Fort Worth Weekly // December 15-21, 2021 by Fort Worth Weekly

December 15-21, 2021 FREE fwweekly.com

The Fort Worth shoegazers follow up pandemic idleness with a busy year. B Y

FEATURE There appear to be some cracks in Fort Worth’s good ol’ boy club. BY EDWARD BROWN

METROPOLIS Here’s a news roundup for people beaten down by the news. BY ANTHONY MARIANI

S T E V E

S T E W A R D

LAST CALL Specializing in natural wines only, The Holly is certainly a treat in South Main Village. BY CHRISTINA BERGER

STUFF The side of the ball carrying the Cowboys is not the one we thought would. BY PAT R I C K H I G G I N S

“A roaring, wondrous whirlpool of a show”

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

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– The Guardian

October 17, 2021–February 6, 2022 This exhibition is organized by Tate Britain in association with the Kimbell Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities and by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District.

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Volum e 17

N umber 37

D ecember 1 5-21 , 2021

INSIDE Dem Good Ol’ Boys

As Tarrant County becomes more diverse, will the club stay intact?

Tellin’ it like it is. By Anthony Mariani

Adapt and Overcome

As Dak continues to struggle, the D keeps on shinin’. By Patrick Higgins

By Edward Brown

Bob Niehoff, General Manager Ryan Burger, Art Director Jim Erickson, Circulation Director

Old-School Country

Both Grady Spencer and Bubba Bellin are throwing back to the sound’s grittier, smarter days. By Steve Steward

CONTRIBUTORS

Edward Brown, Staff Writer

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

Emmy Smith, Proofreader

EDITORIAL

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 Clintastic, Brand Ambassador

BOARD

Anthony Mariani, Edward Brown, Emmy Smith

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Anthony Mariani, Editor Lee Newquist, Publisher

Cour tesy of Grady Spencer

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THE TASTIEST TIME OF THE YEAR

Welcome to your weekly Weekly interpretation of the latest suckiness to befall our great American experiment. B Y

A N T H O N Y

M A R I A N I

There’s a good reason you may have seen the DA’s office recently tweet about Crystal Mason, the Fort Worth woman who spent nearly a year in the clink for illegally voting in 2016’s presidential election. Her lawyers are trying to spring her via a new Texas election law that just went into effect. Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson believes Mason remains guilty. It’s there. In the tweet. Mason’s ACLU lawyers have filed a brief with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals seeking her conviction to be overturned. The odds of the plan working are nil — DA’s offices don’t like being told they’ve made a mistake, and as a non-wealthy Black woman, Mason perfectly embodies the voter-fraud boogeyman that conservatives like Wilson and pretty much every other pol in the state likes to claim is bedeviling the election process: poor, brown, Antifa-joining, Satan-worshipping commies voting twice, harvesting ballots, voting on behalf of the dead, all of that. In actuality, voter fraud is statistically nonexistent, and of the few actual frauds who have been caught, a majority of them are white Trump supporters, a small but loud, obnoxious, and often violent Republican-party offshoot not known for its smarts. Remember all those Trump boats that sunk in that dumb lake

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

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Dipshits in Austin Create Law that Accidentally Gives Life to Illegal Voting Appeal

Cour tesy of @caslernoel

News Roundup

METROPOLIS a while back? Ah, that was good. That narrative, though. Conservatives got to keep pushing it to keep forcing state legislators to continue enacting “voter security” measures, which actually amount to vicious voter suppression tactics. Can’t beat your opponent with better, more popular ideas? Make sure your opponent’s supporters’ votes don’t count. That’s the Republican way. The 46-year-old Mason was sentenced to five years in prison for casting a ballot illegally. Since she was on supervised release from a federal tax fraud conviction, she was not allowed to vote at all. Allegedly unaware of her status and since she was told her name was not on the voter rolls, she cast a provisional ballot. It was never counted. She was convicted in March 2018. Her sentencing drew all kinds of righteous outrage. There’s no telling how many white criminals have gotten off with much lesser sentences for far worse, violent crimes. Or Kyle Rittenhouse. What explains that bullshit? His mom (!) drove him across state lines with a firearm into the middle of a riot to administer first aid to injured … Boost Mobiles and Taco Bells? A Black child in the same circumstances would not have lived to see the next morning. There’s your American experiment at work. The new law Mason and her team are looking to is Senate Bill 1. They believe it “clarifies” that submitting a provisional ballot is insufficient evidence to prove a voter knew she was ineligible to vote. Team Mason believe the law is retroactive and that a reversal of her conviction is in order. The new Texas election law, one of Mason’s attorneys told the Star-T, indicates that “a person may not be convicted solely upon the fact that the person

signed a provisional ballot affidavit … unless corroborated by other evidence that the person knowingly committed the offense.” Mason and her attorneys have also brought up a bipartisan House resolution in which “no Texan should be prosecuted for the offense of illegal voting if the person voted or attempted to vote based on a mistaken, honest belief that the person was in fact eligible to vote,” the attorney told the Star-T. The DA’s office has other thoughts. In their tweet, they say Mason received verbal and written notification that she could not vote. “Even under the new law, she is guilty,” the DA says. “She wasn’t convicted simply for casting a provisional ballot; she was convicted for casting a provisional ballot when she knew she was ineligible to vote. Knowledge of ineligibility is key.” What I’d like to know is the way by which Mason was told she was ineligible. If there was a conversation with her, who was on the other end. Let’s hear their story. If it was a letter, then please. Most of my mail ends up in the shredder unread. If you need to tell me something important, John Law, better not put it in a PAPER LETTER that goes in the MAILBOX. Unless it comes with a $250 check (thanks, Grandpa Joe!), I’m so not interested.

R’s Push Book Ban Because They Have No Original Ideas We’re not talking Updike, Pynchon, or Morrison here, but we are dealing with literature that appeals to high schoolers. Not Penthouse Forum but something oddly kind of close.

In the wilds of Keller recently, a bunch of Karens pressured beaten-dog officials to remove a book from a high school library for containing a description of a hummer, among other acts of sexual intimacy. Gender Queer: A Memoir also features some explicit illustrations. Is the artwork any good? Because that’s all that really matters. Anyway, the thing is that while the Keller Karens are going around banning books, they might as well go ahead and confiscate their kids’ cellphones and laptops, too, because little Jaxson Luger Bright and Brooklynne Anne Cassidy are seeing way more sexualized stuff on TikTok and IG than they would come across in any school library. If only it were about that. It is not. This is about the Texas government trying to play morality police and the evangelical horde falling in lockstep behind Greg Abbott and his cancerous cabal of vapid vampires. The governor does not care that young people with gender identity issues are prone to self-harm or that they are likely trapped in uncaring, unforgiving families. Instead of trying to make these children feel safe by offering them alternative, empathetic viewpoints like Gender Queer, Greggy appears to be concerned that non-straight stories might give straight, god-fearing Christian kids some funny ideas, which is ludicrous because if you’re straight, you’re straight — no amount of Satan dong (or lack thereof) or Satan boobage (or lack thereof) is gonna change that. Abbott does not care. He does not understand, for one, and for another, it is his job to wage absurd culture wars to give Republican politicians something to talk about to distract voters from his party’s real No. 1 priority: slashing taxes on the ultra-wealthy. Were Trailer Park Jed and his kinfolk to realize they have more in common with the gay Black dude at the local dive bar than anyone in the state capital, Republican politicians would never win another election again. If only Trailer Park Jed and his fam weren’t racist pukes. All Republican politicians have to do now is say they hate brown people without actually coming out and saying, continued on page 5

“We hate brown people” to get elected and reelected ad infinitum. We are only a couple of months away from Republican office-seekers appearing at rallies and town halls in white hoods. This is how far we’ve fallen. And the bottom is … man, it’s way over our heads. Conservative pols started whining about books in October, once they realized that no one — not even they — knew what Critical Race Theory (CRT) was or how it applied, or didn’t, to early education. Last month is when Abbott started hemming and hawing about “the availability of pornography” in Texas schools. He even went as far as to tell the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to refer pornography “for prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.” Such a good, responsible use of the courts. Glad our taxpayer dollars are being employed so wisely. As Texas’ new anti-abortion law is nothing but a shameless attack on minority women, so is this half-assed book ban a thinly veiled attempt to punish young people with gender identity issues. That wily Abbott, he knows you can’t talk gender without talking sex, and that is what explains all this anti-book nonsense, which is really just anti-LGBTQ+ evil-

ness by evil fuckers like Greg Abbott who wouldn’t know a beatitude if it pierced him in the side like a spear. Fort Worth also has the distinction of being home to some callow nerd named Matt Krause, who created a list of 850 allegedly problematic books to be banned from Texas schools. Most of the listed titles deal with — what else — gender and racism. Along with thinking that reading about gays will make one gay, Krause, like most ReTrumplicans, believes teaching children about slavery will make little baby snowflake white kids feel saddy-waddy :( Fuck you! Feel sad! And make it your life’s work never to let slavery and Jim Crow happen again! The Texas Tribune says, “While most school districts have ignored Krause’s inquiry” — hahaha! — “North East Independent School District in San Antonio is reviewing more than 400 books flagged by the Republican lawmaker, and Katy Independent School District near Houston has launched a broad review of its books and asked parents to report any vulgar material.” It’s pathetic the lengths bootlickers will go to twist themselves into pretzels to lick the boots of the ass-clowns beneath them to score political points. Maybe Trump will speak at your dumb school district, Katy. Maybe he’ll do a Cameo that

you can screenshare during an assembly of future Hitler Youth. That would be more #tyte than @khancherz hopped up on a grown-man can of Monster.

