Fort Worth Weekly // October 19-25, 2022

The Hero We Don’t Deserve

CITY IN CRISIS

Corrupt judges are ruining families and scaring lawyers to keep the gravy train running on time.

BY EDWARD BROWN

EATS & DRINKS

Charcuterie is all the rage, and Graze Craze is here to satisfy your noshing needs.

BY LAURIE JAMES

STUFF

Against the undefeated Eagles, the Cowboys really beat themselves.

BY PATRICK HIGGINS

MUSIC

With her soulful sound, Summer Lane Emerson captures a lot of emotions on her stunning debut LP.

BY JUAN R. GOVEA

Fight to Fix Family Court

Parents are standing up to a clearly corrupt system that has no real oversight and no limits.

By Edward Brown

Oh, Rocky!

The campy cult classic is screening in various spots this Halloween season.

By Jennifer Bovee

Say Hello to Your No. 8 Horned Frogs

The unthinkable just weeks ago has become reality for TCU.

By Buck D. Elliott

Mighty Mom Summer Lane

Emerson’s new album hits all the sweet spots.

Jessica Waffles

By Juan R. Govea

LETTERS

Did the Sheriff’s Office Violate their Own COVID Rules via 287(g)?

There’s a lot of buzz revolving around the upcoming November elections for several important statewide positions, as well as several important positions within Tarrant County. As our community approaches the opportunity to elect a new Tarrant County Judge for the first time in 26 years, as well as two new commissioners, I encourage peo ple to consider the power that these elect ed officials have as it relates to the 287(g) agreement in Tarrant County, which grants the sheriff’s office the power to carry out duties usually reserved for ICE (U.S. Immi gration and Customs Enforcement) within the county jail and how the administration of this agreement has contributed to the spread of COVID-19.

As many people are aware, the 287(g) agreement, which has been in effect in Tar

METROPOLIS continued on page 5

LETTERS

Mom Seeks Reunification with Children

On Jan 27, 2020, my children Joshua, 8, and Samuel, 6, were forcefully removed from their home in Virginia with a fraud ulent no-knock warrant. I have not seen them since.

Tarrant County Texas family courts and law enforcement have continued to violate every statute and constitutional right of my minor children. They have been denied all contact and communica tion with their biological mother since they were unlawfully removed from their home.

As a result of grassroots campaigning and strongly voicing my discontent with Tarrant County Texas family courts and law enforcement agencies, I have been consistently threatened and harassed with contempt of court, jail time, falsified crim inal investigation, unwarranted search of loved ones’ homes, police visits, and fur ther violation of the children’s rights.

In efforts to reunify with my (wrong fully removed) children, I have continu ously and persistently requested assistance from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, the state attorney general, the governor’s office, the state bar association, every elected official, staff member (over 30,000 emails), and agency listed in the

Texas government directory, FBI Quanti co, FBI VA, FBI Fort Worth, various me dia outlets, the Texas Rangers, the sheriff’s office, the district attorney, the police com missioner, the mayor, state police, the U.S. Department of Justice, and every NPO I could find who protects or defends chil dren. I have also filmed documentaries with Channel 27 News and Dolcefino In vestigative Consulting, mailed pamphlets and information to the community, spoken on multiple podcasts and radio, volun teered and assisted in child advocacy for other children, and have strived to make the best of every opportunity and connec tion that has presented itself.

Through the process of seeking re lief for my children, I have discovered I am one of hundreds if not thousands who have serious grievances regarding civil rights violations against myself and my children within Tarrant County. Many are also targeted, harassed, and threatened for exposing the harm against our children. I am one of these moms.

Despite these efforts, my minor chil dren are still being denied all access and communication with their mother. Upon exhausting all known resources, I am re questing help toward reuniting my chil dren and me.

Signed, Sarah Leyva-Pike sarah.fcacc@gmail.com

This letter reflects the opinions of the author and not the Fort Worth Weekly . To submit a letter, please email Editor An thony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly. com. Letters will be gently edited for clar ity and concision.

rant County since 2017, was initially voted into power by Judge Glen Whitley and Com missioners Gary Fickes and J.D. Johnson. In 2020, the agreement was renewed indefinite ly, meaning that the commissioners court is no longer obligated to renew the agreement by voting for its renewal on a yearly or bi yearly basis. The agreement is now admin istered solely under the discretion of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, helmed by Sheriff Bill Waybourn. However, because the sheriff’s office works directly under the commissioners court and is supposed to re port all matters related to the jail to them, the commissioners court still possesses mul tiple channels of power to hold the sheriff’s office accountable for their daily operations, including the administration of 287(g).

Toward the beginning of 2020, when the pandemic began to spread throughout the world, law enforcement agencies began adopting special provisions to mitigate the spread of the disease, especially as it relat ed to the presence of COVID-19 within jails and other carceral facilities, because per guidance from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), these areas are ripe for the spreading of infections. From infor mation obtained through an open records request by the ACLU of Texas, in partner ship with the Texas Jail Project, all of the

initial provisions adopted by the sheriff’s office to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 were shared with our organization, ICE Out of Tarrant, because of our efforts to hold the sheriff’s office accountable.

The policy that stood out to me the most from the affidavit shared by Chief Charles Eckert, who oversees the majority of daily jail operations, was No. 23, which read, “All new inmates to Tarrant County Jail are housed in a ‘classification’ housing unit for their first 14 days. These new inmates are medically checked daily for symptoms. In mates stay in this housing unit until every one has been in the housing unit for 14 days. Only then are they allowed to be placed in general population.”

However, according to information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Se curity, several people booked into Tarrant County Jail were released to ICE as soon as their first day of jail — some two days, oth ers under 14 days. This practice by Tarrant County Jail exposed newly admitted peo ple to COVID-19 by housing them in their classified housing units with other newly admitted people and then releasing them to ICE without allowing many of them to reach their 14-day clearance limit, leading to in creased COVID-19 spread outside of the jail.

From data we obtained, many people booked into Tarrant County Jail were re leased to ICE in under 14 days, some people on the same day as their booking into Tar rant County Jail, which proves that the jail has been violating its own COVID-19 con tainment practices.

These numbers are just a fraction of what we believe constitutes the entire amount of ICE transfers made through the 287(g) agreement between May 31, 2020, and May 21, 2021.

To reiterate, our organization could not obtain a full understanding of these num bers because the sheriff’s office disrupted our initial investigation on the administra tion of 287(g) by removing public access to daily booked-in reports. We believe that this was intentional.

To illustrate the information in a more condensed manner, we have also created a ta ble to offer a better view on how many people we know have been transferred to ICE who have been transferred before the 14-day hold ing limit. The table also illustrates how many people were infected with COVID-19 within Tarrant County Jail detention at the time that each of these individuals were transferred to ICE. The COVID-19 rate information was obtained using information from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office continued to maintain some records on the number of people in jail custody tested for COVID-19, as well as how many people have tested positive and other important pieces of information after the Texas Commission on Jail Standards ended this practice on June 16, 2021. It was discovered, months later, that the sheriff’s office was maintaining no records on how many people with ICE detainers were being tested for COVID-19 before being released to ICE custody via the 287(g) agreement.

After filing an open records request, we discovered that not only was the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office violating their own rules that they created to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through the administration of 287(g), but they also were not making any efforts to track which persons in their cus tody were tested for COVID-19 before being released to ICE custody.

In conclusion, as Tarrant County ap proaches its election cycle and as several po sitions on the commissioners court become up for grabs, our community must ensure that the people who are elected into power make a commitment to hold the sheriff’s department accountable and make a com mitment to end the 287(g) agreement. The 287(g) agreement must end because it is racist in nature and upholds the structure of white supremacy, and it must end because it is detrimental to the public health of Tar rant County and very possibly several other areas throughout the nation and even other nations.

