Family and mourners gathered at Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth to say their goodbyes much sooner than any of them could have imagined.

Aybar’s aunt, Rebecca Canelon, says it’s difficult to see her sister in so much pain.

“It’s unbearable,” she said. “It’s overwhelming knowing that my sister now has to process to carry his remains back to the Dominican Republic.”

The family says the 30-year-old had more life to live and plans with his young son and family.

“He was a kind soul. Carlos was a gentle giant,” said Canelon.

According to Fort Worth police, Aybar was found with multiple gunshot wounds at an apartment complex on Arch Adams Lane where he worked in maintenance. Officers were able to locate the person responsible for the shooting, later identified as Devin Deron Smith.

Police say Smith, came to the leasing office upset over documents left on his door. A witness called Aybar to help with the situation and that’s when he was shot. Now, his family is left with memories and unfulfilled plans.

“He wanted to be here with cousins and family,” Canelon said.

According to jail records, Smith remains in jail on a $150,000 bond.

Aybar’s family tells NBC 5 they are considering legal action after hearing reports of several complaints against Smith at the apartment complex prior to the shooting.

A representative for CWS Apartment Homes, which operates The Marq on West 7^th, referred NBC 5 to a previous statement when we asked for a comment Wednesday:

“CWS Apartment Homes is devastated by the senseless and untimely loss of our dedicated team member and friend, Carlos Aybar.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.  CWS is also focused on ensuring that our local team members have the support they need at this difficult time.  We want to assure our residents, employees, and our Fort Worth community that safety is our top priority and that we are fully cooperating with and supporting law enforcement’s investigation.” 

Fort Worth Apr 26

Family of Fort Worth Apartment Shooting Victim Considering Legal Action, Attorneys Say

Carlos Aybar, 30, has been identified as the man killed Friday at The Marq on West 7^th. According to Fort Worth Police, Aybar was found with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers were able to locate the person responsible for the shooting, later identified as Devin Deron Smith.

Police say Smith came to the office of the apartment complex over paperwork left at his door. A witness reportedly contacted Aybar, who lived at the complex and worked in maintenance there, because they were in fear of Smith. According to police, Aybar tried to get Smith to leave and was shot multiple times.

Gabriela Perdomo, the mother of Aybar’s son, said they were supposed to meet up and take their child to the park that evening. Perdomo called him multiple times before she learned he died.

“He was full of life, you know? Hearing that he was killed like that, I can’t even believe it. I just can’t,” Perdomo said. “Like, tell me you died because you went to the mountain and you got frozen, I don’t know. Not like that.”

James Trujillo is one of the attorneys representing Aybar’s family.

“The bond amount being set at $150,000. That’s ridiculous because all he [Smith] has to do is come up with $15,000 and he gets to walk out and walk free,” Trujillo said.

Trujillo said he has spoken with multiple tenants at Marq, and they reportedly contacted the management at Marq and the police about Smith’s past conduct.

“It’s my position that they should have started the eviction process months ago,” he said. “Mr. Smith chased one of the tenants with the pitbull, a young female. He also allowed the pitbull to bite one of the leasing agents in the building.”

According to online records, Smith remains in jail as of Wednesday and has not entered a plea in this case. His initial court appearance is set for next week. NBC 5 reached out to court-appointed attorneys for Smith. Our request has not been returned as of this writing.

Aybar’s aunt Rebeca Canelon-Diaz said their battle for justice is only beginning.

“We, as family, we are seeking justice. However at the moment, we cannot even mourn Carlos, our hero, due to the fact that we are tormented by the possible release of this despicable monster,” Canelon-Diaz said.

A representative for CWS Apartment Homes, which operates The Marq on West 7^th, referred NBC 5 to a previous statement when we asked for a comment Wednesday:

“CWS Apartment Homes is devastated by the senseless and untimely loss of our dedicated team member and friend, Carlos Aybar.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.  CWS is also focused on ensuring that our local team members have the support they need at this difficult time.  We want to assure our residents, employees, and our Fort Worth community that safety is our top priority and that we are fully cooperating with and supporting law enforcement’s investigation.” 

The boys, 13-year-old Jaden Alvarado and 7-year-old Isaac Martinez, were playing outside near their home in South Fort Worth when lightning struck a nearby tree.

Their uncle, Carlos Martinez, said it was not raining and the weather conditions were not alarming at the time of the strike.

“It was like right now,” he told NBC 5 on Thursday. “Partially blue skies, a little overcast. Nothing really going on.”

Thunderstorms were moving through North Texas throughout the day Wednesday but picked up in intensity in certain parts of DFW. Although conditions appeared fine in the neighborhood at the time, lightning from a storm cell was close enough to catch the family off guard.

The boys’ mother, Jessica Martinez Alvarado, said it happened so fast.

“We were sitting outside as we do every day with our neighbor and we were sitting in the garage while they were running around playing,” recalled Martinez Alvarado. “It started to thunder and lightning. Out of nowhere, we just heard a big pop sound and then it looked like fireworks were coming down the tree.”

Lightning had struck a tree nearby the boys, who were close enough to be affected. First responders believe the lightning ricocheted and struck Jaden and Isaac, causing them to lose consciousness and collapse.

“When I looked over there, Isaac was laying down face first, head down. And Jaden was over there. I just remember screaming, ”Somebody, my boys, my boys, my boys.’ And I started screaming for my brother to come out,” she said.  “I thought I had lost my boys. It’s the worst feeling ever. I would never wish that on anyone.”

As neighbors rushed to help, her brother Carlos was the first to desperately check for vitals.

“Completely knocked out, unresponsive. I called to them, I asked for them to squeeze my hand,” he said. “Until I started massaging my younger nephew’s chest is when he first blinked at me and made a motion to try to speak to me. He wasn’t able to speak to me. He knew that I was there and every time that I called his name, he reacted to it. I continued calling his name.”

MedStar EMS crews responded immediately and rushed the brothers to Cook Children’s Medical Center. Doctors say that Jaden was primarily impacted by the lightning and likely suffered a cardiac arrest. The lighting ricocheted from Jaden to Isaac.

According to Cook Children’s, the boys were transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit by Thursday morning, with their mother and family at their side as they rested and played video games.

“They are in a little bit of pain, not a whole bunch,” said Carlos. “They’re more tired, kind of and drained from the experience.”

Jessica said they are still processing what happened to them. The boys said they don’t remember what had happened and they were feeling OK.

“I woke up in an ambulance and I guess I fell asleep and I woke up here,” said Jaden. “[I’m] pretty good. Apparently, I died last night and came back to life.”

Taylor Louden, M.D., Medical Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Cook Children’s Medical Center, said that parents should be cautious and keep their children indoors when there is a severe weather threat or thunder and lightning.

“The boys came in altered and confused,” Louden said. “These boys are very lucky. We’re glad everyone came out OK in this instance.”

If someone is fatally struck by lightning, cardiac arrest is the immediate cause of death. Louden said it is crucial for a lightning strike victim to receive CPR as soon as possible or use an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). Witnesses should call 911 immediately.

“Fortunately, lightning strikes are very rare, but we do have to be aware [of storms], especially in Texas where storms can come out of nowhere quickly,” Louden said. “Even if storms are in the distance, you’re still at risk.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the odds of being struck by lightning in a given year are less than one in a million and almost 90% of all lightning strike victims survive.

After their brush with Mother Nature, Jessica has a message for other families.

“Don’t let their kids outside when it’s thundering,” she said. “I know it’s a one-in-a-million chance, but you never know, you might be that one. It was two for me.”

ONLINE: Relatives launched an online fundraiser to help support the family’s medical expenses. Click here for more information.

hail Apr 26

Your Hail Photos – April 26, 2023

Erath County Apr 26

Hail Slams Area Near Stephenville in Erath County

Sadie Barnette, Alfred Conteh, Maya Freelon, Hugh Hayden, Letitia Huckaby, Jeffrey Meris and Sable Elyse Smith drew inspiration for their newly commissioned and recent works from John Quincy Adams Ward’s bronze sculpture The Freedman, a piece that dates from 1863. The sculpture, part of the Carter’s collection since 2000, depicts a man on the cusp of liberation with his bonds broken but not removed.

“We try at the Carter to use our collection as inspiration,” said Maggie Adler, Curator of Paintings, Sculpture, Works on Paper at the Carter and co-curator of this exhibition. “The date 1863 is significant because it was before the end of the Civil War, before anyone knew the outcome of the war.”

“It’s a very distinctive piece,” said Maurita Poole, Executive Director of Newcomb Art Museum, Tulane University and co-curator of this exhibition. “It’s very rare that you see a Black figure with that level of agency.”

The artists were given flexibility to explore their understanding of liberation.

“We really chose artists whose work centers around ideas of emancipation, liberation, freedom or lack of,” Adler said. “The only instruction we gave them was, ‘Make work that’s based on your conception of freedom or emancipation today.’”

“These artists do mostly three-dimensional work, the majority of them, and that was pretty exciting. We wanted artists that could produce objects that would give people a different sense of that history in the work because we start with a sculpture,” Poole said.

The installations ranging in sculpture, photography and paper and textile fabrications explore how the legacy of the Civil War manifests itself in the 21^st century.

“Most of the works reference that historical moment but also try to speak to the challenges that African Americans are having in society today and show those issues with inequity that have its origins in this historic period in American history and the history of enslavement,” Poole said.

Hugh Hayden used The Freedman as a model for his contribution to the exhibition.  

“He spent a long time thinking about what this Freedman would look like if he was a 21st-century man,” Adler said.

The museum provided Hayden with a high-resolution three-dimensional scan of the historic sculpture.

“You see the same exact figure down to the width of a human hair, but the fact that he’s in 21st-century clothing, including flip flops, really changes the expression on his face, but it’s the same exact face that’s on the figure in the historical sculpture,” Adler said. “It’s kind of shocking that just the context changes the emotional valence of that work.”

Maya Freelon was interested in who owned The Freedman before the Carter acquired it as she created her colorful tissue-paper installation. The sculpture once sat on the piano of Dr. Zelma Watson George, a Texas-born diplomat, social program and university administrator. Sadie Barnette’s piece references her father, a leader of the Black Panther Party, and her family’s history as told through government watch lists.

Jeffrey Meris’ piece depicting casts of his body ground into plaster dust startled Adler.

“I hadn’t anticipated the noise and the violence of that work,” Adler said.

Co-organized by the Carter and the Williams College Museum of Art in Massachusetts, the exhibition was developed during the pandemic. Although the artists did not meet each other before the exhibition opened and the curators were unable to conduct in-studio visits, the exhibition has a distinctive synergy.

“Somehow, the show is cohesive,” Poole said.

The unique aspects of the works show the diversity within the African American community.

“The differences among them show there is no unified Black experience to show. It’s everything from joy to pain to celebration to Hello Kitty and glitter to rust and decay,” Adler said.

Together, these works show the aspirational essence of this nation.

“For me, it speaks more about what it means to be American and what is the foundation to our nation-state. What does freedom mean in relation to the United States for the entire society?” Poole said.

Viewing emancipation as an unfinished project makes historic works like The Freedman even more relevant today.

“If the project were finished, then there would be no relationship between the contemporary artworks and the historical, but the fact that there is that connection and similarity of experience is very telling about the course that society has taken in 160 years,” Adler said.

Following its exhibition at the Carter, Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation will travel to Newcomb Art Museum, Tulane University and Williams College Museum of Art.

Learn more: Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Police were on the scene of the 700 block of Arch Adams Lane by West 7^th Street for several hours on Friday evening, with a portion of the street blocked off.

Fort Worth police have not released details on what happened, but a spokesperson confirmed Friday evening their homicide unit had been notified.

Charles Ready lives in a building in the area and said he first saw fire trucks around 5 p.m. At first, he said he did not think much of it. Ready said the trucks were followed by Fort Worth police officers who ran into a building nearby.

“We were just sitting back at the garage just watching was going on. Next thing we know, there’s police and fire trucks everywhere,” he said. “Normally, if a fire truck comes up, a fire alarm has gone. I was thinking, I didn’t hear that. Next thing I know, police were everywhere.”

As of this writing, police have not released information from their homicide unit.

The Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival is a four-day event that brings an estimated 400,000 people through the booths that line blocks of Main Street in Downtown Fort Worth.

“It can’t just sound beautiful. It has to look beautiful, woodworking artist Adam Crowell said of his melodic percussion boxes. “I want something that can be displayed as a sculpture, but that you can take to a concert and play a gig.”

Crowell won one of the festival’s six Merit Awards for his musical art.

“This particular one is in the key of E,” Crowell said, pointing out his work involved more than art. “Physics! It’s a length, width, mass, density ratio.”

A few booths away, mixed media artist John Blackwell was getting some attention, too.

“Best of Show Award,” Blackwell said. “Blew my mind! There are so many great artists at this show. I was dumbfounded, actually flabbergasted!”

