RamblerNewspapers.com April 23, 2016 50¢ DFW …...April 23, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nature enthusiast...

RamblerNewspapers.com April 23, 2016 50¢

See DRUGS Page 5

See FEATHERS, Page 5

Feathers continue to fly over chicken ordinance

DFW Humane Society has wagging good time

See CAM Page 3

See FOUNDERS Page 3

IPD implements body cam usage

See WAGGING Page 2

Responsible canines take their two-footed friends for a walk along the Mandalay Canal during the DFW Humane Society’s 2016 Walkathon. / Photo by Jessica Sluys

Heroin, alcohol most popular among students

By Jessica SluysOn an overcast morning in Irving,

no cloud or squall could put a damp-er on the DFW Humane Society’s 2016 Walkathon held in Las Colinas on April 16. People and pets alike gathered along the Mandalay Canal to enjoy the pleasant springtime air and joyful company.

Among the most excited of these companions was eight-month-old Aikens, an adorable terrier retriev-er mix who is always up for a good belly rub.

Aikens was rescued by the DFW Humane Society when he was roughly two months old. Events like the Walkathon give pets like Aikens a little more opportunities to find their forever homes.

For just $10, a prospective adopt-er could give Aikens a sort of “test run” (or test walk, depending on how fast he went) and then decide

By Sarah BaysSome of Irving’s finest are work-

ing beats in the northern part of the city with another crime-fighting tool.

The police department is using police body cameras in an initial phase of a program, aimed at gath-ering more evidence during police stops and keeping up with the latest developments in the law enforce-ment industry.

“The time is right to do it now,” said Officer James McLellan, police spokesman, adding that research for the program has been going on for a couple years. “That’s the way the industry is moving.”

The program will help provide greater accountability and trans-parency among officers as well. The timing of the program is not linked

By Stephen Fielder The city of Irving held two town

hall meetings to invite public com-ment on the proposed ordinance that would re-define the keeping of chickens in the city. The first one was held at the Heritage Senior Cen-ter on Monday, April 11. The second convened at the Irving Arts Center on Tuesday, April 12.

The proposed ordinance is far more restrictive to chicken owners than any previous ordinance, and a number of residents came out to voice their opposition to it. Among the changes proposed: roosters would not be allowed in the city, flocks would be limited to six hens, chickens could not be at large (free range), coops would be required to be at least 25 feet from any structure intended for human occupancy. A

whether to adopt. If the adoption was a go, the $10 fee was waived—a simple yet sweet concept.

Aikens was not the only pup shak-ing paws and wagging tails during the event. He was accompanied by two other rescues: Halo and Janie.

“Halo and Janie both came from another shelter where they unfortu-nately could have been euthanized, but we pulled them just in the nick of time,” Sarah Kammerer, the exec-utive director of the Human Society, said. “We’ll keep them for as long as it takes to find them a home.”

As a non-profit organization, the DFW Humane Society relies heavily on fundraisers like the annual Walk-athon to raise money and awareness for the animals.

“This is actually the second largest fundraiser we put on -- the largest being the Black Collar event in the

to any specific law enforcement sit-uation, according to McLellan, but the technology and price were ripe for the department to go ahead with it now.

“We want to make sure that we get it right the first time,” McLellan said.

During the first phase, 200 cam-eras will be given to some patrol and traffic officers as well as city mar-shals. This phase of the program will cost about $300,000 for the startup, cameras, infrastructure and storage of all the data.

Over the coming months, 42 more cameras will be introduced to the department’s problem solving unit, tactical, gang, SWAT teams and school resource officers. Eventually, about two-thirds of the uniformed

cursory review of other area cities shows the drafted ordinance would put Irving somewhere in the middle of currently accepted urban chicken law.

For instance, Garland prohibits roosters. Dallas and Grand Prairie prohibit roosters with some excep-tions. As things stand now, Irving is arguably one of least restrictive cit-ies in the Metroplex, because it has almost no specific chicken restric-tions.

Irving residents who keep chick-ens lined up at the microphones to defend their right to maintain their flocks just as they currently do. Nan-cy Starnes, one of the chicken folk, pointed out that the city already has an ordinance on the books for ani-mals and birds which are unreason-

By Lorri KennedyParents attending the third an-

nual Drug Trends and Awareness program at Coppell Middle School West on April 11 discovered hero-in, alcohol and prescription drugs are the pervasive threats plaguing area middle school students, while methamphetamines, marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids (also known as K2 and Spice) are secondary menaces. Parents also learned that prescription drug abuse is now con-sidered the gateway to heroin use.

Hosted by the Coppell Indepen-dent School District and the Coppell Police Department, the program

featured a presentation by the Dal-las office of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

“The bad news is that our children are at risk. They’re being threatened every single day. They are being targeted by predators throughout our community. And by predators, I don’t just mean people. Media, social media even popular media,” said Coppell Police Chief, Mac Tristan, who added that pop culture and the tools to access pop culture – music, the Internet, reality televi-sion, as well as actual human preda-tors, contribute to children’s at-risk status.

Tristan also expressed concern that the messages pop culture sends to kids is being received as tacit permissions to use drugs, drink al-cohol, and engage in sex, without understanding the consequences of their decision-making.

While many parents may be aware from their children that drugs are being sold on Coppell campuses, removing or arresting drug dealing students is not easy.

“The challenge that we have is even students are still protected by the Constitution, by the law,” Tristan said. “We cannot simply

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WaggingContinued from Page 1

COMMUNITY CALENDARSelections for Spring, Momentum Dance Co.April 22-23, 8 p.m. Momentum Dance Company presents its annual event with choreography by several company dancers including Artistic Director, Jacquelyn Ralls Forcher. Dupree Theater $13.50-$21.50 StarQuest Dance CompetitionApril 22-24 StarQuest International, a presenter of worldwide performing arts competition, has chosen Irving Arts Center as a host site for a regional competition. For more information,

visit StarQuestDance.com.

Arbor Day CelebrationApril 23, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Nature enthusiast and tree lovers are invited to celebrate Mother Nature with the City of Irving this weekend at the annual Arbor Day Celebration at the Heritage Park, 217 S. Main Street.Irving’s Arbor Day celebration will include a question-and-answer session with tree experts, live music from the Kenny Chavez Band and continuous drawings for free trees. The family-friendly event will offer children the opportunity to learn how to climb a tree, watch and participate in a snake encounters show and enjoy a tree house slide. Kona Ice will be onsite, selling ice slushies and drinks.

TexasFestApril 23, 6:30 pm to 11 pmJoin us under the stars in the Byron Nelson Pavilion at the Four Seasons Resort and Club for TexasFest 2016 – Stars at Night! JACK INGRAM, will be celebrating with us and performing some of his biggest hits, and Chef Christof Syre and his talented team at Four Seasons Resort will be creating some delectable dishes for us.Spend the evening dining, dancing, watching armadillo races, and having your picture made on (or with) a live longhorn steer! This is truly a night you will not want to miss!

Breakfast with the StarsApril 26, 9 AM - 11:30 AM Hosted at the beautiful Irving Convention Center, this annual breakfast is an opportunity

UNITY CHURCHUnity of Irving

Sunday Morning Services:9:30 AM Adult Class

11:00 AM Service& Children’s Church

Reverend Frank Poundersand Reverend Margaret Pounders

210 Virginia St., Irving, Texas 75061972-253-5083

unitychurchofirving.com

First United Methodist Church 211 W. Third, 75060

972-253-3531 www.fumcirving.orgSunday School 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.in the Sanctuary

6:30 p.m. in the ChapelSecond and fourth Sundays

Oak HavenUnited Methodist Church

1600 N. Irving Heights 75061972.438.1431

www.oakhavenumc.orgSunday School 9:45 a.m.

