Fort Worth Weekly // February 21-27, 2024

February 21-27, 2024 FREE fwweekly.com

Driving While Black Fort Worth Opera’s dwb is a poignant exploration of a mother’s fear and love.

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METROPOLIS Even rural Republicans agree: School vouchers are Robin Hood in reverse.

BY K E N W H E AT C RO F T- PA R D U E

R E E S E

ATE DAY8 A WEEK Several local Black businesses celebrate the month with gastronomically this week.

BY JENNIFER BOVEE

P I E R C E

EATS & DRINKS MUSIC Find Vice Burger’s formidable There’s More to Cory Cross vegan sandwiches on the than just honkytonk hits.

Near Southside.

BY STEVE STEWARD

BY STEVE STEWARD

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Febr uar y 21-27, 2024

INSIDE

STAFF Anthony Mariani, Editor Lee Newquist, Publisher Bob Niehoff, General Manager Ryan Burger, Art Director Jim Erickson, Circulation Director Emmy Smith, Proofreader

Black History Month As part of our monthlong celebration of Black History Month, we have some stories

Michael Newquist, Regional Sales Director Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director

in this issue that may help us remember the Black community’s contributions to everyday life that we may overlook otherwise. On pg. 9, we preview Fort Worth Opera’s next production of dwb (Driving While Black) on Saturday at the Kimbell Art Museum by reviewing last week’s show (spoiler alert: It’s powerful and engaging), and our focus in ATE DAY8 a Week (pg. 8) is on soul food and other delicious offerings from local Black-owned establishments, including MaMa E’s, Club Ritzy, Black Coffee, Smoke-A-Holics, Carpenter’s, and more. — Anthony Mariani

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Moving

Fort Worth Opera’s dwb (Driving While Black) is equally poignant and urgent.

By Reese Pierce

9

Nice Vice

The Near Southside’s new vegan burger joint hits all the right notes.

By Steve Steward

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Wyatt Newquist, Digital Coordinator Clintastic, Brand Ambassador

4 Metro 1 6 Metro 2 8-10 Black History Month 9 10 11 13 17 18

CONTRIBUTORS Christina Berger, E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Cody Neathery,

Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Culture. . . . . . . . . . . 9 Events . . . . . . . . . . 10

Stage Night & Day Screen Eats & Drinks Music Classifieds

Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, Elaine Wilder, Cole

Cory Cross Arrives

Bulletin Board. . . . 18 Back Cover. . . . . . . 20

Cover photo by Freddie Watkins

Wyatt Newquist, Steve Steward, Teri Webster,

As long as the country troubadour can hit the links occasionally, he’ll always do More.

By Steve Steward

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Williams EDITORIAL

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Save the date – and some dollars! This February, celebrate our 40th Anniversary by snagging a Trinity Metro Local 7-Day Pass for 40% off! Get your GoPass promo code now at TRINITYMETRO.org/40TH.

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By Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue

Tony Diaz, Account Executive

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Greg Abbott is accepting bids from billionaires to turn Texas into a Christofascist state via early education.

Julie Strehl, Account Executive

Patrick Kirk Thomas

Scam High

Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive

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Volum e 1 9

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METROPOLIS The Great Voucher Scam

Texas is “for sale to the highest billionaire bidder.

And those bids are coming in from those who want to impose their religious beliefs upon all.”

Don’t let Greg Abbott and his billionaire cronies destroy public education.

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Photo cour tesy @CoxHerb

With more than 500 amendments, Texas’ constitution is at times vague to the point of incomprehensibility, but in its commitment to public education, it is unambiguously clear.

Article 7, Section 1 lays it out plainly: “A general diffusion of knowledge being essential to the preservation of the liberties and rights of the people, it shall be the duty of the Legislature of the State to establish and make suitable provision for the support and maintenance of an efficient system of public free education.”

“Make suitable provision” means to support public education, not defund it, but defund it is exactly what Gov. Greg Abbott’s voucher scheme will do.

Vouchers will effectively kill Texas public education, but don’t take my word for it. Conservative Republican Rep. Glenn Rogers recently wrote, “Under the guise of promoting choice, proposed school voucher programs are a ‘trojan horse’ attempt to privatize Texas’ education system and drain our already underfunded public education of necessary resources for millions of children.”

And after Arizona’s experience with vouchers, Gov. Katie Hobbs said, “The universal school voucher program is unsustainable. Unaccountable school vouchers do not save taxpayer money, and they do not provide a better education.”

Abbott’s voucher scheme promises parents about $8,000 for tuition at the private school of their choice. With the average private school tuition near $12,000, some several times more, this will not benefit middle- or lower-income students. It’s not even going to set up meaningful competition between public and private schools.

Studies have found that the vast majority of students who benefit from vouchers in other

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BY KEN WHEATCROFT-PARDUE

states never even attended public schools.

It’s simply a Robin Hood-in-reverse plan to rob from the poor and middle class to help the affluent. This illustrates, yet again, that Republicans may talk faux populism but always govern as plutocrats, showering their rich donors with our tax dollars while giving the finger to the rest of us.

Vouchers are also a big wet kiss to the religious right. Former U.S. education secretary Betsy Devos strongly backs Abbott’s effort to privatize education. She sells vouchers as a way to, in her words, “advance God’s kingdom.” Chris Tackett, who documents the sources of Republicans’ campaign loot on Substack, recently wrote that Texas is “for sale to the highest billionaire bidder.

And those bids are coming in from those who want to impose their religious beliefs upon all.”

One thing for certain if the voucher scheme becomes law, Republicans will not fund public education fully because, once the cost of vouchers rises, property taxes would have to be raised, and we all know that issue’s a nonstarter for conservatives.

Vouchers benefiting the wealthy who already

can afford private schools will siphon more money from our already-underfunded public schools.

In the most recent rankings by the U.S. News and World Report, Texas is 43rd in per-pupil spending. That will only go down if Abbott’s plan is adopted. Poor and middle-class students, who make up the vast majority of young people in our state, will bear the brunt of this misguided policy, putting our future Texas workforce in danger of not obtaining a sufficient education.

And it will also hurt hard-working teachers, administrators, and staff, the kind of people I worked with for decades.

I spent 40 years of my life in public schools — first as a student, then a substitute, then a teacher, and, after retirement, as a tutor. For more than a quarter of a century, I used my stentorian teacher voice, sang off-key, and even stood on desks to get my students’ attention to do one thing — learn.

