HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-04-24 Euless Articles DISTRIBUTED TO: PAGE /
MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM MCKAMIE RIDGWAY DECK BROWN „4 1111
• YOUNG McDONALD COLLINS C.BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR
L DATE DISTRIBUTED
9/0?27//09 DATE OF ARTICLE 21/9 / 09 NEWSPAPER FWST
IN MY OPINION
,_ MASS TRANSIT BILL'S
TIMING IS CRUCIAL
......
---,,,s,„,,,,,,,, "We're the fastest-growing Bedford, Burleson, Haltom Bedford doesn't- foresee
a��
regiongin the United States, e
L --..„4.. ', � �� ti���� City,Sanger and Mansfield are such sales-rax revenue "ever
„ ,I and we should be worried among the many that have being available.” In Euless,
a;, . 4) about how we're going to sus- separate tax funds for "eco- possibly in 2019.In Mansfield,
,,R 't �x ',•,46`,$r3%, tain it, said Michael Morris, nomic development." Euless, possibly 2024.
L ' �' rtransportation director for the Kennedale and Mesquite use "A •lot of cities probably
North Central Texas Council of the same tool to lower proper wish they could do"it over
. .,,,,,,,,, , Pk-, '.* 4 . Governments, the umbrella
ty taxes. again and use that money for.
MITCHELL SCHNURMAN agency coordinating the tran- Some cities have sales-tax rail," Morris said, noting that
"is hnurman .star-teIeg "i cm sit plan. funds to pay for libraries,rec- rail stations along the DART
Most local cities passed on This feels like the federal reation and parks. The most line have become an econom
funding mass transit debate over bailing out big popular application is for is catalyst."But they just don't
before,so more aggressive banks`and giant insurer MG. crime-control districts. have the capacity now. Or
Nobody wanted to reward In all these cases,cities and they're using the money to
•–steps are needed now. business failure (remember their voters could have devot- supplement operating costs,
if your kid maxes out a credit moral, hazard?), but keeping ed sales tax to mass transit. and they'd have'to raise prop-
card, you c'_on'tjust hand him the economy afloat was a Two years ago,the Legislature erty taxes [if sales tax was di-
:a new one. But co-sign his much higher priority even amended the law on so- vented].'"
college loan? That's another Instead of loose lending called 4A and 4B economic- That's not going to happen,
matter, because the invest- and ,over-the-top executive development programs, so so local leaders developed a
ment and timing are so imp or- pay, the trouble with transit those funds could be spent on regional funding plan. Initial-
-tant, and the payoff can be funding is that too many local transportation. ly, they proposed a sales tax
huge. cities opted to spend their No local cities changed increase across the area, but
Take a similar view of the money elsewhere. •They had their approach, Morris said, •businesses opposed the idea.
_regional transit bill passed by �merpriorities. despite the urgency about So lawmakers crafted a
the state Seriate'lasf week,andBravo to Dallas and a dozen commuter rail plan with a menu of taxing op-
it's easier to accept. other communities that put "This isn't a transportation tions,starting with higher tax-
It pains me to see local gov- half their local sales tax(1 cent .. es on gasoline.A series of new
per dollar) into the DART sys- funding crisis, said Keener,
rnments'connive new ways y fees include up to $15 for
tem. DART's light-rail success whose Austin group promotes
to raise taxesecially_afteremissions, up to $60 for car
has won thousands of con low taxes and small govern
he tapped out their existing registrations and up to $250
y pp g verts and demonstrated that menu Its a funding priority for people who register a car
ounces, often for dubious crisis.'.
Purposes.But it's more imp or ran-oriented development from out of state.
p p can be a winner in North.Tex- Morris'agency surveyed to Welcome to Texas!
"tant,by far,to get rolling on a as -cal communities last year to Morris said this area would
egioncu rail solution for North Give credit to Fort Worth, see whether they might devote robabl limit its fundraisin
`:.exas`— even if a 6-cent in- sales-tax revenue to raildevel- p y g
crease in the gas taxis the best too,for committing half a cent opment. The vast ma'ori to a gas tax(6 cents per gallon
to The T and rapidly expand- p 1 ' should do it, but the bill per
we can do. in its program. were already tapped out,with
Our clogged roads and pol g Pnits up'to 10 cents)and higher
Twenty cities are members commitments to a range of driver's license'renewal fees.
.muted air cry out for a major of mass transit authorities in projects with bond debts that It's also important to note that
push on a commuter rail.And last a decade or two. p
°f a transit bill doesn't et Dallas, Fort Worth and Den- the Senate bill does not im-
g ton,accordingto Senate testi- Duncanville needs sales pose the new taxes;it just gives
hrough the current Legisla mony by Justin Keener of the tax revenue for debt payments communities the option
lure,well have to draft a new on StarCenter ice rink,Mor Pon to
long-range mobili plan that Texas Public Policy Founds- propose them— then voters
'p tion. But 205 cities elected to cis"said. Arlington° devotes a must OK the levies.
would put North Texas even opt out,with manyincreasinghalf-cent to the new Cowboys
urther behind the curve. As the bill advanced last
,� their sales tax—often byhalf a stadium and another quarter- week,it g
Not a good place to be with
cent to streets. grew larger and more
the area's population project- cent—for subsidies to busi- convoluted and expanded
p p p 1 nesses and other purposes. When might Arlington be from North Texas to other
;d to add 3 million residents in able to put sales tax into tran- arts of the state.
h e next two decades. __ sit?the survey asked. p
"Possibly in 20 years," the
city reported.
