Fort Worth Weekly // November 23-29, 2022

EATS & DRINKS

Wild Acre is essentially the same except for some scrumptious new burgers.

BY EDWARD BROWN

BUCK U

Squeaking past Baylor proves TCU has the will to win it all.

BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT

STUFF

England has never beaten USA in the World Cup — though they’ve met only twice.

BY KRISTIAN LIN

MUSIC

Sudsy rapper J/O/E’s new album goes down smooth.

BY EDWARD BROWN

BY

Charismatic leaders and their enablers in the media have made Cowtown dangerous.

FORT WORTH WEEKLY STAFF

Gobble, Gobble

Where’s the Beer?

The onfield action competes with the media circus in Qatar.

By Kristian Lin 10

STAFF

Anthony Mariani, Editor

Lee Newquist, Publisher

Bob Niehoff, General Manager

Ryan Burger, Art Director

Jim Erickson, Circulation Director

Edward Brown, Staff Writer

Emmy Smith, Proofreader

Michael Newquist, Regional Sales Director

Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director

Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive

Julie Strehl, Account Executive

Tony Diaz, Account Executive

Wyatt Newquist, Digital Coordinator

By Fort Worth Weekly Staff

Hypnotoad Says Relax

Clintastic, Brand Ambassador

Black Friday Is Here

By Jennifer Bovee

By Buck D. Elliott

CONTRIBUTORS

Megan Ables, Christina Berger, E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Sue Chefington, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Bo Jacksboro, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Vishal Malhotra, Cody Neathery, Wyatt Newquist, Linda Blackwell Simmons, Madison Simmons, Teri Webster, Ken WheatcroftPardue, Cole Williams

EDITORIAL BOARD

fwweekly.com

BY FORT WORTH WEEKLY STAFF

Bless Us, O Lord, and These Thy Grifts

We’re not saying we don’t make mistakes. We do. Then we apologize, write a correction if necessary, and, now enlightened, do better. We operate this way because we are not evil assholes committed to the transformation of our once great, once free society into an authoritarian Christian caliphate. The great question of the age — why conservatives get away with being absolute pieces of shit while liberals must lose their jobs over tiny mis takes — emphasizes that there are now two Americas. One is semi-decent and strives for forthrightness. The other is cutthroat and win-at-all-costs.

And these two Americas are growing even farther apart thanks to the mainstream media’s lust for parlaying controversy into clicks.

CNN, The New York Times, the Star-Telegram, and pretty much every other legit media out let with reach into the hundreds of thousands or more subsists on clicks for advertising dollars and possibly even subscriptions. As money spent on traditional media continues drying up — nothing can compete with photos of food and lingerie models — controversy, or so the msm believes, will keep us from scrolling away to IG or TikTok or whatever other newfangled apps there are. It’s the reason a once great publication like the Times gives oxygen to QAckheads and other right-wing wackos who just make shit up and pass it off as fact. Wasted on A.G. Sul zberger, Chris Licht, whoever runs the Startlegram, and everyone except maybe Bud Kennedy and The Atlantic is the fact that journalists will be the first to hang once the Christo-fascists take over. There’s nothing scarier to wannabe dictators like Ron DeSantis — and County Judge Tim O’Hare, District Attorney Phil Sorrells, and Sheriff Bill Waybourn — than a free, independent press. It keeps them up at night the way global warming and a government built on hate and the poetry of a 2,700-year-old magic book won’t let us non-Nazis sleep.

While we Weeklyteers are not perfect, we are more than capable of discerning normal, de mocracy-loving people from the fascist trash you’ll read about in this issue and may have read about in our pages for months now. And Fort Worth, perhaps more than every other big Texas city, is lousy with DeSatan wannabes.

You may see their names in the Star-T, the Fort Worth Report, KERA, or the Business Press, but they’re going to be ensconced in some both-sides bullshit often skewing right because we live in fOrT wOrTH #wharsmahCOMEANDTAKEITflag?! We are not both sides-ing it here. When one America is committed to democracy while the other wants to silence minorities permanently by any means necessary, there’s no room for “both sides.” You have to choose.

Choose wisely. — Anthony Mariani

Protecting Rotten Eggs

Policing is big business, and local law en forcement shamelessly leverage their lar gesse to protect their own and influence Fort Worth City Council. Nearly $300 mil lion from the city’s general fund was set aside for policing this year, and that doesn’t include the more than $100 million per year that comes from the fancifully named Crime Control and Prevention District slush fund.

The recent 5-to-3 vote by councilmem bers and the mayor to reject civilian oversight was the most recent reminder of what cam paign donations and support from the police and fire voting bloc can buy at City Hall.

The Office of the Police Oversight Monitor has been a demonstrable failure with nothing to show for more than two years of work other than some recommen dations and zero disciplinary actions.

As worthless as oversight monitor Kim Neal has been and as shamelessly in bed with police as Fort Worth’s five non-Black elected leaders were when voting down in dependent oversight of cops, the most vir ulent source of evil within the Fort Worth police department comes from its internal affairs division.

The mission of the OIA is to ensure that abusive thugs in blue are protected at all costs. Thank God folks like citizen auditor Manuel Mata and others are livestreaming police misconduct. Even the police depart ment’s own body camera footage is now be ing used to force the hands of OIA’s goons when it comes to disciplining crooked cops.

In mid-2021, our magazine found OIA officers giving former Fort Worth Deputy Po lice Chief Michael Shedd the option of early retirement once he was caught allegedly sexu ally harassing a female co-worker. Following retirement, the vindictive captain filed open records requests seeking the identity of the whistleblower or whistleblowers who right fully reported the alleged misconduct.

Even our writers have had first-hand ex perience of how the megalomaniacs at OIA operate. After documenting blatant lies from two OIA officers in early 2020, one of our re porters was yelled at by Capt. Bryan Jamison, who, over the course of an hour-long rant full of screams and barks, said we “should be careful!” about reporting police misconduct.

The dangers posed by the police force’s OIA and well-monied unions go far beyond misconduct and megalomania. The Fort

Worth Police Officers Association’s recent endorsement of county judge-elect Tim O’Hare, a man who describes Hispanics as “less desirable people,” shows a growing alliance between groups that place the in terests of Christian Nationalism and white supremacy above all else.

Whether poor policing results from a “few rotten eggs” or not is moot when Fort Worth police leadership will do anything to cling to power and their cushy retirements.

Care Package

We can certainly blame Greg Abbott, his de plorable ilk, and their warped donors for the dreadful condition of this state.

“Hey, y’all!” Gov. Greg says. “Look at all these jobs! Never mind that Texas leads the world in mass shootings, we rank 45th in over all child well-being and 43rd in educational attainment, we’re the 11th most dangerous state in the union and ninth in poverty, and good luck trying to find help when you’re sick or having mental health issues, but people are working, sometimes two or three jobs at a time, so, hey, we’re doing just fine.”

And we should blame Abbott and the other jackals in Austin and the Fox Nation sheep who follow them. They’re horrible, terrible people. If only some system exist ed in which we taxpayers over the age of 18 could pick who we wanted to represent us in the halls of government …

Another little something Texas leads the way in is a lack of fucks given to pretty much anything that’s not sports or entertainment. Much in the way that we don’t care wheth er or not women have agency over their own bodies or if another school gets shot up by an other sexually frustrated white male Republi can, Texans don’t give two shits about voting. Statewide turnout for the midterms was a lit tle over 45%, meaning that out of 17,672,143 registered voters, only 8,032,438 cast ballots. Even in Texas’ largest counties, turnout was under 50%, a considerable drop from 2018.

In one report, a lack of enthusiasm was cited, meaning we’ve now come to the part in our democratic experiment when we all need to be gung-ho about preserving and now restoring basic human rights. The point is that when Abbott and his Christo-fascist sturmabteilung come back to your house to

tell you who you can love and who you can be after forcing you or your wife, daughter, or sister to give birth to their rapist’s baby, don’t look at us. We voted for Beto.

May the Pieces of Giblet Be with You

Churches have been scamming believers for centuries, but what’s going on at Mercy Cul ture Church seems downright illegal in its unethicalness.

Spiritual abuse abounds at the Northside charismatic church where human trafficking victims are coerced into tell ing their harrowing stories without pay so Mercy Cult, er, Culture can fundraise for a sex trafficking center that aims to cram 100 victims into a single building on the North Side. Even as area residents overwhelmingly rejected the reckless and dangerous project, Mercy Culture leaders continue to fund raise/grift for the ill-conceived center.

Pastor Landon Schott’s visions involve not-so-subtle ways to scam his followers into giving away their money. The grifter’s theme for this year is “expanding territory,” which non-brainwashed outsiders can read as “Buy a new house you can’t afford and use one of our elders/Realtors for the transaction.”