No matter what anyone tells you, most teachers are doing their best to do just that, going through good and way too many bad days in the process. Not much can stand in a teacher’s way, but this voucher scheme, if

it ever passes, just might. If it becomes law, you’ll see an even greater exodus of teachers from the profession.

With conservatives’ moral panic over COVID lockdowns, trans athletes, CRT — or, the new bogeyman, DEI — and books with words in them, Abbott has been picking on Texas public educators for years. And from the millions of dollars in fundraising he’s doing from out-of-state interests and shady “educational” entrepreneurs to unseat the brave rural Republican legislators who defied him by not approving vouchers, he still desires more than anything else to implement his deceptively worded “education savings accounts” bill.

So forget the Hulk or any other superhero in the Marvel or DC universes. The most popular action figures should be the rural Republican lawmakers who saved, for now, Texas public schools by standing up to our state’s corrupt leadership. The Texas constitution is clear. Let’s follow it. l Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, a retired high school teacher, regularly writes about education issues.

This column reflects the opinions and fact-gathering of the author(s) and only the author(s) and not the Fort Worth Weekly.

To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly. com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.

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SOUTHLAKE 1425 E. SOUTHLAKE BLVD. | 817-310-5600

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FORT WORTH 4651 WEST FREEWAY | 817-989-4700

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Caprock Cataclysm Keep a weather eye.

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The warmer weather this week couldn’t have come at a better time. The Dallas Cowboys are frozen in time. The Texas Lege is run by Neanderthals that reemerged after countless millennia on ice. And Texans these days are about as neighborly as a polar vortex.

But somewhere about now, somebody clever is proffering our favorite cliché: “If you don’t like the weather in Texas, just wait a few minutes. It’ll change.”

Unfortunately, that’s not always a good thing.

On Wednesday, Feb. 3, 1960, Texas Tech University students John P. Arden, Kelton R. Conner Jr., and Robert A. Keplinger left

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METROPOLIS Lubbock and drove 80 miles northeast to collect wildlife specimens and hike in an area then known as the “Caprock,” a long stretch of cliff-like bluffs that divide the high and low plains of the Texas Panhandle.

Arden was a junior architectural engineering major and a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and the West Texas Sports Car Club. He had spent the previous summer vacation working at Yellowstone National Park.

Conner, a Dallas native, was an avid student of biology and zoology. He had made several trips to the region to explore caves and survey the local canyon ecosystem. He was a transfer from Arlington State College (now UTA), where he had been a member of the ROTC program.

Keplinger was a senior engineering major. Arden and Keplinger were from Waxahachie and both members of the same church, Central Presbyterian.

All three young men were 21 years old, healthy, and able-bodied. The weather was mild when they left, and they were looking forward to catching a glimpse of one of the

Look Again Happy Hour in the Kimbell Café EVERY FRIDAY, 5–7 pm Live music | Beer | Wine | Food Admission to the permanent collection is always free.

View the full schedule of exhibitions, events, and programs at kimbellart.org.

Support for the Kimbell is provided in part by Arts Fort Worth and the Texas Commission on the Arts.

Georges de La Tour, The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs (detail), c. 1630–34, oil on canvas. Kimbell Art Museum, AP 1981.06

Investigators concluded that Arden, Conner, and Keplinger had been surprised by the winter surge and then trapped and separated by the accompanying blizzard. eagles that had been spotted in the area. The Odessa American said Conner had joked with his roommate before heading out.

“If I don’t show up by Thursday,” he said, “call my mother — I’ll be lying dead in a canyon somewhere.”

It was the last words anyone ever heard from them.

Arden, Conner, and Keplinger drove to the edge of the Caprock formation and parked their car near the Lemons Ranch, several miles southeast of Silverton. Then, they hiked into the canyons, went through the slot-canyon formation known as “the

Narrows,” and camped in a cave-like shelter near Linguish Falls.

A winter storm surge arrived that night.

When their automobile had remained unattended for three days, locals grew concerned and searched the immediate vicinity. On Saturday, Feb. 8, they found the remnants of the young men’s campfire but no sign of them.

Searchers regrouped at first light Sunday morning with help. A dozen horsemen and two jeeps packed with volunteers (directed by Texas Rangers Capt. Raymond

continued on page 7

Cour tesy the Times (Shrevepor t, Louisiana)

Walters) were joined by a helicopter search team from Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock.

They began scouring the area.

Keplinger’s body was found first by Jim Brooks of Silverton. Keplinger had apparently lowered himself into a hole several feet deep to keep warm. His body was discovered in a crouching position, one hand clutching a handkerchief. His last refuge was a short distance just across a canyon from the ranch house of one C.E. Tipton.

Searchers then found Conner’s body a mile and a half to the southeast, just a short distance from the ranch house of John Lemons. Dressed in army fatigues, Conner was lying face down in a gully under a cedar tree, his arms outstretched and one hand clasping a glove and his glasses. Blinded by the snowstorm, he had apparently stumbled off the edge of a high bluff, fallen into the tree, and tumbled to the Caprock floor.

Arden’s body was discovered last, almost 400 feet from Conner’s. He had fallen from a towering limestone cliff into a ravine. He had apparently been knocked unconscious by the fall’s impact and suffered a skull fracture, bruises, lacerations, and loss of blood.

One of his tennis shoes was still lying at the top of the cliff.

Searchers gathered up the young men’s remains and transferred them to the Silverton Funeral Home. Silverton resident and Briscoe County Judge J.W. Lyons acted as coroner and ruled that all three deaths had been the result of exposure early on Thursday, Feb. 4.

Investigators concluded that Arden, Conner, and Keplinger had been surprised by the winter surge and then trapped and separated by the accompanying blizzard.

Keplinger apparently took unsuccessful shelter. Conner and Arden presumably clambered for help or safety and were whipped and blinded by the lashing snowstorm.

Conner’s joke to Allen turned out to be a premonition.

Cold fronts in Texas (and especially the Panhandle) can come on like a hurricane and drop temperatures 40 degrees in an hour.

With winds gusting up to 60 mph, they can leave snowdrifts up to a dozen feet high and kill the majority of unprotected livestock in a county.

Silverton resident Jerry Patton was a senior in high school when the accident occurred and, in 2011, recalled the grim search and commented on its grisly results. “Those boys were ill-prepared for the weather that can happen in this part of the country. Their mistake was unfortunately fatal.”

Conner’s remains were returned to Dallas, and he was buried in Cleburne.

The remains of Arden and Keplinger were returned to Waxahachie, where they were laid to rest in separate cemeteries.

