HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-08-01 Euless Articles 11hat
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5..
' Terry Leach(left),president of the HEB
Education Foundation for 2002-2003,passes
the gavel to Glen Porterfield,who assumes the
T post for the 2003-2004 school year. The
' Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit
organization that supports HEB schools. The
Foundation board is made up of community
' leaders and school staff. The Foundation
supports students, rewards teachers, builds
support for public schools, and involves the
community in assuring quality education for our
' future workforce. The Foundation hosts fund-
raising events in order to award$25,000 in
Innovative Teaching Grants every year.
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E, R
Property value
J
growth shifts
west and south, }
V
where traffic is 4
V1,; :F
lighter and houses - 4 {
are less costly `{ F hrAlk
1
a
Percent gain in
net taxable value of
cities and school dis-
tricts that showed the
most growth,accord-
ing to the Tarrant '
Appraisal District.
171 s
Mansfield By ANNA M.TINSLEY couple of years ago, when White Settlement SD
and MIKE LEE the center of growth was
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERS along Texas 114 near ,
Head south from Fort Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
Worth, and you may eta
Lake Worth ISD y y g Now, the fastest-growing Crowley ISD
glimpse into the future.Amid property values in the North-
vacant fields and cattle pas- east Tarrant County area are
tures lie communities that in the Alliance Airport corri-
'' are experiencing some of the dor of north Fort Worth.
.s
Crowley fastest growth in the region. Haslet, southwest of Sansom Park
Mansfield and Crowley Alliance Airport, posted a
had some of the biggest nearly 8 percent increase infts
increases in property values its net taxable value, and the wo
Mansfield ISD this year, according to certi- Keller school district's net Kennedale ISD
fied tax rolls released Friday taxable value increased near- ,
by the Tarrant Appraisal Dis- ly 13 percent. '
trict.
Growth changes — it
Keller ISD
That's a far cry from a River Oaks
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' moves around,"chief appraiser school district with 2.9 per-
Jonn Marshall said. "Northeast cent. Preliminary Tarrant County property values
communities have not been For most of the 1990s,
' the leader for building permits Grapevine's property values Previous Current
Taxing
for several years:' had been rising by more than net taxable net taxable Percent
authority as of Sept.i,zooz as or July 25,2003 gain
Communities and school 10 percent a year. This year,
districts have been eagerly Arlington $14.5 billion
g Y City Manager Roger Nelson is $15.2 billion 4.8
' awaiting the numbers so they pleased because the number is Arlington ISD $17.5 billion $18 billion 2.8
can complete their budgets for greater than zero. Azle $425 million $450.8 million 6.1
the upcoming fiscal year. City administrators had Azle ISD $1.1 billion $1.2 billion 9.7
Overall,Tarrant County saw already finished writing next Bedford $2.7 billion $2.8 billion 3.7
' slow but stead growth, with a Benbrook $876 million
Y g year's budget and had antici- $959.2 million 9.5
6.50v
.5 percent increase that adds pated a drop in the overall tax Birdville ISD $5.7 billion $6 billion 5.5
about $5.2 billion to the tax base. The increase however Blue Mound $61.7 million $65.4 million 6:0
' base. Every community saw anCarroll ISD $3.5 billion
small, eliminates the need for $3.6 billion 5.2
increase, but the biggest fund transfers and other bud- Castleberry ISD $334 million $368 million
410.2
increases were in some south- get-balancing measures Nel- Colleyville $2.4 billion $2.5 billion 4.7
ern and western communities. son said. Crowley $300 million, $344.4 million 14.8
' The attraction in Mansfield Still, he said, "We have a Crowley ISD $2.6 billion $2.9 billion 12
and places south and west: a very volatile property tax base Dalworthington Gardens $217.4 million $233 million Ti
slightly slower pace of life, with the airlines. All this good Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD $2.8 billion $3 billion 9.5
with less traffic and a lower news is taking for granted that Edgecliff Village $140.5 million $143.6 million 2.2
' cost of living. American and Delta will be Euless $2 billion $2.1 billion 4.7
The problem in Northeast fine when it comes time to pay Everman $112.3 million $120.7 million 7.5
Tarrant County: fallout from Everman ISD $588 million $630.3 million Z2
the battering of the airline taxes this year." Forest Hill $294.7 million $313.3 million 6.3'
' industry and a decline in the In Southlake, where the Fort Worth $24.1 billion $25.7 billion 6.6
market for supersize houses.In average value of a house was Fort Worth ISD $17 billion $17.9 billion 5.0
addition, the recent growth in $362,000 in 2002, the Grapevine $4.9 billion $5 billion 2.5
' cities such as Colleyville, decreased demand for large Grapevine-Colleyville ISD $7.7 billion $8.1 billion 4.4
Grapevine and Southlake has houses has slowed the city's Haltom City $1.3 billion $1.4 billion 5.5
slowed because less land is growth, city Finance Director Haslet` $265.2 million $286.1 million 7.9
available or it is expensive. Sharen Elam said. Like Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD $7.2 billion $7.4 billion 2.9
' "Folks are looking to the Grapevine, Southlake experi- Hurst $1.8 billion $1.9 billion 4.5
southern suburbs as an alter- enced double-digit annual Keller $2.3 billion $2.5 billion 8.9
native," said Terry Clower, growth rates in property values Keller ISO $5.3 billion $6 billion 12.9
associate director of the Uni- through the 1990s. This year, it Kennedale $298.6 million $314.9 million 5.5
' versity of North Texas Center was slightlyKennedale ISD
belowthe county- $651.3 million $725.5 million 11.4
for Economic Development
wide average,at 6.2 percent. Lakeside $58.3 million $61.5 million 5.4
and Research."Traffic is a little "We do have a lot of homes lake Worth $244.2 million $257 million 5.2
lighter, property values are a on the market for sale.I'm sure Lake Worth ISD $389.6 million $457.2 million 17.4
' little more affordable." that affects the values," she Mansfield $2 billion $2.4 billion 17.5
This year, Mansfield had a said. Mansfield ISD $4.3 billion $4.9 billion 13.8
17.5 percent increase in proper- The low growth rate won't North Richland Hills $2.8 billion $3 billion 6.7
y values, and Crowley's was have much effect on next Pantego $197 million $204 million 3.6
l districts also 4.8 percent. Those communi- ,
ies' school year's budget, Elam said. She Pelican Bay $14.8 million $162 million 9.3
tgained value l Mansfield's by had been planning for growth Richland Hills $375.9 million $389.4 million 3.6
13.8 percent and ey's by of 5 percent. River Oaks $160.9 million $179 million 11.3
12 percent. In the fast-growing Keller Saginaw $686.6 million $753 million 9.7
"We could see a better bal- Sansom Park $69.2 million $77.2 million 11.5
ance between the southern Southlake $3.4 billion $3.6 billion 6.2
' sector of the county and the Watauga $ million $912.8 million
Westover Hills $225225 million $239.7 million 6.5.5
northern sector as we move Westworth Village $30 million $31.5 5.0
into the next decade," Clower White Settlement $392 million $41.5 million million 5.3
said."It's evening out." White Settlement ISD $721 million $813.5 million 12.8
' The smallest growth was in ' Tarrant County $79.9 billion $85 billion 6.5
Edgecliff Village, with a 2.2 Tarra:TarCounrant praisalDistrkt
percent increase, Grapevine
' with 2.5 percent,the Arlington
school district with 2.8 percent
-and the Hurst-Euless-Bedfor.l
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school district, which includes But they probably won't be '
the city of Keller and the able to cut it, as they have sev-
Alliance area, most of the en out of the past eight years.g ,
increase was in Fort Worth, The budget will go forward
school district spokesman without a tax rate increase rec-
Jason Meyer said. ommendation,"Boswell said.