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM MCKAMIE RIDGWAY DECK BROWN
YOUNG McDONALD �COLLINS�f C.BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR
LL./71 DATE DISTRIBUTED l{ 1 /CI ! DATE OF ARTICLE f 9 / 0 / NEWSPAPER FWST
-Provisions now"allow the.
taxes for sidewalks and hiking
and biking trails,nice ameni-
ties, to be sure, but usually
funded from existing revenue
sources.
Many new fees have an ex-
clusion for low-income resi-
dents.The Senate bill calls for
a low-income assistance pro-
gram to help some riders.
Generous gestures maybe,
but too much of the hodge—
podge
podge. that makes taxes so
frustrating. And yet 'another
reason for lawmakers to hold
their nose when they vote for
this:
MITCHELL SCHNURMAN'S COLUMN
APPEARS SUNDAYS AND WEDNES-
DAYS.817-390-7821
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITY ATTNY CRIM MCKAMIE RIDGWAY DECK BROWN
' YOUNG [1lcDONALD COLLINS C.BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARYADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR
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j� IC DATE OF ARTICLE C.J /aZ //QC, NEWSPAPER FWST
CRIME , S r "� 4 !lir l
a .
`Crash 4- - , , ,.- , ..- .,.. .„ . , ..,... . „.,..,,,..„,
-^-fir. 3 e . s EF ^„ „„:4- le,st N
E� .Z Y 5 �, . �' R��
Dummy .y � ,z i , }
-41-iii;i1;-04 '',Y,A :7:-".'.:*,',."*.tit,.,,--.., ''',.' 'Ai...,:,:!,41 d'esir::::5:::':',10..;
Bandit'
strikes
y ,- A.:444.. ,
7 �r F4 4 :,Pg; £�5` 't r'' of: x
a By DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR. f. p '"...Iii
ramirez@star-telegram.com a w 4:!....., £
The "Crash Dummy Bandit s
hit again, again and again �w ::,� � n '`
Monday. ..... .. W ..'
The FBI reported Monday The Omni American Credit Union in Euless was robbed i.iionday by a
1 that a robber held up two suspect the FBI is calling the"Crash Dummy Bandit The man is
credit unions and a bank in suspected in several robberies. COURTESY EULESS POLICE DEPARTMENT
ilia
Texas.The suspect is dubbed •
the "Crash Dummy Bandit” robbery Friday,but he wasn't white Ford extended-cab
I because he has a bandaged wearing his"Crash Dummy" truck and drove away,police.
nose and a limp,and his left uniform in that holdup. said.
arm is in,a sling. "We don't know for sure if The robbery happened
In all, authorities believe he's injured or not," Euless about 9:20 a.m. at the credit
thatthe suspect is responsi- police Lt.John Williams said'union,2311 W.Euless Blvd.-
'ble for four holdups since Monday. "He may.be using Witnesses described the
Friday. that to throw us off." robber as a white man,about
On Monday,the man hit a In the Euless holdup,the 6 feet 2 inches tall,heavy-set,
Euless credit union, then an man limped and had his left with a goatee.
hour later robbed a Dallas arm in a sling when he A witness wrote down a li-
Wachovia bank, police said robbed the;Oni mAmerican cense plate number to the.
Monday. The most recent_ Credit Union of an undis- robber's truck. The Texas li
Lholdup happened Monday closed amount-of money of cense number is 7261-I8V.
afternoon at the. Federal ter he threatened a teller,po
Credit Union in Tyler. lice said. "
LHeal o may have been re The man hobbled out of DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR.,
sponsible for a Dallas bank the credit union, got into a 817-390-7763.
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MAYOR CITY CNCL CITYATTNY CRIM MCKAMIE RIDGWAY DECK BROWN
YOUNG McDONALD COLLINS C.BARKER GETCHELL LIBRARY ADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR Ng
/.9 ?
