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The former star of CMT’s Sun Records TV show launches his country career with his debut EP. B Y
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METROPOLIS Weed march downtown draws hundreds.
METROPOLIS Check out the do’s of dealing with delta.
EATS & DRINKS There’s no simple reason why restaurateurs are having trouble hiring.
HEARSAY Tulips FTW’s grand opening is the biggest deal in town this weekend but not the only one.
BY STEVE MONACELLI
BY EDWARD BROWN
BY ELIZA LIMON
BY ANTHONY MARIANI
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Number 17
J ul y 28- Augus t 3, 2021
INSIDE Reefer Sanity
Though hundreds gathered downtown, there’s little chance the right-wingers in Austin will be budged. By Steve Monacelli
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Follow the Money Of course, TAMU and Mizzou are against OU’s and UT’s SEC move. By Buck D. Elliott
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Along with Tulips FTW’s big weekend, shows at Lola’s, MASS, and The Post are on the schedule. By Anthony Mariani
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Hundreds Gather for Weed March Downtown
METROPOLIS
Downtown Fort Worth was Ground Zero of a major march for marijuana reform.
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It’s still a crime to smoke weed in the Lone Star state, but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from sparking up in the streets of downtown Fort Worth Saturday. These blazed souls chose to puff in civil disobedience as a part of a pro-pot reform rally organized by the Fort Worth-Dallas chapter of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Bearing banners, posters, flags, and blunts, the marchers blazed a trail through the urban canyons. “Let them out!,” the marchers yelled as they passed by the Tarrant County Corrections Center. “Legalize it now!,” they chanted on their way to City Hall, where they held a rally and smoke session on the steps as police watched from across the street. Fort Worth recently deprioritized
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arrests for low-level marijuana crimes, meaning police officers will no longer haul someone to jail for a joint. Nevertheless, possession is still considered a criminal offense, and officers can issue citations for the possession of less than 4 ounces. But no citations were issued on Saturday. Fort Worth police provided traffic control for the march and otherwise didn’t harsh the mellow. Rally organizers indicated that a sort of truce had been struck with the cops for the day’s events. “They just asked us to not blow smoke in their faces,” said Shaun McAlister, executive director of DFW NORML, to the crowd in Burnett Park just before the march kicked off at — when else? — 4:20 p.m. The chill vibe reflects a growing consensus among Texans that marijuana possession and use should not be a crime.
Nearly nine out of 10 voters believe it should be legal in some form, while only 13% believe it should be criminalized, according to a June 23 poll by the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune. That’s a major shift from 10 years ago, when twice as many supported prohibition. It seems the state has been struck with a case of Reefer Gladness. Despite this overwhelming support for reform, resistance from lawmakers has allowed Texas to fall behind our neighbors. New Mexico voted to legalize recreational cannabis in 2021, while Oklahoma and Louisiana have both had robust medical programs for several years. For Texans, it should be a mortal wound that Oklahoma would beat us at anything. For its part, Texas does have a highly limited medical program known as
the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP), but unlike other states, which allow a broader range of patients to access a variety of medical products with varying levels of THC and cannabinoids, the TCUP provides access to low-THC cannabis oil only for a limited set of conditions. It also requires patients to register with the Department of Public Safety, as opposed to a medical agency. Patients like Shawn Meredith, an Austinite who suffered a spinal cord injury in 1984 and suffers from severe spasms, told me that cannabis is the only thing that reduces his symptoms but that the TCUP program doesn’t meet his needs. “Every state around Texas has a legit medical cannabis program,” Meredith said, “but here I have to drink a cup of oil just to get less than 1% THC. I can go get
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Cannabis prohibition first started in the United States in El Paso, Texas, and was effectively a way to exert social control over Mexican immigrant workers, who had brought their cultural practice of using cannabis as a medicine with them across the border. It allowed for authorities to have an excuse to search, detain, and deport them at will. “There were publications stating that marijuana would cause them to rape and pillage and things of that nature,” Adams said. “Of course, there is no relevant scientific basis for that propaganda whatsoever.” The cannabis boogeyman was later used by President Richard Nixon as an excuse to harass protest movements in the
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during the first eight months of the pandemic, Texas experienced more than a 35% increase in opioid overdose deaths. Meanwhile, several studies suggested a linkage between legalizing cannabis and a reduction in opioid deaths. “Cannabis has a distinct and potent ability to alleviate pain,” said Melanie Adams, a medical cannabis activist, patient advocate, and legislative consultant based in Fort Worth. “It’s a matter of moral and ethical responsibility to make sure that all chronically ill patients that can benefit from this plant have access to it, not just the limiting conditions that Texas has determined based on politics and not science.”
1970s. “They couldn’t arrest you for protesting, but they could arrest you for pot,” Sloane said. A salacious quote from Nixon’s domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichman, put it in plain terms. “We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or Black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and Blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course, we did.” Today, a racial disparity remains in terms of enforcement of marijuana laws. An American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report from 2020 showed that Black people are 2.6 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana charges, despite both races using the plant at nearly equal rates. But with such overwhelming popular support for reform in Texas, the hopes of advocates appear as high as some of the marchers in downtown Fort Worth, regardless of the obstacles ahead. “We have strong bipartisan support,” said Jax Finkle, executive director of Texas NORML, “but we have to apply pressure to the lieutenant governor and the Senate to help advance common sense policies. They are cost effective to the taxpayer, will meet the needs of medical patients, and will bring necessary reform to the criminal justice system.” l
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legal hemp flower with similar amounts of THC at the store around the corner from my house for less money than the Compassionate Use program.” Advocates say that resistance to reform in Texas stems from structural issues in our state government, a lack of proper education, and the lingering legacy of the prejudicial roots of criminalization. “States that allow for public referendums were the first to come around,” said David Sloane, the public information officer for DFW NORML and a successful criminal defense attorney in Fort Worth who specializes in THC cases. But the Texas Constitution doesn’t allow for a referendum, meaning that the issue has to go through the legislative process. Presently, that is steered by rightwing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The Senate leader has been a regular roadblock to bills attempting to expand medical cannabis and decriminalize possession, which he sees as potential pathways to recreational legalization. “We previously had votes in the Senate and the House to bring forward a decriminalization bill” in 2019, Sloane said, “but Dan Patrick said it was dead on arrival.” Most recently, proposals to expand the TCUP program to include patients with chronic pain who might otherwise be treated with opioids, as well as to raise the THC cap to 5%, were stripped out of House Bill 1535 when it reached the Senate. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that
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Cases have been increasing in Texas and nationally — mostly among unvaccinated people — as the highly contagious delta variant has become dominant. Here’s what that means for Texans, both vaccinated and unvaccinated.
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While dozens of variants have spawned from the original COVID-19 virus, health experts say the delta variant is the most transmissible so far. Research also shows it’s leading to higher rates of hospitalization for those infected. Here’s what you need to know Earlier this month, the state’s positivity rate — the ratio of confirmed cases to tests — went above 10% for the first time since February, a threshold that Gov. Greg Abbott previously identified as dangerous. Statewide, hospitalizations have increased
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Don’t Mess with the Elderly
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Normally, I’m a thoroughgoing lefty and totally against the death penalty, but on certain days, I could be talked into an exception for one special group: those who scam the elderly. The very thought of it makes my blood boil and not just because I’m getting senior discounts these days. The idea of scamming people who sacrificed for us and are now in decline, to me, is unforgivable. Yet it’s so lucrative the Justice Department has an Elder Justice Initiative to combat it, and, according to The New York Times, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported “nearly $1 billion in losses for those 60 and older in 2020.” And it’s worse when it hits close to home. For years, beginning in the early 2000s, my dad, retired from being a tax assessor for the State of California, would regularly complain about how scammers on the phone took him for an idiot. He felt insulted they
this month as well. Health officials are also worried about the current stalled vaccination rates in the state and country, which have given the virus room to spread. As of Tuesday, nearly 43% of Texans have been fully vaccinated. The state continues to lag behind the national vaccination rate of 48.8%, according to the Mayo Clinic.
What’s the delta variant of the coronavirus?
Viruses like the coronavirus frequently change by mutating. It’s challenging to know the exact number of variants out there globally or in Texas, health experts say. Checking for these variants happens by analyzing a random sample of COVID-19 tests, so there is a possibility that some mutations might be missed. With all viruses, some variants eventually disappear while others persist. Only time will tell how different variants will affect people and how extensive they will be. The most effective way to curb new variants is to prevent spreading the virus and avoid giving it a chance to mutate. That delta variant, known by scientists as B.1.617.2, was first identified in India. It triggered a devastating outbreak there in April and May and has since spread to at least 100 other countries, attacking areas where vaccination rates are the lowest.