The growth has strained the Leaving the rate unchanged ,
means that many property
district's finances. Keller could owners will pay higher taxes
lose as much as $300,000 in because of rising values. The
state aid, despite adding an average value of a house in '
estimated 2,000 students in the Fort Worth is$90,707.
upcoming school year,because In the Fort Worth school
it has posted such a strong gain district, property values went '
in taxable value, Meyer said. up 5 percent to $17.9 billion,
which puts the district in a
Meanwhile, the property tax much better position than a
rate has jumped to $1.65 from few months ago, said Steve ,
$1.52 per$100 assessed value in Fortenberry,the district's chief
two years. financial officer.
Still,Meyer said, that is one "We are going to propose a
the lowest school district tax 3 percent, across-the-board t
rates in Northeast Tarrant pay increase, with a minimum
County. "At the same time;^ $1,000 increase for any full-
we've been able to maintain time employee," Fortenberry '
quality facilities for students," said."We are also proposing to
he said. lower our overall tax rate by a
Fort Worth fell in the mid- little over 2.78 cents:'
dle,with a 6.6 percent increase Staff writers Sally Claunch and Matt t
that will add an extra $1.6 bi1T Frazier contributed to this report.
lion to the tax base and help ONLINE:www.tad.org
city leaders maintain the tax Anna M.Tinsley,(817)390-7610
rate without having to cut.ser,;, atinsley@star-telegram.com '
Mike Lee,(817)685-3858
vices. mikelee@star-telegram.com 4
"This is good news becau
it's not bad news," Assistant
City Manager Charles Boswell
said."If the numbers had come
in and were way off,we would
have had to go back into the
budget and found ways to cut.!
City officials hope to holt
the line on the city's tax rate;
which is 86.5 cents per,$100 of '
assessed valuation — one of
the highest rates among large
Texas cities.
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STAR-TELEGRAM/KELLEY CHINN
i Paige Gardenhire,7,gets a lift from Travis Mills during the parade of athletes at the opening ceremonies of the Games
of Texas on Friday at Pennington Field in Bedford.The two athletes,from Boerne,will compete in swimming events.
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. 1
Relief at the ready for youngathletes
1
By CHRIS NEELY
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER "It's my hip,"she said as tears deal is to prepare for the worst
GRAPEVINE -- "There was nothing
rolled off her face. "I heard it and hope for the best" 1
wrong with 10-year-old Ashley Baker's pop'>, Jackie Cantu,17,said prepara-
skinned knee that a little hydrogen peroxide Braden and physical therapist tion is what brought her to the
couldn't fix. Nothing except maybe the Nikki Svadlenka sprang into medical tent. She wanted to get
stirsI'm so sorry, honey," Staci Braden, a;of thy°hydrogen peroxide.
' action, pressing here and there her ankle taped before compet-
on her leg and holding her hand. ing in the long jump.
"It hurts,"Merissa sobbed. "Two weeks ago I popped it,
physical therapist with Harris Methodist Y so I don't want to r
H.E.B. hospital in Bedford, said as she reinjure it,"
Her grandmother, Mar
Rachal, ran from the stands to she said as Braden pulled the
dabbed at Ashley's her side. white tape taut around her
Games of Texas knee. "Happy "The last two times she tried ale, p
■What:Amateur thoughts, happy to run, her hip jumped out of Braden said that pace was
competition in 14 sports. thoughts" place," Mary Rachal said as more to her liking.
About 9,000 athletes Ashley' from.
from across the state emergency medical technicians "If anything happens, I'm
are competing. Jacksonville, was having a little made their way to the tent. "I glad to help," she said. "But if
■-When:Today and ble with happpypy showed her how to lay down so I'm busy,that means somebody's 1
Sunday in trouble."
■Where:Locations thoughts after she it would fall back in place, but ONLINE:Games of Texas,
throughout Northeast tripped over the this time it seems worse." ONLINEwww.gaGame of Texas,
m.
Tarrant County last hurdle of her After the technicians took Chris Neely,(817)685-3806 '
■Tickets:All-venue race Friday morn- Merissa to an area hospital, cneely@star-telegram.com
day pass,$5;all-venue ing at the four-day things got back to normal in the
weekend souvenir pin Games of Texas. tent:more scrapes.
pass,$10.Children 5 So was her team- Svadlenka said one popped 1
and younger are mate, 10-year-old hip was plenty for one day. But
admitted free. Jasmine Rhynes, she was happy to be outdoors
■Information: whose hand Ash- for a change.
(817)952-2301 or ley was squeezing "I'm just working on my tan, '
www.gamesoftexas.com as hard as she which is pretty much nonexis-
could. tent,"she said.
Inside the medical tent at Mustang-Pan- Janszen said that, overall,
ther Stadium in Grapevine, scratches and injuries were light Friday 1
scrapes were the order of the day. As tem- because most of the track and
peratures climbed,a few athletes stopped in field athletes are young.
for.shade, water or ice-cold towels. Mostly, ,At this age, their ligaments ,
though,Harris Methodist's staff did a lot of and their muscles aren't real
watching and waiting at the stadium,where tight yet," Janszen said. "We're
the track and field events were held. probably not going to see a lot of
At least until Mike Janszen,Harris direc- major strains. But our whole
for of physical medicine,carried 12-year-old
Merissa Rachal of Kilgore into the tent after ..W
the 100-meter relay.
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13 NEWSPAPER FfVST
io' ngaflls tak7e health
concerns to heart
By MITCH MITCHELLEuless.
For your information
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER Diabetes screenings will be
The Congregational Health Ini offered in September.Screenings
High blood pressure, diabetes and heat tiative will conduct cholesterol p g
disease are the top three health concerns of screenings in August.Screenings will be from 5 to 8 p.m.:
the area Tongan community, according to a will be from 5 to 8 p.m.: ■Sept.2 at St.Michael's
survey of 123 households conducted by Har- ■Aug.4 at St.Michael's Catholic Church,3713 Harwood
ris Methodist H.E.B.hospital in Bedford. Catholic Church,3713 Harwood Road in Bedford;
Those health risks became a concern Road in Bedford; ■Sept.9 at First Tongan Unit-
about two years ago. A series of deaths of ■Aug.12 at First Tongan Unit- ed Methodist Church,304 S.
mostly middle-aged and young men sent rip- ed Methodist Church,304 S. Pipeline Road West in Euless;
ples of worry through this Euless-centered Pipeline Road West in Euless; ■Sept.10 at Tongan First
community of about 4,000. ■Aug.13 at Tongan First Unit- United Methodist Church,1010 S.