The Caprock remained popular with outdoor enthusiasts, and the State of Texas eventually purchased a nearby 15,313-acre parcel of former ranchland and designated it a public recreation area known as Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway. The park has precautionary measures in place, and folks interested in hiking and camping in backcountry areas must register with park authorities and list their proposed destination and approximate length of stay in case of emergency, weather-related or otherwise.

Panhandle plains, prairielands, pineywoods, Gulf Coast, Rio Grande Valley, Big Bend, or the hill country — it doesn’t matter which way you go. Keep a weather eye. It’s getting weirder by the day. l Fort Worth native E.R. Bills is the bestselling, award-winning author of Texas Obscurities: Stories of the Peculiar, Exceptional and Nefarious.

This column reflects the opinions and fact-gathering of the author(s) and only the author(s) and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES: Li Rising, LLC, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for issuance of Proposed Air Quality Permit Number 172666, which would authorize construction of a Battery Recycling Plant located at 1102 Avenue T, Grand Prairie, Tarrant County, Texas 75050. This application was processed in an expedited manner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J. Additional information concerning this application is contained in the public notice section of this newspaper.

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A freak weather event claimed the lives of Texas Tech students (from left to right) Kelton Conner, Robert Keplinger, and John Arden in West Texas in 1960.

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Stock your Kitchen at Mission!

Small wares, pots & pans, and all kitchen essentials available to the public.

Come see our showrooms!

Cour tesy Ministers of Smoke

Hot Deals At Cool Prices

Join Derrick Walker at Smoke-A-Holics BBQ for Soulfood Sundays.

MON-FRI 8am-5:30pm

2524 White Settlement Road Fort Worth • 817-265-3973

In honor of Black History Month, this week’s column is about soul food and other delicious offerings from several Blackowned businesses we are proud of here in North Texas.

1.) Soulfood Sundays are so popular at Smoke-A-Holics BBQ (1417 Evans Av, Fort Worth, 817-386-5658) that it’s walk-in only.

On other days, you can order online, but on these special Sundays, you’ll need to go in person for the brisket, ribs, sausage, smoked oxtails or meatloaf, smothered chicken, turkey and dressing, pork chops, and all those sides 11am-2pm. For future event dates for this or Turkey Leg Tuesdays, follow Facebook.com/Smoke1TX.

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4.) For a sit-down soul food experience, visit Drew’s Place (5701 Curzon Av, 817-2424454) 11am-3pm Tue-Sat. Since it opened in 1987, Drew’s has been a favorite with our audience and, therefore, the readers’ choice winner for best soul food more than once.

5.) The home-style favorites at Rosako’s Soul Food & BBQ (2816 Brown Tr, Bedford, 817-785-3393) caught our eye during Best Of 2016, and this best soul food winner is still continued on page 12

Cour tesy Mia Moss and Katrina Rischer-Carpenter

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2.) Black Coffee (1417 Vaughn Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-782-9867) and Carpenter’s Cafe & Catering (1116 Pennsylvania Av, Fort Worth, 682-499-8630) often partner on community events, and they will again in March when it’s time for the annual Watch Women Werk celebration. Read more about that in our inaugural Women’s Issue Wed, Mar 6.

Meanwhile, if you need to be caffeinated or fed, you know what to do!

3.) Club Ritzy (1201 Oakland Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-888-3360), “the new upscale home for grown folks’ entertainment,” is hosting a ladies’ night with party band the Distinguished Gentlemen 8pm-2am Fri. As of press time, I’m still not sure what the individual cover charge is, but you can reserve tables online starting at $50. You are encouraged to wear sophisticated black and yellow attire for this special event. Have dinner while you’re there. The kitchen serves appetizers and wings, plus catfish, chicken tenders, pork chops, and shrimp. For all the dining choices, go to ClubRitzy.com/ Food-menu.

The ladies at Black Coffee and Carpenter’s partner on many community events.

STAGE

P I E R C E

The automobile has been an iconic symbol of freedom, accomplishment, wealth, comfort, and status in America since the late 19th century. Though slow-moving like most new technologies, car ownership was commonplace by the first quarter of the 20th century, but this guarantee of mobility, like the promise of freedom, wasn’t equitable for everyone.

This vision of a new future was stalled for the disenfranchised Black population, and this historic American emblem didn’t mean the same thing across class and racial boundaries.

For evidence, look no further than the 1936 publication of The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to safe travel for Black Americans.

From a metaphor for freedom to an anxiety of the open road, this duality of experience lies at the heart of dwb (Driving While Black), a one-act opera starring Soprano Marsha Thompson (Mother), Cremaine Booker (Cellist), and David Verin (Percussionist) with music by Susan Kander and libretto by Roberta Gumbel. First debuting in Kansas in 2019, this moving piece hampered by the lockdown is finding new life as it makes its regional debut thanks to the Fort Worth Opera. Set in the present day, the story focuses on the existential crisis of a Black mother as her son approaches age 16.

As the Black mother of a Black boy of driving age, Soprano Marsha Thompson moved from chair to chair in each stage of his life as her fears and apprehension grew.

Facing the effects of racism and the history behind the policing of Black bodies in the United States, Mother delivers a montage of vignettes following the developmental stages of her son from birth to driving age.

At TCU’s Van Cliburn Concert Hall, Director Ayvaunn Penn offered the perfect backdrop for Mother’s dread. The stage, though minimally appointed, subtly displayed the ensuing narrative journey. A series of six full body-length mirrors with accompanying chairs faced the audience in a semicircle. Below each lay a pair of shoes that evolved in size as the semicircle moved from stage right to left, suggesting the progression of age from newborn to young man.

This sparse staging fully focused attention on Thompson as she freely moved through the vignettes with a fluidity that verged on stream of consciousness at times. It was in this space that Mother explored both her fears and her joys. She moved from chair dwb (Driving While Black) Sat at the Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, FW. $55. FWOpera.org.

to chair in each stage of her son’s life as her fears and apprehension grew.

The cast, like the set, is minimal. The music provided by cellist and sometimes actor Booker and percussionist Verin played a large role in defining the emotions of the piece. At times frantic and dissonant while at other times slow and melancholy, the music worked in lockstep with Thompson to evoke Mother’s internal conflict. The soprano effortlessly commanded the stage as she vacillated between sorrow and amusement in her multitude of roles, playing not only the woman at the center of the drama but also different voices (both male and female) announcing headlines that thematically linked her worries to real-world events.

