2018 March Lake Highlands

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OPENING REMARKS

By RICK WAMRE

Useless chatter

We have a plethora of platforms to share our thoughts, but what do we have to say?

The most incredible fact of life today is that talk is cheap, and every day it becomes even cheaper.

And by “cheap,” I don’t just mean how any of us can broadcast any message we want anywhere on earth with the click of a button and at virtually no cost to the sender or receiver.

I also mean that talk has become so “cheap” we often don’t realize how little we have to say while we’re saying it.

We have literally arrived at a time and place in the world where any of us — rich or poor, educated or illiterate — can and do broadcast our thoughts faster than we can process those thoughts’ intelligence or rationality in our own minds.

My thoughts today were triggered by a recent Dodge RAM truck commercial extolling community service that was aired during the Super Bowl. Encouraging people to help each other typically wasn’t once a controversial topic, but when Dodge included a portion of Martin Luther King’s “The Drum Major’s Instinct” speech from 50 years ago, the opinions started flying.

There’s no value in regurgitating those comments, other than to say that a lot were clearly made on the spur of the moment and without much knowledge about King’s speech.

I had never heard of the speech, either, so rather than immediately opining, I found the speech online.

And what I found is that King had some interesting things to say in it about service, advertising (he had some doubts about advertising leading people astray) and life just a couple of months prior to his assassination.

“If you want to be important — wonderful,” King says in the speech. “If you want to be recognized — wonderful. If you want to be great — wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. That’s a new

definition of greatness….

“By giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know the theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love….

“I’d like somebody to mention that day [of his funeral] that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to live his life serving others. I’d like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity….

“Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won’t have any money to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that’s all I want to say.”

A Facebook Live video trashing a politician.

A Nextdoor stream of consciousness filled with barbed comments about neighbors.

A website jammed with selfies in various stages of dress and demeanor.

A committed life.

Which will be the more valuable legacy?

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

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Advocate, © 2018, 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.

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WHAT A CHARACTER

David Carl is tackling NYC’s theater scene one impression at a time

By CHRISTINA HUGHES

New York City: Magnet for thespians, comedians, seekers of the spotlight (that fickle space). The Big Apple bequeaths its guests and residents an endless gamut of theatrical entertainment.

Far-off from Broadway sensations on said spectrum stands underground comedy clubs and theaters the size of conference rooms, where the less-polished, less-extravagant magic happens.

Lake Highlands High School alumnus David Carl, class of 1999, often showcases his talent at People’s Improv Theater (The PIT), 2 miles and a dimension or three from, say, the Richard Rogers Theater (home to “Hamilton”) on that entertainment-venue gamut.

One-man shows or his mirthful standup act “100 impres-

sions in 30 minutes” don’t pay like mainstream mediums, commercials or The Great White Way, Carl says, but passion outweighs pay. When called to such a craft, starting your own moving company, tutoring, bartending and occasional couch surfing is what one does to survive.

This lifestyle, lived by many a New York artist, is fun. It does, however, require tenacity and bravery that many could never muster.

After some early success in voiceover work and acting parts on soaps, Carl landed a role in the pioneering “Point Break LIVE!” — New York City audiences arrived early to audition for Point Break’s leading role, Johnny Utah, the character made famous by Keanu Reeves.

“Yes, they all knew every line, and every show had a new

David Carl’s oneman shows have swept the world.

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Keanu Reeves,” Carl says. “People really got into it.”

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But it was not the wetsuit-clad star who most captivated audiences. Rather, the laughs and spontaneous applause went to Pappas, played in the movie “Point Break” by Gary Busey, portrayed in the show by Carl.

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There was something exquisite about being Gary Busey, Carl realized.

RELEASE: 2/9/18

INSERTION: March

Inspired by virtuosos from separate eras (William Shakespeare and Busey) Carl co-created, with fellow Rutgers University graduate Michole Biancosino, “David Carl’s Celebrity One-Man Hamlet,” in which Carl plays Busey, portraying Hamlet.

It put Carl on the map, says Jack Bunning of Dallas’ Kitchen Dog Theater, where Carl used to work and attend productions.

“It was a breakout hit of the 2014 New York International Fringe Festival … it received the Overall Excellence in Solo Performance award at Baruch College,” Bunning says, but a few of many accolades. At the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe in 2015, Carl performed the oneman show 24 times.

It’s no easy feat, Carl says. “When you aren’t performing, you are on the street handing out fliers advertising the show, so you can get people to come see it. He and his team (Biancosino and two producers) received five-star reviews in Edinburgh; and in summer 2016, he performed the play in Chicago.

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Expressive, witty, sincere and pensive during conversation, Carl grew up in Lake Highlands — attended Moss Haven Elementary and Forest Meadow. He was a wild child, identifying most with the Muppet Gonzo, he says. His parents did not try to quell his enthusiasm or creativity, he says. Mom was a teacher. Dad was in tech but also came from a family of seven preachers. In fact, a church play put Carl onstage for the first time. It was a little scary, just enough to amp him up and enjoy himself.

Lake Highlands, he says, was the ideal environment to shape his ambitions. Theater teacher Nancy Poynter taught him to take acting seriously, whether comedic, dramatic, supporting or leading. “She treated us like adults, like we were professionals,” he says. “We all came out of [the class] better people.”

Johnson, for whom he worked at Kitchen Dog Theater, also ignited Carl’s interest in unconventional theater. Johnson welcomed high school drama classes

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to the theater’s productions; some experienced creating their own plays.

There was English teacher David Wood, too, he says, without whom he would not have learned to appreciate The Bard.

SPRING SPRING SPRING

(Note: nearly every successful LHHS performance the Advocate interviews mentions Wood, who steadfastly supports students in whom he sees promise; clearly he leaves an impression on them). Shortly after the success of “Hamlet,” comedians were eyeing the political landscape, mouths watering, as a boisterous, reality TV show billionaire decided to run for president. Interestingly, Carl and Biancosino already had been brewing a Donald Trump/King Lear concept for another solo show.

Once Trump was on the campaign trail, parodying the man became prac-

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“It was a breakout hit of the 2014 New York International Fringe Festival.”

tically pointless.

“Oh man, it was too easy — or perhaps too challenging. You had to be crazier than him to get a laugh,” Carl says.

“Trump Lear” is set in the near future. Carl plays Carl Davis, a solo artist who receives critical acclaim for playing Donald Trump performing King Lear. Trump jails the fictional thespian and forces him to perform this paradoxical play, which “Davis” does, as the president’s reaction determines his prisoner’s punishment.

The show is a mix of comedy and theater, Carl says. It is about free speech at its heart. And it’s hilarious, darkly. “Count on a upsettingly uncanny performance,” writes Time Out New York magazine. The New York Times calls it, “Quite damning.”

Are similarities between Donald Trump and Shakespeare’s mad King Lear that obvious? Actually, they are not as comparable as one might imagine.

“Lear has this vulnerability,” Carl says. “He comprehends and asks for help when he makes a mistake. I like the idea of seeing a vulnerability in Trump.”

Carl brought “Trump Lear” to the Kitchen Dog Theater last year. It is still running in New York City at the PIT and touring American cities. Visit trumplear.com for tour dates and more information.