"It seemed we were having to go to a dif_ ed Methodist Church,1010 S. Euless Main St.in Euless;
Euless Main St.in Euless; ■Sept.23 at the Church of
Health care workers are ■Aug.26 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
trying to improve the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, • Third Ward,200 Fair Oaks Blvd.in
'
well-being of area Tongans through Third Ward,200 Fair Oaks Blvd.in Euless.
education and screenings.
ferent funeral every month," said Telolini
Kioa, 38. "These were men who had Bever Screenings are free,and fam- uncomfortable speaking Eng-
been sick, and then all of.the sudden, they ilies share their health informa- lish, even though nearly three-
tion with one another and quarters of those questioned
encourage one another to take have lived in the area for more
were gone." "In the screening we did at better care of themselves, Kioa than 10 years.
Health care workers also ' First Tongan United Methodist said.
FChurch earlier this month, Health care workers are The initiative is training
recognized the trend. Some church members to act as trans-
Tongans were coming to the about 98 percent of the people encouraging Tongans to make lators and health promoters to
hospital in the end stages of dis- there had high blood pressure," incremental dietary changes, help health care workers.
ease and were leaving with dis- said Filieta Ofa, a registered such as cutting down on salt Most Tongans surveyed
mal outlooks,or were dying. nurse who is the health coordi- and increasing water intake. work full time, own their
That recognition triggered a nator for the initiative. About 20 people participat- homes,and have a family physi-
partnership among the hospital, Tongans have a love affair ed in blood pressure screenings cian and insurance, even
the advocacy group The Voice with food,much of which is not Tuesday at the Church of Jesus though many apparently do not
of Tonga, and the Tongan com- the healthiest, Kioa said. Cele- Christ of Latter-day Saints in visit their physician regularly.
munity brations often include fatty Euless. Attendance at initial Although about 70 percent
Under an umbrella program meats cooked in coconut milk screenings has been better than of adult Tongans reported hav-
called the Congregational and lots of starchy foods, she expected,and health care work- ing health insurance, that has
Health Initiative, health care said. ers anticipate attendance will
When the were on their increase as people return from not helped the community
workers rallied to improve the y P P overcome its chronic health
diet and exercise habits of area island homeland in the South summer vacations. conditions,said Stephen Buksh,
Tongans. They also began pro- Pacific,many Tongans had jobs "There have been a lot of a physician who donates time
viding health screenings,health that required physical labor, people in our community who to the initiative.
education opportunities and such as fishing or farming. In have had a heart attack or The key, Buksh said, is get-
preventive therapies. the United States, a lot of Ton- stroke. I just wanted to make ting people under a physician's
gars adopt sedentary lifestyles, sure my health was all right," care early, before they reach
Kioa said. said Okusi Piutau, 40, who end-stage disease.
"Now we're trying to read attended the screening Tuesday. "As a doctor, I'd rather not
the nutrition labels,"she said. The survey indicated other treat people with heart attacks
hurdles that health care work- or strokes, when there's not a
ers must overcome to effective- lot that you can do,"Buksh said.
ly reach the 7 ungan communi- Mitch Mitchell,(817)685-3807
ty. Most To l;an adults are mitchmitchell@star-telegram.com
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Dlsc o1 ers hlthe links
711
t aures o
Texas ourne
"Mill
By CHRIS NEELY A disc golf regular golf became clear.
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER ® tournament draws For one thing, disc golf is a
GRAPEVINE — In many a small but devoted field of far less snobbish affair, David
ways, it was just another day at competitors. Covalt of Arlington said.
the golf course Saturday. "We follow pretty much the
Players compared the No. 1 point leader in the world same etiquette,"he said."You're
newest putters and drivers in last year." "In your world, supposed to keep quiet and not
their bags, swapped stories maybe."). move around during shots. But
about their latest scores and When play got under way at I don't think anybody will get
talked equal parts strategy the Games of Texas disc golf on me for not having a shirt
("Play it short and tight around tournament, though, the differ- today."
the trees")and trash("I was the ences between disc golf and
No one did. Disc Golf Association Ama- Casey Fortune of Corinth
Disc golf was one of 14 teur World Championships, said he came to Grapevine on
Games of Texas events held Mace said. Saturday mainly to try to win
Saturday at locations across Just seven entrants came to some of the free discs offered
Northeast Tarrant County.The Bear Creek Park, most of as prizes.
games, which began Thursday, whom know one another from "It's a good way to make my
end today. other area tournaments. Disc bag fatter without paying any
Cost is another big differ- golf enthusiasts are a close- cash,"he said. mill
ence between disc golf and knit group, said John Maurio Still, for all the differences
regular golf,according to tour- of Euless. between the two kinds of golf,
nament organizer Brian Mace. "It's almost a kind of sub- Fortune's first hole showed
Discs cost$10 to$20,and there culture," he said. "It's addic- how similar they are. His first
are only three types: the dri- tive. I mean, it gets to where shot bounced off a tree and
ver, which has a beveled edge you start to plan vacations stopped just short of Big Bear '
to slice through the air; around it" Creek. Then he overshot two
midrange discs, which have putts before sinking the third.
slightly more wind resistance; Games of Texas That's a 4 on a par-3 hole.(Just
and putters, which have blunt ■What:Amateur competi- about every disc golf hole in ,
edges for slow,short shots. tion in 14 sports the world is a par-3.) The rest
In other words, the greens ■When: Ends today of Fortune's threesome
fees of a typical golf course ■Where:Locations through- marked 2s.
would pay for a fully stocked out Northeast Tarrant County But, just like a regular '
disc golf bag. Which may be ■Tickets:All-venue day golfer, Fortune knew exactly
why regular golfers don't take pass,$5;all-venue weekend g y
souvenir pin pass,$10.Children what went wrong.
disc golfers seriously, Mace 5 and younger admitted free. "I played the wrong disc,"
said. le Information:(817)952- he said. '
They say"things like, `Well, 2301,www.gamesoftexas.com Chris Neely,(817)685-3806
I play real golf,' "he said. "But cneely@star-telegram.com
once they come see it, they're
like, 'Whoa! Do that again!' '
Then they're hooked." '
Turnout was sparse Satur-
day,probably because many of
the top players in the country
are in Kansas City, Mo., this
weekend for the Professional
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yy a
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me
STAR-TELEGRAMMEN FRIEDBERG
March for Liberia
Cedia Nsangolo of Dallas,a member of the Conference of Liberian Organizations in the Southwest-
em United States,marches with other conference members Saturday afternoon in Euless.Another
member,Elizabeth KAnwhen of Tulsa,said,;All I want is help for Liberia."
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It's
time for
to
et on the same r
T'S NOT fair to even imply that "The term 'rush hour' is virtually ■ We will commit ourselves to
there is a lack of effort in North obsolete in the Fort Worth-Dallas keep meeting and talking and brain- '
Texas to solve the area's grow- area," the editorial said, noting that storming until we've figured out how
ing transportation and air quali- People can seldom "rush" anywhere, to create that kind of system.
ty problems. given the area's congestion. It urged "The uncomfortable truth is that
People are working and studying Public officials to "accelerate discus- Washington tends to frown on corn-
all
onnall over the place — 16 different sions on forming a regional transit munities that let their opposing inter-
groups involved in air quality issues authority." ests and petty rivalries impede the
alone, according to the North Texas That same Sunday, The Dallas efficient use of such funds," the pro-
Commission. Morning News called for "a unified tocol says. "It tends to smile on corn- '
At least four alliances are involved transit agency." Imunities that work and plan togeth-
in policy and advocacy on trans- The News said the"region's Balka- er."
portation and at least two in plan- nization - into cities with separate The document notes that if"The
ning, three in public transit (four if Public transportation agendas —hin- Dallas Morning News and the Fort '
you count the Trinity Railway Worth Star-Telegram can hold their
Express joint venture between DARTThe editorial boards of fierce competition in abeyance and
and.the T)and others working on toll the Star-Telegram and work together for this common good, '
roads and the like. the Morning News issue a joint so can the region's elected officials."