Thin-skinned Schott is a bully who uses right-wing conspiracy theories to rev up his followers’ fears and insecurities. While he may be able to fuel his ego during Sunday services, a growing segment of Fort Worth sees him for what he is — a money-grabbing chump.

The Green Bean Casserole Is Not Always Greener on the Other Side

“Family is family / In church or prison, you get what you get, and you don’t get to pick ’em.”

Kacey Musgraves sang it, and she’s from Texas, so she knows how football should work. Everyone has become accustomed to the Big 12 as it stands today, with 10 teams, because rebranding is expensive. Those considering, and actively planning to, abandon their con ference family — looking at you, UT and OU — should be genuinely nervous about their next move because they’re going to toss the proverbial frozen turkey into the deep fryer.

We get it. Eating the same afternoon feast year in and year out can be tiresome. Mom’s cranberry sauce might not be as good as your wife’s, or vice-versa, but she always makes it because that’s the way things are done and it keeps everyone in the family happy. You could try and switch things up, but at what cost? Look no further than all of the former Big 12 family members who abandoned tradition for different holiday staples and bigger paychecks.

Texas A&M, Missouri, Nebraska, and Colorado all left empty seats at an overflow ing table to be served a triple-helping of hum ble pie. Not a single former family member is better than second worst in their respective division. In fact, TCU has more conference wins this season than all four traitors com bined. Both A&M and Colorado are dead last in the SEC and Pac-12, respectively, with one win each. Missouri and Nebraska are both skimming the leftovers of cold green bean casserole with two wins apiece.

Amazingly, the Longhorns and Soon

Charismatic leaders and their enablers in the media have made Cowtown dangerous.

ers are now hedging their bets that they can do better. Well, don’t expect the rest of us to save a place for you when you’re fighting for scraps in a conference that doesn’t give a crap that you were Mom’s favorite and al ways saved you the biggest slice of pumpkin pie or the most deviled eggs even when you showed up empty-handed and never helped with the dishes. Don’t worry, the new boy friend — clad in purple — knows his way around the kitchen, listens to all of your dad’s terrible jokes with a smile, and is even going over to Grandpa’s next week to help him winterize the riding lawnmower.

Flock of Crooks

Along with having the most corrupt district attorney and sheriff in Texas, Tarrant Coun ty has the ignominious distinction of being home to the most incompetent, lazy, and corrupt administrative judge in the state. No, we’re not talking about George Galla gher, who heads Tarrant County’s judiciary, but rather another old, white, rich, blackrobed crook — David Evans.

It is worth remembering that every corrupt act committed by a Tarrant County judge over the past 10 years occurred on Ev ans’ watch. Our extensive review of judicial paperwork not normally seen by the public reveals that he was OK with letting criminal court judge Chuck Vanover skip work for Va nover to speak at a police officer’s 25th-an niversary memorial, a personal choice that

be replaced by a visiting retired judge, which is probably why Vanover didn’t bother check ing off any boxes denoting the reason for his day trip to hang with his friends in blue.

Evans has used his office to allow visit ing retired judges who earn upwards of $750 a day to skirt Article 16 of the Texas Consti tution, which mandates that all elected and appointed public servants take and properly file the two-part Oath of Office, which in cludes that pesky anti-bribery statement, be fore entering upon the duties of their office.

Our ongoing research is finding a pat tern in which retired judges are assigned to dirty cases as a means of doing the bidding of DA Sharen Wilson and other corrupt county officials.

False titles abound in paperwork from the Eighth Administrative Judicial Region, the area Evans oversees that encompasses North Texas. Retired County Judge Jim Ho gan, for example, was given three judicial ti tles over the past few years alone. Assigning non-senior judges as senior judges possibly allows misdemeanor judges to preside over felony cases while unqualified to do so.

Evans is so utterly incompetent that the Texas Office of Court Administration recently released a memo that should have been titled “Directions on How to Not Botch Judicial Assignments as David Evans Has for 10 Years.” The document detailed the proper procedures for approving and assign ing retired judges. Glaringly missing from the memo that was likely penned by Chief Justice Nathan Hecht was any mention of how and why visiting retired judges should follow Article 16 of the Texas Constitution.

Based on our extensive research, easily dozens of Tarrant County defendants have been unlawfully imprisoned and sentenced due to Evans’ incompetence. No one should believe or trust the rulings of any judge in the Eighth judicial region while he remains in office.

Chickenshit Media

Like their national counterparts, local news outlets appear to be dying to out-right-wing one another for clicks at a time when our freedoms are under attack from well-monied Southlake PACs that openly call for bullying minorities, especially LGBTQ+ youth, and installing a re al-life Gilead right here in Fort Worth.

The priorities of Timmy “Mexicans are less desirable people” O’Hare, who was re cently elected to the top elected county posi tion, include creating an office to investigate “election fraud,” which, in the warped mind of a Tucker Carlson-worshiping sycophant like O’Hare, could mean four years of dealing with fabricated allegations being passed to a DA’s office headed by one of the laziest former judg es in Tarrant County history, Phil Sorrells.

For the past year, the Star-Telegram, KERA, the Fort Worth Report, and other mainstream media outlets utterly have failed to push back against O’Hare’s abhorrent lies, first about his Republican opponent, Betsy Price, then about his Democrat rival, Deborah Peoples.

Thanks in part to the complete failings of local reporters to call out O’Hare’s false state ments and all-around shittyness as a person, minorities can expect zero protection from county leaders. O’Hare outright hates them. When asked by one of our reporters if he

would protect trans youths from bullying, he responded with Biblical jargon, even as Jesus was never the asshat our county judge-elect is.

Worried about the militarization of local law enforcement? O’Hare is endorsed by the very police unions who ensure cushy salaries and pensions for broken police departments whose members bully and harass Black and brown communities while putting on their dudebro best when hitting on TCU chicks, uh, we mean “policing the West 7th area.”

Pathological liar O’Hare openly courts Mercy Culture Church, a place of worship that frankly checks all the boxes for a cult. We’re not saying that either Mercy Culture Pastor Landon Schott or O’Hare could be the Antichrist, but if Satan were to come to Earth disguised as one of us, the Lord of Darkness would probably put on some chinos, take a little Southlake moolah, open a church, and begin spiritually abusing parishioners under the guise of “helping” them.

Journalism works best when calling out insidious powers and exposing evildoers who abuse their ill-gotten wealth and power to pummel the more vulnerable members of so ciety. While other papers may be OK with a forcibly installed theocracy in Tarrant Coun ty, this magazine is going to take its First Amendment mandate seriously by identify ing the grifters, charlatans, and crooks who hide their bigotry behind their faith, money, white privilege, and the party line.

O’Hare of the Dog

Who deserves a Turkey Award more than our new county judge, the Mad Rabbit himself?

continued on page 6

Turkey Awards

Tim O’Hare is the guy who cost Farmers Branch almost $8 million unsuccessfully de fending in court his plan to ban undocument ed immigrants from renting there. Gosh, where’s your white sheet and hood, Tim? And in the Republican primary for county judge, he destroyed Betsy Price for having the temerity to meet with Black Lives Matter protesters, when our former mayor was just doing her job. Then when he faced Deborah Peoples in the general, he slandered her by tying her to BLM riots because, well, she’s Black. He also ran commercials filled with smiling families — all lily-white and visibly affluent, so we all know exactly who he rep resents and who he doesn’t.

During the pandemic, we were lucky outgoing Republican County Judge Glen Whitley took a non-ideological stance to ward public health, declaring COVID-19 a health emergency and mandating masks. We better hope we have no more pandemics because O’Hare has promised to do the op posite, leaning the already majority-Repub lican Tarrant County Commissioners Court toward the loony right.

What he’ll do once in office is play for Fox “News” airtime by railing against, in his own words, “woke, far-left liberalism and cancel culture,” which, obviously, we’re not exactly bombarded with every day in Tarrant County. That won’t stop him from tilting at those windmills, though. And, ap pallingly, he plans to appoint an “election integrity officer” to look into accusations of nonexistent voter fraud. Like Republicans’ favorite “strong” man du jour, Ron DeSan tis, O’Hare’s effort will be directed mostly at people of color, who are just trying to exer cise the right to vote. Seeing as how nothing makes Tiny Tim happier than suppressing minority voices, “turkey” is really about the nicest thing you can say about him.

Freddie Freeloaders

It’s a tale as old as time: media company isn’t making any money, media company sells out. We don’t have to fault them. We understand capitalism sucks. We also don’t have to like it, either.

In a world of whiny doggerel, twangy fak ery, and incessant baby-baby bullcrap, KNTU was a safe harbor, a place where Mingus min gled with Miles and Coltrane could get melo dious with Thelonious. Gone. All gone. One of the last straight-ahead spots on the dial on the planet, UNT’s 88.1-FM now consists of painful, ear-drubbing crotch-rock and grunge tunes that may be great but do not need to be heard again by anyone for another 20 lifetimes.