In one scene, she voiced a young man, new to town, who became a victim of mistaken identity. He overheard the police who were “deaf to [his] utterances of innocence” as they deliberated whether to take him “down to the creek where no one can hear.” Detained, loaded into a paddy wagon, and released in an unfamiliar neighborhood, he eventually arrived home, shaken and terrified. Booker’s foreboding pizzicato punctuated this scene as

the young man’s emotions crescendoed until he was told he was just “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

If you’re thinking this might be more akin to a one-act musical, make no mistake.

This is a full-on opera, and it doesn’t veer from the traditional format other than eschewing the Italian ladies in large wigs for a relevant dive into a Black mother’s hopes and fears in contemporary society. The production is fully committed to the genre, but the added layer of racial tension brings the story into a timely light.

At heart, dwb is still a tragedy. Social injustice drives the production’s emotional heft with the repeated refrain: “You are not who they see,” a constant reminder to her son that his race precedes him as he enters the world. Mother also evokes Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech and the reminder of unfulfilled dreams and promise as she wonders, “How can I set you on a path in this world that doesn’t live up to its promises or dreams?”

Equally heartbreaking and enlightening, dwb drills down on a crisis that plagues far too many parents. l

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Fort Worth Opera’s dwb is a poignant exploration of a mother’s fear and love.

Freddie Watkins

Driving While Black

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I heart Erykah Badu. So much so that I intend to drag my Arlington ass to Saturday Big D on Saturday for the rare treat of seeing her perform in her hometown at her annual birthday show at The Factory in Deep Ellum (2713 Canton St, Dallas, 214-749-5757). This all-ages concert kicks off at 8pm with doors at 7pm. Tickets start at $65 at AXS.com.

This weekend marks the final performances of Exit, Pursued by a Bear at Sunday Theatre Wesleyan (1205 Binkley St, Fort Worth, 817-531-4211) with Ashley H. White, Circle Theatre artistic director, as guest director 7:30pm Thu-Sat or 2pm today. In this dark revenge comedy, Nan decides to teach her abusive husband a lesson. She and her dancer friend tape Kyle to a chair and reenact past painful scenes for him. In the hopes that a bear will maul him, the friends plan to cover Kyle in meat and honey. Tickets are $5-10 at TXWes.edu/TheatreTickets.

Cour tesy Er ykah Badu

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Erykah Badu’s annual birthday show is Saturday in Deep Ellum.

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Crystal Williams brings legendary Black star Ethel Waters to life at Jubilee Theatre thru Sun, Mar 3.

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Now thru Sun, Mar 3, Jubilee Theatre (506 Main St, Fort Worth, 817Thursday 338-4411) presents Bread ’n’ Gravy: The Songs and Life of Ethel Waters. As one of the first Black women to have a successful career on Broadway and in film, Waters is considered a trailblazer.

Crystal Williams will play the title role 7:30pm Thu, 8pm Fri-Sat, and 3pm SatSun. Tickets are $40 at JubileeTheatre.org.

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One Love is more than just the name of the new biopic about Bob Marley. It is also Friday the name of a Caribbean bar and grill at 2315 S Cooper St in Arlington (682-323-4950). Sing along and dance with DJ Elf 8pm-11:45pm at Hooked on Karaoke every Friday. Food and drink prices start at $5, plus parking and admission are free. Before or after, check out Jamaica Gates Caribbean Cuisine (1020 W Arkansas Ln, 817-795-2600), which sits just across the intersection.

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At 7pm, Meow Wolf: The Real Unreal (3000 Grapevine Mills Pkwy, Ste Tuesday 253, Grapevine, 866-6369969) hosts an Artist Talk in celebration of Black History Month with two of the immersive installation’s visual collaborators, Brook Chaney and Kwinton Gray.

While this is a free community event, a donation of $10 at the door would be appreciated. The Meow Wolf Foundation will match all proceeds in support of the Black-centric Kinfolk House art space in Fort Worth and its Emerging Artist Grant.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear wraps up this weekend at Theatre Wesleyan.

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The second annual Fort Worth Music Festival Wednesday starts today. This multiday concert and conference will take place in the Stockyards at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall (122 E Exchange Av, Fort Worth, 817-900-9300).

Along with networking opportunities for aspiring artists, agents, managers, and promoters of Texas-based music, there are a lot of great performances scheduled from the likes of Abraham Alexander and so many more. For the full story, pick up our Wed, Feb 28 edition. Tickets start at $39.50 at FortWorthMusicFestival.com.

By Jennifer Bovee

Rambo Elliot

Cour tesy Jubilee Theatre

NIGHT &DAY

The latest Monday night event at The Cicada (1002 S Main St, Fort Worth, @ Monday the_cicada_ftw) started last week and will continue for the foreseeable future. What is it? It’s Van Damme Mondays! Every Monday, The Cicada will screen a different Jean Claude Van Damme flick, and domestic beers and well drinks will be $3. The bar is open 2pm to 2am.

While owner Tyler does love a “good flying roundhouse kick and split,” she asks that you not attempt any sweetly devastating moves on your bartender.

Cour tesy Theatre Wesleyan

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Local R&B sensation Abraham Alexander is among the headliners of next weekend’s Fort Worth Music Festival in the Stockyards.

K R I S T I A N

L I N

A certain subsection of Taylor Swift fans spent this past January advancing the theory that she had written the script for Argylle.

There’s some reason to think this — Apple Films drummed up publicity for the movie this past fall by publishing a real novel under the name of its main character, Elly Conway, and created some fake social media profiles for her. When the trailer went public, fans noted the resemblance between the short red hairdo on Elly (Bryce Dallas Howard) and the wig that Swift wore in her “All Too Well” video. Swift does have a (pretty funny) history of working under pseudonyms, and she resembles Elly in being a devoted cat owner.

All this was enough for some people, but I never believed it, just as I never believed the NFL rigged the Super Bowl for Swift, or that she was secretly gay, or that Paul McCartney has been dead for 50 years, or that Stevie Wonder has been able to see this whole time. If I do find out that I’m wrong and she wrote this, I’ll be very disappointed, because this comic spy thriller is tedious and a lot less clever than it thinks it is.

