2008 Q4 FReepathon. Target: $80,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $64,566
80%  
Woo hoo!! Over 80 percent!! Less than $16k to go!! Thank you FReepers and Lurkers!!

Keyword: fortworth

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • Debate-watching parties????

    10/14/2008 10:54:55 AM PDT · by RaiderRose · 10 replies · 172+ views
    Wondering if anyone in the Fort Worth area knows of any debate-watching parties...my husband's politically apathetic (voting for mccain, but not interested in talking with me about it anymore), and I wanted to join a group of like-minded individuals for moral support during the debate. Anything like that going on?
  • Gasoline supplies are tight in Dallas-Fort Worth

    09/24/2008 7:45:03 AM PDT · by MeekOneGOP · 8 replies · 28+ views
    The Dallas Morning News ^ | September 24, 2008 | By ZACHARY WARMBRODT / The Dallas Morning News
    Gasoline supplies are tight in Dallas-Fort Worth08:39 AM CDT on Wednesday, September 24, 2008By ZACHARY WARMBRODT / The Dallas Morning News zwarmbrodt@dallasnews.com Hurricane Ike is hitting North Texas gasoline stations hard this week – causing delays in fuel shipments and spot shortages. Drivers should expect more frequent shortages in the next two weeks as the Texas Gulf Coast's refining capacity continues to come back online, fuel distributors said Tuesday. But after that, supplies should be back to normal, distributors said. And prices should remain stable, as the major brands of oil locked in their prices before Ike made landfall. Retail...
  • Highway plans spurs formation of group

    09/11/2008 3:32:09 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 4 replies · 22+ views
    The San Antonio Express-News ^ | September 10, 2008 | Elaine Ayo
    St. Hedwig has homes on large lots and a longtime tradition of rural living. And folks there want to keep it that way. “We want to be able to maintain as best we can the reason we moved out here in the first place,” said Kathy Palmer, the city’s planning and zoning commissioner. But a new master plan and recently updated zoning maps are no match for a proposed route of Trans-Texas Corridor 35 that would slice straight through the city of about 2,000 people and create headaches for several city departments, officials said. With neighboring Wilson County, St. Hedwig...
  • Elected State Transportion Commissioner Proposed (TxDOT sunset review)

    07/16/2008 7:24:26 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 7 replies · 23+ views
    WOAI ^ | July 15, 2008 | Jim Forsyth
    Member of the Texas Sunset Commission today recommended 'radical' changes in the administration of the Texas Department of Transportation, including placing the troubled and controversial agency into a four year legislative 'receivership' and abolishing the Texas Transportation Commission, which runs TexDOT, and appointment of a Transportation Commissioner who would be answerable to the Legislature, 1200 WOAI news reports. But Sunset Commission member Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio) suggested going one step further. "What I am hearing form the public is that they are wanting to see an elected commissioner," she said to loud applause from the TexDOT opponents who...
  • FW pastor arrested after dad overhears 'sexual' call (TX)

    06/29/2008 1:44:59 PM PDT · by Coleus · 5 replies · 15+ views
    WFAA-TV ^ | 06.19.08 | CHRIS HAWES
    A Fort Worth pastor was released on bond Thursday after he was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl he met at his church. Pastor James "Jay" Virtue Robinson IV is the pastor at Southwood Baptist Church in Tarrant County. He is also at the center of a sexual assault scandal that might have never come to light if it were not for a phone call. The father of the alleged victim told authorities he heard his teenage daughter having a sexually explicit phone conversation. "That of course led to a lot of questions for her father," said Lt....
  • Editorial: Interstate relief

    06/16/2008 5:54:26 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 23 replies · 32+ views
    The Dallas Morning News ^ | June 16, 2008 | The Dallas Morning News
    Drivers who get safely off Interstate 35E after arriving in Dallas from Austin or San Antonio have a certain look of relief – like they just outran a buffalo stampede. Only on I-35, the stampede is trucks. The white-knuckle experience helps make the case for some kind of reliever road, even a tolled one. Making that same case has been a harder sell for U.S. highways along the Gulf Coast and East Texas. Drivers there can judge their own level of congestion, and they have insisted that their mostly rural corridor doesn't warrant the major undertaking of a parallel turnpike....
  • Money can't buy love, happiness or concept of home