Blackwell is a glass blower who switched mediums to try something totally new with wood, epoxy, and resin.

“Each layer is a smorgasbord of colors,” Blackwell told a booth visitor. “And then once it’s all built up, I drill it out, exposing the layers of color – it’s just about the color – it’s about the shine.”

Blackwell does not have a social media account or website, and he likes it that way.

“I do art shows old school,” Blackwell said. “I want to meet you. I want that personal connection to be there.”

For the kids, the festival has a Maker’s Zone with projects to spark creativity. Danielle Oliver’s son, 3-year-old Daniel, was all-in at a coloring booth.

“We want to expose him to the art, the music, the culture,” Oliver said. “Plus we’re Fort Worthians. We want to make sure we support the effort so that the tradition continues.”

An estimated $4 million of art will be sold during the 4-day event. The Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival runs through Sunday at 6 p.m.

The department released a statement Friday saying Officer Cody Atkinson had been terminated following an internal administrative investigation “into several incidents of untruthfulness” the department said took place between October 2022 and January 2023.

Atkinson, according to the department, was untruthful about his location on Oct. 28, 2022, after he was dispatched to a domestic disturbance call with another officer and did not show up at the call.

On Jan. 12, 2023, the department said another officer questioned Atkinson about seized property found in his patrol vehicle and that he said he seized it the night before but forgot to take it to the property room. Police said the report indicated Atkinson took custody of the property on Jan. 5, 2023. The department said Atkinson then took the property to the property room and supplemented the report with a false statement that after losing the property in his vehicle he subsequently found and tagged the property the day after the seizure.

Fort Worth Police said after the allegation Atkinson was placed on restrictive duty and stripped of his police powers during the investigation.

Police said on Jan. 27, 2023, while on restricted duty, Atkinson failed to show up for work on time and told his supervisor he had to go to the municipal court. It was later discovered that he had not been contacted by the court and he admitted to being untruthful to excuse his tardiness.

After reviewing the internal investigation, Atkinson’s superiors, including Chief of Police Neil Noakes, determined he’d violated several department policies and he was fired.

“The Fort Worth Police Department will continue to hold employees accountable who do not meet the standards expected of a Fort Worth Police Officer and in doing so, will continue to be transparent and open with our community,” the department said.

Atkinson was a six-year veteran of the department and was assigned to the Patrol Bureau when the investigation began.

Never late and always grateful to be here, the group of girls comes to talk.

“We talk about where we come from, we talk about how we got here,” one told us.

All of them are new to America, with different circumstances and reasons for their parents to flee their homes — many living on the road for as long as a year.

Now they’re in Fort Worth, enrolled in school, and expected to succeed.

“When people used to talk to me I didn’t know what they were saying to me either. It was difficult,” said Kristen Velasquez.

“It was really hard to go to school and … you feel alone … it was really hard for me,” added Kimberly Silva.

The girls were struggling in class, even after learning English. There are a lot of group assignments, collaboration, and presentations at Idea Rise College Prep. 

That’s hard to do when you’re still in these young ladies’ spots.

Counselor Eloisa Bustamante stepped in to help with a not-so-healthy breakfast. 

“Hey, they love doughnuts,” she told us after one recent session. “I always believe food feeds the soul and if they feel nurtured with their group, they’re more likely to express their feelings.” 

They talk about missing their families back home, the violence and abuse they saw trying to get here, and if anyone can relate it’s Eloisa.

“I came to this country, I remember being in a T-shirt because I didn’t have clothes, I remember going through culture shock, not wanting to go to school,” said Bustamante. “I think the culture shock is the biggest piece, and a lot of people don’t understand that.”

Just a few minutes before school to share has helped more than their spirit. It’s helped their grades.

 “I got great feedback from my teachers, these students are getting more confident in talking,” said Bustamante.

The group setting wasn’t just to help their girls make friends, but also because there are just too many of them for one counselor to reach,  she’s being creative to help them all.

She has another group for boys in similar situations. All the data shows this simple breakfast bunch has taken a population of students known to struggle in class and set the table for success.    

Teams of elementary and middle school students from 80 campuses in the Crowley, Fort Worth, Keller, and Mansfield school districts created works of art out of materials that would otherwise be trash.

“We encourage them to find things at home and in their school. So you’ll see a lot of milk containers from school cafeterias and forks,” said Taylor Willis, a founder and executive director of The Welman Project, a nonprofit that produced the contest.

Kids spent months working together on their projects after school. They also learn about artists, art theory, and conservation.

“The goal is to really get them looking at materials in different ways, seeing how in their own daily lives they can be reusing materials, finding beauty in things that other people might discard and find their artistic voice,” Willis said.

“This year’s theme was Curious Creatures and Make Believe Monsters. So their instructions were to create a piece along that theme and use at least 80 percent materials that had been previously used and that they were repurposed in a new way in their project.”

Each piece was judged on the amount of reused and repurposed materials, overall visual impact, interpretation of the theme, creativity, craftsmanship, and a journal to illustrate through words and pictures the creative process and show that students led the work.

A monster called Queen Iris by students at West Handley Elementary won People’s Choice. The students at Kirkpatrick Middle won Best in Show for a three-foot creature.

The Recycled Art Contest and Exhibit hosted by Fort Worth After School will stay up through Sunday, April 23rd in the lobby of Tarrant County College Trinity River. It’s free to visit.

The host group, The Welman Project, is a local nonprofit whose mission is to fill a classroom, not a landfill.

The group takes surplus waste from the business community and gives it away to teachers for creative reuse in the classroom.

The incident occurred shortly before 1 p.m. on April 11 at the La Gran Plaza, a shopping center on the 4200 block of South Freeway near Interstate 35W.

In a press release Wednesday, Fort Worth Police said security guards noticed a man, identified as 20-year-old Brandon Zapata, causing a disturbance near a carousel at the mall.

Zapata was acting “erratic” and guards requested assistance from a Fort Worth police officer who was working off-duty at La Gran Plaza, according to police. Security guards for La Gran Plaza and the Fort Worth officer attempted to help Zapata, but police said “he became combative.”

“To ensure the safety of patrons and Mr. Zapata, the FWPD officer and La Gran Plaza security personnel, attempted to place Mr. Zapata in handcuffs. During this encounter, Mr. Zapata became unresponsive and officers immediately began providing emergency medical aid,” the release Wednesday stated.

Zapata was transported to a local hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.

Dr. Alex Del Carmen, a criminologist and Associate Dean at Tarleton State University’s School of Criminology, reviewed the videos released with NBC 5.

“Not knowing anything about his medical condition prior to the incident, I think a reasonable police officer would look at him…that he’s acting out,” Dr. Del Carmen said. “I think initially, the officer exercised a great deal of patience trying to hold him down. Then someone came to assist him.”

Del Carmen said what concerned him was what a second officer’s body camera showed. The body camera video also released by Fort Worth police on Wednesday was worn by an officer who was called to assist.

The video shows an officer kneeling on Zapata’s back as he is laying on the ground.

“We advise police officers not to do that. Not to put a suspect facing down on the ground, on the floor. Even in an attempt to apprehend him. The reason for that is exactly because of the fact that the person can be under the influence of narcotics. That will simply affect the pathways to breathe,” Del Carmen explained. “I’m not saying the person died because of that. What I am saying, however, is that is a type of apprehension that we tell police officers not to follow because of the potential that exists that the individual, especially under the influence of narcotics, can end up dying.”

Fort Worth Police noted there was a concern that Zapata may have been under the influence of a narcotic. Officers administered Narcan just after 1 p.m.

“Breathe,” an officer is heard on camera saying.

The autopsy is pending but police said right now, preliminary information suggests Zapata had a medical emergency.

Zapata’s family reviewed the videos with Fort Worth Police earlier this week and were aware portions would be released to the public, according to Zapata’s cousin, Reuben Garcia.

“From the video we saw, they did impede the airway of Brandon Zapata,” Garcia said this week. “Brandon was struggling to get air. They were trying to handcuff him. So, all he was doing was trying to get air.”

Del Carmen said videos will be crucial evidence as information on the incident is being gathered. He added, videos don’t tell the whole story.

“You really don’t know what you don’t know at this point. In terms of watching the video, there’s no way that anyone just from watching the video could say, what led to his death,” he said.

Timeline from Fort Worth Police:

• 12:48 p.m.: Fort Worth Police Department received a 911 call from a person reporting a person was fighting with a FWPD Officer at La Gran Plaza who was working at the location in an off-duty capacity.
• 12:52 p.m.: FWPD Officers were dispatched to the location.
• 12:53 p.m.: MedStar was notified.
• 12:57 p.m. FWPD Officers arrived and located the officer inside the building with Mr. Zapata.
• 12:58 p.m., Zapata became unresponsive and Officers began CPR.
• 1:02 p.m.: Narcan administered
• 1:05 p.m.: Officers continued to provide medical assistance to Zapata until Medstar personnel arrived on the scene and took over care
• 1:47 p.m.: Zapata was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased by hospital personnel

The Major Case Unit is asking that anyone who witnessed this event or has video of this event to call 817-392-4438.

According to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, 39-year-old Cheri Akil was suicidal and was being restrained while receiving treatment at about 12:20 p.m. on April 12 when she punched a pregnant member of the hospital’s medical staff who was standing next to her bed.

The staffer immediately went to the trauma unit for treatment and an ultrasound was performed but they were no longer able to detect her baby’s heartbeat.

Akil, the sheriff’s department said, was subsequently charged with murder and is being held in a secure area of the hospital until she can be moved to the Tarrant County Jail.

NBC News reported Akil was in custody on an allegation of credit card fraud. Defense attorney Kathy Lowthorp was assigned Akil’s case on Tuesday afternoon and said she had no knowledge of the evidence against her new client.

A homicide charge tied to the death of a fetus is a rare but not totally uncommon application of murder statutes in Texas, Lowthorp said.

The City Connect jerseys are a partnership between MLB and Nike to celebrate the relationships between the clubs and the regions that host and support them.

The team said Monday that its City Connect jersey “celebrates the origin story of the Rangers and the Texas spirit that brought Dallas and Fort Worth together in Arlington. Through baseball.”

The uniforms have gothic-style lettering influenced by the Dallas Eagles and include a spur “as a tribute to the Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs.” On the right sleeve is a Peagle, a mythical creature inspired by blending the mascots of two Texas League teams the Dallas Eagles and the Fort Worth Panthers.

The jersey also includes a subtle nod to Tom Vandergriff, whose “big dream” and bold vision helped bring Major League Baseball to North Texas. The words “Dream the Big Dream” appear near the bottom of the jersey, on the jock tag, though it may not be visible when tucked into pants.

The font on the jersey’s “speed red” numbers is in a style inspired by the Fort Worth Panthers who won six straight Texas League championships in the 1920s and “are regarded as one of the greatest teams in minor league history.”

The uniform has dark blue pants with rope braid piping, which is another nod to the DFW Spurs who once called Arlington’s Turnpike Stadium home. Near the belt, there’s a version of the DFW Spurs logo of the state of Texas merged with a spur.

The team will wear dark blue caps with the uniform. The gothic TR lettering is on the face with 4-star-21 on the side. The number represents several dates the team said are significant for baseball in Texas including the day Texas gained independence (1836), the date of the first championship baseball game in Texas (1868), the date of the first home game for the Texas Rangers (1972) and the date of the on-field debut of the City Connect jerseys (2023).

The Texas Rangers are one of six MLB teams featured in the 2023 City Connect program. The jerseys will be worn during 13 Friday home games this season and on Saturday, April 22.

To follow the “four plus one” policy on uniforms, four uniforms plus the City Connect uniform, the Rangers had to drop one of their uniforms. In recent years they’d played in white, blue, gray red and powder blue. The powder blue was for Sundays and red for Fridays. The team said in February they chose to keep the powder blue because it was more popular with fans than the red ones.

On Friday, a pair of promotions highlight the uniform debut as the first 30,000 fans take home the commemorative City Connect Program giveaway and the first 15,000 collect the City Connect-themed Marcus Semien Bobblehead giveaway. The Semien bobblehead is the first of a three-part City Connect bobblehead series also featuring Corey Seager on Friday, May 19 and Jacob deGrom on Friday, June 16. Additionally, as part of the Rangers Poster Series, a City Connect edition poster designed by DFW artist Chris Perez will be available for purchase at the Authentics kiosk behind section 134.

The City Connect jerseys are, of course, available for purchase in the team store. More information on sales can be found here.

TEXAS RANGERS CITY CONNECT UNIFORMS

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It’s the final step for an architecture firm in Fort Worth that’s been working hand in hand with the community for the past seven months.

“We felt like it needed to be very deliberate and we needed to take the time the community needed to, to heal through this process,” said Chris Huckabee, the chief executive officer of Huckabee, a firm known around the country for building schools.