A decline in listeners, student volun teers, and corporate underwriting is what drove Mark Lambert, KNTU manager of programming, news, and operations, to re place some of the greatest, most ennobling music ever written or performed with shit that’s on our workout/yardwork playlist at home. The jazz will return, to 88.1-FM HD2 (?), next month or early January after KNTU installs “new equipment,” but for those of us who don’t have fancy digital radios in our vehicles, it’s the end of the world as we know it, and, no, we don’t feel fine.

Fowl Sheriff

The Tarrant County sheriff’s department is running an expansive campaign to lure new hires. “If you’re ready to work in a dynam ic and challenging environment, then we’re looking for you!” one ad reads.

New hires can enjoy benefits beyond the starting $22/hour pay. Not mentioned in the ad is a disclosure that the jail is managed by a sadistic sheriff, Bill Waybourn, who has culti vated a culture of death at the detention cen ter under the guise of being tough on crime.

Since 2017, 43 men and women have died at the jail, a sickening statistic that makes the facility one of the deadliest in the state. Waybourn’s public rhetoric would lead some to believe that his 5,000-plus detainees are murderous sociopaths, when the vast ma jority of defendants in Texas jails overall are legally innocent because they have not plead ed or been found guilty, and crimes like mar ijuana possession and criminal trespassing make these people a danger to no one.

Waybourn is a frequent visitor to Mercy Culture Church, whose QAnon-loving lead ers are obsessed with saving human traffick ing victims even as Pastor Heather Schott, based on our conversations with two former victims, exploits them to raise funds.

Tarrant County’s Trumpy sheriff is right about one thing. There is good and evil in this world. The loved ones of those 43 souls undoubtedly see the negligent jailers and Waybourn himself as just that — evil.

Cookin’ Over Kindling Paper

Once Molly Ivins and Bob Ray Sanders graced the Star-Telegram’s editorial page, but now only clowns serving up warmed-over Fox “News” talking points are allowed. A snap shot of the last week in October will tell you all you need to know. Poor Startlegram read ers were punished by a masturbatory column by well-known hack and right-wing radio blowhard Mark Davis congratulating himself for 40 years of being all that’s wrong with the mainstream media, and a few days later, we had to endure Nicole Russell’s tongue-bath of Greg Abbott. Under her steamy gaze, the gov ernor came across as some sort of Dalai Lama shouldering the burden of life to lift us all up — except the people who died during the snowstorm, the women who will die being forced to give birth against their wishes or doctor’s orders, and the children who will be torn to pieces by AR-15s in Texas classrooms.

Every single day, Star-T readers are pummeled by conservative “writers” spe cializing in incoherent rants a la Tucker Carlson with a side of Laura Ingraham’s moral posturing. Evidence, shmevidence — these writers like their opinions not only evidence-free but bereft of facts. One loud and proud “columnist” claims to know more about viruses than any of them damn elitist epidemiologists, and another, before the last rise in GDP, declared that everybody knows we’re already in a recession. (Everybody.)

Nothing’s wrong with right-wingers having their say, but when that’s all you’ve got, you are completely unrepresentative of Fort Worth, which sloughed off the title of the only red urban city in Texas some years ago. A solution: Just rename the paper the Southlake Star-Telegram and be done with it.

Talking with Your Mouth Full (of Crap)

In the aftermath of Beto O’Rourke winning Tarrant County in 2018, the terrified Bi ble-thumping gun nuts began loading up their ammunition in many grand gestures of des peration. Perhaps the most unabashedly des perate comes to us in the form of the Grape vine cellphone “company” Patriot Mobile.

Opening its doors in January 2022, Pa triot Mobile is clearly just a lazy façade for the money machine driving the Christian Nationalist super PAC of the same name plus “Action” toward keeping Tarrant Coun ty red. And it’s working.

After Donald Trump bootlicker Steve Bannon told his sheep that, to “save the na tion,” they needed to acquire seats on pub lic school boards, the baaahh-stards started winning elections, no little thanks locally to Patriot Mobile Action.

“Patriot Mobile Action’s launch includ ed 11 school board victories, and PMA is now working to keep Texas red in the No vember general election. From the court house to the White House, PMA is fighting for Christian conservative principles.”

Patriot Mobile Action doesn’t care about real problems, just boogeymen to scare weak-minded voters toward conservativism, a.k.a. living in fear. How are book banners and LGBTQ+ haters and outright racists winning local school board elections? Patriot Mobile Action pumped $500,000 into rightwing campaigns last year alone. That’s a lot of fearmongering to the braindead and lazy.

As evil as Patriot Mobile Action is, the group is not without a sense of humor. In its list of 10 goals, the most prominent is “pro tecting the First Amendment,” which Patri ot Mobile Action calls “freedom of speech and religion,” leaving out “freedom of the press.” Conveniently.

Anti-Family Get-Togethers

No governmental system in Tarrant Coun ty creates more abject suffering for us nonwealthy folks than the courts. Fueling the misery is greed on the part of judges and attorneys who use children as pawns to force parents into seemingly endless court appear ances where often baseless claims of abuse or alcoholism too frequently lead to protec tive, restraining, and no-contact orders with criminal consequences.

The non-rich cannot participate in Tar rant County’s sadistic anti-family court sys

good, in fact, that they enjoy vacations with the very judges who rule over their cases.

Through the efforts of victimized local parents like David Henderson, Larry O’Ne al, and Brooks McKenzie, Texans are rising up and setting the groundwork for a future when judges and attorneys — not parents — are fined, disbarred, and imprisoned for vio lating the U.S. Constitution and penal codes.

McKenzie said the problems in Tarrant County’s family courts have to be made so embarrassingly obvious that the nation takes notice.

“I’m not a fan of the federal government except when the state refuses to do what it is supposed to do,” he recently told us. “If the feds come in, we will have judges in prison, and that’s where a lot of them should be.”

Gobbling Up Government Access

Within the City of Fort Worth and the Tar rant County District Attorney’s Office are high-paid suits who make life miserable for government watchdogs and everyday folks who have the gall to request information that may prove embarrassing to public officials.

We, of course, are referring to the open records departments of the city and county. Locals like Terry Roach and Cody Highloader

Any high schooler with a TikTok ac count could probably figure out how to re dact video footage, yet the county open re cords staffers somehow can’t. Or won’t.

The county recently used loopholes in the Texas Public Information Act to with hold communications between Sheriff Bill Waybourn and the right-wing Claremont Institute, which has alarming connections to antigovernment militia groups. Last year, Trump wannabe Waybourn attended a course for sheriffs organized by Claremont, and our request was for communications between Waybourn and the institute that panders to Christian Nationalism and white supremacy. While the emails we sought were from gov ernment servers, the DA’s office successfully convinced the state attorney general’s office that the communications could be exempted from disclosure because the subject matter discussed was personal and not professional.

Attorneys with the city and county prob ably delude themselves into thinking that they serve the public interest by releasing things like old water bills and funding announce ments for new traffic circles, but ask for evi dence of no-bid contracts, police misconduct, or emails that could reveal a dumpy Trumpy sheriff gabbing with small-dicked militia members, and you will hit a wall of bureau cratic jargon and stall tactics that serve special,

Turkey Awards

vide our community is invaluable. TCC’s leadership, though, pull up to the table.

This year saw a steady stream of former employees reach out to our magazine with horror stories about mismanagement, abuse by managers, and wrongful terminations. Many of the accusations were levied at the college’s HR department, whose head, Glo ria Maddox-Powell, allegedly bullies per ceived enemies while giving unwarranted raises to allies. The HR chief allegedly loves snitches who prove their loyalty to her by turning on colleagues who dare question her leadership.

This Lord of the Flies-type environment sounds toxic at best and downright self-de structive at worst. Allegedly incompetent mid dle managers are allowed to remain because the leadership at the top is even more incompetent.

Former chancellor Eugene Giovanni ni, who served from 2016 until early this year, was terminated for ordering the fir ing of TCC fundraising executive Kristen Bennett. Court documents tied to a subse quent lawsuit suggest Giovannini retaliated against her for petty personal reasons.

During our research into that story, a local attorney who asked to remain anony mous sent us court transcripts from another lawsuit in which a former employee alleged he was terminated by Giovannini without due process. Transcripts in the 2021 doc ument reveal the chancellor did not know what tenure was. TCC settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.

Until TCC’s board of trustees hires competent leadership who cease mistreating adjunct teachers and low-level employees, the campus’ woes will never end. The slow but steady brain drain from fleeing employ ees should be seen as a sign that TCC’s sta tus quo is working for top administrators and no one else.

A TAD Overcooked

Tarrant Appraisal District recently took the long-overdue step of hiring a public rela tions firm. For years, the appraisal district that sets property valuations has engaged in nepotistic hirings, alleged workplace retalia tions, and botched software updates that led to some of the record rates of property tax protests.