    05/05/2008 5:24:30 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 7 replies · 18+ views
    The Houston Chronicle ^ | May 4, 2008 | Rad Sallee
    Last week's story about the uncertainties endured by people who live in or near the route of the I-69/Trans-Texas Corridor prompted many messages of support. But I wish there had been room in the story to quote Steve Huber, a University of Houston law professor who spoke at a January meeting in Bellville on the project. Huber opposed the corridor plan without taking the position — adopted, for instance, by U.S. Rep. John Culberson toward rail on Richmond — that the people most directly affected deserve the most consideration when a route is chosen. "My position carefully avoided the sort...
  • Nacogdoches County will fight TTC as new member of regional planning commission

    05/01/2008 5:34:51 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 3 replies · 4+ views
    The Daily Sentinel ^ | April 29, 2008 | Michael Rodden
    County commissioners reaffirmed their stance against the Trans-Texas Corridor, and they took another step toward keeping county government transparent when they met Tuesday. First up on the court's agenda, commissioners heard a presentation by Connie Fogle on behalf of the newly formed Pineywoods Sub-Regional Planning Commission. According to Fogle, the Texas Local Government Code, Chapter 391, requires state agencies to coordinate with local commissions to "ensure effective and orderly implementation of state programs at the regional level." "Critical in the code is the word 'coordinate,'" she said. "This does not mean the commission has to cooperate. The intent is to...
  • Moving to Fort Worth Texas, need suggestions/advice [vanity]

    04/21/2008 5:50:10 PM PDT · by stuck_in_new_orleans · 38 replies · 28+ views
    Hey Freepers - I'll be moving to Fort Worth Texas next year and need advice on where to live? I have family in North Dallas (Lewisville) and was wondering what Ft Worth is like? Safe? Crime ridden? Trashy? etc. etc. btw, I tried to ping a texas chapter but since the revisions to the site I dont know where the option is to post on a Texas forum. thanks
  • Officials: 'Trans-Texas Corridor' a taboo, but need real

    03/28/2008 5:55:47 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 18 replies · 423+ views
    The Fort Worth Star-Telegram ^ | March 28, 2008 | Gordon Dickson
    FORT WORTH -- The Trans-Texas Corridor is now so controversial, merely uttering the words in most political circles is taboo. "We're calling it a 'regional loop' because you can't say 'Trans-Texas Corridor' in the state of Texas anymore," said Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. "The Trans-Texas Corridor is a lightning rod," he told visiting state representatives this week while explaining how the corridor would connect to regional highways by 2030. Opposition to the proposed construction of a $184 billion network of toll roads during the next 50 years is so strong statewide that...
  • McReynolds to TxDOT: 'Drop I-69/TTC absurdity'

    03/26/2008 5:37:17 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 29 replies · 369+ views
    The Lufkin Daily News ^ | March 25, 2008 | Gary Willmon
    State Rep. Jim McReynolds has sent a letter to the Texas Department of Transportation saying he thinks TxDOT should drop the idea of tying the Trans-Texas Corridor in with plans for routing Interstate 69 through East Texas. McReynolds says tremendous negative outcry from his constituents and other East Texas residents has made it clear to him no one wants infrastructure that massive and disruptive to the quality of life to be built, taking big swaths out of the Pineywoods countryside. "Within the past several weeks, I have personally attended every TxDOT hearing held in my district regarding this proposed corridor,"...
  • High-Speed Solutions: The idea of passenger rail travel to major Texas cities picks up speed.

    03/05/2008 1:47:33 PM PST · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 31 replies · 96+ views
    Fort Worth Weekly ^ | March 5, 2008 | Dan McGraw
    Driving down to Austin lately has become a real trip. I-35 is usually packed for most of the 185 miles, and what used to take three or four hours now can take five or six. Flying down can take almost as long, when you figure in airline security delays, more flight delays, and the time it takes getting into and out of crowded airports. But what if it took 45 minutes to travel from the Metroplex to Austin by train or an hour to make a trip to Houston? Advocates of high-speed rail lines are floating these ideas once again...
  • MACS-24 Marines return to Fort Worth from Iraq

    02/22/2008 3:38:25 PM PST · by SandRat · 6 replies · 48+ views
    Marine Corps News ^ | Sgt. Beth Zimmerman, Marine Forces Reserve
    IRVING, Texas --- A crowd of friends, family, and Marines applaud and cheer as Marines from Detachment A, Marine Air Control Squadron 24, Marine Air Control Group 48, walk into the terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Feb. 15. The Marines returned from a 7-month deployment to Iraq. GySgt. Steven Allemang, an air traffic controller with Det A, MACS-24, holds his 6-year-old daughter, Samantha, while reuniting with his family at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Feb. 15 after returning from Fallujah, Iraq. Allemang deployed as the team leader for the Marine Mobile Team from the detachment that deployed...
  • Tempers Flare At Trans-Texas Corridor Hearing

