2018 January Lake Highlands

THE BUSINESS OF SEX

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

OPENING REMARKS

By RICK WAMRE

Gratitude game

Recently, I read an article about reconnecting, about the importance of finding someone who has done something nice for us over the years and deliberately letting that person know how much they mattered in our life.

It seemed like a good idea, and I decided to do it. I didn’t have anyone in particular in mind, but how hard could it be to find someone who has provided a boost to my life or career and just say “thanks?”

But as time slid by, I moved on to other things and forgot all about thanking someone who deserved it.

Then a couple of weeks ago in church, our pastor talked about this exact same thing.

And before I could forget to proceed yet again came the clincher: While moving some stuff around in my office, I ran across a book given to me by one of my high school teachers when I graduated. The book, “J.B.” by Archibald MacLeish, is a “play in verse” loosely based on the Biblical story of Job, a guy who the devil bet he could turn against God by throwing a few obstacles in Job’s life path.

For years, I’ve been toting the book with me from apartments to homes to offices. It was always there, but rarely visible. For years, I wouldn’t even run across it, and then out of the blue, there it would be again — waiting for me to pick it up, flip it open and remember the guy who gave it to me.

Mr. Hassenstab was the adviser for our high school student newspaper, my first experience with journalism. He was also our English teacher, and he gave me my first “F.” I defied him on an assignment that was half the grade for the entire

class, and he followed through with the grade I deserved.

Inside the book rests a worn and now-faded note with a bit of advice I’ve referred to time and again over the years.

“Academically, your education is just beginning. You will get very frustrated during the next four to six years. But do not forget the value of academics and become too relevant. Make sure your ‘thing’ is worth doing.

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“Good luck in the coming years. Feel free to stop in at any time and write to us to let us know how things are going.”

I always meant to follow through and let him know how I was doing; I just didn’t do it. And I’m sure not hearing from me probably didn’t keep him awake at night, either. After all, I was just one of hundreds, maybe thousands, of students who passed through his classes.

But it’s a new year, and there’s no good reason to keep doing things the same way I’ve been doing them.

So the next note I type will be to Mr. Hassenstab, just to say “thanks.”

Rick Wamre is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by emailing rwamre@advocatemag.com.

contributors: Angela Hunt, Christina Hughes, George Mason, Brent McDougal

photo editor: Danny Fulgencio

214.635.2121 / danny@advocatemag.com

contributing photographers: Rasy Ran, Kathy Tran

Advocate, © 2017, is published monthly by East Dallas – Lakewood People Inc. Contents of this magazine may not be reproduced. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for the content of all advertisements printed, and therefore assume responsibility for any and all claims against the Advocate. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material. Opinions set forth in the Advocate are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s viewpoint. More than 200,000 people read Advocate publications each month. Advertising rates and guidelines are available upon request. Advocate publications are available free of charge throughout our neighborhoods, one copy per reader. Advocate was founded in 1991 by Jeff Siegel, Tom Zielinski and Rick Wamre.

The simple act of going back to say ‘thanks’

But as time slid by, I moved on to other things and forgot all about thanking someone who deserved it.

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Truman Rockwell’s warmth radiates from within him. He is limited with his words, but immediate with his smile. He follows it up with the universal hand sign for “rock on,” or “hang ten” or “peace” or “I love you.”

“There are no down days,” says his mother Therese Rockwell, a longtime Lake Highlands hair stylist.

She knows every day with Truman is a blessing, a gift she wasn’t always sure she would have.

Just months after he graduated alongside Lake Highlands High School’s class of 2007, Truman was a freshman at North Texas University when he was hit by a BMW while skateboarding. The driver was fiddling with his radio and didn’t see Truman crossing the street. An emergency helicopter flew him to Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth with a traumatic brain injury. Therese was at her job at Artistik Edge when she got the call.

“He was in a coma for over three solid months,” she says. “No one could tell us anything, if he’d wake up, we had no idea.”

Specifically, Truman suffered what’s known as a severe diffuse axonal injury, which interrupts the brain’s ability to communicate via neurons. Brain cells begin to die, causing the organ to swell. Around 90 percent of those who suffer this degree of brain damage never

regain consciousness, and those who do are forever altered.

“It’s the exact same thing as shaken baby syndrome,” Therese explains.

After months of not knowing, Truman began to show signs of healing. He opened one eye, then the other. He moved a finger. It was painfully slow, but it was progress.

“It’s not like in the movies where someone in a coma suddenly wakes up,” Therese says. “Nothing was sudden.”

After a full year in the hospital and rehab centers, Truman was still unable to talk and forever bound to a wheelchair, but allowed to go home. His family gave him a squeaky dog toy to signal when he needed something. Everyone struggled to find a new normal.

Truman was prone to fits of anger, understandable considering his loss of independence. It took months before doctors determined the right mix of pills

to quiet his anxious mind.

“It’s called drug therapy for a reason,” Therese says.

It was a stark change for her easygoing artist. As a child, Truman was quick to pick up a pencil or paint brush. He showed talent early, both in photorealism and abstract designs, with a flair for color and black-and-white designs. He won the Audelia Road Library Art Show, something he’s quick to dismiss by saying, “That thing is not a big deal.” He’s most inspired by surrealist painter Salvador Dali.

“I’m not quite as good as Dali,” he jokes.

His brother, Hart, whose three years younger to the day, is also an artist, although his medium of choice is a video camera. When they were teens, Hart filmed Truman’s skateboarding as he ollied and kickflipped his way across shopping center parking lots.

More recently, the videos show Truman’s current reality. The pair jump on DART and head downtown, or circle White Rock Lake. Hart captures footage of his brother’s effortless smile, and sets it to uplifting indie rock. It’s a celebration of how far they’ve all come.

“DART is life,” Truman declares. “I love downtown.”

Truman’s sense of adventure never dwindled. His brother is currently hiking the Te Araroa Trail, a more than 1,800-mile trek across New Zealand. “I don’t know why I’m not out with him,” Truman quips.

The family now revels in the life’s little joys. A road trip together. A favorite Modest Mouse or Radiohead song. A visit to the library.

“The simplicity of his life can be inspiring,” Therese says.

She hopes to take that inspiration and help other families dealing with traumatic brain injuries. She’s amassed a slew of knowledge in managing Medicaid and caring for a recently disabled loved one, and hopes to make the transition easier for another family in need.

“Even through tragedy comes blessings,” Therese says.

See Hart Rockwell’s videos of Truman in the online version of this story.

“It’s not like in the movies where someone in a coma suddenly wakes up. Nothing was sudden.”

Top, Truman Rockwell’s artwork lines his Brentgate Drive studio. Below, Therese Rockwell is her son’s biggest champion.

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UP FRONT

WHAT GIVES?

SMALL WAYS THAT YOU CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE

COOK CHILI

The second-annual Chili Cook-Off to benefit Lake Highlands Junior High is set for Saturday, Jan. 27, from 4-7 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for best chili, best booth and best costumes, so silliness is encouraged. The entry fee is $100, but tickets just to taste are $35 and available at lhjhpta.org. This is an adult-only event.

OR PLANT A TREE

Lake Highlands Junior High is also hosting a work day Jan. 13 to start the process of planting 130 new trees on campus. See more on page 34.