C o u r t e s y o f T h e Te x a s Tr i b u n e
COVID-19 Facts
METROPOLIS The seven-day average positivity rate is calculated by dividing the average of confirmed cases by the average of molecular tests conducted over the last seven days. States where the rates are over 10% are in the “red zone,” according to the White House Coronavirus Task Force. The state released a new, more accurate version of the positivity rate in September. Because this new formula relies on the date on which the test was administered, the rates for previous days will be recalculated as more test results from those dates come in.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) recommends people protect themselves from the delta variant the
same way they do for other COVID-19 variants. This includes wearing a multilayered, well-fitted mask covering both the nose and mouth; limiting gatherings with people outside of your household; and getting tested when necessary. Texas health experts have also recommended staying away from people who aren’t following COVID-19 safety protocols. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are encouraging everyone to wear masks while inside. Recently updated guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that all students over 2 years old and school staff continue to wear masks.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley has signed a declaration of local disaster to help contain the spread of the virus, and on Friday, Dallas County raised its threat level to orange, or “extreme caution,” which urges unvaccinated people to avoid large crowds, among other guidance. Austin and Travis County officials are encouraging vaccinated people to wear masks indoors and outdoors and telling unvaccinated people to stay home except for essential needs. On Thursday, Harris County’s emergency threat level was raised to orange — or “significant.” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo called for people to continue wearing masks as cases begin to increase.
thought he might fall for their transparent schemes. I was proud of his mental acumen. My father had always been a bright guy. He was the first in his family to get a college degree and become a professional. I was glad that as he aged, he was still with it, until that day came when he wasn’t. Flash forward more than a decade later, and, even my intelligent dad got taken in by grifters. It’s a popular scam and worked like this. My dad got a call from someone claiming to be his grandson giving a sob story about how he got into a traffic accident in Mexico that was not his fault. Now, the “grandson” explained, the local corrupt mordida-loving policia had him locked up in some dirty Mexican jail filled with cucarachas and violent narcotraficantes. He explained he’d no hope of getting out unless Granddaddy could fork over 3,000 U.S. dollars ASAP. Then, for the pièce de résistance, the grandson begged his Granddaddy not to mention to his mom anything that might worry her needlessly. On hearing this ludicrous tale, my dad somehow bought it all. Which is bad enough, but worse was
yet to come. My old neighborhood in southeast Houston where my dad still lives has become majority Latino, so he drove to a nearby store that specializes in wiring money to Mexico. He told one of its clerks his grandson’s tale of woe, and right away the clerk was adamant that this smelled like a con job to him. So here was a man trying to set my dad straight, and how did Dad react? He got his back up and told the clerk he could damn well recognize his own grandson’s voice and didn’t need any of his help. In short, my dad, ignoring plentiful red flags, got scammed out of 3 Large. Once home, he got another call from his “grandson,” thanking him for sending him the money, but then his grandchild explained that he just missed his flight, so Granddaddy, if you please, I need you to send more money so I can buy a new airline ticket. Finally, my father realized he was being used as a long-distance ATM and that his “grandson” on the phone didn’t really sound much like his real grandson. He then informed his soon-to-be ex-grandchild that he was done with sending him money but
that he could always call his mom if he wanted more. Most of us erroneously believe we’re immune to such scams and laugh at the chucklehead who fall for them. Who answers emails from Nigerian princes, anyway? The truth is, we live in a largely unregulated capitalist society where we all walk around with huge targets on our back, especially online. Be truthful now. How many of you have been scammed by some “special” sale or “free” introductory offer you forgot to rescind? Ever try to stop a gym membership? They’ve no trouble getting money out of your bank monthly, but request them to stop, and everyone you talk to has suddenly forgotten how to use their computers. — Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue
Should I wear a mask?
This editorial reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the Fort Worth Weekly. The Weekly welcomes all manner of political submissions. They will be edited for clarity and factuality. Please email Editor Anthony Mariani at anthony@fwweekly.com.
Will the vaccine protect me?
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Who’s eligible for the vaccine?
A version of this story originally appeared in the Texas Tribune.
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All people 12 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas. Children ages 12-17 can get the Pfizer vaccine, but COVID-19 vaccines are not mandatory for Texas students. Based on several factors, medical experts believe the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective even for the medically vulnerable, but several studies are in the works, including trials and research happening in Texas, to deepen scientific understanding of how the vaccines affect people with immune disorders; cancer and transplant patients who are taking immunosuppressant medications; and people who have allergies. State and local health officials say that vaccine supply is healthy enough to meet demand across much of Texas. Most chain pharmacies and many independent ones have a ready supply of vaccine doses, which is administered free and mainly on a walk-in basis. Many private doctors’ offices also have doses. And you can check current lists of large vaccine hubs that are still operating here. Public health departments also have vaccines. You can register with the Texas Public Health Vaccine Scheduler either online or by phone, and businesses or civic organizations can set up vaccine clinics to offer it to employers, visitors, customers, or members. Medical experts recommend that people who have had COVID-19 should still get the vaccine. If someone’s treatment included monoclonal antibodies or convalescent plasma, they should talk to their doctor before scheduling a vaccine appointment. The CDC recommends that people who received those treatments should wait 90 days before getting the vaccine. l
IN
According to Yale Medicine, the PfizerBioNTech vaccine is 88% effective against symptomatic cases of the delta variant and 96% effective against hospitalizations. Researchers are still studying the efficacy of the Moderna vaccine against the delta variant but believe it may work similarly to Pfizer’s. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine also retains much of its efficacy against the delta variant at around 60%, according to recent research. Current data show the people who are at most risk are the unvaccinated. No vaccine is 100% effective at preventing the spread of
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Proteins on the outer spikes of the delta variant are “stickier,” making it more transmissible than other variants, said Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas. Studies have shown that the delta variant is up to 60% more transmissible than the previous leading variant, the alpha variant. A study from Scotland found that the hospitalization rate of those who contracted the delta variant was about 85% higher than those fighting the alpha variant. The variant’s symptoms are more similar to those of a cold — headaches, sore throat, runny nose, and fevers — than common COVID-19 symptoms such as coughing and loss of smell, according to the COVID Symptom Study, a project by doctors and scientists to track the symptoms and spread of the virus. Fully vaccinated people can and have gotten COVID-19. However, these cases are overwhelmingly asymptomatic or mild. These types of cases are known as “breakthrough infections,” but experts say they are uncommon. Fully vaccinated people who become seriously ill, hospitalized, or die are even rarer, reports The New York Times, but this also means that vaccinated people may spread COVID-19 to others.
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How contagious is the delta variant?
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If you’re able to, health experts say the best thing to do is to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The CDC also recommends avoiding poorly ventilated venues and large crowds, washing your hands often, covering your coughs and sneezes, cleaning and sanitizing highly touched surfaces daily, and monitoring your health daily. Texas health experts have also recommended staying away from people who aren’t following COVID-19 safety protocols.
Vacations or Staycations
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How else should I protect myself?
a virus, but studies and research have shown that the COVID-19 vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of serious illness. Reuters reports that 97% of people entering hospitals in the United States with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Nationwide, deaths are up 26%, with outbreaks occurring in parts of the country with low vaccination rates, according to the CDC earlier this month. Since early February, 8,787 people have died in Texas due to COVID-19. At least 43 were fully vaccinated. That means 99.5% of people who died due to COVID-19 in Texas from Feb. 8 to July 14 were unvaccinated, while 0.5% were the result of “breakthrough infections,” which the DSHS defines as people who contracted the virus two weeks after being fully vaccinated. These breakthrough infections are rare, according to health experts, but some worry the small percentage of fully vaccinated people who do end up getting the virus could develop “long COVID,” a poorly understood group of symptoms that people experience four or more weeks after first being infected with the virus.
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However, these and any other local guidelines in Texas have no weight of law behind them because Abbott banned local pandemic mandates. The governor said Wednesday that he will not impose another statewide mask mandate. He lifted the statewide mask requirement in March which had been in place since the summer of last year. Texas schoolchildren will not face mask requirements as they return to school later this summer.
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It’s a shame Canada needs to show us Texans how to deal with an atrocity. B Y
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On Thursday, June 24, 2021, leaders of several indigenous groups in Canada announced that investigators utilizing ground-penetrating radar had located the bodies of at least 600 children in unmarked graves. The location was the former Marieval Indian Residential School, about 85 miles east of Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan.