    02/13/2008 1:37:11 PM PST · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 79 replies · 279+ views
    Click2Houston.com ^ | February 13, 2008 | Ryan Korsgard
    HOUSTON -- It did not take long Tuesday for the Texas Department of Transportation to find out what the Houstonians at a public hearing thought about the proposed 600-mile Trans-Texas Corridor, KPRC Local 2 reported. "George Washington, Sam Houston would vomit on you people," one attendee said. Chris Zora, who opposes the plan, attended the hearing at the Arabia Shrine Center in Southwest Houston. "I'd like to see a show of hands here of anybody that approves of this corridor," Zora said. "Is there anyone in this room who approves of this corridor? Raise your hands if you approve of...
  • Do you know these Aviators?

    01/17/2008 2:32:17 PM PST · by Dysart · 14 replies · 8+ views
    Star-Telegram ^ | 1-17-08 | Kingpin Of Cowtown
    The Library of Congress is looking for your help adding more information to this and about 40 other photos taken in the early 1940s in Fort Worth. Many are from Meacham Field and Consolidated Aircraft Corp. and feature classic images of student pilots and female factory workers
  • What “Free” Parking?

    01/10/2008 9:49:30 AM PST · by Lorianne · 8 replies · 13+ views
    Fort Worth Weekly ^ | January 09, 2008 | Dan McGraw
    Downtown developers are parking millions of tax dollars in their garages.___ When downtown Fort Worth was in the doldrums back in the late ’80s, the Sundance Square real estate development group — led by billionaire Ed Bass — knew what the problem was. Parking, pure and simple. It’s not that downtown didn’t have parking, it was just that people had gotten used to free parking in the suburbs. No one charged for parking out at shopping malls or at restaurants or nightclubs, and folks didn’t want to shell out five or 10 bucks to store their cars for a few...
  • TxDOT Announces New Members of Leadership Team

    01/07/2008 7:22:38 PM PST · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 2 replies · 20+ views
    Reuters ^ | January 7, 2008 | TxDOT
    Saenz expands administration to reflect changing role of agency AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Texas Department of Transportation today announced selections for the final three members of Executive Director Amadeo Saenz's leadership team. The new Assistant Executive Director for Engineering Operations is John Barton of Beaumont. The newly-formed office of Assistant Executive Director for District Operations will be lead by David Casteel of San Antonio. The newly-formed office of Assistant Executive Director for Innovative Project Development will be lead by Phil Russell of Austin. "John, David and Phil are all outstanding professionals," said Saenz. "All of them understand...
  • Mother Kicked Off Fort Worth Bus for Reading Bible to Her Children

    01/05/2008 4:26:29 AM PST · by 2ndDivisionVet · 23 replies · 13+ views
    Standard Newswire ^ | January 3, 2008 | Nicole Hay
    FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan 3. -- Just before New Year's Eve, a Fort Worth mother was kicked off the public bus for reading the Bible aloud to her children on the way to church. "What kind of person pulls over public transportation and kicks out a mother and her children for reading their Bible on the way to church?" said Kelly Shackelford, Chief Counsel for Liberty Legal Institute, the legal organization representing Christine Lutz. "Freedom of religion exists on public transportation just like anywhere else." Christine Lutz was reading the Bible to her children while on the way to church...
  • Shift may loom in toll road debate

    01/01/2008 6:08:01 AM PST · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 17 replies · 21+ views
    Dallas Morning News ^ | January 1, 2008 | Michael A. Lindenberger
    Push for higher gas tax could follow chief's death The death of Ric Williamson, the fiery, whip-smart chairman of the state transportation commission, could upend the still-roiling debate over toll roads in Texas in the new year. Mr. Williamson died Saturday of a heart attack at age 55, sending shock waves through the nearly 15,000-employee department he led as well as the political and policy circles where his combative style and pro-toll-road agenda had engendered enormous change – and criticism. Always careful to credit Gov. Rick Perry, a close friend and former roommate, Mr. Williamson emerged as a lightning rod...
  • Woman Escorted Off Bus For Reading Bible Aloud