But there is no truly central challenge to North Texas. It asks them to sign this statement:
"Therefore, be it resolved that we
authority that can call all of these
ders its ability to solve its grave con- — sundry mayors, city council mem- '
groups together,along with the elect- gestion and pollution problems and bers, city managers, county judges
ed and appointed officials who sanc- to make itself more attractive to
tion them and the various issue-ori- and commissioners and transit lead-
ented groups that would like to influ- investors. ens of the region — hereby pledge
Th
ence the process. e two editorial boards reached ourselves to this task. We know that ,
those conclusions independently. But the excellence of our leadership and
And there certainly is no one with
last week, the two boards took an
the authority to involve the ordinary
unusual step.
citizen — made king in the process our collaboration will produce results
because he or she pays the tax bill. Invitations are going into the mail that make our communities better '
There are 200 or more municipali- to elected and appointed officials to places to live and prosper."
ties and counties in the area and, attend a brief Aug. 15 meeting in Irv-
frankly, they don't have a history of mg,co-hosted by the papers,to see ifOU MIGHT ask what the
working particularly well with one those officials can agree to bring mul- newspapers expect to ,
tiple efforts under one umbrella. come immediately from
anThe rstate hasn't taken a lead role. With the invitations, the newspa- such a meeting.There's no.
And the federal government is loom-
pers included a protocol statement good answer beyond the '
that said in part that "if we can agree obvious desire of both editorial
souing out there somewhere both that we have a problem that threatens boards to see some form of trans-
and
of money for the right pllaanss and if we
and. our collective well being,
anas a stern and punishingportation authority that can plan and
taskmaster for those who fall short of_ can agree that we are powerless to implement regionally. ,
solve the problem individually, we That may—no, will—be difficult
the standards. will have moved far toward a solu- to achieve.
On Nov. 10, 2002, the Star- „
Telegram Editorial Board, after tion. In 1980, voters in Fort Worth,
extensive study of the issues and It asks those invited to agree that: Arlington and Dallas overwhelmingly '
■ North Texas has a problem that rejected the proposed regional Lone
+years of concern, called for the for-
mation of a regional transportation won't solve itself. Star Transportation Authority.
authority as the only entity that could ■ The problem won't get solved But since then, the DART and the
without cooperation.
deal with the magnitude of the prob- '
leets. ■ One of the biggest impediments
to a solution is the lack of a public
transit system that encompasses and
,
unites the region.
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MAYOR CITYCOUNCIL CITYATTORNEY CRIM HENNIG MCKAMIE DELA CRUZ RID GWAY(2)
YOUNG McDONALD COLLINS WILHITE GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARYREF ANIMAL CNTR
DATE DISTRIBUTED 9/ 1163 DATE OFARTICLE -7/%)- 7 /03 NEWSPAPER FWST
' T have been formed, and a trans- The population of the entire North
portation authority was just recently Texas area has grown more than 30
approved in Denton County percent in 10 years. Projections are
Since then, the Environmental that it will be up 20 percent in a
Protection Agency has demanded dozen years and up 65 percent 15
that the area clean up its air or face years after that and will reach nearly
' sanctions that could halt expansion. 10 million people by 2040.
Since then — 16 years ago, to be The newspapers are not endorsing
exact — Airport Freeway traffic any specific plan. But they are
passed its stated capacity of 140,000 endorsing the concept and the effort.
' vehicles per day. The climate for regional coopera-
Since then, the average amount of tion is more favorable now than it
fuel wasted annually per motorist was in 1980. The need is greater —
because of gridlock has increased and more pressing.
from 20 gallons to 120 gallons, And although the Aug. 15 meeting
according to the Texas Transporta- is directed primarily to elected and
tion Institute at Texas A&M Univer- appointed officials, it also is up to
' sity. other interested groups and individu-
A typical Metroplex driver spends als to seek a place at the table,volun-
nearly two workweeks—74 hours— teering their time and expertise on
stuck in traffic each year, and the committees and in public forums to
' congestion costs the region $1.4 bil- address an almost overwhelming
lion annually. That's about $1,390 per problem.
rush-hour driver in wasted fuel, acci- You know what they say about
dents and other' expenses, the insti- shade trees,dont you?
tute says. The best time to plant one was 20
Officials working to overcome the years ago. The next best time is
today.
Problems are quick to point out that' Perhaps we can plant a seed Au mass transit issues, highway trans- 15. &
portation issues and air quality issues
pose differing challenges. But all
those problems are best addressed
' via a unified,regional approach.
Of course,there will be problems.
Some communities, at least at
first,will pay for more than they get.
' DART has a penny on the sales
tax, but the T only has a half-cent.
How will that difference be made up?
In fact, how will any of this be
funded?
Some will argue that this is a prob-
lem belonging primarily to Tarrant,
' Dallas,Denton and Collin counties.
To those we say:If the people and
the congestion aren't in your back-
yard yet,they will be.
This is already the nation's fifth-
largest metropolitan area under new
federal guidelines that include Collin,
Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt,
' Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall,
Tarrant and Wise counties.
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YOUNG McDONALD COLLINS fi"ILHITE GETCHELL LIBRARYAGDMIN LIBRARYREF ANIMAL CNTR
DATE DISTRIBUTED , ( DATE OF ARTICLE J 0 / NEWSPAPER FWST
Immigrants polish
language at minfllbrary
TON
-'�.. '� she,,°'�•'' + �� YF��` .�'�, £ 7
4e,
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Fc
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STAR TELEGRA/IAN MCVEA
Groups of Somalian women and Sudanese men study English at the minilibrary at Twin Bridges apartments in Euless,with help from
the Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district,the Euless library and Catholic Charities of Fort Worth. Mob
.r.
.r
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DATE DISTRIBUTED 1 1 0 3 DATE OFARTICLE u NEWSPAPER FfVST
A live at the complex and near-
by.
"It's a good collaboration.
En is], It's wonderful that this has
.91 bloomed," said Julie Torres, a
teaching and training special-
ist for Catholic Charities.
n U At the Twin Bridge library,
ha immigrants are getting a
chance to learn reading in
- 0 t English while children polish refugees who work at Dal-
9 their skills with Harry Potter las/Fort Worth Airport. It is
or Nancy Drew books. not uncommon for African
By DIANE SMITH "I came to America and refugees to move to cities
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER didn't understand A, B, C," such as Euless or Hurst after
ULESS—Folks keep sneaking a peak at what's said Aissatou Diallo,an inuni- living a couple of years in
behind door No.106 of the Twin Bridge apart- grant from Mauritania, in Fort Worth,Torres said. .,
'
Ements. north Africa. "They tend to congregate
Collections of children's favorites fill the shelves,and The walls tout the Euless where other folks from their
colorful posters urge"Read to Me"and"Reading is Cool." library's summer reading pro- community are already living
On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings,the minilibrary gram and display maps of the or where there are already
doubles as a classroom for adults from foreign countries world. jobs,"she said.
who want to learn English. One room has computers Michael Granado, assis-
The satellite library began a few years ago in a corner children use to play educa- tant principal at Bell Manor
of the apartment complex office with the help of the tional games featuring ani- Elementary School in Bed-
Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district.In recent months,it mated characters such as ford, who spearheaded the
has moved into an empty two-bedroom apartment with Dora the Explorer and Arthur. original project, has helped
the help of a$33,500 federal grant obtained by the Euless On weekday afternoons, establish several minili-
Public Library.Catholic Charities of Fort Worth is now the library is not a classroom braries in apartment com-
offering an ESL class for inunigrants and refugees who and the children can't wait to plexes or shopping centers
get in. One recent Wednes- within the H-E-B school dis-
day,the youngsters—Ameri- trict.