The news and the numbers were staggering, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that he was “terribly saddened” to hear about the discovery and that his country “will tell the truth about these injustices.” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe added that the entire citizenry of his province mourned the discovery of the unmarked graves. Now, first, for all my fellow products of the Texas education system, a Canadian prime minister is sort of like an American president. Think of President Biden as a fossilized version of Trudeau. Second, a Canadian premier is sort of like an American governor, so think of Greg Abbott as a vapid, wheelchair-bound version of Moe. Granted, neither Trudeau nor Moe are ideal Dudley Do-Right material, but that’s OK. Biden is no Dudley Do-Right himself, and Abbott is no Lone Ranger. Oh, and Saskatchewan is not where sasquatches live.
So, 600 dead indigenous children, and not only are Trudeau and Moe talking about it, but they’re expressing remorse and Trudeau is pledging to get to the bottom of it. Is there something in the water in the Great White North? Here in the Not-So-Great Lone Star South, our “premiers” are not “terribly saddened” by news of unmarked mass graves, especially if they are full of indigenous bodies or the descendants of slaves. And they have no interest in telling the truth about injustices, much less allowing the truth to be taught in our schools. The Slocum Massacre is an excellent example. The Marieval Indian Residential School, which operated from 1899 to 1997, was run by Catholic nuns and the students lived on-site. Most of the graves had gravestones originally, but they were removed by Catholic officials. This is a trav-
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The results are in for USA Today’s Readers’ Choice awards, and we are proud to announce we’ve been voted the 9th Best Science Museum in America! USA Today assembled a panel of industry experts to identify the top 20 science museums in the U.S. The publication then opened the list to voting, asking the public to choose their top 10, and YOU helped us receive the #9 spot! Thank you for helping the Museum win this national recognition!
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esty and an injustice, no question, as is forcing indigenous children to leave their families to attend white Christian schools, but the Texas version is arguably worse. In the Slocum area of Southeastern Anderson County, there are also unmarked graves that contain the final resting places of hundreds of victims. Unmarked mass graves. Unmarked mass graves where the bodies of innocent men, women, and children are piled up like animals in a perpetual state of unrest. They never had individual resting places, much less their own headstones. And did I mention that one of the mass graves is also located at a school? At the Marieval Indian Residential School in the Saskatchewan province of Canada, the bodies located in unmarked graves were interred over a number of decades. At the Silver Creek School playground in the southeastern corner of Anderson County (right off County Road 1208) in Texas, the bodies located in an unmarked mass grave were dumped there over a long weekend, a long weekend of white slaughter and bloodshed. The bodies of the indigenous schoolchildren in Saskatchewan were apparently interred in a designated area, originally marked with headstones. The bodies of the men, women, and children who died in the Silver Creek section of the Slocum area were buried in a large pit under the Silver Creek School playground — because the grass and dirt above a playground is always disturbed, and the perpetrators of the Slocum Massacre knew that Texas Rangers looking for victims of the atrocity would be a lot less suspicious of disturbed earth at a playground than anywhere else. A few years back, George Avery, director of the anthropology/archaeology lab at Stephen F. Austin University, offered to run his department’s ground-penetrating radar equipment over the area that Silver Creek School playground formerly sat, but the white owner of the land refused to allow descendants of the victims of the Slocum Massacre (or George Avery) access. And when confronted by Constance Hollie-Jawaid, the chief spokesperson for descendants of the victims of Slocum Massacre, the white owner bragged that there were up to 50 bodies located under the former playground but that they belonged to him because they were on his land. He said the bodies were his “property” and there was nothing Hollie-Jawaid could do about it. Now, I realize Greg Abbott is no Dudley Do-Right, but Hollie-Jawaid and many of the descendants of Slocum Massacre victims are his constituents. And the Texas state legislature did pass a House Resolution acknowledging the Slocum Massacre in 2011. And Hollie-Jawaid did compel the Texas Historical Commission to approve a historical marker commemorating the Slocum Massacre in 2015 and have it placed and dedicated in the Slocum area in early 2016. And, hell, a few weeks back, Forrest Gump mentioned the Slocum Massacre in a New York Times editorial. How come Greg Abbott has never mentioned the Slocum Massacre? How come Greg Abbott hasn’t inquired about the unmarked mass graves in the Slocum area or ordered an official investigation? How come our governor behaves more like a Snidely Whiplash than Dudley Do-Right? l This editorial reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily the Fort Worth Weekly. The Weekly welcomes all manner of political submissions. They will be edited for clarity and factuality. Please email Editor Anthony Mariani at anthony@fwweekly.com.
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Headless Horseman
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I’ve previously aired my issues with British color-blind casting, but it’s doing one good thing: It’s turning Dev Patel into an unstoppable force. The tall, handsome Londoner starred in The Personal History of David Copperfield last year, and this week he headlines another film adaptation of a classic work of English literature in The Green Knight. I’d be pushing him to be the first nonwhite James Bond, but apparently he isn’t interested. (Too bad — his performance as a contract killer in The Wedding Guest suggests he’d be a good Bond.) His hard-bitten bravado with insecurity lurking within provides a center to this ineffably strange and mystical movie. If you’re not up on the 14th-century epic poem that this is based on, the story begins with Gawain (Patel) waking up in a brothel on Christmas morning, going home, changing his clothes, and presenting himself at court — the preceding is not in the epic poem — where his uncle (Sean Harris) is the king. The
Dev Patel wields a weapon that he won from The Green Knight.
towering Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) his brand of mythic fantasy fits this story crashes the festivities and issues a written better than any of his previous ones. As challenge to the court: Any knight who can you’d expect from him, the movie looks land a blow on him will receive his wealth incredible, with Jade Healy’s borderlineabstract production design and his giant green axe, for the castle interiors provided that that knight The Green Knight and the Green Knight’s then keep an appointment Starring Dev Patel and Alicia leaf-shaped head. These the next Christmas to Vikander. Written and contrast with the exteriors, receive a blow in return. directed by David Lowery, based on the anonymous as Gawain treks through Gawain, whose name is epic poem. Rated R. the blasted heaths and pronounced “Garwin” moors to keep his promise. throughout, accepts the (The movie was actually challenge and makes it a real Christmas party by lopping off the shot in Ireland.) Lowery has a flair for challenger’s head. The Green Knight then the unexpected visual — when the Green picks up his severed pate and rides off, Knight lays his axe down on the castle’s stone floor, grass immediately sprouts up cackling, “One year hence!” This is the work of Fort Worth’s between the cracks, which is pretty cool. own David Lowery, and it seems to me Dramatic flashes of red or green light like his most complete film, or maybe illuminate the scenes.
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David Lowery tells a medieval tale. It’s his best work yet.
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In T he at e rs Now
You can readily see the director’s debt to The Witch, as he has cast two actors from that film (Ineson and, as the queen, Kate Dickie); uses Daniel Hart’s dissonant score with choirs wailing in Old English over the shots of the forest; and has Gawain haunted by a fox rather than a rabbit on his travels. The knight’s encounter with St. Winifred (Erin Kellyman) has a ghostly feel that’s typical of the movie’s alien vibe, something that we don’t experience in other films about King Arthur and his knights. Of course, there are times when you wish Lowery would stop admiring Andrew Droz Palermo’s crystalline cinematography and crack on with the story. The camera pirouette showing a tied-up and solitary Gawain turning into a skeleton and back into flesh and blood is a useless flourish. The speech given by a rich aristocrat (Alicia Vikander) about the significance of the color green could have been cut down, too. Lowery changes the ending of the poem, giving us a false ending in which Gawain makes the wrong choice and watches the consequences thereof ripple for decades, and it just goes on way too long. That fake ending does serve a purpose, however, in tying the movie to the director’s ongoing concerns with human mortality and our quest to discover the meaning of our existence. It’s fitting that the morals undergirding this are so old-fashioned — a deal’s a deal. Gawain marches off to his doom, away from citizens who adore him, a king who favors him, and a woman (also played by Vikander) who loves him. Offered the temptations of the world on his journey, Gawain has a final vision of a prosperous life lived without honor that gives him the strength to meet the Green Knight’s blow. The weirdness of Lowery’s vision might be frighteningly unfamiliar, but it’s probably the way to adapt a text that’s more than 600 years old, imparting a primal force to this legendary tale. l
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For the past two decades, predicting the fate of your Dallas Cowboys is just a matter of piecing together how a given year’s iteration will end up 8-8. This year is different only because there’s an extra game, so it will be mathematically impossible to end up with an even record. Still, examining how American’s Team will wallow in mediocrity has become an annual tradition. Will it be injuries? Will the draft class flop? Will Zeke “Hands of Grease” Elliot fumble away another game or two? Is this defense as bad everyone who doesn’t live in North Texas thinks it is? Training camp began anew last week in Oxnard, California, and, for the 61st year in a row, the Cowboys fielded a team, and for the 78th year, owner/GM Jerry Jones continues to live. Even though we know how will it end, there are still some interesting camp battles and storylines to contemplate. Besides COVID-19, the biggest turd in the ’Boys’ 2020 punchbowl was the season-ending injury to Dak Prescott. Multiple news reports are suggesting his bum ankle has completely healed, and he’s a full participant in practice. Before succumbing to the injury, Prescott was on a pace to shatter every Cowboys passing record. Owner Jerry has already praised his $160 million man’s camp performance the way only a desperate, dying old man watching his legacy as a competent frontoffice mind slip away could. One of my favorite camp traditions is checking in on who media is reporting to be in “the best shape of his life.” This year’s candidate is Ezekiel Elliot, who apparently decided to “try” this offseason instead of pulling his usual act of committing sexual
Cour tesy of Wiki Commons
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The reanimated corpse of Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones continues to field a barely watchable team.
