OF BRADFORD PEARS — JUNK TREES. I’M ALSO SEEING A LOT OF OLDER TREES PAST THEIR PRIME. Justin Curtis Bills “We had damage to one building in Euless that lost part of its roof but I think the bulk of the damage people are taking care of themselves,” Deputy City Manager Bob Freeman said. “Probably our biggest issue was power outages and most of the power is back on.” The strongest gust recorded in Tarrant County was a 70-mph gust near Westworth Village. The storms didn’t produce a whole lot of rain. Dallas/Fort Worth Airport reported 0.16 inch of rain after Tuesday night’s storms, and a little less than 0.5 inch was collected at the National Weather Service office in north Fort Worth. The stormy weather pattern is going to stick around. There’s a slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon, but the main threat is expected to be late tonight or early Thursday morning. Once again, hail and damaging winds will be the main threat. The Storm Prediction Center predicts a slight chance of severe storms in North Texas, including Dallas-Fort Worth. Follow NWS SPC ✔@NWSSPC 7:54am CDT #SPC Day1 Outlook Slight Risk: mid mississippi and lower ohio valley... http://go.usa.gov/YWq5 7:56 AM - 11 May 2016 Forecasters are calling for a 20 percent chance of storms this afternoon, a 70 percent chance tonight and a 40 percent chance on Thursday. It will be warm and muggy with a high near 84. “The atmosphere got worked over by the storms,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Jamie Gudmestad. “There’s a pretty strong cap in place. It’s probably not going to start until later this evening with the strongest storms sometime after 10 p.m. It looks like it will be an overnight thing.” As of Wednesday, it looked like there will be a break in the storms Friday and most of Saturday before the threat returns Saturday night through Tuesday. STAFF WRITER DYLAN BRADLEY CONTRIBUT ED TO THIS REPORT. Bill Hanna: 817-390-7698, @fwhanna Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast- tarrant/article76920647.html#storylink=cpy Euless child run over by delivery truck By: FOX4News.com Staff POSTED:MAY 10 2016 08:01AM CDT UPDATED:MAY 10 2016 08:30AM CDT EULESS, Texas - Euless police are investigating an accident involving a 2-year-old child that was run over by a U.S. Postal Service delivery truck. The accident happened just before 4 p.m. Monday in the 1100 block of Milddlebury Lane, near Euless Boulevard and Pipeline Road. The little girl was taken by CareFlight to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth. She was reportedly alert and conscious during the transport, but her exact condition is unknown. HURST-EULESS-BEDFORD NEWS MAY 10, 2016 4:50 PM Brownie troop dedicates tree to fallen Euless officer David Hofer HIGHLIGHTS: • Girls tied blue ribbons around an oak tree • A granite stone was also placed to honor Hofer Euless police Cpt. G.L. Landers stands among Girl Scouts during a tree dedication by Troop 1523 for Euless police officer Hofer at the Euless Police Department on Saturday morning. Bob Booth Special to the Star-Telegram BY ELIZABETH CAMPBELL liz@star-telegram.com EULESS Addison Funari and the girls in her Brownie troop wanted to recognize a hero they never met, officer David Hofer, who died in the line of duty over two months ago. Eight Brownies and Daisies from Girl Scout Troop 1523 gathered Saturday morning around a newly-planted blackjack oak tree in front of the Euless Police Department, tying blue ribbons around the tree to honor Hofer. Police officers and city officials were on hand for the special ceremony. “We honored him. I want to do more projects,” Addison said. The city donated the oak tree, and the girls used money from their cookie sales to purchase the small granite stone inscribed with the words David Hofer, 1986-2016, a hero forever in our hearts. Dedicated by Girl Scout Troop 1523. Troop leader Lisa Funari said the girls decided to honor Hofer with a tree dedication for their community service project. Brownies must complete several “journeys,” and the journey to dedicate the tree was called, “It’s our world. Change it.” Police Chief Michael Brown said he was deeply moved by the ceremony. “When I found out they wanted to do this, I felt very humbled,” Brown said. He added that Hofer loved kids and that Hofer would have been honored with them dedicating a tree to recognize his heroism. On March 1, Hofer, 29, was shot and killed by Jorge Brian Gonzales, who was hiding along a creek bank at J.A. Carr Park, several hours after he was released from the Euless City Jail. Hofer answered a call about shots fired in the park. Other officers who responded to the call fired back, killing Gonzales. Hofer came from the New York City Police Department in 2014 and immediately became a part of the close-knit community in Euless. Funari said her troop read a story about girls planting a tree in a park, and the idea to honor Hofer took root. “We wanted to give something back. We thought that this was a wonderful thing to give to the community and to remember officer Hofer,” she said. The older girls knew about Hofer and understood what happened; the younger ones learned that he was a hero, she said. THIS REPORT INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM THE STAR-TELEGRAM ARCHIVES. Elizabeth Campbell: 817-390-7696, @fwstliz Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/hurst-euless- bedford_news/article76815007.html#storylink=cpy HURST-EULESS-BEDFORD NEWS MAY 12, 2016 2:03 PM H-E-B happenings Here’s what is coming on the