ADOPT A DOG

The nonprofit Angie’s Friends will have adoptable dogs of all sizes available to meet at Half Price Books on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

OR RUN A RACE

The annual Too Cold To Hold half marathon, 10k and 5k is set for Sunday, Jan. 28, at 8 a.m. in Norbuck Park. The race partners with a slew of charities like Operation Kindness, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the North Texas Food Bank . New this year, the Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities will sponsor team 22, with all donations raised to benefit Hurricane Harvey relief. Register at runproject.org

GO

37,354 PEOPLE CALLED LAKE HIGHLANDS HOME IN 2016

OUR MEDIAN AGE IS 42.3 MEN ARE 48.8 PERCENT OF THE POPULATION WHILE WOMEN MAKE UP

51.4 PERCENT THERE ARE 10,335 FAMILIES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WITH 8,390 TWO-PARENT HOUSEHOLDS, 512 SINGLE FATHERS AND 1,433 SINGLE MOTHERS

Source: U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics based on zip codes 75231, 75238 and 75243

For over 15 years, Bella Vista has been dedicated to working in this community because we live in this community. We also live for taking care of every detail of your renovation, right down to the last screw. It’s how we build homes — and it’s how we’ve built our reputation.

JAN. 28

POLAR PLUNGE

Dive into icy water for a good cause at the Hypnotic Donuts Polar Plunge at 3 p.m., hosted by the doughnut shop and the Dallas Fraternal Order of Eagles 3018. The fundraiser includes a raffle and heated Tiki bar area, and raises money for the Greater Dallas Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Dallas Fraternal Order of Eagles 3018, 8500 Arturo Drive, hypnoticdonuts.com, $10

7 things to do in Lake Highlands this January

JAN. 1–27

LOCAL ART

Local and regional works have been assembled to express the power of color. “A Celebration of Color” features paintings, sculpture, prints, electronic media and kinetic art, all by local artists.

Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther Drive, 214.670.8749, bathhouse.dallas culture.org, free

JAN. 9

JAZZ BAND

The Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts Jazz Band will showcase its talents at “JazzStand on Abrams” at 7 p.m. Wilshire Baptist Church, 4316 Abrams, 214.452.3100, wilshirebc.org, free

JAN. 12

ACOUSTIC

Ordinary Elephant is a husband-and-wife duo that combines songwriting, harmonies, banjo and guitar into heartfelt folk tunes. Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse, 9555 N. Central Expressway, 214.363.0044, unclecalvins.org, $15-$18

JAN. 19–31

PUPPET SHOW

See the famous children’s book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and others by Eric Carle come to life through puppets as this Off-Broadway hit makes its debut in Texas.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman St., dct. org, 214.978.011, $23-$28

JAN. 25–28

MUSICAL YOUTH

The Lake Highlands High School Fine Arts Department presents “Little House of Horrors” at 7 p.m. on Jan. 25-27, and 2 p.m. on Jan. 28. The production also serves as a fundraiser for Promise House, which assists teenagers who are homeless or at-risk.

Lake Highlands High School, 9449 Church Road, lhhstheater. com, $6-$16

JAN. 27

MYSTERY DINNER

Put on your masks and evening wear for a three-course meal at the arboretum while trying to solve a murder during Midnight at the Masquerade Murder Mystery Dinner. Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, 214.515.6615, dallasarboretum.org, $100-$120

PHOTO BY BENJAMIN STEWART, 2017

PANCAKES TO PARTIES

While its expanded to an event center, breakfast still rules at JJ’s Café

By EMILY CHARRIER I Photo by KATHY TRAN

Jose Ramirez set out to build a neighborhood staple. His vision was an affordable, family friendly spot that served a killer breakfast.

It was realized as JJ’s Café in 2010, which he runs with his wife, Josefina.

On any given day, he knows a majority of the diners in his restaurant by name. He wanders from table to tables, asking about their families and their holidays.

“People recognize me everywhere,” he says. “I’ll be out shopping and I’ll hear, ‘Hey, Mr. JJ!’ ”

The breakfast menu was built on crepes, flavorful pancakes and an ample array of egg dishes, along with a hearty brunch buffet on the weekends. Lunch is simple with burgers, sandwiches and salads, but Ramirez always has a few specials on the board that offer customers something new to try.

DID YOU KNOW: The café gives back every year by feeding about 50 needy families for Thanksgiving.

“It started with five and just kept growing,” Jose Ramirez says.

tional space on the weekends when the restaurant is packed.

“We have catering, of course, or people can bring in their own food for parties,” he says.

“The most popular plate we have is our Nutella crepes, or maybe the huevos ranchero,” he says. “I’m from California, so a lot of our dishes have a California twist.”

After six successful years growing the restaurant and catering business, Ramirez realized he was missing an opportunity. Customers would ask to rent out the restaurant for special events, something that wasn’t always cost effective for him to do. When RaRa’s Closet closed down next door, he bought the space and transformed it into an event center. He knocked down the connecting wall and installed a stylish barn door that allows him to open up the addi-

The new space can fit 100 guests, but when combined with the full restaurant, it could hold wedding parties of up to 250. Ramirez invested in an array of linens, vases and crystal candelabras that allow clients to stylize the event to their taste.

JJ’S CAFÉ

Ambiance: Super casual

Price range: $7-$10

Hours: 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily, plus 5-8:30 p.m. on Friday 10233 Northwest Highway 214.221.4659

jjscafe.net

Pancakes, crepes and eggs are the star dishes at JJ’s Café.

2018

Restaurant GUIDE

CALL 214.560.4203 TO ADVERTISE IN FEBURARY’S SECTION

DINING SPOTLIGHT

THAI

Thai Opal

Happy New Year from all of us at Thai Opal!

We have infused the classical Thai cuisine with a modern ambiance. BYOB welcomed.

• Take out • Lunch Specials

• Now Serving Beer & Wine

What’s your comfort food?

6300 Skillman #156 thaiopal.com 214.553.5956

• Delivery Available (5 mi. radius)

Journey through the flavor! Experience the unforgettable gourmet trip to Greece — in our neighborhood. Enjoy an excellent meal of expertly prepared authentic Mediterranean food in a comfortable and friendly atmosphere.

GREEK AND MEDITERRANEAN

@Flaming.Chesse.Saganaki.Greek.Restaurat

Hello Dumpling offers casual Beijing soul food with a delicious selection of fresh handmade dumplings, noodles, grilled meats, salads and boba teas. Our extensive vegetarian options are entirely vegan to boot. So stop by for lunch, dinner or just some tea at East Dallas’ newest hangout. @HelloDumpling

CASUAL BEIJING SOUL FOOD

1146 PEAVY RD • DALLAS, TX 75218 469.779.1551

NEW at your Resident Taqueria

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For large group orders, please call the day before Featuring Noble Coyote Coffee Roasters, Drip and Nitro Cold Brew Mon - Fri 7am-10:30am; Sat. 8am-10:30am

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Photo by Kathy Tran

STORY BY EMILY CHARRIER PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

S OB? WHAT THE

How tiny parks might keep Lake Highlands fr om becoming a de facto RED-LIGHT DIS TRICT

“Lake Highlands has always had a reputation as a family friendly neighborhood,” says Bill Keffer, a longtime attorney who represented our neighborhood in the Texas House from 2002-06 during which he penned a law that stripped strip clubs of their liquor licenses. “But then we had these sexually oriented businesses — how did that happen?”

SOBs target corners of the city where their business model complies with city laws, which is limited to industrial areas away from schools, churches, homes and parks, like the strip north of LBJ Freeway. With a second strip club coming to the neighborhood, some fear a slice of Lake Highlands is positioned to become a de facto red-light district.

“If the zoning is acceptable, that’s all they need,” says Plan Commissioner Tip Housewright.

If zoning is the problem, Park Board representative Robb Stewart may have found a solution with a plan to build pocket parks to prevent SOBs. While it hasn’t yet found its legs, the idea could offer neighbors a tangible way to control the flow of sex shops and strip clubs. It will take buy-in from the community, specifically business owners in the industrial center, in the form of land donations and long-term maintenance contracts.

