blog& BACK TALK

HILLCREST TEACHER WINS $10,000 GRANT

Hillcrest High School teacher Ward Coats has won a $10,000 grant from Toyota and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) for excellence and innovation in science education. Coats, who was was one of 79 teachers selected from more than 500 applicants, will use the grant to further his biology curriculum, and students will get to use the laboratory at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

—MARLENA

CHAVIRA-MEDFORD

Dr. Ward Coats is not only one of the finest teachers at Hillcrest, he’s been a mentor to many students as well. Congratulations, Dr. Coats!

—AMYS.

Recycle Thosetvs

A clarification to an answer you provided in the April issue: Someone was asking about getting rid of chemicals, TVs and other various products (“How It Works”). On the TV part, you cited that Goodwill would take a working TV off of one’s hands — this actually is not true.I tried to take some nice working tube TVs to my neighborhood drop-off center a few weeks ago and was refused, as they don’t accept them. I was thrown off, so I checked their website — sure enough, they don’t accept them. However, I was able to find another group that not only would take them, but will come pick them up (and anything else that you would normally donate to a Goodwill/Salvation Army type company): Soul’s Harbor. Just don’t want anyone to go through the trouble I went through many weeks ago — those TVs are very heavy to try and unsuccessfully cart off!

—BETH PROVOST, VIA EMAIL

EDITOR’S NOTE: Soul’s Harbor is a Dallas organization working to help men break the cycle of homelessness. The nonprofit can be reached at 972.286.1940 or soulsharbordallas.org. Salvation Army also will pick up working televisions from Dallas locations; to arrange for pickup, call 214.630.5611. The Advocate regrets the incorrect information about Goodwill; for information on what Goodwill donation centers will and won’t accept, visit goodwilldallas.org/donation centers.shtml, or call 214.638.2800 ext. 137.

Hot Mama Aprons

The “it” item this spring isn’t a handbag or shoe — it’s an apron. Or at least that’s the case in Sparkman, where kitschy, vintageinspired aprons are cropping up all over the neighborhood. The trendsetter? Jennifer Carr, the mastermind behind Hot Mama Aprons. “The original idea was inspired by Lucille Ball,” she says of her funky designs, which include combos like hot pink with zebra frills. Carr, who is a mostly self-taught seamstress, launched her line in the 2008 with one thing in mind: “I wanted to create an apron that was a marriage of frill and function.” As a mother who cooks for two growing boys, she knows the combination is hard to find. “I had this one brown apron that was like industrial strength — it was so durable, but so drab. And a friend gave me a cute little lacy apron, but it just didn’t hold up in the kitchen.” Thus, Hot Mama Aprons was born. All of her designs are made with an absorbent terry cloth, have plenty of utility pockets, and are machine washable. Carr says it’s common to see Sparkman women out in their yards wrangling kids or tending to their yards while wearing the aprons, and “if my neighbor drops in to borrow an egg or say hello, you can bet she’s wearing her Hot Mama apron.” That’s probably because “I’ve badgered them all into buying an apron,” Carr jokes, then quips that “I’m sure the women of Sparkman are sick of me but yes, they all have them now.” Carr has expanded her line to include men’s aprons, chef hats, bibs and children’s aprons, which can be made into a matching set for a mother and her child. “If you’re going to be in the kitchen,” she says, “it’s nice to have something fun to put on that makes you feel good.”

—MARLENA CHAVIRA-MEDFORD

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It is nearly impossible to turn LEFT at the STOPLIGHT on my street. How can I get a left-hand turn signal INSTALLED ?

1. A citizen can phone either 311 or directly call the City of Dallas Transportation Planning and Engineering office at 214.670.3260. From there, a city employee takes down basic information, such as the intersection in question and the directions in which a turn signal is desired.

2. A city engineer has up to 90 days to take action on the request and will call the citizen to get more information about the intersection in question, including what days and times the intersection’s traffic light seems to cause the most problems.

3. The engineer then conducts a study of the intersection, taking into account traffic and accident reports from the previous three years, as well as studying the sight lines and available traffic lanes at the intersection.

The best thing about this process is that it is relatively simple and pain free: No outof-pocket money needs to be spent, and no forms need to be filled out. However, from start to finish, the process of adding a left-hand turn signal if approved — can take a long time. If you’re willing to wait, here is how it works:

4. The engineer will compile the findings, and get in touch with the citizen within a month of the study’s completion. If the engineer decides that a turn signal is either not feasible, or not needed, the engineer will explain why. If the engineer instead agrees with the citizen that a traffic signal is needed, then the engineer will file a request. (In the past year, 80 requests for new traffic signals were filed, and five of those approved and installed.) The timetable on when action is taken, however, depends whether the engineer believes a left-hand turn signal is urgent, and on other factors such as available funds that the city has for projects such as these.

5. For more information, call the Transportation Planning and Engineering Office at 214.670.3260.

—SAM BOHMFALK