Fort Worth, Press Come Up with New Ways to Downplay Surging Economy I love Visit Fort Worth, but come on. The only reason hotel revenues are topping pre-pandemic levels is that more than half the population is vaccinated now because we have a president who puts science over conspiracy theories. Didn’t Trump say COVID was going to disappear “like a miracle” one day a long-ass time ago? It didn’t, and because his mouthpieces at Faux News kept harping on the purported dangers of the vaccine just to hurt Grandpa Joe’s recovery efforts, we now have two variants to deal with. And lots of corpses. Never mind that everyone at Faux News, including Tucker Carlson, is vaccinated. As always, young readers, watch what the evildoers do, not what they say. In a Star-T story the other day, the head of Visit Fort Worth, our city’s convention and tourism bureau, credited local hotels’ fat/phat revenues only to the CARES Act, something passed by Congress in the first year of the pandemic and signed by the orange buffoon. Please. While I’m not

In the true spirit of the holidays, United Way of Tarrant County is working to bring a bit of cheer and happiness to those in need.

Your holiday gift will make a huge difference and help us ensure struggling families have food and support for rent, utilities and other critical needs so they can experience the joy of the season. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift by the end of the year to our Veterans Fund. United Way of Tarrant County’s Mission United active duty, veterans and military families initiative has helped more than 3,500 North Texas veterans find solutions to their challenges since the onset of the pandemic.

MAKE A GIFT TODAY AT:

WWW.UNITEDWAYTARRANT.ORG/DONATE *RAND Corp

continued on page 6

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

More than 20% of the 500,000 veterans who call North Texas home are struggling with unemployment, inadequate housing or mental health concerns*.

saying those federal monies didn’t help, the reason people are packing F-Dub hotels now is that we’re all safer — thanks to one man, President Joe Biden. Dump bungled the entire early pandemic response and should be held accountable for all the senseless death we had to endure on his watch. It wasn’t until Biden took office and tackled the issue with authority that we were able to go back to restaurants, go back to live music, and go back to traveling and staying overnight at hotels. If not for Joe Biden, that “complimentary buffet” would still be prewrapped bear claws and tiny bottles of water, y’know, the only ones Donald Trump can drink with only one of his tiny hands. Since Biden took office, as of this writing, nearly 6 million new jobs have been created, a record; nearly 588,000 jobs per month on average have been added; unemployment is down to 4.2%, a record to date; and hotel and restaurant worker wages are up 13%. In Biden’s first 10 months, three times as many jobs were created than under the last three GOP presidents combined. Let’s talk about inflation, because I know the Trumpies are going to throw that at me. It’s what happens when demand is up and supply is down, and why is demand up? Because we’re working

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and have some cash to throw around, and why is supply down? Because workers are moving on from factories and warehouses into other, often remote, often much less soul- and body-crushing gigs. Don’t believe the scam that the right and CNN and Faux News and The New York Times are trying to push on you. Let’s interview a Trumpy middle manager who can’t believe groceries cost more. Now she’s spending twice as much a month! Shame, Joe Biden. Shame. As Dan Price puts it, “If companies were really ‘forced to raise prices’ because of inflation, they would have been ‘forced to lower prices’ after they got $1.9 trillion in tax cuts. But they didn’t — they raised prices then, too.”

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

… But Will it Be Counted?

It’s beyond frustrating. On the daily occasion I scroll through Twitter, just about everything I see revolves around one thing: voting rights. How to enact them, how to protect them, and how to have them tattooed on every American citizen’s forehead. And then there’s some tweet from Joe Biden about some ethnic holiday or COVID shots. I. Don’t. Freaking. Care. If we don’t have voting rights, we’re not going to have any ethnic holidays to celebrate or COVID shots to get. We’re going to be living in cold, dark prison cells for daring to jerk off or for using “tRump”

mers and the Facetubers are eating into all our oh-so-respectable fourth estating. Now the Times et al. have been reduced to peddling pearl-clutching both-sides schlock to be able to sell $50 toesocks and $5,000 gravity blankets. The fate of democracy means nothing to the press — the Times, the Post, CNN, and every other Amazon derivative masquerading as some kind of beacon of truth — until it does, at which point it will be too late. What any reasonable person would think is important and should be covered is not. Example: Some Trump bootlicker made a PowerPoint of the bloody coup attempt days before Jan. 6 — if only he had produced it on a private email server and were a woman running for president, maybe you’d have read about it in the Times. Like, every day. For months. Alas … We do what we can here with our political coverage. I write hot shit, and over the past couple of weeks, we’ve investigated shady dealings at the DA’s office

be a viper of hardened steel that will pierce our souls in the middle of the night. But, please, Chuck and Nancy, and Grandpa Joe, enjoy your fucking holiday. Build Back Better? Meh, it can wait. Women’s reproductive rights? Later. Mark Meadows and the rest of the Jan. 6 traitors? Next year. As I’ve said, enjoy your downtime, you body bags with legs. These holidays may very well be our last as a free people. The fact that you’ll be dead soon should be no comfort. Don’t you have kids? And grandkids?! Don’t you have nightmares of seeing them chained to Junior’s basement and used as lion bait? Because that’s the future they’re looking at now with you with your thumbs up your asses. The mainstream media machine cannot be trusted either. The Times. I used to want to write for the Gray Lady, but now I wouldn’t want my distinguished reputation as a well-meaning but angry hack sullied by being associated with that birdcage liner. And they’re not the only one. Every mainstream media outlet you can think of has taken on the anti-Biden narrative just to remain relevant, because don’t ya know the TikTokers and the Instgram-

and a web of monied right-wingers shifting school policy in Southlake hard to the right. Our investigative staff is tiny (two, sometimes three people). We’re trying, though it’s not enough. It’s never enough. “The small-d democrats of American journalism need to do better,” the Philly Inquirer recently wrote. “We need to … sound the alarm in ways that the average rank-and-file reader will both understand and care about. That means realizing that while those who’ve descended into the insanity of QAnon or horse-dewormer COVID-19 cures won’t be reached by any article in a mainstream publication, there are still plenty of good-hearted but discouraged voters who need to be roused.” Ah, the independent voter, that wellmeaning but soulless malingerer. We all know he’s who’s keeping Chuck and Nancy away from D.C. for the holidays. Don’t want to upset that bro by actually governing or by actually holding traitors accountable for their seditious actions that were broadcast to the world on TV. The Atlantic is the only MSM entity that gets it. In an entire recent issue devoted to the death of democracy, the edi-

Cour tesy of @StrictlyChristo

So, are you “half-ready” to try to sleep with 100 blankets on again? Or “half-ready” to sit in your car for a couple hours just to stay warm? The good news, says the Texas Tribune, is that we’re not expected to experience another winter storm like the one that zapped our ridiculous power grid last year. The bad news is that Gov. Greg Abbott’s billionaire buddies at ERCOT are counting on balmy temps this time around because what? You expect them to care about anyone other than themselves and embryos? More than 100 Texans died last February. In response, Abbott established a few protocols that all of our energy providers have crossed their hearts and hoped to die promised to follow. Like with the gun pandemic, we’re getting thoughts and prayers about the grid. But don’t you worry. Abbott and his buddies won’t spend a minute without light or heat, praise be. Or running water. My family had to boil it out back on our propane grill to keep from dying of thirst. I’m more than “half-ready” to cast my ballot for Beto.

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

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Power Grid About “HalfReady,” Says Tribune

in a text. Vice president will be that Hercules guy, and Speaker of the House will be Walker, Texas Ranger. Or is he dead? Did Chuck Norris die? Anyway, his son or whomever, best friend, someone equally repulsive and idiotic. Humorous? No (sorry), but it’s enough to underline the fact that even though Grandpa Joe could win the 2024 popular vote and the electoral college vote by another landslide, Trump bootlickers like Greg Abbott will have already rigged the system to elect the candidate they prefer rather than the one most of us voted for. And that candidate is going to be the orange stain. This is scary stuff, kids. And now Congress is enjoying Christmas break, la-de-da, as if all is well in the world and the reptiles on the other side of the aisle aren’t plotting the demise of democracy itself — everyone who isn’t a walking corpse knows the next coup attempt won’t have the touristy, smash-andgrab joie de vivre of Jan. 6 but that it will

tor writes, “The leaders of the Republican party — the soul-blighted Donald Trump and the satraps and lackeys who abet his nefarious behavior — are attempting to destroy the foundations of American democracy. This must be stated clearly, and repeatedly.” It’s a “democratic emergency” that’s “already here,” one law professor tells them. “We face a serious risk that American democracy as we know it will come to an end in 2024, but urgent action is not happening.” Of course it isn’t. Who’s gonna feed the doggos in Delaware? Who’s going to light the menorah in New York? Who’s gonna tipple the malbec in San Fran? “For more than a year now,” The Atlantic writes, “with tacit and explicit support from their party’s national leaders, state Republican operatives have been building an apparatus of election theft. Elected officials in Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and other states have studied Donald Trump’s crusade to overturn the 2020 election. They have noted the points of failure and have taken concrete steps to avoid failure next time. Some of them have rewritten statutes to seize partisan control of decisions about which ballots to count and which to discard, which results to certify and which to reject. They are driving out or stripping power from election officials who refused to go along with the plot last November, aiming to replace them with exponents of the Big Lie. They are finetuning a legal argument that purports to allow state legislators to override the choice of the voters.” Thanks to Tucker Carlson and other right-wing propagandists, Trump has corrupted almost half of the populace into believing U.S. elections are fraught with corruption and that a charlatan is currently occupying the White House. What we rational people say or do doesn’t matter. The orange stain’s true believers are adamant in their version of reality, which is patently false. Belief demands blindness. They won’t stop until death comes to one or all. Embryos, tax cuts, and white supremacy just mean that much to them. And Christmas trees. To watch Fox News for one second, you’d think their studio had been firebombed the way the hosts have been going on and on about their stupid plastic tree that was torched by some homeless guy. Always the victims, those people. Always the victims. Bottom line is, no one is coming to save us. We can’t count on Joe Biden. We can’t count on Congress. We are the cavalry. We are the only thing between a church-state and democracy. Get your block-walkin’ shoes on, kinfolk. Next year is now. l

