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  • PCOS, a painful condition for millions of women, linked to memory loss, study finds

    PCOS, a painful condition for millions of women, linked to memory loss, study finds

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    Study finds link between PCOS and cognitive decline in mid-life.

    Study finds link between PCOS and cognitive decline in mid-life.

    Photo by kevin turcios on Unsplash

    Statistically, you know someone — or several someones — who have it. It affects an estimated 8–13% of reproductive-aged women, according to the World Health Organization, and continues to be one of the most ubiquitous yet mysterious conditions in modern medicine.

    Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, is a female hormonal disorder defined by irregular menstruation and high levels of the hormone androgen. It comes with a slew of undesirable, uncomfortable, and even dangerous symptoms, from irregular periods and ovarian cysts to type 2 diabetes and endometrial cancer. There are so many symptoms associated with the condition that it is often difficult to diagnose, as many of these symptoms could have a variety of causes, according to Women’s Healthcare of Princeton

    Now, a new study has found yet another hardship associated with PCOS: cognitive decline in mid-life.

    Researchers followed 907 women for 30 years, according to the study published Jan. 31 in the journal Neurology. At the beginning of the study, all participants were 18-30 years old, and 66 of them had PCOS. 30 years later, at the end of the study, the researchers gave the women tests to measure memory, verbal abilities, processing speed and attention.

    The researchers found that the people with PCOS scored lower (about 11% lower) on tests in memory, attention and verbal abilities, compared to those without PCOS.

    The study also included brain scans of a subset of the participants. Analyzing the scans, researchers noticed that the participants with PCOS had significantly reduced integrity of the white matter in their brains.

    White matter “connects regions that send and receive signals, affecting the ability to focus and learn, solve problems, and stay balanced when walking,” according to the Gillings School of Public Health. “It’s a significant area of interest for public health experts since conditions that impact white matter can lead to significant cognitive impairment and increase the risk of long-term neurological problems.”

    According to the study, this could be further evidence of early brain aging among participants with PCOS.

    In a news release, study author Heather G. Huddleston spoke about the impact this kind of decline could have on people’s lives, aside from just forgetting where they put their keys.

    “This could impact a person on many levels, including quality of life, career success and financial security,” she said.

    But all is not lost. Next, Huddleston said future studies should examine how to possibly mediate the adverse cognitive effects of PCOS for those who live with it.

    “Making changes like incorporating more cardiovascular exercise and improving mental health may serve to also improve brain aging for this population.”

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    Julia Daye

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  • Hey Dallas: Are You Registered To Vote in the Primary? Here’s What You Should Know.

    Hey Dallas: Are You Registered To Vote in the Primary? Here’s What You Should Know.

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    Voting in the general election is important: That’s been well established. But do you know what else is crucial? Hitting the polling place in the primaries.

    Primary elections are coming up fast in Texas, when voters will pick their party’s nominees in races for the state Legislature, Congress and the White House. Early voting doesn’t start until later this month, and Election Day is on March 5, but there’s another majorly important date that you’ll want to mark down in your calendars.

    Monday — yes, this coming Monday — is the last day to register to vote if you want to cast a ballot in the upcoming primaries.

    It’s also the final day for those who are already registered to update their name or address online if either has changed.

    But if heading to the polling place is a challenge, don’t worry: There’s an organization that can help get you there. Rideshare2Vote will deploy someone to pick you up, take you to the polling place and then drop you off back home. For free.

    Founder Sarah Kovich explained that there are three ways that folks can schedule their rides: They can download the app, fill out a web form or call 888-977-2250.

    “Once they are registered, our job is to schedule and get them a roundtrip ride to vote,” Kovich said.

    Here’s the skinny on registering to vote in the upcoming primary.

    How Do I Register to Vote?

    To register to vote in Dallas County, you can download and print an application in English, Spanish or Vietnamese before mailing it in. You can also do it in person by visiting the Dallas County Elections Department at 1520 Round Table Drive in Big D.

    If neither of those options work, call 469-627-8683 (VOTE) to request an application by phone or send an email to [email protected]. Another choice: Pick up an application from your local library, tax or other government office.

    If you mail in your application, by the way, it will need to have been postmarked by the Monday deadline.

    “It is a very powerful experience to go and vote, even if your vote loses.” – Sarah Kovich, Rideshare2Vote

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    Check to see if you’re already registered to vote by visiting the Texas Secretary of State’s website. Sadly, unlike 42 other states, you can’t sign up from the comfort of your computer.

    “What we would really like is for there to be online voter registration in Texas so that we can make it as easy as possible for every eligible citizen to be able to register and be able to vote,” Kovich said.

    Folks who are renewing their driver’s licenses online may register to vote at the same time; it’s Texas’ only exception to online registration. Kovich pointed out that those signing up for a license at the DMV can check a voter registration box during the process.

    Why Should I Vote in the Primaries?

    Primary elections allow voters to choose who they want to see represent their party in the general election. For instance, liberals can cast a ballot picking a Democratic challenger to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, such as U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio or state Rep. Carl Sherman of DeSoto.

    The way Kovich sees it, voting in the primaries demonstrates the strength of one’s conviction. It also gets people used to casting a ballot, just like they’ve (ostensibly) built the habit of going to the barber or dentist.

    “Research shows that once you show up, you kind of keep showing up,” Kovich said. “And I believe that that’s because it is a very powerful experience to go and vote, even if your vote loses.”

    Unfortunately, few would use the adjective “sexy” to describe voting, Kovich said, but it is the way that you can make your voice heard. And that’s empowering in and of itself. Those who want to experience the gratification of helping others participate in democracy can volunteer with Rideshare2Vote.

    Not every seat will have challengers in the primary, but there are plenty such races this time around. For example, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett will be tasked with defeating two other Democrats, and state Rep. Angie Chen Button, a Richardson Republican, will need to beat a conservative opponent.

    Oh, yeah, and then there’s the GOP primary for president. NBD.

    Kovich urges Texans to get out the vote this election: “People need to make sure that the person that they want on the ballot in November, that they vote for them in the primary.”



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    Simone Carter

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  • Sh-t Talk: How Did Green Day’s Dookie Start a Trilogy?

    Sh-t Talk: How Did Green Day’s Dookie Start a Trilogy?

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    Green Day recently released its 14th studio album, ‘SAVIORS’, calling it the last part in a loose trilogy that begins with 1994’s Dookie and continues with 2004’s American Idiot.

    There are several ways that we can immediately see these three albums as a trilogy, or at least as an attempt at one.

    All three were produced by Rob Cavallo, and the first two were undoubtedly masterpieces. Judging by Green Day’s overwhelming promotion of the album, the band certainly hopes this one will be too.

    The second way is timing. Green Day launched the promotion for ‘SAVIORS’ just as it announced a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of American Idiot and the 30th anniversary of Dookie.

    Not only will the band be playing both albums in their entirety on the ‘SAVIORS’ tour, but Green Day has gone out of its way to promote new editions of Dookie and updated lyrics to “American Idiot” to tie the three together.

    There’s also the fact that American Idiot came out 10 years after Dookie, and ‘SAVIORS’ came out 20 years after American Idiot.

    And then there’s the third way — the conceptual way. While many have praised Dookie for its influence on the musical landscape of the ’90s, most have focused on how the album embodies the values of the alternative subculture of the early-to-mid-’90s.

    Sure, the album became emblematic of that mid-‘90s slacker subculture, but to write out of that subculture would necessarily mean responding to and challenging its values. Rather than being an album that embodies all that stoner humor and malaise, Dookie pushes against it, asking at every turn, “Is this who we really want to be?”

    American Idiot and ‘SAVIORS’ share an overtly political aesthetic — the politics of both would have to be examined separately — but if these three albums are tied together conceptually, even in a loose way, it’s worth closely reading into Dookie to examine its politics as we celebrate its 30th anniversary.

    How does Dookie start the concept that is carried out across American Idiot and ‘SAVIORS’?

    American Idiot and ‘SAVIORS’ came out in election years, the first in response to one unpopular president and the second in response to the shadow and specter of another one.

    Dookie, however, was written and recorded in 1993 as the band said goodbye to its roots at the famed venue at 924 Gilman St., parting ways with the local Lookout! Records and signing with Warner Music-owned Reprise Records.

    For many, Dookie was Green Day’s sell-out album. The recently revived talk about Green Day losing touch with the punk community and its music has long plagued the band that had humble beginnings playing birthday parties and backyards in the East Bay punk scene as Sweet Children.

    For all those who still feel like Green Day’s best years stopped after Kerplunk in 1991, bassist Mike Dirnt would tell you, as he did in Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk, “I always really thought the idea of selling out would be not following the thing that I love doing and giving up on it because somebody had imposed some sanction on it.”

    In the same documentary, Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys agrees that it was Green Day’s dedication to its craft that drove the band to the top of the scene and out into the world. Green Day was not going to turn down opportunities to take its music global, but what message would it lead with?

    Rather than taking on the politics of the time, Green Day’s Dookie instead examines the politics of standing up for yourself when everything around you seems to be pulling you down.

    Starting with the cover, the band’s title explodes out of a world being attacked by dogs, bombing the city with, well, dookie. In the middle of the city, with towers on the right and smokestacks on the left, is a crowd of colorful characters —though more seem inclined to take advantage of one another in this raid than dealing with the dookie. All the while, a God-like figure smiles down from the corner, giving His OK to everything he sees.

    Out of that world depicted on the cover, Green Day starts Dookie with “Burnout,” opening with a literal declaration: “I declare I don’t care no more.”