    12/31/2007 11:30:12 AM PST · by Turret Gunner A20 · 212 replies · 62+ views
    CBS 11 News ^ | December 31, 2007 | Carol Cavazos
    FORT WORTH: A passenger on a Fort Worth bus says the T. Bus Service discriminated against her religion. Christine Lutz says she was reading her Bible to her children when the bus driver asked her to stop or get off the bus
  • Review: Picturing The Bible

    12/11/2007 12:22:41 PM PST · by fgoodwin · 2 replies · 14+ views
    KERA ^ | 2007-12-05 | Jerome Weeks
    Review: Picturing The Bible http://publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1193639&sectionID=1 Jerome Weeks. KERA Critic at Large FORT WORTH, TX (2007-12-05) At the first Christmas, the Gospels tell us, the three wise men came from the East to adore the infant Jesus. Except the Gospels never mention their number. It says only that wise men brought three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. So where did the three men come from? They came from early Bible illustrations and church paintings. In other words, some of what people believe about Christianity isn't derived directly from the Bible; it has been filtered through centuries of artistic interpretations. The number...
  • Man Claims He Put Bomb On DART Bus

    10/26/2007 3:10:44 PM PDT · by Paleo Conservative · 27 replies · 10+ views
    nbc5i.com ^ | UPDATED: 4:43 pm CDT October 26, 2007 | Staff
    FORT WORTH, Texas -- One man is in custody after he said he put a bomb on a DART bus in downtown Dallas early Friday afternoon, police say. Officials said the man boarded the bus near Main and Akard streets and said he had placed a bomb on the bus, officials said. The bus driver immediately evacuated the passengers, and no one was injured The man who claimed to have put the bomb on the bus was taken into custody a short time later, police said. It is not yet clear what the device is. Investigators on the scene are...
  • Graveyard tour will recall 'soiled doves'

    10/26/2007 6:37:15 AM PDT · by Dysart · 5 replies · 25+ views
    Star-Telegram ^ | 10-26-07 | DAVID CASSTEVENS
    It doesn't look like a gravesite.No headstones, no statuary, no designation of any kind.A century-old story from Cowtown's colorful past lay as silent as a secret beneath an unmarked patch of grass in Oakwood Cemetery until recently, when a local amateur sleuth unearthed it.Donna Donnell is fascinated with the characters of Fort Worth's history, females in particular.Among the most intriguing is Mary Porter, an Irish-born woman who became one of the city's best-known madams in the late 1800s. Porter operated a downtown "female boarding house" -- or brothel -- on Rusk Street. In his book about the area, Hell's Half...
  • I-69 route gains funds with federal recognition

    09/13/2007 6:02:19 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 23 replies · 498+ views
    Corpus Christi Caller-Times ^ | September 13, 2007 | Fanny S. Chirinos
    The Interstate 69 corridor, a Mexico-to-Canada concept discussed since 1991, has received government recognition as a "corridor of the future," a designation that immediately means $800,000 in federal money for studies. Local officials say it could mean more trade in South Texas. The corridor -- a 2,680-mile international trade route from Mexico to Canada also known as the Trans-Texas Corridor-69 -- was one of two designated Tuesday as corridors of the future. Interstate 10 from California to Florida also received recognition. Hailed as a route that would facilitate trade resulting from the North American Free Trade Agreement, I-69's Texas portion...
  • Hunter wins Texas first GOP straw poll

    09/01/2007 3:02:36 PM PDT · by Ultra Sonic 007 · 169 replies · 2,140+ views
    KLTV ^ | 09/01/2007
    FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - California congressman Duncan Hunter has won Texas' first Republican Party Straw Poll. Hunter got 534 votes. Former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson came in second with 266 votes, and Texas congressman Ron Paul came in third with 217 votes. The low-turnout event in Fort Wroth lacked the top-tier presidential candidates. Other candidates attending were Chicago businessman John Cox, counterterrorism expert Hugh Cort of Birmingham, Ala., and tool & die maker Ray McKinney of Savannah, Ga. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Senator John McCain, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Governor...
  • Keeping up with the GOP Straw Poll (Live Updates from Fort Worth Straw Poll)