Signed, Jonathan Guadian Community organizer, ICE Out of Tarrant County

This letter reflects the opinions of the au thor and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a letter, please email Editor Antho ny Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. Letters will be gently edited for clarity and concision.

Corrupt Courts Destroying Families

Growing outrage at allegedly unethical family court dealings is pushing Texans to reform the system and topple judges who mishandle divorce and child custody cases.

BY EDWARD BROWN

Havingyour children taken away on false allegations of family violence is complete destruction, said Riti Chikkerur.

It has been three years since Austin-based Judge Michael Denton signed a protective or der labeling Chikkerur as a potential threat to her three boys. Even after the Travis County district attorney dropped charges of harass ment and stalking against her — allegations the mother maintains are baseless — the 17year protective order remained in place and was used in Travis County family court to terminate Chikkerur’s access to her children. Now, the mother is allowed three five-minute phone calls a year with her kids: their birth days, Mother’s Day, and Christmas.

“When I speak to my boys, it is all mon itored,” she said. “I cry every day. I heal every day. I think the best way for me to transmute this pain is having a purpose bigger than myself. That has allowed me to recover from physical pain.”

That newfound purpose is a nonprofit. Our Children Matter Most (OCMM) is part nering with the NAACP to raise public aware ness about illegal or overly punitive protective orders. Chikkerur and a growing number of attorneys believe most orders are unconsti tutional and a violation of a child’s right to a relationship with both parents.

In recent months, several parents have reached out to us with similar horror stories of judges in Tarrant County and Texas unjustly separating children from parents, often be cause one party has a personal connection to the judge or preemptively made false allega tions against the other parent.

Brooks McKenzie, former assistant di rector of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU, has dedicated his life to lobbying state legislators, volunteering as a court watcher, and speaking publicly at meet ings and conferences about a range of prob lems facing the state family court system.

In early 2019, and for reasons McKenzie cannot fathom to this day, Judge Kate Stone of Tarrant County’s 233rd District Court placed

him on restricted visitations with his young son. McKenzie alleges Stone verbally mocked him in court by saying he would never have his way in her court. Associate judges like Stone are not required to have court reporters present, so the alleged comment went undocumented. At McKenzie’s urging, Stone later recused herself from his case, and District Judge Kenneth New ell of the same court presided over the custody trial between McKenzie and his former wife.

“My case has been nothing but a judge hating my guts for no reason than doing ev erything she can to hurt my child and to hurt me,” McKenzie said of Stone. “The State of Texas says [that as a child development spe cialist] I am safe to be around kids, but a cor rupt judge in Tarrant County decided to vio late the Constitution. I haven’t seen my kid in two and a half years.”

Chikkerur, McKenzie, and a small but devoted swell of parents around the state are working to reform Texas’ family court system and courts in general. If change comes, it may be due in large part to North Texas parents and one Fort Worth legal watchdog. Larry O’Neal has made parental rights and outting corrupt judges the focus of his Facebook Live shows and Facebook groups that together reach around 150,000 followers.

On O’Neal’s shows, talk of reform focus es on enforcing Section 25.03 of the state pe nal code that deals with interference in child custody. Too frequently, O’Neal’s followers say, one parent refuses to allow court-ordered visitations to the other parent, and Fort Worth police and the DA typically ignore this poten tially criminal behavior.

Another topic of local discussion involves mandating 50-50 custody as the standard across the state and the abolishment of child support except in cases when one party earns

significantly more than the other. Granting equal parenting rights would eliminate the cur rent system of winners and losers — a source of contention in court and fuel for endless lit igation. More narrowly defining the grounds for filing a temporary restraining, protective, and no-contact order would reduce the usage of a weapon too frequently wielded in court to psychologically and financially pummel one party that may not have the resources to fight sometimes bogus allegations.

Multiple attorneys, parents, and non profit leaders say the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, which is headed by judg es, is too corrupt to be relied upon anymore. Revamping or abolishing the commission and replacing it with a well-funded agency incentivized to disbar, impeach, or criminally charge family court attorneys, judges, and oth er court officers is the only acceptable system for accountability, reformers say. Another idea is to place cameras in every courtroom in the state. The videos, which could lower incidents of perjury, would be monitored by volunteers or civil rights attorneys who could file formal complaints for judicial misconduct that would otherwise go unreported.

Austin-based attorney Mary Louise Seraf ine recently co-filed a civil lawsuit against sev eral state leaders with the goal of overturning a Texas law that allows judges to ban so-called vexatious litigants from court. Judges often mis use the law to shut up and shut out defendants who allege judicial misconduct, Serafine said.

“There is now a critical mass of people, myself included, who have now given up the idea that most of the courts — trial, appellate, and supreme court — operate fairly most of the time,” she said. “They don’t. A critical mass of lawyers and citizens have had so much expe rience of unfair treatment by the courts that something has to change. It will not change without the state legislature or federal courts taking action.”

“I was a successful entrepreneur,” she said, referring to her past career in the pe troleum industry. “I didn’t have so much as a parking ticket, and my credit score topped 800. I was doing well.”

In 2015, the mother of three divorced her husband. Two years later, she said, her ex-hus band requested an ex parte temporary restrain ing order against her.

Her ex “alleged child abuse and neglect,” Chikkerur said.

The mother was able to successfully fight the allegations, but Judge Denton placed a protective order on her the next April.

“I went to court assuming [Judge Denton] would see the ridiculousness of the false alle gations and dismiss the case,” Chikkerur said. “Instead, the judge refused to acknowledge my presence in court, let alone let me argue my innocence. My ex-husband’s girlfriend stated that I sent [them] a photo of an Indian goddess and threatened to cause physical harm” to the girlfriend and others.

Chikkerur was hit with the criminal charges of harassment and stalking, which were dismissed last year. She was also placed on GPS ankle monitoring and issued the 17year protective order that banned commu nication and contact with members of her ex-husband’s family. The protective order and criminal charges, Chikkerur said, were lever aged in family court to portray her as a danger to her children. Family Court Judge Karin Crump issued the final orders that severely restrict the mother’s access to her children to the five-minute phone calls on select holidays. Judges Crump and Denton ignored requests for comment.

“In order to get a protective order, a pros ecutor has to prove that I committed bodily injury and harm or threatened to,” the mother said. “I was not in communication with [any of my ex’s relatives]. It is a routine thing that family courts do. They weaponize these pro tective orders against the other side.”

Five years ago, Chikkerur thought she had achieved everything she wanted, both per sonally and professionally.

In a 2020 YouTube video, a Williamson County assistant district attorney spoke to a group of family law attorneys about the advan tages of obtaining a protective order during a divorce or child custody battle. The video is often shared as an example of how cavalier prosecutors can be when describing a weapon that can bring irreparable harm to children and parents.

“Protective orders are pretty easy” to obtain, Leslie Levy told the lawyers. “A pro tective order carries criminal consequences. Accordingly, that makes it a pretty heavy tool in negotiating divorce. I would encourage you to do the protective order as part of your case. It gives you more leverage in negotiating a set tlement. We [at the DA’s office] are willing to walk you through the process.”

Gaining a protective order simply re quires proving a reasonable likelihood that someone harassed or stalked a defendant, Levy continued.

“Again, [these orders are] real easy to prove up,” she said.

Chikkerur alleges that her ex’s attorney il legally backdated her protective order to have her arrested for discussing her case publicly.

“They said I violated the protective or der,” Chikkerur recalled. “All of this was be cause I was ramping up my activism efforts. They showed the protective order [in family continued on

As a Ms. World Pageant contestant, Riti Chikkerur openly displayed her ankle monitor to raise awareness of unjust protective orders.