Midtown Express The catfish are biting at Chisholm Park pond More traffic switches and closures are coming for Texas 183 in Euless. Paul Moseley Star-Telegram archives HERE’S WHAT IS COMING ON THE MIDTOWN EXPRESS More orange cones, road closures and traffic switches are in store for Texas 183 in Euless, courtesy of the Midtown Express reconstruction project. On Monday, the westbound 183 frontage road from Carter Drive to Fuller Drive was changed to one-way, which means there will be no more access to Short Street. On May 16, the on-ramp from Industrial Boulevard to eastbound Texas 183 will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The off-ramp from westbound to Texas 183 to Industrial Boulevard will also be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. On May 23, the on-ramp from Amon Carter Boulevard to eastbound 183 will be relocated. On May 30, the eastbound 183 frontage road from Industrial Boulevard to Main Street will move to a new traffic pattern. For updates, more information: drivemidtown.com. THE CATFISH ARE BITING AT CHISHOLM PARK POND More catfish are coming to Chisholm Park pond, 2200 Norwood Drive in Hurst. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department workers are scheduled to again stock the pond with channel cat on May 20 and they are available to be caught as soon as they are in the water. Another stocking is scheduled for June 3. Both dates are subject to change because of bad weather and fish availability. What you need to know: • Kids under 17 years old can fish for free, but adults need a state fishing license. There is a two-pole limit per angler. • The best baits to use are nightcrawlers, chicken livers, shrimp, stinkbait or sliced hot dogs. • There is no minimum-length limit, but there is a five-fish-per-day bag limit. BUSINESS ROUND TABLE IS THURSDAY IN BEDFORD Local business owners are invited to attend Thursday’s Bedford Business Roundtable, where Mayor Jim Griffin and city staff will discuss the city’s economic outlook, infrastructure plans, street repairs and more. A breakfast from On the Border will be served at 7:30 a.m. and the meeting will be from 8 to 9 a.m. The meeting is at the Old Bedford School, 2400 School Lane, and sponsored by the Bedford Community Affairs Commission. Information: may2016businessroundtable.eventbrite.com. Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/hurst-euless- bedford_news/article77229832.html#storylink=cpy NORTHEAST TARRANT MAY 17, 2016 11:50 AM Man who killed Euless officer had meth, coke and other drugs in system HIGHLIGHTS Jorge Brian Gonzalez was fatally shot by other officers He tested positive for meth, amphetamine and cocaine Gonzalez was shot four times and had graze wound Family and friends attended a memorial for Jorge Brian Gonzalez on March 8. Khampha Bouaphanh kb@khamphaphoto.com BY DEANNA BOYD dboyd@star-telegram.com EULESS ─ Jorge Brian Gonzalez had methamphetamine, amphetamine and cocaine in his system when he fatally shot officer David Hofer on March 1 in an ambush at a Euless park before being killed in a shootout with officers. Jorge Brian Gonzalez also tested positive for olanzapine, an anti-psychotic; alprazolam, also known as Xanax, a sedative used to treat anxiety and panic disorder; THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient of marijuana; and citalopram, an antidepressant, according to an autopsy report obtained by the Star-Telegram on Tuesday. His father, Jorge Antonio Gonzalez, said Tuesday he was not surprised by the findings. “I knew he used all these drugs,” the father said. Gonzalez, a 22-year-old addict with a history of drug-induced psychosis, was arrested Feb. 29 by Euless police for public intoxication after officers responded to a theft call made by his father, who said his son and a friend had stolen money and were high. Gonzalez spent the night in jail and was released the next morning after appearing before a municipal judge and agreeing to a sentence of 20 hours of community service. Jorge Antonio Gonzalez said he believes his son took drugs after he was released from the city jail. Within four hours of his release, police say Gonzalez broke into a Euless house and stole guns, then hid along a creek in J.A. Carr Park and fired a few random shots. Hofer, who had responded to 911 calls about the fired shots, had approached Gonzalez when he was shot, an attorney with the Texas Municipal Patrolman’s Association has said. “He was assassinated while his gun was holstered and while asking the suspect to show his hands,” Randy Moore previously told the Star-Telegram. Other officers returned fire, killing Gonzalez. The autopsy report shows Gonzalez was shot four times: in the left shoulder, in the right hip, in the left buttock and in the right leg. He also suffered a graze wound to the left cheek. Gonzalez’s father has said his son began using drugs after being sexually abused as a child. He said when his son mixed drugs, it often led to bizarre and sometimes violent behavior. A Father's Shame Jorge Antonio Gonzalez, father of Euless cop killer Jorge Brian Gonzalez, grapples with the circumstances surrounding the death of his son and the guilt that comes with feeling responsible for the death of officer David Hofer. (video by Jared L. Christoph) Jared L. Christopher Star-Telegram “When he mixed ice with amphetamines, methamphetamine or cocaine, it's the same as mixing detergent with Windex or whatever. ... It explodes,” the father previously told theStar-Telegram. Hofer’s shooting came nine days after Gonzalez