assault. He appears ready to put behind the worst statistical year of his career and find creative new ways to let us all down. The offensive line was woeful last year, as its two bookends — tackles La’el Collins and Tyron Smith— played a combined two games. Future Hall of Famer Smith is already back in action, and some media talking heads are reporting that he is (wait for it) in the best shape of his life. Collins is also a full participant in camp, which is pretty amazing considering he needed a walker just to get around last year. Center is a position of intrigue again. It appears the coaching staff is comfortable letting oft-injured 2020 draftee Tyler Biadasz man the middle with very little competition. Former third-round pick Conner Williams is taking snaps as Biadasz’ backup, but he hasn’t played the position since his sophomore year of college. The entire defense was a mess last year, and the front office made its annual show of trying to patch that leaky boat. Arguably the biggest addition to the unit is new coordinator Dan Quinn, who helmed
Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning Legion of Boom before taking the head coaching job in Atlanta — where his team famously choked away a Super Bowl. Quinn joins headman Mike McCarthy on Jones’ lastchance coaching island, where former DC Mike Nolan failed to get a rose after last season. The brain trust is hoping the biggest improvements to the D will come via the draft, in which the front office invested eight of its first 11 picks (and the first six) on that side of the ball. The team’s first pick was Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, who joins a suddenly crowded linebacker room that includes 2021 fourth-round steal Jabril Cox; the team’s highest-profile free-agent signing and former Hotlanta first-rounder Keanu Neal; perennial underachiever Jaylon Smith; and porcelain doll Leighton Vander Esch. Cox and Neal are hybrid defenders who are fast enough to play box safety, and Parsons will no doubt see time on the edge, where he was a menace in college. It’ll be interesting to see how Quinn deploys these guys.
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Optimism abounds for America’s Team, unless you’ve been paying attention.
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Cowboys Season Preview
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The team’s biggest area of need going into the offseason was the secondary, and the front office didn’t do much to address it. Sure, they picked Kentucky’s Kelvin Joseph 44th overall in the draft, but depending on a corner who has been asked to leave two major Division 1 schools for “doing the pot” sounds … very on-brand for the Cowboys. The team signed former Atlanta safety Damontae Kazee, but he’s coming off a major Achilles injury. Jones and Co. have been flirting with former first-rounder Malik Hooker, but nothing as of now is written in blood. He would represent a major talent upgrade, but his history of staying healthy is downright Vander Eschean. The front office’s strategy (again) appears to be trotting out young players and injury-plagued veterans and seeing if any of them can stay healthy/ sober long enough to make a play. I’m actually bullish on the defensive line. Though his sagging sack numbers say otherwise, end DeMarcus Lawrence was actually pretty dominant last season. Since Nolan played him standing up way too often, his stats were depressed, but he graded out at a more than respectable 88.7 on Pro Football Focus. He’s starting camp on the PUP list, so that’s worth monitoring. Randy Gregory suffered from the same misuse under Nolan last season, but he still flashed the elite quickness that made him the buzz (pun intended) of the draft a few years back. I’m predicting a big year for both. Free agent signees Tarell Basham and Brent Urban will add some much-needed depth as the coaching staff waits on more younglings to develop. The tackle position is interesting and could be boom or bust. Second-year man Neville Gallimore appears to be the real deal, though he’s hardly a star. Former second-round pick Trysten Hill has been a media whipping boy since many among the draft cognoscenti decried the choice as a massive reach. I may be among the minority in this, but I think he’s got something. He earned a starting spot out of camp last season, and he made plays. Injuries cut his season short, and he’s starting camp on the PUP list, so that doesn’t bode well. The team drafted a couple of guys who appear ready to contribute. This season will likely come down to health, and the team has a terrible history in that respect — and they’ve built a team full of guys who can’t stay on the field. I’m predicting another “good-on-paper” year that ends with nine wins. While that’s pretty mediocre, it could be enough to win the worst division in football. If a few things break right, the ’Boys could win 10 or 11, but it’s been many (many) years since things have broken right for Dallas — unless you count Dak’s ankle. l
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BUCK U
DANGER
Toxic Beef
The Longhorns and Sooners are rumored to be handing in their two weeks’ notice as the Big 12 clings to life.
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Unless you’ve been living in 1954 like some Republican lawmakers this past week, or are just really into the Olympics, you know that UT and OU are reportedly close to finalizing their exit plans to join the SEC. It wouldn’t take you more than a cursory Google search to find hundreds of prognostications of what that means for the remaining Big 12 — which have been only 10 since 2012 — teams. The foreseeable fate of the remnants, including our hometown Frogs, is about as reliable as playing the lottery numbers from a fortune cookie. Any concrete changes wouldn’t take place until next season at the earliest, so for now, let’s discuss another facet of the potential moves that threaten to further shake the foundations of college football as we know it. Texas is toxic. We all have a friend, maybe multiple friends, who stick out a bad relationship. Sometimes it’s because the offending partner is really good-looking, or the
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TOXI C WAS T E couple have been together for ages, but most often a boatload of money is the culprit. In the case of UT, they’re the abusive spouse, and their on-field looks are average at best, but an enormous bank account can bring amnesia of all the bad times. For all intents and purposes, the current state of our conference is because of the capital dwellers. The exodus of Texas A&M, Nebraska, Colorado, and Missouri is largely the fault of the burnt orange and their self-aggrandizing television network. Nothing is ever enough for that college in Austin, and a move to the SEC won’t be either. It’s not about money, but that will be the most commonly parrotted argument justifying the move. Each SEC member is estimated to rake in a cool $16 million more each season once the Longhorns
and Sooners join the fray. But what is money? UT prints the stuff, and they already have and have had what I call F-you money, so feel free to throw frozen flank steaks at anyone who hurls that tired trope at the barroom table when discussing the most valuable college football brand. The SEC is a more competitive group. Truth is truth, though I maintain that the league of cousin-lovers is topheavy with teams like Alabama, Georgia, and Florida and down the line aren’t nearly as good as pundits and pompom wavers scream to convince the rest of us. Oklahoma opting to join a more competitive league is one thing. They’ve won the Big 12 for six consecutive seasons and seven total times since the group shrank to its current size, but Texas is
something else. The Longhorns’ average conference position is 4.5 after the nine seasons since the downsizing, and the phrase “Texas is back” is a perpetual joke among national college football commentators. UT have never earned, or been close to earning, an invitation to the four-team playoff. Besides OU — who have gone to the semifinals thrice and lost all of them to would-be losers in the championship game — no one in our league besides Baylor and TCU have gotten close. I’m happy to admit something to my readers that my circle of friends already knows: I’m no businessman. If Texas is dead set on leaving the Big 12, there are good reasons that make sense for the university. While recently giving his opinion on this potential move, Colin Cowherd even referred to former TCU athletic director turned Longhorn head honcho Chris Del Conte as the smartest guy at his job in the nation. Conversely, there’s something that all burnt orange beef fans, alumni, and boosters have to admit if they indeed jump to the SEC: Texas wasn’t good enough. If the Big 12 sucks and the Longhorns don’t want to play in a league that’s been on life support since 2012, then the fault lies squarely in Austin. No school’s program is worth more money or has a bigger cache. Orange fans will forever forfeit the right to chide the Aggies for jumping ship when they were irrelevant in our state anyway, because now Bevo will have pulled the same cowardice by crawling into the Deep South with their Horns dragging in the dirt with a pathetic war cry proclaiming, “Let us in, please! We promise we can help you all make more money.” Not surprisingly, the only SEC members that seem to be balking at accepting another T school donning ugly orange are former conferencemates TAMU and Mizzou, who both know that sometimes money isn’t worth living in a toxic relationship. l
Buddha Shiva Lotus Dragon The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection at Asia Society
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Promotional support provided by
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The national tour of the exhibition is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
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This exhibition is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and Asia Society Museum.
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June 27–September 5, 2021
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Cour tesy of Facebook
NIGHT&DAY
Trista Morris is putting on a live painting event at Boulevard Brew Thu.