    08/31/2007 9:09:35 AM PDT · by Ultra Sonic 007 · 89 replies · 1,228+ views
    Star-Telegram ^ | 08/31/2007 | Various
    Grasping at straws? Speeches, protests and presidential politics, Texas style. That's what will be going on in and around the Fort Worth Convention Center on Friday and Saturday, during the Republican Party of Texas' first-ever GOP Straw Poll. Who is coming? What are they saying? What are they doing? Many presidential hopefuls -- Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, to name a few -- have sent their regrets. But several lesser-known candidates -- U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Surfside, U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ray McKinney and Hugh Cort -- are still expected to...
  • Abducted Child/Amber Alert - Texas City/Fort Worth, TX

    08/18/2007 12:15:14 AM PDT · by STARWISE · 46 replies · 1,366+ views
    YahooWeather ^ | 8-17-07
    I've never seen an alert like this on the weather page .. HEADS UP. ~~~~~~~ URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED CHILD ABDUCTION EMERGENCY TEXAS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY FORT WORTH TEXAS RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1127 PM CDT FRI AUG 17 2007 THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF THE TEXAS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY. THE TEXAS CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT IS SEARCHING FOR NICHOLAS STROTHER. HE IS A WHITE MALE...1 YEAR OLD...BROWN HAIR...BROWN EYES...AND A HEAVY SET BABY BODY. POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR BRUCE JOHNATHON STROTHER...WHITE MALE...23 YEARS OLD...DATE OF BIRTH 07-02-1984...5 FOOT 8 INCHES...155 POUNDS...BROWN...
  • Dream Of High-Speed Rail Taking Shape

    08/13/2007 12:32:25 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 113 replies · 1,431+ views
    Hillsboro Reporter ^ | August 13, 2007 | Hillsboro Reporter
    Could high-speed rail service with a stop in the Hillsboro area be a reality by 2020? That is the goal set by the Texas High-Speed Rail and Transportation Corporation (THSRTC) following the final planning and design charrette in Fort Worth. The charrette preceded the 10th annual Transportation Summit held in Irving Tuesday through Friday, August 7-10. THSRTC board members met in Houston in May at the Continental Airlines headquarters for the first of the charrettes. Attending were eight international suppliers of high-speed rail for nine different systems in France, Germany, Korea and Spain. In addition, 14 consulting firms of varying...
  • Group to Deliver Bibles With Newspapers

    07/31/2007 2:12:39 PM PDT · by Responsibility2nd · 30 replies · 430+ views
    Breitbart ^ | 07/31/2007 | By MATT CURRY
    FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Everything from detergent to computer discs is packaged with the Sunday newspaper. So why not Bibles? A Christian ministry wants to deliver custom-designed New Testaments to newspaper subscribers around the country as part of an effort to find innovative ways to spread a Christian message. But even in the Bible Belt, not everyone thinks that's a good idea. International Bible Society-Send the Light is planning on spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to distribute Bibles with 11 newspapers during 2007 and 2008. New Testaments would be packaged in pouches on the outside of newspapers, much...
  • Aide: Growth demands Trans-Texas Corridor

    06/30/2007 2:19:13 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 7 replies · 512+ views
    Cleburne Times-Review ^ | June 29, 2007 | Misty Shultz
    Texas needs the Trans-Texas Corridor because of its surging population, a representative for Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday while speaking in Cleburne. Plans are to build the multi-lane highway and rail system parallel to Interstate 35, north-south through the center of the state. Kris Heckmann, deputy director of Perry’s Legislative Division spoke at the Cleburne Civic Center at the invitation of the Johnson County Republican Women for their monthly meeting. Every decade since World War II, Texas’ population has increased by at least 20 percent, Heckmann said. In 1990, the state’s population was 16.5 million, and today the population is...
  • The choice is easy, actually

    06/24/2007 3:01:57 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 9 replies · 521+ views
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram ^ | June 24, 2007 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
    It's not the least bit hard to describe the choice that Texas Transportation Commission members will face Thursday at their meeting in Austin: (1) Agree with the overwhelming preference of this region's elected officials and allow the North Texas Tollway Authority to build the Texas 121 toll road in Denton and Collin counties, or (2) award the lucrative project to the apparent favorite among state toll road devotees, the Spanish company Cintra.From here, it's an easy decision: Pick NTTA.But there is reason to worry that in the boiling pot of Austin politics, the commission may see things differently. Because of...
  • Perry signs compromise bill slowing toll road projects