SUPERMARKETS FOR SALE, RESALE

Grocers play musical chairs, but two neighborhood stores sit empty

By RACHEL STONE I Photos by DANNY FULGENCIO

Grocery stores in the Dallas area changed hands so many times over the past three years that a few of them are back with their original owners, while two in our area remain closed.

When Albertsons’ parent company, Safeway, merged with Tom Thumb in January 2015, a federal antitrust ruling required them to sell 12 North Texas stores, including the former Albertsons stores on Mockingbird at Abrams and on Northwest Highway at Ferndale.

As part of that divestment, Albertsons sold those buildings and six others to Minyard’s for their short-lived Sun Fresh concept. Last year, Minyard’s 84-year history came to an end when it sold out all of its 69 locations.

In turn, Houston-based Fiesta Mart bought 11 former Minyards and Sun Fresh stores. San Antonio-based H-E-B bought six, including the two former Albertsons (which more recently were Sun Fresh stores) in our neighborhood. They’ve since been sold to a holding company.

Simply stated, the two former Albertsons buildings in our neighborhood have changed hands about four times, but they still lack occupants.

North Texas has one of the most robust grocery markets in the United States.

In the corridor between McKinney and Little Elm, nearly any chain you can think of has a presence. Grocery companies, from Aldi to Whole Foods, have purchased about every corner along U.S. Route 380.

Why do otherwise busy retail corners in our neighborhood have vacant supermarkets?

It all comes down to the tricky business of profiting from groceries. The average profit margin for grocery stores is about 1 percent.

“It’s a very high-volume, low-margin business,” says Will Adams, a real estate broker who has worked with grocery companies. “That’s why they’re so careful. Because it really can affect the bottom line of these companies.”

The Northwest Highway/Ferndale location seems like it should be a homerun, with nearby home values rising and high

traffic volumes. But the business is far more nuanced than that.

Grocery companies know their customers down to the nitty-gritty. When considering real estate, they might have as many as 200 demographic data points that must match before they’ll consider making a deal.

While those specific data points are proprietary and generally a mystery to anyone outside the company, they usually include income and population density, as well as education level, median age and traffic patterns.

If any one of the points doesn’t match, the deal won’t go.

In the spring of 2017, Tom Thumb repurchased buildings in Grapevine and McKinney that had been sold as part of the antitrust order. They’re old Tom Thumb stores that were converted briefly to Minyard’s Sun Fresh and later sold to H-E-B. Now the Tom Thumb brand has returned to them.

The good news is that the old Albertsons in our neighborhood likely will be a fit for some grocer eventually, even if that turns out to be Albertsons/Tom Thumb again.

Purple Pathways by Linda Kingsley; Sunshine Flower by Susan Bishop Shelby; Magnolia by Christine Scott; Winged Royalty by Barbara Mason.

MARCH 24 CASINO NIGHT

The Exchange Club of Lake Highlands hosts a casino night auction at the Frontiers of Flight Museum. The theme is “Fly Me to the Moon.”

Frontiers of Flight Museum, 6911 Lemmon Ave., lhexchangeclub.org, 469.248.7721, free

7 things to do in Lake Highlands this March

MARCH 2

DR. SEUSS

Come celebrate whimsical characters from “Horton Hears A Who” and “The Grinch” at a birthday party for Dr. Seuss. Participate in crafts and games and win prizes.

Audelia Branch

Library, 10045

Audelia Road, dallaslibrary.org, 214.670.1350, free

MARCH 3

SPRING SPRUCE UP

Get down in the weeds and help prepare Moss Haven Farm for springtime. Move mulch, plant crops and assemble a new hen shed to help the nonprofit thrive.

Moss Haven Farm, 9202 Moss Farm Lane, mosshavenfarm.org, free

MARCH 23

‘LEGEND OF BLUEBONNETS’

Bring the whole family to opening night of an original play that shows the power of one’s heritage and the value of a person’s story, especially one that reaches back as far as the petroglyphs of Texas.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman St., dct.org, 214.978.0110, $17-28

MARCH 24

EASTER MARKET

Decorate eggs, make pom lazka and participate in crafts and games at Sokol Dallas. There will also be an Easter market with food, snacks and crafts.

Sokol Dallas, 7448 Greenville Ave., sokoldallas.org, 214.368.5608, free

MARCH 31

GOOD FRIDAY

Celebrate all Easter weekend with live music, Easter-themed games and an Eddie Coker concert at Dallas Arboretum. Events begin at 9 a.m.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, dallasarboretum.org, 214.515.6615, free with admission

MARCH 31

WOOD STEEL RHYTHM

The side project of Graceland Ninjaz member David McMahon, Wood Steel Rhythm makes its debut with a mix of blues, rockabilly and funk sounds.

Lake House White Rock, 7510 E. Northwest Highway, facebook.com/ WoodSteelRhythm, 214.484.8624, free

Holy Week

Palm Sunday March 25 Traditional 8:30 am & 11 am Contemporary 11 am

Maundy Thursday March 29 7 pm Worship

Good Friday March 30 7 pm Tenebrae Service

Experience Easter

March 31 3-6 pm

Experience the Easter story through activities for the whole family. Free event. Food provided.

Easter Worship

Sunday, April 1

Traditional 8 am & 11 am / Contemporary 9:30 am

Fancy tacos

Chef behind Resident Taqueria blends fine dining with taco-stand prices

By EMILY CHARRIER I Photos by KATHLEEN KENNEDY

Andrew Savoie spent his 20s chasing the best chefs around the country. He went to Napa Valley to work for Thomas Keller, America’s only chef with two restaurants to score threestars from Michelin. He headed to New York City to work for Jean-Georges Vongerichten, another three-Michelin-star restaurateur. He toured Maine kitchens working for his mentor Rob Evans, who’s considered to be the godfather of modern New England cuisine.

“By bouncing across all these restaurants, it was basically getting my master’s,” Savoie says.

Then he fell in love with a girl from Lake Highlands, Amy Clark (sister of our most famous rock star, St. Vincent, a.k.a. Annie Clark).

He moved to the neighborhood in 2003, when Dallas’ fine dining scene was still up and coming. Unsatisfied with his options, he made the leap to teaching at the Art Institute of

Dallas, where he eventually headed up the culinary department.

“I was drawn to the pay, the flexibility, the 401k,” he jokes.

It allowed him to settle down and start a family, which now includes Stella, 9; Anna, 6; and Rew, 4. But when he was looking for a tasty, affordable place to feed his growing brood, he found himself constantly leaving the neighborhood.

“Lake Highlands was a food desert. There was nothing here,” Savoie says. “My wife said, ‘Why don’t you just open something?’ ”

So, he did.

Resident Taqueria made its high-profile splash on the city’s food scene in 2015, offering a menu where most items cost $3. Savoie prides himself on bites that target an elevated palate, but will appeal to anyone who appreciates classic Mexican flavors.

“It’s like I’m creating a composed fine-dining dish, it’s just served on a tortilla,” he says. “They’re not traditional tacos, but we do use a lot of traditional ingredients.”

Taco fillings range from pork belly to caramelized cauliflower.