Sunday Worship 10:45 a.mMinisterio Hispano NISSIEstudio Biblico 1:00 p.m.

Servicio Adoracion 2:00 p.m.

UNITED METHODIST

CHRISTIAN SCIENCEFirst Church of Christ, Scientist

2250 W Pioneer Dr., Irving, 75061972-253-7202

www.ChristianScienceIrving.comSunday & Sunday School 10 am

Wednesday 7:30 pmReading Room Mon-Sat 10am-1pmDial in to services: 1-857-232-0476

access code 884879For inspiring programs 24/7 call:214-His-Work (214-447-9675)

CHURCH OF CHRIST

Belt Line RoadChurch of Christ

1202 N. Belt Line Rd., Irving, TX 750611st Century Christianity in the 21st Century

Sunday Bible Classes 9 a.m.Sunday Worship 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Wednesday Worship 7:00 p.m.972-790-8606

www.BeltLineChurch.com

WORSHIPList your organization here!

Call 972-870-1992

for the Irving community to publicly recognize our young shining stars – some of the most dedicated and talented high school students you will ever meet. Plus, you’ll have the

chance to meet and partner with over 600 students, teachers, administrators, parents, businesses, and stakeholders as we honor these future leaders.

fall,” volunteer and treasurer, Vicki Bumpass, said. “It’s also the second year we’ve had it outdoors, and the first year we’ve had corporate spon-sors. So we’re very excited that the event is growing every year.”

More sponsors means more food and medical care for the animals. It also means more things to see and do at the Walkathon.

Lines of sponsors selling various treats and animal themed trinkets lined the Mandalay Canal. Among them was South Lake Pet Smart rep-resentative Mary McKee.

“We’re doing gift basket give-aways, we’re letting people know about the services we offer at Pet Smart, and we have lots of goodies,” McKee said.

The ‘doggie’ bacon at her booth looked good enough for humans to eat. The only thing more captivating than the snacks were the pictures of the themed parties Pet Smart hosts for their four-legged friends.

Putting his best paw forward, Halo greets Walkathon guests with his brightest smile. / Photo by Jessica Sluys

“Each month we have a differ-ent theme,” McKee said. This past month, the theme was baseball.

Dogs aren’t the only critters the Humane Society takes in. The shel-ter also cares for cats, rabbits, fer-rets, and pigs. Although none of the other furry faces made it out to the Walkathon, raising people’s aware-ness of the shelter helps them out, too.

All the Walkathon participants were encouraged to BYOP (bring your own pooch.) People like Lane Lewallen and her lovable lab mix, Rocco, were strolling down the canal, saying hello to other Walk-athoners, and appreciating the at-mosphere.

“Every year we come out and sup-

port the DFW Humane Society,” Lewallen said. “It’s local, so we like to support our local businesses. We’re a big dog loving community, so anything that raises money or helps support adoption for dogs is what we do.” By “we,” Lewallen was referring to her colleagues from Mo-saic Sales Solutions, who were also sponsoring the event.

There is nothing quite like rescu-ing an animal and giving it a good home, and the DFW Humane So-ciety makes magical moments like that happen every day. Although the 2016 Walkathon has come to an end, there are always pups in need of love. Do not hesitate to contact your local shelter to save a life and make a friend.

Irving, Texas – On Sunday, April 17, 2016 at approximately 5:08 a.m., Irving Jail detention staff found 48-year-old Teresa Giles unrespon-sive in her jail cell.

Treatment was immediately initi-ated and the Irving Fire Department was called to assist. When paramed-ics arrived, they continued life sav-ing measures. Giles was transported to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Irving but Giles was pro-nounced deceased at approximately 5:52 a.m.

Giles had been booked into the

Woman dies while in police custodyCity of Irving Municipal Jail follow-ing her arrest on Friday, April 15 at approximately 7:58 p.m., for Pos-session of Heroin and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. An autopsy was performed by the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office and the results are pending. At this time, the cause of death is unknown and there were no obvious signs of trau-ma to indicate the cause of death. An investigation into her death is ongoing.

SOURCE Irving Police Department The cause of Teresa Giles’ death at Irving Jail is under investigation. / Courtesy Photo

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CamContinued from Page 1

2016 Irving City Council Candidates Q&A part 3John C. Danish

Place 1**How will you address the ani-

mosity presently exhibited by the current city council?

I will continue to conduct myself in a professional manner, and I will continue to strive to make decisions as a City Councilman in a manner that is fair and just for all citizens that is in their collective, best inter-est. I will stay focused on the issues and what is best for District 1.

Which national politician or po-litical candidate would you most want to emulate?

George Washington

Loren J. ByersPlace 1

How will you address the ani-mosity presently exhibited by the current city council?

I once heard it said, the purpose of an argument is to decide who is right. While the purpose of a discus-sion is to decide what is right. Com-munication is key to coming to an agreement. Open lines of commu-nication between council members is essential. Using my experience of building teams has given me use-ful tools to move forward toward a meaningful goal.


Former President Dwight David Eisenhower, for his leadership to

**Current office holderbring the war in Europe to an end and for bringing about our Inter-state Highway system. As President he governed as a conservative and brought government spending un-der control. He had the fortitude to bring forth strong international policies for the United States which made him instrumental in cement-ing our place as the world leader among nations.

Allan Meagher Place 2**

How will you address the ani-mosity presently exhibited by the

current city council?I feel the Council needs to work

as a team. Over the past year, I have seen the Council grow stronger and start working together. We must

have members that can think for themselves and not be a puppet vote. The arguing at meetings has stopped and I see mutual respect among the current members.

Shamima Mondal Place 2 (at-large)


I’ll have high spirit to get connect with community closely & be more visible. I’ll treat other the way i like to be treated. I’ll unite & reduce any kind of religious conflict. Constantly visit community, Business & Hospi-tal to listen their concern & bring to the table. I do believe in team work.


Democrat & Hillary Clinton.

Thomas D. Spink Place 2


By doing my best to work as a team member as long as the citizen’s best interest are served.


Dr. Ben Carson

Emmanuel LewisPlace 7


Some friction is warranted it allow for the public to get informed. Folks sometimes do not feel city hall is listening to them. I will have office hours to listen to residents. I will hold town halls. I will treat voters fairly and not play favorites because who they are related to. None of my family or friends work for city hall. I will not participate in cronyism and nepotism.


The mood of the nation is tired of politics and politicians. I am not a politician. A committee of cats and dogs can do a lot more than many current state of politicians. And they

are not for sale. This is what the vot-ers want. They want folks looking after their interests. They do not want lobbyists and special interests running the show. I admire Honor-able Councilman Brad LaMorgese leadership on council. You know where he stands. I met him out there at the polls he was greeting voters in 105 degree heat.

Kyle Taylor Place 7


I am excited to get to the chance to work with this dedicated group serv-ing the City of Irving. I know that at times we may not all agree with each other, but we all are working hard to make the City of Irving an even bet-ter City.


Abraham Lincoln, He exemplified the types of attributes that I most want to emulate. He had a vision, a moral and ethical compass to do right, he was principled and he had the ability to build a consensus to achieve his vision for this country.