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Today and Saturday are the kick-offs of the Classic Movie Series running Friday thru Aug at the Historic Palace Theatre inside Palace Arts Center (300 S Main St, Grapevine, 817-410-3100). At 7:30pm, Top Gun depicts students at an elite school — and one student, in particular — training to become fighter pilots and learning much more from a civilian instructor. Tickets are $6. On Saturday, in honor of his birthday, come to the Harry Potter Marathon and see Sorcerer’s Stone (11am), Prisoner of Azkaban (2pm), Order of the Phoenix (5pm), and/or Deathly Hallows Part II (8pm) for $6 per movie, or buy a $20 pass and see all four. Come in costume and receive free popcorn. Reserve tickets at GrapevineTexasUSA. com/Palace-Theatre.
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Saturday
Lone Star Murder Mystery has a special dinner show called Herd
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’Em Through the Grapevine every Saturday thru Aug 28 at Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plz, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117). Test your investigative skills and solve the murder mystery at this 90-minute comedy show set in 1880s Texas. Doors open at 6pm, dinner is at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $60 at BillBobsTexas.com and include your meal (salad, dinner, dessert, and a soft drink) and the show. There will be a cash bar for alcoholic beverages.
As a chance for neighbors to get to know one another — and know members of Tuesday local law enforcement, city departments, and more — thousands of communities across the country forge stronger communities by participating in National Night Out annually on the first Tuesday of August. For example, from 6pm to 8pm, the Kennedale Police Department will celebrate with free activities, a bounce house, food, and games for all ages at TownCenter Park (405 Municipal Dr, Kennedale, 817-4785416). Fort Worth Police Department is hosting its event on Tue, Oct 5.
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Obie Award-winning producers Harlem9 and Shades of Brown are Sunday bringing 48 Hours in Dallas: The Goddess Box to the Urban Arts Center (807 Hutchins Rd, Dallas, 214-702-3371) at 7pm and 9pm. This inaugural festival features six 10-minute plays by female-identifying actors, directors, and playwrights, telling the stories of goddesses from six different cultures. Tickets are $10 at Ticketlocity. com/Events/48HoursInDallas.
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Every fall, Fort Worth Weekly staffers begin Wednesday to put their collective minds to work plotting out what is the best of this and that for our Best Of edition that will hit the stands on Wed, Sep 22. The critics make their choices, but you do, too. For your part in it, there is a Readers’ Choice ballot that starts running today thru Sun, Sep 12. Between now and then, if you have ideas, thoughts, and feelings about the categories and suggestions about potential winning businesses, it’s time to speak up by emailing Jennifer@ fwweekly.com.
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Service industry and health care workers, take a load off. All day every Monday Monday, Bowlounge FW (941 W Vickery Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-8878130) — the area’s newest vintage-style bowling alley — offers complimentary bowling for those on the frontlines of the bar/restaurant and medical industries. Bring a little spending money for the local craft beer and from-scratch food menu at this alley/sports bar.
Cour tesy Grapevine USA
From 4pm to 6pm, Trista Morris of Art of Trista Studios (@ArtOfTrista) Thursday is the featured artist at Live Painting at Boulevard Brew (5406 River Oaks Blvd, River Oaks, 682-2502544). Come out and have a coffee, relax, and check out the artwork being created and already hanging on the walls. Morris, along with Aaron Taylor of Solstice Snakes (@Solstice.Snakes), has art displayed at Boulevard thru Sat, which is the date of the Local Music & Art Reception with music by Matthew Broyles from 4pm to 6pm.
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See the Happy Birthday Harry Potter movie marathon in Grapevine this weekend.
By Jennifer Bovee
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LOCATED IN THE FOUNDRY DISTRICT | 2712 WEISENBERGER ST. FORT WORTH @ T H E G R A N D B E R R Y T H E AT E R F T W
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The Lone Star Film Society Pays Tribute to Larry McMurtry at The Modern.
In March 2020, the world lost a literary giant when acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry died. Through his books, screenplays, and the films adapted from his work, the Lone Star Film Society feels that the native Texan was instrumental in shaping how the world thinks of the state and is honoring him with a festival. A Tribute to Larry McMurtry will run on weekends thru Sun, Aug 15, with screenings of Hud, Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show, and Texasville. McMurtry grew up on a ranch in North Texas with only an oral storytelling tradition, never seeing a book until he was 6 years old. His stories jumped through many media — print, film, television — and in each, he excelled, garnering 13 Oscars, seven Emmys, and a Pulitzer in 1985 for the novel Lonesome Dove. It has been said that what the South was to William Faulkner, Texas was to Larry McMurtry. His passion for the land and people made it impossible for him to inhabit the self-proclaimed role of Western revisionist fully. McMurtry devotee and Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy will act as guest host. Film scholar and SXSW cofounder Louis Black will join remotely. Screenings will be held in the auditorium of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St, 817-738-9215). Tickets are $7-10 at TheModern.org. Lonesome Dove Part I at noon Sat Part II at 2pm Sat Parts III & IV at 4:30pm Sun See this four-part miniseries adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel in its entirety during a fun summer weekend marathon session. The television miniseries starred Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones and was directed by Simon Wincer. Initially broadcast in 1989, the series drew a vast audience, earning numerous awards and reviving the television Western. Hud 2pm Sat, Aug 7 Based on McMurtry’s novel Horseman, Pass By, Hud is a 1963 American Western drama film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Brandon de Wilde, and Patricia Neal. Hud was filmed on location in the plaintive nether regions of the Texas Panhandle and
Cour tesy of Amazon.com
ONLY $20 PER MONTH AND YOU'LL RECIEVE ONE INDIVIDUAL TICKET TO ANY AND EVERY PUBLIC FILM SCREENING.
See Lonesome Dove — all four parts — at the Modern this weekend.
was one of the first revisionist Westerns, choosing to showcase an antihero rather than the typical triumphalist. The film centers on the ongoing conflict between principled patriarch Homer Bannon and his unscrupulous and arrogant son, Hud, during an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that put the family’s cattle ranch at risk. The Last Picture Show 2pm Sat, Aug 15 This coming-of-age drama about 1950s Texas town life is celebrating its 50th anniversary. As one of the most important films in American cinematic history, the Library of Congress selected it in 1998 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry because of its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. Directed by Peter Bogdonavich and starring an ensemble cast of Jeff Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Cybil Shepard, Ellen Burstyn, and Ben Johnson, The Last Picture Show is based on McMurtry’s semi-autobiographical 1966 novel. The film was theatrically released on Oct 22, 1971, by Columbia Pictures to both critical and commercial success. Texasville 4:30pm Sat, Aug 15 This film is directed by Peter Bogdonavich and co-written by Bogdonovich and Larry McMurty, and it starred the entire cast from The Last Picture Show 20 years later. It continues McMurtry’s ongoing exploration of what it means to be Texan. The setting is the summer of 1984 in Anarene, where the town is preparing for its centennial celebration. A mature McMurtry explores time, place, love, loss, and friendships. The two decades have wrought many changes and revelations, too.
By Jennifer Bovee
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Recent news of the pending closing of Cannon Chinese Kitchen took many by surprise, partly because of the reason behind the popular Near Southside restaurant’s shuttering. “For all we have overcome the past year and a half, nothing [compares] to what the hospitality/service industry is currently facing with the shortage of staff,” the owners wrote on Facebook. Even with periodic spikes in COVID-19 infections, restaurant and bar owners were expecting 2021 to be a rebound year after the industry took a pummeling in 2020. Patrons are returning to their favorite bistros and watering holes on the Near Southside, in downtown, and elsewhere, but many local business owners are reducing hours or closing for good because of a devastating shortage of foodservice workers. In April, a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association found that 91% of restaurant owners in Texas said they were having difficulty filling job openings. The Texas Restaurant Association, the leading business association for the state’s foodservice industry, recently stated that “the workforce shortage was created by a host of challenges, and we know there is no silver bullet that will remedy it.”
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Foodservice workers are “fed up with the environment,” she said. “When you are making $2.13 plus tips, that’s not a living wage. You have restaurants that have had issues for a long time. Verbal abuse has happened in restaurants that I have worked at. Now that workers have had the time to not be involved in toxic environments, why would we go back? You have your own boundaries that you form. You are really just worn down to the bare bones at these jobs. We haven’t even addressed the core issues of the industry as a whole.” Willems said that she has had extensive conversations with former foodservice colleagues, and a mix of low pay plus work environment factors has led to their decisions to leave the hospitality industry altogether. Jason Pollard, managing partner at The Usual, said his craft cocktail bar isn’t facing the staffing shortages that other bars and restaurants are. The workforce issues, he said, probably arise from several factors. “I think people figured it out when they couldn’t work and couldn’t get unemployment,” he said, referring to the link between taxable income and unemployment eligibility. “A lot of them found other careers where they could make a salary and benefits, which is
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The Usual’s Jason Pollard said the foodservice industry’s reliance on low wages is partly to blame for hospitality’s workforce issues.