DID YOU KNOW: The restaurant’s opening was covered by People magazine because St. Vincent stepped in to sling tacos for her brother-in-law.

I

The caramelized cauliflower taco was an early favorite, along with the pecan-smoked chicken. The specials board provides something new each week. Savoie gets playful with things like Philly cheesesteak or falafel tacos. The drinks menu is equally creative, ranging from a tangy cava sangria to a lively tequila de Squirt, which is exactly what it sounds.

The restaurant, tucked into the shopping center at Audelia and Walnut Hill Lane, has recently expanded its offerings. It added breakfast service, and can now send a taco truck to cater your party on site. Diners can also use curbside pickup to grab a full meal with a protein and all the classic taco toppings, along with beans and rice, for $20-$42 for a family of four.

“We hear that the parking can be tricky here,” Savoie says, “this way families don’t have to get out of their cars.”

RESIDENT TAQUERIA

Ambience: Hip but casual

Price range: $3-$8

Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; breakfast served Monday-Friday, 7-10:30 a.m. and Saturday 8-10:30 a.m. 9661 Audelia Road, suite 112 972.685.5280

residenttaqueria.com

Boba tea, a traditional Taiwanese style tea drink that has been modernized to include coffee, smoothies, and slushies flavored to taste. Our featured Viet coffee many customers describe as “WOW, it’s better than Starbucks.”

OVER

BULLETS

What’s it like to have a business in one of the city’s crime hot spots? And whose responsibility is it to protect a shopping center?

BENT

CREEK

STORY BY ANDY SHAW

BY DANNY FULGENCIO

PHOTOS

Editor’s note: Names of some business owners and their businesses have been omitted out of a fear of retribution. Considering the high rate of crime, the Advocate agreed to this request to protect our sources.

Lauren never saw it coming.

She was near the entrance of her small business in a north Lake Highlands strip center, waving to a regular client who had just pulled up. Her heavy glass door slammed open with a bang and in flew a young woman with a phone in one hand and a handgun in the other. The intruder grabbed the door handle and held it closed, screaming, “Call the police! He’s gonna kill me!”

A man banged into the door. He gripped a handgun, too, as he jerked back on the door in a tug-of-war with the screaming woman.

Lauren spun and ran toward the rear of the clinic, dialing 911 as she fled, expecting every second that a big-caliber bullet would hammer into her back. Then it was over — the pursuer hightailed it and the woman, who Lauren recognized as a neighborhood drug dealer, also took off before police could arrive. Lauren still does not know what was going on. Her client never made it inside the clinic, and never came back, either.

Nobody fired their guns that day, but Lauren is no stranger to gunfire. Like the time a couple of stray bullets crashed through her plate glass front window and thudded into the opposite wall. And there was the early morning she opened at 7 a.m. to meet a customer. The two found themselves

scrambling for cover when a man in the parking lot started shooting at a nearby group of people.

The intersection of Forest and Audelia has long been ground zero for dope dealing, break-ins and all sorts of mayhem in Dallas Police’s turbulent Beats 255 and 256. Drug dealers drift in around mid-morning most days, and tend to cluster near stores at each end of the Bent Creek Shopping Center. There are not as many of them as a year ago and most of them clock out by late afternoon. That is when a pair of off-duty Dallas police officers settle in to watch the place until closing time.

The stressed-out shop owners do not hear gunfire outside every day as they once did. The past year saw only one significant drive-by shooting, and that was across the street, where two men were shot, one of whom died. Then in January at the same location

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across Forest Lane, a parking lot argument between two young men boiled over on a sunny Sunday afternoon. One of the men pulled a 9mm pistol from his waistband and shot the other man in the abdomen at point-blank range while several people watched, horrified. The victim lived, and the shooter turned himself in.

Enhanced crime fighting measures at Bent Creek seem to have, quite literally, pushed the problem down the road.

Nearby homeowners, who for years could see the bedlam unfold from their back porches agree, things have been quieter since Bent Creek principal Mohammed Khanani started paying those off-duty cops, along with more security lighting, cameras and fencing. Khanani’s Rooha Realty, Inc. agreed in March to step up security after the city called the center a public nuisance and sued him. The city agreed to back off from the lawsuit, to give the plan a chance to produce results.

It’s been an uneasy truce — Khanani says each month he spends well over $20,000 on these security measures, a price he says is not sustainable.

The dealers know that too, and they are planning for a return to their glory days. “The cops are gonna leave,” exhausted shop owners have heard dealers hiss. “When they’re gone, we’ll be back.”

The city is in mediation with Khanani to come up with a workable long-term plan, and there are hopes that money and smart thinking from a new Public Improvement District (PID) will help keep the lid on. But those who live and work in the area are fearful crime will indeed surge again.

NEIGHBORING CHAOS

Shane Douglas gazes over his back fence to the Audelia Creek underpass on Forest Lane. “A homeless guy was living under there for a long time, and when they finally got him out, they had to bring in a U-Haul truck,” Douglas chuckles. “He had an oriental rug down there, more furniture than I had in my house.”

Douglas’ sleek two-story is closer to the troubles at Forest and Audelia than any single-family home. His pool is about 150 yards from the EZ Trip Food Store parking lot, where more than a couple of people have

Enhanced security measures at Bent Creek Shopping Center have led to a drop in crime.

“The cops are gonna leave,” exhausted shop owners have heard dealers hiss. “When they’re gone, we’ll be back.”

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No trespassing signs were joined by security cameras, floodlights and additional fencing to protect the shopping center.

died violently. He has watched many shoppers, hookers, dealers and idlers from his porch.

Douglas and his wife, Rebecca, were at the Forest and Audelia traffic light one mid-afternoon in January last year when Rebecca says two groups of people — five or six on each side — began “acting weird” in the Bent Creek Shopping Center parking lot.

“You could tell, something bad was going to happen,” Rebecca recalls. “Then they were shooting at each other.”

She saw more than one person hit by gunfire. Police showed up when the Douglas’ called 911, but the combatants had scattered. The police incident report shows only that officers arrested a 20-year-old guy for shooting a 21-year-old guy. He was badly injured, but lived. Like many dark misadventures that have unfolded here, the

awareness of this shootout quickly faded. The gun battle got lost in the noise. It’s already forgotten.

BUSINESS IN THE BATTLEFIELD

Most days, Mohammed Khanani stands behind bulletproof glass at the EZ Trip check-cashing station on Walnut near Plano Road in Richardson. This is his headquarters, as well as the principal address for at least nine small corporations. Khanani and his various partners started buying and running small shopping centers and convenience stores in Dallas, Richardson, Mesquite and Carrollton in 1994.

Khanani’s corporations own three of the four corners of the Forest and Audelia intersection. He would like to buy the fourth corner, home to the legendary Big Mama’s Fried Chicken and Waffles (until they took down the retro clock atop Big Mama’s, the hands were frozen at 4:20 for some time). But for now, he has his hands full keeping the shopping center across the street from becoming an official public nuisance.

“I own seven other convenience

“Without fear. Shooting! I mean, bullets flying! They feel nothing. They are not afraid of the police.”

stores here,” Khanani told me, “and none of them have any problems like this.”