LilaHi there! I’m Lila, and I’m about 1 year old. I was taken in by a good Samaritan and brought to this wonderful shelter. I like to keep an eye on my surroundings to keep everyone up-to-date on what’s going on. Some may think I’m pretty independent, and I am to a point, but I love other cats and even people, especially the won-derful folks that take care of me here at the shelter. Of course, I’m

RangerHi. I’m Ranger and I’m about 3 years old, and was brought in because my of my owner’s health. I’m listed as a Chi-huahua mix, but there is definitely a

“mix” component, as I’m larger than a Chihuahua. My beautiful coat, and curled tail, make me look more like a mini shepherd. Yes, my tail is usually curled at at-tention. Oh, and the ears in my picture, are always like that. One up and one down, like winking ears. I’m an active, friendly boy that is good with other dogs. I’ll be here waiting. I’m in the area with the other Chihuahua “mixes”, but I think you will be able to find me, since I do not look so much like a Chihuahua. Come on by.

ready to give a human a chance at a lifetime of love and devotion if you’re up for the challenge.

officers will have cameras. As of this point, there are 345 uniformed po-lice in total.

Over the next four years, the cost for this program will be about $200,000. The funding is coming from the police budget and grants.

The police department has de-cided to use AXON model cameras, which are manufactured by TASER. A division of the company will be serving the city to store data footage from the cameras.

A camera is mounted in plain sight on the officer’s chest area. It will record most citizen contacts, and is activated by hand. One cam-era can last for a 12-hour shift before needing to be recharged.

The biggest challenge will be its physical capability, McLellan said.

“The idea is to get a closer look at the officers up front,” he said, add-ing that certain situations might make it challenging for an officer to activate the camera or to capture ev-erything going on.

There will be some guidelines for how officers should use the cameras and a training committee will help determine that.

McLellan noted that there will likely be a learning curve, like in most situations, where officers may fail to activate the camera or not use it appropriately.

“Unfortunately, that’s just going to happen,” he said, noting that the police and the public are used to viewing dash camera video, which is sometimes automatically activated.

Officers will be trained to operate the cameras according to set stan-dards for the police department.

There will be some occasions when officers will not use cameras, including when an officer approach-es a civilian simply to talk, in med-

ical situations, when interviewing a victim or witness could inhibit an in-vestigation, as well as in restrooms or locker rooms.

The camera footage will not be immediately available to the pub-lic, and will be subject to the Texas Public Information Act. There could be additional restrictions on what

footage can be released to the public given the legal nature of some vid-eos, such as when officers are inside a home, for example.

First shift officers, working during the daytime in the north section of Irving, started using the cameras on April 3.

By Carlos NavaA lively audience of concerned

Irving residents attended the pub-lic unveiling of the Imagine Irving Comprehensive Plan Draft at the South Irving Library on Wednes-day, April 13. The meeting allowed residents the opportunity to see the current progress on the plan and voice their concerns.

Imagine Irving is an inclusive community effort that allows resi-dents a voice in planning the city’s future development. A little over a year ago, Imagine Irving began by gathering data from various groups within the community through in-terviews, meetings, and workshops; followed by scenario and plan de-velopment.

During the meeting, the main speaker, head consultant John Fregonese, described the various efforts Imagine Irving has made to connect with residents and gather ideas for future projects.

“We have done a number of things to involve people,” Fegonese said. “We had stakeholder inter-views, city-wide workshops, and neighborhood workshops. We were at the Cinco de Mayo festival, we had online surveys, and we’ve done

Imagine Irving unveils the comprehensive plan draft

special workshops for the Hispanic community.”

Fregonese began his presentation by describing the overall direction of the plan.

“The new comprehensive plan is different than the old one, which was building out Las Colinas and the vacant land around the city,” he said. “This new plan is really look-ing at revitalizing, enhancing, and taking opportunities to make sure things don’t go barrel up, and keep pulling in investments.

“Nature and sustainability are integrated all around. The Campi-on Trail, the Trinity River, streams, and lakes are integrated in along with parks. Irving has a robust in-tegrated business environment. Ir-ving and business go together like a duck and water, and certainly keep-ing that as a part of your city is of very high value.

“We have a strong foundation of public education, and we plan on expanding education and health. Irving has a lot of young people and allowing them to grow here by providing opportunities for future generations to thrive is very import-ant,” Fregonese said. “Irving has many diverse cultures with a lot of

people from all over the world and capitalizing on that diversity is very important.”

Fregonese continued by review-ing each aspect of the Comprehen-sive Plan, which includes land use, housing, transportation, infrastruc-ture, parks, economic development, health, education, and more. During the meeting, members of the audi-ence had the opportunity to vote on various survey questions to assess their main concerns and opinions. The audience voted on the Urban Center Development as the high-est priority of the plan, followed by neighborhood planning.

The meeting concluded with a question and answer session fol-lowed by an open discussion with the audience. Questions and con-cerns were expressed over property rights, housing, bike lanes, funding for public parks, and so forth.

One member of the audience raised her observations on Irving’s current layout. “North and south Ir-ving seems like a tale of two cities,” she said. “In south Irving I do my shopping, dining, and I work here, while north Irving seems like a to-tally different city.”

See PLAN Page 4


By Matthew PedersenAda Frances “Pete” Anderson

Fernandez is well known as a local artist. Born in Georgia, Pete moved to Irving back in the early 1950s. She has taught many local artists and has created a breathtaking body of work featuring Irving and Texas landscapes.

A selection of Fernandez’ art en-titled Pete Fernandez: Paintings is on exhibit in the Irving Art Center’s Focus Gallery until May 15. A recep-tion for the exhibit was presented

By Matthew PedersenThe Irving Arts Board and Ir-

ving Art Association are presenting a fantastic and diverse selection of art, the 31st Annual Texas and Neighbors Art Exhibition, which is on display at the Irving Arts Center through May 14. Selected from 500 pieces of art created in five states, this year’s exhibition is comprised of 80 pieces of artwork. Art lovers had the opportunity to meet with the artists during a reception on April 17.

“The Irving Art Association is here to help provide opportunities for the artists in this area,” Linda Shotwell, President of the Irving Art Association, said. “We want to help the artists bring people from outside to see their work. We want them to grow and learn if we can. We want

By Carlos NavaHundreds of Irving students, par-

ents, college representatives and career professionals gathered at Lorenzo de Zavala Middle School for the Annual College and Career Night on a fun-filled Tuesday eve-ning, April 12. Excitement was in the air as a DJ set the mood for ea-ger, wide-eyed students to discover some of the many possible colleges and career choices they might one day pursue.

Career presenters in journalism, entrepreneurship, restaurants, hair styling, fitness, robotics, engineer-ing, chemistry, energy, environ-mentalism, and more spoke with students interested in varying pro-fessions.

Companies and government agencies present at the event includ-ed Oncor, Nestle, Peterbilt, Irving Police Department, Irving Fire De-partment, and the Marines. Among the many trade schools and colleges present to answer questions for stu-dents and parents about admission and degree programs were Quality ACT, University of Texas at Arling-ton, University of Texas at Dallas, University of North Texas, and Southern Methodist University.

Parents and students walked across two packed gymnasiums filled with informative tables man-aged by visitors. Among the most popular tables of the night were the Marine representatives, who en-joyed constant attention from stu-dents. Meanwhile, an even larger group of students huddled around

Annual Texas & Neighbors Art Exhibition celebrates artiststo provide them with the opportu-nity to train and teach. It’s a thrill. That’s really what we’re all about.

“[The Irving Art Association has] been kind of quiet the past couple of years, because we’ve been in a tran-sition phase. We offer free classes about five times a year, and they’re in the disciplines of acrylic, oil, ei-ther calligraphy or pen and ink, fab-ric art, that kind of thing. We also have three days during each month where we offer free open art. The public is welcome to come join us, learn a new technique, experience a new kind of art, and to grow with us.”

Mark Thompson, the exhib-it chair, served as the announcer during the awards ceremony.