His team in San Antonio – with several with family connections to Uvalde – led the project to design the new school.

“This has been a very tough project and the way we see it, this is part of their collective healing,” Huckabee said.

His firm’s involvement started about a week after the shooting. Former State Senator Beverly Powell from Burleson called Huckabee with a valid question.

“It was, how do you put children back in a, a building after a shooting like this, especially very young children?” Huckabee said. “And my statement to her was, of course, you don’t. You know, we saw it with Sandy Hook and, with very young children, it’s just, it’s never appropriate to put them back in the building. So we started talking and, and her question was how can we help the community? You know, Uvalde is a really amazing community. They’re wonderful people. They’re hardworking. They’ve got great values but they don’t have a lot of resources and so for them to, to just go out and build a school is gonna be very difficult, if not impossible. And we just started talking about, you know, is there any option out there?”

Huckabee started making calls to gauge interest in building a new school for Uvalde. He was asking partners in the industry to donate their services just as his firm had agreed to do.

“So what, what I’m most proud of is that I have not made a call related to building a new school for the Uvalde community that I’ve received a no. Every person that I have called and asked for help has, has said yes, they wholeheartedly have agreed to help,” he said.

The first yes came from Jeoris General Contractors Construction, a San Antonio-based firm that agreed to partner with Huckabee and donate fees. Subcontractors and materials, though, would need payment.

Huckabee’s second call kickstarted the fundraising efforts. The Butt family and H-E-B donated $10 million.

The Uvalde Moving Forward Foundation was then established to accept donations and oversee the project. It will own the new school and then donate it to the district.

With that part underway, Huckabee and his team shifted into the design phase which started in September 2022.

“With our team, the goal was to make this the community’s school. This was not about outsiders coming to Uvalde and telling them, what they would get. It would be about taking our time and listening and making sure that the victims’ families, survivors, the community as a whole, and certainly the school district guided the process,” Huckabee explained.

Each visit to Uvalde involved individual meetings with four groups, presenting the design, getting input then back for more discussion.

In January, Huckabee and the Uvalde CISD Community Advisory Committee presented renderings of the exterior schematic design. The initial interior design schematic was previewed in March.

The final preview of schematics on April 11 revealed a rendering of a tree as a tribute to the lives lost on May 24, 2022. The tree includes two large branches, representing the two teachers who lost their lives, and 19 smaller branches representing the children who were victims.

Huckabee would not disclose details of the private conversations with families but did say, “there’s a lot of ways in the building that are recognizing the victims in some very subtle ways and, and some not subtle ways through the building that have been guided with agreements of the families.”

An animated video released last week showed the community what the school for second, third, and fourth graders will look like. Huckabee says the colors, the materials, outdoor play areas, and enhanced security are all a reflection of the community’s requests and needs.

“This building would not be appropriate for other communities. This is a building that’s appropriate for Uvalde and their heritage,” Huckabee said. “This is an amazing community and they’ve been willing to share their thoughts. They’ve not been shy about that, and we’ve appreciated the way we’ve been able to work together to get to this point.”

“There’s a lot of ballistic glass in this building. There’s lots of card access and entries and things like that. You can appreciate, there’s been a keen eye on security around this building. And, we do have a security expert that’s been very integral as part of the design to review everything in the building,” Huckabee said. “Everything you would have on a modern building today with cameras, security access, closed vestibules; everything that you would want on a building today is certainly in this building but those things are pretty typical in a modern school today.”

The Uvalde school board is scheduled to vote on the design at its meeting Monday night. Approval would allow the project to go out for bids. Huckabee believes what the board will see captures the heart of the community and its desires.

“It is very possible that the board may make some additional changes. I think they’ll be minor if any. But at the end of Monday night, our goal is to receive approval from the board, and at that point, we will be wrapping up the construction documents. They’ve, of course, got to go through all the jurisdictional approvals. We’ll go through bidding and then we’ll start construction in July. So a lot of work to do between now and then, but not a lot of work to do on the design at this point. It’s finished and it is exacting. I mean, the documents have every carpet color detail completed. So the contractor knows exactly what they’re bidding on,” he said.

If all goes as planned, the building will be complete in 18 months with students starting to acclimate to the new school in January 2025.

“It will become their building at that point, to do tours, get students comfortable coming back, and settling into the building, Huckabee said.

Cash and in-kind donations will fund the $60 million project. The nonprofit Uvalde Moving Forward Foundation will build the school, then donate it to the district. Huckabee has made numerous calls and presentations to secure funding. $10 million more stills need to be raised.

“What we’ve done is gone around the state and said, here’s where we are and what we’re doing,” he said. “And we’ve asked communities to step up. Then, the Fort Worth community has humbled me with the amount of money that’s been raised here and in Fort Worth. But Dallas has stepped up substantially, and really all over Texas. But I’ve been very proud of the DFW area and the dollars raised. We need to raise about 10 million more. I do feel like we’ll get there. And my hope is that we a few more generous owners will step forward so we can see this to a reality.”

The work of Huckabee’s team officially ends when the design is approved. He says the project has been very emotional and taxing on professionals trained to design buildings but not prepared for the trauma of a community forever changed by the mass shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers. His team may step away for a bit but not forever.

“We’ll be watching that to make sure everything’s dialed in and doing what it should. So we won’t be going away any time soon,” he said. “They’re just too passionate about this, but, but they need a little time away.”

“I have heard from them and their comment is it’s been the most difficult job they’ve ever done. I think at the end of the day, they’ll be proud of what we, we delivered to the community,” Huckabee said.

City officials expect to hear in August whether its application for an additional $15 million from the FAA will be approved. The money would be used to mitigate aircraft noise in the River’s Edge neighborhood, which is a few miles north of Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport. If awarded, it would bring the total to $34 million in federal grants for the project so far.

To date, 53 homes have been completed for sound insulation, which includes new windows and doors.

According to Fort Worth’s Aviation Department, the FAA requires the measures reduce noise in the homes by at least five decibels and all have reached or exceeded that level.

About 150 homes are in the process of receiving sound insulation. Julieanne Ceravalo said she and her family started the design process last summer.

“Military jets fly over all the time, too. That’s really, really noisy. Sometimes we get used to the regular airplanes, small aircraft but the big jets are the noisy ones,” Ceravalo said. “If we have windows open, we have to stop our conversation. If we’re talking to a neighbor, we sometimes have to stop our conversation.”

Ceravalo has lived in the neighborhood since 2016.

According to the city of Fort Worth, homes in River’s Edge were built between 2008-2012. City-led efforts for sound insulation began following a 2018 study that showed increased air activity at Alliance affected their homes, making them eligible for assistance.

“Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport is certainly a partner and we’re proud to have it in the city of Fort Worth but as that airport has continued to see growth, there has been more airplanes taking off and landing at the airport,” Reyne Telles with the city of Fort Worth said.

“This is just about us being good neighbors to those that may be adjacent to or around the airport ensuring we give them the best quality of life that we can.”

According to city officials, they are on track to complete all homes due for sound insulation work by Dec. 31, 2024.

Drones have developed from being a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon to be a way to help get jobs done.

“I coded mine so it would work like a controller,” said Aiden Kivoighn, a freshman at the Harmony School of Innovation, Dallas.

Students on the various campuses of Harmony School of Innovation are learning not just to fly drones but how to program and code them, so they can fly on their own and accomplish tasks. 

It was a complex symphony of both coding and piloting skills to not just accomplish goals but to have skill, precision and comfort with operating the machines. 

“We’re learning everything from very basic to very advanced,” said Mustafa Karabulut a teacher in the program.

Their instructor says the skills they’re learning can be applied to many different aspects of computer science and technology, and almost everything.

This is more than just problem-solving and teamwork skills.  A lot of the coding work they’re doing at the building blocks for how programmers build AI programs

“It can be so dangerous, but it can be so useful as well, we can not hide these types of things from students,” said Karabulut.

The students are eating it up, not only learning and succeeding here but taking their skills to show off and compete against other schools. 

“My plan is to get a job related to computer science in the IT sector, I’m thinking of doing cybersecurity,” said Mustafa Erdogan, a student who competed against other schools around the country in championships.

The students are consistently thinking about how they’ll use these skills in the future.

“It’s a great opportunity not all schools have that so we’re lucky to have a school that has these kinds of opportunities,” said Erdogan.

They’re realizing they’re learning important career skills and having a lot of fun all at once.   

“It was not until the next morning when I was like, ‘Holy cow! This is way worse than I thought it was going to be,'” said Gigi Howell, owner and operator of JD’s Hamburgers.

Howell and business partner Bourke Harvey opened the restaurant in September 2022. Customers and food critics raved about the specialty burgers, and the restaurant named after her granddad was sizzling.

Just five months later on March 2, strong wind gusts from a storm blew the roof and the sign on top right off. Rain poured through the ceiling and into the restaurant.

It was one of Howell’s few nights off but she quickly got to the restaurant when the calls from her staff started coming.

“Guests and everybody was moved into the restrooms,” she said. “We have containers (shipping containers) all over our backyard. Our kitchen is a container. We have several storage containers back here. And as Texas weather goes, you would think that that wind would have come right for those. But no, it came for the brick restaurant and peeled the roof off. We had several staff members and a couple of guests inside the restrooms. And luckily where the restrooms are, is the only place that the roof did not peel back.”

The ceiling and walls came down. The floor came up. Howell had no choice but to close the restaurant she’d long dreamed of opening in the neighborhood her family had called home decades ago.

“My great grandparents, grandparents, great aunts and uncles all settled here in Westland back in the 40s when they moved here from Greenville, Texas,” Howell said.

Westland is a subdivision in far West Fort Worth. Howell says it’s not documented, “but Google Westland, Texas, and it’ll pinpoint you right here.”

And, her spot at 9901 Camp Bowie West Boulevard needed to get back in business.

“I’m just not even myself the past month and a half without being able to be out here and visit with everybody. That’s what I love most about this industry and this restaurant is that we’re building a community here. We’re learning everybody’s names. We’re learning their kids’ names. We’ve all become friends and I really miss everybody since we, since we’ve been closed,” said the veteran restaurateur.

Howell, her staff, her business partner and her family all jumped in to help in any way they could.

“The morning after this happened, they (staff) all showed up,” she said. “They were here with gloves. They were ready to work.”

Almost two weeks after the storm, the inside had been gutted. Howell was unsure about a reopening date, only saying she hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, she and her business partner bought an Italian restaurant a few steps away for their next project. Margie’s Original Italian Kitchen, a beloved restaurant founded by Italian immigrants Tina Lozzi and daughter Margie in 1953, will get some freshened decor, and a few new items while “preserving the spirit of Margie’s, which has always been about great food, warm hospitality, and a sense of belonging,” Howell said.

JD’s Hamburgers won Fan Favorite Burger and the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival Burgers, Brews + Blues.

All the while, though, Howell was counting the days until she could reopen and keeping customers updated with clever posts and the humor she’s known for.

“This is so much a part of me now. The restaurant industry has always been a part of me but to have my own place. It’s just home, and it makes me who I am,” she said. “So there was never ever a question of getting back out here and just getting it up and going.”

The dining room was gutted and repairs inside would take time, but outside the patio started looking like the perfect spot to welcome back customers.

More tables were added. Howell’s uncle built a bar on wheels. And this week, Howell posted a video on the restaurant’s Facebook page telling followers, “It’s this week. It rhymes with Mursday. Nights only. No Sundays.”

More than 40 days since storm damage forced a temporary closure, JD’s reopened on Thursday, April 13 for patio service.

“We just can’t think of everybody that’s jumped in to help staff. Number one, our guests have come through and the restaurant industry itself has been very supportive. The first few days of us being here, we had lunch every day from another restaurant that came out here to help support us. And most of the people coming out here wanting to help also. So it’s been amazing,” Howell said.

She and her 30-member staff are asking customers for patience while everyone adjusts to al fresco dining for a while.

“But I guarantee you that we’re all going to be here working very hard and doing whatever we can to make sure you have a great time,” Howell said.

According to officials, TEXRail trains cannot move between the North Side Station and the downtown T&P Station because a derailed locomotive is blocking the way.

Officials said westbound trains will end service at the North Side Station and all eastbound trains will begin service at North Side Station.

Busses will provide station connections between Fort Worth and North Side, officials said.

According to officials, there is no estimate on when normal service will resume as efforts to clear the area continue.

Officials have not said if anyone was injured in the derailment.

Check back and refresh this article for the latest update.

Editor’s Note: This story originally reported the train line impacted by the derailment was the Trinity Railway Express. That line is not impacted. We regret the error.

“They feed you, they give you clothes, they freshen you up, and it’s a new day,” client Charles Green said smiling. “I came here smelling like a polar bear. I leave here smelling like a French poodle!”