He says he has lived quietly here for 30 years, raising a family (two kids in local universities, one at Richardson High School) and is steadily building a portfolio of modest properties and stores. But the city’s lawsuit in March 2017, which called Bent Creek a public nuisance, threatened to shut down the whole shopping center for one year. It claimed his corporation, Rooha Realty, has maintained Bent Creek as a “hub for drug use and sales and related violent crime,” and that they knew what was going on but did not take measures to stop the illicit behaviors.

The lawsuit states that in the 22 months before March 2017, police made 66 drug arrests at Bent Creek. That, plus seven aggravated assaults, two robberies, seven weapons charges and two arrests for reckless discharge of a firearm.

The idea of only two firearms arrests in 22 months elicits eyerolls from Shane and Rebecca Douglas’ neighbors. People there call 911 at least one

“Shooting! I mean, bullets flying! They feel nothing. They are not afraid of the police.”

DROP IN CRIME

Community Prosecutor Kristen Kramer or two nights a week when they hear the familiar barrage of semiautomatic gunfire, usually from the direction of the Bent Creek intersection.

Bent Creek veteran Lia Berhe opened her Hair Plus Beauty Supply store nearly a decade ago.

“Gunfire was the order of the day,” she says of the time before the lawsuit. Berhe says she heard gunfire just about every day. She immigrated to North Carolina from Egypt in 1992, and after a few years moved to Dallas and opened her first shop. Then she moved the store to Bent Creek, hoping for better traffic. But she was stunned by the crime.

“In Egypt, in North Carolina, and when I first moved to Dallas, we saw shoplifting, burglaries. But you wouldn’t see open drug activity,” she says.

Her business neighbor Lauren adds, “Without fear,” she declares.

Above: Children’s Village Development maintains a sparse playground at Bent Creek. Below: Teens train at the new North Lake Highlands Boxing Gym.

worked with Khanani, Dallas PD, business owners, neighborhood groups and others to draw up the aggressive crime-fighting plan for Bent Creek that launched in late spring last year. Kramer is on a team of legaltroubleshooters in the City Attorney’s office. The website says these lawyers use “strategic code enforcement and creative problem solving” to get things going in neighborhoods that are under stress. She is the sole lawyer in the office who is dedicated to only one City Council district; Councilmember Adam McGough’s District 10, home of Bent Creek Shopping Center.

When Khanani agreed to her plan and a review in three months, Kramer held off on the public nuisance lawsuit against the center — for now.

Under the high points of the program, Khanani would pay for two uniformed off-duty police officers to patrol on-site eight hours a day, seven days a week. He agreed to install security cameras to cover all the common areas of the shopping center. The court order specified that he also install enough cameras to clearly see all publicly accessible areas of the EZ Trip convenience store and the American Dollar Store. These two stores bookend the shopping center and see a lot of in-and-out traffic. Khanani agreed to install security fencing to keep people out of the back alley. He also had to seal off an irksome rabbit hole around back that makes it easy for a fugitive on foot to disappear into

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LANDSCAPE & MAINTENANCE

Audelia Creek. He’s on the hook for more security lighting, lots of warning signs, keeping his tenants’ front windows unobstructed from view, hosting quarterly public crime watch forums for everybody in the area, and a lot of monthly reporting on how it’s all going.

The verdict is that the campaign is producing results, so far.

“Since the agreement was signed, there has been a decrease in the amount of abatable offenses and crime occurring at the property,” Kramer said in an email. “The city remains hopeful that the owner’s representative(s) will work with the city to take reasonable steps to prevent crimes from occurring at their property.”

There are far fewer dubious characters hanging around Bent Creek these days. At the December public forum, police showcased the before-and-after crime statistics. Comparing July through November 2016 with the same six months in 2017, robberies of individuals were down from eight to three. Car burglaries went down from 17 to 10, and home burglaries dropped from 19 to six.

The police stats did not mention the crime you hear about most at Bent Creek — bold, open-air drug dealing.

“That’s what causes the gunshots,” explains businessowner Lauren. Her neighbor Lia Berhe says that during worse times, she typically saw more than 20 drug deals a day in the parking lot, where dealers openly counted wads of cash. An online search of DPD offense reports suggests that almost nobody is calling police about drug dealing at the center. In the July through November of 2017, records show only three drug arrests in the entire neighborhood that police know as Beat 256. In 2016, there were four drug arrests, three of them in Bent Creek. Two of those arrests were at EZ Trip. The third was at American Dollar Store. All of the arrests were for possession of less than 2-ounces of marijuana.

Khanani and his associates bought

The police stats did not mention the crime you hear about most at Bent Creek — bold, open-air drug dealing.

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Bent Creek in 2015, and he says the experience has been all new.

“I have never ever had these kinds of issues in our business in the past. I had never even imagined investors could have a problem like this, and the financial burden that comes along with it,” he told the Advocate via email. “We spend approximately $23,000 monthly on off-duty police officer pay, which is way in excess of our monthly base rent income on the property.”

He says he cannot keep up that level of spending. He claims that since March 2017 he has spent nearly $130,000 on the extra security, plus legal expenses.

If Khanani does not convince the city that his corporation is committed to keeping the place more secure for the long haul, they will go to trial this month. That would put Khanani in a bad place. Should the judge decide the shopping center is a public nuisance, the city could go so far as to shut it down for one year. Khanani would still be responsible for keeping the

vermin at bay or the city could shut off his utilities and yank his certificate of occupancy. Moreover, trying to sell a property that has been branded a public nuisance would be difficult at best.

At the heart of it looms a tough question. Whose responsibility is it to keep a business safe — the property owner or the police? Khanani believes the city is forcing him to shoulder more than his fair share of the burden. Where is the line?

Professor Mary Spector of SMU’s Dedman School of Law writes and speaks on the topic of landlord-tenant law. She says, “That line is one of the most difficult ones to draw.”

While she has not studied this case intimately, she thinks both sides have legitimate points of view.

“The problem that the property owner here has is a legitimate one. He’s paying a bunch of money to comply,” Spector says. “He’s wondering, why does he have to bear the burden? He’s paying commercial taxes that [he believes] should be paying for that

kind of stuff.”

It may be hard for a property owner to think of money he spends on extra security as an investment, but that is how she sees it in this case. “The law requires property owners to take certain steps to protect it themselves. Sometimes those steps require more investment than others do. It’s not always fair.”

IT TAKES A NEIGHBORHOOD

One person after another calls District 10 City Councilman Adam McGough to complain about the Forest and Audelia crossroads. He says there are many organizations and neighbors who “have Google Maps drawn to show how to get to their house without driving through that intersection.”

The frequency of robberies, burglaries and theft has dipped and you see only a fraction of the loiterers who once crowded the Bent Creek parking lot. That encourages McGough, though he believes it will be a marathon. He is an evangelist for the Community Prosecutor concept. It is

Churchill

a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers and enforcement officers, looking for full-neighborhood solutions that are both creative and holistic. It takes a lot more than just running the smalltime dealers out of one strip center.

McGough predicts, “The people will show up and take action to improve their own neighborhoods if they believe that they’re supported, that there’s someone who’s listening to them and who is going to help. That’s what community prosecution is all about.”