Elly lives quietly with her cat in a cabin in Colorado where she writes a successful

This cat is as well-developed a character as any in the spy comedy Argylle.

series of spy novels about the dashing Agent Argylle (Henry Cavill), who repeatedly saves the world from mad scientists and nefarious billionaires. While she’s traveling by train to visit her mother (Catherine O’Hara), a stranger named Aiden Wilde (Sam Rockwell) comes up to her dressed like a homeless man, identifies himself as a spy, and proves it by killing an autograph seeker along with a bunch of other armed people on the train who are evidently after her. The first sign that all isn’t as it seems is during the fight, when Elly keeps hallucinating Argylle doing the fighting instead of Aidan.

The film starts promisingly enough, with Aidan pulling a terrified Elly through the streets of London to a villa in the south of France while she demands to know why they’re being shot at. The problem is that director Matthew Vaughn and actual screenwriter Jason Fuchs — he also portrays the moderator at one of Elly’s book signings

— are too much in love with their plot revelations. Elly’s entire life turns out to be a lie, a plot devised by the former CIA director (Bryan Cranston) who’s employing one or more of her allies and may be a pawn himself. Argylle also continues to appear to Elly to give her advice on how to get out of her jam. A spy named Keira (Ariana DeBose) is a character in Elly’s novels but then turns up in her real life as well. Then comes the point when Aidan, without warning, throws a punch at Elly’s face, and she’s more surprised than anyone when she sidesteps the blow and judo-flips him over her shoulder.

Some fans are touting this as a new meta way of telling a story, yet I kept feeling touches derivative of better spy movies before this. Vaughn has shown the abilities to be darkly funny and orchestrate an action sequence, but here the mix is entirely off.

The comedy intrudes when the movie needs gravity, and the movie takes itself

too seriously when it needs to be funny.

The climax just piles set piece on top of set piece, and while some of them might have had an impact in a more judicious movie, they add up to too much of the same thing here. The supporting cast is stacked — John Cena as Argylle’s tech guy, Dua Lipa as a femme fatale, Samuel L. Jackson and Sofia Boutella as people who know Argylle’s real identity — but the movie makes poor use of all this star power. Even the great Rockwell is off his game, which is how you know it’s all gone very wrong. On paper, this film probably looked like a blast of thrills and meta comedy, but on the screen, it fails comprehensively on every score. l Argylle Starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell. Directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Written by Jason Fuchs. Rated PG-13.

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Comic spy thriller Argylle writes itself into a corner.

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Bad Patterns

Cour tesy Universal Pictures and Apple Original Films

SCREEN

11

Cour tesy Club Ritzy

The Distinguished Gentlemen perform at Club Ritzy Friday.

ATE DAY8 a week continued from page 8

going strong. After enjoying the black-eyed pea salad, fried green tomatoes, and mac ’n’ cheese, be sure and leave room for some house-made banana pudding, sometimes whipped up with chessmen cookies instead of vanilla wafers.

6.) Madea’s Down Home Cooking (1019 W Enon Av, Ste D, Everman, 817-551-9295) won our readers’ choice for best soul food recently, and for good reason. The cornbread is deep-fried, and it gets better and better from there. Along with specialties like oxtail, you can also order amazing chicken-fried steak.

While you can dine in if you like, the food is ordered cafeteria style and brought to you in to-go containers. Either way, dig in!

8.) Speaking of soul food, the 1997 film of the same name is available to stream on Hulu right now. Widely acclaimed for presenting a more positive image of Blacks than was typically seen in movies at the time, Soul Food brought soulful Southern cooking into view for everyone else. The soundtrack is heavy on Babyface, who also makes a cameo, and may have you feeling nostalgic for ’90s R&B. The food served at the Sunday supper makes me wish that Smell-O-Vision was real and also inspires me to check out the businesses listed above.

By Jennifer Bovee

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Cour tesy 20th Centur y Fox

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7.) Having survived post-pandemic supply-chain issues and some severe storm

damage, MaMa E’s (818 E Rosedale St, Fort Worth, 817-877-3322) is still serving some of the best soul food around plus that famous “red drink.” Ribs, links, turkey legs, and chopped or sliced beef are served with red beans and other traditional sides. For dessert, enjoy fresh-baked cakes, cobblers, and sweet potato pies.

The dining scenes in Soul Food may have you longing for Sunday supper.

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S T E V E

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I know there are wide swaths of people who will not go near a plant-based meat substitute, and if you count yourself among that horde, I’m not going to try to convince

If you just shovel this and its coterie of condiments into your face, you might miss the hefty Beyond Brat’s unsubtle seasonings.

flavors. On my first trip, I went with the Smoky Bacon Vice Burger, made with an Impossible patty (the other patty option is Beyond), and a sprightly, crunchy kale salad (kale, cabbage, and carrots, drizzled in a vinaigrette and served in a plastic cup).

Slathered in the eatery’s signature Smoky Vice sauce (a creamy, delectably peppery vegan condiment), the Smoky Vice’s Pepperjack cheese, grilled onions, fresh tomatoes, and lettuce topped that patty along continued on page 15

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Vice Burger, 1515 W Magnolia Av, FW. 11am-8pm Sun-Tue. 817-985-6560.

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If you’re down for veggie patties and hot dogs, this Magnolia eatery’s tasty plant-based comfort fare is potentially habit-forming.

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Miami Vice (Burger)

Steve Steward

EATS & drinks

you to give a Beyond or Impossible patty a chance any more than I would try to talk an entomophobe into eating a bowl of ants.

And now that I think of it, I wouldn’t pressure a vegan to do that either, but I would definitely try to convince a person amenable to vegan-friendly protein patties to grab a bite at Vice Burger.

Found on the west end of Magnolia Avenue, in the spot formerly occupied by Poké Poké, Vice is a sister business to both Roots Coffee on nearby Bryan Avenue and Boulevard of Greens near Horne and I-30 on the West Side. The latter offers fresh ingredients and healthy plant-based treats and bites such as gluten-free desserts and a “Times Square Bagel” smeared with vegan cream cheese and smoky carrot lox, and in the spring of 2023, Boulevard of Greens was opening this Magnolia spot as a Near Southside location. Whatever caused the concept change between then and now, Vice Burger has turned the space into an adorable, peppy place to snag a pretty filling meal.

Taking inspiration from Miami’s pastels and given visual pop by some custom LED art, the restaurant’s vibe is energetic and friendly yet never overwhelming — the fake plants “growing” over the kitchen’s drop ceiling and rattan pendant lamps imbue Vice Burger with a balmy South Beachboho feel, replete with a fun touches like an upright Pac-Man cabinet, some card- and word-games, and a sun-dappled patio.

Of course, all the good feels in the world don’t matter if the food doesn’t match.