And all of these problems have occurred during the tenure of Chief Appraiser Jeff Law. Law’s most recent flub is over the han dling of employee Randy Armstrong. Late last year, TAD’s director of residential appraisals took it upon himself to file a slew of baseless allegations against local Realtor Chandler Crouch. In the letters sent to the Texas Depart ment of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) under TAD letterhead, Armstrong alleged Crouch appraised homes for far lower values than what the Realtor sold them for and that Crouch rarely appeared in person to represent clients at TAD headquarters.

Basically, Armstrong was miffed that Crouch was making extra work for TAD’s staff. A TDLR investigator later dismissed the allegations. As public outrage over Arm strong’s false allegations and misuse of gov ernment resources to file the complaints

grew, Law took no action and neither did TAD’s board for several months this year. In August, they finally voted to suspend Armstrong and Law for two weeks without pay. While Armstrong was responsible for the baseless complaints against Crouch, the board noted Law did not take proper steps to discipline Armstrong, which allowed the problem to fester.

Tarrant County’s appraisal district will never earn the public’s trust as long as Law and his cronies remain in power. The board’s limp actions reveal TAD’s elected leaders’ failure to grasp the severity of the problems at TAD.

Not So Warm Goodbye Hug

Good ol’ boy J.D. Johnson is on his way out after 36 years of alleged backdoor deals, misappropriated government property, and other forms of graft as county commissioner. For nearly four decades, contractors seeking Precinct 4 county projects knew where to send reelection campaign donations.

In 2011, the Tarrant County Commission ers Court approved $16,312,855 to cover the construction costs of Tarrant County North west Sub-Courthouse in Precinct 4. Following the 2012 completion of the 58,000-square-foot county headquarters, staffers with the proj ect’s contractor, Steele and Freeman Inc., do nated $17,500 to Johnson, based on campaign finance disclosures. Though not illegal, the quid pro quo represents business as usual in the northwest precinct.

For the past two years, former Precinct 4 employees have provided first-hand accounts and evidence that Johnson misused coun

ty employees for personal projects that often dealt with his reelection campaigns. Area vot ers, apparently, have had enough. The March primary defeat of Johnson’s son, Jody John son, to Manny Ramirez can be seen as a ref erendum on the commissioner’s tenure that was characterized by misused government re sources to help wealthy donors and few others.

Stuffing

After spending too much money on tickets and overpriced drinks — and now parking — you can pay even more for VIP access to oversold shows at Dallas venue Amplified Live. Enjoy the throngs of GA attendees below from your own personal SRO balco ny above. You’ll have the best view when the fire marshal shuts it down like they did on Nov[.] 5, when two-thirds of the triple bill W.A.S.P., Armored Saint, and the Michael Schenker Group performed. As Amplified is refunding our tickets, at least we got to see two out of three acts for free, although if we’re being honest, it’s rumored that W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless uses vo cal tracks, so we probably didn’t miss much anyway. For the show being oversold by 600 tickets, the band blamed “the promoter,” a.k.a. the venue, and the venue claims the as signed capacity number is incorrect and that it’s being fixed now. Still, if you’ve ever been elbows to assholes at an oversold show, you know that’s b.s. It was way too crowded in there regardless. Luckily, nothing disastrous has happened yet. Yet. This venue doesn’t need to have a larger occupancy on paper. It needs to be less greedy. l

Promotional support provided by

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Two Women at a Window, c. 1655–60, oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection, 1942.9.46

This exhibition is organized by the Kimbell Art Museum.

The Kimbell Art Museum is supported in part by Arts Fort Worth, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Purple Lazarus

Sonny Dykes’ Frogs become only the fourth TCU squad ever to be 11-0, this time after escaping a near upset in Waco.

BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT

Transparently, I sleep like shit most nights. As a father of four — three of them younger than 6 — good rest can be hard to come by, so the occasional weekend afternoon siesta has become a life luxury coveted to a degree it’s depressing to describe. That established, I’ve really started to hate this year’s Horned Frogs. There have been almost no relaxing afternoons as my offspring doze, only pac ing, texting, silent-cheering, and groaning. There have been numerous heartwrenching, nail-biting, and indigestion-inducing Re vivalry games between the Frogs and Bears, but somehow Saturday was on another level. If you haven’t seen the final sequence, crawl out from under your media rock and go to any social or video service, and you’ll find a clip of Emari Demercado (#3) taking a handoff and being tackled before sprint ing toward the sideline with the rest of the Frog offense before a well-orchestrated wave of white assembles like a Swiss clock to kick a 40-yard field goal into a mass of purple gathered on a grassy knoll between gleaming-golden goal posts for a 29-28 victo ry as the clock strikes all zeroes. Among the group of Frog fanatics was a young brunette woman clad in a plum puffer jacket who ap

pears to be simultaneously elated, crushed, laughing, and crying. We (Frog faithful) are her, and she is all of us. Not even announcer Brock Huard was immune as he exclaimed after the TCU sideline emptied in celebra tion: “I am shaking. I can’t believe what Sonny Dykes just did.” So are we, Brock, and we can’t either.

Saturday had me worried, and I feel vindicated. Baylor’s Dave Aranda executed a gameplan that was effective: keep the ball away from TCU’s offense, which worked for the majority of the game. BU’s rushing attack accumulated more than double what the purple and white produced. Baylor suf fered their own misfires (a failed field goal, an interception thrown in the endzone to finish the first half) but found themselves leading the fourth-ranked Frogs by eight with less than seven minutes remaining and still by two with as many minutes left. The most concerning part of TCU’s final drive was also what made it the most impressive: Derius Davis (#11) didn’t play on Saturday because of a hamstring injury. Clean-up run ning back Kendre Miller (#33) and antici pated first-round NFL draft pick Quentin Johnston (#1) were also absent due to injury during the fourth quarter when the Frogs were trying to mount yet another comeback.

But despite missing his three most dynamic weapons, Max Duggan (#15) — who led his team in rushing as well as passing — towed his toads into field goal range for Griffin Kell (#39), who promptly redeemed his only missed PAT of the season by drilling the most dramatic field goal in Horned his tory.

This year’s team is among the most elite Frogs ever at 11-0 (and the only Big 12 squad in the College Football Playoff era to reach that milestone). The only other Funkytown ers to accomplish this were the 1938 national champions, who finished their season at that mark, as well as the 2009 Fiesta Bowl quali fiers (who lost to Boise State) and 2010 Rose Bowl champions. It’s worth acknowledging that those big-bowl Frogs, while special, weren’t walking the gauntlet of a major con ference during those Mountain West days.

It’s been said many times recently that Duggan deserves a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. He won’t win, but if there is any semblance of a mer itocracy in college football — there isn’t — he’ll be there. Duggan is his own player and an athlete that deserves individual recogni tion beyond comparison to others, but his effect is analogous to former Heisman win ner and national champion Tim Tebow, both

in strengths and deficiencies. Duggan, like Tebow, is top-tier among quarterbacks while probably an above-average passer at best. Both Tebow’s and Duggan’s best football weapons are their legs and guts rather than a penchant for quickly dissecting a zone de fense. But despite their limitations, these players, and those like them, are who fans and teammates want in the shotgun when the situation seems insurmountable and one possession remains. I’m not suggesting you’ll see Mad Max embark on a failed mi nor league baseball career or hawk T-Mobile phone plans, but ultimately what made Te bow great — and what makes Duggan simi lar — are the intangibles that won’t shine at the NFL combine but are effervescent and infectious to everyone around them.

Duggan and his team of destiny have one regular-season hurdle to hop before a rematch with either Kansas State or Texas in the Big 12 championship game, and it’s in the form of last-place Iowa State. The Cyclones are in a rebuilding year, especially in the offensive phase, and won’t reach a bowl this season. Despite their basement designation within the conference, their seven conference losses have come by a combined 38 points, averag ing less than one possession per heartbreak. While they might be the best-case opponent for the final week of a season with more dra ma than trying to buy Taylor Swift tickets on line, there are no weeks off in the conference where “Every Game Matters,” and it’s likely that Dykes and Duggan will need to take care of business at home without some of the most electric Frogs, who will try and heal for their championship rematch. Expect Iowa State to do their best Xerox of Aranda’s ball con trol and multiple-run-fake strategy to limit TCU’s possessions. The Clones have one of the best defenses in the country, and without Dykes’ typical firepower, he and coordinator Garrett Riley will need creativity to balance production with the declining health of their playmakers. To give it to you straight, buckle up, because it’s not even close to over yet.