The freshly minted North Lake Highlands Public Improvement District (PID) encourages him, too. The two-person team’s budget comes from assessments made to business property owners in this new target zone. It is not a tax – the assessment was approved by owners accounting for at least 60 percent of the property value in the zone. The narrow district extends nearly as far as Richland College to the northwest, and southeast to LBJ’s intersection with Miller Road. It includes Bent Creek and a sprawling passel of apartment complexes.

Kathy Stewart is executive director, and will not need much ramp-up time. She has been running the successful Lake Highlands PID for four years. She will use 60 percent of the northern PID’s expected $339,000 budget to pay for “enhanced” two-person police patrol teams. These teams will have a mandate to get out of the car and walk into every business on a regular basis. The PID puts extra weight on developing relations with management of the many apartment buildings.

“You just start talking and it’s amazing who starts listening and you just start trying to pull all those resources together,” Stewart says.

When Stewart looked at Forest and Audelia, she saw a woeful lack of important support systems. “There really were very few public or private resources working with that neighborhood. There’s not a library, there’s not a rec center, there’s not a park. There’s not even a church in the immediate Forest and Audelia area.”

McGough recently opened the new North Lake Highlands Youth Boxing Gym to give teens a healthy outlet, and Stewart wants to lure many more resources that do something good for quality of life of local residents.

And then there’s that sea of apart-

ment complexes, often owned by outof-state investors. The block adjacent to Khanani’s Bent Creek Shopping Center is packed with multiple complexes. They keep police far more occupied than does the strip center. Over the last two years, police have been summoned to that single block of apartments for 26 home burglaries, 33 thefts (including 13 stolen cars), nine aggravated assaults and a slew of lesser crimes. The difference is that you don’t see the criminal activity from the street when you drive by.

McGough was disappointed at the low turnout at Khanani’s December crime watch meeting; only a dozen people showed up, including the organizers and speakers. Nobody came from any of the apartment complexes. Khanani was frustrated, too.

“I always extend an invitation to the retail businesses, HOAs, apartment complexes, DPD, the City of Dallas lawyers and all other neighbors,” he says. “I am not sure why [the apartment managers] do not participate.”

McGough is confident it is some-

thing the PID can help with. “I think you’re going to have more interaction between the apartment managers and owners,” he says. “That’s always been part of the problem.”

McGough says the benefits go both ways, citing the example of a troublesome tenant evicted from one apartment who then moves into another complex across the street. When complex managers communicate, they “can start eliminating some of that.”

In his role as chairman of the City

Council’s Public Safety Committee, McGough has plenty of experience in trying to turn around troubled neighborhoods. He says he runs into the same kind of obstacles over and over.

“It’s the one or two properties — sometimes business, sometimes residential — that become the weeds amongst the rest of the neighborhood.”

He doesn’t believe Khanani purposely allowed crime to flourish at Bent Creek, though he thinks the owner has been “negligent” in the past.

“There are business owners across our city who are very, very skilled at pulling the right people together and walking the property and talking to the other business owners, taking the lead on these things,” McGough says. “I don’t see that in Mr. Khanani yet, but I see a willingness.”

McGough pauses, thinking of what causes neighborhoods to corrode. “The reason neighborhoods get to be dangerous is when people acquiesce. It’s this passive acceptance of, ‘OK, that’s just how it is here,’ and we can’t accept that.”

“The people will show up and take action to improve their own neighborhoods if they believe that they’re supported, that there’s someone who’s listening to them and who is going to help. That’s what prosecutioncommunity is all about.”

Lessons from the Northeast

Maintaining an attractive, secure neighborhood in a ‘war zone’ does not take a miracle or militia, just involvement and diligence

ENCLAVES OF NORTH LAKE HIGHLANDS remain relatively secure in an area of Dallas gangsters have dubbed “Northghanistan” for its drug-and-gang related carnage over a span of more than two decades. Excluding the occasional sensational news story (a WFAA broadcast brought that name — “Northghanistan” — to the headlines) or rare personal experiences with crime, homeowners enjoy shelter from close-proximity chaos. Still, you won’t find them — the residents of Chimney Hill, Jackson Branch, Country Meadow, ChimneyHill Townhomes, etc. — resting on laurels or turning a blind eye to what is happening around them.

Observe and report

Admire Richland College’s lovely landscape: rolling green fields, a tree-and-horticulture center, wooden bridges over duck and turtle-inhabited ponds; a gang of domineering geese patrols campus. But don’t dawdle. To stall along this stretch of Abrams north of I-635 is to be panhandled or solicited.

Across the street, one cannot ignore the sprawling scarred acreage, once home to Hearthwood condominiums, now bordered by barbed wire and plagued by memories of fallen firefighter Stan Wilson, who died during the building’s 2013 blaze. Next door, ChimneyHill Townhomes draws little consideration, or could be dismissed as another dense, crime-ridden multifamily district.

Any such assumption would be rooted in reality, but wrong. Most of northern Lake Highlands’ denser areas — apartments, condos and townhomes — are problematic like that.

Less than 2 miles east, the Forest-Audelia vicinity suffers some of our city’s highest crime rates. And just a mile north of Richland, the Greenville-I-635 area also has made the Dallas police department’s top-10 list for violent crimes a time or two.

Northeast Division commanders over the years have explained that the unusually high density in northern Lake Highlands contributes to those lofty crime numbers.

In HOA and crime watch meetings, or during ride-along interviews, police reiterate that (their own work notwithstanding) the leading factor in preventing crime is a strong, involved neighborhood coalition. Neither citizen patrols nor more-official Volunteer In Patrol members act on suspicious situations, police say, but rather offer additional eyes and ears. They call cops when a challenge or potential problem emerges.

Dallas Dupree inherited the crime watch efforts for ChimneyHill Townhomes 16 years ago. But this neighborhood has had a strong group from the onset, Dallas’ wife, Peggy, says.

Dupree pulls out a thick binder in which crimes are recorded and color coded. It contains more than 20 year’s worth of data. “If it’s red, it’s bad, like an attack,” he says.

In 2013, a man was murdered in his driveway when he confronted someone attempting to steal his car. “That happened right here on our street. It was the

Story by Christina Hughes

Photos by Danny Fulgencio

Homeowners in north Lake Highlands meet regularly to strategize; they won’t back down when it comes to personal-and-property protection and bettering surrounding violent, noncompliant properties.

worst year I’ve seen,” Dupree says, pointing to a few other red-coded incidents indicating assaults and attempted rapes.

Extra patrols, officers on horseback, even under-cover cops on bikes came to check on ChimneyHill during the following weeks and months, Peggy says, owing the response to good communications between crime watch and the force.

Even in times of miniscule mischief, Dallas Dupree remains focused on crimes, because, he says, “If the crime happened to you, if your car window is broken, if your property is stolen or vandalized, you do not care about the statistics or data. You are hurt, injured, violated — it’s the thing I always remember.”

In ChimneyHill since its onset, Peggy, a former Lewisville city council member, recalls sitting in the bleachers when ground broke on Richland College. The ChimneyHill Townhomes were so chic in the ‘70s that the development won several design awards, according to an archived Dallas Morning News story.