    That’s not exactly a surprise coming from the slackers passing a joint and hanging out on the street we see in the CD insert, but after all of this, there is surely more going on when making such a declaration is a matter of life or death

    Scribed out in scratchy boxes with sketches of life on the outskirts, the lyrics coming from one who “drive[s] along these shit town lights” tie the idea of burning out together with the resignation of “stepp[ing] in line to walk amongst the dead” and “throw[ing] my emotions in the grave.”

    Throughout Dookie, Green Day questions the declaration to stand for nothing and find exactly where the band stands in a society stuck in a cycle of senseless systems.

    “Having A Blast” and “Chump” would openly object to these systems with the former “mow[ing] down any bullshit that confronts you” and the latter rejecting the “magic man, egocentric plastic man.”

    Other songs would embrace it. “Longview” portrays masturbation as the preferable option to leaving the house and the orgasm as the gateway to “paradise,” but when “masturbation’s lost its fun, you’re fucking lonely.” Note that it is loneliness, not empowerment, the speaker feels upon realizing that their self-indulgent pastimes are no longer fun. Now that “paradise” can no longer be found in the act of self-pleasure, it has to be located somewhere else.

    “Welcome to Paradise,” the very next song after this realization, is the first instance we hear the speaker take a stand for something, and that something is personal freedom. This is freedom not just from their parents, as seen in the transition from “whining” to “laughing” to his mother as time passes after leaving home. It’s also the freedom to make a new start in a “wasteland” filled with “cracked streets and broken homes.”

    The album’s latter half is filled with portraits of the characters who populate this “wasteland,” and each time you see the speaker championing those who break out of the systems they are trapped in and sorrow for those who give into those systems.

    In “She,” we hear the speaker praise the song’s unnamed heroine for “figur[ing] out that all her doubts were someone else’s point of view” and “smash[ing] the silence with the brick of self-control.” Set against the silent self-indulgence of “Longview,” here speaking out with “self-control” is the key to breaking free from being “locked up in a world that’s been planned out for you” and “feeling like a social tool without a use.”

    We see this dynamic again in “Coming Clean,” only this time, “[finding] out what it takes to be a man” means “coming clean for the first time,” confessing one’s secrets and desires to Mom and Dad and finding one’s own path.

    On the contrary, there is a profound sadness to “Pulling Teeth” as we hear from a man stuck in an abusive relationship with a woman, convinced that she really does love and care for him deep down. Recognizing, “Oh God, she’s killin’ me,” the speaker aligns this cycle of abuse with the same death that awaits the speaker of “Burnout” should they step in line.

    “Emenius Sleepus” presents us with a speaker meeting with an old friend who is sad to see what has become of him, asking, “What have you done with all your time? And what went wrong?” Questioning what his friend has done with all their time calls to mind the wasted time we see in “Longview,” especially when the speaker tells us, “It wasn’t long ago that I was just like you.” While it is unclear what went wrong, it is clear that the speaker is seeing that the way he used to be was wrong — idle, self-indulgent, a burnout.

    Rather than being an album that embodies all that stoner humor and malaise, Dookie pushes against it, asking at every turn, “Is this who we really want to be?”

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    On its surface, “Sassafras Roots” seems like a cute little romance about “smoking cigarettes, wasting your time,” but take another look at how the speaker describes himself: “I’m just a parasite wasting your time, applying myself to wasting your time.” And it is this parasitic complacency that is ultimately rejected by the speaker of “In The End”:  “Someone to look good with and light your cigarette, is this what you really want?”

    That same parasitic complacency can also be seen in “When I Come Around” as the smug “loser” and “user” speaker chides the person he is addressing for worrying about his whereabouts. In a moment of clarity, the speaker advises the addressee to get out of the cycle that brings them so much sadness: “Go do what you like. Make sure you do it wise,” adding that if the relationship causes this much “self-doubt” it “means nothing was ever there” and “it’s just not right” no matter how much you force it, no matter how many times they show up when the speaker “come[s] around.”

    “In The End” appears to show us that moment of realization: “I figured out what you’re all about, and I don’t think I like what I see. So, I hope I won’t be there in the end if you come around.” Being trapped in a cycle — a job just to have a job, a toxic relationship, addiction — it all leads to a loss of self.

    The speaker of “Basket Case” is brought to the brink of insanity by the loss of self. Going to see a shrink and then a whore, this “melodramatic fool” seeks but never finds the answers to his existential angst in sex or psychiatric institutions because he is too paranoid or stoned to do anything but whine about his problems to anyone who has the time to listen.

    By contrast, the speaker of “F.O.D.,” who is “stuck down in rut of dis-logic and smut” and done with all the two-faced people, ultimately finds peace in “blast[ing] it all to hell.” The reason given: “You’re just a fuck. I can’t explain it ’cause I think you suck.”

    It would be easy to write this off as mere adolescent defiance, but as the album’s heaviest and most powerful chorus, it gets to the core of what Dookie has been exploring through 15 songs. You may not be able to even say what it is that’s bringing you down, but whining about “nothing and everything all at once” does nothing. If you think it sucks, you need to tell it to “fuck off and die.” Death is, as we know from the album’s first song, reserved for those who burn out and step in line.

    Dookie is just the beginning of this story. After focusing on Dookie’s lyrics rather than its creators or their intentions, it is worth noting here that its creators were only 22 when the album came out and were breaking out of a scene that had become all too content to congratulate itself for becoming so insular.

    At the time, standing up and standing out was enough. It would take Green Day another 10 years to figure out what it stood for in American Idiot and another 30 years to figure out what standing for it looked and felt like in ‘SAVIORS’.

    As a nod to Dookie‘s secret song, we’ll close with a non sequitur: “All By Myself,” is the perfect way to end this album. After such a serious look at where they stand in relation to the complacency that surrounds them, these East Bay punks just couldn’t help but sneak in one last masturbation joke. There are, after all, two definitions of paradise presented in this album.



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    David Fletcher

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  • Happy Mediums: 10 North Texas Artists to Watch in 2024

    Happy Mediums: 10 North Texas Artists to Watch in 2024

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    Like all things in life, the North Texas art world is endlessly cyclical. For one year that overflows with local talent, there’s another when artists on the rise seemingly flock to the coasts in droves.

    In 2024, we are most definitely on an upswing, with fresh new spaces, brilliant curators and ambitious creators showing or making a wide range of innovative, thought-provoking work. Coming from wildly varied practices, aesthetics and career levels, these 10 artists are having a moment when their work deserves a deeper look.

    Sheryl Anaya

    From Catholicism to culinary pursuits, Fort Worth artist Sheryl Anaya takes on a smorgasbord of thematic delights in her work, most recently “Absurd Appetites (Table for Two)” at Cluley Projects.

    A mix of pine, steel, thrifted work shirts, glazed ceramics, eggs and pastries (among other materials), the piece grew out of Anaya’s recent Texas Christian University thesis exhibition, Let Things Taste of What They Are, with a rather unusual jumping off point.

    “The whole project came about when I heard the story of Saint Agatha and this byline in history of her breasts being removed simply because she didn’t want to be with this Roman governor,” she says. “Then I discovered that Sicilian pastry chefs were honoring her by baking this really delicate pastry that looked like boobs. It was just so bizarre to me, so I started doing all this research about all the ways she was depicted in paintings,”

    This led to her concept of the consumption of women’s bodies and the laborious elements of women’s work. Anaya deconstructed men’s tailored shirts into a quilted patchwork tablecloth, crocheted darling dickies for fruit and crafted ceramic place settings and cutlery. She will use ceramic elements for collectors to replace the perishable food in the current installation.

    Recalling the legendary Judy Chicago’s feminist “The Dinner Party,” the exhibition will be on view through Feb. 10, whetting viewer’s appetite for Anaya’s future work, including the larger tablescape’s reappearance at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center later in 2024.

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    Painting is definitely not dead in the hands of Jon Ashcraft.

    Jon Ashcraft

    Jon Ashcraft

    His Insta handle may be @paintingisded, but in Jon Ashcraft’s hands, it’s anything but. Both surreal and instinctive, Ashcraft’s portraits are a little Schiele and a little Ren and Stimpy.

    “A lot of things influence me, from cartoons I grew up on, like Sonic the Hedgehog,” Ashcraft says. “I have other musical interests, like Skinny Puppy and Velvet Acid Christ — which is a weird dark electronic band — and watching horror movies. Then, I add my emotional state. When people hear that, they think the connotations are negative, but it’s this whole idea being influenced by many outside forces and everything converging inside me. When it comes out on the canvas, it’s visceral and raw.”

    Ashcraft imbues his thick layers of paint with the tonality of human flesh, whether his subject is kiddie TV host Mr. Peppermint’s puppet sidekick, Muffin, or an intense self-portrait. While developing his own “energetic, emotional take” on visual language, he may draw equally from Flemish painting and Looney Tunes. But ultimately, the source of true inspiration comes from inside. With participation in group shows at the MAC, Ro2 Gallery, PRP Galley and Forth Worth Contemporary Arts, Ashcraft’s primary goal is to ensure that “portraiture is not dead.”

    He adds, “There are plenty of artists such as myself that find the psychological and ephemeral aspect of portraiture and the analog nature of it to be so interesting and so human and much more akin to how we explain the mythos and stories within humanity as opposed to how technology strips that away from us.”

    Hannah Baskin is a performance artist we’re excited about this year.

    Hannah Baskin

    Hannah Baskin

    Evolving from figurative work to “random social experiments,” emerging interdisciplinary artist Hannah Baskin eventually discovered a passion for representing the depth of the human experience via performance art.

    A graduate of the University of North Texas, she has already graced the halls of institutions such as the Dallas Contemporary and 500x with work that uses eggs, yarn, blood, mud, candles and fire. Although she is also adept in sculpture and painting, it is in her performances that Baskin is likely to find her most impactful and enduring legacy.