    06/12/2007 8:11:42 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 13 replies · 313+ views
    Houston Chronicle ^ | June 12, 2007 | R. G. Ratcliffe
    But compromise doesn't affect six projects slated for Harris County AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry on Monday signed legislation that slows down his ambitious plans for building toll roads but does not halt them completely. Perry and the Legislature got into a stare-down last month when lawmakers sent him a bill that put serious restrictions on building toll roads in Texas and constrained policy set by the Texas Transportation Commission, which is run by the governor's appointees. Perry said he would veto the bill and threatened to call a special legislative session if lawmakers did not send him compromise legislation....
  • Toll road bill still awaits Perry's signature

    05/29/2007 2:34:34 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 20 replies · 343+ views
    WFAA ^ | May 29, 2007 | Jake Batsell (Dallas Morning News)
    AUSTIN – Lawmakers broke camp Monday, taking it on faith that Gov. Rick Perry won't slam the brakes on a compromise toll road bill. Monday's session finale came and went without Mr. Perry signing the bill, which imposes a partial two-year freeze on private toll road deals. Lawmakers did not try to override his veto on their initial bill to overhaul the state's toll policies. Many involved in the contentious toll road debate were expecting Mr. Perry to approve the bill by now because his office was closely involved in hammering out the compromise. Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody said the...
  • Caption the Publik Skool Protesters

    05/26/2007 6:29:18 AM PDT · by Zakeet · 128 replies · 2,933+ views
    WFAA-TV (Dallas) ^ | May 25, 2007 | Darla Miles
    FORT WORTH — Students who had been planning to walk across the stage at graduation ceremonies this weekend were instead walking a picket line Thursday morning. The Trimble Tech High School seniors marched in front of Fort Worth Independent School District headquarters to protest Wednesday's decision by trustees to bar students who failed the TAKS test from commencement exercises. About a dozen young people, carrying signs and chanting, began picketing at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. They represent the 613 Fort Worth seniors who did not pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exam. Crystal Martinez complained that while she finished...
  • Toll road agreement reached

    05/25/2007 4:01:11 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 8 replies · 357+ views
    Austin American-Statesman ^ | May 25, 2007 | Ben Wear
    House, Senate passage seem likely The careening vehicle that has been this legislative session's toll road overhaul appeared to pull into the garage about 4:35 p.m. Thursday. At that moment, Republican state Sen. Robert Nichols of Jacksonville, after spending several moments huddling on the floor with Sen. Tommy Williams, sponsor of Senate Bill 792, affixed his signature to a compromise version of the bill, and the two shook hands. "We've got a deal now," Williams, R-The Woodlands, said about an hour later. "This is really going to move transportation issues forward, particularly in large metropolitan areas." The deal was among...
  • Toll-road pact is still in talks

    05/24/2007 10:15:22 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 18 replies · 298+ views
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram ^ | May 24, 2007 | Aman Batheja
    AUSTIN -- Key negotiators were still working Wednesday night to hammer out a compromise version of a toll-road moratorium bill that Gov. Rick Perry won't veto. Earlier Wednesday, Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, said a compromise between the House and Senate versions of a transportation bill had been negotiated, but key House members quickly insisted that a deal had not been reached. The compromise version would require both chambers' approval. Perry vetoed a toll-road moratorium bill last week, citing concerns that it would cost the state federal funding of transportation projects. Different versions of a second moratorium passed both chambers last...
  • Diocese of Fort Worth to pursue APO with or without the Episcopal Church (Title Paraphrased)

    05/16/2007 9:30:28 PM PDT · by Huber · 6 replies · 192+ views
    titusonenine ^ | May 16th, 2007 | The Bishop and Standing Committee Diocese of Ft. Worth
    The Executive Council and Standing Committee of Fort Worth Release a Statement Reaffirming Pursuit of APO FORT WORTH, Texas - The Executive Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has adopted a statement of the diocesan Standing Committee calling for the diocese to move forward with its appeal for Alternative Primatial Oversight (APO). The Bishop and Standing Committee of the diocese first appealed for APO at the General Convention in June 2006. That appeal was endorsed by the diocesan Executive Council in September 2006 and by the Diocesan Convention in November 2006. The Bishop and diocese remain firmly convinced...
  • Toll road compromise reached (Texas)

    05/14/2007 7:48:00 AM PDT · by Cat loving Texan · 9 replies · 490+ views
    Austin American Statesman ^ | 5/14/07 | Ben Wear
    Toll road compromise reached By Ben Wear | Monday, May 14, 2007, 08:10 AM Lawmakers, representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation and others have reached agreement on major toll road legislation that will be laid out this morning in a meeting of the Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee. But there could be a backlash. Many legislators had said this session that what they didn’t want was to be presented with a large “agreed-upon” transportation bill late in the session with little or no time to absorb it. That’s exactly what they’re getting, however. The bill, in this instance,...
  • Fight on! (Texas transportation battle)