And when the TV show “Dallas” was a big deal, the filming crew, actors, and even illustrious scoundrel J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), one summer, recorded several scenes at ChimneyHill, Peggy says (Dallas nods, either to corroborate or to indicate he’s heard the story. Many times).

“See J.R. was having an affair with a woman who lived here in these townhomes,” Peggy says. “All summer the crew, the little girl Lucy and the extras would be in and out and hanging around the neighborhood — Lucy liked to skate — and J.R. would slink in, sneaking into his mistress’ place.”

Dallas Cowboys lived here too, she adds “Randy White was our crime watch chair for a while.”

Because the practice field was right down the street, Dallas adds.

Rolling down the street in his bold red truck, Dallas stops for dogs. Peggy offers treats to pups out this sunny, chilly Friday afternoon, chatting up owners.

Neighborhood canines go nuts when they see Dallas’ bold red truck — “ChimneyHill Crime Watch Patrol” magnet on its side door, an American Flag fluttering from the rooftop — because to them it means snacks.

“We make these rounds about three times a day,” Dallas says of his meandering cruise past 405 homes. His crime watch team includes some 25 other residents. If someone doesn’t have a ride partner, Peggy usually hops aboard. She and her friends have acquired smart nick-

names. “Rattler” is Peggy. Her friend Caroline is “Agent Cobra.”

They know crime is critical, and they are dead-set on preventing it, but they never take themselves too seriously.

“A lot of this is just talking to a lot of people,” Peggy says. Getting to know your neighbors, their cars and dogs … it’s fun, you make friends, you have a safer place to live.”

An ‘oasis’

ChimneyHill Townhomes is “an oasis,” said the community police officer at a December 2016 meeting— smack-dab in the middle of low-income, high-crime apartments, she explained, it isn’t easy.

But, ChimneyHill alone is not the success story.

They have accomplished virtual tranquility thanks in large part to the help from community police, Dallas Dupree repeats. “I just cannot say enough about how great they have been to this neighborhood,” he says.

They also owe this regional concord to a strong, tenacious and savvy collaboration of crime fighting citizens throughout northern Lake Highlands — folks who understand the importance of tackling issues both big and small; participation among northern Lake Highlands shareholders is robust, their reasoning sound.

In 2016, for instance, a group of homeowners in northern Lake Highlands, across from ChimneyHill Townhomes, behind Richland, raised a ruckus about an overflowing clothing donation bin in a retail center at the corner of I-635 and Abrams. Nobody clamoring for the bin’s removal could actually see the thing from home (likely an attractive, spacious house amid towering, deeply rooted oak trees).

Overkill that it might have seemed — especially considering that the bin sat in an area prone to problems not limited to homelessness, begging, prostitution, drug dealing and major violence, which seemingly are worthier of attention. But neighborhood veterans understand nitpicking is essential to their area’s enduring welfare.

“It is important to do what we can to clean things up,” explained Jackson Meadows’ Chuck Stegman, back when he was leading the bin-removal effort. The unkempt box was a small eyesore but symbolic of bigger issues including aggressive panhandlers and loitering on private properties, he explained.

Many of the same people pitched a justified fit when a local restaurant’s sewage

“J.R. was having an affair with a woman who lived here ... the crew and extras hung around that summer and the little girl, Lucy, liked to skate around ... and J.R. would slink in, to his mistress’ place.”

Dallas Dupree and wife, Peggy, are charming; just don’t mess with ChimneyHill.

started to overflow. And when the City of Dallas did not immediately respond, neighbors raised their voices (actual and virtual, that is, on social media, and they contacted the press), bringing the district’s councilman (and a news van) to the scene within the next 24 hours.

Aesthetic and olfactory assaults can blossom into bigger crime, the theory goes, so diligence is required. It is an important part of bigger-picture security, prosperity and quality of life, Stegman says.

This “broken window theory” — the belief that shattered glass, litter, loitering or disrepair signifies an unstable environment and invites criminality — drives Stegman and leaders of nearby neighborhood HOAs to pay attention to detail, to let nothing slide, to make noise.

They are the proverbial ‘squeaky wheel,’ and they usually procure the grease they require.

Activists like Stegman and Dupree have managed to form tight relationships with Dallas’ code-enforcement officers and community prosecutors, which has resulted in cleaner, safer environments, reduced panhandling and the prevention of any re-zoning that could bring potential harm to the neighborhoods.

Those prosecutors have implemented community courts just down the street from ChimneyHill (this allows panhandlers, loiterers and other code breakers to make it to court when they are cited, and the court provides opportunities for assistance if a person desires it).

Payoff

Efforts have drawn the attention of at least one respected developer, Diane Cheatham, who is building a modern, unique, environmentally sustainable subdivision at the edge of Abrams and the I-635. She was awestruck observing vigilant neighbors from the area who meet regularly at the ChimneyHill Townhomes clubhouse.

“I’ve attended neighborhood meetings over there and have been blown-away impressed,” says Cheatham, whose Urban Commons is under construction, already sparking national interest.

“They have an active group that is quietly, constantly keeping this whole area at the forefront when it comes to development, security and growth,” Cheatham says. “I think Urban Commons will help to continue to elevate and transform the area. I became a believer a long time ago in the way [beautification] can lift everything around it.”

Lawsuit looks at equality in RISD

Says single-member district would be more fair

By CAROL TOLER

A

RECENTLY FILED LAWSUIT

isn’t just an indictment of the Richardson ISD’s system of governance, but of the board members as decision makers. Filed by former trustee David Tyson, Jr., it seeks no monetary damages, but does name each trustee individually.

Tyson says decisions made by the “perpetually monolithic board,” particularly since the federal desegregation order was lifted in 2013, “contribute to an egregious performance gap between affluent, white students attending favored schools and everyone else.”

The current system is unfair, Tyson says, because “minority-preferred candidates face a white voting bloc.” The remedy he seeks is an immediate, permanent shift from at-large to single-member districts to make the election of minority candidates more likely. His suit specifically mentions Hamilton Park as an area likely to elect a minority trustee.

Tyson is the only minority member ever to serve on the board, despite RISD being a “majority-minority” district. About 40 percent of RISD students are Hispanic, 30 percent are white and 20 percent are black.

Tyson isn’t just saying poor schools underperform affluent schools — that’s easy to prove by test scores. At the lowest-performing eight elementary schools (including Audelia Creek, Forest Lane, Northlake, Skyview, Stults and Thurgood Marshall in Lake Highlands), only 30 percent of students are meeting grade level

in more than one subject. At the top eight (most of which are in the Pearce feeder pattern), more than 80 percent meet grade level in all subjects.

Tyson claims the RISD system of electing trustees favors affluent schools and students, and decisions made by trustees perpetuate that unfair system.

Tyson’s attorneys and others have been successful in similar lawsuits against Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, Irving ISD, the City of Farmers Branch and the City of Irving. These entities either lost in court or were forced to settle and now have single-member districts.

RISD has not said if they will fight the lawsuit.

The next school board election is set for May 5. Incumbent Kim Caston has announced she will run for re-election and Lake Highlands resident Jean Bono is expected to run again, as well.