Luckily, Vice Burger delivers pretty tasty

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Eats & Drinks

Vice Burger Smoky Bacon Vice Burger ......................... $12 Vice Burger ................................................. $9.99 Vice Brat ..................................................... $9.99 Kale salad ................................................... $4

next to the Vice Burger and found that the brat’s pretzel bun was a lot better at keeping itself and the pile of grilled onions and red peppers, sauerkraut, and tomatoes in check.

I also discovered that using a fork for the brat gave me the pause to better appreciate the hefty Beyond Bratwurst sausage. If you just shovel this and its coterie of condiments into your face, you might miss the Beyond

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my mind, a pretty good recommendation.

The regular Vice Burger did fall apart like its smokier cousin, but I came prepared this time to accept that the back half of the experience would require forking it out of the paper boat. If that sounds like a hassle to you, Vice Burger also offers vegan hot dogs and brats, as well as a grilled cheese sandwich called the Cheesy Vice. I tried the Vice Brat

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A vegan burger as juicy, savory, and “meaty” as an Oldtimer? Get your fix at Vice.

Brat’s unsubtle seasonings, a cadre of spices that merit putting the peppers and onions a little bit in the background.

While I didn’t eat the Cheesy Vice, it did strike me as a superior vehicle for appreciating Vice Burger’s bacon — the piece I broke off the Smoky Vice was appreciably crunchy, salty, and, well, bacon-like. For haters of alterna-bacons like turkey, Vice’s tofu version tasted a lot closer to the real thing.

Besides kale salads, sides include a Caesar salad, tots, and Sidewinder Fries, which are like if a steak fry decided to go curly. Be advised: Both the tots and fries are fried in peanut oil, but if you’re allergic (like I am), that kale salad was legitimately enjoyable. Vice Burger also offers chocolate chip cookies and several types of vegan gelato milkshakes — the cookies and cream and strawberry almond crisp piqued my interest the most, though I passed on anything else following my go at the burger and the brat.

While I will likely remain on the animal-protein side of the burger fence, Vice Burger’s signature sauce, cheery environs, friendly service, and savory flavors will continue to entice me to cross over. Whether or not plant-based meats are the wave of the future, I’m happy to indulge in what Vice Burger has to offer in the present. l

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with a pair of thick-cut, house-made vegan bacon slices crafted from whole-bean tofu.

All of that was barely contained within a toasted, buttered sesame seed bun. Each bite was a delight, but it took all of two chomps before the burger began to disintegrate into an open-faced situation. That didn’t bother me a whole lot — I’m not some fussy, rarefied diner who gets apoplectic over using utensils for traditionally hand-held cuisine — but I jotted down a pro tip to be sure to grab a fork and twice as many napkins as you may think you need.

Anyway, the burger was messy but delicious, and I thought about how I would probably put that sauce on anything. As it happens, Vice Burger’s Vice Sauce is also prominently featured on the Vice Burger and the Chicken Vice Sandwich. On my return trip, I tried the regular ol’ burger, finding it just as messy but minus the bacon. Again, the sauce invigorated my taste buds, and the buttery bun and fresh veggies — including some Best Maid pickles — scratched that sensory itch etched into my brain by every Chili’s Oldtimer I ate in the late 20th century. That a vegan burger can take you back to an archetypically tasty, all-beef classic — and, yes, I think an Oldtimer with cheese from, like, 1987 to 2002 is pretty much the gold standard for hamburgers, and I don’t care if that causes your eyebrows to fly off your face in outraged disbelief — that is, in

Steve Steward

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M0N 2/26 MATTHEW FOWLER

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S T E V E

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Sitting down to write these things, I always wonder what it was like for a given artist when they had a recording to release and had to stop and endure the process of assembling the Professional Promotional Package, a spreadsheet of bullshit that includes but is not limited to: photoshoots, photo editing, social media updates, social media ads, the hurry-up-and-wait experience of booking promotional shows, endless emailing, endless Instagramming, and 200 other details that have very little to do with writing a song but are unfortunately concomitant to the business of writing and performing your own music. I think that whole process is terrible, for the way it robs you of your time, burns up your wallet, and molders your expectations regarding the real value of your moments and money. There are probably artists who love it, but for most, I bet all that shit is as ball-andchain-y as a regular-ass job.

I talked to country singer-songwriter Cory Cross about this last week over the phone. He has an album out in late spring called There’s More, and he’s in the thick of that promotional chore process. The first single, “100 Miles,” comes out on Friday, along with a video of him and his band, the Burden, performing the song live at Cedar Creek Studios in Austin. After that, he’ll drop a new single every month through May, after which the entire album will be available for streaming. There’s More is 14 tracks, and that five-month promo plan makes for a lot of little things to do, especially for a guy who also pays his bills playing live shows. That’s how we ended up talking about golf.

We spoke on a Thursday afternoon.

He said it was a rare day off, that he was thinking about hitting up a Par 3 course in Benbrook that evening.

“I was thinking I’ll play nine holes,” he said. “I’m off on Mondays, and I normally play [golf] Monday mornings. My senior year in high school, I had some buddies on the team and wanted an excuse to hang out with them and play, but, really, since I quit drinking a couple years ago, I was like,

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What am I going to do with all this time and energy? So, I started playing golf again.”

I asked him what it was about golf that filled that void. “I dunno. I think I just have the temperament for [golf]. I don’t get frustrated with it. I just play. I’m not good, but I like getting outside.”

That vibe, of just playing without allowing the stress to seep in, seems to be at the root of his essential Cory Cross-ness — he said that the songs on There’s More are his reflections on the chaos of his 20s and 30s, his lyrics living in the moment like the way you relive something in a dream, a kind of there-not-there perspective from an artist with a 10-year career to look back on. In addition to a long run of hard living, there was the added pressure he put on himself trying to make it as a singer-songwriter. Since he’s been sober, writing music and running his career have been easier precisely because he has learned to go with the flow and allow himself space to breathe, at least enough to write songs about it.

“The subject matter, at least these days, a lot of it, has to do with the way I used to live,” he said. “My fiancee and I try to curate a lot of peace and spirituality. We have faith and routine. I spent a lot of time in a chaotic space in my daily life, and I’m still reflecting on that time.

The way I approach my career is a little similar.”

He tried to articulate a phrase he’d heard that encapsulated what he meant. I identified this as the chorus to “Hold on Loosely” by .38 Special.

“Yeah, that philosophy,” he said.

