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Dallas City Council Dallas Police News

A new police chief for Double Oak

double oak police chief dfw news
Queensland State Archives

In current news, the Denton County town of Double Oak just announced a new police chief this past week. The new chief will be filling in the place of previous chief, Derrick Watson. Though Double Oak is a fairly quiet town, it still definitely was in need of a new head to its police force in Watson’s absence.

The new chief

Double Oak’s city council decided to appoint Ruben Rivas as the new chief on Monday, November 16th. Rivas has been an officer in the town for over 15 years now. He’s been in law enforcement for even longer, with 21 total years now. Rivas also holds the certification of Master Peace Officer, awarded to him by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. He’s also a graduate of the FBI’s law enforcement academy. Regardless of his experience, the previous Chief Watson leaves him some big shoes to fill.

Chief Watson’s leaving

Double Oak’s citizens loved Watson for his hard lines and care for the community. He had served in the Dallas police department before moving around to other cities around the DFW area. In Double Oak, he quickly became a fixture. The town’s residents will surely miss seeing him around.

He took a new position in Plainview, a small city between Lubbock and Amarillo. In Plainview, Watson will become the new chief of police and oversee a larger area than before. Though we and Double Oak are sad to see him leave, we’re happy to see him moving up in the world. Chief Watson will be officially starting his new role on December 1st.

In accordance with Chief Watson’s leaving, Double Oak’s new chief will also be starting his new position on December 1st. Chief Rivas won’t have to change too much, since he’s already on the force. Either way, the town is glad to see him — proven even more so by city council’s unanimous vote for him as chief.

We provide this news as a service to our friends and neighbors. If you’re ever in need of AC repair in Double Oak, Texas, we ask that you keep us in mind.

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DFW Schools News

New Jobs and other Grapevine news

Grapevine city street news
“Grapevine Texas Main Street” by GrapevineTxOnline.com is licensed with CC BY 2.0.

Grapevine School news

In other news, the city of Grapevine is no stranger to dealing with the COVID pandemic at this point. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD recently decided to postpone football games and other sporting events for the time being. After Coronavirus cases saw a sharp uptick across the US, they made the decision to hold off. Because of this, the district also prepared to postpone classes and even close schools if the virus continues to spike in their area.

New business for Grapevine

A new business recently announced plans to move its base of operations to Grapevine. E & A Transpro, Inc. was originally a large shipping and logistics company based out of Illinois. They have decided to relocate their headquarters and primary facilities to Grapevine to be nearer to their distribution lines. Excitingly, the logistics company will most likely be bringing new jobs to the area. We’ve included the link to their careers page here to help you in your next job search. Be sure to keep an eye out for postings!

Holiday fun for the family

Last but not least, the North Pole Express train ride will be returning to the city this year. The popular Grapevine attraction will allow riders to take a holiday themed ride through part of the city. The train takes riders to the “North Pole” and partners with Great Wolf Lodge, a company known for its kid-friendly hotels.

Doing things differently this year, the train will operate at half capacity to advocate social distancing. Either way, its sure to be a blast for the whole family and get everyone in the holiday spirit.

This news is provided as a service to our friends and neighbors. If you’re ever in need of AC repair in Grapevine, Texas, we ask that you please keep Air Conditioning Dallas in mind.

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News

New “Solterra” community planned for Mesquite

Texas-based Huffines Communities has recently announced plans to build a massive master-planned community in Mesquite. The community will be placed on the site of Lucas Farms, and be built around the existing farmland and orchards. The new community will be the largest that Mesquite has ever seen.

The master planned community, named Solterra, will feature 3900 new homes and be built on nearly fifteen-hundred acres of land. It will be built on Lucas Farms’ farmland, but will incorporate aspects from the historic farm to keep its integrity. In addition to the homes, Huffine Communities has plans to build fishing lakes and miles of hiking and biking trails for residents. One of its most prominent features will be the massive swimming pool that features a beach and play areas for the community’s children. Solterra will also partner with the local ISD to offer schooling to children within the community. The neighborhood will also feature a full coffee shop, fitness center, clubhouses, and offices for its residents. In typical Huffines Communities fashion, parts of the neighborhood will be organized into “villages” to promote friendliness among nearby neighbors. Apart for visits to the grocery store, the neighborhood plans to give its residents very little reason to leave and seems to have it all.

Solterra’s creator, Huffines Communities, has been building in Texas since 1997, organized by brothers Donald and Phillip Huffines. The company only builds master-planned communities, passionate about a holistic approach to neighborhood design. In that holistic approach, Huffines pays attention to every detail, applying their touch to anything from home design to manhole covers. The company also places heavy emphasis on their entrances, typically placing lakes or some other calming feature near the openings of their communities. Huffines has already designed multiple communities throughout Texas, including the Heartland neighborhood in Heartland and the Inspiration neighborhood of St. Paul, both of which have won the Dallas Builder’s Association’s McSam Award.

Huffines plans to have the first phase of Solterra built by 2022, which will include around seven hundred homes and the central amenity center that will house the offices, clubhouses, and a fitness center. The company has stated that they want to make open space a priority for the neighborhood, so it is sure to feel like a part of Texas.

The new neighborhood will be the largest master-planned community that Mesquite has ever seen. As a suburb of Dallas, Mesquite has seen many Dallas residents move in as they attempt to move away from the hustle and bustle of crowded Dallas. As more of these residents move in, more housing is necessary to keep up with the influx and growth of Mesquite. With almost four thousand homes planned, Solterra is sure to be essential to house these new residents and provide a space for them to live their lives. We look forward to watching the development of this brand-new, all-encompassing community and to seeing what it will bring to Mesquite.