Cloud Covered Streets offers showers and laundry services in its trailer. There are new socks, underwear, t-shirts, and shorts for clients to wear after they shower.

“It makes me feel like, phew,” Green said exhaling. “It’s dirt off my back and a fresh scent.”

The nonprofit also tries to have a stylist or barber volunteer on-site to give haircuts, shaves, and beard trims. Cloud Covered Streets is looking for more volunteers with professional grooming skills to help more people.

“We can’t help everybody every single day, but those that we can, it’s definitely fulfilling,” Cloud Covered Streets Communications Director Sarah Daniel said. “That haircut is something that we take for granted, just like a shower every day, but the confidence that somebody can have after getting a haircut!”

It’s priceless.

“I love to cut hair,” volunteer stylist Micelle Storrs said. “I get to come out here and make people look good and feel good about themselves and clean them up and make their day better; make them smile when they look in the mirror and they see their hair and they’re like, wow!”

That’s exactly what one client did when he looked at his fresh cut, done alfresco. “Woah,” he said smiling.

“They give me so much enjoyment just being around them because they’re smiling, they’re always smiling and they’re always encouraging you to do better,” Green said. “I mean God bless America, but God bless these people right here.”

If you’re interested in volunteering, click here for more information.

Born joined at the chest and sharing a liver, the girls became the first twins surgically separated at Cook Children’s.

After an 11-hour operation, and months of rehab and recovery, JamieLynn went home last month. AmieLynn went home last week after needing a few more weeks in the NICU to recover from an additional surgery.

The family of seven is now finally under one roof.

“Some moments are just so hard, you have to stay positive, you have to keep the right mindset,” said father James Finley.

The parents and twins returned to Cook Children’s Hospital on Wednesday to see their care team and celebrate their journey home.

Their mother said she loves watching her babies hold each other’s hands as they play in their own room together.

Their care team said the girls went home faster than they expected after six months in their care.

“It’s neat when we get to see our kids go home to their families, it’s why we do it,” said Dr. Jose Iglesisas, Medical Director and Lead Surgeon. “To get to see them with their loving family all together is just the ultimate for us.”

“They’re part of our family and there’s a little piece missing now that they’re not here, but we’re also so happy they’ve done so well and they get to go home and be with each other,” said Nurse Brianne Galvan.

Now six months old, both babies will need frequent check-ups. AmieLynn developed scoliosis as she naturally pulled away from JamieLynn when they were joined.

But their family, joined by their care team, said they were grateful to celebrate this moment.

“Have faith you know, even when they were going in that surgery room, we didn’t know the outcome, we were just praying for the right one and we got the right one,” said Finley.

A fund has been established to help the family, along with a baby registry.

Fort Worth Jan 25

‘We Did It,' Cook Children's Performs Its First-Ever Separation of Conjoined Twins

Cook Children's Medical Center Jan 25

Conjoined Twins Successfully Separated, Parents Overwhelmed

Fort Worth Jan 25

Cook Children's Performs Its First-Ever Separation of Conjoined Twins

American said it expects to earn between a penny and 5 cents per share for the quarter that just ended.

That is better than American’s January forecast of a break-even quarter, but analysts had expected an adjusted profit of 5 cents per share, according to a FactSet survey.

Airlines say demand for travel remains strong despite inflation and economic uncertainty, which helps them charge more. American said revenue for each mile flown by passengers – a stand-in for fares and fees – will be 25.5% higher than a year ago.

However, airlines also face rising costs for labor and fuel heading into the critical summer travel season.

Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth said she had expected stronger results from American because it benefits more than others from strong demand for travel within the U.S. and nearby destinations in Latin America.

Cowen analyst Helane Becker said, however, that the outlook was stronger than she expected. She said second-quarter revenue should remain strong because demand is high but airlines have not returned to 2019 levels of passenger-carrying capacity.

American said in a regulatory filing that it operated more flights than expected in the first quarter, which led to about 2% more fuel consumption than previously forecast. American paid close to $3.30 per gallon in the quarter.

Shares of Fort Worth-based American Airlines Group Inc. were down 9% in trading Wednesday.

The athletes arrived in Fort Worth on Tuesday night for a welcome event at River Ranch Stockyards. They posed for photos on the red carpet, did some interviews, took turns sitting on a Texas Longhorn, and relaxed in Cowtown before things get serious.

Eight teams – California, Denver, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, UCLA, and Utah – will face off at Dickies Arena where the Sooners hope to win their sixth title in the last decade and earn national champion status once again.

One of the biggest names in the competition is 2020 Olympic silver medalist Jordan Chiles. She is competing with her teammates from UCLA, but she calls Houston her home. That’s where she will train as she sets her sights on the Olympic games next summer in Paris.

“I don’t even consider myself famous, which is pretty funny because a lot of people are like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so famous’ this, that, and the other,” Chiles told NBC 5. “I personally am just enjoying the inspirational aspect of things. Just having the younger generation look up to me and just, you know, being able to find that love in the sport, especially knowing that it’s like a really hard sport. So I think it’s honestly just me being me. So just being able to be who I want to be and, you know, enjoy the moment.”

“We’ve got some world-class athletes here,” said Jason Sand, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission. “They’re all going to be competing for a national championship and for, for worth to be able to host this and showcase all the things our city has to offer on a national and international stage. We’re really excited.”

The experts in women’s gymnastics expect Chiles to win the NCAA All-Around title, and they say Oklahoma is the team that can’t be beaten.

The semifinals are Thursday at Dickies Arena, and the finals are on Saturday. Tickets are still available.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The 2023 Wellness Innovation Grant competition challenged students to create and propose projects that would improve well-being at their schools. They then had to pitch their ideas in front of a panel of judges.

Pictures show just how much of themselves the kids from elementary, middle, and high schools in Fort Worth ISD put into winning the contest and the money to make their ideas a reality.

The judges chose six winning ideas, including a new gaga ball pit, relaxation greenhouse, school wellness ambassador program, meditation room, and even pickleball.

This year’s contest offered four awards of $5,000 and two awards of $2,500 to student groups representing various grade levels and areas of the city.

Winners have to buy the supplies for the projects by June and must implement their ideas by fall 2023.

Winners of the 2023 Wellness Innovation Grant Competition:

$5,000 awards:

Applied Learning Academy: The sixth-grade class will use its Wellness Innovation Grant to renovate the school's Blue Zones Project room. Plans call for everything from fresh blue walls to yoga mats, hand weights, an indoor basketball hoop, smoothie bike, flexible seating, plants, and foam floors. The space will promote healthy choices and physical activity, especially when inclement weather prevents students from going outdoors. 

Benbrook Middle-High School: The student-led Building B Green Team plans to transform an outdoor recreation space to encourage physical activity and social connections. With the grant funding, the area will become an inviting spot that offers games such as four square and pickleball; new seating areas will create opportunities for fellowship.

M.H. Moore Elementary: The school's student council will use its grant to create the Wellness Ambassador Program - aimed at promoting healthy habits, student-to-student and school-to-community connections, and real-life learning opportunities. The students' ideas include yoga classes and a running club for peers, staff, and parents; happiness walks; well-being field trips; a letter-writing campaign to connect with neighbors; and recycling and community cleanup events. The student council will use the grant funds to equip these programs and raise awareness.

Waverly Park Elementary: Fifth graders who belong to the safety organization Tiger Patrol and the student council will use their award to revitalize the school's gaga ball pit. Gaga ball is a fast-paced game considered to be a gentler version of dodgeball. The school's gaga ball pit was constructed a decade ago and is now cracked and deteriorating; the space is also full of weeds and mud. A new gaga ball pit will feature a remade structure raised off the ground, with a sturdy surface. When students can play again, they'll have renewed opportunities for physical activity and social interaction.

$2,500 awards:

C.C. Moss Elementary: The LIT (Ladies in Training) student group is leading the creation of a mindful mediation room. The area will be designed to help students relax and regulate their emotions, with features including mindfulness stations, books, fidget toys and other manipulatives, spots for breathing exercises, and yoga mats. The space can be used by individual students, small groups, and entire classes.

Polytechnic High School: The Key Club, a student service organization, plans to create a space called Poly Grove. With the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as inspiration, Poly Grove will consist of a greenhouse space where flowers, plants, trees, and produce can be grown. Students envision comfortable seating areas, tables, and a fountain feature. They say the spot will give the student body a place to clear their minds, study, connect with friends, and relax. Poly Grove could also be used for meetings and community events.

The competition is put on by North Texas Healthy Communities – the outreach arm of Texas Health Resources that implements Blue Zones Project in Fort Worth – and underwritten by the Fort Worth-based R4 Foundation.

Police have not revealed any further information about how or where the girl was found or her condition, only that she has been located and is alive.

Because the girl is a juvenile and has been located, her name and photograph have been removed from this story.

According to police, the girl was reported missing after being last seen in the 7400 block of Kingswood Circle at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Police said in a tweet on Wednesday morning that she was missing and asked the public for information regarding her whereabouts.

Shortly before 9:30 a.m., police announced that the girl had been found.

People with United My Justice marched outside Fort Worth’s city hall Tuesday.

Their calls follow a violent holiday weekend involving multiple shootings across North Texas.

A shooting at a Fort Worth convenience store Monday killed one and critically injured another, marking the city’s 20^th homicide this year.

“This is a state of emergency in Fort Worth,” said Donnell Ballard, founder of United My Justice. “Every night somebody is getting killed on the streets.”

Donnell and fellow activists said they want to see the city offer more programs for teenagers to reduce violence.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said city-led efforts to curb violent crime are working, citing police data that shows it’s down 13% from last year.

Paker, who is up for re-election in May, said the reduction equates to more than 700 fewer incidents.

“Our police department is laser-focused on what it looks like to drive down violent crime, especially among our youth and I know we’re doing all the right things and you do have the attention of our city leaders,” Parker said.

“We are preaching and protesting the same story. We have to stop killing each other,” said Fort Worth city council member Chris Nettles.

Council member Chris Nettles, who is running unopposed in May, said the city can always do more, but, echoed Parker in pointing to the recent multi-million dollar funded One Second Collaborative.

Funded by the city and county through the United Way of Tarrant County, the initiative is meant to target gun violence. It’s described as a collaboration between law enforcement, mental health professionals, faith leaders and non-profits and will allow organizations to apply for funding focused on reducing violence. The program is expected to roll out later this year.

“Every single large city is grappling with violent crime,” Parker said. “But in Fort Worth, we will be one of the safest cities in the country to grow a business, to raise a family and our data is showing that what we are doing is working.”

Fort Worth Police said they responded to a 911 call in the 2100 block of Daniel Street.

When officers arrived, they found a teenage girl with a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to the hospital but died from her injuries.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the teen as Natavia Lewis.

Police said homicide detectives are interviewing witnesses and the person responsible for firing the gun which caused the fatal injury, but at this time no arrests have been made.

Just days before in Arlington, a 2-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself after finding a gun in a sibling’s bedroom. On March 30, a Fort Worth toddler was hospitalized after finding an unsecured gun and also accidentally shot herself. She was taken to the hospital and survived.

“It’s so tragic, they’re all preventable,” said Dr. Daniel Guzman, a pediatric emergency room doctor at Cook Children’s in Fort Worth. “

He said last year they saw 45 accidental shooting-related injuries in the ER, eight were fatal. Over the past three years, a total number of 155 accidental shooting injuries, and 15 of those children died.

From first-hand experience, he’s seen the damage associated with guns that are not secure.

“One day, I saw a 2-year-old who came in and shot himself and unfortunately, I saw my own child in it and that was a spark for me to say, ‘I need to do more,'” said Guzman who is also a father and a gun owner.

He created ‘Aim for Safety’ in partnership with Cook Children’s in 2017 after seeing an increase in kids coming into the ER with accidental gunshot wounds.

The mission is to provide education about gun safety and make it just as important as other topics for parents that are talked about such as water safety, sleep safety and more.

“I want to challenge everyone out there, if you own a firearm look at what you’re doing at home and how you’re storing your firearms and take a look at what can we do better to keep our kids safer,” Guzman said.

He said the topic of guns in a politically charged world can come with raised eyebrows, but his main focus is on providing safe solutions to keep kids safe. He wants to provide safeguards for those who do keep firearms at home and let people know they’re not exempt from an accident.

“If you own a gun you have to be responsible and know that a gun can kill someone within your own family, you can use it for protection, yes, but it has that lethality that someone in your home could get hurt if it’s not stored properly,” he said.

Guzman said he’s heard from people who express disbelief that something like an accidental shooting could happen in their home, but he said there’s no reason to take a chance with kids, who know how to get into everything.

“They’re so curious, they’re going to get into places that we don’t expect them to, and so just because you think you put that gun or hid that gun well enough for someone to not find it, our kids are going to find it. They know where they’re at, growing up as a kid, I knew where my dad’s firearms were,” said Guzman.