“That’s how I approach golf, and that’s how I approach my music career now. I met a lot of [other songwriters], especially in the beginning. There was this crazy pressure and comparison about where you’re at with your shows and your numbers, and I try not to do that [anymore]. I slip into it sometimes.

Of course, I want a million people listening to my songs, and I have bills to pay, but we focus on victories, just playing a good show, connecting with an audience, even if it isn’t that big. Writing a good song.”

Given his previous releases, he has put in a lot of work in the service of that last item, and I’d say he has indeed seen several victories — if you’re into numbers, his top Spotify plays come from a track called “Done Bein Good (For Good),” currently sitting near 89,000 plays. He tours a lot, and in March, he’ll spend a couple weeks hitting the road across the Southwest to California and back.

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With a new album on the way and touring ahead, the honkytonk singer-songwriter is ready to tee off.

Cross: “Of course, I want a million people listening to my songs, and I have bills to pay, but we focus on victories, just playing a good show, connecting with an audience, even if it isn’t that big. Writing a good song.”

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‘More’ Cory Cross

Patrick Kirk Thomas

MUSIC

His parents, both pastors at a church in Fort Worth, ushered him into the world of music, and he started playing drums at age 8.

In his 20s, he lived in Austin during the mid2000s garage-rock revival, playing drums in various garage- and psyche-rock bands. Before that, here in Fort Worth, he joined a funk-rock outfit called Get Well, crewed by a couple of his co-workers at Mellow Mushroom.

“Fort Worth is where I got my start,” he said. “My first shows were at the Aardvark, the Cellar, the Grotto … the original Fred’s and Lola’s, Magnolia Motor Lounge. … I remember seeing Joshua Ray [Walker] and Vincent [Neil Emerson] play those shows. It was a really fun time. Before that, I was, like, 19, sitting around Panther City Coffee on Berry Street.

I’d roll shitty cigarettes. There was a guitar around. People would just play. I have been writing country songs since I was 15, so [back then] it was doing Townes Van Zandt but with an emo influence. Wearing suspenders and fedoras. But I was obsessed with country since I was 12 or 13, rolling around with my uncle.

The first songs I learned were by Willie, Jerry Jeff, and Townes Van Zandt.”

What he’s learned over all that time is that songs happen when you work at them.

“I used to think I needed a lightning bolt of inspiration for a song, but now I’ll just sit down and start to write something specific, a certain subject matter. Most of the time I have an idea of the rhythm and the vibe.

There’s a little bit of emotional sifting, like, Yeah, that was actually a bummer. But it’s still a song that’s fun to hear.

“The music we’re putting out now is mostly …,” he paused. “We don’t want to bum anyone out, but even the songs that are kind of heavy and have lines in them about sad things that actually happened, they’re there with songs you can still two-step to.

One of the things I love about country is that in a song about dying, there’s a punch line.”

There’s More came together in October, recorded at Weatherford Junior College under the auspices of legendary engineer Tim Kimsey (The Polyphonic Spree, Pantera, Vanilla Ice).

Cross said the album was a project designed to highlight both the audio engineering skills of the Burden’s drummer, Austin Choate, and also the cohesive vision that happens when a band plays together for a while.

“We really wanted to showcase the band,” Cross said. “I’ve done EPs with hired guns, which is fine, but we wanted to showcase what Cory Cross & The Burden are right now.

There are two or three songs that I wrote four or five years ago, but most were written over the past couple years with these guys in mind.”

Along with Cross and Choate, the Burden’s lineup includes Kyle Farley on bass, Matthew Walton on electric and steel guitar, and David Forsythe and William Wright contributing additional axe-work.

Playing with these guys has given his music a lot of purpose, he said, and it’s opened up new ways of being in a band.

“We’re changing our approach,” he said. “We’re doing this West Coast tour, maybe one up to New York at the end of the summer, the Honky Tonk in Queens. Less of the grind-y weekend-warrior stuff.”

As long as he’s able to hit the links to clear his head now and again, getting the songs on There’s More into people’s ears will feel like a breeze. l

17

CLASSIFIEDS NOW HIRING MULTIPLE POSITIONS IN CORSICANA, TX

employment public notices / services

Texas Commission on environmenTal QualiTy

At ISCO, we put high value on appreciation and respect, and provide you with an opportunity to really make a difference. ISCO is a family owned and operated company born and raised in Louisville, KY that is focused on our team members’ growth. We have three engineering positions available at our Corsicana location.

INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION ENGINEER MECHATRONICS ENGINEER

Position summary: Lead the effort toward automation for a forward thinking, growing company.

Experience a balance of design and planning work in the office and implementation and support in the shop. Work both independently and in collaboration within the Manufacturing Projects Team and Maintenance and Fabrication Teams on site.

• Optimization of current manufacturing processes and implementation of new manufacturing processes utilizing automated equipment.

• Robotic, CNC, and other automated manufacturing equipment specification, procurement, implementation and support.

• Design and build new equipment.

• Maintain and improve existing equipment.

• Procure tools and equipment.

• Document and organize all projects worked on.

MANUFACTURING ENGINEER

Position Summary: Be a part of a dedicated Manufacturing Projects team and experience a balance of research, design, and procurement work in the office and fabrication, installation, and implementation in the manufacturing facility.

NOW HIRING IN HOUSTON, TX SAFETY COORDINATOR

Position summary: The primary duty and responsibility of the Safety Coordinator is to manage/ oversee the onsite Health and Safety of our team members at our Houston facility and providing safety oversight and leadership to team members at other ISCO facilities and jobsites throughout the United States & Canada.Frequent travel (2 weeks per month) to conduct annual safety facility audits, meaningful positive touch visits, employee mentoring and project site visits.

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• New product R & D. • CNC and Robotic manufacturing equipment setup and support.

• Design and build new equipment used in manufacturing and fabrication.

• Maintain and improve existing equipment used in manufacturing and fabrication.

• Manage and execute manufacturing facility upgrades or additions.

• Procure tools and equipment used in manufacturing and fabrication.

• Document and organize all projects worked on.

• Manufacturing process and organization improvements.