    “I found it was easy to translate what was in my mind with performance art,” she says. “It felt raw, and it was more about expressing a deep emotion, and it doesn’t matter if it made sense. I found it was easy to express certain complexities within myself in a way I was proud of. Sometimes they start as a joke, but then I realize I’m communicating something really deep.”

    For example, this former pastor’s kid staged a moment where she walked through dark water in a pristine gallery clad in a white gown to reference the idea of “not know if your soul is good or bad, but know it’s still OK either way.”

    Currently fundraising so she can attend the Royal College in London for her master’s degree, Baskin is anticipating a 24-hour performance in a TBD Tin District building later this year.

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    Alicia Eggert has a strong message as an artist.

    Ryan Strand Greenberg

    Alicia Eggert

    An associate professor of Studio Art at the University of North Texas, activist artist Alicia Eggert has exhibited her impactful neon sculptures everywhere, from the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the Nasher Sculpture Center.

    Never one to shy away from a definitive statement, her pieces encourage introspection and reflection via texts repurposed from Plato, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and The Whole Earth Catalogue, among other disparate sources.

    Trained in the craft program at Alfred University in upstate New York, Eggert was initially drawn to neon as a material because of its “magical properties.”

    “It’s just this tube of glass filled with gas that glows when electrified,” she says. “It’s very much a combination of science and art, which is underlying all the work I do — that intersection between science, art and philosophy.”

    Collaborating with contractors, she draws the pattern for what she wants to communicate before having a bender craft her text. Afterward, she handles the remaining fabrication, electrical work and installation herself.

    Although Eggert’s pieces are never less than thought-provoking, they can also be whimsical and sweet, such as “You Are Magic,” an inflatable sculpture commissioned for Virginia’s Arlington Art Truck program. Activated when two people touch the piece’s sensors and hold hands, the piece inspires wonder wherever it travels.

    By focusing on site-specific pieces in her practice, Eggert says she is “about thinking about my place in the world and the role I play in it. My work is still very much existential, but more and more of my practice is tackling societal questions, social justice and climate change. I think we’re having a societal-level existential crisis, and collectively, we have a lot of anxiety around time and our existence. But naturally, I’m a very optimistic person, and my work takes this optimistic viewpoint.”

    Next up for Eggert is a solo show in April at the Art Museum of Southwest Texas, a three-person show during the Art Fair at Site 131 in Dallas and her installation of “Ours” (in collaboration with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America), which will travel to the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft this fall.

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    Rachel Henson is not afraid to get weird in her art. The result is pure sophistication.

    Rachel Henson

    Rachael Henson

    Material is the method in the hands of Rachael Henson, who indulges most of the five senses to craft her Cronenbergian sculptures. Her most recent site-specific piece for last fall’s independent Chateau show at the historic Aldredge House on Swiss Avenue featured a silicone spine perched on a radiator in the upstairs bathroom, adorned with a fragrance blend reminiscent of clean cotton, iron, milk and fungus to recall the smell of an elderly care facility or morgue.

    In other words, Henson is NOT afraid to get weird, and her embrace of everything from silicone to scent to saliva as material reinforces the inherent humanity of the artist and the viewer in all its body horror glory.

    “When I make these works, I like things that mimic the body but aren’t,” she says. “It makes me feel a little bit human if that makes sense, so I think that’s where it comes from. In this modern world, everything is very transient. Images pop up, and they disappear, so it’s good to be present in our bodies to feel things and sit with them,”

    A graduate of the University of Texas Austin’s fine arts program, Henson is looking into grad schools as she shows in community spaces such as the MAC and Arts Fort Worth. Her investigation of the underlying rot beneath a glamorous surface assures this 27-year-old will have a bright (if occasionally grody) body of work worth paying attention to.

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    Doug Land is inspired by the best of nature.

    Doug Land

    Doug Land

    Many artists pay lip service to humanity’s abandonment of the natural world, but the multidisciplinary Doug Land puts his money where his mouth is. As a gardener and artist, Land creates installations inside and outside the gallery walls that highlight natural materials (and the occasional insect).

    The painter and sculptor, who proclaims on his website that he was “bitten by a gnome and turned into a tree,” grew up in Cedar Hill before attending the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). His time working as a museum guard at the Dallas Museum of Art and for gallerist Cris Worley gave him a 360-degree view of the art industry.

    Once Land returned to Cedar Hill, he spent time exploring the adjacent state park, which gave him the idea of “this heavy environmental look or looking at the world through the lens of gardening and trying to protect it through that lens.”

    He makes his finishes and materials with his husband, including growing cotton, flax and indigo for future projects. As he became successful enough in his side hustle as a gardener, he has also shown work at the University of Texas at Dallas’ SP/N Gallery and Cluley Projects without troubling himself with sales.

    “It changed my perspective of why and who I make art for,” he says. “At SCAD, they trained us to make very commercial art, so it’s been nice to unpack making art for myself and ask, ‘What does that mean?’ It allows me to get more philosophical with stuff.”

    Next up on his artistic wish list? Designing an entire park environment that blends landscape and sculptural design.

    Danié Gómez Ortigoza uses hair as a medium and a theme in her work.

    Danié Gómez Ortigoza

    Danié Gómez Ortigoza

    There’s more than hair apparent in the work of Danie Gomez Ortigoza. The Miami- and Dallas-based artist has built a thought-provoking body of performances based on her Latin heritage under the name Journey of a Braid. This entrepreneur had been a Disney TV host, a marketing director and Glamour Mexico correspondent when she landed on the methodology that referenced one of her tenderest childhood memories.

    “My grandmother was a very empowered woman and had her own business, but she gave that up when she married and cut her hair,” Gomez Ortigoza says. “She saved her braid and had it in this velvet textile and cherished it as something precious.”

    Raised by an indigenous nanny in Mexico, Gómez Ortigoza was fascinated by her braiding skills, even though “most people would look down on [the traditional hairstyle], which was strange to me because the woman who braided my hair opened her heart to me.”

    While living in Stockholm as an adult, she was asked to assemble a delegation of Mexican women for a conference. During the experience, she was asked to braid the women’s hair; in the process, she learned about their hopes and struggles. By the time she moved to Miami, she was organizing performances that created circles via ribbons and hair, turning a private ritual into a decisive healing moment that she documented through photography.

    “I don’t know if you’ve braided another woman’s hair, but there’s this point of communication of the vulnerability for someone to touch that part of your body,” she says. “Our hair is like our antenna. We decided at some point to use it as an aesthetic element, but I’ve discovered there’s so much more meaning.”

    Having already performed at Art Basel, the Dallas Contemporary and Vignette Art Fair, Gomez Ortigoza is involved with a 2024 workshop for the executive leadership community YPO, as well as providing creative consulting for the opening of the “Surrealism and Us” exhibit in March at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

    By continuing to braid elements of the “past, present, the future, the ego, the id and the superego, the mind, and body and spirit, every performance is different,” she says of her work. “There are a lot of things that divide us, but we need things to tie us together. There’s always a space for hope, and we need that so desperately. It’s the invisible thread that binds us together.”

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    Kris Pierce takes inspiration from 1950s and ’60s iconography.

    Kris Pierce

    Kris Pierce

    The future and the past both interest multimedia artist Kris Pierce, who traffics in envelope-pushing “metahuman” work alongside paintings that draw heavily on Mad Men-era iconography.

    Going from live data streams to sculptures and canvases that look like they were created in the 1950s is an intense throughline, but for Pierce, it’s just a way for him to reclaim history via the archetypes of individualism.

    “A lot of my work includes things related to tech coding or game engines or anything that feels new and fresh,” Pierce says. “I’m using a lot of generative tech and artificial intelligence, taking these different types of media and collapsing them into single works of art to explore what do these things mean from our past and how do we bring in our own bias?”

    Pierce prefers imagery from “blue” comics of the ’60s and ’70s for their “heavy chauvinistic” context, taking classical cartoons of the successful businessman archetype and ornamenting them with affirmational stickers with messages like “Job Well Done.” By connecting constructions for power from the past to the future, Pierce creates a pleasing aesthetic that pings the viewer’s nostalgia centers while engaging our modern short-attention-span imaginations.

    Pierce has shown everywhere from the Dallas Museum of Art to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and is pouring “everything” into his solo show, Applause, opening Feb. 17 at Keijsers Koning Gallery in Dallas. To paraphrase David Bowie, wherever he’s going from here, it certainly won’t be boring.

    click to enlarge

    You might’ve seen Alex Revier’s work at Meow Wolf. There is much more to come.

    Alex Revier

    Alex Revier

    Visitors to Meow Wolf’s newest portal at Grapevine Mills Mall can’t help but be enchanted by Alex Revier’s maximalist mural, “The Tropic of Prancer.” With floating phone books framed by his signature quirky human/animal hybrids, the piece comments on dying technology in the most colorful, optimistic way.

    The artist’s daily walk through the Grapevine Mills parking lot also inspired the jumping-off point for a recent Ro2 solo show titled Gentle Persuasion: A Study of Splatter. Revier’s cast of characters cavort and scrap across his splashy canvases, if only to make the viewer long for an animated show that builds on their exploits.

    Revier is a fan of synchronicity and absurdity alike. According to him, “a lot of things just fall into my lap,” from getting a call from a Meow curator as he was driving through the organization’s home state of New Mexico to being able to fit into a vintage suit he discovered when it was time to dress up for his artist talk.

    This spring, he is planning “3-D in a weird way, with work based on cutout panels” while also executing a mural for a wall of Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios in Denton. All of which will undoubtedly portray more of the quirky creatures that possess the artist’s lanky form.