No other candidates have announced intentions to challenge the incumbents as of press time.

“Minoritypreferred candidates face a white voting bloc.”

CHRIS HARRISON

CHRIS HARRISON’S name is now synonymous with roses and manufactured romance. As the host of “The Bachelor” and its female-focused spin-off, “The Bachelorette,” he has been traveling the world and breaking hearts since the series began in 2002. But before that, he was a Lake Highlands soccer player, the son of Mary Beth, a Realtor, and Steve, who previously worked at Ken’s Man Shop in Garland. He wanted to be a Dallas sportscaster before a wayward trip to California turned into the job of a lifetime.

Three things to know:

1 Harrison’s first hosting job was on the stage of Lake Highlands High School, where he explored his comedic chops as the emcee of a talent show.

2

He has a lot of heart for the contestants who are eliminated on the show. “It’s a great study in human behavior. After the girls are rejected and leave, I have the choice to go see them and say goodbye. If I have had a chance to get to know them a little, I usually say something to them,” he told the Advocate in 2003. “The best part is I always get to play the nice guy.”

3

In a very meta moment in 2013, Harrison presented a Webby Award to “Burning Love,” a Ben Stiller-produced web series that parodies his “Bachelor” franchise.

PH LW LH Lakehill x PH LW LH Our Redeemer x PH LW LH St. John x

PH LW LH WRN x

PH LW LH Zion x

LW LH HighlanderX

ON THE FIELD

PH LW Kessler x

LW Spanish House LH Scofield

More than 60 Lake Highlands High School graduates showed up suited-and-booted, ready to play in the first ever Wildcat Baseball Alumni Classic. The weekend of events invited players of every era to come back to their home field for a series of games alongside the current Wildcat lineup. “The parents loved our boys having the opportunity to spend some time around so many fantastic men over the weekend,” said Wildcat Baseball Parent Advisor Chris Klemme, father of team captain Kyle. “They didn’t just hear and laugh along with the great war stories, but really got some great character examples as well. We are hopeful that some of the alums’ winning traditions will rub off on our kids, and that this weekend was the beginning of what will be a great season for Lake Highlands baseball.”

The University Interscholastic League announced new realignments recently, and Lake Highlands High will play in a new district beginning fall of 2018 – 8-6A instead of 9-6A. UIL added Molina (enrollment 2,220) and Duncanville (4,451) and removed Jesuit and Coppell, leaving LHHS with eight teams in our district. The Wildcats will continue to compete against Skyline (4,568), W.T. White (2,241), Richardson (2,775), Berkner (2,659) and Pearce (2,400). The changes leave some hoping Head Coach and Athletic Coordinator Lonnie Jordan will find a way to add Jesuit to the Wildcat non-district schedule in 2018. Jesuit have become one of LH’s leading rivals in multiple sports — especially football, where Jesuit Head Coach Paul Maturi is an LHHS grad and former coach.

SIGNED AND SEALED

Some of the Wildcats’ most talented athletes recently took part in National Signing Day, committing to play for universities all over the country. Terrance Clark and Quinton Freeman will play at West Texas A&M University, Nathan Hall signed with Northwestern Oklahoma University, Quinntodd Craine-Lewis will play at Cisco Junior College and Brandon Anderson signed with Friends University.

“We are very proud to call these young men Wildcats,” said Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator Lonnie Jordan, “and are excited to see what they will accomplish in the next chapter of their lives.”

Coach Taylor Stell at the Wildcat Baseball Alumni Classic.

DA Advocate March 2018.pdf

2/15/18 3:06 PM

& NOTES

NEW PLAY SPACE

Some of the neighborhood’s most influential community groups are working together to build a new playground (opposite page), which will be accessible to all children, regardless of any physical, mental or sensory disabilities. Funds are being collected from a wide range of sources, but you can help make the plan a reality by taking part in Run the Highlands, set for April 28. Join the race at lhjwl.org/run-the-highlands-race-info.

FUNNY BOOK

If you haven’t passed by El Arroyo Restaurant in Austin, you’ve likely seen its hilarious signs. Filled with messages like: “Treat your mom to a margarita, you’re probably the reason she drinks” and “Willy Wonka was the original Hunger Games,” it’s easy to see why it’s become a viral sensation, written up on Shareably and Bored Panda. The owner, Lake Highlands High grad Ellis Winstanley, capitalized on the fame by publishing “El Arroyo’s Big Book of Signs,” available for $24.99 at elarroyo.com/store.

BIZ BUZZ

WHAT’S UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES

his strong work ethic. Connor told the Advocate in 2012 that he didn’t miss a day of work for 39 years. “I did go on my honeymoon when I was 28, but my dad was still here at that time; it was before I took over,” he said. After battling a long-term illness, Connor died on Jan. 15. He was 67.

BUSINESS LOVE

NEW IN TOWN

Lake Highlands YMCA recently created Yzone, a series of programs aimed at getting young children, ages 1-5, up and moving. Children must be accompanied by a guardian, but classes are free to attend.

LOSING A LEGEND

Chuck Conner Jr. brought more joy to families in Dallas than almost any neighbor. After his father built White Rock Skate in 1973, Connor helped foster a place where parents felt comfortable dropping off their kids for a day of fun. He began as a DJ, but eventually took over operations at the rink. Dozens of Lake Highlands High School students got their first job there, where they learned from

The second-annual We Love LH Awards celebrated the businesses, nonprofits and people who help our community thrive. Hosted by the Lake Highlands Chamber of Commerce, the winners included: Business of the Year: Rooster Home + Hardware; New Business of the Year: Shady’s Burgers; Small Business of the Year: Artistik Edge; Nonprofit of the Year: Feed Lake Highlands and the Exchange Club (a tie); Restaurant of the Year: JJ’s Cafe. The Legacy Award, honoring a long-term commitment to the community, went to Rick Wamre and the Lake Highlands Advocate

Fish City Grill made its debut in our neighborhood recently at the Town Center, opening with a fundraiser for Feed Lake Highlands. Yogurtland and Taco Diner are also expected to open soon at the center.

Last week, the newly dubbed High Point Crossing at the old Steakley Chevrolet site on Northwest Highway and Abrams announced its first fleet of tenants. There seems to be a theme of low-cost retailers, with Five Below , Marshalls , Burlington Coat Factory and Academy Sports and Outdoors No word yet on when construction will be completed and the stores will open, but the 180,000-square-foot lot also has room for smaller shops and restaurants, according to reports.

The hilarious signs at El Arroyo, owned by LHHS grad Ellis Winstanley, were recently compiled into a book.

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A new playground planned at Flag Pole Hill.

By GEORGE MASON

Idle worship

The Super Bowl this year was a tale of two quarterbacks: Tom Brady and Nick Foles. Both were extraordinary: Brady was the league MVP; Foles, the Super Bowl MVP. Each brought a religious fervor to his play, but I will pass on Brady’s and recommend you catch Foles’.

We don’t often see examples of blatant idolatry. Brady is a remarkable athlete with a zeal for his sport that is second to none, but he has literally (and for once you may take literally literally) turned his devotion to football into his religion.

