THURSDAY, JULY 27, 2017
NTDAILY.COM | PAGE 3
Michael Burgess talks energy in summit at UNT’s Discovery Park By Devin Rardin Michael Burgess, Texas’ 26th congressional district representative, sponsored the annual Energy Summit and Fair last Saturday at UNT’s Discovery Park. The summit highlighted ways North Texas can become more energy efficient and reduce energy costs. The first summit was in 2005 and has been an annual event ever since. The event provides information on different innovations in energy efficiency. “Good news is Americans are leading the way for energy innovation and we’re going to hear about that this morning,” Burgess said in the presentation. Several organizations provided energy efficiency advice and showcased their products. There was an auto show said to be fuel efficient and a presentation from different energy experts. Michael Burgess’ opening comments for the presentation focused on the role of consumers in energy efficiency. “The consumer really is the one who is best able to make the decisions that impact their lives and make things work for them,” Burgess said. “This event is about how you can make the decisions that are important to you and your family that will lead to the wise consumption of energy.” The first presentation was on Toyota’s Environmental Challenge 2050. A series of six challenges to help Toyota “go beyond zero environmental impact,” according to the slideshow from the presentation. Other presentations included tips to keep your house energy efficient, the state of air quality in Denton and information on the Prius Prime and the Toyota Mirai, which is a zero emission vehicle that could be driven at the event. The last presenter was Drew Campbell of CapitalInsights who discussed the future of the auto industry. He envisioned a time where every vehicle is autonomous. “Those are the kinds of things that, to me, are very exciting about what’s coming. If you can’t get excited about that then you don’t love cars and you don’t love innovation,” Campbell said. Kelli Barr was in the audience and said the solutions didn’t speak to the problems in the district. “They were just giving us an update about what
The workers at the Sunfinity Solar booth show the benefits of solar panels to a curious passerby at the Congressman Burgess Energy Summit and Fair. Sunfinity installs solar panels on homes, businesses and schools in Texas working with customers from concept to installation. Katie Jenkins some major companies in the area are doing to reduce their energy consumption and improve their energy efficiency,” Barr said. “ That’s great, but I don’t see how that actually helps us with the problems we are dealing with in his district.” Joanne Passons has been in Burgess’ district for 12 years and was also present at the summit. “I thought it was great,” Passons said. “Very informative and very interesting. If the speakers had more time then there is no telling what we could have learned.”
Denton Police investigate ATM skimmer found at local 7-Eleven By Kaleigh Gremaud An ATM skimmer was found on a 7-Eleven ATM off Fort Worth Drive earlier this month. An investigation is still ongoing, Public Information Officer Bryan Cose of the Denton Police Department said. On the afternoon of July 5, a police officer responded to a call by Chris Dull, 21, assistant store manager for 7-Eleven. A customer reported the ATM skimmer to Dull and then called the police. The police believe the ATM skimmer was placed there that morning. The officer found a small camera above the keypad that caught the pin numbers as people used the ATM. “The fact that we now have the device in our possession means that the compromised information likely never made it to the hands of the suspect,” Cose said. So far no one has reported money missing from their account after using the ATM at the 7-Eleven, Cose said. For devices similar to the one found at 7-Eleven, the suspect would have to return to the ATM to collect the data from the skimmer. The police work through paper trails when investigating financial crimes. The paper trail though, can be hard to find and track down. The investigator will try to trace the device back to a suspect, but it is unlikely that there is a traceable number, Cose said. To catch the person who placed the skimmer the police work from the accounts with money stolen from them. “The investigator would look at those accounts and which account numbers benefited from the stolen account information and that might lead to a suspect,” Cose said. The officer who responded to the call checked other ATMs at the 7-Elevens in the area. All other 7-Eleven ATMs were fine. There has been a few other ATM skimmer found in Denton within the past few months. Though there does not seem to be an increase in ATM skimmers, Cose said. “Be aware of any signs of tampering with the ATM itself,” Cose said. “Tug on the card reader and make sure it looks to be an integrated part
of the ATM. If anything looks suspicious about it, obviously don’t use it and contact the police department.” People can protect their information from hidden cameras by covering the keypad with their other hand as they type in their pin number. It was through tugging on the card reader that a customer found out the ATM skimmer was on the machine, Dull said. “He said he wiggled it a little bit and it looked odd, because it looked bigger than normal,” Dull said. “He said he pulled it and it came right off.” Dull then contacted the police and they took over the investigation and found the second piece of the skimmer. Dull and the customer did not know there was a video camera that recorded people as they entered their pin. Psychology senior Ernesto Zepeda said he uses the Wells Fargo ATMs on campus and never thought about the possibility of ATM skimmers. “It doesn’t happen too often for people to freak out about it,” Zepeda said. “I probably won’t worry about it unless it happens to me.”