“I’m an artist myself, so I know how rewarding it is to have other

people appreciate your art,” Thomp-son said. “Typically it’s hard for an artist to even show other people their work; that’s just kind of an area of the artistic mind. So to get out there and actually show your stuff can be nerve wracking. But then when the actual response is this, it’s rewarding beyond words. It’s kind of the light that the artist is after.

“[The Irving Art Association] wants to grow, but to grow we need you [the community]. We want to diversify more than we already are, and if there is some sort of artistic medium or category that we do not already encompass, we want you to come tell us so we can encompass

it. We need new people, new ideas to come in, so if you’re reading this, please come hit us up.”

Katherine Baronet, creator of the graphite piece Poppy Pod, received an honorable mention.

“I feel so honored to have some-thing that I have spent so much time on and is such a piece of me, ac-knowledged,” Baronet said.

Baronet shared some advice to young artists who may be struggling to hone their craft or get their work noticed.

“Young artists, stick with it no matter what. If you have a job doing something else, still continue doing your art your whole life, because

it’s a process. You have to contin-ue making art. It doesn’t happen in your 20s, it doesn’t happen in your 30s, it happens as you continually go on as you get older and older. So continue to make art as long as pos-sible,” she said.

The exhibition’s Best of Show was awarded to artist Jesse Lane for Echoes, a large work in colored pencil. The IAC Award of Excel-lence went to Steve Quevado for his acrylic artwork The Melancholy Astronaut. Through the exhibition, over $9,000 in cash was awarded in five media categories to 22 artists. For a full list of awards, visit http://www.texasandneighbors.com/home/2016-award-winners/.

Irving’s past lives on through Pete Fernandez’ paintings

on April 17.“I have always dabbled with [art],”

Fernandez said. “I took classes in high school, and I majored in it at the University of Georgia. When the children started coming along, I put my paintings aside, because I didn’t have time to paint. Then when the last one came to kindergarten, I started painting again. So I’ve been teaching in Irving, and I’ve had a gal-lery on Main Street for 14 years.”

Fernandez is pleased that art is becoming more widely taught in

public schools. “I am just delighted that art is

being used in public schools now,” Fernandez said. “At one time, it was a dead subject. We tried to revive it by giving free classes so the children would say, ‘Mom, I had an art class today. Can you get me an art teach-er?’ You know, it was to increase the awareness of art with the younger people as they were coming on, and I feel like I had a tiny little part in that.”

Another member of the audience expressed her concerns about bike lane planning on two lane roads that already suffer from traffic con-gestion. “The reality is that we are seeing in downtown Irving the con-gestion on two lanes, and I’m trying to figure out how we can have a pro-tected bike lane on a corridor when there is already so much traffic,” she said.

Anita Davis, 57, a domestic tech-nician and former project manager for Boeing, was among those in at-tendance. Originally from Kansas City, Anita has called Texas home for the last 30 years. This was her first time attending an Imagine Ir-ving event.

“I came today because I want to be totally informed about the devel-opment of this city, because I have property here,” Davis said. “I want to protect my property values and ensure that the experience that I’ve had here in the past is maintained, and I’m seeing some deviation in that experience. So, I wanted to become more active in the deci-

sion-making part of it.”Davis said she normally watches

the city council on TV, but with her children getting ready to be off to college, she will have more time to participate in the future.

After the event, project manag-er Janet Tharp mentioned the im-portance of public involvement in Imagine Irving’s Comprehensive Plan.

“We love for people to come to future meetings or invite us out to their neighborhood groups,” Tharp said. “It’s real important for Irving residents to look at our plan on our website and make their comments in the next month. At this point, get-ting public interest is vital in devel-oping a good plan.”

Comprehensive plan and redevel-opment manager Kevin Kass rein-forced that sentiment.

“What I consider to be key in this processes is for Irving residents to stay involved with the Compre-hensive Plan,” Kass said. “Once it is accomplished, it is only going to be as good for residents in terms of

its ability to get city leaders to uti-lize the long range element of the plan. That’s the key element, always move forward and keep in mind what you’re trying to accomplish in the short term and long term is key in developing this plan.”

“This is a draft and it’s mallea-ble,” Fregonese said. “We’ve done the best to reflect the vision of the people in Irving, but they need to look at it and give us their opinion so that we may fix it and make it even better.”

Fregonese encourages Irving residents to visit Imagine Irving’s website and leave their opinions on the plan. He pointed out that many residents tend to be interested in specific aspects of the plan.

“Some are interested in parks, some in housing or transportation, go to the section that interests you and let us know what you think,” he said.

For more information, visit the Imagine Irving website at www.imagineirving.org.

PlanContinued from Page 3

College and Career Night helps kids plan for a successful future

to view and climb into the Irving Police SWAT truck and Irving Fire truck parked outside the school.

“Our kids look forward to this event every year,” special education teacher Tony Ghaffarian said. “This is the first opportunity for many of our students to have a general idea of what they want to do.”

This was de Zavala Middle School’s fifth year hosting the event.

“The students are very excited,” Ghaffarian said.

Lisa Mola, a 7th grade student, was full of excitement while she explored the many career and college tables while proudly sporting her SMU t-shirt.

“[The event] does help in choos-ing a good college,” Lisa said. “It lets you know which one will be a better fit for you.”

A surprise to no one who saw her that day, she said she had decided on attending SMU, with a smile.

Assistant Principal Bryan Calvert stood with a bright warm smile as he welcomed visitors entering the event.

“It’s definitely our biggest attrac-tion that we host every year,” Calvert said. “We have the biggest crowds here. It gets our kids very excited about the many opportunities that are available to them. Every year we try to invite more colleges and more trade schools. We are open to really expanding it. We are always open to volunteers from the community and any businesses’ or colleges that want to come and speak with the students.”

April 23, 2016972-870-1992

CLASSIFIEDS

LEGALS

FeathersContinued from Page 1

DEATH NOTICES

Arrangements byDonnelly’s Colonial Funeral Home

972-579-1313

Ralph Douglas ShawSep. 21, 1948 - Apr. 7, 2016

Dennis B. WilliamsSep. 28, 1941 - Apr. 12, 2016

Priscilla Alden ClarkJun. 4, 1940 - Apr. 14, 2016

Evelyn Bea VaughnOct. 30, 1930 - Apr. 15, 2016

Arrangements byBrown’s Memorial Funeral Home

972-254-4242

Alvina “JoAnn” MontelongoMay 30, 1943 - Apr. 14, 2016

Carolyn Amelia HalterAug. 24, 2016 - Apr. 13, 2016

James Allen Rice Sr. Apr. 25, 1953 - Apr. 13, 2016

James T. KruegerNov. 10, 1933 - Apr. 14, 2016

(972) 870-1992 [email protected]

Continued from Page 1

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS – PROPOSED ZONING CHANGESCITY OF IRVING PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL

Public hearings are held to consider applications for amendments to the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance and the Official Zoning Map of the City of Irving, Texas for the properties described herein:

LOCATION, DATES & TIMES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS:City Council Chambers of City Hall, 825 West Irving Blvd., Irving, Texas

City Council: Thursday, May 12, 2016, 7 p.m.

ZONING CASE ZC15-0079 – Approximately 5.3 acres at 1701 W. Royal Lane. The applicant requests to rezone the property from S-P-2 (Generalized Site Plan) for FWY (Freeway) uses to S-P-2 (Generalized Site Plan) for FWY (Freeway) and Hotel uses to develop the property with corporate lodging hotel uses.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT AND ZONING CASE ZC15-0096 – Approximately 13.19 acres at 4951, 4961, and 4971 Courtside Drive. The applicant requests a Comprehensive Plan Amendment from Office uses to Medium Density Residential uses and to rezone the property from C-O (Commercial Office) district to S-P-2 (Generalized Site Plan) for R-6 (Single Family) and R-TH (Townhouse) uses.