Lockboxes, gun locks, and safes are suggested as ways to store guns and secure them.

Across North Texas, police departments provide free gunlocks for gun owners.

To learn more about gun safety and how to talk to children about what to do if they find a gun, click here.

Dickies Arena tweeted the announcement Friday morning, saying George Strait would play the stadium on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18. Opening for Strait will be singer/songwriter Caitlyn Smith.

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 14 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.

Strait is touring over the summer, playing stadiums in Arizona, Ohio, Colorado, Tennessee and Florida. The dates for Fort Worth are the only Texas dates on his calendar this year.

Strait was the first act to hold a concert at the venue when it opened in 2019. He played two dates at Dickies Arena in November 2022 with Tenille Townes.

Over his 30-plus-year career, Strait has accumulated an unmatched 60 no. 1 singles and is behind only Elvis and The Beatles when it comes to the number of platinum or multi-platinum albums. He’s the only artist to have a Top 10 hit every year for three decades. Strait recently earned his 100th entry on the Billboard Country Airplay chart with his latest single, “The Weight of the Badge.” He has sold nearly 70 million albums and earned more than 60 major entertainment industry awards, including induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

In 2014, Strait shattered the North American indoor concert attendance record by drawing 104,793 concert-goers to his The Cowboy Rides Away Tour finale at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Tarrant County prosecutors dismissed the charge against Markynn West. Now that the charge has been dropped, Fort Worth Pastor Kyev Tatum and other community leaders have called for a civil rights investigation into the Fort Worth Police Department.

“It takes someone with wisdom and knowledge and integrity and good judgment to see it and call it like it is,” said Tatum.

West’s attorney, Lesa Pamplin, said it was a video showing Jin first pointing a gun at West and his friends that played a critical role in the charge being dropped.

“The higher-ups in the administration looked at it and they dismissed the case,” Pamplin said.

Following the dropped charges, NBC 5 received a statement from West through his attorney that reads in part:

“This is all new for me, things are moving fast and it’s pretty overwhelming to say the least. Right now, while I’m in the process of recovery I think it’s best that I take a step back and decide the best way I would like to move forward for the safety of myself and my child.”

The Fort Worth Police Department responded to NBC 5’s request for comment on the recent developments with a statement that reads:

“The Fort Worth Police Department has been working closely with the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office on this investigation and will continue to do so as all charges move through the court system. Out of respect for the criminal justice process and due to the fact there are other pending charges in this investigation, we cannot comment further at this time.” 

NBC 5 also reached out to Shin’s sister, Kerri Shin. She released a statement that reads in part:

“To paint a false portrayal as the aggressor against 8 [people] is not fair. Jin provided his email and cell according to his phone log, talked outside with them for 20+minutes, was brutally assaulted and had his key stolen from his Jeep…My brother was witty and kind-hearted. Knowing him, he just wanted to get his key back and leave after being punched in the back of the head. No one should have died that terrible night.”

Ultimately, Pamplin said it never should’ve come to this, and she is thankful her client has been cleared.

“I thought it was a political game played with his life and everyone else’s life out there,” she said.

Two other men still face charges in connection to this case. Keeton Sheppard faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Quamon White faces charges of misdemeanor assault.

Click here to read more on this story from our partners at The Dallas Morning News.

It opened 25 years ago and brought the city’s downtown one of its most significant changes.

The grand opening performances in May 1998 were called Let the Angels Play with Comedienne and Texas native Carol Burnett and renowned pianist and Fort Worth favorite son the late Van Cliburn as the stars.

“What we were so excited to see was the citizens of Fort Worth show their intense thirst for the arts,” Cliburn said at a news conference that year with Burnett adding, “I’m so honored that we’re the first ones to kick it off.”

$65 million in private funds paid for Bass Hall and elevated the city’s cowboys and culture tagline.

The venue takes up a full city block in Sundance Square. Special features include the 2,042-seat multipurpose Hall which is characteristic of the classic European opera house form. An 80′ diameter Great Dome tops the Founders Concert Theatre. Two iconic 48′ angels grace the Grand Facade.

It is the permanent home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Cliburn.

And in 2023, Bass Hall continues to live up to its status as a Texas icon and nationally distinguished performing arts venue.

“While 25 years might be relatively new for some performance halls, it is a long time in a community and we have been able to maintain a successful presence in the community and I truly believe have brought really a remarkable level of performance and performing arts opportunities to our community,” said Performing Arts Fort Worth President and CEO Dione Kennedy.

Kennedy has led the nonprofit that owns and operates Bass Hall for 14 years. Her organization presents touring productions including the Broadway at the Bass Series presented by PNC Bank and the BNSF Popular Entertainment Series

As Kennedy reflects on big moments for Bass Hall, research from her staff points to a live performance from Fleetwood Mac vocalist and guitarist Lindsay Buckingham for his 2008 album Live at the Bass Performance Hall.

There was a fundraising concert to help Texans impacted by Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

“So, it was Clint Black and Lyle Lovett and Don Henley and having the three of them perform throughout the night,” she said, “But, hearing Don Henley’s voice on our stage, you know, bursting out, you know, the Seven Bridges Road, I mean, it was just, an amazing, an amazing experience and an amazing performance. So, I have to say that’s kind of on the top of my list.”

The arrival of Hamilton in June 2024 will bring another big moment.

“Hamilton is probably arguably, the most successful Broadway show of all time. Not only just because of the success of the show in New York but its success on the road and its reach, I mean, all ages, all demographics. And so it brings a whole new audience into the theater along with all of the people who already loved coming to the theater,” Kennedy said.

Opening the doors to expose children to the performing arts has been a big mission of Bass Hall as well.

Through student matinees, virtual programming, master classes, summer camps and more, the Children’s Education Program at Bass Performance Hall offers a variety of performing arts educational opportunities free of charge, to all students and educators. In its 25 years, Bass Hall has served as a classroom to more than 1,784,000 students.

And its silver year, the venue continues to show box office success and beauty.

“It is aging really well, but that’s not without a lot of effort. We put a significant amount of effort, time resources and including dollars into maintaining the facility. We’re very lucky that we have an endowment that helps cover some of that, and then some of our regular operating revenue each year goes into capital maintenance as well,” Kennedy said.

“One of the team members from the architect that designed the building was here a few weeks ago. We still work with them on projects when we’re doing large projects in the building. And he was just commenting on how the building looks every bit as good as it did when it opened 25 years ago and, and he looked around and he said, maybe even better. So, we were thrilled to hear that. But it is, it is, because of the effort that we put into it.”

Kennedy estimates that the hall brings in some $40 million of economic impact annually plus the jobs on her staff, the staff of resident companies and the stagehands, musicians, hairdressers and wardrobe people needed for shows.

Performing arts took a hard hit during COVID and Bass Hall was among them when it closed its curtains and canceled shows in January and February 2021 then later opened with limited capacity. Two years later, the shows go on with bigger audiences.

“Prior to COVID, we were doing in the range of 200 presenting 270 to 300 performances a year and we are back up almost to that level again. And some of our attendance numbers are even higher than they were prior to COVID for certain performances,” Kennedy said. “We are seeing people really want to come out and be together with other people and experience live performance. So we are extremely thrilled with where we are considering where we were two years ago.”

It makes the silver anniversary even more special. Bass Hall will celebrate 25 years with two free community events: a Resident Company Showcase featuring the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, and the Cliburn on Saturday, April 8; and a Community Open House for a chance to get a rare behind-the-scenes look at this wonderful venue on Sunday, April 16.

Both events are at capacity but standby lists are available. There’s more information here.

“It’s been good,” owner Liliam Morin said. “A lot of growth.”

Growth because the business started out as a food truck four years ago.  Thanks to their successful business and a little financial help through a low-interest loan from the CDFI Friendly Initiative, they now have a brick-and-mortar.

“I don’t believe we’d be able to do it without that help,” Morin said. “This is a large step for us coming from a food truck. It’s hard with the credit and the collateral that you need to.”

The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund or CDFI initiative started last year.  It’s provided $10.3 million so far in new capital to minority-owned businesses in Fort Worth.

“Your CDFIs are geared towards your underserved,” Jeremis Smith, Legacy Construction Solutions CEO, said. “Your less heard companies and smaller businesses. So, I think it could be good if they do exactly what they are supposed to do.”

Smith builds homes in the Stop Six Neighborhood. That neighborhood has seen a large portion of the CDFI funding.

Smith is still working to gain some of that capital because he says it could help his company help others build generational wealth.  

“Offer residential units to buyers that would have immediate equity in them,” Smith said. “They would be below market prices. It would be below market, and it would give buyers an immediate buy-in and immediate equity.”

There is a process to borrowing from the CDFI and Morin advises anyone looking to grow to give it a shot.

“Ask for help,” Morin said “That’s how we got here. We asked for help.”

To learn more about CDFI Friendly Fort Worth click here.

The sweepers were approved in March and are expected to arrive by the end of the year, Fort Worth Code Compliance director Brandon Bennett said Wednesday. According to Bennett, two of the 12 new sweepers will replace those already in use. The other 10 will be brand new to the city.

City council members approved the purchase of new street sweepers for up to $3.75 million.

Street sweepers help keep litter, dirt and debris off of our streets and out of our waterways, which also helps to prevent clogging of storm drains that can create localized flooding issues.

“We probably needed 20 but in order to get to 20, we would have had to put a higher rate to our citizens through their environmental fees. Even higher than what we raised it to,” Bennett said Wednesday. “We also know that over time, litter is a lot like graffiti. If you leave litter out, it just attracts more litter. But if you can get it cleaned up and keep it cleaned up, then a lot of these areas will stay cleaner longer.”

According to the city of Fort Worth, public surveys have shown that residents want more action to address litter for a cleaner city. The current budget includes funding to expand litter and illegal dumping services through increased funding in the Environmental Protection Fund.

According to the Fort Worth Zoo, visitors got to meet Travis, the one-month-old Asian elephant calf, for the very first time.

Zoo officials said Travis was born at 2 a.m. on Feb. 23, 2023, and spent his first month bonding with his mother, Belle, and his grandmother, Rasha, in the barn and behind-the-scenes yards as he acclimated to his surroundings.

Travis has been growing stronger every day, gaining two to three pounds daily in his first month, zoo officials said. At only 40 days old, Travis already weighs 345 pounds!

According to the Fort Worth Zoo, Travis aced his swimming lessons in a smaller pool, and zookeepers decided that he was ready to swim in the 400,000-gallon river in the Elephant Springs habitat.

The zoo said Travis emerged to greet guests for the first time on April 4 in the main yard of Elephant Springs. He was accompanied by his mother and grandmother, and he spent his time tiptoeing near the water, laying down in a bed of hay, and receiving a dust bath.

Zoo guests can see Travis in the main habitat of Elephant Springs daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the zoo said. Travis’s half-brother, Brazos, who was born Oct. 21, 2021, can be seen in the neighboring yard, also from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

According to the Fort Worth Zoo, when Travis and Brazos are not in the yard greeting zoo visitors, they will be participating in keeper-supervised play dates, training sessions, and plenty of naps.

Zoo officials said Travis is the fifth Asian elephant calf to be born at the Fort Worth Zoo.

Other Asian elephants born at the Fort Worth Zoo include Travis’s half-brother and mother, who were born in 2021 and 2013, respectively. His aunt, Bluebonnet, was born in 1998, and the fifth elephant to be born at the zoo, Bowie, was born in 2013 and now resides at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

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Ring doorbell footage recently captured a car flipping in a residential area where neighbors said they’ve been asking for speed bumps and tougher enforcement.

If something isn’t done, resident Cathy Trian said illegal street activity will continue. She’s lived on N. Elm Street in Fort Worth for years and said the street racing and speeding have become a problem lately. Trian said she’s had it with what feels like constant disregard for the people who live here.

“This is an everyday thing that we live in,” Triana said. “They do donuts on the corner, they go up to 80 miles per hour, 90. There’s been about four accidents.”

She’s not alone. Her neighbor Miquel Deluna echoed her concerns.

“Drag racing and whatnot, that they do it all the time up and down the street,” he said.

FORT WORTH

Fort Worth Mar 31

Future of Fort Worth Art Space in Question Amid Costly Repairs

Fort Worth Mar 30

Exclusive: Fort Worth 12-Year-Old Describes Saving Family From Gas-Filled Home

Speeding, racing and street takers have made headlines across Texas in the past several months. In February, Governor Greg Abbott (R) launched a statewide task force using various DPS divisions to combat the problem.

Fort Worth Police spokesperson Daniel Segura acknowledged the community’s frustration.

“I completely understand the complaints and the concerns from the residents in that area,” Segura said.

He tells NBC 5 the department has a traffic enforcement division committed to this issue. He admits though, tackling illegal street activity is multilayered due to the use of social media for meetups.