Courtesy Riti Chikkerur

Brooks McKenzie: “If the feds come in, we will have judges in prison, and that’s where a lot of them should be.”

Courtesy Facebook

court] to falsely show that I committed fami ly violence. They did not expect me to come back. They don’t expect me to fight.”

OCMM manages three campaigns that aim to reform protective orders. Through public marches, Chikkerur and her supporters plan to raise public awareness of the misuse of protective orders. The second effort seeks to reform protective orders through legislation or by overturning the law on constitutional grounds. While the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment protects citizens from self-in crimination, common practice in Texas com pels parents to appear in court, often with short notice and without legal representation, to answer for allegations before a protective or der is given.

“The Constitution clearly states that no man should be put on the stand and forced to defend themselves of a crime without proper due process,” Chikkerur said.

Parents should be assigned legal counsel if they cannot afford it, she added, and the bur den of proof for assigning the orders should be very high and not based only on hearsay.

The final pillar of OCMM’s work involves the formation of a public council that disci plines or pardons judges and other judicial officers for committing the most egregious of fenses, based on whether the offenders public ly repent and acknowledge their wrongdoing. Chikkerur sees the Truth and Reconciliation Commission following the end of apartheid in South Africa as one possible model for Texas.

In December, Chikkerur will be a guest speaker at the annual banquet of the Austin branch of the NAACP. Nelson Linder, Austin NAACP president, said his organization is giving her a platform for the issue of unlawful protective orders to gain statewide attention.

“I examined her case,” Linder said. “It ap pears to me that there’s a lot of abuse here. We are trying to have judges take a look at what was done in her case. … Our justice system has to be fair to everybody, regardless of class, race, and color. We are giving her a platform through the NAACP so she can speak to peo ple who may not normally hear these issues.”

As painful as her ongoing ordeal is, the OCMM founder said her suffering has brought renewed purpose. She will spend the rest of her life fighting for the rights of chil dren, she said.

“They are innocent — always,” she said. “It’s easy to see success when you work for children. I believe that children are a represen tative of God, a higher power. I don’t want to leave this world with damaged children.”

mestic violence and threatened to divorce him. The couple made it five more years while at tending counseling before she filed for divorce in November 2018. Three days after that filing, based on court records, Judge Lori DeAngelis signed a temporary restraining order against McKenzie that mandated that he appear in court one week later, give his wife sole access to their home, begin paying child support, and follow more than 40 lengthy stipulations.

Five months later, based on court docu ments, the child development specialist was again brought to court, this time with Stone presiding.

“My wife’s attorney, [Associate Judge] Stone, and my attorney go to the back cham bers,” McKenzie said. “I now tell people, ‘Never let your attorneys go in the back room.’ Nothing good happens. My attorney says

[Stone] hates your guts. Associate Judge Stone comes out and starts screaming at me. She was so red in the face, spit was flying out. She had decided right then and there that everything my wife accused me of was true. She ordered me not to pray with my son and not to talk about the Bible with my son.”

Judge Newell, Texas’ 233rd District Court’s elected judge, signed off on the agree ment that stripped the father’s access to his son. To this day, McKenzie alleges that neither Stone nor Newell has heard one word of testi mony from him.

“Every time we ask to call for a hearing to address these allegations, [Stone] would come out at the beginning and say how she was go ing to rule,” McKenzie alleges.

Stone ordered McKenzie to see his son only during supervised visits at the family court

building allegedly. Judges Newell and Stone ig nored requests for comment on this story.

“When we had 15 minutes left, [my son] would get upset and start crying,” McKenzie recalled. “I stopped the visitations because it was damaging my child every time it would happen. It was becoming more and more up setting for him.”

Throughout the ordeal, McKenzie said he worked with and eventually fired three attorneys because they would not object to or call out Stone for her alleged misbehavior in court.

His attorneys “wouldn’t file complaints,” he said. “They would flat out say, ‘I am not going to ruin my career.’ They would usually lie to me. I would pull up the law and show it to them. If you are not going to do your job,

fair of

The irony of being a child development spe cialist with his parental rights terminated by a Tarrant County judge is not lost on McK enzie, who earned his doctorate in psychol ogy from TCU.

“I train nonprofits and foster care groups on how to address the needs of children,” he said. “The State of Texas says I am safe to be around kids.”

McKenzie said his marriage began unrav eling early on. In 2013, when his son was nearly 2, McKenzie’s wife allegedly accused him of do

JOSHUA RAY WALKER

REDDICK RC AND THE GRITZ BRENNEN LEIGH

JAMIE LIN WILSON

BUD LIGHT STAGE

you have no purpose to me. I forced my attor ney to file a [motion for Stone’s] recusal. I had to write it myself. Stone laughed. She openly stated that she violated my civil and constitu tional rights and asked, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ ”

In mid-2020, McKenzie’s ex moved to Collin County. His son resided there for more than six months. McKenzie request ed a transfer of venue to remove the custody case from Newell’s court to Collin County as family code mandates that jurisdiction trans fer to the county where the child has resided for the previous six months. Newell refused the transfer. A year later, McKenzie suffered a workplace accident that left him bedridden for four months, and he had limited cellular service at his home.

“I requested that my [child custody case] be done [via] Zoom,” McKenzie said. “They refused my request. Basically, they were try ing to get me on the phone so they could have some semblance of a trial. They went ahead and had a trial and gave my wife’s attorney everything they asked for — full custody and attorney’s fee. [Newell] signed off on it know ing that it is illegal.”

McKenzie said he went through a deep and protracted depression that lasted months. He remembered going days on end without eating or showering. On his worst days, he contemplated suicide.

McKenzie’s plan for overhauling the state family court system is multifaceted. The system has to be overhauled and reformed on several fronts, he said. The biggest barriers to reform, he said, are special interest groups like the Tex as Family Law Foundation, which represents family law attorneys, and the judiciary itself.

“The existing laws that we have were created by family law attorneys and judges for family law attorneys and judges,” he said. “They literally built a working environment to allow themselves to do this corrupt stuff. It’s one of the only industries where we allow people to make their own rules.”

The state family court system is fund ed in part through federal monies disbursed through the Title IV D program. For every dollar Texas spends on monitoring and en forcing child support, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contributes 66 cents to the state, and those annual funds run into the hundreds of millions.

In Texas’ budget-neutral environment, McKenzie sees an opportunity to reallocate those dollars for the purchase of video equip ment for every courtroom in the state.

“Let’s use that to pay for the audio and video in the courtrooms,” McKenzie said. “The Texas Supreme Court has cameras in their courtrooms.”

Title IV D funds can also pay for a new Commission on Judicial Conduct removed from any connection to the state supreme court, a step that would neutralize influence from higher courts that McKenzie and others believe cover for unethical or illegal rulings by lower courts.

Multiple attorneys believe judges and the judicial institution itself generally protect the rulings and acts of other judges. It’s a system that permits judicial officers to be re-elected

without having to answer for overturned rul ings. The State Commission on Judicial Con duct rarely publicly disciplines judges even though that office routinely fields serious and documented instances of judicial misconduct.

“We need to overhaul [the commission], take it out from under the judiciary, where it operates in secret, and make it like an office of the attorney general, but their only job is to investigate and prosecute people in the court rooms,” McKenzie said. “Make it the police for the courtroom and incentivize them. We incentivize police and prosecutors. The more corrupt judges and attorneys you strip of their ability to practice or place in prison, the more rewarded you will be.”

Texas creates too many financial incentives for former couples to fight over money and prop erty through no-fault divorces, he continued.

“No fault means there is no fault,” he said. “The person who files by default should give up primary decision-making, and there should be default 50-50 custody. It is laid out on paper [so there is no need for court battles]. The per son who is filing is already putting their needs above that of the child.”