Now, Texans know something about the temptation to making football their real religion. Friday Night Lights. The hole in the roof of the old Cowboys’ stadium so that God could watch heaven’s favorite team play. But we always knew there was something more to faithful faith than fervent fandom. This is different.

Brady has written a book that outlines the lifestyle of a disciple. The TB12 Method is the athlete’s bible of physical and mental fitness that promises peak performance in return for total dedication. In the first episode of a TV documentary on this, titled Tom vs. Time, the 40-yearold Brady challenges his challengers: “If you’re going to compete against me, you better be willing to give up your life, because I’m giving up mine.”

Jesus: “If any would be my disciples, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.” Taking up your cross is tantamount to giving up your life. But for what?

In ancient agrarian religions, devotees sacrificed to the gods in hopes of fertility and harvest. Prosperity religion — whether ancient or modern — is transactional: Give a worthy sacrifice to a god and in return the god will give worldly success.

Religions derived from Abraham — whether Judaism, Christianity or Islam — operate differently. These covenantal religions, rightly conceived, are relational rather than transactional. Spiritual sacrifice is the giving up of self-centeredness for God-centeredness. And God-cen -

teredness is proven by neighbor-love. Success is measured in the wellbeing of the weak and vulnerable, the poor and marginalized. True religion is not about building human empires — whether political, economic or athletic.

Nick Foles’ Christianity is rooted in the alchemy of human weakness and divine strength. It keeps ambition grounded. It attends to the plight of others. It sees personal failure, not just personal success, as a gateway to lasting glory.

“Failure is a part of life,” Foles said after the Super Bowl. “It’s a part of building character and growing. … We are all human, and we all have weaknesses. …

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

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

I’m not perfect. I’m not Superman. … I still have daily struggles. And that’s where my faith comes in.”

Idolatry substitutes a created god for the Creator God. More than affront to the Divine honor, the problem is eternally practical: If you turn football (or work, or even family) into your ultimate reality, the end zone is still a cemetery. We are wise to worship a God who can raise us up after our final fall.

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.

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

Two sports idols take opposite tacks on religion

Texans know something about the temptation to making football their real religion. Friday Night Lights. The hole in the roof of the old Cowboys’ stadium so that God could watch heaven’s favorite team play.

Sunday, March 25 – 10:55 a.m. Procession of Palms Worship Service

Friday, March 30 – 8:00 p.m. Good Friday Tenebrae Service featuring “The Weeping Tree’’ by Joseph Martin

Saturday, March 31 – 2:00 p.m.

Children/Family: Walk Through Holy Week Easter Egg Hunt

Sunday, April 1 – 10:55 a.m. Easter Worship Service

Children ages 3 – 1st Grade: GODLY PLAY

6707 Royal Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 www.royallane.org

HOLY WEEK AT CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH

PALM

MAUNDY THURSDAY

The Last Supper Thursday, March 29 7:00 pm Worship & Communion Bethany Lutheran Church 10101 Walnut Hill Lane , Dallas 75238

GOOD FRIDAY Tenebrae Service based on the 7 Last Words of Christ Friday, March 30 7:30 pm Worship

EASTER SUNDAY Celebrate the Resurrection SUNDAY, APRIL 1

Easter Breakfast 9:00 am Fellowship Hall Easter Egg Hunt 10:00 am Worship & Communion 10:30 am PLEASE JOIN US. ALL ARE

WHERE CAN I FIND LOCAL ...?

AC & HEAT

CLEANING SERVICES

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

Family Owned & Operated

Serving the Dallas area for over 30 years

We raise our kids here, too!

214-330-5500

ClassicAirandHeat.com

APPLIANCE REPAIR

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

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

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

CLEANING SERVICES

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

LAKEWOODWINDOWCLEANING.COM Veteran owned. Serving neighbors 15 years. 214-317-2325

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN: WINDOWS to Wash: Wkly & Bi Monthly. Great Prices $$. Honest & Reliable. Family owned 15 years. Excellent references. Call Sunny @ 214-724-2555

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

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

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete

Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

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

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

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

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

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

EXTERIOR CLEANING

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

FENCING & DECKS

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

WOODMASTER CARPENTRY 214-507-9322

Quality Wood Fences & Decks. New or Repair.

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.

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

FLOORING & CARPETING

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

TACLB29169ETACLA29042C

HANDYMAN SERVICES

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors

Senior Safety

Carpentry

KITCHEN/BATH/TILE/GROUT

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

Small & Odd Jobs

And More! 972-308-6035 HandymanMatters.com/dallas

Bonded & Insured. Locally owned & operated.

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

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

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

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

WE REFINISH! www.allsurfacerefinishing.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

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

TRACY’S LAWN

Top ways to transition your mind from winter to spring. Spring is ready to break through with its beautiful blooms. Spruce up your body and life with these tips for spring.

1) Look out for your liver — The liver is one of the most important organs for renewing, cleansing and energizing the body. The liver is related to your ability to plan ahead.

2) Cleanse the body — In winter time we focus on over indulgence and hearty meals. Spring time should balance that with a focus on digestion and detoxification.

3) Spring clean — It is as important to spring clean your house as it is your body. Donate unwanted clutter, move out big furniture and deep clean forgotten corners.

4) Come out of hibernation — In winter we tend to retreat to our warm homes. Spring is the time to open the windows and get some fresh air. Here’s to a healthy, prosperous spring.

classifieds.advocatemag.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

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

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

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

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. Lawn Maintenance. Resd/ Commcl.Insd. CC’s Accptd. mayatreeservice.com 214-924-7058 214-770-2435

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

APRIL DEADLINE MARCH 7 214.560.4203 TO ADVERTISE

184376) 214-402-4019 for all your mortgage needs.

MOVING

AM MOVING COMPANY Specialty Moving & Delivery. 469-278-2304 ammovingcompany.com

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

MCDANIEL PEST CONTROL

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

THE PET DIVAS Pet Sitting, Daily Dog Walks, In Home/Overnight Stays.Basic Obedience Training. thepetdivas.com 817-793-2885. Insured

WHERE CAN I FIND LOCAL ...?

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

POOLS

CERULEAN POOL SERVICES

Operated. Weekly maintenance, Chemicals, parts & repairs. CeruleanPro.com 214-557-6996

LEAFCHASERS POOL 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

BAD MOTHER SHUTTERS 214-909-8879

jwilliams@badmothershutters.com Custom Made

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

MP ARCHITECTURAL Design & Construction. mattandpaul.com 214-226-1186

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

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

30+ Yrs. in Business • Major Additions Complete Renovations • Kitchens/Baths

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

75075

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214-560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

THE WORLD’S LARGEST ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERIENCE

Eco Expo

Expert Speakers

Green Exhibitors

Film Festival

EXPERIENCES

Tiny House Village

Dive Pool

Tree Climbing

Art

Petting Zoo

Recycling Pavilion

Solar Raceway

Green Auto Show

Scavenger Hunt

Outdoor Adventure Zone

Music

APRIL 13-22

60+ Feature & Short Films

Young Filmmakers

Workshops & Competitions

Formerly Earth Day Texas

For more information, visit EarthX.org

Virtual Reality Experiences