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As cronyism on the part of county leaders draws federal investigations and lawsuits, whistleblowers are increasingly willing to go public about local government malfeasance. B Y

E D W A R D

igns that read, “County Maintenance Begins” are typically met with dreaded anticipation of potholes and uneven pavement — but not on one stretch of unincorporated road in northwest Tarrant County. The pristine asphalt that runs parallel to Jacksboro Highway is freshly painted and bordered by carefully manicured gravel shoulders that make for smooth driving. This picturesque stretch of Nine Mile Azle Road appears lightly used. On a recent weekday afternoon, half an hour elapsed before a single driver appeared. According to a project report that we obtained from the county, the repaving of Nine Mile Azle Road, which was completed in August, cost taxpayers $377,520.87. One longtime Tarrant County employee we are calling James to protect his privacy told us the proximity of the road to a sand and gravel company is no coincidence. One family with close ties to the gravel company are longtime political donors to County Commissioner J.D. Johnson, whose Precinct 4 encompasses much of west and northwest Tarrant County. The sand and gravel company contracted with the county in 2009 and 2010 to provide topsoil for county projects, a county spokesperson told us.

In Tarrant County, insider dealings are often done openly in the public.

Edward Brown

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

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B R O W N

Between 1998 and 2010 (the scope of our research), members of that family donated $14,589 to Johnson’s campaign. The high cost of the recent road resurfacing likely meant that other projects not tied to campaign contributions were likely delayed, according to the county employee. We reached out to the company, and a part-owner declined to comment. Johnson did not reply to our requests for comment on the matter or anything else we cover in this story. “If you know J.D. Johnson,” James told us, “you have easy access to whatever you need.” Fort Worth trial attorney Steve Maxwell described the local good ol’ boy club that has controlled local politics for decades. “When I first came to Fort Worth fresh out of law school, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that the old axiom ‘It’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ was an important fact of life,” he told us. “In Fort Worth, a relatively small group of judges and large law firms wielded a great deal of power at the courthouse. It was a poorly kept secret that hopes for a political career required the blessing of a small group of influential businessmen and attorneys known as the 7th Street Gang.” In recent months, our news magazine has received a swell of tips and requests to investigate Tarrant County’s good ol’ boy network. Many of the confidential sources are current and former employees and even one former elected official. The sources voice frustration about county leaders who allegedly abuse their positions for personal gain or to retaliate against perceived political opponents. Tarrant’s good ol’ boy club has seldom grabbed headlines, let alone national attention, but a slew of recent missteps on the part of county leadership has invited federal lawsuits and investigations and undermined the credibility of local leaders who once ruled Texas’ third most populous county with impunity. The recent ending of DA Sharen Wilson’s political career may be closely tied to a new federal investigation that is looking into potential civil rights violations at Carroll school district, which serves Southlake. Earlier this year, Wilson pushed for the Class

C o u r t e s y o f Ta r r a n t C o u n t y

Betting on the Good Ol’ Boys

Nepotism and ethical issues at TAD continue to go unreported at any publication outside of our news magazine.

B Misdemeanor indictments of two Carroll school board members who were taking steps to combat the very civil rights abuses that the federal government is now investigating. The DA’s unprecedented prosecutions served the political aims of current county judge candidate Tim O’Hare, who maintains a powerful network of Republican donors who see tarnishing Carroll school district’s image as preferable to addressing lingering racism in the affluent and predominantly white suburb in northeast Tarrant County. At Tarrant County’s commissioners court, the U.S. Department of Justice may soon come knocking. Plaintiffs in a local redistricting lawsuit filed by Maxwell recently contacted the DOJ to request that the expansive federal effort include examination of alleged gerrymandering in Tarrant County. On Nov. 9 and against the vocal opposition of several ethnic minority elected officials, Tarrant’s three Republican commissioners adopted a precinct map for justices of the peace and constables which, according to the county’s own attorney, dilutes minority representation in at least one of the eight precincts. The new map also eliminates political opponents for two incumbent Republican JPs ahead of 2022’s elections. Misuse of power on the part of Tarrant County elected officials has become so brazen that the Texas legislature recently passed a law that bars governmental groups that rely on property tax revenue from abusing their votes when electing board members to the appraisal boards that determine the value of taxable properties. House Bill 988, which was conceived by local Realtor Chandler Crouch, ends local commissioners’ practice of placing their preferred board members at the head of the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD), the local governmental group that appraises residential and commercial property values and awards property tax exemptions. Although TAD sets values that result in those pesky property tax bills, the board of TAD is not elected by citizens but rather by the elected officials of cities, the county, and the local school districts (i.e., “taxing entities”). Four years ago, County Administrator G.K. Maenius said during a commissioners

court meeting that the commissioners’ votes should be delayed so the five commissioners could swing the final tally toward candidates of the court’s choosing. Crouch told us that larger taxing entities like the City of Fort Worth and Tarrant County have an unfair advantage over smaller municipalities and school districts because the commissioners court and Fort Worth City Council have greater voting power, and they have traditionally delayed their votes until they’ve seen how smaller government groups are voting. The new bill requires any group that is allotted 5% of the overall vote every two years to vote early for TAD’s board elections, meaning any reasonably large entity like the City of Fort Worth or the Fort Worth school district. “The larger entities have the luxury to wait right until the voting ends,” Crouch said. “They all talk, and they figure out how they need to divide their votes, so they cancel the votes from the smaller entities and then pick who they want. That’s dirty to me. Now it is illegal.” As Tarrant County skews increasingly younger and more diverse, you might think that the good ol’ boy network’s days were numbered. Compared to Fort Worth’s new, youngish city council, Tarrant County’s leadership is much older, whiter, and decidedly more stuck in the past. And yet former Mayor Betsy Price is widely expected to replace longtime County Judge Glen Whitley next November, and J.D. Johnson’s son, Jody Johnson, will run against fellow Republican Manny Ramirez for constable in the March Republican primary. Tarrant County’s good ol’ boy club — and the seemingly endless acts of insider dealings that Fort Worth’s daily paper avoids reporting on — appears poised to survive 2022’s elections largely unscathed.

Nepotism and Insider Dealings

The new JP/constables precinct map would never have passed without insider dealings on the part of Tarrant County’s three Republican commissioners, Maxwell said. The outcome of the Nov. 9 meeting was a forgone continued on page 9

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HAVE A LONE STAR CARD?

conclusion because, according to Maxwell, the five JPs had already schemed with the three commissioners to adopt the map ahead of the meeting. Those types of allegations are apparently a hallmark of government dealings in Tarrant County. The direct line one powerful law firm enjoys with a county commissioner is widely known and accepted by county leaders. Precinct 3 Commissioner Gary Fickes was elected in 2007, three years before Linebarger, Goggan, Blair, and Sampson hired his son, Cory Fickes. The national law firm that specializes in collecting delinquent property taxes has a reputation for meddling in elections for self-serving purposes. Last December, Linebarger lawyers unsuccessfully tried to circumvent TAD’s vendor bidding program to gain a contract that was potentially worth millions (“Keeping Tabs on TAD,” Jan. 6). In 2016, Tarrant County’s commissioners renewed Linebarger’s contract to collect delinquent taxes. Fickes abstained from the vote. According to county documents we reviewed, Linebarger earned $365,417.96 between 2015 and 2020 for services rendered to the county. That family connection pales in comparison to the nepotistic culture at TAD that has been codified as A-OK since 2010, thanks to the appraisal district’s top staffer, Jeff Law. Earlier this year, a TAD whistleblower documented attempts to cover up software problems that led to overbilling of area property owners (“Shining a Light on Tad,” June 2). The whistleblower also described a hostile work environment where retaliation was a constant threat to employees who spoke up to or against TAD leadership. Missing from our coverage was a follow-up document filed in 2018 by the same whistleblower or whistleblowers. The 11-page letter includes an entire page on nepotism at TAD. Understanding how rampant nepotism could persist at TAD requires a review of TAD’s employment procedures. In 1987, TAD’s policy on nepotism was clear. “Relatives of any member of the board of directors or of the chief appraiser or any other employee of the district shall not be appointed to, or hired for, any position or other service of ” TAD, the hiring policy guidelines read at the time. In short, nepotism was not allowed. No exceptions. In 2008, chief appraiser Law was hired in direct violation of rules forbidding nepotistic hiring practices. His first cousin, David Law, was already the longtime head of commercial appraisals. The vote meant that TAD’s board at the time ignored its own hiring guidelines by violating standing rules that barred self-interested hiring. Two years later, TAD’s board revised the hiring guidelines to include language that allowed for the type of familial hiring practices that brought TAD’s chief appraiser on board. Critics of TAD misdealings allege that