' can, Sudanese and Tongan— "That whole minilibrary
were hanging around outside project happened because
for a chance to socialize and of a lot of people," Granado
' unleash their inquisitive said. Still, because of his
minds. The children pounce efforts, he recently won the
How to help on library assistant Kelly Outstanding Partnership
■ For information on the Cline when she opens the Liaison Award from the
' English as a second language doors on weekdays at 2 p.m. Texas Association of Part-
classes, becoming a teacher "This gives them a place to ners in Education, a
volunteer or making dona- call their own," apartment statewide organization that
tions to Catholic Charities of manager Roxanne Plamon- seeks innovative people and
' Fort Worth,call (817)338- don said. projects that brings the
0774. For Salamata Bah, 8, of community and schools
■To donate books or Guinea, it was where she together.
make contributions to the learned about Harriet Tub- The minilibrary's collab-
' library, call the Euless Public man and the Underground orators said they are com-
Library administrator at(817) Railroad.Nine-year-old Abra- mitted to making the minili-
685-1482. ham Lotaki said the library brary permanent.
' keeps him and his friends "It's the community
entertained. working together for the
"We come over here common good of educating
whenever we are bored," he our kids," Granado said.
said. ' "Reading the gift that you
The apartment complex is open time and time again."
home to several Sudanese, Diane Smith,(817)685-3801
Somalian and C�)ngolese dianesmith@star-telegram.coma
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� � " � NEWSPAPER FifST
Gam-eTexao Se
3
1L� ar i j_ a i®n reeor(I Tarrant County featured 14
sports, among them swimming,
B TERRY LEE-GOODRICH track and field,baseball,gymnas-
t' , . Event organizers say tics,boxing and disc golf. AN
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF 1N_'<I?ER the location of the The Games of Texas, pat-
The 18th annual Games of Texas competition this year may have temcd after the Olympic Games,
ended Sunday with a record participa- helped increase participation. are sponsored by the Texas
tion level of 9,844 athletes. Amateur Athletic Federation.
The figure marked a 44 percent state competition. He also cited a The event, which began in San
increase from the 6,843 participants in greater interest in soccer and the Antonio in 1986, offers a forum
last year's games in Waco, organizing games' location in a large metropolitan for training and competition
committee Chairman Kevin Fralicks area. In some sports, participants only among the state's Olympic hope-
said. had to register to compete. fuls and recreational athletes of
Fralicks said part of the reason for "You get more of a draw from the all ages and skill levels. The
the increase was that more people par- Metroplex,"Fralicks said. games will return to Northeast
ticipated in regional track and field The four-day event in Northeast Tarrant next year. ,
competitions and then qualified for the
Forty-seven state amateur Competitors ranged in age skateboarding
,
swimming records and 24 track from a 66-year-old swimmer to — were can
and field records were broken, several 5-year-olds in track and because of lack of athlete inter-
assistant results coordinator Joe field,Fralicks said. est. '
Moore said. About 30,000 spectators had But the bowling competition
For host cities Bedford, Col- been expected, but final atten- g'`'as rolling Sunday, with more
leyville,Euless,Grapevine,Hurst dance figures were unavailable than 80 youngsters, nearly 60
and North Richland Hills, the Sunday. adults and about 35 senior citi-
event means an economic boost The host cities together con- zens signed up. The youth win-
for hotels, restaurants and other tributed$120,000 in seed money ners got their accolades in a cer-
businesses,Fralicks said. for-this year and next. Cash and emony after the two-hour com-
How much money the Games services,such as printing,adver- petition at AMF Showplace
of Texas brought in won't be tising and medical assistance, Euless Lanes.
known for several weeks, said were also donated,Browne said. With a bronze medal around
his neck, Zach Johnson, 11, was
Jim Browne, chairman of the Mike Janszen, director of trying to subdue the smile that
event's sponsorship committee. i
H
f
i
di
l sic
phyamedicine or Harris gg d at the corners of his
"A $7 million economic to e
impact was estimated,and I sus- Methodist H.E.B. hospital, said mouth.
pect it will be higher," he said. 245 people were treated for Zach, of Bryan-College Sta-
injuries in soccer and track and tion, snared.third place in the
"When that estimate was made, boys'prep division of the ama- "t
only 7,000 athletes had regis- field and five were taken to the teur bowling competition.
tered." hospital. About 50 injuries were He said the games were a lot.
The track and field com eti-
p heat-related. more exciting than other compe-
tion was the largest ever in the A few events — among them titions he has been in since he
games, with about 3,100 partici- ice hockey, rock climbing and learned to bowl six months ago.
pants. About 2,100 swimmers "I'm going to come back next
also competed. In soccer, 104 year,"he said.
teams participated, and organiz-
ers had to turn away about 70 ONLINE:www.gamesoftexas.com
teams because there were not Terry Lee Goodrich,(817)685-3812
enough officials,Browne said. terry@star-telegram.com
"That was a very pleasant Mai
surprise,"he said.
.r
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DATE DISTRIBUTED R I I 03 DATE OF ARTICLE_I 3 NEIVSPAPER FIVST
Man suffers head injuryin 3-car crash
By MARK THOMPSON was injured, and that vehicle The driver of the Escort was
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER Was not seriously damaged, not wearing a seat belt,and his
' EULESS—A man suspected investigators said. head hit the windshield,Berry
of running a red light and caus- A black Ford Escort was trav- said.
ing a three-car collision Mon- eling east on Texas 10 near the "If he had worn a seat belt,he
day night at Texas 10 and posted speed limit of 45 mph probably would have walked
Heather Drive suffered a seri- when it collided with a red Toy- away from this;'Berry said.
ous head injury,police said. ota Tercel that was northbound The case is under investiga-
He was flown by helicopter on Heather Drive,Euless police tion,and no decision has been
' to Harris Methodist Fort Worth Cpl..Bo Berry said. made about charges,investiga-
hospital,Euless police Sgt.Ron A third car brushed one of tors said.
Williamsonsaid. the vehicles. Portions of Heather Drive
The driver of another vehi- There were no skid marks and Texas 10 were closed for-at
cle was taken by ambulance to leading to the accident site. 'least two hours as an accident
Harris Methodist H.E.B.hospi- Based on a witness account and reconstruction team,including
tal in Bedford after the accident physical evidence,the Escort's Bedford, Euless and Hurst
that occurred just before 7 p.m., driver appeared to have had a police officers,investigated.