    “I think I paint or draw things that remind me of myself,” he says with a laugh.

    click to enlarge

    Caroline Zurmely paints glam faces from the past with glossy nail polish.

    Caroline Zurmely

    Caroline Zurmely

    Sometimes, it’s the materials an artist uses that blow your mind. To wit — Caroline Zurmely’s delicate portraits, which are intricately painted with glossy, glorious nail polish.

    What started as a “COVID project” that drew on Zurmely’s childhood love of enamel paint pens soon became polished canvases that “would bubble and bleed, but also have this weird bathroom thing going on,” she says.

    The artist’s “aha moment” turned into a serious Essie addiction, a brand she chose for its “great range of neutrals and colors that can be used for skin tones” (and its easy availability in CVS, Target or Walgreens). Zurmely found that her source materials also assured each painting would look shiny and polished when photographed, yet perfectly imperfect with bubbles and textures when viewed up close.

    Leaning into recognizable people such as Princess Diana, Sharon Tate and Marilyn Monroe, among others, Zurmely focused on tabloid photography or famous faces to “help the viewer understand what they’re looking at.”

    “Hopefully, you like just the way it looks or if it brings back a memory or you have some kind of past or story connected to it,” she says. “But it’s not dependent on you having to know [what the image is], and if you don’t know it doesn’t matter. I’ll mix in my own photos and things I’ve saved from my camera roll.”

    As she perfected her process during the pandemic, the artist also found she no longer needed to be in New York, Los Angeles or London to sell her work. This year will bring a solo exhibition in Rome.

    Zurmely may not currently exhibit work in her hometown, but her practice is so enchanting that the art world will undoubtedly come to her. Her saturated paintings give the same dreamy, girlie vibes as a Sofia Coppola film, assuring that she’ll be stocking up on plenty of bottles of “Bare With Me” and “Forever Yummy” for years to come.



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    Kendall Morgan

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  • Café Momentum Is Headed to the Super Bowl

    Café Momentum Is Headed to the Super Bowl

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    Founded by award-winning chef Chad Houser in 2015, Dallas’ Cafe Momentum is highly acclaimed in part for its fine dining, but more importantly for its nonprofit element. The downtown restaurant offers a unique paid internship program for at-risk youth who have been involved in the juvenile justice system.

    Through culinary and life-skills training, case management, mental health assistance and educational and employment opportunities, Cafe Momentum’s objective is to empower interns and improve the quality and trajectory of their lives.

    Fewer than 6% of juvenile arrests in Texas are for serious offenses, and 59% are for nonviolent offenses. Even so, Houser says, society has labeled this population of our country’s youth as “throwaways.”

    At Café Momentum, they’re given a platform to gain confidence and leadership skills, and both the front and back of the
    house are led almost exclusively by the interns. Each year the restaurant and program reaches between 60 and 80 young people.

    For the fourth year, through the Stand Together Foundation, Cafe Momentum is taking its interns to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

    The opportunity to be at such a large-scale event is life-changing and, most importantly, allows the interns to share the story of a program that has shown promising results. Cafe Momentum has been expanding to new cities recently and has hopes to grow more.

    “They [the interns] gain an incredible sense of accomplishment and confidence by sharing these stories with people who can help create change not just for our ambassadors and interns, but for all young people that have experienced juvenile justice involvement,” Houser says.

    Dhani Jones, a former NFL athlete, entrepreneur and Stand Together ambassador, agrees.

    “Being at the Super Bowl is an opportunity to showcase how Café Momentum and Stand Together are shifting the narrative around the juvenile justice system,” Jones says. “Their success underscores the need for every community to reimagine the justice system in a way that allows our youth to be empowered.”
    Many athletes have faced and overcome adversity and have gone on to become advocates for mental health. With such a large audience consuming sports media, athletes have gained considerable influence, and for many, they are seen as powerful role models. Their careers have provided them with an extensive social reach that allows them to positively affect the lives of others and bring about meaningful change.

    Momentum ambassador Kenzo Sohoue is a former intern who experienced that change.

    “The organization has influenced my life by giving me an opportunity, while I was still incarcerated, to be a part of the 2019 pop-up dinner during the NFL Super Bowl,” Sohoue says. “But more importantly, get a taste of freedom and showing me that I was much better than my current circumstance.”

    On Wednesday, Feb. 7, and Thursday, Feb. 8, Café Momentum will host a pop-up lunch at Super Bowl LVIII’s Radio Row to allow members of the media to experience the impact of both organizations.

    Lunch will take place at Radio Row, Mandalay Bay Convention Resort, Level 1, Bayside B. Café Momentum’s booth is catty-corner from Fan Duel and Sirius XM. Lunch will be available for pick-up and served by ambassadors between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on both Feb. 7 and Feb. 8. Attendees can follow this link to pre-order boxed-style lunches. Please place your order by Jan. 31 to guarantee availability.

    Available for interviews on-site will be:

    • Chad Houser, Renowned Chef, Founder, CEO of Café Momentum and Momentum Advisory Collective
    • Shaun Alexander, NFL Legend, Stand Together ambassador, Award-Winning Author, Players Coalition Member
    • Dhani Jones, Former NFL Linebacker, Entrepreneur, and Stand Together ambassador
    • Momentum ambassadors (former Café Momentum interns)

    This event is reserved for media members and credentialed NFL Media Center and Radio Row attendees. RSVP and request information or interviews by contacting Ashleigh Wayland at [email protected].

    If you or someone you know could benefit from Cafe Momentum’s program, internship applications can be submitted here.



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    Danielle Beller

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  • 12 Prettiest Places to Eat and Drink in Dallas

    12 Prettiest Places to Eat and Drink in Dallas

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    As anyone who has ever been out to eat in their lives can tell you, atmosphere in a restaurant is a big deal. The right lighting and decor not only can make or break a restaurant but it can set the entire tone for what people believe that restaurant is for. It can make the difference between a restaurant being viewed as an intimate setting for a date or as a casual spot to simply hang out with friends. No matter what the occasion, many people want to dine in a space they believe to be pretty.

    We realize that “pretty” is subjective. We also don’t believe “pretty” is synonymous with “fancy.” This list is dedicated to restaurants we believe had a distinct or unique vision that was executed in a visually appealing way. From the dark and moody to the ornate and luxurious, there’s a type of “pretty” here for everyone.

    click to enlarge

    Ayahuasca feels moody and dangerous. But like, in a fun way.

    Lauren Drewes Daniels

    Ayahuasca

    334 Jefferson Blvd.

    This hidden gem located inside Xaman Cafe in Oak Cliff is easily the moodiest addition to this list. Dimly lit and relying largely on candlelight (some of which offer an amazing scent), the atmosphere in Ayahuasca feels both not of this time and a little bit dangerous, almost like a setting in an old movie. All the black and white artwork is procured from Mexico. It’s obscure and elusive, sexy and relaxing.

    click to enlarge the dining room at brass ram in dallas.

    Brass Ram offers a masculine aesthetic with delicate accents to go with its prime rib dinners. Plus there’s a private dining room dedicated to Marilyn Monroe.

    Kathy Tran

    Brass Ram

    2130 Commerce St.

    Our restaurant critic, Chris Wolfgang, had this to say after dining at Brass Ram: “Opulent doesn’t do the space justice. Every table is a leather-bound booth for six, and mid-century light fixtures with Edison-style bulbs provide just enough warm light over each table. (…) While taking in all of the eye candy, it’s fair to wonder if your credit score is good enough to partake in a meal.” Sure it is, we say. If you have a slew of Mad Men-esque cronies, pop for the private dining room bathed in Marilyn Monroe art. But make no mistake, there’s not an unrefined seat in the house.

    click to enlarge the view of the dallas skyline from crown block in dallas.

    Sit in the skyline at Crown Block.

    Lauren Drewes Daniels

    Crown Block

    300 Reunion Blvd.

    Atop the Reunion Tower is a giant sparkling ball, a key characteristic of Dallas’ skyline. Inside is a restaurant, Crown Block, which opened in 2023. Polished hardwood floors and plush blue seating make a wide ring around the restaurant — every table has a window view and just about any time of day, the vistas are spectacular. An open seafood bar and dessert bar, plus a large glass exposed wine vault, add to the aesthetics here. If you go, don’t pass on the macaroni and cheese waffles.

    click to enlarge the garden at dolce riviera's in Dallas

    Dolce Riviera’s fake tree-lined outdoor space.

    Kathy Tran

    Dolce Riviera

    2950 N. Harwood St., No. 115

    Dolce Riviera has a laidback and nostalgic feel to it and utilizes a clean and calming blue and white color palette throughout. The greenery-filled patio feels like an oasis despite being directly adjacent to the street. The seating is decked out in white linen and pillows that always look pristine despite their constant proximity to red pasta sauce. All in all, Dolce Riviera looks like the nicest, cleanest European resort you ever stayed in has been adapted into an Italian restaurant.

    Dragonfly

    2332 Leonard St.

    Inside the Hotel Zaza, Dragonfly is something of a spectacle. Lights dangle from the ceiling reflecting off the mirror behind the bar, making the room appear even brighter. Every possible surface is covered in art, including eye-catching vintage portraits in the lounge area in front of the bar. The space strikes a balance between being high-end and whimsical.

    The French Room
    1321 Commerce St.
     Inside the historic Adolphus Hotel, The French Room is the very image its name evokes: period European luxury fit for Versailles. Marble floors, gilded chairs and ornate details from the floor to the ceiling will make you feel like Marie Antoinette, a character from The Gilded Age or a little of both. For the full effect, we recommend making a reservation for afternoon tea.

    click to enlarge angnolotti with ricotta kissed with lemon and served in a hazelnut brown butter sauce at Georgie dallas

    Georgie’s dining is elegant, as is the angnolotti with ricotta kissed with lemon and served in a hazelnut brown butter sauce.