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instances of pulling favors for friends and families undermine the credibility of the government group that sets rates for soaring property tax bills. “When an individual submits an application for employment and it is determined that a prohibited relationship would exist if the applicant is hired, an evaluation will be made to determine if the applicant should or can be hired and if the relationship would create a burden or hardship on TAD or its employees,” the 2010 policy reads. “This determination is within the sole discretion of the chief appraiser.” TAD’s 2021 personnel policy includes the same language that gives Jeff Law unilateral authority to permit relatives to be hired to any position within TAD. The whistleblower document alleges that numerous TAD employees have direct connections to the church that Jeff Law attends, his alma mater Abilene Christian University, and his adopted home of Arlington. “TAD’s employment tactics violate the public trust, discriminate against minorities, and defy public expectations that everyone has an equal opportunity to employment within the government,” the whistleblower wrote. Our review of TAD’s current 204 employees found that at least 30 current or recent employees could be considered immediate family members. The relations include spouses, siblings, parents/children, and first cousins. Tarrant’s good ol’ boy club is also alive and well at the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD), where longstanding nepotism, hush money, and shady dealings have been the norm for decades. The fivemember board that oversees local flood control, water reuse, and the $1.2 billion Panther Island development recently voted to award outgoing general manager Jim Oliver a $161,674 settlement. This goes back to June, when TRWD’s recently elected board voted to cancel a previously promised bonus of just over $300,000 for Oliver. The general manager lawyered up, and the recent settlement allows TRWD to avoid being sued by Oliver over canceling his golden parachute. Only board member Mary Kelleher voted against the recent settlement. After decades of reported lavish spending at taxpayers’ expense, TRWD appears to be rolling back on blatant nepotistic hiring practices even as J.D. Granger, son of U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, who founded the Panther Island project around 20 years ago, remains on TRWD’s payroll to the tune of $242,000 per year. Two years ago, J.D. stepped down as head of the Panther Island project amid outcry over his ties to his mother and the powerbase that continues to push for the Northside development. More recently, J.D.’s wife resigned from TRWD, possibly due to fallout over the DA’s opportunistic investigation. Recent reporting by Fort Worth Report

Feature

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

Can You Pull Me a Favor, Commish?

Asking commissioners for favors — as five current JPs allegedly did when seeking preapproval of the new JP/constables precinct map — appears to be a time-honored tradition in Tarrant County. In late 2017, a current county commissioner asked a highranking county official to “fix” several tickets for his friends. We are concealing the official’s true name to protect the whistleblower from retaliation. “It is not only unethical,” whistleblower Robert said, “but, with the new computer systems, it was virtually impossible. In the past, a judge could ‘lose’ a ticket once it arrived in [the judge’s] office. The officers would bring the paper copies of the tickets to the

Edward Brown

found that, last year, then-general manager Oliver hired his girlfriend, Valerie Jay, without advertising the opening. Oliver pushed back on the allegations of nepotism when he told the Report that it was another TRWD employee who hired Jay. TRWD’s current board appears to be finally addressing a culture at TRWD that has historically viewed the taxpayer as a meal ticket. The October announcement of a grand jury investigation into TRWD dealings was yet another reminder of how Tarrant County’s district attorney office has recently used the threat of criminal charges to push its political agenda (“Red Flags,” Oct. 20). The high-profile announcement came just weeks before county voters weighed in on Prop B, which would have given DA Wilson $160 million for new “construction, improvement, and equipment.” Roughly 55% of the 100,000plus ballots cast rejected the proposition — possible political blowback for the increasingly partisan district attorney’s office. Police unions are also fine with pulling and asking favors. Fort Worth’s Police Officers’ Association (FWPOA), typically known for trying to sway city elections, is already playing a role in Precinct 4’s commissioner race. The police union heavily backed Mayor Mattie Parker, and she and other elected officials who partly owe their political careers to police union donations are now getting behind Ramirez, who heads the union. The quid pro quo makes suspect any political endorsement from candidates with ties to police union donations. Constable Johnson is by no means guaranteed to inherit Precinct 4 from his father, but a recent down payment (courtesy of his father) helps his chances. On July 21, J.D. donated $250,000 of $252,873 from his remaining war chest to Jody. Retiring elected officials typically donate their funds to a charity or a local branch of their national party. Jody has pledged to use the funds solely for campaigning purposes and to not let his campaign interfere with his constable duties as he seeks the commissioner position that pays $188,000 a year.

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

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Steve Maxwell (left) and JP Sergio De Leon discuss ongoing litigation that seeks to reverse alleged gerrymandering of Tarrant County’s JP/constables map.

court every few days. All ticket dispositions are reported to the state every month. If you get a ticket, you have three options: Plead guilty and pay the fine, plead nolo [no contest] and throw yourself at the mercy of the court, or plead not guilty.” The new computerized system meant that tickets could no longer become “lost” in transit to a judge. Judges, Robert continued, are bound by a different set of ethics than commissioners. “I refused, politely explaining to [the commissioner] that I ethically or physically could not ‘fix’ or ‘lose’ tickets for his drinking buddies,” Robert told us. “That pissed him off.” Doing favors for friends remains a spoil of entering public office in Tarrant County. James, the whistleblower who told us about Nine Mile Azle Road, said that personal connections with county commissioners can lead to the free use of county construction equipment, access to free prisoner labor, and other spoils. When the county tears up old roads, he told us, workers use a big machine that chews up the asphalt that needs to be hauled somewhere. The county cannot sell it, though many individuals and companies can find a use for it. Anyone can request access to a “big stockpile” for chewed up asphalt in Precinct 4. “J.D. gives it away to preferred people,” James alleges. “If you know J.D., you can get spoils out the wazoo.” J.D. Johnson allegedly “gifted” Saginaw school district an entire building that was built using Precinct 4 resources and equipment, the longtime employee claims. Before Johnson became county commissioner, he was mayor of Saginaw, which the longtime employee believes may have been one motivating factor for the gift. “The school district got that building,” James alleges. “Cement and rebar were used at county expense. Inmate labor was used and very expensive machinery.” The confidential source said he didn’t have a problem helping a public school district, but the secretive manner of the construction bothered him. “To me, it just wasn’t right,” he said.

Maxwell’s recent lawsuit isn’t the first time litigation has been used to push back on Tarrant County’s good ol’ boy club, Robert told us. In 2012, Phil Guiles, who used to own a bail bond company, sued the Tarrant County Bail Bond Board (BBB), a regulatory agency. Robert said J.D. Johnson and other county insiders who sat on the board had a history of making backdoor deals with Johnson’s friends. When defendants failed to show for court, bondsmen were usually on the hook for their client’s bond (a form of collateral), but Johnson’s friends were given substantial breaks when it came time to pony up, the unsuccessful lawsuit alleged. Guiles, however, was right, Robert said. Members of the board “would congregate in J.D.’s office,” Robert alleges. “If the meeting went into a private session among the BBB members, things would be said that referred back to the good ol’ boys’ private meeting.” Even the DA’s office isn’t above doing favors for folks who have personal connections to DA Wilson, especially if the potential scofflaw in question is related to a commissioner. In September, a DA spokesperson vouched for Constable Johnson’s decision to remain in office while campaigning for commissioner. Texas politicians are prohibited from retaining public office while seeking higher office under the state constitution’s “Resign and Run” article. The law is intended to prevent elected officials from abusing their position when seeking higher office and to afford taxpayers the full attention of the men and women they elect into office. According to a DA spokesperson, Jody has somehow resigned from office while remaining in office. “If Constable Johnson still has more than one year and 30 days left on his term when he announces candidacy for another office (which he does), he has automatically vacated the office according to the Texas Constitution, Article 16-Section 65,” the spokesperson said in an email that we acquired through an open records request. “A constable who vacates his office automatically by becoming a candidate would, nevertheless, hold over until the commissioners court appoints a new

Constable. If the Court chooses not to appoint someone, he would continue to holdover until the next election.” In short, as long as the commissioners court does not replace Jody, he may remain in office. We reached out to local attorney Jason Smith for perspective on Jody’s decision to remain in office, and Smith told us in an email that the state constitution is clear, despite what the local DA and commissioners would like to think. Former city councilmember Wendy Davis faced a lawsuit in 2009 for failing to resign from her office before campaigning for state senator. When Davis’ Republican opponent Kim Brimer noticed that Davis remained in her office after announcing her senate bid, Brimer sued and was almost successful in knocking Davis out of the race for violations of the state constitution. Davis was able to skirt breaking a constitutional law due to a technicality. The deadline for removing a candidate had passed, a civil court ruling found.