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Will Fisher is challenging Burgess for the Texas’ 26th congressional seat. Fisher said he attended the summit to support the event and get a better understanding of the programs being advertised. “I’m glad that Mr. Burgess holds events like this,” Fisher said. “Unfortunately his voting record doesn’t reflect a true care for things like conservation and green energy. He has voted consistently against conservation. He has voted consistently against tax incentives for green energy. What I expect our representative to be doing is fighting to bring green
energy jobs to our district.” As for the innovations presented at the summit, Burgess remembered George W. Bush’s State of the Union address in 2003. Bush talked about a vision for hydrogen and pollution free vehicles. I thought [that vision] would never happen in my lifetime,” Burgess said. “It’s happened in my lifetime. I am grateful for the people that helped that prediction become a reality.”
@DevinRardin
New bill pits large and local beer manufacturers against one another BREWERIES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 fees for distribution, there are also concerns that the bill will devalue breweries that could be potentially seeking a loan. “I would argue it affects every craft brewery with a taproom, because you have now said that that taproom is worthless after a certain type of investment,” Vallhonrat said. Bill 3287 upholds what is called the three-tier system - a system that regulates alcohol distribution in the United States, and keeps producers, distributors and retailers separate, as to prevent monopolization of the industry. Ben Esely is the owner of the Bearded Monk, a Denton craft beer bottle shop that operates its own taproom. He is also concerned about the potential effects of the bill. “I think the three-tier system is antiquated. The 3-tier system is an old, prohibition era law,” Esely said. “We don’t have the Corleone family distilling liquor in multiple people’s kitchens, driving it to underground bars that they own in back rooms at pet stores and selling it…we don’t have that.” While concerns are growing that the craft beer industry is now under attack, actually reaching the annual production of 175,000 barrels, Robertson says, is a feat most smaller breweries will never reach. In the United States, 97 percent of craft brewers produce less than 15,000 barrels a year. The bill also stipulates breweries can be grandfathered in, insuring no existing taprooms will be shut down by the new laws. “There’s a huge gap between what the established annual production cap is, and what is actually being produced now today,” Robertson said. “It only hurts the little guy if they want to be acquired - and I wouldn’t even say that hurts.” The bill has seen minor adjustments since it was first filed in March. The Texas Craft Brewers Guild has produced opposition letters to send to legislators with each iteration. Vallhonrat believes that representative Goldman intentionally misrepresented their opposition letters to strengthen their case for the bill.
“Representative Goldman actually held up our initial opposition letter on the house floor, and said this document misrepresents the content of that bill (3287),” Vallhonrat said. “Well it’s true, because he held up the wrong opposition letter.” Gov. Greg Abbott did not endorse the bill, but also did not veto it when given the opportunity. Vallhonrat said he believes Abbott struggled with the fact that the bill is anti-competitive and anti-free market, but that his refusal to veto speaks to the contributions that he has received. Vallhonrat also called bill 3287 “a distributors bill.” Despite the opposition, the bill passed June 15 and was effective immediately. Long-term effects, if any materialize, might not be seen for years to come, and many craft breweries were disappointed to see such a bill become law. Yianni Arestis, CEO and co-founder of Armadillo Ale Works, wrote in an email that the bill “doesn’t seem to add value for consumers or businesses,” and that she is “not sure if it’ll hold up in the courts.” City Council member Gerard Hudspeth stated in an email that he was comforted that the smaller brewers will never hit the threshold for it to matter. “On the other hand, I don’t understand the exemptions,” Hudspeth stated in an email. “The larger brewers that bought smaller brewers seem to have an exception. I don’t know why that is and it raises a red flag.” “What this feels like, is another failed hindrance on craft brewers to me,” Bearded Monk owner Esely said. “We have been slowly picking away at the three-tier system, and that’s really scary to big guys.”
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It is easy to check for ATM skimmers, by pulling on the card reader to see if it comes off or feeling the inside of the card slot. Katie Jenkins
Free two-hour parking on Fry Street PARKING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 manager at Caskey’s said. “That might hurt us, because then people are going to come down here and park all day while they go to class. Then people can’t come down here and park to pick up meals, or come sit in the bar for an hour.” Rachel Kidwell, a bartender for Lucky Lou’s, says the free and extended parking might even prevent drunk driving. “If the people can leave their car until the morning before they start ticketing, or do the two hours, that’s good, because I feel like it might take away a little bit of drunk driving,” Kidwell said. “When I first moved here 2 years ago, I used to always worry about my car, because I’d be drunk, and then I’d have to get somebody to drive my car - can’t leave it, because I’m gonna have a $20 ticket in the morning. And it’s because I was being
responsible and not driving.” Nelson said if the current parking situation is successful, it will likely remain indefinitely. An evaluation is planned on the new parking rules’ success in six to eight months. The results would determine whether the rules will stay, according to Nelson. “I think it’s a good idea,” said Eddie Chavez, a mechanical engineering and Spanish senior at UNT. “If it’s only two hours, you’ll still get a free spot, instead of just like, ‘hey, I’m gonna risk it for the biscuit’ and eventually [get] a ticket that you’ll have to pay $35 for.”
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At The Bearded Monk in Denton, TX, customers can buy growler containers to take home their favorite tap beer. The growlers range from 32-42 oz, and allow customers to come back and try new beers, and take them home to share with friends. Katie Jenkins