    Alison McLean

    Georgie

    4514 Travis St., No. 132

    For anyone looking to live out their midcentury retro dreams, a reservation at Georgie is a must. The swooping architecture and warm tones feel straight out of an old movie or an episode of Mad Men. We would say they don’t make them like this anymore, except that Georgie clearly does.

    click to enlarge Mister Charles is a stylish, classy dining room.

    The stylish, classy and exclusive Mister Charles.

    Douglas Friedman

    Mister Charles

    3219 Knox St., No. 170

    This new Highland Park favorite is dripping with luxury: marble checkerboard floors, ornate chandeliers and towering 40-foot ceilings. Mister Charles serves high-end French and Italian cuisine, but the restaurant is the kind of space where they could serve cafeteria-caliber hot dogs and milk cartons and you’d still feel like royalty.

    Regines Lounge

    4152 Cole Ave., No. 106

    An extension of Maison Chinoise, a French-Chinese fusion spot that opened last year, Regines is a speakeasy-style lounge that oozes vintage glamour. The space generally utilizes low lighting, making the areas that are lit seem to glow, particularly the curved ceilings surrounding a stage that hosts live music. Patrons can live out their flapper fantasies with zero chance of a prohibition-era police raid spoiling the fun.

    Rise Souffle

    5360 W. Lovers Lane, No. 220

    Rise brings some French charm to Dallas and makes customers feel like they’re in a romantic movie like Amelie. The twinkling lights, quirky decorative details and unique ability to make every table in the restaurant feel cozy and intimate make this an ideal destination for date nights like anniversaries or Valentine’s Day.

    click to enlarge The greenhouse at Sixty Vines

    There are several areas to sit at Sixty Vines (including a wine bar), but the greenhouse is loveliest.

    Sixty Vines

    Sixty Vines

    500 Crescent Court, No. 160

    There’s not a bad seat in the house at Sixty Vines, but the greenhouse dining area is easily the best. With its abundance of trees and greenery, this glass-enclosed space with a retractable roof combines the light and cool climate of a patio with the quiet and comfort of an indoor dining room. Seating in the indoor lounge has an equally light and airy atmosphere, with the greenery paired with rich, warm-toned furniture.

    click to enlarge Town hearth's dining room with many chandeliers and one yellow submarine.

    Town Hearth’s flock of chandeliers is just one element that makes it an exceptional dining spot.

    Kathy Tran

    Town Hearth

    1617 Market Center Blvd.

    If over-the-top opulence is the look you’re going for, welcome home, dahling. This is the Moira Rose of dining rooms. At the very least, Town Hearth should get points for originality. Its distinct decor offers a vintage sports car, an aquarium that houses a Beatles-esque yellow submarine and a fleet of 64 sparkling chandeliers. This may seem like a little much on paper, but the in-person effect is dazzling. Be sure to visit the bathrooms too. 



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    Carly May Gravley

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  • Smoke rising from home was steam generated by thousands of pot plants, Maine cops say

    Smoke rising from home was steam generated by thousands of pot plants, Maine cops say

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    A search warrant revealed “approximately 2,500 marijuana plants” inside the home, Maine officials say.

    A search warrant revealed “approximately 2,500 marijuana plants” inside the home, Maine officials say.

    Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office photo

    A concerned citizen’s report of smoke at a home in southern Maine turned awkward when firefighters discovered it was steam generated by thousands of marijuana plants.

    Closer inspection revealed the single-family home was being used as a massive pot farm, with an estimated 2,500 plants lined up under specialized gardening fixtures, photos show.

    That comes to nearly one marijuana plant per square foot, based on Realtor.com records.

    The discovery was made around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31, at a home on Auburn Road in Turner, officials said. Turner is about 105 miles southwest of Bangor.

    Investigators say a caller “reported seeing smoke coming out of the eves of the garage,” the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

    “A deputy arrived on scene along with Turner Fire-Rescue personnel and upon investigating it was determined that the smoke the citizen saw was actually steam generated from a large quantity of marijuana plants growing inside the residence,” the sheriff’s office said.

    “It was initially estimated that there were approximately 500 marijuana plants as well as items related to the growing of marijuana including grow lights, chemical fertilizers, dehumidifiers, and propane heaters were seen.”

    A search warrant raised that estimate to 2,500 plants, officials said.

    There is no record of a marijuana operation license for the site, “or any license issued to the homeowner who is from Massachusetts,” the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy told investigators.

    The plants were seized by deputies, and investigators are looking into whether the operation might be related to similar “illegal marijuana grows” found in Lincoln, Kennebec and Somerset counties, officials said.

    The four-bedroom home is 3,244 square feet and was built in 1890 on a lot that is just over half an acre, Realtor.com reports.

    Mark Price is a National Reporter for McClatchy News. He joined the network of newspapers in 1991 at The Charlotte Observer, covering beats including schools, crime, immigration, LGBTQ issues, homelessness and nonprofits. He graduated from the University of Memphis with majors in journalism and art history, and a minor in geology.

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  • Italian mafia boss who escaped maximum security prison using bed sheets last year is captured on French island

    Italian mafia boss who escaped maximum security prison using bed sheets last year is captured on French island

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    A boss from one of most Italy’s most violent mafias who escaped from a maximum security prison last year by using bed sheets has been captured in France, authorities in both countries said Friday.

    Marco Raduano, described as “dangerous” on Europol’s list of Europe’s most wanted criminals, was detained in Bastia on the French island of Corsica.

    He had escaped from a heavily secured prison in Nuoro, Sardinia, in February 2023, using sheets to scale down the walls. The escape was captured on surveillance footage and shared widely on social media. In the video, Raduano can be seen dangling from the sheets before jumping to the ground and running away.

    His “right-hand man,” Gianluigi Troiano, was also picked up near Granada in Spain, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said, in what he described as “another major blow against organized crime.”

    Raduano, 40, is the boss of the rural Gargano clan operating within a young and little-known organised crime syndicate in Foggia, in the southern Italian region of Puglia, known as the Fourth Mafia.

    He had been serving a 24-year prison sentence for membership of a criminal organization, drug trafficking, holding illegal weapons and other crimes, according to Europol.

    Europol said he was “at the top” of his criminal organization, “with the role of promoter, organizer and ruthless killer of the group dedicated to the perpetration of murders, drug trafficking and management of the extortion racket”, it said.

    His escape was hugely embarrassing for Italian authorities and underscored the power of the Fourth Mafia, today considered Italy’s most violent organized crime syndicate.

    Less sophisticated than the wealthy ‘Ndrangheta, the Naples-based Camorra or Sicily’s Cosa Nostra, the Foggia clans rely on extortions, bombings and threats to extort locals even as they engage in drug trafficking, armed robberies and vehicle and livestock theft.

    Raduano’s capture comes about a year after authorities arrested Italy’s most-wanted fugitive, taking mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro into custody after a 30-year manhunt. In September, Messina Denaro died in a hospital prison ward.


    Italian police capture mafia boss after 30 years on the run

    02:52



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  • Groundhog Day 2024: Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?

    Groundhog Day 2024: Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?

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    According to folklore, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter.

    PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town early Friday morning will predict either six more weeks of winter or an early spring during the annual Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

    Thousands of people are expected to gather Friday at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summon him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow or not. Phil makes his prognostication around 7:28 a.m. Eastern Time.

    What does it mean when the groundhog sees his shadow?

    According to folklore, if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring comes early.

    The “inner circle” is a group of local dignitaries who are responsible for planning the events, as well as feeding and caring for Phil himself.

    The annual event in Punxsutawney, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, originated from a German legend about a furry rodent. 

    RELATED: Thousands expected to turn out to see Punxsutawney Phil predict the end of winter

    How often has Punxsutawney Phil been right?

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year compared Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast to the national weather over the past decade and found “on average, Phil has gotten it right 40% of the time.” Going back all the way to his first prediction in 1887, he’s been right only 39% of the time, according to an analysis from Stormfax Weather Almanac. 

    Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter more than 100 times. Ten years were lost because no records were kept, organizers previously said.

    The last time Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow was in 2020, and before that in 2019, offering a back-to-back dose of his rare early spring prediction.

    RELATED: PETA offers unconventional replacement for Groundhog Day’s Punxsutawney Phil

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  • Referendum explanation added to Luzerne County mail ballot packets | Dallas Post

    Referendum explanation added to Luzerne County mail ballot packets | Dallas Post

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    As long as the state says it’s OK, Luzerne County primary election mail ballot voters will receive a “plain English” statement to help them understand a referendum asking if they want to convene a government study commission, a county election board majority decided Thursday.

    Election Board Chairwoman Denise Williams said the inclusion of the three-paragraph statement in mail ballot packets will ensure those voters have the same access to information as those voting at the polls.

    Three copies of the statement must be posted at each polling place in the April 23 primary, and it also must appear in the published election notice.

    County voters will simultaneously decide if they want to convene a commission and choose seven citizens to serve on the panel. The selected seven would only serve if the referendum passes.

    If a commission is activated, the panel must examine the county’s current home rule structure that took effect in 2012 and decide if it wants to prepare and recommend changes. The commission would be free to recommend alterations to the existing charter, an entirely new charter or a return to the prior state code system in which three elected commissioners and multiple row officers handled decisions that now rest with an 11-member council and appointed manager. Voters must approve any recommended change for it to take effect.

    Board member Alyssa Fusaro voted against inclusion of the statement in the mail ballot packet, predicting some voters will be confused and mistakenly write yes or no on the explanation sheet instead of making the selection on the ballot, preventing that choice from being counted.