“Someone will have to step up and say, ‘It’s worth it to me to build a park so I don’t have a sexually oriented business within 1,000 feet of me,’ ” Stewart says.

LIVE NUDES ON PETAL STREET

In a vacant field at 10995 Petal St., the city-mandated sign announcing the application for a sexually oriented business quietly appeared this summer. Giagtzis purchased the property for $850,000 on the condition that he can build his 16,000-square-foot, yet-to-be-named topless club in the industrial corner north of LBJ.

Many neighbors assumed they’d have the chance to protest the new development during city review, but that’s not how SOBs work in Dallas. Assuming it meets the zoning requirements, such businesses only need a license approved by the Dallas Police Department.

“It just simply doesn’t go through planning and city channels,” Housewright says.

As long as the project complies with zoning laws and the owners and managers don’t have significant criminal histories, DPD is required to approve the request.

CITY COUNCILMAN ADAM McGOUGH says he did everything he could short of begging Moss Farm neighbor Alkos Giagtzis not to open his topless club on Petal Street, but it wasn’t enough. So McGough becomes only the latest in a long line of politicians who have tried, and failed, to keep sexually oriented businesses (SOB) out of our neighborhood.

Though it shut down decades ago, the Million Dollar Saloon’s remains still sit on Upper Greenville.

“I have spoken to the city attorneys, and I do not have the authority to deny the license based on community opposition,” interim police chief David Pughes told the Advocate in August before approving the application.

Giagtzis did not respond to requests for comments on this story, but he told the Advocate this summer the business would be “as nice as anything Las Vegas has to offer.” He said it will cost upwards of $2 million to build and, as a topless club, the business can have a full bar if its liquor license to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is approved.

The adjacent businesses have already expressed their concerns.

“I don’t understand the logic of putting that business in here. It’s confounding us all. We’re worried about property values. We think an SOB will bring more problems,” says Joel Burch, CFO of Interstate Wire, which sits directly next to the proposed club on Petal Street.

“We’ve already had burning cars, cars crashing into buildings, stolen cars — we’ve had to install 35 cameras trying to keep the misfits at bay. We have to have a big gate and fence, and this is only going to hurt matters.”

Experts continue to debate whether sexually oriented businesses lead to

an uptick in crime. A 2008 Texas City Attorneys Association study states it’s a “scientific fact sexually oriented businesses pose large, statistically significant ambient public safety hazards in terms of prostitution, drugs, assault, robbery, and vandalism.” Meanwhile, a 2004 Law and Society Association study found “that the nearby areas surrounding the adult business sites have smaller numbers of reported crime incidents than do corresponding areas.”

While no building permits had been filed as of December, police approved the license, meaning construction could start anytime on the new club. Once built, it will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m.

BRIEF HISTORY OF DALLAS STRIP CLUBS

“By all accounts, the upscale topless joint was invented in Dallas 15 years ago,” declared D Magazine in the 1996 story, “Why Dallas is the Capital City of Sex.” It was referring to the 1981 opening of Million Dollar Saloon on Greenville Avenue at Park Lane. Owner Don Furrh named it after the cost to build the club,

a staggering price at a time when most strip clubs were in seedy corners, tucked behind airports and industrial parks. No one went to these clubs expecting stylish décor or well-mixed cocktails, until Furrh came onto the scene.

At the edge of our neighborhood, he brought valet parking and dress codes to the business, establishing an air of class that hadn’t been seen before.

Competitors at the time doubted he’d see a return on his investment. Within a year, it became the highest grossing topless club in Dallas, where dancers were said to pocket $10,000 a night. It not only stayed that way for years, it inspired a slew of similarly lavish clubs across the city and country. By 1995, Dallas’ top six topless clubs raked in more than $18 million in beverage sales alone, representing $2.5 million in liquor taxes for the city, according to D Magazine. The gold mine inspired copy cats, and in 2000, the city had more than 60 sexually oriented businesses on the books, the bulk of which were strip clubs.

The industry had become a financial juggernaut, but neighbors weren’t impressed.

Fighting the proliferation of strip clubs would not prove easy. The industry’s deep pockets and First Amendment

This vacant lot on Petal Street will soon hold a two-story topless club.

protections make them a lofty opponent in the courtroom.

In 1986, Dallas banned sexually oriented businesses from operating within 1,000 feet of a church, school, park, neighborhood or other SOB. But strip clubs avoided that restriction by seeking a dance hall classification, where the women wore tiny pasties to cover their nipples and avoid nudity citations. In 1993, the city attempted to force dancers to wear bikini tops, but a judge struck that law down after city attorneys failed to prove that “side boob” put the public at risk. A 1997 attempt to close the “dance hall” loophole by defining an SOB as any entertainment that provides “sexual stimulation” bombed when the club’s attorneys successfully argued the guidelines were too vague and could include anything from a steamy romance novels or magazines with sex-based content, like Cosmo.

Even with laws that the courts upheld, there are loopholes to be found. No sexual touching between a dancer and client is allowed, a law that police rarely have the resources to enforce.

“If they’ve got a choice between getting drunk drivers off the road or busting some dancer in a titty bar for squeezing some guy through his pants, it’s just a matter of priorities,” Christopher Burnett, a staff attorney for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, told the Dallas Observer in 2000.

THE FIGHT HITS LAKE HIGHLANDS

Cloisters neighbors weren’t happy when P.T.’s Gold Club, a topless bar owned by Nick Mehmeti, opened in the 1990s on Lawther Drive at Northwest Highway, just a stone’s throw away from White Rock Lake Park.

Its location violated the city’s own ordinance by sitting within 1,000 feet of both a park and a neighborhood. Mehmeti sought and received annual exemptions from that law via the city’s License and Appeal Board, which granted the request because it agreed the club was not “lowering property values, causing urban blight or threatening public decency.”

Residents spoke out at the License and Appeal Board hearings, but their opposition fell on deaf ears. P.T.’s made between $2.5 million and $3.5 million a year, and paid the city more than $1 million a year in tax revenue at that time, which some say played a role in the exemptions.

“Does the city really want to go after

them with how much money they make?” asks Keffer when discussing the city’s history with strip clubs. He added that some neighbors have always been supportive of SOBs and have no problem with them operating in Lake Highlands. But some did.

When New Fine Arts, an adult theater and sex shop, made plans to open on Shiloh Road in the early 2000s, the Lake Highlands Area Improvement Association kicked into high gear. The neighborhood advocacy group of homeowners association leaders wanted to stem the flow of sexually oriented businesses and keep Lake Highlands from becoming a safe haven for SOBs. Working with Keffer, the association encouraged Dallas police to up its patrols of P.T.’s, leading to just enough arrests, mostly for drunk driving, that the License and Appeal Board refused the club’s exemption request in 2003.

P.T.’s was forced to vacate its lakeside home, and many hoped it would pick up and leave the neighborhood entirely. Instead, Mehmeti made plans to move north to Plano Road, in an industrial corner away from schools, churches and parks. That wasn’t enough for some, who upped the political ante.

Led by the homeowners association, neighbors first targeted P.T.’s liquor license by starting a letter-writing campaign protesting its Plano Road application to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Even though it was one of the state’s biggest license protests to date, Keffer says, it failed. Like Dallas police, TABC cannot deny a license for an otherwise compliant business simply because it’s not popular with neighbors.

Concurrently, Keffer worked the legislative angles by penning a bill that made it illegal to serve alcohol at SOBs in a dry city, which Dallas was at the time. Previously, topless clubs, like bars, could operate as a “private club” where membership was required by swiping a state-issued ID at the door. Keffer hoped by cutting off the cocktails, it would force the business to close.

“It was an attempt to mess up P.T.’s ability to operate profitably,” he says. “But that’s not what happened.”