    05/14/2007 8:53:10 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 6 replies · 369+ views
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram ^ | May 14, 2007 | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
    Our colleagues at The Dallas Morning News offered this advice to lawmakers fighting to keep intact complex regional plans to deal with transportation issues in Dallas, Fort Worth and the surrounding counties: "Keep Up the Fight." Good advice. Both the Dallas paper and the Star-Telegram have felt some ownership of this issue since we combined on a joint editorial project in 2003, calling for a regionwide effort to link area cities by rail. But rail is only part of the solution to the serious problem of traffic congestion that is approaching gridlock during parts of the day. Officials in North...
  • Governor wants roads bill changed before end of session

    05/09/2007 6:19:56 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 24 replies · 405+ views
    Houston Chronicle ^ | May 9, 2007 | Kelley Shannon (Associated Press)
    AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry doesn't like a transportation bill Texas lawmakers sent him and threatened Wednesday to call them back to address the issue if no solution is reached before the legislative session ends May 28. "The good news is, there's still time to fix it .... if not, I have no other option as the leader of this state than to bring the Legislature back until we address these issues and we get Texas back to where it can have a vibrant transportation infrastructure," Perry said. Though a two-year moratorium on private toll road contracts is a major...
  • Temporary toll ban moves to Texas governor

    05/04/2007 12:36:13 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 16 replies · 425+ views
    Land Line Magazine ^ | May 3, 2007 | Keith Goble
    The Texas House voted 139-1 Wednesday, May 2, to give final approval to a bill that is intended to buy the state more time to review the effects of handing over roadways to private groups. The vote cleared the way for the bill to move to Gov. Rick Perry’s desk. The bill – HB1892 – would place a two-year moratorium on toll road leases with private groups. It also would require a study of the long-term effects of public-private partnerships. Perry, who has touted the benefits of his proposed Trans-Texas Corridor project, had urged lawmakers to reject the freeze but...
  • [Congresswoman]Granger (R-TX) Launches Campaign to Name Ship USS Fort Worth

    05/04/2007 11:32:25 AM PDT · by 2ndDivisionVet · 17 replies · 609+ views
    Office of Congresswoman Kay Granger ^ | April 28, 2006 | Pat Svacina / Caitlin Carroll
    FORT WORTH – Congresswoman Kay Granger Friday announced before a meeting of Downtown Rotary that she has launched a campaign to name one of the U.S. Navy’s new ships the USS Fort Worth in honor of the City of Fort Worth. Granger made her request in a letter to Secretary of Navy Donald Winter. The Secretary of Navy has personally selected the name of all new Navy ships since 1819 when Congress designated that responsibility to the secretary. “Fort Worth has a long history with the U.S. military as it protects America and defends freedom,” Granger said. “During the course...
  • Weather blog: Sirens sounding off in Dallas [Tornado sirens]

    05/02/2007 5:23:21 PM PDT · by Star Traveler · 73 replies · 1,493+ views
    WFAA Channel 8 Dallas ^ | May 2, 2007 | WFAA Weather News
    Weather blog: Sirens sounding off in Dallas 07:16 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 2, 2007 From WFAA Staff Reports 7:13 p.m. Area tower cams are showing high water and flooding with a few cars stuck. Street flooding is being reported in Fort Worth and Arlington. The damaging wind threat is still significant. People in Allen, Wylie, Plano, Rockwall and Mesquite need to secure loose items and be prepared for 80-100mph winds. 7:08 p.m. The wind has picked up, as well as the rain. It came in dark and then it got light, and now it is getting dark again. I...
  • Audit shows TxDOT exaggerated the numbers – again

    05/02/2007 10:48:56 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 19 replies · 385+ views
    Land Line Magazine ^ | May 1, 2007 | David Tanner
    he Texas state auditor has concluded that transportation officials used inflated numbers when they reported an $86 billion funding gap for highways and transportation projects. The audit released April 30 has a familiar ring to it because it is the second scathing review of transportation funding estimates this year in the state. State Auditor John Keel said the $86 billion estimate by Texas Department of Transportation officials should be more like $77.4 billion, but that’s not all. Nearly $38 billion of that estimate took into account undocumented cost estimates from city officials competing for shared transportation dollars. Keel’s team of...
  • Senate approves moratorium on private toll roads (updated)