' Williamson said. red light for several seconds at Mark Thompson,(817)685-3859
No one in the third vehicle the intersection,Berry said. markthompson@star-telegram.com
rw
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MAYOR CITY COUNCIL CITYATTORNEY CRIM HENNIG MCKA HIE DE LA CRUZ RIDGWAY
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Thanks to staff, games run smoothyyi
was no easy task. swimming events,the need for the
Hundreds of volunteers At the pool level,Jamie Clarke liaisons and volunteers was evi-
help manage four days '
and Matt Jesberg served as securi- dent.
ty, keeping unauthorized people "With this many people here,
of Olympic-style events from getting too close to the swim it's hard to be organized,but with
competition, which featured ath- all the volunteers working, its '
By BRANDON FORMBY letes of varying ages. made it a lot easier," Mr. Clarke
Staff Writer The three were among more said.
Running up and down steps as than 80 Grapevine city employees, Billed as the largest amateur
more than 1,200 spectators called liaisons, who helped man- multi-sport event in Texas, the '
cheered,Chris Smith worked up a age the events at the 2003 Games games are the Olympic-style corn
sweat ensuring the swelling crowd ofTexas. petition of the Texas Amateur Ath-
at the Carroll ISD Aquatics Center More than 600 volunteers also 'letic Federation. Since Thursday,
didn't spill into the aisles. helped in the effort. about 9,200 amateur ath- ,
Working inside the sweltering With the aquatics center
aquatics center on a 96-degree day packed with spectators for Friday's
said liaisons act as the link be-
tween the host cities and the '
letes and more than 24,000 athletic federation.
spectators were expected to "Some of these people come
have attended sporting events back year after year and serve
across northeast Tarrant Coun- in the same role,"Mr. Fralicks '
tY said.
The cities of Bedford, Col- This is the fifth year for
leyville, Euless, Grapevine, Sherrie Knoepfel, a track and
Hurst anTNorth Richland field liaison who works for the '
Hills hosted the games,which parks board of First Colony, a
end Sunday.The cities will host suburb southwest of Houston.
again in 2004. With events ranging from
Jerry Poteet, chairman of golf to sand volleyball in ven- '
the games' volunteer commit- ues spread across the six cities
tee and Euless' special events and Southlake, liaisons have
and volunteer coordinator,said done everything from serve as
the committee he heads solicit- security to hand out awards '
ed volunteers through advertis- and help keep time at competi-
ing,fliers and mailings to area tions. And like athletes and
businesses and organizations. spectators,some have traveled
"They are crucial," he said. far to be at the games. '
"Anyone involved in special "Along with organizers,the
events will tell you that without liaisons are the most important
volunteers'help,events are not force at the games," Mr. Fral-
successful." icks said. '
' Kevin Fralicks,chairman of
the 2003 games and Bedford's E-mail bformby@dallasnews.com
community services director, or call 817-865-4970. ,
i
1
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DA TE DISTRIB UTED �l 3 DATE OFARTICLE
NEWSPAPER DMN
- Ter
e
ante to
o
again
"It was an amazing example of
Games of Texas cooperation, partnership and
teamwork," said Jim Brown, the
organizers look to build director of parks and recreation
on this year's success for North Richland Hills and a
member of the executive commit-
' By MARK BUTTON tee. best experience for the athletes terest.
Special contributor and spectators when a decision "Our evaluation period will go
The goal was simple.organiz- Fralicks,Brown and the rest of had to be made. on for another two months,"Fral-
ers of the 2003 Games of Texas the committee began planning That type of thinking led to us- icks said,"but we are leaning to-
wanted the event to be remem- the event in January 1999.TAAF ing the more forgiving Iron Horse ward not even offering adult soft-
bered as the second-best in histo- executive director Cliff Warrick Golf Club in North Richland Hills ball at all in 2004."
said the Games were a success for the younger golfers and EJL; Other changes are being dis-
r' largely because of the planning less' challenging Texas Star Golf cussed, Fralicks said, such as ex-
Of course, that's only because and organizing. Club forte more competitive panding the track and field events
the host cities—Bedford,Colley- "They started so early, and all tournaments and older golfers. from 2'/2 days to three days to give
ville, Euless Grapevine, Hurst the monthly meetings allowed Still,there will be room for im- athletes more time between
and NortI�Richland Hills — are them to delegate a lot of duties," provement. events.
holding the event again next year. Warrick said,"so it didn't kill any- Except for the coed games,all "As competitive as the people
' The organizing committee hopes one,.but they got everything adult softball competitions were in those six cities are,I know they
to make the second year of the done." canceled.Fralicks said the sport is are going to try to outdo them-
two-year run the most successful The early start helped the so saturated with teams and tour- selves," Warrick said. "They 11
' the state has seen, g probably set another record next
"From day one,we bid on this group attend to details such as de- naments throughout the summer
with one caveat:We wanted itiding which event would work that the Games of Texas becomes year."
years in a row,"said Kevin t t two two best at which venue. Brown said just another late-summer tourna- Mark Button is a Dallas-based
icks, chairman of the executive the group strived to provide the ment and does not draw much in- free-lance writer.
committee for the Games.
"We wanted one year to make a
very,very nice event,and take that
year to educate ourselves on what
didn't work and make the next
year the best ever."
Not much failed to work this
' time around. The event, held
Thursday through Sunday,drew
record 9,844 participants to the
Olympic-style games, sponsored
by the Texas Amateur Athletic
Federation. The number of ath-
letes surpassed the 1999 Waco
Games,which hosted 6,832 com-
petitors.
Fralicks estimated that be-
tween 80,000 and 100,000 spec-
tators attended.There were more
than 650 volunteers,he said.
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DATEDISTRIBUTED J DATE OFARTICLE Jh' y NE,ff SPAPER FH'ST
Aging population
Tarrant County has 164,557 residents ages 60 and older.Here's a
breakdown of the county's communities by percentage of residents
60 and older:
Population Residents age Percentage age
City in 2000 60 and older 60 and older
Westover Hills 658 216 32.8%
Pantego 2,318 695 30.0%
Edgecliff Village 2,550 677 26.5%
Lakeside 1.040 265 25.5%
Richland Hills 8,132 1,976 24.3%
Lake Worth 4,618 945 20.5%
Benbrook 20,208 3,999 19.8%
River Oaks 6,985 1,291 18.5%
Sansom Park 4,181 719 172%
Hurst 36,273 6,166 17.01/o
Azle 9,600 1,630 17.0%
White Settlement 14,831 2,406 16.2%
Westworth Village 2,124 331 15.6%
Burleson 20,976 2,935 14.0%
Haltom City 39,018 5,367 13.8%
Forest Hill 12,949 1,764 13.6%
Dalworthington Gardens 2,186 288 13.2%
Everman 5,836 765 13.1%
Fort Worth 534,694 66,895 12.5%
Bedford 47,152 5,869 12.4%
Crowley 7,467 919 12.3%
Kennedale 5,850 708 12.1%
North Richland Hills 55,635 6,719 12.1%
Blue Mound 2,388 263 11.0%
Pelican Bay 1,505 141 9.4%
Colleyville 19,636 1,826 9.31/o
Haslet 1,134 - 105 9.3%
Euless 46,005 4,104 8.9%
Arlington 332,969 29,187 8.8%
Saginaw 12,374 1,067 8.6%
Mansfield 28,031 2,376 8.5%
Watauga 21,908 1,592 7.3%
Grapevine 42,059 2,949 7.0%
Keller 27,345 1,903 7.0%
Southlake 21,519 1,096 5.1%
Cities outside Fort Worth 867,460 93,259 10.8%
Tarrant County 1,446,219 164,557 11.4%
SOURCE:U.S.Census Bureau
' STAR-TELEGRAM
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DATEDISTRIBUTED jS ' G .3 DATEOFARTICLE -] 13C) 1 03 NEWSPAPER FWST
L U L L S S pital in Bedford and released,
Gilley said.
