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Volume 97 | Issue 2
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ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Downtown district draws residential boom Entertainment and retail attract renters BY DREW GAINES Senior Staff Writer
NEWS: UNT discusses common sleep disorder Page 3
ARTS & LIFE: Students gain confidence to flirt via social media Page 5
Now that restaurants and music venues have taken root in Denton’s downtown district, more people are calling it home. The 155 acres surrounding Denton’s historic courthouse has seen an influx of residential and commercial development over the past eight months. Much of this has been concentrated on a 0.2 mile stretch of East Hickory and Industrial Streets where new lofts and townhomes are signaling an urban trend for the downtown area. “I think you’re seeing that t h roug hout t he cou nt r y, [moving] to more walkable types of places,” said Lee Ramsey of Links Construction. His company partnered with Denton-based Martino Group to build the Hickory Street Lofts, a three-story, mixed-use complex –– apartments on top with retail and office space below. Since the adoption of the Downtown Master Plan in 2002, a plan to upgrade the Denton downtown area, the city has stressed the need for mixeduse, urban style development. The completion of the A-train in July by the Denton County Transit Authority is expected to be a catalyst for realizing the city’s vision and attracting developers. “Residential space is a key component in downtown,” said Julie Glover, Economic
PHOTO BY DREW GAINES/SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The intersection of East Hickory and Industrial streets is home to new restaurants and residential spaces as the city strives to urbanize Denton’s downtown. The Hickory Street Lofts (background) are a mixed use complex constructed last year. Development Program Administrator for the City of Denton. “Once the train gets hooked up this summer, I think we will see a big influx of people.” The people Glover and Ramsey foresee living in downtown make up a mixture of urbanites. Higher rents –– $800 to $1600 a month –– will probably keep the student population lower, according to both Ramsey and Glover, but expect to see young professionals and baby boomers calling the area home.
“Once the train gets hooked up this summer, I think we will see a big influx of people.”
—Julie Glover Economic Development Program Administrator City of Denton
Ramsey and the Martino Group have had little trouble renting the Hickory Street Lofts. According to Ramsey, 75 percent of the 28 apartments have renters
and the 2,475 square feet of retail space below will house a Weinberger’s Deli sandwich shop –– currently under construction –– and a barber shop.
A nother loca l builder, J. Thomas Custom Homes, has found success a few hundred feet f rom t he lof t s. T he company completed seven townhomes on the corners of Industrial and Mulberr y Streets last year, all of which have been sold. They w ill begin construction on seven new properties on the same corner this month, according to their website. The townhomes start at $210,000.
See DENTON on Page 3
Local schools encourage students to eat breakfast $3 million grant feeds Dallas ISD students
VIEWS: Students asks people to lay off of Palin Page 8
BY SETH COHN Staff Writer
ONLINE: More than 500 students flock to job fair
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PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS /SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
The gas prices in North Texas increased from 10 to 18 cents overnight. The average on Wednesday was $2.94 and some are already reaching $3 or higher for the first time since 2008.
Gas prices pressure commuters National average at $3.10, highest in three years BY CANDICE LINDSEY Staff Writer
@ntdaily
With gas prices hovering around $3 for the first time since October 2008, commuting students may find less bang for their buck this semester. The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas rose to $3.10 on Tuesday according to the American Automobile Association. Texas falls below the national average at $2.95,— sixth lowest in the country. On Tuesday, the lowest gas price recorded in Denton was $2.93 at RaceTrac on University,
followed by $2.94 at RaceTrac on Loop 288, Wal-Mart on Loop 288 and Kroger on Loop 288. Chevron on University hit $3. Sher r ie Bow en, s w i ng manager at RaceTrac on Fort Worth Drive, ta kes a fuel sur vey of seven loca l gas stations twice a day, everyday. Although Bowen says business is “excellent,” the daily survey allows the station to maintain their competitive prices. After checking the local Exxon, QuikTrip, Rudy’s, 7-Eleven, two Shell stations and Valero, Bowen returns to her station to input the numbers to send of f to cor porate. “I input the fuel surveys, then about 20-30 minutes a f ter t hat, t hey’l l tel l us either no price change or to change the price,” Bowen said.
Denton K roger g rocer y stores also offer competitive gas prices with their fuel discounts. Susan Locklin, co-manager at the Loop 288 location, said sales are good and that they’re able to stay on top of that due to the three to 10 cents customers can deduct per gallon by using their rewards shopping card. For some students, a weekly gas budget is necessary in order to balance class and work schedules. Megan Covington, a general studies senior, commutes to UNT from Keller everyday. “It’s at least $50 a week,” Covington said. “That’s just driving there and back… and that’s probably going to go up too.”
See WALLETS on Page 3
For students throughout the Dallas Independent School District, the most important meal of the day will be forgotten no more if district officials have their way. Dallas, along with four other urban school districts across America — Little Rock, Ark., Memphis, Tenn., Orlando, Fla. and Prince George’s County, Md. — will share a $3 million grant aimed to encourage students, particularly those of low-income families, to eat a healthy breakfast at the beginning of every school day. The grant, which is funded by Wa l ma r t, i ntends to enhance the academic and nutritional gains typically associated with the morning meal, according to the initiative put forth by Walmart when the grant’s recipients were named. W hile t he Denton Independent School District was not one of the school districts selected for the Breakfast in the Classroom grant, like Dallas ISD, the district is home to a large percentage of students who tend to skip breakfast, said Laura Brown, supervisor of child nutrition for Denton ISD. “T he major it y of ou r students rarely eat breakfast
at school,” Brown said. While Denton ISD does offer a program for free and reduced meals for low-income families, the financial assistance afforded by the Breakfast in the Classroom grant could allow Dallas ISD to set a new standard in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for emphasizing the importance of the morning meal for students, said Crystal Woods, director of nutrition operations at Dallas ISD. “It’s important that when a student arrives at school, be it elementary all the way up to college, and they have not eaten anything prior to beginning the learning process, their performance tends to suffer,” Woods said. Middle and high schools around Dallas ISD began to experiment this year with breakfast kiosks, much like those found around campus at UNT, Woods said. The kiosks offer muffins, fruits and boxed cereal, making healthy snacks more accessible to students whom Woods said either may not arrive in time for breakfast, or simply are not hungry at such an early hour. Matt Hanna, a political science senior, attributes his lack of a consistent breakfast habit to any number of circumstances. “More often than not, I just don’t have time in the morning nor do I have the money to spend every day or week on groceries,” Hanna said.
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