Duggan is leading this team through a resurrection. Like Lazarus of Bethany’s four-day entombment, the Frogs were bur ied in four years of mediocrity and unable to eclipse a seven-win season. Duggan, Dykes, and Riley are writing a new gospel in Frog lore, unlike any we’ve seen in the past. In two weeks, we’ll know if they fall from grace or ascend to the College Football playoff. Ei ther way, this season will always be special, even though I still really miss my naps. l

Griffin Kell (center) was named Big 12 special teams player of the week after his gamewinning 40-yard field goal.

Courtesy TCU Athletics

Ah, Thanksgiving. That special day of the year when someone in your family in sists that dinner is coordi nated with a certain sports-viewing experi ence. If you are that person and your family is not having it, you need to either take the crazy train to the stadium, or you need a great place to watch in peace. A good one for this Thanksgiving’s Cowboys/Giants tilt is Chicken N Pickle (2965 S Hwy 161, Grand Prairie, 469-943-1410). On gamedays, there are plenty of food and drink specials, and to day’s include the Gridiron Burger, Gameday Nachos, and loaded tots, plus discounts on beer buckets, passion fruit margaritas, and lemon drops.

In other sports news, the World Cup has begun, and The Londoner Pub (5120 Hwy 121, Colleyville, 817684-8810) is all about it. Doors will open at 10am for the England/USA Watch Party with the game starting at 1pm. While VIP is al ready sold out, you can still buy $4 general admission tickets at the door. Get there early!

Sledge Distillery (8210 Pa luxy Hwy, Tolar, 817-8888119) has a lot going on today at its Thanksgiving Hootenanny 2pm-10pm. Along with retail sales for #ShopSmallSaturday 2pm-9pm, enjoy tastings 2pm-8pm, drinks at the onsite Social Hall and Speakeasy Outback bars 2pm-9pm and 4pm-10pm respectively, meals at the Food Cantina 3:30pm-8:30pm, and live music by Copperhead Jones and Av ery Villa 5pm-10pm. (There is also a cookie class 4pm-6pm that you can read about in our ATE DAY8 a Week column.)

Chamberlain Ballet pres ents The Nutcracker fea turing Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle of the New York City Ballet at 7pm Fri and 2pm Sat-Sun. Watch as Clara grows “through her dream of a mag ical world” that includes “snowflakes, ros es, flowers, and more as her world changes overnight with dance and wonder to guide her way” at the Eisemann Center (2351 Per formance Dr, Richardson, 972-744-4650). Tickets start at $20 at ChamberlainBallet. org/Nutcracker.

Come to Pajama Night at Gift of Lights at Texas Mo tor Speedway (3545 Lone Star Cir, 765-664-3918). This drive-thru holiday light experience runs nightly thru Sun, Jan 1, and the hours are 6pm-9pm Sun-Wed and 6pm-10pm ThuSat. You can enjoy two miles of lights from the warmth of your vehicle for $35 per car load at GiftofLightsTexas.com or the gates. If you come tonight and wear your pajamas, you’ll receive $5 off your admission.

Whether you’re a sports fan or not, the Cowboys and their super-fans will be up in your business on Thursday.

Our shiny, new Dickies Arena (1911 Montgom ery St, 817-402-9000) has grabbed some interesting shows from the clutches of neighboring Big D this year, including KISS FM’s annual

Jingle Ball at 7:30pm. Performers include the Black Eyed Peas, Lewis Capaldi, Jack Harlow, Khalid, Lauv, Ava Max, Lauren Spencer-Smith, and Nicky Youre. Tickets start at $28.50 at Ticketmaster.com.

Every Wednesday at 8pm, Claws Out Comedy hosts STFU Comedy Open Mic at Twilite Lounge (212 Lip scomb St, 817-720-5483). Tonight’s featured entertainer is award-winning drag and stage performer Patrick Mikyles. Sign-up for partic ipation is Thu-Sun at ClawsOutComedy.com/ STFU. To see who’s performing each week, visit @ClawsOutComedy on IG on Wednes day. There is no cost to participate or to attend.

By Jennifer Bovee

With a four-day weekend at your disposal, why not enjoy a few happenings beyond the Fort? You can bring it back home come Monday.

Black Friday

Big box retailers, step aside. Small business es aren’t waiting until Saturday to join the

holiday shopping frenzy. As you’re already following your favorite local shops on Face book, do a FB search for “Black Friday” and

support their cause. When I did that, I found several interesting promotions, including some from former Best Of winners. Arti san Vapor & CBD (4821 Bryan Irvin Rd, 817-370-7710), Fort Worth Dental (4620 Citylake Blvd West, 817-592-8763), Marksmen Mansfield (8100 Rendon Bloodworth Rd, 817-453-8680) and Wandering Candid (Facebook.com/WanderingCandid, 817-6946283) all have offers you should check out. Area brewers and distillers also have offers Friday. BENDT Distilling (225 S Charles St, Lewisville, 214-814-0545) is re leasing its new UNBENDT Straight Bour bon Whiskey at Bourbon Bash noon-6pm, featuring food from Righteous BBQ, bottle engravings, a caricature artist, live music by Kendi Jean and Carlos Ramos, and tastings. Maple Branch Craft Brewery (2628 Whit

more St, 817-862-7007) is offering 20% off Mug Club Memberships in-store this Friday only. Members receive a personal 20-ounce mug that is stored at the brewery and used for drinking discounted beer all year, plus early access to special releases and invita tions to quarterly VIP events. Membership is usually $125.

Record Store Day

Friday is also Record Store Day’s Black Friday from the same folks who curate the annual Record Store Day to support inde pendent record shops everywhere. From special releases for the hardcore music fan in your life to stuff for your mom — like the 40th-anniversary special edition of “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield on vinyl — there’s something for everyone. Local indepen dents that participate in Record Store Day include Born Late Records (2920 Race St, 817-984-1255), Doc’s Records & Vintage (2628 Weisenberger St, 817-732-5455), CD Warehouse Records & Tapes (1213 S Coo per St, Arlington, 817-460-2392), and Forever Young Records (2955 Hwy 360, Grand Prairie, 972-352-6299), to name a few. For the complete list of releases and locations, visit RecordStoreDay.com.

Small Business Saturday

Created by American Express as a market ing initiative, Small Business Saturday has taken on a life of its own. While big-box re tailers take a lot of the attention on Friday, small business owners shine on Saturday. While you’re checking out the tree in Sun dance Square recently decorated by some of Fort Worth’s favorite artists and creatives, we recommend stopping at Colección Mex icana (406 Houston St, 214-893-4409), a shop specializing in hand-crafted artisanal goods from Mexico. Before or after, head to Ol’ South Pancake House (1509 S Universi ty Dr, 817-336-0311) for some delicious Ger man pancakes and pick up some gift cards or gift sets at the same. For $29.99, score a gift set with either Ol’ South’s signature mug and coffee or pancake mix with syrup and preserves.

Do you wish that you had “Jessie’s Girl”? A 12-inch single with five live versions is available Friday in celebration of the song’s 40th anniversary.

Courtesy Record Store Day

Friday marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. In the spirit of keeping it local, here are some ideas for the weekend.

Big Ticket

continued from page 14

Museum Store Sunday

Founded by the Museum Store Association in 2017 to encourage support for museums and cultural nonprofits, Museum Store Sunday has become an annual shopping tra dition the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The curated items at museum stores — many

sourced from local artisans and small busi nesses — make for thoughtful, philanthrop ic gifts. Six of our cultural institutions right here in Fort Worth are participating, includ ing the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (3501 Camp Bowie Blvd, 817-989-5007), the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (1600 Gendy St, 817-255-9343), the Kimbell Art Museum (3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, 817-288-3248), the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell St, 817840-2136), the National Cowgirl Museum (1720 Gendy St, 817-509-8980), and the Fort Worth Aviation Museum (3300 Ross Av, 855-733-8627).

Cyber Monday

Local Avon lady Pearl Armstrong isn’t wait ing until Monday to offer discounts on the in nerwebs. Now thru Friday, she has codes for free shipping when you spend $40 or more and a gift with $60 or more. Find the codes at Face book.com/PearlAvonRep, then place your or ders at YourAvon.com/PearlArmstrong. As for actual Cyber Monday deals, Fort Worth-based mother/daughter art duo Amy Jenkins and Maggie Oliveira of Janky Art Studio (Face book.com/JankyArtGallery) offer 40% off art prints and merchandise on Friday and Monday with a special code that will be emailed on Thursday. Sign up at JankyArt.com. (For more art and music gift ideas, read Big Ticket in our special year-end Music Issue on Wed, Dec 14.)

By Jennifer Bovee

Wild Acre Reboot

Under new ownership, the popular brewery still awash in craft brews now features a revamped, burgercentric menu.

Wild Acre Brewing Company, 1734 E El Paso St, FW. 817-271-1659. 11am-8pm Sun, 11am-10pm Mon-Sat.

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY EDWARD BROWN

Passing through the dark beer garden on my way to the entrance of Wild Acre, I noticed

new additions to the sprawling outdoor space, including a looming playground tow er. Inside, the brewery was brightly lit with holiday lights and decor.