' Accident leaves man, Kagle was driving a black
19,seriously injured Ford Escort east on Texas 10
A 19-year-old Sweetwater (Euless Boulevard)when it col-
man was in serious condition lided with a red Toyota Tercel
Tuesday at Harris Metho,iist driven by jungbultch.The Ter-
Fort Worth hospital after a cel was traveling north on
three-car accident Monday Heather Drive,police said.
' .Based on a witness account and
night at Texas 10 and Heather
Drive in Euless,hospital and Physical evidence,the Escort's
police officials said. driver appeared to have run a
Chaney Kagle suffered a red light,police said. -
head injury when his head hit A third car brushed one of
the windshield,Euless police the vehicles.That driver was
not t injured,Gilley said.
Cpl.Scott Gilley said.
.,.
of Bed- No decision on charges has.`M:
Eric Scott
Gilletch,
' been made,and the invesriga-
ford,the driver of another car,
was treated for a broken finger tion continues,he said.
at Harris Methodist H.E.B.hos- —Mark Thompson;
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MAYOR CITY COUNCIL CITYATTORNEY CRIM IIENNIG MCKAMIE DELA CRUZ RIDG6fAY(2r,
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"Watching your own neighborhood is really
the primary ring of protection."
—Steve Wallach,Park Glen safety committee president '
Police, firefighters1
for -Night Out
i
prepare g
By MARK THOMPSON ® Area communities appearances by mounted patrol
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER plan to celebrate officers and a drug-sniff-mg dog.
Crime-fighting robots, a National Night Out in a wide At least one Grapevine offi-
SWAT team and other police range of ways. cer is expected to attend each
and firefighters are planning to of the approximately two dozen
participate in community block area officials said community celebrations,which
parties during National Night Last year, 45 neighborhoods will include barbecues, pot-
Out activities this week and requested Night Out visits, luck dinners and ice cream
next. Euless police Sgt. Steve Kockos socials,officer Tim Gill said.
National Night Out is a said. The officers use the oppor-
crime-watch and prevention "We have problems getting tunity to encourage people to
program launched 20 years ago someone to all the celebrations. report suspicious activity in 114
by the Pennsylvania-based It's just phenomenal," Kockos their neighborhoods,Gill said.
National Association of Town said. "Those little tips lead to big
Watch. Last year, about 33 mil- Crime-fighting robot Max things,"Gill said.
lion people and 9,850 communi- and Maxine ,an animatronic offi- In Richland Hills,police and
ties in all 50 states participated,a cer with interchangeable male firefighters plan to visit 25 to 30
Town Watch spokesman said. and female heads,will appear at neighborhoods, Police Chief
Tuesday is this,year's desig- many of the Euless events, Barbara Childress said.
nated night for neighbors to visit Kockos said. Because this is the 20th
with one another and meet local A Saturday celebration in anniversary,many communities
police officers and firefighters, Keller includes scheduled are promoting it more vigor-
ously,said Steve Wallach,safety
committee president for the
Park Glen neighborhood in
north Fort Worth.
"It is a big deal," Wallach 14
said.
But it is a bigger deal that
neighbors remember they can
watch out for one another bet- '
,ter when they know one
another better,he said.
"The concept of it is getting ,
to know your neighbors.
Watching your own neighbor-
hood is really the primary ring
of protection,"Wallach said. ,
Mark Thompson,(817)685-3859
markthompson@star-telegram.com
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National Night Out events
National Night Out events in Dog and mini-McGruff will visit
greater Northeast Tarrant neighborhoods. (972)721-2661.
County: Keller-Saturday,7-9 p.m.
Bedford -Tuesday, 6:30-9 Demonstrations by K-9 and
P.m. Police will visit community motorcycle officers and a visit
block parties. (817)952-2127. by mounted horse patrol will
Colleyville -Tuesday, 6-10 occur at party at Bear Creek
p.m. Police and firefighters will Park,400 Bear Creek Parkway.
visit block parties. (817)281- North Richland Hills -Tues-
3132. day,7-10 p.m. Police will visit
Euless - Tuesday,7-9 p.m. community events and pass out
Crime prevention robot, items including stickers and
McGruff the Crime Dog and coloring books. (817)281-1000.
' police will visit neighborhoods. Park Glen neighborhood -
(817) 685-1525. Home Depot Aug.8, 6-9 p.m. Community
plans a home safety display,7- event in Alliance Methodist
9:30 p.m., 251 S. Industrial Church parking lot,7904 Park
Blvd. Vista Boulevard. Planned
Flower Mound - Tuesday, appearances by Fort Worth
Police Department encourages police, firefighters, SWAT team
residents to turn on porch and others.
' lights and attend neighbor- Roanoke -Tuesday, 6-10
hood block parties. Neighbor- p.m. Extra patrol officers and
hood-watch party hosts should bike patrols on duty. Officers
notify police if they want offi- will visit neighborhood events
cers to attend. (972) 539- upon request. (817)491-2032.
0525. Richland Hills -Tuesday,7-9
Grapevine-Tuesday, 6-10 p.m. Police and fire depart-
p.m. At least 24 neighborhoods ments will visit neighborhoods.
' plan parties. At least one police (817)299-1880.
officer plans to attend each Southlake -Tuesday,7:30
event. (817)410-8127. p.m. Fingerprint booth for chil-
Haltom City- Tuesday. dren, free balloons, gun locks,
Neighborhoods with events stickers and pencils, Southlake
planned can call the Police Town Square, Farm Road 1709
Department to arrange officer and Carroll Avenue. (817)488-
visits. Neighborhoods without 7511.
crime watch programs can call Watauga -Tuesday,7-10
police about starting them at P.M. Community event at
(817) 834-7321. SuperTarget parking lot, 8000
' Hurst - Tuesday, 6-9 p.m. Denton Highway. Police and fire
Police will serve hot dogs, department displays, Northeast
cookies and potato chips to Explosives Response Team
more than 200 neighborhood demonstration. A Postal
watch members at Hurst Com- Inspector Service representa-
munity Park, 600 Precinct Line tive will discuss ways to pre-
Road. vent mail and identity theft.
Irving -Tuesday,6:30-10 (817) 514-5897.
p.m. Police, McGruff the Crime SOURCES:Area police departments
-A�
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C,
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ports slap auto renters with In San Antonio, for exam-
more fees and taxes than -Ple, taxes on rental cars were
-- es those in any other state. boosted 10 percent to 15 per-
FW p 'oTotal surcharges at D/FW cent in 1999 to help fund the'
are the second-highest in the SBC Arena, which hosts pro-
nation, behind Houston Bush fessional basketball. That
car renta e e S Intercontinental, the study city's airport has the ninth-
determined. Car renters at highest markup in the nation,'
D/FW pay an average of 61 at 44 percent.
By TREBOR BANSTETTER A new study percent on top of the base The American Airlines
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER reports that con- price in taxes and fees, more Center, where the Dalla.