“It is a challenge for any law enforcement agency to stay one step ahead,” he said. “They move from place to place, from city to city, so we’re using technology and human power to be present prior to any incident.”

Fort Worth Council Member Carlos Flores released a statement addressing residents’ concerns that reads in part:

“In the last three year, improvements have been made in road safety. I have been in regular contact with the Diamond Hill Neighborhood Advisory Council to add more improvements along E. Long and Elm Street. The police department continues to patrol this area. Last year, I submitted a Traffic Engineering request to assess a stretch of N Elm Street for stop signs. However, stop signs are not used as speed control devices.”

Flores said a study of N. Elm Street, specifically, showed 85% of vehicles were not traveling 5 miles per hour or more over the speed limit.

Regardless, Triana said she’s seen and experienced enough. Witnessing a car flip in front of her home has only further convinced her that her neighborhood needs to change.

“If somebody would’ve been walking by, it would have killed them,” she said.

Fort Worth police said several people exchanged shots across the complex including a maintenance man who was shot at and returned fire. Officers are now on the scene at the apartment complex on Calmont Avenue where a person has barricaded themself.

At this time, no injuries have been reported. Two people have been arrested so far and remain unidentified at this time. This story is developing.

Check back and refresh this article for the latest update.

According to the Fort Worth Fire Department, firefighters were called to a fire in the 7100 block of Trail Lake Drive on the southwest side of Fort Worth shortly after 3:30 a.m.

Officials said when firefighters arrived they observed heavy fire coming from the building and subsequently requested a second-alarm response.

The 56-unit apartment complex is worth $5.5 million, officials said.

NBC 5 crews at the scene said that only one structure on the property was completed.

No injuries have been reported and it’s not yet clear what started the fire.

Check back and refresh this article for the latest update.

With two laps to go to reach victory lane, they even touched wheels.

“We’re going wheel to wheel like 226 miles an hour or something,” O’Ward said. “It’s pretty insane, I have to say.”

Their thrilling race came to an abrupt end when Romain Grosjean crashed with one lap remaining, moments after Newgarden had surged ahead of O’Ward. Newgarden crossed the finish line under caution for a second consecutive victory at Texas, the third of his career.

“We had a great car. I don’t know what else to say other than our car was fast,” Newgarden said while wearing Texas’ traditional celebratory cowboy hat presented to the winner. “I don’t know if it fits right. I apologize to any cowboys that would make fun of my fit.”

Newgarden and O’Ward were so dominant Sunday — they combined to lead 214 of the 250 laps — that at one point in the race, they were the only two drivers on the lead lap. They frantically swapped the lead over the final third of the race, and neither showed any inclination to lift off the gas in the fight for the win.

There were periods of white-knuckle pack racing, three-wide passes and jaw-dropping bravery, as drivers were unafraid of Texas’ high speeds. IndyCar on Saturday used the entire field to specifically run a second high line around the 1.5-mile speedway in an effort to create a passing lane.

The result was 482 passes for position — nearly 200 more than in last year’s race. The 26 lead changes was the most at Texas since 2001, a span of 26 IndyCar races.

Newgarden credited the spirited racing to seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, who last year made his IndyCar debut on an oval at Texas and finished sixth. Johnson won a NASCAR-record seven Cup races at Texas.

“I think it’s the Jimmie Johnson effect,” Newgarden said. “We were here last year, people were like, ‘This Jimmie guy, look at him, he can do it.’ I think Jimmie Johnson basically gave everybody confidence this weekend.”

The chance for one final thrilling lap ended when Grosjean crashed while running fifth as the leaders took the white flag. Newgarden led a race-high 123 of the 250 laps in his Chevrolet for Team Penske. And it was a solid bounce back from last month’s season opener, when Newgarden’s engine caught on fire on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Florida.

“We are playing a little bit of catch-up. Got a long way to go,” Newgarden said. “We are on the board. We were not on the board leaving St. Pete. We’re on the board now.”

O’Ward, in a Chevy for Arrow McLaren, opened the new IndyCar season with back-to-back second-place finishes. He nearly won the opener at St. Petersburg until an engine blip allowed him to be passed by Marcus Ericsson for the victory.

O’Ward, who led 91 laps on Sunday and used three-wide moves to stay at the front, is IndyCar’s new points leader.

“It’s been a hell of a start to the year,” O’Ward said.

Alex Palou finished third for Chip Ganassi Racing and was followed by David Malukas of Dale Coyne Racing and Ganassi driver Scott Dixon in a pack of Honda-powered drivers.

Scott McLaughlin of Penske was sixth and followed by Colton Herta, in his first race without his father, Bryan, as his strategist in a personnel change made at Andretti Autosport. Only seven drivers finished on the lead lap.

Earlier this year, Fort Worth city council members appointed a task force to study future uses of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center and the W.E. Scott Theatre. The building is leased by Arts Fort Worth and consists of art galleries and a theatre that were built in three phases, dating back to 1954.

According to a building condition assessment, the building on 1300 Gendy Street requires repairs totaling about $26 million.

Michelle Gutt with the City of Fort Worth said the task force will be making a recommendation on possible repairs, renovation, or redevelopment.

“Some of it is ADA requirements. Some of it is dealing with water damage, because of some of the flooding that has taken part in that area,” Gutt said, referring to the repair costs. “They have got the numbers. They got the reports. They have looked at a lot of documents, but I think hearing from the people who actually use the facility, the people who actually have a history with the facility, is a really important part of the process.”

Dozens were signed up to speak Thursday night, including photographer and filmmaker Wesley Kirk. He urged the task force to continue investing in community-driven art.

“I have seen shows here that have moved me to tears that could never been seen in a for-profit gallery. I have seen shows that have sparked important conversations showing how important art and storytelling can be,” Kirk said.

Fort Worth-based artist Cosmo Jones described the arts center as a second home to many people, including himself. Jones’ work includes paintings and sculptures.

“There just isn’t another space like this, and they’re not going to be able to support the community in the way that they do now,” Jones said. “It represents, to me, the unique character that Fort Worth has an arts community.”

The task force has two more meetings before making a recommendation to the Fort Worth city council on May 2.

It’s gotten so bad, state troopers are even helping Austin Police Department with city patrols this week while the force focuses on staffing a massive music event.

Departments report that it’s harder to recruit and retain as people retire, switch careers, or move between higher-paying jobs.

But lawmakers in Austin are making moves on new legislation to help.

Police chiefs from the biggest cities in DFW came together on Friday at Dallas Police headquarters to announce progress on their fight for the same cause.

“Turning away one person is too many,” said Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes during the press conference.

They are turning to House Bill 1076 for relief. It was filed by State Representative Victoria Neave Criado, who represents parts of Dallas, Mesquite, and Garland.

It would allow legal permanent residents to apply for police officer jobs in Texas.

“If legal permanent residents can serve in the U.S. military and protect, serve and die for our country, they also should have the right to protect and serve our neighborhoods,” said Rep. Neave Criado.

She believes there is a gap in state law. Permanent residents can also be firefighters, but not a cop.

“I had to scratch my head on that,” said Dallas Police chief Eddie Garcia. “How can you serve and sacrifice as a member of DFR but you can’t at DPD?”

HB 1076 just passed through committee and will soon move to the House floor. The bill is garnering bipartisan support across Texas, as a similar bill also moves through the state Senate.

Chief Noakes hopes this will help him fill a shortage of about 137 officers. Hiring standards would be the same and background checks would be just as thorough for permanent residents, he added.

“There’s no lowering of quality. What we’re asking is to increase the level of quantity of quality applicants who can apply to become members of our department,” said Chief Noakes. “This in no way affects the level of quality that I demand, or Chief Garcia demands, or chiefs across the state will continue to demand.”

Noe Barrera is a criminal justice student at Texas Christian University. Originally from Mexico, he is currently a permanent resident and wants to be future ‘Officer Barrera’ but he can’t – at least for now.

“I know back in Fort Worth, I was not born there but I was raised there,” he said. “We have a lot of Hispanic communities. We have different languages, and I want to make sure our people have a voice.”

Chief Noakes expressed hope of being able to hire Barrerra one day.

“It would help us to engage and become better partners with every community in the cities we serve – specifically in the communities that have the most lack of trust and where we need to do the most work,” he said.

Chief Garcia says one thing that Dallas and many cities struggle with is retention. Right now, about 27% of sworn officers in the department are eligible to retire. DPD has a goal of hiring 300 new officers this year to fill the shortfalls.

“Each month at DPD alone, we are turning away 50 to 100 legal permanent residents at career fairs simply because they do not qualify for a peace officer license,” he said.

Eleven other states allow permanent residents to be officers, including nearby Oklahoma and Louisiana.

“Texas is losing the recruitment war,” said Chief Garcia.

A company that supports small businesses compiled data from the U.S. Census Bureau and ranked the best states for women-owned startups. The Lone Star State came in fifth in the ranking from Merchant Maverick, a slight drop from the third spot in 2022 but still a solid showing.

Even with a business-friendly mindset, taking a business from idea to profits can be daunting.

“We were self funding. My business partner and I were spending our savings,” said biotech company owner Elyse Dickerson about the early days when she launched her ear care company. “We make it look easy, I think, from the outside but on the inside we’re constantly worried about cash flow, about our employee base, taking care of your employees, making sure we’re making every shipment on time.”

Dickerson and her partner Joe Griffin founded Eosera in 2015.

They’d left their corporate jobs in the pharmaceutical industry; wanted to stay in the healthcare market and in conversations with doctors, heard a need.

“Nobody was paying attention to the ear,” she said. “So we thought, there’s a lot of conditions that could be treated at home if products existed.”

The two researched to find just the right product and zeroed on the buildup of earwax. They developed Earwax, MD.

“As you age, the wax starts to build up in the ear canal and our product dissolves that down in about 15 minutes,” she explained.

Eosera had its product but needed funding. So, Dickerson decided to get others to invest.

“The very first thing that got us off the ground was winning a pitch competition,” she said. “And it was $50,000 cash and that really was the start of Eosera.”

Dickerson kept telling the story of EarwaxMD and using a slide that showed how her product compared to others. In three months of pitching, she’d raised $1.2 million.

“You know I was selling a dream,” she said. “And it’s all about building a story of what this vision is and then going out and pitching it to people that want to be part of that vision with you.”

Dickerson wants other women to fulfil their entrepreneurial dreams. Last year, her company hosted the inaugural EmpowHERment Business Pitch Comptetion to fund a woman-owned business in Texas.

Forty women applied, and $10,000 went to the winner.

Dickerson is planning year two of the competition with a bigger prize. This year, the winner will get $50,000.

“I’m a big believer in bringing other women along because it is still tough for women out there. The majority of funding goes to men,” she said.

The prize amount is significant because that number was her validation years ago.

“It was the first time someone from the outside said, ‘We believe in you. Here’s $50,000. Go make your dream happen,'” she said.

Pitching is an art Dickerson mastered early to fund her biotech business and she offers this advice to other women.

“I’m not asking for charity,” she said. “I’m providing that potential investor an opportunity to be part of this journey. And that simple mind shift helps especially women who ask for money because you have to ask. So many of us think they’ll just notice we’re doing something great. No, you have to go out and sell the story, truly believe in it, and then ask for the money.”

Dickerson never saw herself as a CEO or running a company with day to day pressures.

Yet here she is: eight years in, 35 employees, 10 products in 28,000 stores helping millions of people, and expansion and encouraging other women to take that leap, too.

“Just do it,” she said. “Just do it. It is so scary and terrifying. And that’s normal. But put one foot in front of another and just go do it.”

Applications for the 2nd annual EmpowHERment Business Pitch Competition open in August.

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Three days following the incident, there is laughter and joy inside the home. They realize the close call on Monday could’ve changed everything.

Carbon monoxide seeped into the home in Fort Worth from a car running in the garage.

Jaziyah Parker, 12, the oldest of her siblings, jumped into action when it mattered most.

“I was in my room, and I was laying down and my sister came in and said, ‘Something is wrong with momma’ and so I grabbed my phone and I went in there,” Parker said.

Her mother was already showing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Her eyes were closed and she was shaking and making noises,” she said.

Jaziyah’s call to 911 and description of her mother’s condition prompted a swift response from Fort Worth firefighters who were able to save her mother and all five children.

Jaamal Wiley, the godfather of one of the children, said he’s proud of the little girl he’s watched grow up.

“She immediately knew to call for help and I’m very proud of her for doing that. She saved my godbaby and her entire family,” said Wiley.

Wiley said he was not surprised, though, that the big sister in the family would make sure everyone was OK.

“She’s excellent,” he said. “She is in sixth grade, loves to go to school, used to be a cheerleader, a very smart, intelligent young lady.”