The club spent five years fighting the law in court, but unlike so many others, this law actually stuck.

In response, P.T.’s increased its cover charge and hired runners to fetch alcohol from outside vendors for customers at a markup for the new BYOB establish-

“I have spoken to the city attorneys, and I do not have the authority to deny the [sexually oriented business] license based on community opposition.”

ment — in effect, complying with the new law may have made P.T.’s even more profitable. It also meant the club wasn’t restricted by TABC laws to close at 2 a.m., and could stay open until 4 a.m.

“Citizens can go be noisy at City Hall or in Austin, but it doesn’t seem to do a lot,” Keffer says. “I think the only thing that works is for people to stop going [to strip clubs], but that doesn’t seem to happen.”

POCKET PARKS SHIFT THE PARADIGM

Dallas’ multi-decade battle with SOBs has largely focused on controlling how such businesses can operate, with limited success. Attorney Robb Stewart, McGough’s Park Board appointee, may have found a way to block the businesses all together in Lake Highlands.

He was inspired by the pocket parks that fleck San Francisco. “Some are just the size of two parking spaces,” he says. “How could we use that in Dallas?”

Originally he was focused on beautification, pointing out that the area north of LBJ is a “park desert.” But the idea morphed into a potential tool for neighbors who don’t want SOBs in the 75238. If a SOB can’t open within 1,000 feet of a park, why not dot the neighborhood with greenspaces?

“We have lamented the lack of tools we have to deal with [SOBs],” Housewright

says. “This could be a new option.”

Stewart says the cash-strapped city isn’t likely to pay for land acquisition or park maintenance. Property owners within the industrial area will have to agree to donate land to the city, build a park and sign a maintenance contract to keep it up.

“I would think there are certain community groups that could help with that,” Stewart says, adding that only new SOBs would be affected, as existing businesses would be grandfathered in.

Housewright says at least one property owner in the area has expressed interest in getting involved and forking over a piece of land if it’ll keep future strip clubs at least 1,000 feet away. But how exactly such a plan would work still needs to be hashed out between the city attorney’s office, plan commission and park board, Stewart says. It’s something he plans to focus on first thing in the new year, and is hopeful a resolution can be found quickly.

“These people have found a gap in our system to be able to [build SOBs], we need to plug that gap,” Stewart says. “It takes more than just people being angry, we need people to act.”

Carol Toler contributed to this story.

When P.T.’s was forced to close at its lakeside location, it picked up and moved north to Plano Road.

“If they’ve got a choice between getting drunk drivers off the road or busting some dancer in a titty bar for squeezing some guy through his pants, it’s just a matter of priorities.”

Andre and Julie Lanaux had a lifechanging experience while protecting their property. At right, the actual gun fired in the incident.

UNDER FIRE

The complicated realities of using that gun you rightfully own for protection

By CHRISTINA HUGHES PHOTOS BY DANNY FULGENCIO

JUST BEFORE SUNSET ON A WEEKDAY IN EARLY 2017, SEVERAL SHOTS RING OUT IN THE AFFLUENT NORTH LAKE HIGHLANDS NEIGHBORHOOD.

A homeowner is chasing and firing at two fleeing intruders. He hits one; the other gets away.

A year later, both the injured perpetrator and the shooter are hurting in different ways.

Gun ownership in America — a right granted under certain conditions by our United States Constitution’s Second Amendment — is an increasingly politicized issue, but in Texas, conservatives, liberals and independents — more than a million of us — have handgun licenses.

Possessing a gun for protection of person and property is relatively commonplace around here. Actually using the weapon for such purposes is less so.

When is shooting justified? What is it like, as a civilian, to shoot someone? What happens after you pull the trigger?

Andre and Julie Lanaux purchased their dream house in autumn 2016, a goal for which the pair had worked vigorously. They delighted at the opportunity to entertain friends in the spacious, contemporary abode nestled in the desirable North Lake Highlands neighborhood, known for mature trees, rolling hills, proximity to parks and the neighborhood high school, not to mention its relative security.

The fun-loving couple bought a pool table and kept the fridge stocked with beer for guests.

“We just love the neighborhood, and our neighbors, and we felt safe and really happy and excited,” says Julie.

They began to settle in, and 36-year-old Andre started hitting the nearby health club after work. But on Jan. 31, 2017, he wasn’t up to it. He arrived home an hour earlier than usual. Before pulling into the garage, he noticed something amiss.

“The door was cracked open,” he says.

He walked to the front and, through a window, momentarily met eyes with a man inside his living room. Peripherally, he spotted movement in the backyard — another intruder stood behind the fence, near the pool.

Powered by adrenaline, Andre bolted — not away from the scene but back to his car. He retrieved his 40-calibur Taurus pistol and entered his home, prepared for a shootout. He thought they might be armed, he says, or maybe they found the rifle he kept upstairs.

Andre and Julie had three firearms. They carry handguns in their respective vehicles’ glove compartments. They attained licenses following a frightening “road rage incident,” Andre says. After an enraged driver tried to run them off the highway, they feared for their lives, but police responded to their report with nonchalance, they say.

“So I wanted to take matters into my own hands in the future,” Andre says. They keep the third firearm in the home, a .22 rifle with both sentimental and practical value.

“My grandfather learned to shoot with it, taught me and then passed it on,” Andre says.

The two burglars were running out the back door, toward the alley, carrying multiple backpacks, when Andre began firing.

Overwhelmed, he chased and shot. In those seconds, he thought “stop them, shoot low” rather than “kill,” although he concedes he was unable to take adequate aim, because all involved were in frenzied motion.

“One of the guys looked back. I saw his face. I probably could have hit him in the face,” Andre recalls.

But, it was the other one who dropped to the ground, wailing, hit by a hollow-point bullet in the calf muscle.

His accomplice seemed to stall for a moment, as if he was going to come back, Andre says. Then he ran, and to this day has not been identified.

“I was freaking out. I was afraid I might be in trouble, go to jail,” Andre says.

The 911 operator told Andre to put the gun aside, away from his person, where investigators could retrieve it themselves.

“So that the police wouldn’t shoot me,” Andre explains.

Paramedics and police arrived quickly (the Northeast Division substation is less than a mile away). Neighbors emerged.

A woman from across the alley chastised Andre.

“There are kids out here,” she hollered, and he could have hit an innocent person. Dazed, he listened; her tirade did not fall on deaf ears. He still thinks about her words when he cannot sleep.

An ambulance carried away the injured suspect, who soon was identified as Julio Rivera, age 16.

Because he is a juvenile, none of Rivera’s records are publicly available.

you pull the trigger?

What is it like, as a civilian, to shoot someone? What happens after

Julie was still at her downtown office when Andre called.

“I need you to come home. I shot somebody. They broke into our house.”

It had been a crazy day at the office, and it was a 20-minute drive home, Julie recalls. As darkness descended, she arrived to a chaotic scene — police everywhere, neighbors gathered outside.

She found her husband, rushed to him, gave him a big hug and said, “I am glad you are OK.”

The investigators asked the homeowners to look at the items in the house and driveway.

“We had to identify our own property and what wasn’t ours, like a couple of the backpacks. And a cellphone,” Julie says, pausing to look at her husband, perhaps to see how he was holding up as she recounted this part.

As they took inventory, a cellphone, lying on the ground, which evidently belonged to Rivera, rang repeatedly.

“ ‘Dad, Dad, Dad’ kept showing on the screen — it must have rang 20 times,” Julie says. Heartsickness washed over them as they realized the boy’s father was desperately trying to reach his son.

By then, Julie, a lawyer, had spoken to friends at the police department and partners in her office. She believed Andre was within his rights, under Texas law, to shoot.