    Board member Albert Schlosser said wording should be added at the top of the statement making it clear it is an explanation only. Williams also noted there won’t be any lines or prompts after the statement that could make voters think they are supposed to mark a selection there.

    The board agreed to approve the statement header at its next meeting later this month.

    Board members Williams, Schlosser and Daniel Schramm voted to include the statement in the mail packets. Fusaro was the lone no vote. Board member Rick Morelli participated in part of the meeting but not that vote due to his work travel.

    County Assistant Solicitor Gene Molino advised the board to seek a variance with the Pennsylvania Department of State to ensure the county has official clearance to add an explanation to mail ballot packets. The board made its approval conditional pending a decision on the state variance.

    County Election Director Eryn Harvey estimated the statement addition in mail packets could cost approximately $5,700 based on the count of 47,600 mail ballots that were issued in the last presidential primary election in 2020. She stressed this ballot count can end up higher or lower. Mail ballot participation was encouraged in the 2020 primary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Funding for the expense is available in the county’s state Election Integrity Grant, Williams noted.

    Printer

    All five board members voted in support of the election bureau’s selection of Rochester, New York-based Phoenix Graphics Inc. to print ballots and prepare and deliver mail ballot packets to voters.

    Fort Orange Press also submitted a proposal. The county did not receive a proposal from 2023 vendor, Claysburg, Pennsylvania-based NPC Inc., which had a machine operator error that omitted required inner secrecy envelopes in some Nov. 7 general election mail ballot packets, officials said.

    Harvey said she and Deputy Election Director Emily Cook reviewed both proposals and chose Phoenix, in part because it will deliver the packets directly to the Lehigh Valley postal system that serves this area, at no added cost.

    The turnaround time is also shorter for Phoenix, Harvey said.

    Both factors will get the ballots to voters faster, she said, adding she is comfortable with Phoenix based on her research.

    Phoenix is equipped to comply with the state’s redesign of mail ballot materials to reduce voter errors and confusion kicking off in the April primary, Harvey said. These changes include more understandable instructions, highlighting of fields the voters must complete on the outer envelope and coloring to make it easier for voters to distinguish the outer return envelope and inner secrecy envelope that must contain the ballot.

    Hole punch

    Under the redesign, counties also have discretion to use a hole punch in the outer return envelope to help county election workers identify when a mandatory secrecy envelope is missing inside.

    The board voted to add the hole punch Thursday.

    Harvey said Phoenix is waiving the typical $500 fee to add the hole punch.

    Mail ballots can’t be unsealed until Election Day, and the hole punch would allow workers processing the ballots to instantly verify missing secrecy envelopes so they don’t have to take time unsealing those, board members said.

    Williams said secrecy envelopes will be yellow with the redesign, making it easy to detect if they are missing through the hole punch.

    Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.

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    Dallas Post

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  • H.S. Girls Basketball: Dallas escapes with close win against Pittston Area | Dallas Post

    H.S. Girls Basketball: Dallas escapes with close win against Pittston Area | Dallas Post

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    DALLAS TWP. — Four times Pittston Area had the score at a one-possession game in the final four minutes.

    And all four times Dallas managed to hang on despite an incredible effort from Pittston Area standout Daniella Ranieli.

    Ranieli scored a season-high 31 points, but Dallas came up big when needed for a 46-43 Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 girls basketball victory.

    “There is no secret with Daniella,” Pittston Area coach Jeff Gregory said of the Times Leader Player of the Year last season. “When she gets it going, she can score in bunches. Obviously, as Daniella goes, we go.”

    The victory was huge for Dallas (10-2 Div. 1, 15-5 overall) as it remained tied with Crestwood for second place and a game behind first-place Hazleton Area. The top-two teams advance to the WVC Championships scheduled for Feb. 13-17. The Mountaineers are also trying to secure at least fourth place in the District 2 Class 5A standings, which would mean a home game. They were fourth coming in.

    “They hung in there,” Dallas coach Vince Bucciarelli said. “He does a good job with those girls in Pittston. If you don’t do your homework against Gregory, you’re in trouble. I was just happy how my girls hung in there and we came out with a win.”

    Dallas led 39-28 early in the fourth quarter when Ranieli hit a 3-pointer followed by a drive. Pittston Area (4-8 Div. 1, 11-9) moved within three points three times and two points once, only for Dallas to handle the situations.

    Blocks of 3-pointers by Molly Walsh and Elizabeth Viglone, the latter coming with 31 seconds left, prevented Pittston Area from tying. An offensive rebound by Brianna Casey led to her making two free throws to bump Dallas’ lead to 43-38 with 2:11 left.

    Pittston Area had one more crack at tying it after a Casey sank a free throw with 13 seconds left, but Ranieli’s hurried 3-pointer from NBA length just missed the mark.

    “There were a couple times in the game they could have packed it in,” said Gregory, whose team lost to Dallas 51-47 in overtime on Jan. 11. “Right down to the end, we got it down to one possession and we just couldn’t catch them. But I thought it was a great effort.”

    Pittston Area led once after the game’s opening basket. Dallas looked like it was about to pull away with a 9-3 run to start the third to increase its lead to 32-20 midway through the period. The Mountaineers had to settle for a 37-28 lead entering the fourth as Viglone answered a 3-pointer by Ranieli with one of her own.

    Dallas 46, Pittston Area 43

    PITTSTON AREA (43) — Daniella Ranieli 10 6-7 31, Maddie Karp 2 0-0 4, Rowan Lazevnick 0 0-0 0, Lili Hintze 0 0-0 0, Ella O’Brien 0 0-0 0, Grace Callahan 2 0-0 4, Kate Chernouskas 2 0-0 4, Giuliana Latona 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 6-7 43.

    DALLAS (46) — Caitlyn Mizzer 0 2-2 2, Mia DelGaudio 4 0-0 10, Brianna Casey 4 5-6 13, Elizabeth Viglone 3 4-4 10, Molly Walsh 4 2-2 11, Lyla Wydra 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 13-14 46.

    Pittston Area`10`7`11`15 — 43

    Dallas`14`9`14`9 — 46

    Three-point goals — PA 5 (Ranieli 5). DAL 3 (DelGaudio 2, Walsh).

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    Dallas Post

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  • Taylor Swift effect on full display as FanDuel prepares for ‘biggest game in history of betting’

    Taylor Swift effect on full display as FanDuel prepares for ‘biggest game in history of betting’

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    The Super Bowl is always one of the biggest betting days of the year, and this year’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will be no different. Mike Raffensperger, the chief commercial officer at FanDuel, sat down with TheStreet to discuss what he expects to see in terms of sheer betting volume, as well as some of the more popular bets placed.

    Full Video Transcript Below:

    J.D. DURKIN: You may have heard there’s a big football game a couple of weeks out. Talk to me about that. You’re not familiar. I think it’s called the Super bowl, a big, big football. It’s the whole thing. I know Taylor Swift will be there. What is the, talk to me about some of the trends overall you’re seeing in terms of either the types of wagers you’re seeing or the new types of offerings that even first time fans will be able to take advantage of in the run up to the big game?

    MIKE RAFFENSPERGER: Well, I can confidently say it’s going to be the biggest game in the history of betting likely globally, certainly in the United States. So just a little bit of context. We recently had the conference championships where the 49ers and the Chiefs made their way into the Super Bowl that day. FanDuel took more handle, more betting than we did in the Super Bowl last year.

    And so in terms of anticipating in a couple of weeks what we expect to see Super Bowl, it will break all records, not just here in America, but really internationally for the amount of wagering taking place on one game. There really is nothing like the Super Bowl. You know, look, in terms of the wagers, you’ll expect to see, we’ll have over 600 different markets, meaning things that you can bet on. That’s more than any other Sportsbook in America. Very popular one is who will score the first touchdown. And on that market, I can say the Swifty effect is in full run. Travis Kelce is the number one player picked score the first touchdown in just a couple of weeks here in the Super Bowl.

    The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.

    This story was originally published February 1, 2024, 7:00 PM.

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  • Teen found with multiple gunshot wounds in Arlington, in critical condition, police say

    Teen found with multiple gunshot wounds in Arlington, in critical condition, police say

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    A blue and white Arlington police car sits in a parking lot.

    A male teen is in critical condition after police found him with multiple gunshot wounds in an Arlington apartment.


    Courtesy: Fort Worth Star-Telegram archives

    A male teen is in critical condition after officers found him with multiple gunshot wounds Wednesday night in an apartment, according to Arlington police.

    Just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Arlington police responded to an apartment complex in the 1500 block of Harrell Drive, east of Texas 360 in south Arlington, to investigate a reported shooting.

    When officers arrived, they found a teenage male inside an apartment with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.

    The victim was transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition. Arlington police spokesperson Tim Ciesco told the Star-Telegram that the victim was awake when doctors began prepping him for a medical procedure.

    No arrests have been made as detectives continue working to identify the shooter, police say.

    Authorities do not believe the shooting was random and that the victim knows the shooter.

    Related stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Nicole Lopez is a breaking news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she studied multimedia journalism. She also does freelance writing.

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    Nicole Lopez

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  • Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews helps save a woman’s life on a Southwest Airlines flight

    Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews helps save a woman’s life on a Southwest Airlines flight

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    BALTIMORE – Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews helped a woman who was having a mid-flight emergency on a Southwest Airlines flight from Baltimore to Phoenix, Arizona Thursday morning, according to the Ravens.

    In a statement to WJZ, the Ravens confirmed that it was Andrews on the plane and included a quote from Andrews: “In addition to the fast-acting flight attendants, the real heroes are the nurse and doctor who also happened to be on the plane. Thankfully, they were able to provide the woman the quick assistance she needed.”

    The scary moments were detailed in a thread posted on X, formerly Twitter, by user Andrew Springs (@NaturalSprings).