Aside from a handful of Christmas trees, the interior has not changed drastically since Dallas-based Bishop Cider purchased the brewery in May. There are basically three tap walls: one for popular Wild Acre classics

like Texas Blonde and Billy Jenkins Bock, another for rare brews and one-offs, and yet another for seltzers and alcohol-free drinks.

The Lemon Blonde hit my nose with a whiff of citrus similar to a Lemon Drop can dy. Every sip was zesty yet similar to the Tex as Blonde base beer famed for being smooth yet pleasantly hopped. The Sundance Wit, a wheat ale, was clean and refreshing with sub

tle notes of coriander and lemon peel. The boldest beer I tried that evening, the Mango Hatch Chile IPA, was a smoky delight with a little lingering heat and a peachy profile.

Two apps, the salted pretzels and the mac ’n’ cheese, didn’t disappoint. Three large golden breadsticks dusted with rock salt came with a tangy brown mustard. The

buttered-up pretzels were dense and perfect ly baked. The soft elbow pasta smothered in mild American cheese didn’t reinvent the classic comfort food or detract from what makes mac ’n’ cheese universally popular.

My first burger, The Fancy, was a meat lover’s delight. Every bite of dense and lean (but not overly flavorful) bison patty ben efited from accoutrements like sweet and smoky bacon jam, sharp cheddar, and housemade ranch dressing. Mildly sweet, hefty, and filling, the brioche bun held the sammy together commendably.

Unfortunately, the Mighty Duck flopped. While not lacking in bold and cre ative toppings like kimchi and spicy aioli, the texture of the ground duck just didn’t work. The patty was mushy.

The Not Your Boar-ing Burger restored my hopes. The dark, lean boar was rich and not porky like I expected. Complement ing the patty were cuts of sweet apple, bits of mildly bitter arugula, and a dense aioli sauce. The pretzel buns added pleasant salty accents.

True to its name, the Cowtown had all the flavors of Fort Worth. The centerpiece was a slab of thickly cut brisket that was juicy and bursting with beefy goodness. The jalapeño mayo pleasantly singed my lips while the tangy coleslaw balanced out the savory and somewhat greasy ensemble. Two buttered pieces of Texas toast offered a nice break from the brioche buns in most of my orders that day.

The closer was a delightful regional take on the classic grilled chicken sandwich. The Southwest Chicky featured a plump, juicy patty grilled to maximum deliciousness. Thick slices of bacon produced a smoky profile that was further gussied up by spicy aioli, piquant guacamole, and hatch chiles.

Wild Acre still offers great customer ser vice, beer to-go, and quality craft suds that range from juicy IPAs to muscular stouts. The biggest change under the new owner ship is the revamped menu. With the nearby Wild Acre Live stage, a sprawling beer gar den, and a new playground, Wild Acre offers a fuller picture of what a complete brewery experience can look — and taste — like.

1.) I have four movies that I try to watch every Thanksgiving season. Along with The Blindside, The Other Sister, and Planes, Trains & Automobiles, The Last Waltz is a must-see. The 1978 Scorsese film of The Band’s final concert filmed over a Thanksgiving is the inspiration for a long-standing Arlington event — 10 years now, to be exact — called There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Last Waltz. Head to Tanstaafl Pub in Pantego (409 N Bowen Rd, 817-460-9506) and see local musicians cover tunes from the mov ie starting at 9pm Wed, Nov 23. There is no cost to attend.

2.) Saturday is a great day for a shopping/ drinking adventure. After a distillery tour and bottle shop stop, end your day with a sugar cookie decorating class at Sledge Dis tillery (8210 Paluxy Hwy, Tolar, 817-8888119) 4pm-6pm Sat. The Kunchie Baker will teach three royal icing techniques to decorate six Christmas-themed cookies. The cost of $30 per person includes all needed materials plus one complimentary cocktail. For more info or to register, email TheK unchieBaker@aol.com. Sledge also has its Thanksgiving Hootenany with live music by Copperhead Jones on Saturday. Read more about that in this week’s Night & Day column.

3.) Smokestack 1948 (2836 Stanley Av, 817201-4709) recently jumped into the deep end of its burgeoning music program by being one of our Music Showcase venues to much success. (Great job, guys, and thanks for having us!) Along with a variety of special music on the upcoming events calendar, Smokestack has also started a bimonthly jam night. Picking & Percussion will be 4pm-8pm on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, including Sunday and Dec 11. Guitarists, drummers, and singers of all ages and experience levels are welcome. There

is free popcorn available, but I recommend you order some loaded tots and a burger or some barbecue. Chef Brandon Anderson, who previously owned Rack Attack BBQ food truck, is now at the helm as GM, and he’s got this.

4.) Rose & Thorn Clothing Co. (@rosean dthornclothingco) is hosting the monthly Denton Wine Tasting Tour for November. On Wed, Nov 30, at 5pm, the tour starts at the Howling Mutt Brewpub (205 N Cedar St, Denton, 940-808-1619), where you will receive your wristband, wine sampling glass, and passport/map with info on all the par ticipating businesses. There are raffles with prizes valued at $600. Those dressed accord ing to the theme of Blast from the Past are awarded an extra raffle ticket. “Re-live your favorite decade for the night!” Tickets are $25 in advance on Eventbrite.com or $30 at the door.

5.) To raise awareness and monetary do nations for unique conservation efforts in Texas, the Fort Worth chapter of the Amer ican Association of Zookeepers — a non profit professional organization for those employed in the zoological field — hosts several community events throughout the year, including an annual “painting with a purpose” get-together. Join the association for Save a Ray, Paint a Manta-Piece at 7pm Wed, Nov 30, at Painting with a Twist (2605 S Cherry Ln, 817-886-0515). This year’s benefactor is the Flower Garden Banks Na tional Marine Sanctuary (Gulf of Mexico, FlowerGarden.noaa.gov), an integral part of Texas’ coral reef system that serves as a nursery for young, endangered manta rays. Tickets are $39 at PaintingwithaTwist.com/ Studio/FortWorthWest and include all need ed painting supplies, cups and ice for your BYOB drinks, and a donation to Flower Garden Banks.

6.) If you’ve been wanting to try Don Artemio (3268 W 7th St, 817-470-1439) — one of our Best Of 2022 Top 5 critic’s choices for best Mexican food — and you enjoy wine, I have plans for you soon. At 6:30pm on Thu, Dec 1, attend the five-course Tom Eddy Wine Dinner. The winery’s namesake is the guest speaker, and your meal will be paired with his wines. Just to give you an idea of the food and wine offerings, the first course is quesadilla de flor de calabaza paired with a 2018 Tom Eddy chardonnay. This squash blossom flower cheese quesadilla includes ancho pasilla-herb/black bean purée, kale julienne, crema, and queso fresco. For more delicious descriptions, see the event page at Facebook.com/DonArtemioFortWorth. The cost is $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity. To RSVP, call 214-254-8644 or email Adrian@DonArtemio.us.

7.) Do you want to check out A Knight’s Tale and LJ Eidolon: Dreams, Allegory & Gestalt, the current exhibits at the Arlington Muse um of Art (201 W Main St, 817-275-4600), featuring rare Medieval objects in the main

hall and accompanying surrealist works in the gallery? If so, the AMA wants to help sweeten the deal. Yelibelly Chocolates is cu rating three pairings at A (K)night of Whiskey, Wine & Chocolate Tastings 5:30pm8pm Fri, Dec 2. Tickets are $85 per person at ArlingtonMuseum.org and include admis sion to the exhibits. Advance tickets must be purchased by Tue, Nov 29. No walk-ins, please.

8.) Oh, how we miss the old days of hang ing out at The Ginger Man in Fort Worth. (While they do sell booze at the CVS that now occupies the space, somehow it’s just not the same.) Luckily, The Ginger Man Las Colinas (5250 N O’Conner Blvd, Ste 146, Irving, 972-607-4227) is still part of our orbit. I’ll be heading there 3pm-6pm Sat, Dec 3, for the Holiday Beer Tasting featur ing six seasonal beers and tips about them from the experts, a holiday treat and cheese board, and giveaways. Tickets are $47 per person, including tax and gratuity. Purchase tickets in-store or via phone by Thu, Dec 1.

By Jennifer Bovee

Start your Thanksgiving weekend by re-living The Last Waltz at the Tanstaafl Wednesday.

Courtesy Facebook

MUSIC

Loungin’

With his new album, rapper J/O/E shows the chiller side of his frosty artistry.

BY EDWARD BROWN

A miscommunication kept rapper J/O/E (pronounced as J-O-E) from bringing his beer into Funky Picnic’s Backroom, where I was set up to interview him. He had ordered his beverage at the adjacent brewery/restau rant, and a bartender said that screwy TABC laws prohibited transferring alcoholic bev erages to where I was seated. Without miss ing a beat, J/O/E/ chugged the schooner.