“It didn’t change the fact that we were now the people who had shot someone’s child,” she says.

“If it was an adult, I would feel less bad,” Andre says. Rivera is a large teen. He appears older than his years.

In future proceedings, Andre would not even

be able to look at the kid’s parents, he says.

Officers temporarily confiscated the gun. Andre sat in a police car and answered their questions.

“They didn’t treat me like a criminal or anything. They were professional and calm. They were following protocol,” Andre says.

They advised Andre to purchase another gun, because they would likely keep his for several months. He did.

Last November, after the investigation concluded, they returned the handgun, wrapped in a paper bag, to Andre.

Texas law allows homeowners to protect themselves and their property, even with deadly force.

Chapter 9 of the penal code describes all kinds of self-defense and personal property protection laws, says Ted Steinke, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor for more than 42 years who also happens to live in Lake Highlands North, where he chairs the crime watch. The law says that a property owner is justified in using force if the owner believes it is necessary to prevent someone from interfering with said property. Essentially, Steinke says, there is tremendous room for discretion in Texas law.

“In layman’s terms, a person has the right to use force to protect property up until law enforcement says it was not reasonable.”

In some cases a homeowner could be arrested and a grand jury would decide whether to indict. Action is determined on a case-by-case basis.

If someone in Andre’s situation accidentally shot a bystander, he or she would face criminal liability, Steinke says.

“I need you to come home. I shot somebody. They broke into our house.”

Andre Lanaux in the alley where he chased and shot a teen intruder.

Shooting an intruder inside the home (your car and workplace also fall under this code, often called Castle Doctrine), where homeowners are clearly protected under the law, is different than shooting someone who has already left the premises. And there is a difference between killing and wounding.

“If a fleeing intruder is killed rather than injured, things are going to be different,” Steinke says.

Every state varies, and Texas is more lenient when it comes to protecting property and carrying a gun.

The investigators spent five hours or so at the Lanaux residence that night, searching the home, questioning the couple and dusting for fingerprints and other evidence.

Andre was not charged with any wrongdoing. Andre and Julie also recently were awarded $5,000 in restitution for damages and losses.

Ultimately, losses included an array of strangely miscellaneous items, not entirely important ones, all things considered, Julie says. “They stole jewelry that was mostly costume jewels, every lighter we owned, all of our beer, condoms, my medal from the Dallas Marathon,” she says. “They obviously played a game of darts, played pool and spilled beer all over the expensive pool table covering.”

The Lanauxs still believe in protecting themselves with guns, especially following the break-in. Julie went into work late the day of the shooting, they recall. What if she had been there alone with no way to defend herself, they ask rhetorically. They aren’t going to take that chance.

But the incident served as a wake-up call.

Since the suspect is a minor, we were unable to interview him. However, Julie says that at the restitution hearing, his mother cried and pleaded for leniency, saying her son still could not walk or secure a job. The family was given five years to pay the $5,000.

Andre has heard endless judgments from

friends and family, he says, ranging from “you should have killed him” and praise for his gunslinger action to appall for almost killing a teenager over property or even (from his own parents) owning guns at all.

Andre went along with jokes made on social media and took the virtual high fives from gun enthusiasts in stride, but behind closed doors, he was agonizing.

The funny thing is, Julie says, they are both politically left-leaning, the only ones in their Carrolton neighborhood, before moving here, to place a Hillary Clinton support sign in their yard.

In Texas, yes, even self-proclaimed “bleeding-heart liberals” might be packing heat.

He is thankful no lives were lost, Andre says, but he and Julie both have endured sleepless nights.

Andre seemed to suffer signs of post-traumatic stress, Julie says, such as waking up in the middle of the night, yelling. “Night terrors,” she says, “where it would take 30 minutes or more to calm him.”

He stopped going to parties and social events. Stopped meeting up with the running club to which he and Julie belong. He couldn’t sleep well for three months at first, she adds.

And a few months ago, when Andre heard about another homeowner in the nearby Moss Haven area who shot an intruder, he contacted the guy, because he thought the person might be suffering in a similar way, and he wanted to know if he could help, Julie says.

That’s one of the tough things about our right to own guns, says lawyer Ted Steinke. It’s something trained police officers deal with all the time. Steinke has defended several Dallas cops indicted because their supervisors determined they made the wrong decision with a firearm. For citizens, it is even tougher. “You sometimes have to make a split-second decision,” he says, “and it can change your life.”

Snapshots of intruder Julio Rivera receiving medical treatment after being shot by Andre Lanaux, who caught the teen in his home.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIE LANAUX.

Wednesday, February 14 11:30 am Check-In/Networking 12:00 pm Lunch/Awards

Knights of Columbus 10110 Shoreview Dr.

Tickets $30 per person Tables and Sponsorships Available Awards

Small Business of the Year

New Business of the Year

Business of the Year

Non-Pro t Agency Legacy Award

(Individual that has contributed to the success of Lake Highlands)

For more informa on and to purchase ckets go to www.lhchamber.com

Whether you are planning on upsizing, downsizing or rightsizing in the New Year, now is the time to get started – before the arrival of the traditional spring selling season. Friendly and knowledgeable, the Dunham Brothers, Max and Dan, will be with you every step of the way. In this competitive market, the Dunham Brothers are your competitive advantage.

Setting down roots

LHJH to be beautified with influx of trees

By EMILY CHARRIER

IN THE COMING YEARS, stately oak trees will provide a canopy of shade along the track at Lake Highlands Junior High School, giving students needed protection from the beating sun. Colorful crape myrtles and redbud trees, both with bright blooms, will dot the roadways along Ferndale and Walnut Hill by the school.

Adding 130 trees over the coming three years is part of a multistep beautification project aimed at making the campus’ outdoor space more inviting. In addition to the new bevy of saplings, the project will include a cut-limestone seating area and new retaining walls for expanded green space.

“Lake Highlands Estate Neighborhood Association seeded the project with a large donation, but it will take other civic organizations and community members to realize the project,” says Carolyn Potter, PTA president at LHJH, adding that the total project cost is $47,500. “The cut limestone seating areas outside the Walnut Hill side of campus, the retaining walls

around the auditorium and tearing out the concrete parkway along Walnut Hill are the bulk of the expense.”

Led by organizers Potter, Mark Gray of M-Gray Architects and Cary Woodall, the PTA is still collecting funds to finish the project at lhjhpta.org (look for “beautification project”). Those who can’t donate dollars can take part in a work day on Jan. 13 from 8-10 a.m. to help plant the first phase of trees around campus. The PTA will provide donuts, coffee and all materials. Join Richardson ISD trustees Jean Bono, Eron Linn and Karen Clardy in making the junior high look its best, and sign up at lhjhpta.org

NOTABLE GRAD

HANNAH HARGROVE

WHEN LIFE GAVE Hannah Hargrove tragedy, she turned it into a level of success few could have predicted. Her father was John Hargrove, the eccentric owner of Orr-Reed Wrecking, who was kicked to death in an East Dallas bar fight in 2013. Hannah, just 23 at the time, was tapped to take over the family business. Not only did she help the company flourish, she landed it on a national television show. “Texas Homewreckers” follows operations at the shop, and premiered on Great American Country in October.

Three things to know:

1 Hannah Hargrove made the shop her own by organizing randomly scattered piles of old windows, floorboards and even broken toilets into something that looks more like a designer shop than a junkyard.

2 She got married amongst the wreckage of Orr-Reed, under a makeshift archway between sheets of rain. She traded salvaged windows for a wedding dress.

3

While her father’s death was tragic, she sees it as a fitting end for his colorful life. She told the Observer in 2014, “I know that he would much rather have gone out in a John Wayne bar fight than at home with a heart attack. In the end he got his cowboy death, which I think he would have greatly appreciated.”

LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2007

Sixth-graders at Highlander School paired up with the Lake Highlands Military Moms and Lake Highlands Exchange Club to ensure that soldiers from our neighborhood enjoyed a Merry Christmas. The students collected donations of toiletries, snacks, magazines, Christmas decorations and more and packed the items in assembly-line fashion. In all, they shipped off 33 boxes to active military members. The Exchange Club paid to mail the packages to 11 soldiers with neighborhood ties.

Richardson ISD’s Coach of the Year was Lonnie Jordan of Lake Highlands High School. MVP was Jakson Thomson. Corey Fulcher was named Utility Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year Trumane Bell was the Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Newcomer of the Year was Dreveon Eatmond.

The boot-scootin’ Wildcat Wranglers will host a 25th anniversary party on Jan. 6 at Eddie Deen’s Ranch from 8 p.m. to midnight. There will be keepsakes, photos and videos galore, along with live performances. Tickets are $30 and available at lhhswranglers.org.

Jim Kratz, a Lake Highlands High science teacher, golf coach and football referee, was honored with the Dallas Football Officials Association (DFOA) Lifetime Award.

Northlake science teacher Austin Aeschbacher (pictured above, center, in the grey suit) was named Elementary Teacher of the Year for 2017 by the East Dallas Chamber of Commerce. He received $250 to spend on his classroom, while the school got $100 for the honor.

Educating in Dallas for over 100 years.

Open House

Thursday, January 18

5:30-7:00 pm

6121 E. Lovers Ln. (@ Skillman) / Dallas, TX 75214 214-363-1630 ziondallas.org

OUR REDEEMER

LUTHERAN

School of Dallas 7611 Park Lane, Dallas, TX 75225

214.368.1371 / ORDallas. org

On a beautiful campus just across from NorthPark Center, Our Redeemer encourages working above level, but without the atmosphere of anxiety and pressure. We’re nationally accredited through NLSA with our students historically scoring 2.5 years above level in nationally normed testing. PK 2 – 6th graders are provided a faithbased education of co-curricular Fine Arts and Language enrichment, strong academics, daily PE and recess and interscholastic athletics. Before and aftercare options are offered for PK3 and up. Private tours by request.

OUR REDEEMER

Lutheran school

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas/ 214.348.7410

WhiteRockNorthSchool.com

Putting Faith in Education

NOW ENROLLING FOR 2018-19 Contact carolb@orlcs.com

• Age PK2 through 6th grade programs

• Low student – teacher ratio • Nationally accredited

• Test score average 2.5 years above national norm

• Music/Fine Arts, Religion, Spanish, Daily P.E. & Recess

• Interscholastic athletics • Traditional educational curriculum blended with integrated technology

214-368-1371 | ORDallas.org

7611 Park Lane, Dallas, TX 75225

6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and stateof-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

6T 6TH GRA E DE INFAANTTS

Now offering additional specialized services for students with: ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, & Speech/Language challenges

WEDNESDAY, FEBUARY 14TH AT 9AM

A one of a kind school In the Lake Highlands area! Awesome After School Program & Summer Camp!

By GEORGE MASON

Make goodness great again

January was named after the Latin word for door (ianua), which leads us to think of it as a time of transition from old to new. Many associate it with the god Janus, who faced both ways — to the past and the future. So, January bids us onward, armed with wisdom and courage both.

I am ready for January, for a new year and a fresh start. But if we must cross the new-year threshold with Janus eyes looking backward and forward at the same time, could our backward eyes just squint and our forward eyes open wider?

It feels like last year Pandora took the lid off the box and all the evils that lurked beneath the surface or in the shadows have been on full display. Politics are mean and petty. Religions fight one another and within each against others. Simmering racial tension boils over. Sexual harassment of women by powerful men is revealed for all its shamefulness.

We could go on. And we do. The freefall is aided by the 24/7 “breaking news” cycle (the phrase itself is redundant, and now virtually meaningless). Social media functions as little more than ignorant gossip.

What should people of faith and good will do amid all this? Here’s a suggestion for 2018: Look for the good and make goodness great again.

My wife and I were talking about this at a piano bar in Santa Fe, when the pianist started taking requests. Kim knew what she wanted to hear: Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.”

It’s perspective worth practicing. The song is three stanzas with a bridge, all noticing the simple wonders of the world and the love of neighbors. Each stanza ends with the repeated phrase, “And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

With so many of us starting diets at this time of year, we realize that the say-

ing is true: “You are what you eat.” That’s also true of what we feed our spirits. You are what you digest.

If you focus only on what’s wrong with the world, before long you will be drawn into the black hole of cynicism that refuses to emit any light. What’s more, the heaviness of the world gone wrong will weigh you down, too. But if you look for and meditate upon the persistent and always present goodness of life, the light will shine and it will lighten your spirit as it does.

WORSHIP

BAPTIST

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

ROYAL LANE BAPTIST CHURCH / 6707 Royal Lane / 214.361.2809

Christian Education 9:45 a.m. / Worship Service 10:55 a.m.

Pastor - Rev. Dr. Michael L. Gregg / www.royallane.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

BIBLE CHURCHES

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / 214.348.9697

Wed: AWANA and Kids Choir 6:00 pm / Student Ministry 6:30 pm

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

EPISCOPAL

ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH / 9845 McCree Road / 214.348.1345

Worship 8 & 10 am / Family Service 10 am / Sunday School 9 am

Nursery Open for All Services. / StJamesDallas.org

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / stjd.org

Worship: Sat 5:30 pm, Sun 8 & 10:30 am / Christian Ed Sunday Morning & Weekdays, see calendar on website / 214.321.6451 / 848 Harter Rd.

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

A Welcoming and Affirming Church / Pastor Rich Pounds Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / CentralLutheran.org

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln. Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

METHODIST

How do you feel when you hear these lines from the song? “I see skies of blue and clouds of white /The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night / And I think to myself what a wonderful world.”

Working against injustice requires more than naming it as such; it calls for a vision of a just world that gives us hope. That world is already present among us, if not yet completely so. Let’s cross the threshold of this new year with an eye on that wonderful world, which is both gift and promise.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH RICHARDSON 503 N Central Exwy / fumcr.com / 972.235.8385 / Dr. Clayton Oliphint 8:45, 9:45, 11:00 am sanctuary / access modern worship 11:00am

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE POINTE CHURCH – WHITE ROCK CAMPUS

Classic Service at 9:30 & Contemporary Service at 11:00 am lakepointe.org / 9150 Garland Road

PRESBYTERIAN

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133 8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Sundays 8:30 & 11:00 am

Sunday School 9:35am / All Are Welcome

A new year is a chance to look for the good in the world

With so many of us starting diets at this time of year, we realize that the saying is true: “You are what you eat.” That’s also true of what we feed our spirits. You are what you digest.

WHERE CAN I FIND

AC & HEAT

CLASSES/TUTORING/LESSONS

VOICE TEACHER with 40+ years experience. M.M. LSU • www.PatriciaIvey.com trilletta@msn.com • 214-769-8560

CLEANING SERVICES

CONCRETE/MASONRY/PAVING

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

EXTERIOR CLEANING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

FENCING & DECKS

4 QUALITY FENCING • 214-507-9322

Serving the Dallas area for over 30 years

We raise our kids here, too!