y
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SOCIALEYES
FILL YOUR WEEKEND WITH ART
FESTIVALS AND A BIG AUCTIONEvents in Southlake,Euless
and Grapevine offer family 0). www.artinthesquare.com. For fortify themselves with the de
information, call Lori Palmer `licious offerings from the vari-
fun from Friday to Sunday. 4,,, ous food exhibitors. Hayley
r a - at 214-244-9111. - yl y
Weekend activities at full 1` "=`' Arbor Daze:The fun begins Wells from the chamber warns —
throttle:From Arbor Daze and at 9 a.m.Saturday on the Euless about the expected hot com-
Art in the Square to City Slick e City Hall campus at 201 N.Ec- petition .at the auction Big
ers, festivals and fundraisers `, ) for Drive and continues 2-6 Board this year.Tickets are$15
will fill your weekend calendar '' p.m. Sunday. The free festival and are available at www col- —
from sunup to sundown.Here's PAYE REEDER celebrates the importance of leyvillechamber.org or ' the
your planning guide for three freeder@star-telegram.com pfalting trees and their role in chamber,office. Valet parking
days of fun: ers.Saturday's headliner is for beautifying Euless.Mike Day- is free. The event is a good
: Art in the Square:This ju- mer Kansas City Royals out enport of the parks and recre cause that funds programs
lied art festival features more fielder turned country music ation department says: "If such as Leadership Colleyville,
than 135 artists at Southlake star Derek Sholl, performing you're looking for a day full of Youth Leadership and Senior
To vnSquare.Lori Palmer says chart-topping ballads to con- funfor your whole family,Ar- Leadership Northeast. If you —
to arrive at 4 p.m.Friday,at 10 temporary Southern rock bor Daze is the place to go. want to know more, contact
a.m. Saturday and again at 11 If you're hungry,the Le Bis- Two stages will offer continu- Kathy Welch at 817-488-7148.
a.m. Sunday if you're deter- tro area will offer vendors to ous live entertainment featur
mined not to miss a thing.Ku- satisfy your appetite. Every- ker and Davcers,e Rudoancls lf) and e Ots :ES TO FREEDER�a STAR-ELE Co- PLEASE SEND YOUR PRESS ELEAS- —
dos to the Southlake Women's thing imaginable will be avail-
Club an its 10th year of Art in able, and wine and beer tast- of local performing groups. GRAM.COM AND IF You WANT TO
the Square and for the more g y The Kidz Zone has nonstop fun SEE YOUR EVENT ON THIS PAGE,
ings are new this ear.Ad for kids, who wont want to' PLEASE REMEMBER TO UPLOAD
—
than$1 million it has raised for tures await those visiting The miss P...'r of Brainius, Crit PHOTOS AT CLICK STAR TELE\
women's and children's Chari Zone, where bounce houses,
• terman,David Chicken, Safari GRAM.COM.
ties in Northeast Tarrant Cour_ airbrush tattoos,rock climbing —_ -
ty.This year's conunittee is led and more are scheduled. Col- Scot and more.Arts and crafts —
by Lisa Quinn,with help from ored hairspray sound interest- vendors will offer shoppers the
Susan Ansley, Patty Rogers mgt Then your child will be chance to buy items not easily
and others working hard to thrilled in the Kid's Korner. found in retail stores. Trish
bring family fun for all. Children will love the face McDonald reports that the —
Continuous entertainment painting,sugar art and spin art photo exhibit from the Histor-
begins Friday from Southlake action in this area,too. ical Preservation Committee is.
hometown band Independent Oh, and by the way, it's an a standout.Visitwwwarborda- —
George: Breggett Rideau will art festival,so if you want to see ize.org or call Mike Davenport
open for the popular rock the list of great artists, visit at 817-685-1662 with.ques-.
group, which °covers music -- tions.
from Led Zeppelin, Nickel- City Slickers: Billed as the —
back,Billy Idol,U2 and the Kill:: largest silent and live auction
in town,this year's event will
include more than 500 items
ranging from dental braces to —
sports tickets.Presented by the
Colleyville Area Chamber of ,
Commerce,the fun begins at 5
p.m. Sunday at the Grapevine —
Convention Center. Kathy
Welch says that live entertain-
ment by the fabulous Grape-
—
vine Opry is a surefire crowd-1
pleaser and that bidders can
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LYOUNG McDONALD COLLINS C. BARKER GETCHELL LIBR4RYADMIN LIBRARY REF ANIMAL CNTR
DATE DISTRIBUTED LI/ /o l DATE OF ARTICLE /1� '3/oI NEWSPAPER FWST
�
e6
Main
e .
stt
Street
Arbor Daze festival in Euless
EULESS—The city's 21st Arbor Daze
festival celebrating the importance of
trees and their role in beautifying a com-
munity is Saturday and Sunday at the
Euless City Hall Complex,201 N.Ector
Drive. Events will include arts-and-crafts
booths,entertainment,a Forestry Village,
tree giveaways and a kids zone with
entertainers,bounce houses,carnival
games,face painting,clowns,prizes and
other activities.The free festival,which
has twice received the National Arbor
Day Foundation's Celebration Award,
runs from 9 a.m.to 8 p.m.Saturday and 2
to 6 p.m.Sunday.Free parking is available
at the complex.Additional parking is
available at First Baptist Church Euless
on the east side of the parking lot.Free
shuttles will run from the church to the
festival. Information: www.arbordaze.org.
-Staff reports
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