The beer-lovin’ hip-hopper is not one to waste a good brew.

The frothy wordsmith is having one hel luva year, and he knows it. His face beamed as he described performing at the Main Street Arts Festival as a guest artist during shows by locals Lou CharLe$ and Yokyo. Arts Goggle and the most recent Friday on the Green also showcased the 33-year-old rapper who recently released the seven-song album Lagers in the Lounge

J/O/E’s past albums, with their rap id-fire verses and trap beats, were more about chugging. Lagers in the Lounge is all about sippin’ brews and enjoying life as it comes. Recorded over the summer with producer 3fifty7 (Micah Sky, Tavo Tha Trill, Wells), the new album features mid- to slow-tempo numbers with extended instrumental intros and unhurried rapping.

“My preference is to write songs at home,” J/O/E said. “With this project, we did all of that in studio. I would get [to the studio], make the beat, maybe write a verse, or maybe have a hook. I would try to take it home. The producer would say, ‘No, you got it. Let’s knock this out.’ He was a mo tivation.”

Opener “Sailing” begins with a tremolo of strings and light chimes. The oscillating two-chord intro then leads to a lilting solo guitar that J/O/E raps over.

“Coasting,” he unhurriedly flows. “In my own mind / Coasting, though I’ve never seen the ocean.”

As the song picks up, J/O/E’s exuber ance shines through. He can be forceful with his delivery even as his word choices are free J/O/E: “I started

how I

going to Martin House Brewing and Rahr & Sons religiously in 2014. That’s

got to know the craft beer community.”

from profanity. Rappers, he told me, should be aware of how their musical content can either open or close doors.

“I can replace [offensive] words,” he said. “It’s no biggie. Some people have a big ego of, ‘Fuck that. I’m dropping bombs.’ ”

Another catchy new tune, “Friends,” is a love ballad to beer. Set to sparse jazzy pia no accompaniment, the mid-tempo number puts J/O/E’s message front and center.

“Chuggin’ nonstop / Popping tops on bombers and whatnot / Just me and a can.”

J/O/E’s love affair with beer is no schtick.

“I was already putting beer references in my music,” he said, referring to his ear ly career. “I started going to Martin House Brewing and Rahr & Sons religiously in 2014. That’s how I got to know the craft beer community. At one point, I was struggling with how to promote myself. I was chill ing and drinking. I looked at the beer I was drinking and said, ‘This is the answer.’ ”

J/O/E said he has amassed nearly five hours of original songs. Looking to 2023, the rapper said he is focused on building his brand. When he isn’t performing or work ing his day job, he researches YouTube vid eos on self-promotion. One tip he learned: Budget money for advertising new releases.

“Whether it’s for Instagram or Google ads, have a budget,” he said. “Just putting an album out there doesn’t give you much exposure. A lot of people put stuff out and expect it to take off. It’s not really that sim ple. You have to really have a budget to pro mote it.”

Collaborating with other artists is an other top goal for 2023, he added. He’s in no

hurry to release another album, but he will be looking to be a featured guest on other musicians’ new releases.

Fort Worth, the active performer said, has a mixed history of supporting hip-hop. On one hand, festivals like Main Street Arts Festival did book Lou CharLe$ as a head liner, but smaller venues overwhelmingly go for rock, country, and Americana acts most

nights. Fort Worth’s rappers, J/O/E said, need to push the quality of their output.

“I’m an example of how hip-hop can be brought to broader audiences in Fort Worth,” he said, adding that Lou CharLe$ deserves credit for making rap mainstream in the 817. “I’m performing at these spots you don’t see rap at, but we still don’t see enough of it in Fort Worth.” l

CLASSIFIEDS

MIND / BODY / SPIRIT

Gateway Church Church time is the BEST time! Join us for online church each weekend.

Online services start at 4 pm on Saturdays and are available to watch any time after at https://gway. ch/GatewayPeople.

Hannah in Hurst 817.590.2257

EMPLOYMENT

Hysen’s Nizza Pizza is Now Hiring!

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

HysensNizzaPizza.com

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Companies Offering

Travel Accommodations:

According to the New York Times, the following companies have said they would cover travel expenses for employees who need abortions: Airbnb, DoorDash, JP Morgan Chase, Levi Strauss & Co, Netflix, Patagonia, Reddit, Starbucks, Tesla, and Yelp. Additionally, NowThis has listed the following companies also offering the same assistance to employees: Amazon, Apple, BuzzFeed, Citigroup, Comcast, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lyft, Mastercard, Meta, Microsoft, Paramount, Sony, Tesla, Walt Disney Co, Vox Media, and Zillow. (JMB, FWW)

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Cardiovascular Disease & Stroke

These are leading causes of death, according to the American Heart Association. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection!

Contact Life Line Screening to schedule your screening.

Special Offer: 5 Screenings for $149!

Call today! 1-833-636-1757

DENTAL INSURANCE

1-888-361-7095

Physicians Mutual Insurance Company covers 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details!

Call or visit Dental50plus.com/fortworth (#6258).

Planned Parenthood

Of Greater Texas

We’re not going anywhere. We know you may be feeling a lot of things right now, but we are here with you and we will not stop fighting for YOU. See 6 ways you can join the #BansOffOurBodies fight on FB @ PPGreaterTX. For more info, go to: PPGreaterTX.org

Massage Therapy for pain relief, deep relaxation, and better sleep. Professional office in Mid-Cities for over 25 years. “I am accepting new clients now and happy to return your call.” -Hannah, MT#4797. MasseuseToTheStars.com

MUSIC XCHANGE

Music Junkie Studios

1617 Park Place #106, FWTX www.MusicJunkieStudios.com

We offer lessons on voice, piano, guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, viola, drums, recording, and music for littles!

PUBLIC NOTICES

TDLR Complaints

Any Texans who may be concerned that an unlicensed massage business may be in operation near them, or believe nail salon employees may be human trafficking victims, may now report those concerns directly to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) by emailing ReportHT@TDLR.Texas.gov.

SUBMISSIONS

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

TOURISM

CALIFORNIA

From its celebrated coastline to its broad heartland and granite Sierra peaks, CA offers a lifetime of vacations in one Golden State. CaliforniaTouristGuide.com

CONNECTICUT

Great shopping, dining, casinos, Mystic maritime fun in CT, the southernmost New England state. More at: VisitConnecticut.com

DELAWARE

Explore the Great Outdoors with DE’s Scenic Drives, State Parks and More. Find Trip Ideas at: VisitDelaware.com

ILLINOIS

Places to go, things to do, the best places to eat and drink, must-see Chicago, trip ideas and inspiration for your travels at: EnjoyIllinois.com

OREGON

From Mt Hood to the Oregon Coast, Explore Oregon with the official tourism at: TravelOregon.com

MAINE

Take the Guesswork Out of Planning Your Getaway at: VisitMaine.com

MARYLAND

If you thought Maryland was just battlefields and Old Bay, think again! VisitMaryland.org

MASSACHUSETTS

Find countless fun things to do from Boston to The Berkshires at: VisitMA.com

MINNESOTA

MN is the place for extraordinary, eye-opening adventures likr camping under the stars in a Dark Sky Sanctuary. More at: ExploreMinnesota.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NH is the perfect outdoor playground. Roll the windows down and explore scenic routes, walk around vibrant small towns and make unforgettable memories. VisitNH.gov

NEW JERSEY

NJ wows with 130 miles of shorelines and cities that pulse with exciting entertainment and culinary pleasures. Discover the Garden State. VisitNJ.org

NEW MEXICO

Visit New Mexico for a unique family vacation filled with exciting activities like skiing, hiking, shopping and sight seeing. NewMexico.org

NEW YORK

Explore all the state of New York has to offer including fun things to do, year-round events, festivals, and more. ILoveNY.com

NEVADA

Outdoor recreation, exciting events, and stories for days. Plan your next trip to Nevada. TravelNevada.com

RHODE ISLAND

RI is 400 miles of New England coastline, with beaches and freshfrom-the-ocean seafood. It’s also public art, charming villages, and more. VisitRhodeIsland.com

VERMONT

Our cities and towns welcome visitors with their rich history, eclectic shops, farm-to-table dining establishments, and recreation areas. VermontVacation.com

WASHINGTON

Emerge yourself with things to do in Washington from fishing, tours, volcanoes and more. StateOfWATourism.com Find