ZONING CASE ZC16-0014 – Approximately 0.05 acres at 4070 N. Belt Line Road, Suite #156. The applicant requests to rezone the property from S-P-1 (Detailed Site Plan) for R-AB (Restaurant with the attendant accessory use of the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption) uses to C-N (Neighborhood Commercial) district to repeal the current zoning on the property.

ZONING CASE ZC16-0021 – Approximately 2.22 acres at 1940 Williams Road, and 303, 305, and 309 S. Wildwood Drive. The applicant requests to rezone the property from R-7.5 (Single Family) district to S-P-2 (Generalized Site Plan) for R-7.5 (Single Family) uses to allow variances to Section 35-16(e) of the Subdivisions Chapter of the Irving Land Development Code for lots that are smaller in width and area than adjacent lots.

LOCATION, DATES & TIMES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS:City Council Chambers of City Hall, 825 West Irving Blvd., Irving, Texas

Planning & Zoning Commission: Monday, May 2, 2016, 7 p.m.City Council: Thursday, May 12, 2016, 7 p.m.

ZONING CASE ZC16-0015 – Approximately 24.1 acres at 1251 E. Airport Freeway. The applicant is requesting to rezone the property from C-OU-2 (Commercial Outdoor) district to S-P-2 (Generalized Site Plan) for C-OU-2 (Commercial Outdoor) uses to allow two additional automobile dealerships for the sale and display of new and used cars and trucks, with variances to the State Highway 183 Overlay District requirements.

All interested persons are encouraged to attend the public hearings and express their opinions on the zoning change request. Written response for the record may also be submitted to:

City of Irving – Planning & Community Development Dept., 825 W. Irving Blvd., Irving, TX 75060

The applications are on file for public review in the Planning & Community Development Dept. at the address listed above during normal business hours. For additional information, please contact the Department at 972-721-2424. Please reference the case number when requesting information.

This facility is wheelchair accessible. Accessible parking spaces are available. Requests for interpretation services or assistive hearing devices must be made 48 hours prior to the meeting. Contact the City Secretary’s Office at (972) 721-2493 for assistance.

ORDINANCE NO. 2016-9795ZONING CASE NO. ZC16-0004

ZONING CLASSIFICATION - S-P-1

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 1144, THE 1964 COMPREHENSIVE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF IRVING, TEXAS, GRANTING A ZONING CHANGE ON A TRACT OF LAND DESCRIBED AS: A TRACT OF LAND OUT OF THE OAKHURST ADDITION AND LOCATED AT 2115 OAKHURST DRIVE, MORE FULLY AND COMPLETELY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT A ATTACHED HERETO; ORDERING A CHANGE IN THE USE OF SAID PROPERTY FROM C-N NEIGHBORHOOD COMMERCIAL DISTRICT USE UNDER ORDINANCE NO. 1144, AS AMENDED TO S-P-1 SITE PLAN DISTRICT USE FOR C-N USES UNDER ORDINANCE NO. 1144, AND ACCORDING TO THE SITE PLAN ATTACHED HERETO AND MADE A PART HEREOF; PROVIDING FOR SPECIAL CONDITIONS AND REGULATIONS RELATIVE TO LAND USE; CORRECTING THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP ATTACHED TO ORDINANCE NO. 1144; PRESERVING ALL OTHER PORTIONS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE; DETERMINING THAT THE CHANGE IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROMOTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST, MORALS AND GENERAL WELFARE; PROVIDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE DOES NOT REPEAL OTHER PROVISIONS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE EXCEPT IN CASES OF DIRECT CONFLICT; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING A PENALTY.

ORDINANCE NO 2016-9796ZONING CASE NO. ZC16-0013

ZONING CLASSIFICATION - S-P-1

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 1144, THE 1964 COMPREHENSIVE ZONING ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF IRVING, TEXAS, GRANTING A ZONING CHANGE ON A TRACT OF LAND DESCRIBED AS: A TRACT OF LAND OUT OF THE GREENVIEW HILLS ADDITION AND LOCATED AT 3133 ESTERS ROAD, MORE FULLY AND COMPLETELY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT A ATTACHED HERETO; ORDERING A CHANGE IN THE USE OF SAID PROPERTY FROM R-6 SINGLE FAMILY DISTRICT USE UNDER ORDINANCE NO. 1144, AS AMENDED TO S-P-1 SITE PLAN DISTRICT USE FOR WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION TOWER USES UNDER ORDINANCE NO. 1144, AND ACCORDING TO THE SITE PLAN ATTACHED HERETO AND MADE A PART HEREOF; PROVIDING FOR SPECIAL CONDITIONS AND REGULATIONS RELATIVE TO LAND USE; CORRECTING THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP ATTACHED TO ORDINANCE NO. 1144; PRESERVING ALL OTHER PORTIONS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE; DETERMINING THAT THE CHANGE IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROMOTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST, MORALS AND GENERAL WELFARE; PROVIDING THAT THIS ORDINANCE DOES NOT REPEAL OTHER PROVISIONS OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE EXCEPT IN CASES OF DIRECT CONFLICT; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING A PENALTY.

PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IRVING, TEXAS, on April 14, 2016.

BETH VAN DUYNE, MAYOR

ATTEST: Shanae Jennings, City Secretary

APPROVED AS TO FORM: Kuruvilla Oommen, City Attorney

SENIOR PROGRAMMER ANALYSTS Irving TX area. Develop & support software apps using SAP Business Objects, Java, MVC & Oracle. Create interfaces using SAP BODS & PL/SQL. Travel/reloc to various unanticipated locations as req’d. Send res to I Net Software Technologies Inc., 9901 E Valley Ranch Pkwy., Ste. 2029, Irving, TX 75063.

ably loud, and there is a state law against cockfighting. She argued that the city simply needs to enforce those laws.

Unfortunately, some residents have a difficult time with chickens nearby. Mary Lou Parchman has a neighbor who keeps roughly 50 free range chickens. The fence on the property line does not keep the birds contained next door. Her dog regularly chases them away. She also says that there is a continuous problem with noise and odor.

“I believe people should be able to exercise their rights but not at the expense of everyone else,” Parch-man said. “At this point, I would say that our house is unsellable because of the stench next door and the noise next door.”

Gina Longoria is another Irving resident who spoke about chickens

nearby. “My concern is with the irrespon-

sible individuals, because some of us do work from home,” Longoria said. “You are working from home, and you are on conference calls, and you’re trying to mute the back-ground noise, because that rooster is going to town. It really does affect the professionalism of your work.”

The great majority of the speakers at the town hall meeting on Tuesday night were responsible chicken own-ers who reported they had no prob-lems with their neighbors. Some of them raise chickens on a large prop-erty, but others are raising chick-ens in a much smaller space. One chicken owner said she was keeping chickens successfully and amicably on a zero lot line property.

John Manson was typical of the chicken owners present.

“I go to my neighbors every day and ask them,” Manson said. “They love the sound of the rooster in my neighborhood. So, I’m just a little bit miffed that it takes so much effort for us to take control of people who disregard their neighbors.”

“Actually, that touches on the crux of the issue. Because the city of Irving has almost no ordinances that specifically address chickens, owners have a great deal of free-dom – the responsible, neighborly ones and the ones who aren’t very responsible or neighborly.”

The city staff and the Animal Ser-vices Advisory Board will look at the public comments from the Town Hall Meetings and decide how to proceed regarding an ordinance for keeping chickens in the city.

search a student, search their back-pack, their locker, their cars arrest them without evidence, without probable cause, without a search warrant.”