For cases in which abuse or worse are al leged, the filings should be done in criminal court, he continued. The measure would bring better resources toward investigating allega tions of abuse while holding both parties more accountable for false statements.

“If we can address no-fault divorce, then a judge isn’t needed,” he added. “Now you need fewer judges. We can get rid of a lot of these judges. We can get rid of their court staff, the bailiffs, clerks, and reporters. We are looking at tens of millions saved just from the get-go because we don’t need these judges.”

Over time, the changes would reduce divorc es, McKenzie believes, because leaving a spouse would no longer be financially incentivized.

“I think [my ex and I] spent around $200,000 or more,” he said. “What could I have done with that lost money? Bought a home and sent my kid to college. Instead, that money has been pissed away and given to multiple law firms so they can buy a home and send their kids to college. None of it makes any sense. The lobbyists and the family law attorney are invested in the system. They have been running that narrative for too long.”

strike down a statute that she said is misused to silence parents who have lost parental rights.

“I can’t tell you how many parents have called me about being labeled a vexatious liti gant or general unfairness in the courts,” Ser afine said.

One of six plaintiffs in the filing, based on court documents, was denied access to her daughter by a family court judge.

“She was declared a vexatious litigant” soon after, Serafine said. “She did not file any frivolous suits. She never filed any suit other than the one to see her daughter.”

Under the statute, any person labeled a vexatious litigant cannot represent him- or herself in court without an appointed attorney parents who cannot afford legal counsel in Texas often represent themselves in court.

“Most people don’t have $20,000 or $30,000 lying around” to hire an attorney, Ser afine continued.

Another of the six litigants placed on the state list of vexatious litigants is Travis County Judge Madeleine Connor, who said in a public statement that the statute is an abomination.

“The accused has to fight against the law’s built-in presumption of guilt — not a presumption of innocence — and somehow has to prove that he or she is innocent of a list of infractions,” Conner said. “That did not happen in my case. [The allegations were] just made up.”

Serafine and co-filer John Vinson listed a Smith County judge and clerk along with the director of the Office of Court Administration of Texas as defendants in the civil suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas last month. The defendants have until mid-October to respond, Serafine said.

“They will probably answer with a motion for the federal judge to dismiss the case,” she said. “They will say that we can’t sue because the state of Texas has some immunity. We will answer that we didn’t sue the state of Texas. We are suing state agents. They will probably say the administrative judge has judicial immuni ty. We will answer by saying they are not act ing in their judicial capacity. They are acting as an administrative agent.”

Like a chess player planning several steps ahead, Serafine has mulled over the state’s likely legal responses, and she believes they will all be pitiful at best.

ing the federal due process and civil rights we have,” she continued. “We have rights under the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Courts are using that statute to silence people who are expressing ideas and opinions that they don’t want to come out, at least when they don’t want them to come out in court.”

A critical number of attorneys, defen dants, and reform-minded advocates have lost faith in the Texas judiciary, Serafine said. The Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals protect unethical rulings from appellate courts while the various courts of appeals protect the rulings of trial courts.

Over her career, Serafine said she has documented instances of county and district judges outright fabricating evidence and lying on opinions. Judges will even resort to order ing court reporters to alter or remove parts of transcripts as a means of serving powerful in terests, she alleges, adding that both Democrat and Republican judges equally and frequently engage in corrupt acts.

“We used to think that there were only one or two bad eggs, mostly on the lower courts,” she said. “This malfeasance is so in credibly widespread, I’m stunned by it. The higher courts cover for lower judges’ malfea sance.”

As a waitress brought cups of water and coffee to the table, McKenzie recently wel comed more than 20 parents and child rights advocates at the back room of Ol’ South Pan cake House.

“I don’t care if you are a Republican or Democrat,” he told the group. “We are trying to get this system changed. Tarrant County is about to be set on fire. It’s about to get interest ing for judges and attorneys.”

After discussing the types of reforms he would like to see in courtrooms across the state, he and attendees took turns describing the need to organize and reach like-minded Texans. DeWayne Ward, who runs the You Tube channel @PissedOffParent, lamented the lack of media attention to the matter while Joseph Villarreal told the group that actions matter more than complaining.

“People need to show up,” Villarreal said. “Family courts are a failed system. They won’t go down easily.”

McKenzie said the time for concerned parents to become involved in reforming the state family court system is now. Contacting elected officials and political donors should be the first step that parental rights advocates take. A long-term goal is to encourage parents who have had their civil rights violated in family court to have their cases transferred to federal court.

“We have to make [the problems in family court] so embarrassingly obvious,” McKenzie said. “I’m not a fan of the federal government except when the state refuses to do what it is supposed to do. If the feds come in, we will have judges in prison, and that’s where a lot of them should be.” l

The lawsuit recently filed by Serafine could

“They will be saying people do not have the right to sue the state agents who are violat

This story is part of City in Crisis, an ongo ing series of reports on unethical behavior and worse by local public leaders, featuring origi nal reporting.

Around 20 parents and reform-minded locals recently gathered at Ol’ South Pancake House to discuss ways to improve Texas’ family court system.

Edward Brown

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The Hero We Don’t Deserve

Led by “Mad” Max Duggan, TCU thrived during overtime against unbeaten Okie State to break into the Top 10.

BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT

The Sonny Dykes era has started more suc cessfully than most could have imagined. He’s undefeated as a head coach, and the Frogs just downed their third consecu tive ranked opponent after reclaiming the Iron Skillet from SMU. The Frogs are now ranked eighth in the AP poll and the last re maining team in the conference unscathed.

Is Dykes a magician? Hardly. Dykes (and fans) owes this start to someone he — as well as many of us — didn’t quite think was right for the challenge.

We don’t deserve “Mad” Max Dug gan (#15). The highly recruited Gatorade player of the year out of Iowa chose TCU over better brands and turnkey teams (Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame). He’s played a minimum of 10 games per season since he was a freshman, despite accumu lating various injuries notwithstanding a heart surgery on top of all of it. The senior is a bit of a millennial as college football goes. He played before the COVID shut down, pre relaxed transfer rules, and pri or to NIL payouts. TCU won five games

during Duggan’s first season, six games the year after, and five again last year during the Patterson to Kill transition. (There’s a pun in there somewhere.) This veteran quarterback, as many do, has weathered all of the slings and arrows normally hurled toward those in his position: “not accu rate enough,” “bad decision-making,” “his backup is better.” Duggan has never played in a bowl game as the Frogs have been eli gible only once out of the last three seasons during his tenure, and that game was can celed. The last bowl TCU competed in was the iconically inept Cheez-It Bowl against Cal in 2018. Duggan morphed into a de fac to scapegoat for a team that has already won more games midseason than a very similar roster won all of last.

Max has produced some magical per formances during his career, some of the most memorable from his rushing ability and impressive speed. This year, specifical ly, he’s become a dangerous downfield pass er. Saturday against Oklahoma State wasn’t his best performance. The senior completed barely more than half of his throws, though his final yardage of 286 through the air was enough to win. But the statistics aren’t vital to the argument. Duggan has remained for better or worse all along, and he’s always been who he is: competitive and resilient.

Any real Dallas Cowboys fan remem bers when tight end Jason Witten lost his helmet after a reception and raced down field without regard for his personal safety — fans love that stuff. Duggan has almost never played completely healthy but always with abandon and never with a fat check to greet him at the end of the game.