    WJZ spoke with Springs in a Zoom interview Thursday.

    Springs, who is from Baltimore, recounted everything he posted about on social media. The posts went viral quickly.

    “I learned that passenger is in and out of consciousness to some degree and is not really being responsive,” Springs said. 

    “She has a nurse on the left and the doctor on the right and I’m just basically behind her one seat to the left… and then, Mark pipes up. Well, first of all, I didn’t even know it was Mark. I had no idea he was sitting next to me.”

    Springs told WJZ that Mark Andrews, the star tight end for the Ravens, was sitting just one seat over from him for hours and he didn’t realize it.

    “He (Andrews) basically says, do you know, could her blood sugar be low? I have a diabetic test kit. So, Mark reached under his seat, pulled out his diabetic test kit,” said Springs.

    Springs said that after using the test kit, the crew brought the woman some orange juice and she was able to drink some of it. The woman was able to walk with help off the plane when it landed in Phoenix.

    “It was touch and go there. This could’ve been a very different story depending on the outcome. Obviously, I’m very relieved, very thrilled she’s okay,” Springs said.

    In Springs’ first tweet, he wrote, “A woman on my @southwest flight from Baltimore to Phoenix this morning had a mid-flight medical emergency. The doctor and nurse attending to her couldn’t find a strong pulse, her blood pressure was extremely low, and required oxygen to breathe. It was genuinely scary. (1/3)”

    He then posted a second tweet that said, “A man in the aisle seat popped up, “Could it be her blood sugar? I have a diabetic testing kit”. It was Ravens TE Mark Andrews. Andrews instructed the medical professionals (equal citizen heroes in this story) on using his test kit. Eventually her heart rate stabilized. (2/3)”

    In Springs’ third tweet, he detailed how the incident ended: “Paramedics met the flight as soon as we landed. Andrews deplaned quietly. No fanfare. As he has done his whole career, he stepped up in a huge moment when people needed him most. Watching complete strangers spring into action to help save someone’s life is truly amazing. (3/3)”

    “Medical personnel responded to Flight 485 once it arrived in Phoenix from Baltimore this morning. Because of Customer privacy policies we are not able to share additional details, though as always, we are appreciative of the efforts of our Crew, medical personnel, and fellow Customers who assist others during these inflight situations,” Southwest Airlines said in a statement to WJZ.

    “There’s this strong, silent type and this quiet leadership where it’s like what can I do to help? I think that’s just who he is and it’s col to see outside of the football field, but at the same time, we all kind of know, that’s just who Mark is,” said Springs.

    He went on to add, “In that moment, I kind of looked at him and went, this is why this man is a role model for so many people.”

    Andrews played in the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs on January 28th, two months after having surgery on his left ankle. 

    Andrews’ return came after he beat the odds of what was first thought to be a season-ending injury on November 16th.

    Miranda Villei


    headshot-nov-2023.jpg

    Miranda began her career in local news in June of 2008 as the CBS Apprentice at CBS 3 in Philadelphia. As an apprentice, she worked as a newscast writer, an assignment editor, a web producer, special projects producer, and promotions producer.



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  • What Is Justin Timberlake’s Problem?

    What Is Justin Timberlake’s Problem?

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    Last month, Justin Timberlake officially launched his pop comeback. It will include the release of his first album in six years, Everything I Thought It Was, as well as his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which will come through Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on June 4.

    As we noted in our story about the tour announcement, this comeback is coming at a strange time in Timberlake’s career. To be frank, it seemed to us like nobody was really asking for it.

    Our readers seemed to be on the same page. Responses to the announcement were, let’s say, ambivalent at best.

    “I hate Justin Timberlake,” read an email we received. “All my homies hate Justin Timberlake.”

    The venue alone says it all. Dickies Arena holds 14,000 people. Nothing to sneeze at, for sure, but that number does raise some eyebrows compared with his previous North Texas outing. In 2019, he played two back-to-back nights at the American Airlines Center, which holds 21,000, then came back for round three a few months later.

    Venues are booked based on perceived demand. Timberlake’s team is clearly aware that things have changed in the last five years.

    His last record, Man of the Woods, was panned as a potential career killer. It didn’t just underperform — it tanked his credibility. Why is the man who once believably claimed to “bring sexy back” wearing a camo suit? Why did the instantly forgotten lead single “Filthy” contain the line “No, this ain’t the clean version” when there are no explicit lyrics?

    Like Everything I Thought It Was, Man of the Woods was released after an extensive hiatus. During that time, Generation Z, the enemies of all things cringe and corny, came of age and became the tastemakers of pop music. In 2022, videos of Timberlake dancing went viral on TikTok for all the wrong reasons. Whereas millennials crowned him a generational sex symbol in the early 2000s, zoomers all seemed to have the same question: “Can someone come pick up their dorky dad?”

    @jaimefrench Replying to @Andrea Nicole Ask and you shall receive 😅 #khakis #justintimberlake #dancing #somethinginthewater #funny #spoof #overdub #checkoutmykhakis #dadshoes #dadclothes #rofl #sexyback ♬ original sound – Jaime French

    Being a lame dancer isn’t the only crime for which Timberlake is on trial. Not only has he been accused of cheating on his wife, Jessica Biel, and been lambasted for his role in derailing Janet Jackson’s career during the Nipplegate scandal, his previous relationship with Britney Spears is now being reanalyzed since the release of her memoir, The Woman in Me, revealed some jaw-dropping bombshells. The most notable story involved Timberlake pressuring Spears into getting an abortion and playing guitar in an attempt to soothe her during the process.

    Spears recently apologized to Timberlake seemingly out of the blue on Instagram.

    “I wanna apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book,” Spears wrote. “If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry.”

    Spears went on to say that she loved Timberlake’s new single, “Selfish” (yes, that is actually what it’s called).

    To be honest, it’s unclear why Spears felt the need to apologize. Maybe she felt bad that her own fans were mass-streaming a 2011 deep cut of hers also called “Selfish” in an attempt to outpace Timberlake’s new single. Maybe she felt especially guilty that the stunt actually worked.

    Our personal confusion notwithstanding, we understand the desire to keep the peace. What we don’t understand is what Timberlake did next.

    During a free show in New York on Thursday, Timberlake appeared to mock Spears’ apology.

    “I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to absolutely fucking nobody,” Timberlake quipped before singing “Cry Me a River,” his venomous breakup song about Spears.

    Like pretty much every choice he’s made during this contentious comeback, this comment is confusing given that he’s already publicly apologized to Spears and Jackson, confessing that he “fell short” and “benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.” (These are all facts, whether he actually believes them or not.)

    But maybe that was just Justin Timberlake, star of the Dreamworks franchise Trollz, speaking. Justin Timberlake, pop’s would-be bad boy, is sticking to his 20-year-old script: “Cry Me a River.”

    While not addressing Spears’ comments outright, Timberlake revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe that the upcoming album, Everything I Thought I Was, will share an honest perspective on his past.

    “I was able, on some of the songs, to look back at the past and have a real, not a refracted perspective of what it was,” Timberlake says. “There’s never any truth, there’s just everybody’s perspective of what happened. But to really look at it and be able to metabolize and verbalize my perspective on it. … I don’t think I’ve ever really done that before.”

    In this interview, Timberlake is wearing a cardigan and speaking in his natural Tennessee accent. He appears to even blush a little bit when Lowe praises his new music. This is how he wants to be perceived, as an emotionally mature and humble family man. He’s the bigger person in the renewed drama between himself and Spears. He’s the one who grew up and got his shit together.

    And yet, he just couldn’t help himself when presented with the opportunity to mock her onstage. At the end of the day, that’s why all the homies hate Justin Timberlake. No matter how many Trollz movies he puts out, goofy Saturday Night Live specials he appears in or non-intimidating cardigans he wears, he’s still the same guy who humiliated Janet Jackson and threw Britney Spears to the wolves when she was at her most vulnerable.

    He’s not a good enough actor to hide it. Maybe that’s why he needs this pop comeback so badly.



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    Carly May Gravley

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  • Fort Worth police searching for missing 11-year-old boy

    Fort Worth police searching for missing 11-year-old boy

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    FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth police are searching for a missing 11-year-old boy.

    Police say Hayden Rodriguez was last seen in the 8700 block of Calmont Avenue around 4 p.m. Tuesday.

    He’s described as 4’10, 85 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black and red jacket, blue shirt and black pants, according to Fort Worth police.

    Anyone with information about Rodriguez’s whereabouts ae asked to contact Fort Worth Police at 817-392-4222.

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  • Luzerne County advancing process to refund $5 vehicle registration fee overpayments | Dallas Post

    Luzerne County advancing process to refund $5 vehicle registration fee overpayments | Dallas Post

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    Luzerne County is processing data required for the owners of approximately 31,000 vehicles in the county to claim $5 overpayments of a vehicle registration fee no longer in effect, county Manager Romilda Crocamo told council Thursday.

    The county halted the fee the end of 2021 and later learned 31,000 vehicle owners had unknowingly paid an extra $5 for 2022 because they chose the two-year registration renewal option.

    County council was informed in August the state is willing to process the overpayments as unclaimed property so impacted residents have a means to recoup a refund. The administration said the unclaimed property option through the state makes sense because the county would have to spend money on processing and other expenses attempting to return overpayments.

    According to Crocamo’s Thursday email:

    County law office Assistant Solicitor Greg Skibitsky has spearheaded communications with Barbara Benkovic, division manager of the state treasury department’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property.

    Benkovic gave the county an Excel spreadsheet template that must be used to add the county’s vehicle fee overpayments to the state’s unclaimed property database.