Tristan said to prepare a case or obtain a search warrant the po-lice must have information culled through programs like Crime Stop-pers, crime tips or by students going to the police to provide them with information.

“It’s vitally important you talk to your students, your children about sharing this information. The good news for [parents] is that you’re not an officer of the law and your child has no right to privacy,” Tristan said. “You know that or you wouldn’t be here.” He also emphasized that par-ents’ main job is to ask their children questions and review their technolo-gy (phones, iPads, computers). “It’s ongoing. Every single day.”

Tristan said that Coppell officers are seeing the drugs on their streets described by the DEA as trending.

“It is pretty much the new stuff – everything that we find on the streets. We do make a lot of arrests at traffic stops and we find mari-juana. We find the heroin and the meth, prescription pills. And we make those arrests weekly here in Coppell,” he said.

Heroin and prescription drug use has replaced cocaine as the biggest problem drug in 2016, while meth-amphetamines remain a consistent problem in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to Rhonda Kelly, Dallas field intelligence manager for the DEA. She also added Mexican cartels are the biggest production sources for heroin and meth, while Chinese factories are the largest pro-ducers of synthetic drugs.

“We’re more likely to die of a drug overdose than a motor vehi-cle accident,” Kelly said outlining the country’s pervasive drug use. “As parents we have to remember the drug threat against our kids–at the middle school level–it really is other children. But globally, drug trafficking is really an international business and these people are mak-ing drugs off the misery of families. Drug traffickers are profiting off of heartache and destruction,” she said.

HEROIN:The profile of a heroin user is typ-

ically a person who abused prescrip-tion painkillers.

“Almost inevitably they started with prescription pain killers,” Kel-ly said. “It’s a 19 times higher rate of new heroin usage among people who formerly abused opiate pre-scription drugs. Eighty percent of new heroin users abused prescrip-tion painkillers first. So that’s the real tragedy of the young kids exper-imenting in mom and dad’s medi-cine cabinet with opiate pain killers is that heroin is out there. If they like the feeling that they got from the pill, then heroin is easily available.”

Heroin users are using alternative methods to ingest the drug. More-over, checking for needle or track marks on your child’s body is no longer the sole discovery method of heroin use. The old-school meth-od of melting down black tar hero-in to shoot up with a needle is now matched by heroin use in its white powder form that can be snorted up

the nose. Kelly also said Dallas-Fort Worth

is experiencing near daily seizures of people using heroin. Nationally, she said, heroin drug deaths spiked with a 244 percent increase from 2007 to 2013, and “it keeps increasing.” In DFW, drug overdose deaths were attributed to prescription drugs or heroin. In Dallas County, drug over-dose deaths increased 44 percent between 2013 and 2014. In Tarrant County, death by drug overdose in-creased by nearly 60 percent during the same years.

More alarming as to DFW stats regarding heroin deaths is that these mortality rates continue to skyrocket even in the face of a new drug, Nar-can, available for EMS ambulance drivers to administer it to people in the throes of heroin overdoses.

“Heroin is in our [DFW] commu-nity. It’s out there and kids are over-dosing now almost daily here,” Kelly said.

METHANTHETAMINES:To escape detection, Kelly said

Mexican-produced meth is smug-gled to the U.S. in its liquid form from its original powered structure, as a way of hiding it in myriad ways during transport across the border.

“But this is not the way you would use it,” she said, adding that meth use is more of a threat to students at the high school and college levels. “Methamphetamine is a hyper stim-ulant and basically just sort of eats the person alive, from the inside.”

SYNTHETIC CANNABINOID DRUGS:

Another drug threat to middle school students is synthetic canna-binoids, which also go by the names K2 or Spice and are meant to emu-late the effects of THC (tetrahydro-cannabinol) in bath salts form. Kelly said all of the active chemicals in synthetics are manufactured legally in factories in China. Only when the drugs are shipped to the U.S. and as-sembled, do they become illegal.

“The problem for our government is that there are so many of these new substances being created in these Chinese factories that our laws can’t keep up,” Kelly said. She added there were 97 new chemicals pro-duced that made their way to streets in the U.S., which were previously unknown. “There are new formulas being cooked up that we have no idea what they are or what the result is when people use them, until after they use it,” she said.

In addition to being assembled in the U.S. from China-made chemical compounds, the sellers of synthetics have no clue what is actually in these chemical compounds from China. Cheap and easy to acquire, synthetic drugs are sold in small packets for $20 to $40 a pack and do not show up in drug tests.

Kelly also expressed difficulty in regulating or outlawing synthetics.

“As soon as we can change our law to outlaw a certain chemical, they’ll change the chemical structure,” ren-dering the law void, she said.

TRENDS IN MARIJUANA USAGE:

Marijuana also is a threat to mid-dle school students. A big trend is to cook it and eat it in foods such as candy or brownies by processing it in its raw form to get its active ingre-dient, THC, in concentrated form.

Trending too, is the use of com-pressed butane packed into a tube to make marijuana. The butane forces out the THC so that it is pure THC.

“The content level of THC in a reg-ular marijuana cigarette is very, very low. Some of this stuff though can approach 80 percent pure THC,” Kelly said. “The explosive potential of some of these laboratories that these kids are doing – you’re using compressed butane and propane to do this – the least little spark and they blow themselves up.”

This method of marijuana pro-duction is especially problematic in states that legally sell the marijua-na – California and Colorado. She also cautioned the trend is starting to spread.

“If you see your kid with com-pressed butane canisters, be very wary because they could be doing something like this and end up blowing your house up,” she said.

Unlike the marijuana cigarettes smoked by many individuals in the 1980s when the level of THC con-sisted of four percent active ingre-dient, THC levels are now 10 to 20 percent. In its concentrated form that level approached 100 percent pure THC.

“It’s not the same marijuana that you and I used. You can’t even com-pare,” Kelly said. “What your kids have out there is not the same prod-uct, put it that way.”

Parents also should be aware of the myriad ways in which kids are using marijuana such as e-ciga-rettes, vaporizers and bongs.

“The problem with e-cigarettes and this liquid THC is when you smoke this liquid in one of these, it doesn’t leave any smoke. There’s no smell,” Kelly said. “So you could potentially have your kid upstairs smoking a joint in an e-cigarette, and you would be totally unaware. If your kids have e-cigarettes, be aware it might not be just the scent-ed fruity flavors that they’re actual-ly smoking in the thing. There will be nothing to tip you off that that’s what they’re doing.”

While THC laboratories are con-centrated on the West Coast, there are one or two in Texas, reflecting the trend that is headed the state’s way.

Coppell resident Stephanie Doan, who has a nine-year-old son attend-ing Austin Elementary, said the pro-gram shed significant light on the city’s drug problem and the types of drugs being abused.

“A lot of it I kind of knew because I grew up in West Texas,” Doan said. “So a lot of this – I was more ex-posed to than maybe, Coppell was. I think there is a bubble [in Coppell] and I don’t think they have any idea of, probably, how serious [drug use] is here.”


FUN & GAMES

Organizations are required to re-submit their infor-mation on a monthly basis to insure that the Irving Rambler will have accurate information. Listings are limited to the Organization’s name, meeting location and time. If an organization wishes to have more in-formation than the free listing offers, we will continue to offer other advertising opportunities.