Dykes told Max before the season be gan that he wouldn’t be the starter, opting to rely on Chandler Morris (#2) as the quar terback of the future for an offense based heavily on downfield passing. Duggan could have transferred, and no one would have faulted him. No. 15 — through basi cally everything he does — is approaching a literary stereotype of Middle-American work ethic and loyalty. Football seasons at TCU, because Patterson was the head coach for so long, are divided into quarterbacking periods: the Tye Gunn era, the Andy Dal ton era, the Trevone Boykin era. We’re all witnessing an exciting crescendo and, ulti mately, the culmination of the Max Duggan era, the quarterback we didn’t deserve but are so lucky he stuck around.

Duggan was just named co-offensive

Big 12 player of the week. Quentin John ston (#1) logged his second most impres sive performance this season with eight receptions for 180 yards and a touchdown, but the real hero of the Frogs’ offense, as they erased a 17-point deficit, was running back Kendre Miller (#33). Your favorite sports opinionist asserted last week that he is the octane that makes this purple engine hum. When nothing was going right for Dykes and company, Miller was slashing and spinning for another 100-yard game and two touchdowns. (He’s scored in every contest this season.) Miller, like Duggan, clearly has a team mindset: mostly con cealed behind his visor and displaying mea sured emotion but always ready for the next snap. Miller displayed a “3” before a “33” using his fingers at the end of the game be fore yelling: “Can’t be stopped.” It was an homage to senior Emari Demercado, the Frog with whom he shares the backfield who carried nine times for 62 yards.

Joe Gillespie’s defense struggled as a whole during the first half, unable to slow senior OSU quarterback Spencer Sanders (#3) whether he was running or passing.

That changed after halftime and most spe cifically in the fourth quarter, when TCU repeatedly stymied the Cowboys and even tually picked off Sanders — right after the announcers were applauding how he’d improved in that area — for the game’s only forced turnover. (TCU muffed a punt during the first half.)

I find myself repeatedly frustrated by TCU’s stopping unit, but it’s probably my own fault. Patterson’s defense was almost an offense. They dictated pace and took risks. Gillespie is more contemplative, and the adjustments are smaller and slower but intentional. Purple cornerbacks were clear ly better than their orange opponents and blanketed outside routes with great success.

To be honest, the Cowboys were probably the better overall team, but the Frogs ros tered superior athletes.

TCU finally kicks off a conference game under the lights against Kansas State — their fourth consecutive ranked oppo nent — during homecoming weekend on Saturday. The Wildcats are tied with TCU at the top of the conference standings and are fresh from a bye week. Their lone blem ish is against Tulane, who is now ranked.

Super-senior quarterback Adrian Martinez (#9) is having a renaissance — a la our own signal caller — after transferring from the cornfield fire that is Nebraska. After start ing four full seasons in Lincoln, Martinez is enjoying one of his most effective and efficient seasons in Manhattan. Similar to OK State’s Sanders, Martinez is always a running threat, and K State will prioritize rushing the ball through him, complement ed by Deuce Vaughn (#22), their fun-sized playmaker who has made a career out of disappearing behind his offensive line and reappearing in the end zone. Vaughn burned the Frogs last season for 109 yards and two scores, and shutting down the pint-sized dynamo will be Priority 1 for the hometown purple squad.

Fourth-year head coach Chris Klieman has never lost while leading the Cats against TCU, but I’m confident in the Frogs’ abil ity to remain unbeaten if they can force Martinez into one or two mistakes and the big-play ability of the offense resurfaces after slowing against the Pokes. Another victory will surely start rumblings of TCU making the leap into the College Football Playoff conversation, and the only way to surpass their SEC competition is achieving their second perfect season this century. l

QB Duggan is continuing to thrive under a new system, but he’s still the same player he’s always been and is finally being given the tools to succeed.

Courtesy TCU Athletics

The Comedown

The Cinderella story of Cooper Rush comes to an end as he turns back into a pumpkin against the high-flying Eagles.

BY PATRICK HIGGINS

With Halloween fast approaching, it’s only natural that a supernatural vibe would be gin to permeate everything all around. Ee rie, creeping clouds collecting overhead. Bad omens on the horizon. A stinging chill settling into the bones. On Sunday night, with a subtle dire mood set, rascally sports spooks seemed to be looking to turn up the ominous tone a bit. Beginning with NBC’s pregame presentation, which featured an uncomfortably energetic Jason Garrett chattering like a coked-fueled trust fund bro describing his latest startup to a glazy-eyed coed pinned into a corner at a party, something just didn’t feel right. Bad juju hung in the air.

Maybe it was the jarring images of the robotic former Cowboys head coach — ob viously running a beta-stage anthropoid per sonality software upgrade — giggling and crowing, “Fly, Eagles, Fly!” into a live micro phone that sent a disturbing chaotic wave re verberating into the cosmos, knocking astral

bodies out of alignment. Or, in preparation for the game, had sickly looking Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni burned in effigy a “How ’bout them Cowboys?!” T-shirt in some oc cult sacrificial ceremony that unleashed the latest Trash Pigeons’ horcrux? Perhaps it was simply a karmic debt owed by legions of Dak Prescott-hating Cowboys “fans” prematurely erecting shrines to their newly anointed savior Cooper Rush finally coming due. Whatever the cause, once foot touched pigskin at kick off in Philadelphia in front of the national TV audience on Sunday Night Football, somehow, I just knew the Cowboys were fucked.

The game began with a brutal first half that saw the Eagles jump out to a 20-3 lead. Heretofore white knight Rush was largely re sponsible for the damage, managing to com plete just five of 16 passes for 36 yards and tossing two interceptions, a performance that through two quarters had earned him a literal LOL-able quarterback rating of 1.0.

Dallas rallied a bit in the third quarter, at least making the game interesting. They would pull to within three points in the fourth before Philadelphia finally slammed the door shut on another Rush-led comeback, icing the game with an A.J. Brown touchdown-capped drive coming on the heels of Rush’s third in terception of the night, driving in the dagger of a 26-17 final.

With Rush, after starting his career 5-0, a streak that highlighted just about the steadiest bus driving one could ever hope for from a back up, the world witnessed our hero revert back to mortality — the forest green of the Eagles’ unis seemingly Super Cooper’s kryptonite. Just like that, the streaking starbound rocket that was No. 10 has burst into flames mid-ascent, a high school QB’s arm strength the defective O-ring that ultimately doomed him.

To keep it in perspective, losing on the road with a backup quarterback to a division rival (an undefeated one at that) doesn’t real ly require rending of garments or gnashing of teeth. The only real frustrating thing about this loss is that the unbeaten Eagles looked so extremely beatable. Philly did the bulk of their scoring in the second quarter, which has been a season-long trend for them. They’ve amassed 116 total points during that particu

lar period through six games, an all-time NFL record. And all the turnovers certainly didn’t help. Beyond that, Philly’s much-ballyhooed offense looked pretty pedestrian. The game was there for the taking.

Yet, along with Rush’s quintessentially undrafted backup-QB-like execution, every aspect of the Cowboys’ decidedly solid re cent performance similarly fell apart. The top-tier defense suddenly looked storebrand, including a practically neutralized Micah Par sons, who went through the whole first half amassing zero QB pressures, a first for his ca reer. Boneheaded drive-extending penalties, missed field goals, and irredeemably terrible coaching decisions pulled themselves out of their graves from the 2021 season like so much walking dead. One of the most perplexing sce narios I’ve ever witnessed started with CeeDee Lamb’s “missed” third-down conversation — replays showed the receiver clearly reached be yond the sticks — and the completely unnec essary turnover on downs from deep within Cowboy Country which culminated in three more points for the Iggles. Did the Cowboys not have an assigned replay guy there to shake head coach Mike McCarthy out of whatever

trance the Eagles’ witches had put him under? However, all is not lost. All signs point to the return of Dak Prescott next week to set himself and the rest of the team right against the lowly Detroit Lions. Hopefully, he will be able to perform at a level that reminds some folks just why he’s still this team’s unques tioned QB1. I have to believe, despite all the silver and blue’s self-inflicted blunders on Sunday, Dak would have won that game had he played.