Criminal Injustice

Few are under any illusion that Tarrant County’s DA, under its current leadership, will investigate new violations of the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA), which requires elected officials to discuss matters of public interest in open forums and not privately. Lawyer Maxwell has requested documentation that may prove that three commissioners violated that act — a potential Class B Misdemeanor charge in the state of Texas — while planning and drafting the new JP/constables map. Good ol’ boy clubs, or institutional versions of them, abound throughout Tarrant County’s cities and towns. Protecting offending officers from accountability is the job of Fort Worth police department’s Office of Internal Affairs (OIA). While beat cops are tasked with arresting and jailing citizens who commit crimes, the OIA protects highranking officers who commit similar offenses from being disciplined through the use of internal investigations that the public and the media are not privy to. Former deputy chief Michael Shedd, according to one whistleblower and city documents, sexually harassed a female colleague earlier this year. Shedd was allowed to retire shortly after the OIA “investigated” his actions. The high-ranking officer would have quietly escaped public scrutiny were it not for the actions of the whistleblower and our investigations that exposed the systems that allow powerful officers to skirt any form of accountability. One of the few systems for investigating potential criminal actions of public officials and county prosecutors is through the use of special prosecutors. In Tarrant County, those independent investigations have a history of protecting vested interests. In early 2017, a special prosecutor said it was OK that DA Wilson used her office to fundraise for her reelection campaign, though the Texas Penal continued on page 11

Edward Brown

Dinner with the Modern Lights Roads maintained by the county are usually in disrepair but not at one stretch of road in Northwest Tarrant County.

Death Throes

The consensus among local activists and former government officials we spoke with is that Tarrant County’s good ol’ boy club is fracturing and diminishing. “I have seen a lot of changes in Fort Worth and Tarrant County in the 45-plus years I have practiced law here,” Maxwell said. “The bar and our judiciary are far more diverse today than it was when I started. In 1976, there were no minority judges, and there was only one woman on the bench. The Tarrant County Bar Association did not elect its first minority president until 1996. The inclusion of women and minorities has added immensely to the stature and influence of our Tarrant County legal system.” But that does not mean that the good ol’ boy way of doing business is over, he continued. “While the new generation of local business leaders is far more inclusive than the business leaders of the 1970s, the old way of doing business still persists to a large extent — especially in politics,” Maxwell said. “Many people believe that shortcuts undertaken by those who consider themselves the best informed and most efficient decisionmakers are in the best interest of the citizens of Tarrant County. I, however, applaud the efforts of the whistleblowers and community activists who are filing open records requests and digging deep into the activities of boards and committees whose activities have long escaped the unfettered scrutiny of the public. Democracy demands nothing less of us.” l

Fridays through February 4 from 5 to 8:30 pm Executive Chef Jett Mora welcomes you with warm hospitality, creative cuisine, and a seasonal menu rooted in Texas ingredients. Create your own holiday memories on Friday nights at Café Modern. Seating is available from 5 to 8:30 pm. For reservations, call 817.840.2157. The Modern trees will be illuminated with an array of festive lights in celebration of the holiday season. The museum galleries are open for FREE until 8 pm on Fridays.

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Code forbids public servants from using their positions for fundraising purposes. Appointments of special prosecutors in Tarrant County are on the rise — 2016 (two), 2017 (three), 2018 (six), 2019 (five), and 2020 (seven) — and yet there have been no known instances when the taxpayer-funded investigations resulted in the prosecution of a public official. Keith Lane, former Haltom City chief of police, tried and failed to hold officials in that city accountable for violations of the TOMA. Local defense attorney Miles Brissette, an active member of Tarrant County’s BBB, was one of two special prosecutors assigned by DA Wilson to look into the documented violations of TOMA. To this day, Lane has not heard one word about the investigation. Special prosecutors, Lane told us earlier this year, are just another part of Tarrant County’s good ol’ boy system (“The Untouchables,” Jan. 6). Daniel “Joe” Bennett recently requested that the local DA investigate TOMA violations at White Settlement school district, also based on vast documentation that he collected. Bennett’s concerns were dismissed. The documented instances of TOMA violations that were effectively ignored by the DA stand in stark contrast to two recent indictments of two Carroll school board members for violations of TOMA. Following the Southlake indictments, a DA spokesperson told two NBC News reporters that TOMA “embodies the most basic values of Democracy. Its requirements ensure the citizens of Texas can stay informed about and participate in their local government.” The lofty language belied the political nature of the indictments that furthered the political aims of a powerful PAC, Southlake Families, and its wealthy and well-connected founders that include current county judge candidate O’Hare. The Southlake Families donors are using the PAC and the indictments to ideologically align Carroll’s school board with bogus misrepresentations of Critical Race Theory (CRT), the academic framework

that explores how racism shapes modern life in America. CRT has been falsely described as a leftist tool for forcing white students to feel guilty about America’s racist past. The federal government has opened an investigation into potential civil rights violations of Southlake students following the right-wing takeover of Carroll’s school board. Whether the investigation by the Office of Civil Rights expands to explore the DA’s malicious prosecutions of the indicted Carroll school board members remains to be seen.

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Feature

STUFF

The Rangers’ Present The team just made a few huge free agent signings, but will they be enough?

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

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B Y

B O

J A C K S B O R O

I wonder which of the three Christmas ghosts convinced Rangers owners Ray Davis and Bob Simpson to loosen their purse strings? I bet it was the Ghost of Christmas Future, who showed the oil tycoons their brand-new ballpark sitting empty while second baseman Nick Solak whiffs behind a four-seam fastball to end another scoreless inning. Of course, that also could have been the ghosts of past and present. Whichever one did the trick, Ranger fans owe them a sincere thanks. Those old white dudes made it rain free agency money. With the Major League Baseball lockout looming earlier this month, the front office shelled out $561.2 million — and might have changed the fortune of the franchise in the span of two action-packed days. Every indication coming out of Arlington is that the Rangers plan to add more once the freeagent and trade markets reopen after a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is in place between those twin succubi, MLB and the Players’ Association. The Rangers’ headline signings were former Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, who inked an eye-popping 10-year, $325 million contract; former Jays infielder Marcus Semien, who will be bringing home $175 million over the next seven years; and pitcher Jon Gray, whose four-year, $56 million contract will only barely allow him to afford a three-deck yacht home off the coast of Monaco. (Peasant!) The team also signed outfielder Kole Calhoun to a one-year deal, presumably to platoon at an outfield spot and valet for Seager. The baseball world reacted with a collective “holy shit!,” and Rangers fans are likely still dealing with the fallout from soiling numerous undergarments. The front office told us they were going to do this. We didn’t believe them because they also told us they were going to offer competitive contracts to Anthony Rendon, Zach Wheeler, and numerous other offseason targets over the years. To many, including me, the bluster from the top guys just sounded like a prelude to a chorus of

Who will recent Rangers signee Marcus Semien sit next to on his new team?

“Welp, we tried” and another half-decade of keeping payroll low and waiting on the farm to produce. I even penned a piece on how ownership was in tank mode in an effort to sell the team. So why did the brass decide to splurge now? Even with these signings — and possibly a few more — the roster is still filled with a crop of magic beans. Two reasons: 1.) The available free agents this season offered a rare opportunity to lock up middle infielders. Besides top of the rotation pitching, there isn’t a more valuable commodity than a stud shortstop. This offseason dangled four legit superstars at the position, and the Rangers snagged half of them. It makes no sense to sign these two dudes in their prime without a supporting cast. 2.) The best of the farm system is close to Arlington. The Rangers haven’t possessed top-tier prospects like the trio of third baseman Josh Jung and pitchers Jack Leiter and Cole Winn since names like Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus wore the crowns. That batch of prospects eventually sprouted into two World Series teams and a core that played competitive baseball for the better part of a decade. The prospect pool isn’t as deep now as it was then, but it’s just as tantalizing at the top. Behind the big three in the minor leagues are about two dozen “interesting” guys, who could become really good players, trade pieces for really good players, middling players who never really materialize into regulars, or complete flops. Will these big-tickets signees make the team championship contenders anytime soon? A lot of things still have to break the Rangers’ way. My guess is the team improves to mediocre next season (assuming there is a season), and then Leiter and Winn debut in Arlington in 2023. The front office is counting on a symbiosis of young players producing early on in their careers, old, expensive players not regressing or getting hurt, and a few of those pretty-good-not-great prospects blossoming into serviceable big-leaguers. This is a time for celebrating, though, not forecasting. Let’s leave that ugly task to seasonal ghosts. As fans, we get to just enjoy having something better than hot garbage to watch again. It’s a Christmas miracle. l

STUFF

Wins Are Wins

With a defense that’s come alive, the Cowboys are managing to overcome a troublingly out of sync offense to keep pace in the NFC. B Y