(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

American Legion Post #218Heritage Park Building

215 Main St. Downtown Irving3rd Thursday of each month.

Recruiting/Questions call 469-621-7878Buttons & Bows Square

& Round Dance Club 1st & 3rd Saturdays at 8:00 pm

Senter Park East 228 ChamberlainCircle I - Square

& Round Dance Club2nd & 4th Fridays at 8pm

Senter Park East 228 ChamberlainDFW Scroller Saw Club

Last Saturday of each month9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Georgia Farrow Rec Center 530 Davis St.www.dfwscrollers.net / 214-995-9270

Evening Lions Club1st & 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00pm

Community Bible Church2301 Texas Drive

Greater Irving RepublicansMeets the first Tues. each month@ Spring Creek BBQ at 7 p.m.

Irving Amateur Radio Club Fourth Thursday of the month

7:30 to 9 PMSenter Park East 228 Chamberlain

www.irvingarc.orgIrving AMBUCS

Thursdays @ 11:30 a.m.at Spring Creek BBQ

Irving Garden & Arts2nd Thursday, 10am

Irving Garden & Arts Building906 S. Senter 214.435.9876

Irving Masonic Lodge #1218Second Tuesday each month @ 7:30 P.M.

132 E. Second St. Irving, TX [email protected] / 972-253-5600

Irving Noonday LionsPH 972-409-9940

Every Wed. @ NoonGolden Corral, 1701 N. Belt Line Rd.

Irving Republican Women’s Club

Monday, May 9th, 6:30 pm Texas Center for Proton Therapy

1501 W Royal LaneIrving Retired School

Personnel AssociationFirst Christian Church 104 W. Grauwyler Rd.

Second Thursday every monthIrving Rotary Club

Thursdays at 12 pmLas Colinas Country Club

[email protected] Sunrise Rotary

Thursday at 7 amLas Colinas Country Club

4400 N. O”Connor RdIrving Texas Democratic

WomenMeet the first Tues. each month

7 p.m. To 8:30 p.m.East Buffet Rest.

Irving Women’s NetworkLas Colinas Country Club

Fourth Tuesday of every month11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Metroplex Glass ClubEvery 2nd TuesdayAt Oak Haven UMC

1600 N. Irving HeightsSaturday Singles

Lunch Bunch 1st & 3rd Saturdays

469-348-5023Sticks and Strings

Community Knitting GroupFirst and third Tuesdays

2:00-4:00 pmS. Irving Library, 2nd floor boardroom Beginners and Crocheters welcome

www.sticksandstrings.org TOPS TX #58, Irving

Thursday at 9:30 a.m.Chateau on Wildbriar Lake

1515 Hard Rock RoadVFW Post 2494 IRVING

Post Meeting – 1st Thursday at 7pmLadies’ Auxiliary -1st & 3rd Wed at 7pm

Men’s Auxiliary – 4th Wed at 7pmJunior Girls – 2nd Sun at 12:30pm

3375 Belt Line RdWidowed Persons Service

Every Saturday @ 8:30 a.m.at Wonderful World of Cooking

Karen – 972-986-4056

CLUBS

* It was early 20th-century financier, philanthropist and political consultant Ber-nard Baruch who made the following sage observation: “Millions of people saw the ap-ple fall, but Newton was the one to ask why.”

* You might be surprised to learn that beloved American musician Johnny Cash wrote more than just songs; in 1953, before he started his music career, Cash wrote a science-fiction tale called “The Holografik Danser.”

* According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are at least 350 languages spoken in American homes.

* In the mid 17th century, the French colony of New France in

present-day Canada was running desperately short of currency. Without cash on hand, the government representatives were un-able to pay soldiers or purchase provisions to sustain them. After spending eight months using his personal fortune to provide for the soldiers, Jacques De Meulles, New France’s intendant of jus-tice, police and finance, took matters into his own hands. He used playing cards to create notes of currency and issued an ordinance requiring everyone to accept the cards as cash. Though this was meant to be a short-term financial device, the cards continued to be used for nearly 75 years.

* Those who study such things say that lightning flashes 100 to 125 times every second worldwide.

* Historians say that the romance between Cleopatra, Ptolema-ic Egypt’s last active pharaoh, and Roman statesman Julius Caesar was something of a May-December romance: She was 21 and he was 54.

1. MOVIES: What 1989 movie stars a character called “Wild Thing”?

2. GEOGRAPHY: Which two countries occupy the Scandinavian Peninsula?

3. MATH: How do you write the year 2016 in Roman numerals?4. ANATOMY: What are the small bones of the middle ear called

collectively?5. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which company makes the Testarossa

sports car?6. HISTORY: Who was president of the Confederacy during the

American Civil War?7. MEASUREMENTS: What is the U.S. equivalent of .45 kilograms? 8. LANGUAGE: In the NATO phonetic alphabet, what is the word

for the letter “E”?9. MUSIC: What is the smallest member of the flute family?

Answers1. “Major League”2. Norway and Sweden

3. MMXVI4. Ossicles5. Ferrari6. Jefferson Davis7. 1 pound8. Echo9. Piccolo

April 23, 2016972-870-1992

By Elaine PaniszczynDallas Junior Forum Historian

DALLAS – Life is messy, and sometimes, it blows up in your face.

In Rebekah Gregory’s case, life blew up when the first of two bombs detonated three feet behind her at the 2013 Boston Marathon.

Gregory spoke at Dallas Junior Forum’s Spring Event at Belo Man-sion Wednesday, April 13, two days before the third anniversary of America’s second largest terrorist attack. She described the scene as she and her son watched for a friend to cross the finish line.

“It was my 26th birthday week-end, my first time (in Boston), and I was watching a friend run,” Gregory said. “I was on the sideline eating chocolate covered pretzels wonder-ing why anybody in their right mind would ever, ever run 26.2 miles for fun.

“We started out that day at the 17 mile marker, and someone in our group wanted to get closer to the finish line so we could see our run-ner cross,” she said. “As we made our way closer through the crowd my little boy started to get really bored.

“I told Noah to sit on my feet and play in the rocks like a scientist. There were so many people there, and I didn’t want Noah to get lost in the crowd.”

That is where Gregory’s five-year-old was when the bomb went off.

She looked down and saw that she was on fire.

“My (leg) bones were next to me on the sidewalk, and I had no clue where my little boy was,” Gregory said. “When I lifted up my hand, I was able to see all of my bones ex-posed and my skin peeled back to my wrist. I remember all those moments, and that’s the hard part about getting up every day, and that’s the hard part about this week –- remembering. Even though it was three years ago, it seems like yesterday.

“Because of the decision I made to sit (Noah) on my feet, doctors say that is what…saved his life. Had he

Boston Marathon bombing survivor speaks at DJF eventbeen standing beside us, he would have died.

“The bomb exploded from the back, and all the debris…nails…shrapnel…and BB’s, went leg level. I got to take the brunt of the explo-sion and take everything in the back of the legs. It saved my little boy. It was a true miracle.

“He had a cut to the bone on his right leg that they were able to stitch up,” she said. “A piece of shrap-nel cut his head, but he is running around playing basketball and base-ball and loving his life.

“Life is hard, and it can get even harder. When I woke up in that Bos-ton hospital, I had no idea what was in store. One day, you’re sitting on the sidelines, eating your chocolate covered pretzels, minding your own business, and the next day you’re staring at four blank walls wonder-

ing, ‘What in the world happened to me?’ and ‘Where do I go from here?’”

Gregory said that when she awoke from a drug induced coma, she could not see her lower body.

“My mom, who had flown in from Texas, took a picture to show me that I still had legs,” she said.

Gregory spent 39 days in a Boston hospital before flying by air ambu-lance to Texas where she continued hospital treatment for another 26 days. She said some days doctors would want to amputate her leg and then they would decide they could save it.