By virtue of the Giants continuing their inexplicably winning season and extending their record to 5-1 with another upset victory, this time over Baltimore, the NFC East race is more complicated than it’s been in more than a decade. Maybe two. Dallas now sits at third at 4-2, two and a half games behind Philly. Yet the Cowboys seemed to have weathered the gauntlet of backup QB-dom and remain squarely in the hunt. The 4-1 run over the stretch without No. 4 is a virtual miracle, and Rush deserves a lot of credit for his part in that achievement. But now it’s time for him to go back and resume the role he’s best suited for: holding a clipboard and uselessly wearing a headset on the sideline. l

Doggie

Cooper Rush’s first-half performance was so bad, even Zeke couldn’t watch.

Courtesy DallasCowboys.com

want your little dog playing with big dogs?

is

place!

Lydian Mode Hooray for cancel culture and this magnificent #MeToo classical music drama.

BY KRISTIAN LIN

Sexual harassment can happen in most professions, but classical music makes it particularly easy. Teachers spend a great deal of one-on-one time with students, top musicians frequently start playing in childhood, and authority figures such as conductors wield enormous power over the careers of the musicians under them. The system is ripe for abuse, thus the disgrace ful revelations about James Levine, Plácido Domingo, and Charles Dutoit (plus those unverified but persistent rumors of Her bert von Karajan molesting little boys).

Todd Field’s Tár knows this and also knows that women can be both predators and vic tims, which helps make this product of the #MeToo era attain genuine tragic stature.

Cate Blanchett portrays Lydia Tár, who is on top of the world as the story opens. An EGOT-winning composer who has conducted all of America’s “Big Five” orchestras, she’s the first woman ever to be music director of the Berlin Philharmonic. The first crack in the dam is the news of a 25-year-old ex-protégée committing sui cide, after Lydia made her unemployable

French personal assistant (Noémie Mer lant) for an assistant conductor position despite the dirt she has on Lydia. Amid all this, the maestra eyeballs a cute Russian cellist (Sophie Kauer) who has just joined the orchestra, and her wife and the other musicians can’t help but notice. No won der that when Lydia goes running through the streets of Berlin for exercise, she keeps looking back. Something’s gaining on her.

Lydia is partially, inevitably based on Marin Alsop, who conducted the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at this past sum mer’s Van Cliburn Compe tition. Alsop is also gay and American just like Lydia and remains the only woman to serve as music director at any major orchestra in the world.

Lydia name-checks Alsop to establish that they’re not the same. She also references Oscar-winner Hildur Gu and writes Lydia’s musical compositions.

This is the third film by Todd Field (as well as his first from an original script and ), and the actor-turned-filmmaker’s classical music references are crushingly on ments, and it’s really Blanchett conducting

The visual gloss here fits the setting of the rarefied reaches of Lydia’s social world, and Field pairs that with some daz zling camerawork, as in a one-take scene when Lydia gives a masterclass at Juilliard and humiliates a Black nonbinary student (Zethphan Smith-Gneist) after he trashtalks Bach. The shifting camera catches everything: the musicians playing Anna , the student’s leg nervously twitching, and Lydia striding through the music classroom while deliv ering pronouncements on why ego has no

Even after her precipitous fall from her perch, Lydia never acknowledges any wrongdoing or causing pain to the people around her (including her wife, a victim but not an innocent one in this). Then again, we don’t hear her complain, either, when she ends up conducting a youth or chestra in a classical music backwater un der circumstances many musicians would find degrading. She puts her head down and gets back to work, and there’s some thing admirable about that, as contempt ible as the behavior that led up to it has brings its Mahlerian breadth of character and atmosphere to a close on that unresolved note, and it deserves a shout of

A married conductor (Cate Blanchett) preys on young musicians in

Courtesy Focus Features

NIGHT & DAY

Starting Tue, Nov 1, the 12th-floor outdoor terrace of the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel (200 Main St, 817-870-1000) will host hand-picked classics, cult films, and recent releases curated by the program ming team of Rooftop Cinema Club Down town Fort Worth, and tickets are on sale now. After a successful drive-in and summer series in Dallas last year, the club wanted to find a permanent home for its flagship rooftop experience in North Texas. “I’m en thusiastic we have found the ideal rooftop in downtown Fort Worth,” said Gerry Cottle, Rooftop Cinema Club founder. “Locals and visitors will enjoy this cinematic experience, whether for a fun night with friends and family or a date night.” All films are shown on a state-of-the-art LED screen. Lawn games and signature food and drinks will be available, and deck chairs will be outfitted with wireless headsets. Learn more at Roof topCinemaClub.com.

Hotel Drover (200 Mule Alley, 817-755-5557) in vites you to enjoy A Night in the Backyard featuring author Celestina Blok from 6pm to 8pm.

A third-generation Fort Worth native and TCU alumna, Blok has been writing about her hometown since 2005. In her new book continued on page 22

Tickets to Rooftop Cinema Club are on sale now.

Courtesy Endicott PR

Meet author Celestina Blok at Hotel Drover Thursday.

Courtesy Hotel Drover

Here are eight more winning choices for your consideration, as selected by our readers in Best Of 2022. Mangia!

1.) Best Pho: Beyond the pho, Pho District (2401 W 7th St, 817-862-9988) serves tradi tional Vietnamese street food with a mod ern twist. What’s more twisted than a cho rizo pizza made with a deep-fried rice patty topped with Chinese sweet chorizo, shred ded pork jerky, green onions, and a sweet soy glaze? I’m ready to try this before or after a bowl of pho. Either way, I’m in.

2.) Best Pizza: Along with its regular pep peroni, Mama’s Pizza (5800 Camp Bow ie Blvd, 817-731-6262) now offers “cup & char” as an option. Google tells me that this pepperoni is a traditional Western New York variety with a collagen casing that allows the slices to “pop” or transform into cups, hold

ing natural juices and flavor inside while the edges of the pepp get crispy. This is now a thing you know. Try it at any of Mama’s six area locations.

3.) Best Restaurant: Mesquite Pit (Mes quitePit.com, 817-596-7046) is very popular with our readers. Along with this category, they also won readers’ choice awards for best margarita, steak, queso, and waitstaff. With three locations — Granbury (919 E Pearl St,

817-579-9113), Mineral Wells (3915 Hwy 180, 940-325-5960), and Weatherford (1201 Fort Worth Hwy, 817-596-7046) — you can go on a little culinary adventure to check them out.

4.) Best Ramen: Known for ramen, small plates, and yakitori, Wabi House (1229 8th Av Ste 227, 817-720-3099) is affordably priced, and you can easily order several small plates to share. Heck, try it all. As for the ramen, six varieties are offered, along with 15 add-on toppings. One option — the Tsukemen — is available only after 5pm, so of course that’s what I want to try. It’s made with chashu (Japanese braised pork belly), applewood ba con, scallion, ajitama egg, and chile strips and served with a pork dipping broth.

5.) Best Salsa: Family-owned and -operated in Fort Worth, Blended Family Foods (@ BlendedFamilyFoods, 817-901-3144) makes small-batch craft condiments using all-natu ral ingredients. Along with ordering direct, you can find their products at local retail ers like Bodega South, Napoli’s Kitchen & Grocery, Roy Pope, The Table Market & Culinary Studio, and more. Read about their award-winning salsa, sauces, and honey at BlendedFamilyFoods.org.