FWWeekly.com/Classifieds

Copyright Notice

Copyright Notice: All rights reserved re common-law copyright of trade-name/trade-mark, ROBERT WALTER BONNER © -as well as any and all derivatives and variations in the spelling of said trade- name/trade-mark-Common Law Copyright © 1988 by Robert Walter Bonner ©. Said common-law trade- name/trade-mark, ROBERT WALTER BONNER©, may neither be used, nor reproduced, neither in whole nor in part, nor in any manner whatsoever, without the prior, express, written consent and acknowledgement of Robert Walter Bonner© as signified by the red-ink signature of Robert Walter Bonner©, hereinafter "Secured Party." With the intent of being contractually bound any juristic person, as well as the agent of said juristic person, consents and agrees by this Copyright Notice that neither said juristic person, nor the agent of said juristic person, shall display, nor otherwise use in any manner, the common-law trade-name/trade-mark ROBERT WALTER BONNER©, nor the common-law copyright described herein, nor any derivative of, nor any variation in the spelling of, ROBERT WALTER BONNER© without the prior, express, written consent and acknowledgment of Secured Party, as signified by Secured Party's signature in red ink. Secured Party neither grants, nor implies, nor otherwise gives consent for any unauthorized use of ROBERT WALTER BONNER©, and all such unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Secured Party is not now, nor has Secured Party ever been, an accommodation party, nor a surety, for the purported debtor, i.e. "ROBERT WALTER BONNER ," nor for any derivative of, nor for any variation in the spelling of, said name, nor for any other juristic person, and is so-indemnified and held harmless by Debtor, i.e. "ROBERT WALTER BONNER, " in Hold-harmless and Indemnity Agreement No. RWB-060970-HHIA dated the Ninth Day of the Sixth Month in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred Eighty-eight against any and all claims, legal actions, orders, warrants, judgments, demands, liabilities, losses, depositions, summonses, lawsuits, costs, fines, liens, levies, penalties, damages, interests, and expenses whatsoever, both absolute and contingent, as are due and as might become due, now existing and as might hereafter arise, and as might be suffered by, imposed on, and incurred by Debtor for any and every reason·, purpose, and cause whatsoever. Self-executing Contract/ Security Agreement in Event of Unauthorized Use: By this Copyright Notice, both the juristic person and the agent of said juristic person, hereinafter jointly and severally "User," consent and agree that any use of ROBERT WALTER BONNER © other than authorized use as set forth above constitutes unauthorized use, counterfeiting, of Secured Party's common-law copyrighted property, contractually binds User, renders this Copyright Notice a Security Agreement wherein User is debtor and Robert Walter Bonner © is Secured Party, and signifies that User: (1) grants Secured Party a security interest in all of User's assets, land, and personal property, and all of User's interest in assets, land, and personal property, in the sum certain amount of $500,000.00 per each occurrence of use of the common-law-copyrighted trade- name/trade-mark ROBERT WALTER BONNER©, as well as for each and every occurrence of use of any and all derivatives of, and variations in the spelling of, ROBERT WALTER BONNER©, plus costs, plus triple damages; e(2) authenticates this Security Agreement wherein User is debtor and Robert Walter Bonner© is Secured Party, and wherein User pledges all of User's assets, land, consumer goods, farm products, inventory, equipment, money, investment property, commercial tort claims, letters of credit, letter-of-credit rights, chattel paper, instruments, deposit accounts, accounts, documents, and general intangibles, and all User's interest in all such foregoing property, now owned and hereafter acquired, now existing and hereafter arising, and wherever located, as collateral for securing User's contractual obligation in favor of Secured Party for User's unauthorized use of Secured Party's commonlaw-copyrighted property; (3) consents and agrees with Secured Party's filing of a UCC Financing Statement in the UCC filing office, as well as in any county recorder's office, wherein User is debtor and Robert Walter Bonner© is Secured Party; (4) consents and agrees that said U C C Financing Statement described above in paragraph "(3)" is is a continuing financing statement, and further consents and agrees with Secured Party's filing of any continuation statement necessary for maintaining Secured Party's perfected security interest in all of User's property an interest in property, pledged as collateral in this Security Agreement and described above in paragraph "(2)," until User's contractual obligation theretofore incurred has been fully satisfied; (5) consents and agrees with Secured Party's filing of any UCC Financing Statement, as described above in paragraphs "(3)" and "(4)," as well as the filing of any Security Agreement, as described above in paragraph "(2)," in the UCC filing office, as well as in any county recorder's office; (6) consents and agrees that any and all such filings described in paragraphs "(4)" and "(5)" above are not, and may not be considered, bogus and that User will not claim that any such filing is bogus; (7) waives all defenses; and (8) appoints Secured Party as Authorized Representative for User, effective upon User's default re User's contractual obligations in favor of Secured Party as set forth below under "Payment Terms" and "Default Terms," granting Secured Party full authorization and power for engaging in any and all actions on behalf of User including, but not limited by, authentication of a record on behalf of User, as Secured Party, in Secured Party's sole discretion, deems appropriate, and User further consents and agrees that this appointment of Secured Party as Authorized Representative for User, effective upon User's default, is irrevocable and coupled with a security interest. User further consents and agrees with all of the following additional terms of Self-executing Contract/Security Agreement in Event of Unauthorized Use: Payment Terms: In accordance with fees for unauthorized use of ROBERT WALTER BONNER© as set forth above, User hereby consents and agrees that User shall pay Secured Party all unauthorized-use fees in full within ten (10) days of the date User is sent Secured Party's invoice, hereinafter "Invoice," itemizing said fees. Default Terms: In event of non-payment in full of all unauthorized-use fees by User within ten (10) days of date Invoice is sent, User shall be deemed in default and; (a) all of User's property and property pledged as collateral by User, as set forth in above in paragraph "(2)," immediately becomes, i.e. is, property of Secured Party; (b) Secured Party is appointed User's Authorized Representative as set forth above in paragraph "(8)"; and (c) User consents and agrees that Secured Party may take possession of, as well as otherwise dispose of in any manner that Secured Party, in Secured Party's sole discretion, deems appropriate, including, but not limited by, sale at auction, at any time following User's default, and without further notice, any and all of User's property and interest, described above in paragraph "(2)," formerly pledged as collateral by User, now property of Secured Party, in respect of this "Self-executing Contract/Security Agreement in Event of Unauthorized Use," that Secured Party, again in Secured Party's sole discretion, deems appropriate. Terms for Curing Default: Upon event of default, as set forth above under "Default Terms," irrespective of any and all of User's former property and interest in property, described above in paragraph "(2)," in the possession of, as well as disposed of by, Secured Party, as authorized above under "Default Terms," User may cure User's default only re the remainder of User's said former property and interest property, formerly pledged as collateral that is neither in the possession of, nor otherwise disposed of by, Secured Party within twenty (20) days of date of User's default only by payment in full. Terms of Strict Foreclosure: User's non-payment in full of all unauthorized-use fees itemized in Invoice within said twenty- (20) day period for curing default as set forth above under "Terms for Curing Default" authorizes Secured Party's immediate non-judicial strict foreclosure on any and all remaining former property and interest in property, formerly pledged as collateral by User, now property of Secured Party, which is not in the, possession of, nor otherwise disposed of by, Secured Party upon expiration of said twenty- (20) day default-curing period. Ownership subject to common-law copyright and UCC Financing Statement and Security Agreement filed with the UCC filing office. Record Owner: Robert Walter Bonner© , Autograph Common Law Copyright © 1988. Unauthorized use of "Robert Walter Bonner " incurs same unauthorized-use fees as those associated with ROBERT WALTER BONNER©, as set forth above in paragraph "(1)" under "Self-executing Contract/Security Agreement in Event of Unauthorized Use."

ADVERTISE HERE!

If you need to hire staff or promote your business, let us help you online and/or in print. For more info, call 817987-7689 or email stacey@fwweekly.com today.

COWTOWN ROVER for YOUR RIDE!

Inspection Almost Due? Are You Road-Trip Ready? With our handy pick-up and drop-off services, having your car checked out could not be easier. Get ready for the holidays. Call today!

3958 Vickery | 817.731.3223 | CowtownRover.com

EMPLOYMENT

CDL Drivers needed, Hazmat tanker preferred, Laborers and Equipment Operators. Health Insurance and other benefits. Per Diem Paid. EOE 830-833-4547

The Gas Pipe, The GAS PIPE, THE GAS PIPE, your Peace Love & Smoke Headquarters since 4/20/1970! SCORE a FREE GIFT on YOUR Birthday, FREE Scale Tuning and Lighter Refills on GAS PIPE goods, FREE Layaway, and all the safe, helpful service you expect from a 51 Years Young Joint. Plus, SCORE A FREE CBD HOLIDAZE GIFT With-A-Buy thru 12/31! Be Safe, Party Clean, Keep On Truckin’. More at thegaspipe.net

Hannah in Hurst, LMT

Serving the Mid-Cities for over 25 years. Massage for Better Sleep, Pain Relief, and Deep Relaxation. MasseuseToTheStars.com (MT#4797) Call 817.590.2257

HISTORIC

THEATER

RIDGLEA

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