    04/20/2007 2:28:20 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 10 replies · 372+ views
    Houston Chronicle ^ | April 19, 2007 | Liz Austin Peterson (Associated Press)
    AUSTIN — The Texas Senate on Thursday approved a bill placing a two-year moratorium on private toll road contracts and creating a panel to review the terms of those agreements. Gov. Rick Perry had urged the Legislature to reject the freeze. He said the state's current transportation system, which involves public-private partnerships to build toll roads, needs to continue if Texas is to keep attracting big companies and jobs. But growing opposition to Perry's proposed Trans-Texas Corridor — a combined toll road and rail system that would whisk traffic from the Oklahoma line to Mexico — have made some lawmakers...
  • Senate approves moratorium on private toll roads

    04/19/2007 2:47:29 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 18 replies · 373+ views
    Houston Chronicle ^ | April 19, 2007 | Associated Press
    AUSTIN — The Texas Senate on Thursday approved a bill placing a two-year moratorium on private toll road contracts and creating a panel to review the terms of those agreements. Gov. Rick Perry had urged the Legislature not to act on the bill. He said the state's current transportation system, which involves public-private partnerships to build toll roads, needs to continue if Texas is to keep attracting big companies and jobs. Critics of Perry's proposed Trans-Texas Corridor and the state's contract with Spanish-American consortium Cintra-Zachry have made some lawmakers nervous about the project. Sen. Robert Nichols supported the corridor as...
  • House proposal would put 2-year moratorium on private toll roads

    04/11/2007 11:30:50 AM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 18 replies · 437+ views
    Houston Chronicle ^ | April 10, 2007 | April Castro (Associated Press)
    AUSTIN — A two-year moratorium on private toll roads that won preliminary approval in the House on Tuesday would put the brakes on the Trans-Texas Corridor, a superhighway that a private firm received a contract for earlier this year. The moratorium also would halt seven near-term projects in the state, said Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, the Brenham Republican who added the proposal to a House bill. "This is us tapping the brakes, looking before we leap ... into contracts that last 50-plus years," Kolkhorst said. Her proposal would require the state to create a commission to study the effects of private...
  • Defanged private tollway ban passes

    04/05/2007 1:47:26 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 13 replies · 370+ views
    Austin American-Statesman ^ | April 5, 2007 | Ben Wear
    A two-year ban on long-term toll road leases with private companies, pockmarked with exceptions and thus largely symbolic, cleared a Texas Senate committee Wednesday on a unanimous vote. However, the more meaningful action on toll roads should begin in the next two weeks, when a large bill addressing a wide range of concerns over tollways will be introduced in the Senate. The much-publicized moratorium bill by Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, Senate Bill 1267, has an excellent chance of passing the Senate, given that 29 of 31 senators have either signed on as co-sponsors or voted for it in committee. But despite...
  • Suspected Stolen Plane (DC-9) Still in Milwaukee (reportedly heading to Russia)

    03/26/2007 4:57:22 PM PDT · by UB355 · 18 replies · 1,089+ views
    NBC Channel 4 Milwaukee ^ | 3/26/2007 | Jonathan Vigliotti
    MILWAUKEE - An aircraft reportedly heading to Russia was forced to land in Milwaukee after being reported stolen. The aircraft remains grounded at Mitchell International Airport after a federal injunction. The DC-9 aircraft left Fort Worth,Texas, Saturday morning. It was heading to Russia with a stopover in Newfoundland, Canada when military aircraft had to escort it to the ground Saturday around 1 p.m. The plane was reported stolen by Peter Delisa of New Jersey, reportedly in the process of selling the plane to a company out of Russia called Siviera. Delisa claims the plane was taken before the sale was...
  • We need bold highway funding

    03/23/2007 4:34:04 PM PDT · by Tolerance Sucks Rocks · 25 replies · 474+ views
    Dallas Morning News ^ | March 23, 2007 | Keith Self (Collin County Judge)
    In the political world, rapid change only occurs when the public focuses attention on a specific issue. We have that situation right now in Austin. Public and legislative attention is focused on the Texas Department of Transportation and a proposed moratorium on the Comprehensive Development Agreement process, including the recently announced CDA to construct State Highway 121 in Collin County. This public and legislative attention may offer an opportunity for Texas to reaffirm our commitment to focus government spending on core functions – in this case, transportation. There are many subplots swirling in this complex CDA moratorium issue – reining...