Carbon monoxide, sometimes referred to as CO, is an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas that is undetectable by human senses and can be fatal under periods of prolonged exposure.

Fort Worth Mar 28

Fort Worth Fire Firefighters Applauded for Rescuing Family of Six

Fort Worth Mar 27

5 Children, 1 Adult Hospitalized After Carbon Monoxide Exposure at Fort Worth Home

Fort Worth Mar 30

Exclusive: Fort Worth 12-Year-Old Describes Saving Family From Gas-Filled Home

PREVENTING CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas that is undetectable by human senses and can be fatal under periods of prolonged exposure.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide is a byproduct of the incomplete burning of combustible fuels in cars, trucks, small engines, stoves, furnaces, gas ranges and grills. The gas can build up indoors and poison people and animals who breathe it.

You can’t smell carbon monoxide, so the only way you’ll know if there’s been a buildup of the poisonous gas around you is through a working carbon monoxide detector or if you start showing symptoms.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. Symptoms are often described as “flu-like” and breathing too much of the gas can knock you out or kill you. The CDC said people who are sleeping or drunk could die from carbon monoxide poisoning before they have symptoms.

To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, it is recommended that all homes install a carbon monoxide detector near bedrooms. The batteries should be checked every six months and the units should be replaced every five years. They are designed to signal an alert before carbon monoxide levels reach a dangerous threshold, giving people ample time to move into fresh air.

For more tips on preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, visit the CDC or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

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According to the Fort Worth Police Department, the incident occurred in the 2600 block of Aiken Lane in Fort Worth.

The child’s mother informed officers that the child may have gotten the gun from an unsecured drawer and subsequently shot herself in the chest, police say. Police confirmed the child’s age to be 2-years old.

FWPD said the child was taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth in stable condition where she is being treated for possible life threatening injuries.

It is not clear at this time the type of gun that was involved in the incident.

Police said no arrests have been made at this time, but the investigation into the incident is ongoing. The Crimes Against Children’s Unit is also involved in the investigation.

“I have been praying for the family and I hope the little girl is OK,” a neighbor who did want to be identified told NBC 5. “She’s a very pretty little girl, tiny, and cute. I see her running around here and she’s just the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen.”

While more details are still pending, police are sending a warning to parents who own firearms.

“Anytime you have a gun in your house, it needs to be inaccessible to children,” said Cpl. Joshua Johnson with Fort Worth Police.

He said they’re hoping parents do everything they can to keep dangerous items like guns out of reach.

“Having a safe in your house or something in an area where you can lock up the gun. If you have a locked closet, maybe in the master bedroom where the kids are not able to access. Keeping the gun high on top of cabinets,” he recommended.

Fort Worth Police also has a partnership with nonprofit Project ChildSafe, which provides gun locks free of charge to families.

“So what it is, it’s a locking mechanism that would go down through the chamber down through the magazine wheel, and then lock,” said Cpl. Johnson.

Anyone can grab a free lock from the front desk at Fort Worth’s main police station front desk on Felix Street. Even if you don’t live in Fort Worth, you can click here and find a local police department near you that partners with Project ChildSafe.

Cpl. Johnson said talking with your kids about firearm dangers is important, too.

“Education is very important. That’s a very personal decision and discussion you can have in your house as to how you’re educating your children,” he said. “I can speak for myself, I have educated my children, but I also focus on making sure my firearms are locked up in my safe.”

Check back and refresh this article for the latest update.

“I was injured from head to toe, basically,” Vietnam veteran Louis Daily said. “Shrapnel. Shrapnel basically everywhere.”

Daily was drafted into the Army when he was 21 years old. He served in Vietnam until a command-tripped explosive killed a platoon member he was with and severely injured Daily. He said doctors did not give him great odds for survival.

“He said, ‘Louis, we got you 2-second, 2-minutes, 2-hours, 2-years, and you pick your two which way you’re gonna go,'” Daily said getting choked up. “That was 55 years ago.”

Daily said he still has a piece of shrapnel in his heart.

Wednesday’s ceremony had a placing of a wreath and a release of pigeons. Veterans and their spouses were given pins of appreciation for their service and sacrifice.

Daily said when he came home from Vietnam, the reception was much different.

“We were not welcome,” Daily said. He only started wearing a cap with ’82nd Airborne’ on it since he retired.

“We lost, ah, quite a few guys,” Daily said moved to tears. “It’s difficult for me…”

Vietnam marked an end to the Selective Service draft. Today’s military service is voluntary.

The firefighters say the real reason for their success may have been a quick-thinking young girl.

Lieutenant Robby Leon-Guerrero said they arrived at a home on Orleans Lane in Fort Worth unsure of what they’d find. A child had called 911 saying her mother wasn’t feeling well. They’d arrive just after 8 p.m. to discover how serious it was.

“Right when we opened the door, the girl that did call 911 said ‘Momma upstairs, and then she collapsed,” said Guerrero.

Carbon monoxide had seeped into the house from a car left running inside the garage. The garage door was closed.

“Then you look to the right and there’s another girl, head down, then you look upstairs and there’s a little boy,” Guerrero said. “When we saw them initially, some of them, we thought they were dead. We really did.”

Guerrero and his crew knew time was limited. So, before grabbing extra protective equipment, they ran inside, saving a total of five children and one adult. Fort Worth fire tells NBC 5 the children ranged in age from under a year old to a child possibly in their teens.

“Knowing what CO does to you and how long you have, they didn’t have long, so we made a decision to act immediately,” said Guerrero.

All six people were taken to the hospital. Fort Worth Fire Spokesperson Craig Trojacek said the outcome of this rescue truly started with the girl who made the call for help.

“If that girl wouldn’t have taken the time to dial 911, we would’ve been having a very different story that we would be talking about today,” Trojacek said.

Fort Worth Mar 27

5 Children, 1 Adult Hospitalized After Carbon Monoxide Exposure at Fort Worth Home

Fort Worth Mar 28

Fort Worth Family Exposed to Carbon Monoxide

Fort Worth Mar 28

6 People in Critical Condition After Carbon Monoxide Leak at Fort Worth Home

Ellis Wren lives nearby and saw the commotion Monday night. He said he’s proud of his young neighbor.

“She needs to be commended because she probably saved everybody in that house,” said Wren.

Guerrero and other first responders were also taken to the hospital for exposure and said they felt fine the following day. As for why risked their own lives, he said it’s the answer is straightforward.

“People rely on us,” he said. “If this isn’t for you, you probably shouldn’t be here.”

Fort Worth Fire said they do not have an update on the current conditions of the children and adult.

Trojacek said this is also a reminder for parents to have conversations with their children about talking to 911 operators in case of an emergency.

“When the people on the other end of the phone after you dial 911 need to know where your emergency is at, if your kids don’t have that, it puts us behind the curve,” Trojacek said.

Inside Beelieve Pediatric Therapy in Fort Worth, every step is a milestone for five-year-old Lola. Lola lives with a rare neurological disorder called Angelman syndrome.

Thanks to therapy she can now walk.

“This is life-altering for her,” said her mother Chelsea Guido. “This is giving her a quality of life that she would not have.”

It’s the same for six-year-old Dylan. Born with cerebral palsy, Dylan has been seeing therapists at Beelieve for the last five years and gaining new skills through consistent sessions.

“So he can walk, he can feed himself, he can use his hands so he can color and write, just do things that every kid wants to do,” said his mother Taylor Whitson.

Now, these mothers say their children’s quality of life is in jeopardy. Their Cook Children’s Health Plan is suddenly denying coverage for therapy at Beelieve. It goes against the advice of the children’s own doctors at Cook Children’s Hospital.

“It was incredibly shocking because all of the doctors within the Cook Children’s network are the ones that recommend it,” Whitson said.

Beelieve provides physical, occupational and speech therapy all under one roof. The mothers tell NBC 5 that finding a clinic that offers all three is rare in North Texas.

Beelieve is also one of the few places to offer intensive therapy – an option that allows children to come three hours, five days a week for three weeks to help them achieve new skills.

The repetition helped Dylan learn how to feed himself.

“If it wasn’t for intensive therapy it might take six months to a year for Dylan to gain the same skills that he gets in three weeks in intensive therapy,” Whitson said.

In his five years of coming to the clinic, Dylan has taken three intensive therapy sessions.

In a statement to NBC 5, Cook Children’s Health Plan said its decision to terminate coverage is final, citing safety concerns around the therapy.

At Cook Children’s Health Plan (CCHP), we strive to keep quality and safety in mind above all else. Ensuring our members have access to safe, reliable and effective care is our highest priority.

We terminated our contract with Beelieve Pediatric Therapy after CCHP identified cases where experimental and investigative approaches were used, which could potentially harm patients. Many of these children are very young, with disabilities and/or without the ability to communicate, which often makes it impossible for them to effectively communicate significant levels of pain or stress. We worked for months to try to make this a workable situation for all involved and at the end of the day we had to make the best possible decision for the safety and well-being of our members. After careful consideration, CCHP made the decision to terminate this arrangement and our decision is final. We have contacted all impacted members to help them locate new therapy providers who are in-network with our plan. CCHP members who have questions about their plan are encouraged to call 1-800-964-2247.   

We recognize the frustration this has caused the affected CCHP member families, and our team is working quickly to identify safe and qualified therapy providers for all impacted members.

The mothers tell NBC 5 their pleas to reconsider the decision have failed and they’re faced with few options for their children. The decision they said affects more than 100 families in the Tarrant County area.

“They are taking away a very essential part of my child’s healthcare and the quality of life,” said Guido. “You’re not just taking away a service, you’re taking away a family, a home that is a safe and loving environment for children who don’t always get that.”

In a statement to NBC 5, Joanna Littler, Beelieve owner and physical therapist, says intensive therapy is well-known and done only in agreement with the child’s physician, adding their therapists have never put a child at risk.

A GoFundMe account has been established to help families cover the cost of out-of-pocket care.

Read Beelieve Pediatric Therapy’s Full Statement Here:

Intensive therapy is a well-known therapy model utilized at more than 100 places across the country, including multiple children’s hospitals – such as Texas Children’s in Houston and John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. All modalities used in these sessions are backed by research, including research completed by the National Institute of Health and the FDA. No intensive therapy is done without a physician referral, who is not only in agreement with the frequency and duration of the sessions, as well as the modalities used but oftentimes it is Cook Children’s physicians themselves recommending the intensive therapy for the children as they have seen the amazing results achieved with this type of therapy.

Our therapists are all trained in reading nonverbal cues that can identify levels of pain and/or discomfort and most of the time, the child’s parent, nurse and/or caregiver, that knows them better than anyone, is present in sessions and also available to identify if they have pushed to a level of stress. Each of these medically fragile patients have achieved significant gains during intensive therapy and their parents, doctors and therapists have all been pleased with the results. The families have all been ecstatic about the progress their kids have made during intensive sessions; oftentimes achieving a skill that their doctor never thought possible. Nothing that any of our therapists has ever done in ANY session has put a child at any risk or danger, but instead fulfilled our mission of helping all kids BEE the BEST they can BEE! 

In regards to ‘working for months to make this a workable situation’, this has included: 1. A phone call in September that I initiated with the health plan where we agreed that the health plan would not financially approve 5 days/week of therapy. I asked if I could continue to offer this therapy that constantly improves kids’ quality of life, and they agreed that ‘yes’ I could still treat 5 days/week, but they would only reimburse 2 days/week. On this phone call, I requested the Medical director, authorizations department and all others involved in this decision to come see intensive therapy firsthand, however, they all declined. 2. CCHP sent a letter to us November 1st summarizing this phone call and we have seen 3 CCHP members for intensive therapy since then. We have submitted ALL documentation and paperwork they requested and we have billed the health plan for 2x/week and written off the other 3 days. 3. We heard nothing else from them until our families started calling us on March 10th informing us we were no longer in network with CCHP. We have also continued to see our other 135 patients that have CCHP for physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions 2x/week. If the health plan did not want me to continue doing intensive therapy with their members, they could have required that; but they did not and now 138 kids are being penalized for something out of their control. 

In conclusion, CCHP did not make this decision because anyone was harmed or complained, but simply because we offer this type of therapy to 10% of our patient population; however, now all 100% are no longer able to utilize our incredible services. We have requested a face-to-face meeting on countless occasions to further discuss, however, they continually refused, stating, ‘our decision is final’. 

The department said they received a call shortly after 8 p.m. from a child. When firefighters arrived at the front door, the same child who called 911 told them her mother was acting differently, authorities said.

When first responders opened the door, the child collapsed. Officials also found other children laid out on the floor including one at the bottom of the stairs and another at the top.

Firefighters rushed into the home without protective gear to retrieve those who had been overcome. After getting everyone out of the house, the officials returned to inspect the house while wearing safety gear.