This news is provided as a service to our friends and neighbors. If you’re ever in need of AC repair in Mesquite, Texas, we ask that you keep us in mind.

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News

National Medal of Honor Museum planned to open in Arlington

The striking design of the new museum was recently revealed to the public a year after its first announcement at a Dallas Cowboys game. The museum has plans to become a new landmark of American history. It will honor US military service members and close to four-thousand Medal of Honor recipients, showcasing the harrowing stories of valor that led to them receiving the medals. The other purpose of the museum is to educate its visitors, who will learn not only those stories, but also how they affected US history.

The building itself is being designed by acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly. The Uruguayan architect is recipient of the unrelated American Institute of Architects’ Medal of Honor and the Neutra Medal for Professional Excellence. Viñoly is most well-known for designing the Tokyo National Forum, but was also a finalist for the World Trade Center competition and has designed beautiful buildings and structures all over the world. Despite having many prominent creations, this new museum will likely be his most famous American work yet.

So far, nearly $70 million has been raised towards the new museum since its original announcement one year ago. It plans to raise even more funds in the next few years under the direction of Joe Daniels, President of the museum, and Charlotte Jones, Chair of the museum and Executive Vice President for the Dallas Cowboys. The museum will be built in Arlington’s bustling entertainment district, where it will share space with some of Texas’ biggest attractions: Six Flags, the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium, and the Texas Rangers’ field.

The National Medal of Honor Museum is currently planned to be finished by 2024, almost one-hundred and seventy years after the Medal of Honor was first instated. Though it’ll be years until we’ll finally see it in person, there are a number of ways to help the museum out now.

Through the National Medal of Honor Museum’s website, mohmuseum.org, you can make donations, sign up for their newsletter, or sign a petition to erect a brand-new National Medal of Honor monument. If you have a Medal of Honor recipient family member or ancestor, the museum is also accepting stories and select memorabilia to help remember their stories.

The National Medal of Honor Museum hopes to not only educate its visitors, but to inspire them to live their lives the best way they can. It’s an honor for Arlington and the Dallas area to be able to bring this to our area, and we hope the museum is here before we know it. 

This news is provided as a service to our friends and neighbors. If you’re ever in need of AC repair in Arlington, Texas, we ask that you keep us in mind.

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DFW Music News

CMA Awards plan to honor Charley Pride

Electric Guitar Dallas Music
“Guitar” by halseike is licensed with CC BY 2.0.

It was recently announced that the Country Music Association will be giving Dallas resident Charley Pride a Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award soon. Pride is one of the greats of country music, so it’s no surprise that he’s receiving the same award given to Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. We’re excited to see this Dallas artist be honored, as he definitely is deserving of it and it brings even more renown to our great city.

Pride’s history

Charley Pride is known as “the Jackie Robinson of country music.” As a black man, he came onto the country music scene in the mid-1900s – a time when there was virtually no diversity in his genre. His music was so great that it allowed him to break into the country music scene, overcoming the difficult adversity at the time that was a person of color trying to get into an overwhelmingly white field. According to Dallas News, Pride is still the only black person to win the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award. He received his all the way back in 1971. In 1975, he became the first black person to host the CMA Awards1. In 2000, Pride was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame2.

Though Charley Pride’s music is no doubt his largest success, he has led a very interesting life. Born in 1934, Pride went on to become a professional baseball player in the Negro American League. During that time, he played for the Memphis Red Sox. After that, Pride was drafted into the US Army, where he was stationed in Colorado. He ended up playing for his fort’s baseball team during his service, even sending them to the Army’s baseball championship4.

Pride managed to keep working towards his country music career during this entire time, recording songs and meeting folks in the music business. Once he finally had a song take off, Pride had a short performing career before joining up and becoming the first black member of the Grand Ol Opry5. From there, Charlie Pride’s career boomed. He released several songs and performed all over, leading to where he is now.

An inspiration to others

Dallas’s Pride has been an inspiration for many current African American country music artists, including other CMA award-winning Darius Rucker – who will be just the second black person to host the upcoming CMA awards. Pride’s career of overcoming racism serves as an inspiration for anyone wanting to overcome adversity because of the color of their skin. Even though he’s released some amazing country music, Pride is equally known for his hard work to get into the scene. We look forward to watching these next Country Music Association Awards next week, and can’t wait to see the talented Charlie Pride receive his well-deserved Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement award.

This news is provided as a service to our friends and neighbors. If you’re ever in need of AC repair in Dallas, Texas, we ask that you please keep Air Conditioning Dallas in mind.

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Dallas City Council News

City lists open bid for removal of “Shingle Mountain”

On September 24th, an open bid for the removal of the controversial 70,000 ton mountain of shingles in South Dallas to the nearby McCommas Bluff Landfill was posted.

Shingle Mountain, the abandoned roof shingle recycling facility off of Central Expressway, has been more than an eyesore for years to the city. Area residents and environmental activists alike have called for its removal due to the danger it poses to air quality, since the shingles cause fiberglass dust to fill the air. To attempt getting the mountain removed, one resident went so far as to create the Southern Sector Rising organization. The group works with other legal groups, including Downwinders At Risk and Texas Rising, to push for not only the removal of Shingle Mountain, but also changes to environmental zoning in Texas that protect low income and minority neighborhoods from other similar incidents.

Due to the massive effort by members of the Dallas community, the city listed the opening worth $450,000 and has already received bids from multiple businesses. The top bid will still have to pass City Council in a vote happening on October 13th, so members of the city are nervous, but remaining hopeful, that this will finally be it for Shingle Mountain.

This news is provided as a service to our friends and neighbors. If you’re ever in need of AC repair in Dallas, Texas, we ask that you keep us in mind.