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Restaurant and bar owners are facing unprecedented staffing shortages, and there’s no relief in sight.
something that isn’t typically offered in the bar and restaurant industry. There is also still a lot of fear out there, especially right now as we see the [COVID-19] delta variant spike things up. It is happening at a time when it seems like the general public wants to act like this is all over. A lot of them aren’t coming back with the same manners [and public health precautions] they had before, which wasn’t that great to begin with.” The restaurant and bar industry, he said, has traditionally taken advantage of workers by allowing $2.13 hourly wages plus tips. “There has to be a little bit of truth to every reason you hear for people not coming back to work,” Pollard said. “It can be solved at the federal, state, or local level. Municipalities could enact their own higher minimum wages to get rid of the tipped minimum wage. Or we can do it as a state. It needs to be a discussion we have and not a haphazard decision.” Merritt said that restaurants that can quickly train a new crop of bussers, chefs, and waiters will be better suited to the tight workforce environment. Corporate America doesn’t allow for the flexibility in scheduling that foodservice jobs do, he said. He expects some of the men and women who left their hospitality industry jobs to return to restaurant work because the lifestyle isn’t as rigid. When Gov. Greg Abbott reopened the state last summer, local restaurants that were working on skeleton crews were overwhelmed, he said. The workforce shortage is yet another unexpected challenge that hospitality owners must navigate as best as they can. Willems said she has “never been happier” since leaving the hospitality industry. “I spent so many years traumatizing myself over and over by not having my basic needs met by my employer,” she said. The former restaurant manager said she hopes the local foodservice industry will use the workforce crisis to reflect on the conditions that may have led so many men and women to leave the hospitality industry. “It is awful to see these restaurants closing,” she said. “Without the pandemic happening, this conversation wouldn’t be happening. I’m glad that the blanket got ripped off and we are forced to address this.” l
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Chef Ben Merritt, the restaurateur behind Ben’s Triple B and Fixture Kitchen and Social Lounge, recently closed his Eastside burger restaurant due to staffing shortages. “We couldn’t get staff hired,” Merritt said. “Even at Fixure, everyone is having a hard time. COVID was a great way for people to get out of the industry. We haven’t had any new people coming back. I don’t know what we have to do to get more people in. We are trying everything we can, including sign-on bonuses and wage raises. I’ll get staffed up, and people leave for other jobs that pay more. One went into insurance. There are a lot of office job openings.” Fixture had enough of a client base for Merritt to adjust the wage figures more favorably toward new hires, but the Eastside business’ margins were too narrow to allow for any type of new incentives. The loss of longtime waiters and bartenders will mean a noticeable drop in customer service quality at many restaurants for the foreseeable future, Merritt said. One local restaurant and bar owner I spoke with asked not to be named, partly because of the grim nature of what he was seeing in his industry. “I spend 20% of my time solely working on staffing,” he said. “In 2019, I would get 20 to 30 job applications for a single job posting. Now, I’m lucky to field three to five applications a month.” He was hopeful that his business would see a surge in applications when Texas opted out of federal unemployment benefits in June. The surge never came, and the owner thinks he knows why. Foodservice workers have left for other fields like construction, he said. He also believes many have found ways to continue working from home. In April, CNBC reported that one in four Americans are considering changing careers. That month, four million Americans left their jobs in pursuit of new careers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mackenzie Willems is one of the millions of Americans who used the pandemic to reassess their career goals and to reevaluate what a healthy work environment looks like. After 10 years in the local foodservice industry, mostly in management, she now works at Pinspiration, a local crafting studio that hosts sip and paint nights and family activities based around making art.
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dinner, the peppers have been catapulted by popular demand onto the lunch menu. With a gluten-free stuffing of seasoned ground beef, pork sausage, rice, and parmesan cheese, they are covered in marinara sauce and served with French bread and a salad. The dinner portion is $14.95, while the smaller lunch portion is $8.95.
1.) On Sat, BENDT Distilling Co (225 S Charles St, Lewisville, 214-814-0545) is celebrating its birthday with WingDing, a Prohibition-style party. Speakeasy attire is encouraged but not required. The fun starts at 7pm with a welcome craft aperitif. Entertainment includes music by the Stefanie Pepping Sassafras Swing Set doing roaring ’20s tunes, a fortune teller (just for fun), an artist on hand for caricatures, and lots of photo ops all included in the general admission ticket price of $15. Finger food and themed cocktails will be available for purchase. VIP tickets are $75 and include an array of upgrades, including early entry at 5:30pm, appetizers, an open bar, and an engraved bottle of BENDT No 5. Reserve your tickets at BendtDistillingCo.com/ Tour-Booking. 2.) Along with your typical diner breakfast items and hand-dipped ice cream, Big State Fountain Grill (100 E Irving Blvd, Irving, 214-307-5000) is known for “damn good” burgers with your choice of fries, tater tots, or (for a bit more) onion rings. But it’s the newest side item — fried okra — that has our attention. Lightly battered
3.) Here in Texas, we do love our Blue Bell Ice Cream (1101 S Blue Bell Rd, Brenham, 979-836-7977). Also founded in Texas, Tom Thumb (various locations in North Texas) — the grocers that invented the “supermarket” concept — gets that about us. For a chance to win an ice cream party for 20 guests, snap a picture of your favorite Blue Bell Ice Cream treat and submit it at TomThumb.com/ ILoveBlueBell. 4.) De Leon is just a short drive past Stephenville, which is a short drive past Granbury, which is a, well, you get the point. Head there Wed-Sat, Aug 4-7, for the 106th annual De Leon Peach & Melon Festival (931 E Navarro Av, De Leon, 254-893-6600). Along with the obvious availability of fruits and vegetables for purchase, there will also be a carnival, food contests (of both the eating and making variety), live entertainment (including a pageant and a tractor pull), and lots of vendor booths. Prices vary by activity. For more information, go to PeachAndMelonFestival.net. 5.) The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (1600 Gentry St, Fort Worth, 817-255-9300) is back open, and
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so is its cafe. Before the pandemic, local restaurateur Joey Diomede — owner/chef at Galligaskin’s Submarines & Catering (5817 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, 817377-0196) — came on board at FWMSH’s restaurant space inside the museum and reopened it as Star Cafe by Galligaskin’s. The menu is very affordable and includes salads and subs for $5-7, chicken tenders for $4-8, pizza for $6-8, and snacks and sweets for $2-3. Try the food 10am-4pm Fri-Sat or 1pm-4pm Sun during your next museum visit. 6.) The stuffed bell peppers are a customer favorite at J.R. Bentley’s (406 W Abram St, Arlington, 817-261-7351), an English pub near UTA. Typically available only for
7.) August is National Coffee Month, so to commemorate the month-long celebration, Ketel One Vodka (@KetelOneUSA) has some boozy suggestions. To make a Ketel One Marvelous Espresso Cocktail, for example, you’ll need 1.5 oz of Ketel One Vodka, 1 oz of espresso, 3/4 oz of coffee liqueur, and 1/8 oz of simple syrup. Shake all the ingredients together with ice and fine strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with three coffee beans. 8.) Muy Frio Margaritas (3613 W Vickery Blvd, Ste 109, Fort Worth, 817-238-3386) is partnering with Queso Carne (@ queso.carneboxdelivery) for a class called Charcuterie With Me on Thu, Aug 5, from 6pm to 8pm. The $75 fee includes the food and supplies for class, a wooden charcuterie tray, and a drink from Muy Frio. Register at Catering.OrderSpoon. com/MuyFrio.
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Sounds Ramblin’ Roads is Onsale Now Advertising Feature The first weekend of October, travel the roads to discover Downtown Arlington at the Ramblin’ Roads Music Festival. This unique music event from Oct 1 thru 3 features blues, country, gospel, jazz, rock, and more, over three days at 18 venues including Arlington Music Hall, Levitt Pavilion, and Texas Live. Here is the recently announced schedule of artists.
Grill, Old School Pizza Tavern, and Hurtado BBQ. There will also be listening rooms at On Tap, Hooligan’s Pub, Hershey’s Palace, 4 Kahunas Tiki Lounge, and Urban Alchemy. Along with the concerts above, Ramblin’ Roads will include a Classic Car Show, a Gospel Brunch, the Urban Artisan Market, and Start-The-Journey Youth Talent Showcase. Tickets are $45 for a singleday ticket, $100 for a threeday ticket, or $250 for a threeday reserved pass. For more information and reservations, visit RamblinRoadsFest.com.