Family Owned & Operated 214-330-5500

ClassicAirandHeat.com

TACLB29169ETACLA29042C

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

FINANCIAL CONSULTANT

Five Rings Financial has part-time opportunities! JR@FiveRingsFinancial.com 214-702-0033 x502

BUY/SELL/TRADE

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED!!! All Makes/Models. 2000-2016. Any Condition. Running Or Not. Top $$$ Paid. Free Towing. We’re Nationwide. Call Now 1-888-985-1806

DONATE YOUR CAR FOR BREAST CANCER

Help United Breast Foundation education, prevention, support programs. Fast free pickup. 24 Hour response. Tax deduction. 855-831-2976

GOT AN OLDER CAR, RV, BOAT? Do The Humane Thing. Donate It To The Humane Society. 1-855-558-3509

RANGERS, STARS & MAVS

Share front-row Texas Rangers, Stars & Mavs seats. Tickets are available in sets of 10 games (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available). Participants randomly draw numbers prior to season to determine a draft order fair to everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

CABINETMAKER Design/Build Custom Furniture. Repair, Refinish. 40 yrs. exp. Jim 214-457-3830

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 www.squarenailwoodworking.com

CLASSES/TUTORING/LESSONS

ART: Draw/Paint. Adults All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Days: Mon & Wed. Students bring supplies. Nights: 1xt month workshop, supplies furnished. Jane Cross. 214-534-6829

DYSLEXIA THERAPIST/CALT/TEACHER

Individual or Group Tutoring for Reading. Grades K-12. References. Lindsay 214-566-4622

A MAID FOR YOU Bonded/Insured.Park Cities/ M Streets Refs. Call Us First. Joyce 214-232-9629

AFFORDABLE CLEANING Insd./Bonded. Move In/Out. Routine Cleaning. Reliable. Dependable. Residential/ Commercial. References. 28+yrs. Delta Cleaning. 972-943-9280.

ALTOGETHER CLEAN

Relax ...We’ll Clean Your House, It Will Be Your Favorite Day! Bonded & Insurance. Free Estimates. 214-929-8413. www. altogetherclean.net

AMIRA MAID 972-840-8880 Since ‘98. Insured. amiramaid.com Dependable Service. References

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

FATHER, SON, GRANDSON Window Cleaning. Free Est. Derek. 682-716-9892

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN: WINDOWS to Wash: Wkly & Bi Monthly. Great Prices $$. Honest & Reliable. Family owned 15 years. Excellent references. Call Sunny @ 972-487-6599

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

ALL COMPUTER PROBLEMS SOLVED MAC/PC Great Rates. Keith. 214-295-6367

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR

Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home/Biz Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction. No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

COMPUTER HELP! Viruses, Data Recovery, Upgrades, WiFi Problems, Onsite Tech. 214-533-6216 • WebersComputers.com

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let a seasoned pro be the interface between you & that pesky Windows computer. Hardware/Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $60/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 972-639-6413 / stykidan@sbcglobal.net

CONCRETE/MASONRY/PAVING

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Tuck Pointing / Crack Repair. Mortar Color Matching. Don 214-704-1722

BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Straighten Brick Mailboxes & Columns. Call Cirilo 214-298-7174

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com 50 Yrs. Electrical Exp. Insd. 214-328-1333

BRIGHT LIGHT ELECTRIC • 214-553-5333

TECL 31347 Brightening Homes and Businesses

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

TEXAS ELECTRICAL • 214-289-0639 Prompt, Honest, Quality Service. TECL 24668

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd. E795. 214-850-4891

Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC. EST.96 Automatic Gates, Fences/Decks Ambassadorfenceco.com 214-621-3217

FENCING & WOODWORK oldgatefence.com . 214-766-6422

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM

Decks, Pergolas, Patio Covers. 214-435-9574

KIRKWOOD FENCE & DECK New & Repair. Free Estimates. Nathan Kirkwood. 214-341-0699

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975

Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers

Northlake Fence and Deck

Locally owned and operated by the Mccaffrey family since1980 214-349-9132

www.northlakefence.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 30 Yrs.

CONSUMERS CHOICE AWARDS 2007-2016

Making Homes Safer One

972-926-7007

arrowelectric.net

Phones

EMPLOYMENT

AIRLINE MECHANIC TRAINING Get FAA certified. Approved for military benefits. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Aviation Institute of Maintenance 866-453-6204

AVON AGENTS WANTED StartAvon.com. Reference Code; CHASKIN

PET SITTERS, DOG WALKERS reply to http://www.pcpsi.com/join

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

WANT TO MAKE MONEY? Richardson Mercantile is looking for dealers who want to join one of the best antique malls in DFW. Need details? Go to richardsonmercantile@gmail.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Manufactored hardwoods. Stone and Tile. Back-splash Specials. 214-343-4645

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE

New/Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS 214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

FOUNDATION REPAIR

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE SERVICES

IDEAL GARAGE DOORS • 972-757-5016

Install & Repair. 10% off to military/1st responders. ROCKET GARAGE DOOR SERVICE - 24/7. Repairs/Installs. 214-533-8670. Coupon On Web. www.RocketDoor.com

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned. 214-826-8096

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR

frameless shower enclosures • store fronts replacement windows • mirrors 214-349-8160

PRO WINDOW CLEANING

prompt, dependable. Matt 214-766-2183

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

ALL STAR HOME CARE Carpentry, Glass, Tile, Paint, Doors, Sheetrock Repair, and more. 25 yrs. exp. References. Derry 214-505-4830

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

HANDY DAN The Handyman. ToDo’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HOME REPAIR HANDYMAN Small/Big Jobs + Construction. 30 Yrs. Exp. Steve. 214-875-1127

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

HONEST, SKILLED SERVICE With a Smile. General Repairs/ Maintenance. 214-215-2582

ONE CALL WEEKEND SERVICES

Handyman Services Offered.469-658-9163

Handyman, Contractor, Engineer

WANTED: ODD JOBS & TO DO LISTS

Allen’s Handyman & Home Repair 214-288-4232

Your Home Repair Specialists

HOUSE PAINTING

TOP COAT 30 yrs. exp. Reliable, Quality Repair/Remodel Phil @ 214-770-2863

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/GROUT

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

Complete Kitchen And Bath Remodels. Tile, Granite, Marble, Travertine, Slate. Insured. 214-563-5035 www.blake-construction.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

#1 WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS

Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim, Remove, Cabling, Bracing/Bolting. Cavity-Fill Stump Grind. Emergencies, Hazards. Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313. arborwizard.com

A BETTER TREE MAN Trims, Removals, Insd. 12 Yrs Exp. Roberts Tree Service. 214-808-8925

CALL A TREE EXPERT - 469-939-3344 Prune. Stump grind. Plant. Burris Tree Service

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

Trim, Remove, Stump Grind. Free Est. Insured. 214-823-6463

Are you thinking about New Year’s resolutions? Did you know about half of the resolutions that are made are not kept? Here are some tips to successfully achieve your goal.

• Pick the right resolution — It should be clear, specific & achievable.

• Create a plan — Figure out what steps to take; it won’t just magically happen.

• Make it personal — If it rewards you, you’ll be more likely to keep it.

• Leap those hurdles — There will be stumbling blocks. If you miss a goal, just regroup and get back on track.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

classifieds.advocatemag.com

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/GROUT

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

HandymanMatters.com/dallas

Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035

HOME SECURITY

SAFES For Guns, Home or Business. We Offer a Large Selection Plus Consultation & In-Home Delivery. Visit Our Showroom. 972-272-9788 thesafecompany.com

HOUSE PAINTING

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work.

Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634

A+ INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL

Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Professional Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT

Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

TONY’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality Work

Since 1984. Int./Ext. 214-755-2700

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

MELROSE TILE James Sr., Installer, Repairs. 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746

STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS

Granite, Quartz, Marble For Kitchen/Bath-Free Est. stoneage.brandee@gmail.com 940-465-6980

TK REMODELING 972-533-2872

Complete Full Service Repairs, Remodeling, Restoration. Name It — We do it. Tommy. Insured. dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

DALLAS GROUNDSKEEPER Organic Lawn Maintenance designed to meet your needs. 214-471-5723 dallasgroundskeeper.com

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

MAYA TREE SERVICE Tree Trim/Remove. Insd.