had threatened to kill an officer while being taken to John Peter Smith Hospital after an outburst in the Euless Jail. A doctor diagnosed Gonzalez, who had claimed to be God and told an officer he could control helicopters flying overhead, with homicidal thoughts and numerous drug-related disorders. He was discharged two days later. DIANE SMITH CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT, WHICH INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM THE STAR-TELEGRAM ARCHIVES. Deanna Boyd: 817-390-7655, @deannaboyd Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/northeast- tarrant/article78075227.html#storylink=cpy SOCIAL EYES BY FAYE REEDER MAY 18, 2016 12:19 PM Eyes on H-E-B: Euless Municipal Volunteer Program celebrates service Hats off to the more than 600 generous Euless residents whose volunteer service to the city last year tallied up to a whopping 1,350 hours valued at nearly $32,000. Euless Councilman Perry Bynum, left, Volunteers of the Year Dale and Joyce Turns, and Mayor Linda Martin, right, at the city’s volunteer awards recognition. Courtesy photo BY FAYE REEDER freeder@star-telegram.com Hats off to the more than 600 generous Euless residents whose volunteer service to the city last year tallied up to a whopping 1,350 hours valued at nearly $32,000. That’s a big savings on the city budget and a big win for residents reaping the benefits of all this work. The city says “thank you” at an annual appreciation event where all volunteers for the city are recognized and a few special awards are handed out. “I am continually amazed at our volunteers in Euless,” said Betsy Deck, assistant to the city manager and coordinator of the awards event. “They are the most dedicated group of people you’ve ever met. They give up their nights and weekends to help make Euless a great place to live.” Named as 2015 Volunteers of the Year were Dale Turns and Joyce Turns for their work on the 6 Stones Community Powered Revitalization, or CPR, program. “As homeowner liaisons for 6 Stones, Dale and Joyce meet with homeowners and assess their needs ... They are the face of Euless and CPR to the many people who apply for assistance,” said Deck. Bloomfield Homes was awarded the Volunteer Business of the Year. Accepting the award were Bloomfield employees Don Dykstra, Tim Stewart and Barry Crowley. Deck said among the many contributions of the company was its partnership with 6 Stones on extreme home makeovers. Donia Nasereddin, a ninth-grader at Euless Junior High, took home the honors for Youth Volunteer of the year for her dedicated work in a wide variety of library programs. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to George Zahnfor his nearly 30 years of service on both the parks board and the planning and zoning commission. Zahn’s impressive achievements as a volunteer for Boys Scouts was also hailed. “He always has a better community in mind with his actions and does not do anything for personal interest or gain,” Deck said. The volunteers work in departments across the city including the library, police and fire, planning, parks and city administration. Deck says the enthusiasm of the group is contagious and makes sometimes unpleasant tasks fun. “I have a group of volunteers from the Euless Citizen’s Police and Fire Academy Alumni that come out to Crud Day twice a year to help unload cars. We unload old paint cans, chemicals and used oil and laugh the entire time. They make a not-so-glamorous task so much fun,” Deck said. To find out how to get involved, contact Jerry Poteet at 817-685-1449 or jpoteet@eulesstx.gov. LIONS DONATION FOR CHILD SAFETY MADE IN HONOR OF FALLEN EULESS OFFICER Continuing its commitment to serving the community, the Northeast Tarrant Lions Club made a nice donation to the Euless Police Department’s child safety seat program at its May meeting. The contribution went to the Inter-Agency Child Safety Seat Program in memory of Euless police officer David Hofer, who died in the line of duty March 1. “This was a way to pay tribute to Officer Hofer and all the police officers throughout the H-E-B area and state of Texas for the duties they perform in protecting the citizens in the communities they serve,” said Lions Club President Pat Hannah. “The loss of an officer in the line of duty is a tragic occurrence and serves to remind us of the risks these individuals take each and every day.” On hand to accept the donation was Cpl. James Gordon, president of the safety seat task force, Euless Police Chief Mike Brown and Officers Michael Nafziger, Scott Gilley and Robert Provost. The task force, composed of officers from several agencies, conducts child safety seat checkup events in Euless and the surrounding area and provides instruction on correctly installing seats. “We are dedicated officers that have a passion for child safety. We have seen the horrors of collisions and crashes without proper restraint systems,” wrote Brown in an email. The Northeast Tarrant Lions meet twice a month, on the first Tuesday at noon and the third Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Highway 55 Burger restaurant in Bedford, 2113 Harwood Blvd. Anyone interested in joining the club should call Hannah at 817-995-9084. Please send your Eyes on H-E-B news tips to freeder@star-telegram.com. Keep up with even more community news by liking our page on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/SocialEyes.ST. Twitter: @FayeReeder Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/social- eyes/article78391602.html#storylink=cpy