Cour tesy Facebook.
CrossTown
Jamestown Revival plays a Saturday show at Ramblin’ Roads Festival in October.
FRIDAY 10/1 Bobby Pulido with Monica Saldivar, and Mike Ryan with Catie Offerman, plus Devin Leigh, Velvet Love Box, Texas Cartel, Brandon Steadman, Estacado, Billie Star, Able Delilah, Sunny Disposition, and Mutha Falcon.
La Original Sonora Dinamita with Grupo Control & Grupo Feroz, Dan Cavanaugh Quartet featuring Grammy nominee Remy Le Boeuf, Big Ass Brass Band, and Tatiana Mayfield, plus Don Pendley, Jesse Spradlin, Blake Dagley, Aaron Cooper, Pinebox Serenade, Holy & The Mystery Lights, and Phil Hollie. Smaller music venues hosting some of these shows include Cartel Taco Bar, Create Arlington, Grease Monkey Burger Shop, Growl Records, Inclusion Coffee, J Gilligan’s Bar & Grill, Legal Draft Beer Company, Maverick’s Sports
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William Clark Green with Shaker Hymns & Jesse Stratton, and Jamestown Revival, plus September Moon, Tamara King, Lance Battalion, and Damoyee.
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drawl, not unlike the King’s. “I saw that guy and went home thinking Elvis was just the coolest thing in the world. I started researching everything I could about him and listened to all his songs. Got a costume and dressed up as him for Halloween. Kind of grew into dancing on the coffee table singing ‘Blue Christmas’ or whatever. It was kind of a phase until it wasn’t. It just grew and grew. It started me on singing, and my first gigs in high school were playing around as an Elvis tribute artist.” A decade of channeling Presley would ultimately lead to a role playing the blueeyed heartthrob from Tupelo, Mississippi, in CMT’s Sun Records despite no prior formal acting experience. “It took a little luck,” he said about the life-changing turn. “I actually just saw an ad for open auditions on Facebook, but then again, I’d kind of been preparing for that role my whole life,” he added with a laugh.
Filming the single-season run of the series centering around on the early days of Sam Phillips’ famed recording studio pulled Milligan out of his senior year in high school and relocated him from North Texas to Tennessee, where he still lives today. Since he’s been there, he’s immersed himself in the Nashville songwriting community, listening to stories from the heroes who wrote his favorite childhood songs. Solidifying his next obsession, he set out to learn the craft of songwriting himself. His associations afforded him opportunities to be mentored by industry legends like Dean Dillon (Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, George Strait) and Bruce Bouton (Garth Brooks, George Jones). Though young, Milligan asserted himself as a peer among these giants, absorbing all he could from their amusing road stories and valuable songcraft insights. “It’s something that definitely pushes you,” he said of learning from these greats. “I mean, you either get run over by them, or you just do the work.” The chops he learned were certainly put to use on his new EP. The 23-year-old Milligan co-wrote each of the five songs, work he mostly shared with Brandon Hood (Rascal Flatts, Shane Filan), who coproduced the music with Tony Brown (Steve Earle, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart). As far as Milligan’s sound, he attempted what he calls “old school in a new way.” With many years of vocal seasoning by way of The King, Milligan’s twang-heavy baritone rides confidently up front over a bevy of iconic Nashville hit-making session players like incomparable steel guitarist Paul Franklin (Jerry Reed, Randy Travis). Sonically, the backing band mixes several timeless country
Lopez tackled his mind battles in Celestial L’amour’s 2020 debut single, “Old Devil.” “Walking through the shadows,” the duo harmonizes. “Thinking of my highs and lows / Walking through the valley / With all my shadows / Cloak and dagger, I don’t wanna walk alone / You won’t let me go / The Old Devil’s at the door / You won’t forget / The scars left behind from them.” Lopez has lived in Fort Worth since second grade, and L’amour was born and raised in the Fort. They started playing
shows together in 2016 as part of The Straits but left not long afterward for Lopez to pursue the metal band Light the Way. The singer-songwriter started playing and touring professionally, with his father’s cumbia band, from the age of 12 until 17. “That’s where I get my influences from, my dad’s side,” Lopez said. “The aggressive rock screams and all that — all those influences are what comprise the group’s sound.” Along with Lopez on vocals and rhythm guitar and L’amour on lead vocals, the band is rounded out by bassist Jack Emery, lead guitarist Kris Lopez, and drummer Tanner Moseley. “We intend to make time for the group,” Lopez said. “At the moment, we are trying to get the group off the ground. We do intend to start touring.” Though Celestial L’amour has always worked with producer Joe Burton (Mountain Kid, Keanu Leaves), the band recorded a few of its recent singles, “Old Devil” and “Strong,” at SG Studios in Fort Worth (Derryl Perry, The Deluxe, Casey Daniels Band) and Blue 13 Productions with Greg Muzljakovich
Drake Milligan
The former star of CMT’s Sun Records TV show launches his country career with his debut EP. B Y
P A T R I C K
H I G G I N S
As a child, Drake Milligan fell in love with music from listening to his father’s record collection. The Mansfield native would spend hours spinning classic country greats like George Jones and Merle Haggard. The plaintive pedal steel bends and lonesome lyrics certainly touched a place within him, but, strangely, it was watching an Elvis impersonator perform at a ’50s-themed burger joint when he was 7 that really set him on the path to his own music career, a career that is now officially off the ground with the release last week of his debut, self-titled EP. “That was kind of the turning point,” he said over the phone in his deep Southern
Jay Blakesberg
MUSIC Milligan: “I think especially after this past year, people are more open to stopping down, listening, and appreciating music again more for than just background.”
Celestial L’Amour Rocks It
Following in the vein of Evanescence and quite a few other alt-rock acts these days, Celestial L’amour explores Christian themes but does not necessarily want to be categorized as “Christian.” As with their new track “Le Sable (Sand),” though, the idea of a higher power is at play. And there are lots of other new tracks from the Fort Worth songwriting duo of married couple frontwoman Celestial L’amour and Luis Lopez. They’ve been releasing singles at a rapid pace since the start of the pandemic and intend to return to the studio in September. “Whenever I met Celestial,” Lopez said, “I knew that we wanted to use our gifts and what we know how to do. I knew we wanted to do a rock band, but it was difficult at first finding the right committed members. I’m really happy where we are at right now.” Specializing in songs of hardship and grace, the band never loses sight of hope.
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tones. Opener “Over Drinkin’ Under Thinkin” is a classic honkytonk two-stepper while “Don’t Look Down” is Milligan’s answer to a Roy Orbison-style crooner’s tune. “Kiss Goodbye All Night” could easily be seen as an anthemic standard on The Wolf. Unlike the Chris Stapletons and Sturgill Simpsons of the world, Milligan’s “old school” is shifted up a few decades. Far from the ’70s outlaw country revival that’s become popular, his sound is closer to mid-’90s hit machines like Garth Brooks and George Strait. It recalls a time when country music was ubiquitous and absolutely dominated music sales, a healthy dose of Nashville sheen applied to mega-hit after mega-hit. The waltzing ballad “She” could easily have come from Randy Travis or Aaron Tippen in that era. Thankfully, there is an element of authenticity and genuineness to Milligan’s writing that is sorely absent from country’s mega-stars of today, something he says he owes to his mentorships. “I think especially after this past year, people are more open to stopping down, listening, and appreciating music again more for than just background,” he said. “There was a learning process from these guys, from where inspiration can come from and [what direction] you can take it. I was lucky enough to get into a room with them and learn.” Now that the album is out, Milligan is preparing to take his music to the stage, another step that will see him rubbing elbows with his heroes. His next dates will have him open for none other than Dwight Yoakam. As to whether he sees himself acting again? “If the right part came along, I’d love to go for it,” he said. “Right now, I just want to keep focusing on making music.” l
in Dallas (Electric Tongues, Kyoto Lo-Fi, Late Native) while continuing to work with Burton. For Lopez and L’Amour, the band is paramount. “I would love to write and sing songs for a living,” Lopez said. “Hopefully, we get to do this full time. It’s not a little dream.” Celestial L’amour’s latest releases are on Spotify and at CelestialLamour. Bandcamp.com. The band’s next gig is Sat, Aug 7, at MASS on the Near Southside. — Juan R. Govea Contact HearSay at Anthony@FWWeekly.com.