6.) Best Seafood (tie): The new season means a new salad at La Onda (2905 Race St, 817607-8605). Before your seafood entree, in dulge in an arugula salad with mint, ver jus-soaked pears, house-made ricotta cheese, and walnuts. This Latin-inspired seafood restaurant recently made Bon Appetit’s 50 best new restaurants, so you’d best make a

reservation by emailing ReservationsLaOn da@gmail.com. Now. Do it now.

7.) Best Seafood (tie): Chef Jon Bonnell — our readers’ choice winner for best chef — serves “upscale sustainable seafood shoreto-door” at Waters (301 Main St, 817-9841110). Most Fridays, the Sundance Square restaurant hosts Wine & Brine, featuring two glasses of wine and chef-paired bites. For updates on future events, click the “fol low” button at Facebook.com/WatersTexas.

8.) Best Soul Food: Over the summer, Drew’s Place (5701 Curzon Av, 817-2424454) was open only Thu-Sat for pickup as the dining room was closed due to staffing issues. As of last week, the dining room is back open! Join them for a sit-down soul food experience 11am-3pm Tue-Sat.

By Jennifer Bovee

Find this sweet Chinese chorizo pizza at Pho District.

Courtesy Facebook

The

salad at La Onda.

The World’s Gone Grazey

Graze Craze bridges the gap between your glorified Lunchables at home and the fancy charcuterie at Fort Worth’s white tablecloth establishments.

Graze Craze, 4750 Bryant Irvin Rd, Ste 808, FW. 817-886-8933. 10am-3pm Sun, 8am-6pm Mon-Sat.

BY LAURIE JAMES

At this point, anyone can rustle up a grazing board, from little dudes with their Lunch ables to my twentysomething daughter, who favors dessert-based extravaganzas. I’ve

been on the receiving end of a sweet birth day grazing board from her, and you haven’t lived until someone has transformed Little Debbies, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Red Vines into artfully rendered butterflies and flowers just for you.

The shtick with Graze Craze is that charcuterie-inspired grazing boards should be accessible, perhaps not 24/7 but at least on a daily basis. The new location is open daily before breakfast and after work. Graze Craze is a chain with six locations in Texas, and it’s definitely corporate. But the sweet Fort Worth-based owners Celeena and Donnie Be dore are assembling the cookie-cutter fresh ingredients with love notes and enthusiasm.

If you order by early afternoon on a weekday, your board will be ready by closing time. Choose from the more traditional Gone Grazey (meats, cheeses, hummus, a handful of nuts and berries, a few pieces of chocolate bark, crackers, and three different kinds of bread) or a keto-style board that’s heavier on the meats, with ham, soppressata, and salami along with broccoli, cauliflower, more chees es, and a cottage cheese dill dip for dunking the carrot sticks, tomatoes, and crudité.

Most places will sell charcuterie for 10 people or more, but Graze Craze offers a va riety of sizes if you just want a nibble. The Char-cutie-cup is an individual serving of goodness. The veggie version comes with a single slice of both Manchego and sharp Dubliner cheese, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, tomatoes, and asparagus along with crackers. And the container (reminis cent of a large French fry container, minus the grease stains) is perfectly sized to fit in

your car’s beverage holder. I don’t know who needs to hear that. I’ve spent more money on junk food to travel home with, and I am not embarrassed that I polished off the cute little cup halfway home. The unblanched as paragus wasn’t terrible, but I’m sure I’d have

been happier if I’d waited until I got to the table to dunk the raw veggies into the lem on-dill mayonnaise.

The Lone Grazer was a good size for two to share (especially if one of us had just eaten a cup of fruit and veggies with a little

Graze Craze’s Game Day Board will have you and yours noshing for hours while taking in all the pigskin action.

Courtesy Instagram

cheese). The breads were tasty. The baguette paired well with the thick, salty chunks of fennel-kissed ham, while the sweeter des sert bread was tasty with a smear of raspber ry jam and the savory brie. The prosciutto managed to be both salty and slightly flo ral. One small quibble: There wasn’t a lot of cheese in the smaller board. A single piece of brie and four slices of mixed deli-style cheese caused my dining partner to mutter and run to the refrigerator for some Swiss to go with his porky meats. The hummus was definitely not house-made, but still, the va riety of veggies and berries and three perfect squares of nut-kissed chocolate bark was pleasant.

Certainly, there are notable locally owned places to get your graze on. If you haven’t tried the house-cured and smoked meat with veggies and pickles plated on a bespoke wood plank or giant salt platter at Grace (777 Main St, 817-877-3388), you should head over there quickly. Elsewhere, Callie Salls is acknowledged as the local queen of grazing boards, and you can order one of her masterpieces loaded with season al cheeses, cured meats, fancy olives, and sweet or spicy nuts from her Meyer & Sage

(2621 Whitmore St, 817-386-5009) in time for Thanksgiving. At Piatello (5924 Con vair Dr, 817-349-0484), Chef Marcus Paslay makes some of the most beautiful boards, with parmesan and house-made mozzarella.

At The Charcuterie Sisters (7409 Columbia Drive, Arlington, TheCharcuterieSisters.

com), you get the best of all possible worlds, with individual charcuterie cones, cups, and little bento-style charcuterie boxes.

But none of these options will offer any kind of instant gratification. And that’s where Graze Craze excels. Sure, Costco or Central Market will sell you the charcuterie

fixins, and, for that matter, you can put the basics together from Aldi or Trader Joe’s, but if you just want a grazey snack in a hurry (and you realize that you can’t really assem ble something with the amount of variety for around $15-ish per person), Graze Craze will do the trick. l

Jaybird of Summer

This singer-songwriter hits a lot of emotional highs and lows on her sumptuous debut album.

BY JUAN R. GOVEA

The path that led to the recent release of Summer Lane Emerson’s new album started with the pandemic. After re leasing her debut single, “Blood-Stained Wings,” in 2019, Emerson put out “Jaybird” in 2020, and — either due to or despite the lockdown — received a good response. It was so good, she dropped two more singles, and now all four of them (and three others) comprise her stunning re cently released debut album, Jaybird

Emerson: “Making music with friends makes a snowball effect.”

Jessica Waffles

continued on page 21

“After the pandemic, I was so busy, and, honestly, I lost the motivation,” she said. “I didn’t feel like playing, and finally I got a bit of the light back. I jumped back into it and realized how much I love it.”

More amazingly, Emerson was able to pull all this off while managing a family of three with another little one on the way.

“I love being able to take on the best of both worlds,” she said. “I think that the music honestly is a valuable thing to incorporate into my family. When I’m home practicing, my daughter is dancing and jumping around just like she is at my shows when she comes to watch me.”

The biggest sacrifices Emerson has made have been taking time out from fam ily to book shows and promote. Otherwise,

she said, her music career has become something of a family undertaking, one that involves everyone in the household.

The album is intensely personal. “Blood-Stained Wings” is about rape, while other tracks, especially “Jaybird,” deal with romantic love. Emerson wrote the title track after meeting her husband.

Jaybird , she said, is “a timeline of my life. It caught me [during] the most de pressed times of my life up into the best times of my life.”

Growth, reflection, and just the hu man experience in toto also appear in Em erson’s lyrics. They blend seamlessly with the album’s folk-like soul and her airy yet

strong vocals.

“You don’t think you’ll get through the shitty times,” she said. “It took me a long time to change and heal from trauma and issues, and I really liked to get those songs out there, but it is also about those happy times, and it got the ball rolling again.”

The recording process dates to 2020, too. That’s when veteran producer/en gineer/musician Taylor Tatsch (Maren Morris, Cut Throat Finches, Shadows of Jets) approached Emerson after one of her shows and invited her to his studio, Au dioStyles, in the heart of Hill Country, Fredericksburg. Along with handling pro

duction and engineering, Tatsch played guitar and a few other instruments on Jaybird . Members of the folk-rock group the Rock Bottom String Band and Urban Pioneers provided the rest of the backing instrumentation. The album was mas tered by Todd Pipes (Deep Blue Some thing, Phantom Power, Little Universe).