The five children and the adult, who are all unidentified at this time, are in critical condition at a local hospital. The five firefighters who went in to save them were placed on oxygen and were also taken to the hospital, according to the Fort Worth Fire Department. The fire department said in a post on Facebook Tuesday that all of the firefighters were treated and released.

“What we know right now is there’s about six people that were transported to the hospital for treatment, that lived in the residence,” said Craig Trojacek, with the Fort Worth Fire Department. “We also transported, I believe it was five of our own personnel due to heightened carbon monoxide levels.”

Additional hazmat crews were called to the scene and are investigating the situation.

Fort Worth Fire officials said a car in the garage was running but that it appears to be a mistake. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Check back and refresh this article for the latest update.

PREVENTING CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas that is undetectable by human senses and can be fatal under periods of prolonged exposure.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide is a byproduct of the incomplete burning of combustible fuels in cars, trucks, small engines, stoves, furnaces, gas ranges and grills. The gas can build up indoors and poison people and animals who breathe it.

You can’t smell carbon monoxide, so the only way you’ll know if there’s been a buildup of the poisonous gas around you is through a working carbon monoxide detector or if you start showing symptoms.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. Symptoms are often described as “flu-like” and breathing too much of the gas can knock you out or kill you. The CDC said people who are sleeping or drunk could die from carbon monoxide poisoning before they have symptoms.

To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, it is recommended that all homes install a carbon monoxide detector near bedrooms. The batteries should be checked every six months and the units should be replaced every five years. They are designed to signal an alert before carbon monoxide levels reach a dangerous threshold, giving people ample time to move into fresh air.

For more tips on preventing carbon monoxide poisoning, visit the CDC or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

‘It’s a small place, but it’s my place,” Agnew said. “I haven’t had a place to call home in a long time.”

Agnew lived on Lancaster Avenue in Fort Worth for 10 years. He was one of an estimated 3,500 people experiencing homelessness in Tarrant County.

“You can stay there for a long time and not even realize how much time has passed,” Agnew said. “Just trying to scrape by the best I could. It’s no way to live day-to-day every day like that.”

Agnew connected with Kenny Thomison, founder of Building Bridges, a Christian non-profit that helps people experiencing homelessness get work and life skills to get them back into society.

“The ultimate goal is to help those who are homeless move from the street back into society, as Eddie has done,” Building Bridges board member Sarah Peden said.

Building Bridges got Agnew a car, helped him find a steady job, and got him a donated RV. Agnew pays the rent for his lot. He is the first of what the non-profit hopes will be many more.

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“I knew there had to be a change in my life. I was at the point where I wanted a change in my life. I just didn’t know how that change in my life was gonna come,” Agnew said.

Agnew credits Building Bridges and his faith for giving him hope for a future.

“Just having that normalcy,” Agnew said looking around his RV home. “It just feels like you’re back to being part of society.”

Building Bridges is looking for donations to open a transitional center to help teach life and work skills, and RV donations to help people experiencing homelessness get back on their feet.

“They’ve lost hope,” Peden said. “Our goal is just to restore hope.”

“It’s pretty sweet,” Agnew said. “They saw ‘home sweet home’. So far it is!”

“That name came up six years ago when we were starting our team and trying to decide if we wanted a Stars Wars theme or a Harry Potter theme. We went with Star Wars, and we’re also really smart, so we’re the dorks,” said team captain Fawn Giesecke.

Giesecke is 17 and a senior at the Young Women’s Leadership Academy in the Fort Worth ISD. She joined the robotics team in middle school and now leads the ninth through 12th graders hoping to win a state title this weekend in Belton.

The Dork Side is the only team from an all-girls school among the 72 competing for a UIL state championship. A regional win back in February put them in position to win state and the FIRST robotics championship for a chance at a world title next month. They left Fort Worth on Thursday for three days of competition.

“We’re ready to rock. We’re ready to move. I have so much confidence in them. They are true academicians and they are true dorks. So, I expect them to excel,” said Marsha Bean, the middle school engineering teacher who helps coach the team.

The team spent months building and programming an industrial-sized robot to play a field game against competitors. They learned and developed skills in software, hardware and power tools. Teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills were honed, too.

And for Giesecke, there were lessons in project management and leadership.

“That’s my goal as team captain is to make sure they’re learning and growing throughout this experience,” she said.

“Just to brag on how much work they’ve done this year. At the beginning of the season, we were learning how to send professional emails and now we’re having interviews with NBC 5 and presenting to Lockheed Martin.”

Every member of the team has her sights set on a career in science, technology, engineering or math or STEM.

For Dominque Sennet, the goal is UX designer or front-end developer.

“You focus on how humans use technology and how you can improve that in the future and improve it for everyone so that it’s an easy transition as you develop new technology,” she said.

“I’m actually looking more to entertainment engineer where I build roller coasters or aerospace engineering,” said Gabriela Mieres.

For the two teachers who coach the Dork Side, the pride they have in their students is evident.

“The beauty in it is seeing the girls elevate. They take all the thinking, the thought process, all they learned in class and put it to work and it elevates them so much; just to see them learn and grow,” Bean said.

“This is my first school where I’ve actually been a robotics teacher, and I fell in love with it. Now, they’re gonna have to get me out of this school kicking and screaming,” smiled engineering and robotics teacher Sergio Flores. He coached YWLA’s first robotics team and continues to spend time beyond the school hours helping and coaching his students.

Flores and Bean are with the Dork Side in Belton along with student families to cheer on the ten girls as they put all their hard work and skills to the biggest test of the year, so far.

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Fort Worth Police opened Thursday afternoon’s press conference by showing an edited video narrated by the chief of police describing the events the night of March 14.

Video shows officers trying to talk the man into dropping his gun before the man begins shooting, leading officers to return fire and injure him.

Police identified the gunman as Robert Ramos. The 64-year-old survived the shooting but is still hospitalized. He’s charged with aggravated assault on a public servant.

Noakes said he hopes that by releasing audio and video and answering questions from media partners, the department can show transparency and continue building trust in the community.

“I hope people realize we are being transparent. We have officers who put their lives on the line every single day. As I said, officers don’t get shot at every day, but they come to work knowing they might and they are still coming back,” said Noakes.

Police played 911 audio of a woman reporting her husband, Ramos, was drunk, had grabbed her 9mm Glock handgun from a safe and began threatening her.

FWPD’s Crisis Intervention Team was on its way to the scene but three uniformed officers arrived first. Fearing for other residents’ safety, they moved in.

An officer is heard trying to talk to Ramos, asking him why he was upset and demanding he drop his gun.

Ramos is then heard responding with an expletive. He fired three shots, prompting all three officers to fire back, injuring him.

NBC 5 pressed Noakes about the trained crisis intervention team’s delay in getting to the scene involving a clearly distraught suspect.

“The fact is, their demands are great and oftentimes they’re already serving citizens on other calls,” said Noakes. “When I saw 20 minutes, conversations we’re having right now is, is there a way to more efficiently respond and get them on the scene faster. But one thing I really want to say here is the officer who was speaking with Mr. Ramos, he did a phenomenal job. He spoke very kindly. He tried to connect with Mr. Ramos.

Noakes praised the officer and emphasized he is a “certified mental health peace officer.”

“Quite frankly, I don’t know that anyone else on the CIT could’ve done better,” he added.

The chief of police says 856 officers have gone through training to better handle mental health calls for service. Their goal is for the entire force to receive the training that now begins in the police academy.

The three officers are back on duty after being placed on standard leave during the investigation.

The investigation will be turned over to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office for review and grand jury presentation.

“Although the shooting is justified, this is still traumatic,” he said.

The shooting, the chief of police says, is another reminder of the inherent dangers facing law enforcement and of a global mental health crisis.

“I ask anyone who is suffering from mental wellness issues, please reach out for help,” said Noakes. “Because the last thing an officer wants to do is come to work, face a situation like this and have to use their weapon.”

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741, anytime.

That portion of Interstate 35 West in Fort Worth was not treated with salt the morning of the Feb. 11, 2021, crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The NTSB said that the failure of North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners Segment 3 to address the conditions contributed to the crash, as did drivers’ speeds.

The NTSB said that because of the forecasted freezing rain and sleet, North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners Segment 3 had pretreated the southbound lanes of I-35W two days earlier with a liquid brine solution. But, the NTSB said, crews checking the road about 45 minutes before the crash didn’t recognize that the elevated portion of the interstate where the crash occurred needed additional de-icing treatment.

A spokesman for North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners told NBC 5 they reviewed the NTSB’s final report and were “disappointed” and that they strongly disagreed with some of the conclusions.

“We want to reaffirm that we fully activated our winter storm program leading up to and throughout the winter storm event, and that we coordinate with TxDOT on best practices for snow and ice control in North Texas,” NTE Mobility Partners told NBC 5. “Specifically, and as noted in the NTSB report, we pretreated the corridor well within the prescribed pretreatment window and during the storm, and our crews monitored the entire length of the I-35W corridor, including elevated areas to identify any potential ice formation.”

NTE Mobility Partners said they patrolled the highway around the clock in trucks with salt to de-ice trouble spots, including about 45 minutes before the first indication of rain in the area.

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“Video footage from the morning of February 11 confirmed that precipitation began mere minutes before the accident unfolded,” NTE Mobility Partners said. “Hours earlier, we had posted dynamic signage within the vicinity of the accident site, warning drivers of icy conditions and to drive with caution. We also had deployed permanent signage warning drivers that bridges could ice in cold weather.”

The NTSB said a series of crashes began at 6:04 a.m. when a driver struck a concrete barrier near Northside Drive. From there, other vehicles in the southbound toll lanes “began to slide, spin and strike the barriers” and at 6:13 a.m. a large truck crashed into the disabled vehicles.

“Other vehicles that were unable to stop led to a complex, multivehicle crash blocking all southbound toll lanes,” the NTSB said.

NTSB investigators also reported that drivers were traveling at speeds too fast for winter weather conditions and that speed contributed to the severity of the crashes.

The NTSB said that as a result of their investigation, they recommend variable speed-limit signs be installed and that sensors be added to reduce response times to weather-related hazardous conditions. They also recommend Texas toll road operators train on how to better respond to winter storms.

The full highway investigative report is available on the NTSB’s website.

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JamieLynn Finley, who is now 5 months old, arrived at her family’s Saginaw home for the first time on Tuesday. Her twin sister, AmieLynn, is still at the hospital and is expected to remain there for a few more weeks as she recovers from surgery to create more space for her heart, diaphragm and lungs.

The girls, who were conjoined at the chest and liver, were successfully separated in a groundbreaking 11-hour surgery in January when they were just 16 weeks old.

Since that time, the hospital said the girls are growing and hitting their milestones and that soon they expect JamieLynn to begin rolling over. Amielynn, they said, is saying hello as both are trying to talk.

The girls’ father, James Finley, said in a statement provided by the hospital that they were excited to get JamieLynn home but that it’s a bit bittersweet until they get AmieLynn home as well.

“We’re excited that we get to get her home,” James said. “We’ll have some good bonding time, but at the same time, Amie is still up there so it’s kind of a double-edged sword. We’re happy Jamie is coming home, but they’re not going to be together for a bit.”

After their separation surgery, doctors said they were optimistic about the twins’ recovery. Of JamieLynn’s discharge, Dr. Mary Frances Lynch, a neonatologist at Cook Children’s, said in a hospital statement that the day the twins get to go home is a day they had been looking forward to for a long time.

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Dallas iconic buildings like the Omni Hotel, Reunion Tower, Hunt Headquarters, AT&T Discovery District, Bank of America Plaza, Comerica Tower and more will light the Dallas skyline red. In Fort Worth, Sundance City Hall, Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum Tower and TCU will also light up. Arlington and Plano have similar plans in their respective cities. 

Bedford, Euless, Hurst, Grapevine, Longview and Mansfield issued proclamations in support of Red Cross Month in support of the organization. Red Cross Month was started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943 when he issued a proclamation honoring the Red Cross’ humanitarian commitment.

“The generosity of North Texans has made the Red Cross mission possible here for more than 110 years,” said Dr. Linda Braddy, Red Cross North Texas Region CEO. “From donating time and energy to gifting the Red Cross with a financial contribution, North Texans trust that we will be there when our community is in need. In just the last week, we responded to tornadoes in Irving, storm damage in Tyler, and home fires in Dallas, Fort Worth, Forney, Dimmitt and so many more. Volunteers stepped up to help just like financial donors do when they make a gift.”

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The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides additional services to victims of disasters and supplies 40% of the nation’s blood. The organization also distributes international humanitarian aid and supports veterans, military members and their families. 

For more information on the American Red Cross, Giving Day and Red Cross Month, visit the organization’s website here. To donate, go to NBCDFW.com/RedCross. Recently, the NBCDFW and American Red Cross partner site raised over $20,000 for Turkey and over $175,000 for Ukraine.