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MUSIC Welcome, Tulips FTW and More Big Shoes, Really Big Shoes
I missed Caravan of Dreams. The downtown venue had closed before I landed on yon sunny shores. All I know is that in the millions of words I’ve written about Fort Worth music since then (circa 2002), about half of them are about the lack of a decent mid-sized venue in this town, especially with the on-again/off-again relationship we’ve all had with Ridglea Theater. Now that Tulips FTW has arrived, satisfying that need permanently, I’m left thinking of its presence as more of an inevitability than a godsend, despite its wonderfulness. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I feel weird celebrating something that should have brightened Fort Worth a decade or more ago. This is not Tulips’ fault. Owner Jason Suder and company could not have developed their plan any earlier, only on their own time. The fault lies with us. Why
did it take a decade-plus for us to finally be home to a kickass mid-sized venue? Let’s just go ahead and blame Dallas for being awesome and for having multiple locations for mid-sized touring acts and for having housed said multiple locations for as long as Dallas has been Dallas. Now that we have Tulips FTW (112 St. Louis Av, 817367-9798) — plus the Ridglea (occasionally) and Dickies Arena, a major venue (see you there for Steely Dan in ’22!) — we should be dancing in the streets like Jagger and Bowie in that dumb video. Why we aren’t says a lot about where we think we are as a “metropolis.” Or maybe now that most of the local indie rockers are millennials, they feel entitled to gorgeous, great-sounding places like Tulips and Dickies. Just kidding! (But not really.) Or maybe we’re acting our size. Finally. Not that most local indie rockers will see the Tulips stage. The venue “will finally route favorite musical acts to the western side of the Metroplex,” Tulips says in a post. “As [Fort Worth] nears a population of 850,000, we have stayed confined to local acts being staged at a circuit of favorite bars, but the touring acts worth higher ticket prices still skip us for Dallas. The market is here, but until now, the option hasn’t been. Tulips FTW will remedy this shortcoming.” For Tulips’ grand opening Friday, a gritty roots-rocking touring band and a KXT favorite, Band of Heathens, is slated to play with two rollicking Dallas acts and a
D R I NeK of th Month
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cool Fort Worth cat, Dustin Massey. This is the kind of show that would have set the town to talking 10 years ago — “Kickass bill!,” “Why only one Fort Worth band?” (sweet, innocent me), “Wow, we are a firstworld city after all!” — so my thinking is that if Tulips FTW is not packed all night Friday, the venue didn’t do anything wrong. The bands aren’t to blame, either. Maybe the problem is once again with us. #entitled? #forgettingrecenthistory #takingprogressforgranted
The Post at River East
I don’t remember the exact year, but there was a time not too long ago when the oldies radio stations here and in other cities I visited stopped playing the oldies. *wonky sad face* Instead of The Temptations, Little Anthony, Ambrosia, Tommy James, Elvis, Seals & Crofts, Sam & Dave, The Monkees, and “Louie Louie” (to which I continue cracking open a beer every time those first drowsy chords ring through the air), we got Huey Lewis *barf*, Bryan Adams *double barf*, and a million onehit wonders from the ’80s on up. All of my favorite doo-woppers, soul sensations, poppy crooners, and Brit-popsters? Gone like so much dandruff off my shoulders in the summer breeze, makes me feel fiiine … The fact that you can’t hear the Temps and the Four Tops, and Smokey and Sam Cooke and so many other soulsters from the sweetest of sweet spots of American
music, is a stone-cold tragedy that no one’s making a big enough deal about. At least The Post (2925 Race St, 817-945-8890) is trying to remedy this injustice by hosting a soulful night of smooth, old-school R&B Friday. That’s when Legacy 4 will perform. See all your/my old-school R&B favorites come to life through this Fort Worth vocal quartet. Unlike, say, a Me-Thinks show or a BULLS throwdown, there will be a Q&A session between sets. Here’s one for ya, Leg 4: Why’d they stop playing your kind of music on the radio? Tickets are $15-60 at Eventbrite.
MASS, Lola’s Saloon
Two other, different kinds of big shoes, really big shoes (are you enjoying my ridiculous references from the Pleistocene?) are going down elsewhere in town. At MASS (1002 S Main St, 682707-7774), psychedelic Fort Worth rockers Trauma Ray are on a bill with welcomed out-of-towners Glare, Downward, and Grivo. Cover is $8 in advance and $10 day of. And at Lola’s Saloon (2736 W 6th St, 817-759-9100), raging Fort Worth altmetalheads Kill For Mother headline a super lineup that also includes Lud, Mile Zero, and Sink Fast. For ticket information for both this show and the one at MASS, visit Prekindle. — Anthony Mariani Contact HearSay at Anthony@FWWeekly.com.
employment / public notices / bulletin bulletin board
Notice of Draft Federal Operating Permit Draft Permit No.: O4247
Application and Draft Permit. U.S. Venture, Inc., 425 Better Way, Appleton, WI 54915-6192, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an initial issuance of Federal Operating Permit (herein referred to as Permit) No. O4247, Application No. 31160, to authorize operation of the US Oil Fort Worth Terminal, a Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals facility. The area addressed by the application is located at 301 Terminal Rd in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas 76106-1922. 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 the application. You can find an electronic map of the facility at: http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/hb610/index.html?lat=32.821388&lng=-97.35&zoom=13&type=r. This application was received by the TCEQ on September 17, 2020. The purpose of a federal operating permit is to improve overall compliance with the rules governing air pollution control by clearly listing all applicable requirements, as defined in Title 30 Texas Administrative Code § 122.10 (30 TAC § 122.10). The draft permit, if approved, will codify the conditions under which the area must operate. The permit will not authorize new construction. The executive director has completed the technical review of the application and has made a preliminary decision to prepare a draft permit for public comment and review. The executive director recommends issuance of this draft permit. The permit application, statement of basis, and draft permit will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ Central Office, 12100 Park 35 Circle, Building E, First Floor, Austin, Texas 78753; the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Office, 2309 Gravel Dr, Fort Worth, Texas 76118-6951; and the Diamond Hill-Jarvis Library, 1300 Ne 35th St, Fort Worth, Texas 76106-4552, beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The draft permit and statement of basis are available at the TCEQ Website: www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/tvnotice At the TCEQ central and regional offices, relevant supporting materials for the draft permit, as well as the New Source Review permits which have been incorporated by reference, may be reviewed and copied. Any person with difficulties obtaining these materials due to travel constraints may contact the TCEQ central office file room at (512) 239-2900. Public Comment/Notice and Comment Hearing. Any person may submit written comments on the draft permit. Comments relating to the accuracy, completeness, and appropriateness of the permit conditions may result in changes to the draft permit. A person who may be affected by the emission of air pollutants from the permitted area may request a notice and comment hearing. The purpose of the notice and comment hearing is to provide an additional opportunity to submit comments on the draft permit. The permit may be changed based on comments pertaining to whether the permit provides for compliance with 30 TAC Chapter 122 (examples may include that the permit does not contain all applicable requirements or the public notice procedures were not satisfied). The TCEQ may grant a notice and comment hearing on the application if a written hearing request is received within 30 days after publication of the newspaper notice. The hearing request must include the basis for the request, including a description of how the person may be affected by the emission of air pollutants from the application area. The request should also specify the conditions of the draft permit that are inappropriate or specify how the preliminary decision to issue or deny the permit is inappropriate. All reasonably ascertainable issues must be raised and all reasonably available arguments must be submitted by the end of the public comment period. If a notice and comment hearing is granted, all individuals that submitted written comments or a hearing request will receive written notice of the hearing. This notice will identify the date, time, and location for the hearing. Written public comments and/or requests for a notice and comment hearing should be submitted to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087, or electronically at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/
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Senior Server Engineer (#L172) sought by Levi Strauss for their Westlake, TX office. Design and implement new systems or improve existing systems by identifying server and software/hardware solutions. Bach* +3 yrs exp (*will accept 7 yrs of progressively responsible exp.) Please submit resumes to Levi’s, ATTN: HR, 1155 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111, referencing job title and job code. Levi’s is an EOE.
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The following vehicles have been impounded with fees due to date by Lone Star Towing (VSF0647382) at 1100 Elaine Pl, Fort Worth TX, 76196, 817-334-0606: Fruehal Trailer 1972 000MAN341821 $1596.34. Nissan Altama 2009 1N4AL21E89N441706 $1923.73.
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Notice to Creditors Notice is given that original Letters Testamentary for the Estate of Selwyn Bayne Nash were issued on July 22, 2021, in docket number 2021-PR01834-1, pending in the Statutory Probate Court Number One of Tarrant County, Texas, to Lynn Smith Busch. All persons having claims against the estate, which is presently being administered, are required to submit them, within the time and manner prescribed by law, and before the estate is closed, addressed as follows: Representative Estate of Selwyn Bayne Nash c/o Matthew Hancock 1908 Sutter Street Fort Worth TX 76107
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