“Making music with friends makes a snowball effect,” Emerson said, “and through playing and hearing the tracks, it all meshed perfectly.”

Now, Emerson says, her inspiration comes from her family and creating mu sic that will last. It’s one reason why she’s picking up where she left off pre-pandem ic, with a slate of shows scheduled.

“I started playing shows again,” she said. “I wanted to release the album, but it got pushed further and further, and then the baby [came]. I just keep going because I realized now is the time, and I don’t see myself stopping again.” l

Summer Lane Emerson 7pm Sat w/Squirrel Nut Zippers at the Kessler Theater, 1230 W Davis St, Dallas. $32. 214-272-8346.

100 Things to Do in Fort Worth Before You Die, Blok shares a compilation of her Fort Worth favorites. There will also be live mu sic under the stars, a pop-up shop, and new craft cocktails available for purchase from the Pour House. This meet-and-greet book signing experience is complimentary to attend. RSVP at HotelDrover.com/Experi ence-CelestinaBlok.

On Sat, Dec 10, the TCU Horned Frogs will play in the Simmons Bank Show down at Dickies Arena (1911 Montgomery St, 817-402-9000) for the fourth consecutive season. Tickets for this non-conference basketball tournament go on sale today at 10am via Ticketmaster. The doubleheader will begin with a faceoff between two Sunbelt Conference teams, the Texas State Bobcats and the UTA Mav

ericks, followed by Big 12’s TCU and the AAC’s SMU. Tipoff and television broad cast information for both games will be an nounced later.

As we mentioned last week, the Music Awards are back.

Along with the jam nights at Lazy Daisy Coffee Bar, Lola’s Fort Worth with Playtown, McFly’s Pub, and Pinky’s Champagne Room & Vel vet Jazz Lounge, the Black Dog Jam at Scat Jazz Lounge (111 W 4th St, Ste 11, 817-870-9100) is nominated for best openmic at FWWeekly.com/music-awards-bal lot-2022. Check out the Black Dog Jam every Sunday at 8pm. The Scat says, “It’s one of Fort Worth’s longest-running weekly shows for a reason.” No cover.

Typically, Funkytown Pod cast does its thing on Sun days, so by Monday, you can find a link to the most

recent podcast at Facebook.com/Funky townPodcast or via the PodBean app. For a thorough rundown of the nominees in our 2022 Music Awards (voting runs thru Sun, Nov 20), check out Funkytown’s Oct 9 episode. As an alternative to our awards, host Jeffery Lord created The Lordies, featuring 10 categories not on our list and his winners. I think my favorite Lordy cat egory might be Saxophone Does Belong in Rock ’n’ Roll Music, with the winner being “Keep Haltom High” by The Me-Thinks. *chef’s kiss* As it bears repeating, our bal lot was not created by local experts but by our readers, and we thank them kindly for their pitching in.

A welcoming reception is at 6:30pm, followed by dinner at 7pm, at the Lange Twins Tasting Dinner at Café Modern (the Modern Mu seum of Fort Worth, 3200 Darnell St, 866824-5566). Chef Jett Mora and his culinary

team will pair dishes with wine varietals for a fall taste. The menu includes autumn squash, beef cheeks, duck, plum tarts, pota to fondant, pumpkin bread toast, and more. Tickets are $140 per person. To RSVP, vis it TheModern.org/Cafe-Modern and click “reserve your table.”

In support of Planned Par enthood, Liberty Lounge (515 S Jennings Av, 682730-0915) is hosting a Trivia Night & Period Product Drive from 7pm to 8:30pm. Planned Par enthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to mil lions of people worldwide, including the women of North Texas. “Supporters like you help build our movement — there’s a role for everyone. Sign up to get involved as a volunteer today!” For more info, visit WeArePlannedParenthood.org.

By Jennifer Bovee

Trunk or Treat!

October 28th, 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Join us for food, games, and prizes. The best decorated trunk will win a prize, courtesy of IKEA!

Also, from October 24thOctober 30th, children of IKEA Family members can enjoy a free meal if wearing their costumes!

IKEA Way

Prairie TX, 75052

IKEA Grand Prairie

Spooky Times Have Found Us

Halloween is here, and Día de los Muertos isn’t far behind.

Our weekend plans shift toward pump kin spice and scary nights out with the tem peratures dropping. North Texas is bounti ful with festivities this season. Here are a few to check out.

While the Rocky Horror Picture Show first hit theaters in 1975, it’s been a con sistent fan favorite ever since and rears its fabulous head around Halloween every year. On Wednesday, Art:30tx hosts a Rocky Horror-themed painting class with a per formance by The Matthew Show at Lola’s Fort Worth (2000 W Berry St, @LolasFort Worth). Tickets are $30 at PaintingandMu sicLolas.EventBrite.com. All needed sup plies are included.

On Sat, Oct 29, you can do the Time Warp at two area hot spots. The Halloween Bash at Lava Cantina (5805 Grandscape Blvd, 214-618-6893) features live music on the roof, a DJ inside, and a screening of Rocky Horror out back. Tickets start at $5 at LavaCantina.com. Hosted by Los Bastar dos, Ridglea Theater (6025 Camp Bowie Blvd, 817-738-9500) is also screening the film and will have Rocky Horror-themed items for sale, including prop packs (#Au dienceParticipation). Tickets are $10-80 on Eventbrite.com.

Haunted houses are also still going strong, and I’m not talking about the hell house at your grandma’s church.

The No. 1 Haunted House in America, per USA Today, is right in our backyard and has been for 30 years. You can book time slots every half hour at Cutting Edge (1701 E Lancaster Av, 817-348-8444) Fri-Sun, then Thu-Mon, Oct 27-31, and Sat, Nov 5. Tickets are $45 at CuttingEdgeHaunted House.com.

Dark Hour Haunted House (701 Tay lor Dr, Plano, 469-298-0556) has a new theme every year, and for 2022, it’s The Co ven: The 13 Awaken. Dark Hour opens at 7pm Thu-Sun thru Sun, Oct 20, plus Mon, Oct 31. Tickets are $60 at DarkHourHaunt edHouse.com.

Located on the grounds of Scarbor ough Fair, each of the five haunted houses at Screams Halloween Park (I-24 at FM 66, Waxahachie, 972-938-3247) has a dif ferent theme. There’s also a haunted cem etery, games of skill, and live entertain ment throughout the park. Plus, you can drink beer and sing Scary-Oke at the pub.

Screams is open every Friday and Saturday 7:30pm-1am thru Oct 29. Tickets are $42 at ScreamsPark.com.

On Sunday from 5pm to 10pm, the inau gural La Catrina Contest featuring culture, food, and music is happening in Sundance Square (425 Houston St, 817-222-1111), presented by Colección Mexicana, shopping headquarters for Mexican accessories, artis anal products, pottery, and more, and Paco’s Mexican Cuisine. The contest will showcase 20 contestants of all genders and cultural backgrounds from North Texas who will be judged based on dress, headpiece, and makeup. There is no cost to attend.

For live music happening for Hallow een, check out Crosstown Sounds at FW Weekly.com. To submit your events, email Marketing@FWWeeklycom. l

By Jennifer Bovee

CLASSIFIEDS

Courtesy Cutting Edge Haunted House

ADVERTISE HERE! Stacey@fwweekly.com | 817-987-7689

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All home repairs: painting, texture, fences, tile, doors, windows, decks, patios, shelves. 817-881-2408 Adrian

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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