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• Understand, execute and display behaviors in the Health and Safety Program • Build positive relationships with operational counterparts across all levels of the company • Assist in development, implementation, training employees and/or lead company-wide safety initiatives • Conduct regular walk through inspections and provide safety oversight for all daily functions at home facility • Identify, document and recommend resolution of hazardous and potentially hazardous conditions • Recognize and implement principles associated with audits/inspections • Provide oversight for ongoing employee education • Assist in incident investigations

Equal Opportunity Employer/ Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

For more information on these positions or to apply go to:

ISCO-PIPE.COM

NOTICE OF APPLICATION AND PRELIMINARY DECISION FOR AN AIR QUALITY PERMIT PROPOSED PERMIT NUMBER: 172666 APPLICATION AND PRELIMINARY DECISION. Li Rising, LLC, 902 Avenue T, Grand Prairie, TX 750501152, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for issuance of Proposed Air Quality Permit Number 172666, which would authorize construction of a Battery Recycling Plant located at 1102 Avenue T, Grand Prairie, Tarrant County, Texas 75050. This application was processed in an expedited manner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J. AVISO DE IDIOMA ALTERNATIVO. El aviso de idioma alternativo en espanol está disponible en https://www. tceq.texas.gov/permitting/air/newsourcereview/airpermits-pendingpermit-apps. This application was submitted to the TCEQ on May 2, 2023. The proposed facility will emit the following contaminants: organic compounds and particulate matter including particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less.

The executive director has completed the technical review of the application and prepared a draft permit which, if approved, would establish the conditions under which the facility must operate. The executive director has made a preliminary decision to issue the permit because it meets all rules and regulations. The permit application, executive director’s preliminary decision, and draft permit will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ central office, the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth regional office, and at the Grand Prairie Main Library, 901 Conover Drive, Grand Prairie, Tarrant County, Texas 75051, beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The facility’s compliance file, if any exists, is available for public review at the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Office, 2309 Gravel Dr, Fort Worth, Texas.

PUBLIC COMMENT/PUBLIC MEETING. You may submit public comments or request a public meeting about this application. The purpose of a public meeting is to provide the opportunity to submit comment or to ask questions about the application. The TCEQ will hold a public meeting if the executive director determines that there is a significant degree of public interest in the application or if requested by a local legislator. A public meeting is not a contested case hearing. You may submit additional written public comments within 30 days of the date of newspaper publication of this notice in the manner set forth in the AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION paragraph below.

RESPONSE TO COMMENTS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ACTION. After the deadline for public comments, the executive director will consider the comments and prepare a response to all relevant and material or significant public comments. Because no timely hearing requests have been received, after preparing the response to comments, the executive director may then issue final approval of the application.

The response to comments, along with the executive director’s decision on the application will be mailed to everyone who submitted public comments or is on a mailing list for this application, and will be posted electronically to the Commissioners’ Integrated Database (CID).

INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE. When they become available, the executive director’s response to comments and the final decision on this application will be accessible through the Commission’s Web site at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/cid. Once you have access to the CID using the above link, enter the permit number for this application which is provided at the top of this notice. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. https://gisweb.tceq.texas.gov/LocationMapper/?marker=-97.048039,32.789275&level=13.

MAILING LIST. You may ask to be placed on a mailing list to obtain additional information on this application by sending a request to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below.

AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION. Public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. For more information about this permit application or the permitting process, please call the Public Education Program toll free at 1-800-687-4040. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040.

Further information may also be obtained from Li Rising, LLC at the address stated above or by calling Ms. Zoe Trieff, Project Manager at (512) 879-3951.

Notice Issuance Date: February 8, 2024

BULLETIN BOARD CLASSIFIEDS

fort worth weekly classifieds

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EMPLOYMENT Hysen’s Nizza Pizza is Now Hiring!

Nizza is seeking a counter person, delivery drivers, and wait staff. Apply in person at 401 University Drive, FWTX, 817-877-3900. (Open Sun-Thu 11am-10pm and Fri-Sat 10:30am-11pm.)

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Additionally, NowThis has listed the following companies also offering the same assistance to employees: Amazon, Apple, BuzzFeed, Citigroup, Comcast, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lyft, Mastercard, Meta, Microsoft, Paramount, Sony, Tesla, Walt Disney Co, Vox Media, and Zillow. (JMB, FWW) HEALTH & WELLNESS Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke These are leading causes of death, according to the American Heart Association. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection!

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SUBMISSIONS We’d Like To Hear From You! Do you have thoughts and feelings, or questions, comments or concerns about something you read in the Weekly? Please email Question@fwweekly.com. Do you have an upcoming event? For potential coverage in Night & Day, Big Ticket, Ate Day8 A Week, or CrosstownSounds, email the details to Marketing@fwweekly.com

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Continuous Improvement Leader at M&M Manufacturing in Fort Worth, TX. Partner w/Sr. Leaders & Ops. Mgmt. teams to dev. & exe. long-term growth & cont. improve. strategies focusing on elim. waste across org., bldg. lean ldrshp. capabilities, process dev., standardization & dev. employee training initiatives that foster & create envir. that supports cont. improve. as core value of On-Site Services.

Req’s Bachelor’s in Ind. Eng., Process Eng., Sys. Eng. & Mgmt. or closely rltd. fld. (or foreign degree equiv.) & 4 yrs. exp. in mfg. & ops. envir. Req’s domestic travel 20% of time to other company locations. Allows occasional telecommuting within commuting dist. of reporting office in Fort Worth, TX. Apply online: https://www.marmon. com/your-career-path/ Job Requisition # JR0000022973.

EMPLOYMENT

Engineer 1 – provide engineering and technical expertise to solve problems for electrical distribution systems operation and maintenance functions. Responsible for electrical systems planning, grid analysis and grid modernization efforts, as well as battery energy storage and renewable generation systems. Willuse software packages including MS Office suite, CYME, Synergi, Milsoft, PLS-CASS and ETAP. Works under close supervision of engineers and project managers. Must have a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Will work at 4001 Airport Freeway, Suite 400, Bedford, TX. 7am-5pm Mon-Thurs and 7am11am Fri Apply by resume to Pike Engineering LLC, attn: Jordan Hinson, 123 N. White St., Fort Mill, SC 29715

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HISTORIC RIDGLEA THEATER

THE RIDGLEA is three great venues within one historic Fort Worth landmark. RIDGLEA THEATER has been restored to its authentic allure, recovering unique Spanish-Mediterranean elements. It is ideal for large audiences and special events. RIDGLEA ROOM and RIDGLEA LOUNGE have been making some of their own history, as connected adjuncts to RIDGLEA THEATER, or hosting their own smaller shows and gatherings. More at theRidglea.com

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Mobiltech Global Services LLC is looking for a IT Systems Engineer.

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Interested candidates can mail in their resumes to: Attn: Robert Mueller 4710 Mercantile Dr., Fort Worth TX 76137

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