P A T R I C K

H I G G I N S

It was an unnecessarily pulse-raising finish, but mostly thanks to their surging defense, the Dallas Cowboys were just able to hold off the Washington Football Team — who entered the contest riding a four-game win streak — and escape the rapidly deteriorating FedEx Field in Landover with a 27-20 win, all but sealing the NFC East title. The ugly penalty-/ injury-/turnover-riddled affair was a second consecutive victory in which dominant

defensive play was somehow able to bail out Dallas’ extremely alarming offensive struggles of late. This is the NFL, however, and you never apologize for a win, no matter how unconvincing it may be. Sure, by streaking out to a 24-nothing lead in the first half only to let your opponent pull within one score in the last five minutes is deflating, but the only thing that matters is who gets to add a 1 to the win column when time runs out. An over-quoted, yet no-less salient, Bill Parcells-ism is, “You are what your record says you are.” At 9-4, the Cowboys’ record says they’re a pretty damn good football team. Despite recent hiccups, the maxim holds just as true now as it did earlier in the year when many perhaps overzealous fans, hopped-up on a 6-1 record and prodded by plenty of biasconfirming football media, had Jerry Jones’ team making its first trip to the Super Bowl in 25 years, though the context of the statement is undeniably different. The league-best offense that QB Dak Prescott helmed over the first seven weeks has gone uncomfortably quiet, and a new hero has picked up the slack: the continuously surprising defense. The mantra of the Cowboys’ preseason, parroted near unanimously among blowhard football media types both locally and nationally (this intrepid reporter included), was some basic iteration of “With the offensive juggernaut Dallas has, if they can manage an even middle-of-the-pack defense, it should be enough to make them a legitimate contender,” and through the first

six games of the season, this analysis seemed to be playing out just as predicted. Dallas’ 34 points per game on offense was second only to Buffalo, and the 22 points per game allowed on defense had them tied for 14th (in other words, right smack in the middle). Through these stats, the Cowboys amassed a 5-1 record (and, could be argued, a missed field goal shy of 6-0) and were rubbing elbows with the Bucs, Cardinals, and Packers atop the NFC. Then something happened, something I don’t think we fully appreciated the significance of at the time. As he threw the game-winning overtime touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb in Week 6 against the Patriots, Dak came down awkwardly and strained his right calf muscle. Due to his lights-out play up to and including that clutch TD toss, Prescott was rightly square in the middle of the MVP conversation. Through those first six games, No. 4 carried a completion percentage of 73.5, had 16 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions, and boasted a very respectable 114.7 passer rating. In his six games since the injury, his completion percentage has dropped a full 10 points to 63.4, his TD passes have been cut in half to eight, and he’s suffered an uptick in picks with six. His passer rating plunged to a very Brian Hoyer-esque 83.9. Something is obviously wrong with Dak. Thanks to the defense, led by a rookie (!) who weekly seems to be adding another letter of his name to the Defensive Player of the Year trophy in the completely unblockable Micah Parsons, and a suddenly fully healthy defensive line, backed by a secondary that

features the likely Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in cornerback Travon Diggs, Dak’s recent struggles don’t really matter. Don’t get me wrong. They’re concerning, but the playoffs are still a month away. There’s plenty of time for Prescott to right the ship. Re-finding the running game that helped create an unstoppable, pick-your-poison, balanced offensive attack over the first chunk of the season would likely help immensely, though the solution to this confounding equation looks to be very elusive. Zeke is hobbled with a knee injury that’s plagued him for several weeks. “Backup” RB Tony Pollard is battling a torn plantar fascia that kept him out of the tilt against Washington altogether, and the offensive line seems to be square-dancing with the amount of in-andout and do-si-doing they’re doing because of their own injury troubles. With the division crown all but wrapped up, it might not be a bad idea to sit some guys that would otherwise play through their bang-ups and give them a chance to fully heal. I refuse to join the knee-jerkers who focus on the details of these recent games rather than their outcomes. Wins are freaking wins, and Dallas currently has three more than the next team down in Football Team® and another chance at a head-to-head with the same. So quit your crying. The Dak of the last six weeks is still the same person as the Dak of the first six. He’s got plenty of time to regain that level of performance, and this insane turnover/sack-machine defense is proving they can hold the line until he does. l

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IN SUNDANCE PLAZA

As We Celebrate Our 74th Anniversary History of the Fort Worth Christmas Tree

The Fort Worth Christmas Tree tradition was started by Amon G. Carter in 1947. The project was adopted in 1956 by the Fort Worth Jaycees. In 2004, the Jaycees asked Sundance Square to host and manage the project. The 2021 Christmas tree is a majestic 55’ Norway Spruce. It was harvested in NW Michigan (less than 200 miles from the Canadian border) and traveled 1,250 miles to Fort Worth. Best we know, it’s the tallest live Christmas tree in Texas this season.

Fort Worth Chamber Foundation The Miles Foundation Crestline Management LP Jenner Block Law Firm Green Mountain Energy

Fort Worth Chamber The Eppstein Group Sundance Square Security Sundance Square Management Sasha & Ed Bass

Also, special thanks to all of the Fort Worth’s local artists who handprinted ornaments for this year’s tree!

FREE PARKING WEEKNIGHTS & All WEEKEND LONG in Downtown Fort Worth • Sundance Square Garage #3 (345 W. 3rd Street) • City Center Garage #2 (400 Calhoun Street) • The Tower Garage (400 Taylor Street) • 777 Main Parking Garage (601 Commerce Street) Sundance Square is proud to co-host this project and salutes our community leaders, sponsors and many volunteers who are helping bring “Good Cheer” to all this holiday season.

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Tarrant County Special Events Foundation Sid W. Richardson Foundation Dee J. Kelly Foundation North Texas Community Foundation

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Special Thanks to the 2021 Fort Worth Christmas Tree Sponsors:

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“And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!” See the illustrations of Maurice Sendak, author/illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are and other classic children’s books, at the Central Library.

From 10am to 4pm, knock out some holiday shopping for the book lovers on Thursday your list at the TCU Press Book Sale at the Murphy Conference Room of the Dee J. Kelly Alumni Center on the TCU campus (2820 Stadium Dr, 817-257-5907). One-day sale prices will be in effect for many new releases as well older ones.

With headquarters in Frisco and gamedays in Arlington, the Dallas Friday Cowboys host a series of free holiday events at their 91-acre practice stadium The Star in Frisco (9 Cowboys Way, 972-497-4800). On the final two dates of Cowboys Christmas Extravaganza, tonight and 6pm Sat, see performances by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Rhythm & Blue Dancers & Drumline, Rookie Squad, mascot Rowdy, and Santa Claus, plus special alumni guests, including Bradie James tonight and Dat Nguyen tomorrow.

Santa’s scout elves are in town providing an immersive theatrical Saturday experience called The Elf on the Shelf Magical Holiday Journey at Chocktaw Stadium (formerly Globe Life Field, 1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington, 817533-1972). This open-air event features a new take on the classic Elf-on-the-Shelf lore, festive lights, and interactive kids’ adventures in which they “help fix Santa’s compass and save Christmas.” Admission times are every 15 minutes from 5pm to 7:15pm daily thru Fri, Dec 24, on Sun, Dec 26, and daily from Tue, Dec 28, thru Thu, Dec 31. Tickets are $20-$50 at ElfontheShelfJourney.com/Dallas. (To

One holiday tradition that dates back to the ancients is celebrating the shortest Sunday day and longest night of the year, Winter Solstice, marking the symbolic death and rebirth of the sun. Founded in 1975, the Texas Local Council of the Goddess — one of North Texas’ oldest nature-oriented religious groups (i.e., pagans, Wiccans, and witches) — hosts its Winter Solstice Celebration 2-6pm at the Arlington Unitarian Universalist Church (2001 California Ln, 817-460-6481). Moon School for kids starts at 2:30pm, and then Yule Rites for adults are at 3pm. There is no cost to attend, but a $5 love donation is suggested. Vendors will be on hand, so it is a shopping experience as well.

Daily thru Thu, Dec 30, at various times, see the Maurice Sendak exhibit Monday at Fort Worth’s Central Library (500 W 3rd St, 817-871-7701). This traveling retrospective features the illustrations and original paintings of the famous author of children’s books like 1963’s controversial Where the Wild Things Are. (It was originally deemed too scary for kids.) Along with the downtown exhibit, other library locations throughout the Fort Worth system are hosting tie-in events for all ages. For more information, visit FWPL.info/Wild.

Everyone’s favorite Granbury-originated brewers now have a Tuesday brewpub in Arlington. Head to the Revolver Brewhouse inside Texas Live! (1650 E Randol Mill Rd, @RevolverBrewhouse) at 6:30pm for National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation Trivia. This is free to attend, but you must RSVP via Eventbrite.com. “I don’t know what to say, except it’s Christmas, and we’re all in misery.”

Nationally renowned a cappella vocal pop group and Grand Prairie’s own Wednesday Pentatonix are here for their annual holiday performances at Texas Trust CU Theatre (1001 Performance Pl, Grand Prairie, 972-854-5050) today and 7pm Thu, Dec 23. Tickets for Pentatonix: Evergreen the Christmas Tour start at $77 at AXS.com.

By Jennifer Bovee

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

fwweekly.com

The Holly Natural Wine Bar and Shop Tasting flights ............................................ $16 for three 3-oz. pours Cheese plate ............................................. $28

EATS & drinks

goodies like a free cocktail here, a discount there. Naturally, my friends and I made the merchant crawl an outing. Stir Crazy’s complimentary poinsettias meant I was already feelin’ merry when we arrived at The Holly later that afternoon. The nubile wine bar on the corner of West Daggett and Galveston avenues is tucked away behind the hustle and bustle of South Main. The splash of white on the front window panel pops against the building’s black painted-brick exterior and teal door. Inside, the coral from its logo is brought out in the design of the quaint shop with a simple yet chic Southwestern style. And what’s an outdoor patio without strung Edison bulbs and a walk-up window to the bar? If you’re curious about the wine The Holly serves, look no further than its name. It’s natural. You can tell because the content is singular: grapes. “No more and no less,” as our server in blue checkered bell bottoms put it. Those grapes are grown sustainably and without preservatives and hand-picked before undergoing the natural fermentation and winemaking process sans additives.