It's a common scenario at sumers now pay as much as than double the national Mavericks basketball tea
the rental car counters at Dal- 70 percent in surcharges average of 24 percent. and the Dallas Stars hocke
las/Fort Worth Airport:A visi- and taxes for airport rental Statewide, car renters pay team play, was paid for in
for who arranged to pay $200 cars, in part to pay for new an average 52 percent markup part with a 5 percent car
for three days of wheels is sports stadiums and are- at the largest airports. rental tax.
shocked when the bill totals nas, and that Texas airports "Travelers are targets, In June, Gov. Rick Perr
$322• are the worst offenders. because they're not con- signed a bill that would allow
Welcome to Texas, which stituents of the taxing author- Dallas County to ,levy ar�
despite its reputation for hos- airport rental cars. According ities," said Phil Kennewell, additional 6 percent car
pitality, regularly hits up out- to a new study by Fort Worth- director of car products for d
ose
rental fee to fund a prop
of-towners to pay for local pro- based Travelocity, Texas air- Travelocity, which operates new stadium for the pose
jects,at least when it comes to an online travel site and is a Cowboys.
Dalla
unit of Southlake-based Sabre Cities outside Texas have
3
Holdings. "And when you're
Soaking tourists also levied car rental fees t
at an airport, you're really at
g their mercy." pay for sports arenas, includ
Several Texas airports tank among the country's most expensive when it comes Although car renters have ing Minneapolis; Reno, Nev
to taxes and fees that are tacked onto car rental rates. Phoenix;and Cleveland.
always paid fees, Kennewell "Out-of-towners tend to b
Most expensive* °ro surcharge on Cheapest %surcharge on estimates that those fees have vulnerable to these thing
base rates base rates risen substantially since the
-- because they're not local vot
1. Houston Bush1.Sacramento,Calif_ 77 1980s, when they averaged ers," said Ted Deutsch,
Intercontinental _71.7 2,palm SprinsCalif. 7.8, about 16 percent.
9 spokesman for the ParsippaE
2.Dallas/Fort Worth 61.1 "I am disappointed to see
3.Fresno,Calif. 7.8 ny, N.J.-based Cendant Ca
3.Austin Bergstrom 55.8 D/FW in this category but Rental Group, which owns
4.Burbank/Glendale/ p
4.Cleveland Hopkins 51.7 Pasadena,Calif. 8.3 not surprised," said Linda the Budget and Avis car
------ Howell DiMario, president
5.Houston Hobby 51.7 5.Long Bea....................... _..._._— � and chief executive of the The industry opposes su
b.Kansas City Mo. 48.1 6.Los Angeles 8.3 Arlington Convention&Visi- charges "quite vigorously"
7.Phoenix 48 ...Orange County,Calif. 102 tors Bureau. "All tourism when they are initiated to pa
B.San Antonio 441 8 San Diego –_ 116 industry products have long for projects unrelated to tray
..._._.._ ._..... ......_ .. y._ ..... been an easy target for such
9.EI Paso 42.9 9 Syracuse,N.Y. _ 124 el such assports arenas
add-ons:'
10.Albuquerque NX 416 10 Buffalo/Niagara,N.Y. 131 Taxes and fees on rental but has been unable to step
– ....... ..... . _ ...._.__ . _.....
Traveiocitycom. their proliferation natio
rlm
SOURCE:
' cars include various charges, wide,Deutsch said.
Averages only Include the top 100 U.S.airports.
Fees add u from sales taxes to airport At D/FW, car renters a
P facility fees to local trans- also paying for the spacious.,
In this example,taxes and special charges added nearly 50 percent to the portation charges. 200-acre facility where the
total cost of renting a compact car,a Chevrolet Cavalier or similar,for four days But increasingly, Ken- pick up and drop off the
from Alamo Rent-A-Car at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. newell said, states and cities
............................................._ _.. .... vehicles.The$150 million c
are hitting car renters with
Base rice $15580 Rental car facility fee $16 g rental center, which was
-- . - --- fees to build sports stadiums completed in 2000, waE
Airport concession fee $1731 _Title registration fee ^_S9 68– and arenas. '.exas has initiat- financed through bonds th
10%sales tax $19.88 Total taxes and fees – $72.81 ed the fees because its rela- are backed by a $3 daily fee
5%Euless charge • $5.94 Total cost $228.61 tively low tax rate forces law- on every car rental.
souRCE:Tcavelocitycommakers to find creative fund- D/FW Airport officials d
STAR-TELEGRAM ing sources for high-ticket not return phone calls fCJ
items. this story.
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' Last year, Travelocity
began including fees in the
total price'when booking
' rental cars for customers,
because "so many of our cus-
tomers were getting sticker
shock at the counter," Ken-
' newell said.
The site does not include
voluntary fees, such as refu-
eling or insurance charges.
The study was conducted
in June, and researchers
reviewed and compared the
' prices of the three lowest-
priced full-size and compact
cars at the nation's 100 largest
' airports.
At D/FW, they found that
the base price for.a three-day
rental averaged $339.88, but
' the total cost was$547.70.—a
61 percent markup.
Travelers at Love Field in
Dallas had less markup. Fees
' there added about 40 percent
to the rental car base price.
Although travelers may
blanch at the added cost, it
hasn't had a major effect on
travel to North Texas, said
Greg Staley, a spokesman for
the Fort Worth Convention&
' Visitors Bureau.
"We don't get a lot.of neg-
ative comments about the
cost structure [of rental cars]
at D/FW," he said. Travelers
are more likely to compli-
ment
ompliment the airport on its new
' car rental center,he said.
"The-quality of the cus-
tomer service there is really
great,"he said.
' But Kennewell said that
some travelers don't com-
plain because the practice is
' widespread.
"When you're at the air-
port,unless you've got a good
friend to pick you up or want
' to take a taxi, you don't have
much choice," he said.
"You're going to pay for it
wherever you go."
' Trebor Banstetter,(817)390-7064
tbanstetter@star-telegram.com
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4 *A • �.
David Simpson of Arlington,Charlie Miller of Euless and Chuck Kurtzman and Lou Fusaro,both of
Fort Worth
Y` t
- --
-4 �
c.,
' Bill Souder,Al DuPree,Robert Plummer,and Julie DuPree,all of Hurst x
Member honored V �
' The HEB Rotary Club
honored Al DuPree for T.
his 30 years of mem-
bership
em bership and 24 years of s,
' perfect attendance
during its July 22 meet-
ing at the First Baptist
Church of Hurst.
PHOTOS BY MIKE LEWIS a fir,
4
Glenn Porterfield of
' Euless,James Dunning
of Bedford and Charlie
Runnels of Hurst
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Man..35,electrocuted by '
transformer,officio.) says
An Arlington man died
J'hursday.after a mishap with '
an electrical transformer in
Euless,the Dallas County
Medical Examiner's Office '
reported.
Michael James Weinmann,
35,was electrocuted by the
transformer in the 1400 block '
of'I'exas 360,a spokeswoman
for the medical examiner said.
Weinmann was taken to
Baylor Medical Center at Irv- '
ing,where he died in the
emergency room about 2:45
p.m.,the spokeswoman said.
A representative from the '
Euless Fire Department could
not be reached to provide fur-
ther details about the incident '
'I9iursday night.
—.lien Tinsley