CC’s Accepted. 214-924-7058 214-770-2435

PAT TORRES 214-388-1850 Lawn Service & Tree Care 28 Yrs. Complete Landscape Renovation.

RED SUN LANDSCAPES • 214-935-9779

RedSunLandscapes.com

TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION Repairs, service, drains. 30+ years exp. Ll 6295 469-853-2326. John

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

WE REFINISH! www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

TRACY’S LAWN CARE • 972-329-4190

Lawn Mowing & Leaf Cleaning

WALTON’S GARDEN CENTER

Stop in for home decor, candles, house plants, succulents and more. It’s time to plan for spring. Call us for design, prep and plantings! 8652 Garland Road 214-321-2387

Prices Start at $85 + Tax

For General Treatment. Average Home-Interior/Exterior & Attached Garage. Quotes For Other Services. 214-328-2847. Lakewood Resident

PET SERVICES

DOGGIE DEN DALLAS Daycare, Boarding, Grooming, Training. 6444 E. Mockingbird Ln. 214-823-1441 • DoggieDenDallas.com

PLUMBING

AC PLUMBING Repairs, Fixtures, Senior Discounts. Gary Campbell. 214-321-5943

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521 # M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues.

HAYES PLUMBING INC. Repairs. Insured, 214-343-1427 License M13238

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

NTX PLUMBING SPEC. LLLP 214-226-0913 Lic. M-40581 Res/Com. Repairs & Leak Location

THE PLUMBING MANN LLC

All Plumbing! Since 1978. Family Owned. RMP/Master-14240 Insured. 214-FAST-FIX/ 214-327-8349

HUNTER

POOLS

CERULEAN POOL SERVICES Family Owned/ Operated. Weekly maintenance, Chemicals, parts & repairs. CeruleanPro.com 214-557-6996

LEAFCHASERS POOL SERVICE Parts/Service. Chemicals/Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

ACCOUNTING/TAXES Small Business/Individual Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 chriskingcpa.com

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances? No Job Too Small or Big. Call C.A.S. Bookkeeping Services. Cindy 214-577-7450

REAL ESTATE

REAL ESTATE & INT. DESIGN SERVICES contact John Cramer, Realtor w/ FireHouse Real Estate Services 214-212-6865

REMODELING

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Build On Your Own Lot. Insured. www.blake-construction.com 214-563-5035

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION Full Service Contractor. dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Remodeling Dallas For Over 17 Years www.ObrienGroupInc.com 214-341-1448

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.com 214-403-7247

ROOFING & GUTTERS

BERT ROOFING INC.

Family owned and operated for over 40 years

• Residential/Commercial • Over 30,000 roofs completed • Seven NTRCA “Golden Hammer” Awards • Free Estimates www.bertroofing.com 214.321.9341

Residential • Commercial (214) 503-7663 www.scottexteriors.com

SERVICES FOR YOU

A PLACE FOR MOM The Nation’s Largest Senior Living Referral Service. Contact Our Trusted Local Experts Today. Our Service is Free/No Obligation. 1-844-722-7993

DISH NETWORK. 190+ Channels. Free Install. Free Hopper HD-DVR $49.99/month.(24 months) Add High Speed Internet. $14.95 (where avail.) Call Today & save 25%. 1-855-837-9146

ENJOY 100% Guaranteed Delivered To -TheDoor Omaha Steaks.Save 75% Plus Get Four More Burgers & 4 More Kielbasa Free! Order The Family Gourmet Buffet-Only $49.99. 1-855-895-0358 mention code 51689LCX Or Visit omahasteaks. com/cook03

Bob McDonald Company, Inc. BUILDERS/REMODELERS

214-341-1155 bobmcdonaldco.net

• Turnkey Renovations

• Kitchens

• Baths

• Floors

• Windows FREE ESTIMATES greenlovehomes.com

214.864.2444

LIFELOCK Identity Theft Protection. Do Not Wait. Start Guarding Your Identity Today. 3 Layers Of Protection. Detect, Alert, Restore. Receive 10% Off. 1-855-399-2089

MY OFFICE Offers Mailing, Copying, Shipping, Office & School Supplies. 9660 Audelia Rd. myofficelh.com 214-221-0011

Installing

SKYLIGHTS Call Today! by Daylight Rangers

972-263-6033 www.skylightsolutions.com

CONNECTING THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Construction hasn’t yet started on the bridge that will connect the White Rock Creek and Northaven trails, but the rendering above gives an idea of what the new development over Central Expressway could look like. Connecting the two trails is an important piece of the city’s 50-mile plan to create a loop of pedestrian paths around Dallas. The preliminary plans, which were designed by infrastructure solutions firm HNTB, are still being reviewed, as Texas Department of Transportation still is soliciting input from nearby property owners.

RISD BUSINESS

When Dallas County residents voted to shut down the agency that currently provides bus service to Richardson ISD in November, RISD was left with a costly conundrum. In addition to taking on the burden of paying to transport students (Dallas County Schools was funded by a separate property tax), RISD was left to decide how to manage a program that moves thousands of children daily.

Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, RISD plans to operate its own bus fleet.

It will require the district to hire approximately 150 bus drivers, 50 bus monitors and 20 support employees, as well as acquiring enough buses to serve the district. Currently DCS operates 146 buses to transport RISD’s 8,500 students to and from school. RISD owns 50 of those buses, plus 20 more used for athletics, fine arts, field trips and other programs. The DCS dissolution committee will determine if its buses

may be given to member districts or if buses must be purchased. “Local control of student transportation services will allow for the flexibility this district requires in order to serve the needs of our students,” noted district officials in a presentation to RISD trustees.

Richardson ISD will delay construction of the Multipurpose Activity Center (MAC) at Lake Highlands High School until 2019 to coincide with its major classroom expansion project on campus. Voters approved both projects in the 2016 bond. The MAC, one of four planned for RISD high schools, is expected to open in 2020.

In addition, RISD has opted to increase the size and cost of the facilities, adding 8,000 square feet of girls’ and boys’ locker rooms and space to accommodate offices and team meetings. The $2 million in additional costs across the four schools – $1.5 million for construction and $500,000 for fixtures – will be paid from RISD operating funds.

The MAC will provide the band, drill team, Wranglers and 16 Wildcat sports teams a place to train in excessive heat, cold and rain.

FOOD NEWS

Perched on the 20th floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton Dallas – Campbell Centre, 82Fifty recently opened.

The bar and restaurant offer traditional fare like burgers and salads with a stunning view of the city. It was part of a major overhaul of the hotel, which was built in 1980 and is showing its age. An $8 million renovation from Park Lane designers Waldrop and Nichols Studio is bringing a modern touch to the property at 8250 N. Central Expressway.

The Hill Shopping Center, at Walnut Hill and Central Expressway, continued its renaissance by adding two new eateries last month. Staying on trend with other businesses in the center, both stem from Austin.

Houndstooth Coffee has a strong following among coffee purists. It opened in two tiny houses in front of TreeHouse home improvement.

Tacodeli found its second Dallas location in shopping center. The fast-casual restaurant serves up 40 types of tacos aimed at the daytime crowd. It is only open for breakfast and lunch, closing at 3 p.m. daily.

Left: The pedestrian bridge that will span Central Expressway. Below: Tacodeli comes to the neighborhood.

74 years of Real Estate experience

117 years as Lake Highlands residents

172 homes sold in our very first year

2017 was just the beginning.