The Holly Natural Wine Bar and Shop off South Main serves only natural wine from across the globe. B Y

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Zellweger famously declared in Jerry Maguire, “You had me at ‘wine bar.’ ” The Holly participated in Merry on Magnolia + Main last weekend, when close to 20 businesses on West Magnolia Avenue and South Main Street offered

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Eats & Drinks

sulfur necessary to catalyze the fermentation process. Sticking with bubbly, I elected to try the flight of naturally fermented wines, or While The Holly doesn’t craft the “pét-nat” — short for “pétillant-naturel,” hootch itself, per its website, the bar and meaning “naturally sparkling” in French. shop “celebrates small batch natural wines To create that natural fizz, the wine is botand the renegades and rebels who make tled before it’s completely fermented — as them.” With an entire section dedicated to opposed to injecting it later with sugar and shelves of bottles and books about natural starch. The first, Bainbridge Johnny Popper, winemaking, as well as handwritten cards with the stories behind each wine and its a crisp white from France similar to chamvintner, the shop certainly lives up to its pagne, lightly stung the inside of my nose. The second, a red whose cloudy pink hue promise. On Saturday afternoon, The Holly was more befitting of a strawberry drink, brimmed with people engaged in loud, and the third, a similarly murky yet darker lively conversation. A mustached man shade of burgundy, had visible particles at with long braided pigtails approached us the bottom. That somehow felt comforting. After all, is it really with menus and gave us natural wine if there isn’t a the gist of the place and its The Holly Natural little “dirt” in it? fare, while an older beige Wine Bar and Shop 305 W Daggett Av, Ste 101, I’m ashamed to say I doggo with a kindly mug FW. 817-420-6446. could barely distinguish — Kirby, per his collar — 1pm-6pm Sun, 1pm-9pm between the two reds. Aside greeted us with an inquisiWed-Sat. Bottle shop by appointment Mon-Tue. from appearance, flavortive sniff. It wasn’t until we wise, each of the 3-ounce meandered over to Kendall samplers tasted deliciously Davis Clay in the adjacent, connected suite that we discovered whence dry with robust earthy notes. I would sooner blame my juvenile palate than the Kirby had come. I’ve made no secret of my lack of so- quality of the vino. Like any self-respecting thirtysomephistication in this publication. Besides knowing that I generally enjoy malbecs, thing woman, I love a good “charcute.” I leave it to the professionals to tell me The highlight of my day, the cheese plate what’s good. So when I say the menu con- hit the spot with its perfectly arranged fused me, understand that it may not be green olives, crackers, salami, marcona the problem. It took me a hot sec to real- almonds, and selection of truly exquisite ize it first states the type of grape used in cheeses. The wine may have brought me the concoction, then the winery. Appar- to The Holly, but that Italian truffle wedge ently, with natural wine, the fruit gets top is what will lure me back time and time billing — fittingly, since the only other again. l ingredients are the yeast and tiny bit of

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

DECEMBER 15-21, 2021

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FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

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WWW.EAGLESPOINTSAGINAW.COM Coming from 820, exit Saginaw- Main exit towards Saginaw. About 2 miles down we are located in a shopping center on the left.

Trauma Ray of Hope

In front of walls of amps, this massively loud shoegaze quintet can’t wait to get back on the road, this time with an EP in tow. B Y

S T E V E

S T E W A R D

I think it was in June or July when Trauma Ray frontman Uriel Avila and his girlfriend dropped by the Boiled Owl Tavern for afternoon beers while I was tending bar, and I had one of those “Oh, shit — I haven’t seen you in almost two years” conversations that I seemed to

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have on a daily basis this past summer. He told me that they’d pretty much spent the pandemic holed up at home, that they had both gotten COVID, and that they had gotten vaccinated as soon as possible. “This is our first time out,” he said. Having returned to work in the fall of 2020, I thought that was kind of wild to have really gone all-in on staying home, but then again, I would’ve probably stayed in, too, if I could have. Yet if you pay attention to Avila’s band Trauma Ray, you’d think they’d never stopped playing shows. For one thing, they’ve built a reputation for putting on an incredibly tight live show. For another, they’ve been busier than ever. Though Avila apparently didn’t go “out” last year, his band sounds like he must have left the house to jam with them, which is actually what happened, on a weekly basis. Trauma Ray rehearsals became Avila’s de facto quarantine circle, but instead of sitting in lawn chairs and fishing White Claws out of coolers, the Trauma Ray dudes kind of just picked up where they left off before bandlife business was put on pause. And that dedication shows. Over the past year, they’ve made a point to get out as far from Fort Worth as possible, to play for as many people as possible, and in doing so, they hit the stage as if they were doing so at a huge festival.

Avila: “We’re loud as fuck.”

The huge festival has yet to come, of course, but that doesn’t seem to float across Trauma Ray’s collective radar. When I spoke with Avila, Trauma Ray had gotten back the day before from a three-day trip around Texas, playing spots in Dallas,

Austin, and Houston. The Houston venue is a DIY space, which makes for Avila’s preferred kind of shows. “It’s called House of J, on the southeast side,” he said. “Really unpretentious spot. continued on page 23

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just want to experience the stuff they enjoy, and they don’t care if other people think it’s weird or whatever,” he said, “and at our shows, everyone there might be into different things, but they’re listening, and having fun, and banging their head.” Trauma Ray played their last show of the year on Sunday, but Avila is eager to get back on the road. They toured the West Coast for the better part of two weeks a couple years ago and are eager to return, hopefully to promote an EP they plan on releasing in April. And while COVID still concerns them — Avila himself is vaccinated but is certainly wary of catching COVID again — getting out of the house, at least as a band, is top priority. “I think every band needs to see other cities,” he said. “It’s way better than just staying home.” l

FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY

Just a PA situation, and we just hooked up [the gear], and cranked it as loud as we could.” For a lot of bands, that kind of barebones setup is beneath them or not worth the hassle, but for Trauma Ray, it’s just another opportunity for them to spin their gain and volume knobs to all-the-way-up and have a good time. “We don’t give a shit what kind of show we play,” Avila said. “If it’s a good one, a bad one, we just want to play. We try not to care about that stuff. We also work on our tones so much. … Why not play it how we hear it” at practice? Trauma Ray’s sound is influenced by shoegaze, and as such, Trauma Ray is loud, almost overwhelmingly so. At live shows,

where their half-stacks loom behind them like a row of ominous hills, the five-piece obliterates their audience in waves of distortion and low-end thunder, a slowmotion tsunami swelling from the middle of an ocean of unease. Avila’s vocals float through the massive walls of chords like a specter. To catch his voice is like thinking you heard a ghost and then seeing it out of the corner of your eye. “We’re loud as fuck,” Avila said. Yet for all that volume, their songs have hooks, so getting slammed by their music at a show is an empowering, positive experience, amplified when there are 50 other people headbanging with you. And that element, the comradery engendered by live, loud music, is what motivates Avila and his band the most. “I think people, especially younger people, coming out of the pandemic, they

TICKETS

continued from page 22

Cam Smith

Music

Grady Spencer

Hearsay

Grady Spencer specializes in smart, nuanced country that also rocks hard.

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New Country Tracks from Grady Spencer, Bubba Bellin for Your Earholes Give a hand to Grady Spencer. He’s a songwriter and a frontman who works in a genre — country music — that tends to favor reductive redneck tropes over emotional nuance, and yet emotional nuance is what he does best. He has a new album due out Jan. 28, 2022, and the leadoff single is about going to therapy. Not in a metaphorical, party-in-a-cornfield way. Like literally, as in naming his song “Therapy’s Great.” Wait has to do with the exciting turn his life took a couple of years ago, when he decided to quit his long-time construction job and make music his career, only to be sidelined with the rest of the world by the pandemic. Per that theme, “Therapy’s Great” relates how his decision to follow his dreams came after admitting to himself that he needed to get some things off his chest to a professional. “Did I tell you ’bout the time I went crazy? Whole world was on my mind,” he sings over the crunch and snap of an overdriven guitar and a gated-reverb snare, the sort of arena-riffic bedrock on which Mellencamp songs are built. Who hasn’t felt this over the past two years? In the aftermath of 2020’s emotional rollercoaster and the disappointing doldrums of the year that has followed,

“Therapy’s Great” is a welcome mantra. I don’t know where in the minefield that is the modern political discourse Grady Spencer proverbially treads, but therapy is an experience every person across the political spectrum should consider, if for no other reason than to maybe dial back the rage and find a way to empathize with the people who root for the other team. If it can help a songwriter take himself seriously enough to be one professionally, what can it do for you? Give Spencer’s new tune a listen (I caught it on Spotify) and give talking to a professional some thought. And since we’re on the topic of feelgood country songs, Bubba Bellin put out a few singles this year (including a new version of “Timberline” he just dropped that reminds me of “Seminole Wind” in all the best ways), the standout of which is a track called “Weather Out the Storm.” I talked to Bellin back in August about the song, in which he injects a boppin’ ’90s-country vibe with a nice dose of ’70s wah-wah funk. Bellin spoke effusively about his love for soul and R&B, as well as for the sonics specific to ’90s country titans like Vince Gill and Randy Travis, and both of those fit pretty seamlessly in his songs. If you’re in the mood for something new that reminds you of what you were listening to back then, add Bubba Bellin’s new tracks to that playlist. — Steve Steward Contact HearSay at hearsay@fwweekly.com.