“And I’m thinking: ‘I look just like a shark just ate me for lunch, but if you want to save this, I trust your judgment.’ I had three huge chunks taken out of my left leg. I had shrap-nel injuries up and down my right

leg. “I was in very bad shape, but I

trusted that I was alive for a pur-pose. So began the process of limb salvage; so began the process of re-covery; and so began the process of me piecing my life back together, one piece at a time.”

A year and a half later after 17 surgeries and 65 operations, Grego-ry said her leg was no more her leg than on the day of the bombing.

“When life is hard, and it gets harder, that is when there are de-cisions that we have to make,” she said. “One of mine was to decide at 26 years old to live the rest of my life as an amputee. It was a strug-gle for a lot of people, but it wasn’t a struggle in my eyes, because I had already confronted that fear a long time ago.”

She said the emotional side of her

journey has been harder than the physical side.

My mom said, ‘Rebekah, you’re a woman. You’re going to want to wear dresses, shorts and skirts and feel pretty, and I’m scared to death that you’re going to lose all of this.” I calmly said to her, ‘Mom, if I lose myself because of what’s happened to me, then I deserve that.”

Gregory said the obstacles in peo-ple’s lives and what happens out of their control are not always fair. Six months before the Boston Mar-athon bombing, she was robbed at gunpoint in a Walmart parking lot. Noah was with her then too. She said people should not let a tragic event define them.

“It defines who you go on to be,” she said. “My leg doesn’t define me; it means that I have a permanent

See SURVIVOR Page 8


www.gloryhousecatering.com

Jennifer Stimpson (far left) stands with the Sophia Stimpson scholarship winners. Stimpson is the daughter of Sophia Stimpson for whom the scholarship awards are named. / Photo by Lorri Kennedy

IIWC purse auctions fund scholarships for local women

By Lorri KennedyChic, high-quality handbags

owned by celebrities including Kourtney Kardashian, Caitlin Jen-ner, Jessica Simpson and Academy Award-winning actress Rita More-no, were among the fashionable purses up for grabs at the10thAnnual Celebrity Purse Auction sponsored by the Irving International Wom-en’s Consortium at Las Colinas Country Club Thursday, April 14. The auction raised scholarship money for college-bound or de-greed college-educated area women from other countries, who need to strengthen their educational cre-dentials to obtain jobs in the United States.

The live and silent auction of ce-lebrity autographed handbags and new and gently used purses featured handbags from designer brands such as Coach, Steve Madden and Brighton. The Madden and Brigh-ton brands also donated new prod-ucts as well.

Only celebrity pursues were eli-gible for live auction. The most ex-pensive handbag of the evening was a purse owned and autographed by Caitlin Jenner. The minimum bid for her purse was $1,500. IIWC founder, Christina Winters Gears, said if the purse receives no bids, she will list it on Ebay, with the proceeds going back into the IIWC.

Gears said the genesis to help Ir-ving women who moved to the area from countries outside the U.S. de-veloped while she was on the cam-paign trail with her now ex-husband who was running for Irving mayor.

When they visited area mosques and temples, men and women were separated. At that time she learned that many of the women earned de-grees in their native countries, but were not working in the U.S. be-cause they lacked the necessary cre-

dentials, such as certifications. “I found out there were a lot of

women in these mosques and tem-ples who were degreed from their countries, and they weren’t doing anything,” Gears said. “I started talking to them and hooked them up with North Lake College, so they could find out what they need for certification.”

She and a friend provided finan-cial assistance to a couple of the women in need of certification and soon other women approached them for financial assistance with classes. It was then the concept for a purse auction to help women who live, work or worship in Irving was born.

Gears liked the offbeat notion of using purses to raise scholarship money.

“We just thought it would be a nice change on how to set things up,” she said. “A woman always wants another purse. We thought it would be a really fun way to get women involved.”

While Gears founded the organi-zation, IIWC members Carol Huntly Little and the late Sophia Stimp-son, for whom the scholarships are named, were the ones who created the idea of a purse auction and coor-dinated the yearly event.

The four 2016 recipients who each received $1,000 Sophia Stimp-son scholarships are Chandra Sil-wal, Nar Dahal, Phul Chhetri and Pratima Villuri. Recipients of schol-arships are determined by residency first and financial need second.

“We go by financials needs, what your goals are, and what are you doing to work towards those goals. And they get scored. Each question is weighted,” said Little, an IIWC volunteer who coordinates the scholarship requests.

“A lot of the women come to this

country and they have a degree, but they need to get certified when they get here. A lot of them are nurses or lab technicians. And then some of them are single moms who need to go back to school and raise money for their families,” she said.

Little also ex-pressed that the scholarships are only open to wom-en who have expe-rienced life-chang-

ing events. She said graduating senior high school students are not eligible, because there are already are a wealth of scholarships avail-able to those students.

The celebrity component was added the second year of the auc-tion. Gears said one celebrity purse, owned by former United States Sec-retary of State Madeleine Albright, sold for $1,500.

“She put a card into it that said where she carried the purse,” Gears said.

Through the purse auction, IIWC raises approximately $9,000 each year. The process to gather purses begins each June when the organi-zation sends out 750 request letters.

Nar Dahal, who is originally from Bhutan, is one of the 2016 scholar-ship recipients who said she will use her scholarship money to pursue an education at Richland College.

“It’s great having the scholarship. I want to go into nursing. Be an LVN,” Dahal said.

Individuals interested in learning more about donating purses to the organization should contact Jamie Owen at 972-831-8866.

mark of survival, and that I was three feet from that bomb and that I’m going to live my life in spite of it.”

She assured her mom that she would not be ashamed of losing her leg.

“No way. I am going to own my circumstances; I am going to rock a fake leg. You better believe I’m go-ing to have it pedicured every single day. I amputated on Nov. 10, 2014. I said then it was like a bad boyfriend I needed to cut out of my life. It was holding me back from the potential of what I could be. On (that day) it was such a relief to wake up from surgery and not have that burden there.”

She said decisions to cut out things holding us back are hard ones to make.

“Hold on to the important stuff,” she said. “What was important to me was my family that stood by me the last three years and that my leg was the safety net for my little boy. I’m not going to spend time feeling sorry for myself when he is the one running around like normal. I’m a parent; I don’t have the option to feel sorry for myself.

“Two brothers tried to destroy my entire life when they brought two bombs to the Boston Marathon,” Gregory said. “They took away my leg; they took away my safety. They took away the experience of being able to sit in a crowded room and not constantly look over my shoul-der thinking somebody is going to be there trying to kill me.

“What they couldn’t take away

from me was the will to fight. I’m not a victim. Because they took away my leg, I crossed the Boston Marathon finish line on a fake one last year. Af-ter they took away my leg, I became a runner.

“I hope that as the years pass, there will be more healing for every-one involved,” she said. “On April 15 my heart is going to be with the rest of the survivors and praying for the victims’ families like it always is, be-cause that is what is important.”

Although Gregory had planned to spend this April in Texas trying to keep life as normal as possible, she changed her mind and came to Dallas to speak at Dallas Junior Fo-rum’s Spring Event.

“I’m so excited to be a part of this today because these ladies are absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “When I read about the work that they do and the hours that they put in -– that is leading a meaningful life. Women’s inspiring other wom-en is so important and powerful. Anytime I can be involved in some-thing like this, I’m 100 percent all for it.”

Since receiving her prosthetic leg, Gregory has spoken nationwide and abroad. Last year, she testified in the trial of the remaining bomber “Jahar” Tsarnaev. She recently re-married and is starting a nonprofit organization called Rebekah’s An-gels which will help children who suffer with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). She and Noah both suffer from the condition. Next April, just before her 30th birthday, she will publish her first book.

SurvivorContinued from Page 8

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