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fwweekly.com DECEMBER 15-21, 2021 FO R T WO R T H W E E K LY 26

public notices

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Consolidated Notice of Receipt of Application and Intent to Obtain Permit and Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision Air Quality Standard Permit for Concrete Batch Plants Proposed Registration No. 167073

Application. Big Town Concrete LLC, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an Air Quality Standard Permit, Registration No. 167073, which would authorize construction of a permanent concrete batch plant located between 5330 South Blue Mound Road and 5340 South Blue Mound Road, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas 76106. This application is being processed in an expedited manner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility's general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/hb610/index.html?lat=32.84&lng=-97.34278&zoom=13&type=r. The proposed facility will emit the following air contaminants: particulate matter including (but not limited to) aggregate, cement, road dust, and particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less. This application was submitted to the TCEQ on November 10, 2021. The executive director has completed the administrative and technical reviews of the application and determined that the application meets all of the requirements of a standard permit authorized by 30 TAC § 116.611, which would establish the conditions under which the plant must operate. The executive director has made a preliminary decision to issue the registration because it meets all applicable rules. The application, executive director’s preliminary decision, and standard permit will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ central office, the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth regional office, and at the Fort Worth Public Library Central, 500 West 3rd Street, Forth Worth, Tarrant County, Texas 76102, beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The facility’s compliance file, if any exists, is available for public review at the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Office, 2309 Gravel Dr, Fort Worth, Texas. Visit www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/cbp to review the standard permit. Public Comment/Public Meeting. You may submit public comments or request a public meeting. See Contacts section. The TCEQ will consider all public comments in developing a final decision on the application. The deadline to submit public comments or meeting requests is 30 days after newspaper notice is published. Issues such as property values, noise, traffic safety, and zoning are outside of the TCEQ’s jurisdiction to consider in the permit process.

About 15 million adults have PTSD during a given year. This is only a small portion of those who have gone through a trauma. About 8 of every 100 women (or 8%) develop PTSD sometime in their lives compared with about 4 of every 100 men (or 4%).

CLASSIFIEDS

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The purpose of a public meeting is to provide the opportunity to submit comments or ask questions about the application. A public meeting about the application will be held if the executive director determines that there is a significant degree of public interest in the application or if requested by a local legislator. A public meeting is not a contested case hearing. If a public meeting is held, the deadline to submit public comments is extended to the end of the public meeting. Contested Case Hearing. You may request a contested case hearing. A contested case hearing is a legal proceeding similar to a civil trial in state district court. Unless a written request for a contested case hearing is filed within 30 days from this notice, the executive director may approve the application. A person who may be affected by emissions of air contaminants from the facility is entitled to request a hearing. To request a hearing, a person must actually reside in a permanent residence within 440 yards of the proposed plant. If requesting a contested case hearing, you must submit the following: (1) your name (or for a group or association, an official representative), mailing address, daytime phone number; (2) applicant’s name and registration number; (3) the statement “[I/we] request a contested case hearing;” (4) a specific description of how you would be adversely affected by the application and air emissions from the facility in a way not common to the general public; (5) the location and distance of your property relative to the facility; (6) a description of how you use the property which may be impacted by the facility; and (7) a list of all disputed issues of fact that you submit during the comment period. If the request is made by a group or association, one or more members who have standing to request a hearing must be identified by name and physical address. The interests which the group or association seeks to protect must be identified. You may submit your proposed adjustments to the application which would satisfy your concerns. See Contacts section. TCEQ Action. After the deadline for public comments, the executive director will consider the comments and prepare a response to all relevant and material, or significant public comments. The executive director’s decision on the application, and any response to comments, will be mailed to all persons on the mailing list. If no timely contested case hearing requests are received, or if all hearing requests are withdrawn, the executive director may issue final approval of the application. If all timely hearing requests are not withdrawn, the executive director will not issue final approval of the permit and will forward the application and requests to the Commissioners for their consideration at a scheduled commission meeting. The Commission may only grant a request for a contested case hearing on issues the requestor submitted in their timely comments that were not subsequently withdrawn. If a hearing is granted, the subject of a hearing will be limited to disputed issues of fact or mixed questions of fact and law relating to relevant and material air quality concerns submitted during the comment period. Issues such as property values, noise, traffic safety, and zoning are outside of the Commission’s jurisdiction to address in this proceeding. Mailing List. You may ask to be placed on a mailing list to receive additional information on this specific application. See Contacts section. Information Available Online. For details about the status of the application, visit the Commissioners’ Integrated Database (CID) at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/cid. Once you have access to the CID using the link, enter the registration number at the top of this notice. Contacts. Public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. For more information about this application or the permitting process, please call the TCEQ Public Education Program toll free at 1-800-687-4040 or visit their website at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/pep. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040. Further information may also be obtained from Big Town Concrete LLC, 901 Woodlawn Street, Graham, Texas 764504331 or by calling Mrs. Christy Chadick, Environmental Project Specialist at (940) 387-0805. Notice Issuance Date: December 8, 2021

bulletin board / employment / public notices

Product Support Engineer/Order Processing Service

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

Preferred Education Requirements: Bachelor Engineering degree with focus in Electromechanical area, or Master Technical degree with experience in Electrical Service and Customer Support with knowledge of products in electrical transmission industry.

NOTICE OF APPLICATION FOR AN AIR QUALITY STANDARD PERMIT FOR PERMANENT ROCK AND CONCRETE CRUSHERS

Essential Functions: • Qualification of OP team based on the qualification matrix regarding product and process knowledge with focus on the service activities • Implementation of new processes in the Sales Teams (e.g. transfer of order processing for RM service, roll-out of new service process, etc.) • Follow up on (order fulfillment) service related KPIs and define necessary measures together with OP manager and leaders • Provide support for the annual GOP International meeting • Escalate delivery times / manufacturing slots as needed in cooperation with OP manager and leaders • Introduction of new products / services (SOD1 >>> SOD2) • Collecting / evaluating requirements of the market in close cooperation with the Business Units • Qualification of Area Sales Managers based on T-Profile matrix • Supporting special projects and clarification of requirements in ETO (Engineer to Order) projects • Supporting sales targets and daily business if necessary (backup) and collecting feedback from the market. • Support Sales team regarding customer and operator and advise about technical inquiries relating to MR products. • Collaborate with the Order Processing Product (OPP) team on any technical configuration issues to ensure all service orders are completed correctly in a timely manner. • Analyze customer complaints (Yes We Care) and any Global Incident in a timely manner to ensure the Complaint Management team can provide quality support to address the complaints. • Must be able to travel Internationally to Germany to receive updated training and domestically for training or to support service technicians. Reinhausen provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Reinhausen complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every lo-cation in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.Reinhausen expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Reinhausen complies with an extensive Substance Abuse Policy and the Substance Abuse Policies of our clients. Extensive background investigations will be conducted for certain clients. Reinhausen has a very competitive total rewards package including a generous 410k plan, PTO, a PPO medical plan with a generous Health Savings Account, Health Reimbursement Account, Dental, Vision and Life. Please DO NOT include photo, birthday, age or any other personal information which may violate discrimination laws when applying! Please send your resume to j.vega@us.reinhausen.com. or go to our website www. reinhausen.com apply. No Phone Calls please.

PROPOSED AIR QUALITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 166963

APPLICATION. Resolve Aggregates, LLC, P.O. Box 185104, Fort Worth, Texas 76181-0104 has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an Air Quality Standard Permit, Registration Number 166963, which would authorize construction of a permanent rock and concrete crusher. The facility is proposed to be located at 9501 Trammel Davis Road, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas 76118. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/ assets/public/hb610/index.html?lat=32.798014&lng=-97.155039&zoom=13&type=r. This application was submitted to the TCEQ on October 29, 2021. The executive director has determined the application was technically complete on November 18, 2021. PUBLIC COMMENT. Written public comments about this application may be submitted at any time during the public comment period. You may submit public comments either in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087, or electronically at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. The deadline to submit public comments is 30 days after newspaper notice is published. RESPONSE TO COMMENTS. A written response to all relevant comments will be prepared by the executive director after the comment period closes. The response, along with the executive director’s decision on the application, will be mailed to everyone who submitted public comments and requested to be added to the mailing list. The response to comments will be posted in the permit file for viewing. The executive director shall approve or deny the application not later than 30 days after the end of the public comment period, considering all comments received within the comment period, and base this decision on whether the application meets the requirements of the standard permit. CENTRAL/REGIONAL OFFICE. The application will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ Central Office and the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Office, located at 2309 Gravel Dr, Fort Worth, Texas 76118-6951, during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, beginning the first day of publication of this notice. INFORMATION. For more information about this permit application or the permitting process, please call the Public Education Program toll free at 1-800687-4040. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1800-687-4040. Further information may also be obtained from Resolve Aggregates, LLC, P.O. Box 185104, Fort Worth, Texas 76181-0104, or by calling Mrs. LaCretia White REM, Project Manager, Elm Creek Environmental LLC at (972) 768-9093. Notice Issuance Date: November 22, 2021

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Reinhausen Manufacturing, a world leader the Electrical Power Engineering industry has an opening for a Product Support Engineer/Order Processing Service professional. Reinhausen has been writing success stories for over 150 years. As “The Power behind Power”, they are using highest-performance actuators, sensors, software and services to make transformers intelligent and controllable, thereby ensuring an optimal power supply from the power plant to the outlet.

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