    County Treasurer’s Office Manager Laura Beers was tasked with transposing data on the 31,000 vehicle owners from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation into the unclaimed property template. Beers has completed 80% of the transposing and expects to finish the task by the end of next week.

    Benkovic must then review the spreadsheet for accuracy and completeness. Once Benkovic gives the go-ahead, the overpayments held by the county can be wired to the unclaimed property bureau.

    After the money is wired, the county will issue a press release and post a link at luzernecounty.org informing citizens how to submit a claim to receive refunds through the state website or toll-free number.

    Claims will have to be initiated by residents when the refund plan is activated. The state bureau only publicly identifies and advertises individuals entitled to funds if they are owed $250 or more.

    Crocamo thanked Skibitsky, Beers and county Budget/Finance Division Head Mary Roselle for their diligent work on the project.

    No final plan for the refunds has been approved.

    Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.

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    Dallas Post

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  • Luzerne County advancing refund plans for vehicle fee overpayments | Dallas Post

    Luzerne County advancing refund plans for vehicle fee overpayments | Dallas Post

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    Luzerne County is processing data required for the owners of approximately 31,000 vehicles in the county to claim $5 overpayments of a vehicle registration fee no longer in effect, county Manager Romilda Crocamo told council Thursday.

    The county halted the fee the end of 2021 and later learned 31,000 vehicle owners had unknowingly paid an extra $5 for 2022 because they chose the two-year registration renewal option.

    County council was informed in August the state is willing to process the overpayments as unclaimed property so impacted residents have a means to recoup a refund. The administration said the unclaimed property option through the state makes sense because the county would have to spend money on processing and other expenses attempting to return overpayments.

    According to Crocamo’s Thursday email:

    County law office Assistant Solicitor Greg Skibitsky has spearheaded communications with Barbara Benkovic, division manager of the state treasury department’s Bureau of Unclaimed Property.

    Benkovic gave the county an Excel spreadsheet template that must be used to add the county’s vehicle fee overpayments to the state’s unclaimed property database.

    County Treasurer’s Office Manager Laura Beers was tasked with transposing data on the 31,000 vehicle owners from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation into the unclaimed property template. Beers has completed 80% of the transposing and expects to finish the task by the end of next week.

    Benkovic must then review the spreadsheet for accuracy and completeness. Once Benkovic gives the go-ahead, the overpayments held by the county can be wired to the unclaimed property bureau.

    After the money is wired, the county will issue a press release and post a link at luzernecounty.org informing citizens how to submit a claim to receive refunds through the state website or toll-free number.

    Claims will have to be initiated by residents when the refund plan is activated. The state bureau only publicly identifies and advertises individuals entitled to funds if they are owed $250 or more.

    Crocamo thanked Skibitsky, Beers and county Budget/Finance Division Head Mary Roselle for their diligent work on the project.

    No final plan for the refunds has been approved.

    Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.

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    Dallas Post

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  • Man thought he was ‘having a heart attack’ when he checked his Ohio lottery ticket

    Man thought he was ‘having a heart attack’ when he checked his Ohio lottery ticket

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    The man from New Vienna was so shocked after scanning his winning lottery ticket that he thought he was “having a heart attack.” 

    The man from New Vienna was so shocked after scanning his winning lottery ticket that he thought he was “having a heart attack.” 

    Erik Mclean via Unsplash

    An Ohio man scratched off the a lottery ticket and scored a top prize so big he felt it in his body, officials reported.

    “I thought I was having a heart attack! I was shaking so bad I didn’t know if I’d make it home,” he told lottery officials.

    The Vienna man chose to take his winnings home all at one, claiming a $2.5 million prize, according to the Ohio lottery. After taxes, the man will receive $1.8 million.

    He told lottery officials he and his wife plan to build a new home and invest the rest of the winnings.

    The man bought the lottery ticket at the Beverage Depot in Youngstown while heading home from work, officials said.

    He purchased a $30 scratch-off, which has a top prize of $200,000 for 25 years.

    Youngstown is about 75 miles southeast of Cleveland.

    Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

    If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

    Kate Linderman covers real-time news for McClatchy. Previously, she was an audience editor at the Chicago Tribune and a freelance reporter. Kate is a graduate of DePaul University where she studied journalism and legal and public affairs communication.

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    Kate Linderman

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  • Dallas Continues To Look for a Long-Term Plan To Fix Its Pensions

    Dallas Continues To Look for a Long-Term Plan To Fix Its Pensions

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    For many, having a pension means having security. Both uniformed and non-uniformed employees in Dallas have pensions, but their plans have been in trouble for some time, making their future seemingly less secure.

    Dallas’ pensions are underfunded by billions of dollars, and the city is looking for a fix. The police and fire pension has faced financial trouble since 2015, almost folding in on itself in 2017 before the state got involved. Failure to fix pensions could make it difficult to attract or retain employees in the city, including police and firefighters. We’re going to try to break it down for you here.

    Jack Ireland, Dallas’ chief financial officer, aimed to explain it all to members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Pensions earlier this month. The committee is made up of several Dallas City Council members, and even some of them had trouble keeping up with Ireland at times.

    State of the City’s Pensions

    Ireland explained that the city has two primary employer benefit pensions that provide retirement, disability and death benefits for permanent city employees. There’s the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System for uniform employees. Then, there’s the Employees’ Retirement Fund for civilian and non-uniformed employees. The Texas Pension Review Board oversees all of the state’s public retirement systems for soundness and compliance with state reporting requirements.

    The Texas Pension Review Board funding guidelines require that both pensions be fully funded within 30 years. But both of the city’s pensions are underfunded and exceed the Texas Pension Review Board’s 30-year requirement, Ireland said. As of Jan. 1, 2022, the Dallas Police and Fire Pension system was projected to be fully funded in 68 years. It’ll take the Employees’ Retirement Fund 51 years to be fully funded, as of Dec. 31, 2022. The police and fire pension is short some $3 billion, and the employee pension is short more than $1 billion.

    “I don’t know how we can retain or even attract employees,” City Council member Paula Blackmon said when asked what would happen if the pensions didn’t get fixed.

    “If you can’t meet your obligations, and this is an obligation, then I don’t know why anybody would come work at the city,” Blackmon, a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Pensions, said. “So, that’s what’s at stake, I guess, with our organization to some degree.”

    The boards of the two pensions and the city are working to come up with a funding soundness restoration plan to comply with the 30-year requirement. These plans must be submitted prior to Sept. 1, 2025, in accordance with state law.

    However, legislation passed in 2017 aimed to stabilize and improve the Dallas Police and Fire Pension requires its board to adopt a funding plan to comply with the 30-year requirement and submit it to the pension review board by Nov. 1, 2024.

    Originally established in 1916, the Dallas Police and Fire Pension now has 5,085 active employees. About 18% of them are Dallas residents, and the rest come from outside of the city. Their average salary is about $88,740. The retiree and beneficiary headcount for the pension is at 5,289. About 8% of those individuals live in Dallas. Their average annual retirement benefit is about $51,732. 

    “I don’t know how we can retain or even attract employees.” – Dallas City Council member Paula Blackmon

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    The Employees’ Retirement Fund was established in 1944 and now has 7,464 active employees. About 44% of them are residents of Dallas and they make an average salary of $60,816. The pension’s retiree and beneficiary headcount is slightly higher at 7,766. The average annual retirement benefit is $40,883. The Employee Retirement Fund is about 73% funded as of Dec. 31, 2022.

    Why are the pensions so underfunded?

    One reason the police and fire pension is underfunded is poor real estate investments. The pension sunk more than $1 billion in ill-advised direct real estate investments from 2005 to 2009. The 2008–09 real estate decline obliged the pension to write down these assets by hundreds of millions of dollars, resulting in its first report of financial challenges in 2015.

    Before 2017, the pension board also authorized Deferred Retirement Option Plan provisions that severely harmed the fund, Ireland explained. The Deferred Retirement Option Plan had several harmful provisions: there was a floor of 8% interest annually; it allowed deferral of monthly deposits in the Deferred Retirement Option Plan after retirement; there was no limit on time in the plan; and it allowed active members to take unlimited distributions from the plan.

    Deferred Retirement Option Plan balances grew to more than $1.5 billion, or 58% of total assets by 2016. Members began to worry about losing access to Deferred Retirement Option Plan accounts. So, a “run-on-the-bank” occurred with more than $600 million being withdrawn from the plan before it was closed for withdrawals in 2016.

    A decrease in the number of employees beginning in 2008 and projected payroll growth compared to actual payroll growth affected the Employees’ Retirement Fund’s funding. The active employee headcount is 11% lower than it was in 2008, and payroll growth assumptions are based on projected number of active employees and changes in pay.

    In December 2016, changes were made to the employee pension to improve funded percentage and projected years to reach full-funding. Those changes are projected to result in $2.15 billion in savings through 2055.

    How did the city and state respond to the pension problems?

    In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3158 to address near-term issues and provide a long-term solution for the police and fire pension by 2025. The Police and Fire Pension Board also went through some changes as a result of the legislation. Instead of being dominated by police and fire personnel and council members, it would have six mayoral appointees and five trustees elected by members. Changes were made to employee contribution rates and the city’s fixed-rate contributions. Future benefits were reduced for active employees, retirees and beneficiaries. The bill also reduced the unfunded liability by $1 billion and increased the funding ratio to 49% with full funding projected for 44 years.

    Additionally, the bill mandated an independent review of the police and fire pension and plan changes to be submitted to the Pension Review Board by Nov. 1, 2024.

    What can the city do about its pension woes?

    The financial analysis firm Cheiron Inc., selected to review the police and fire pension, had several preliminary recommendations. It said the city’s fixed-rate contribution needs to move to an actuarially determined contribution. According to the Texas Comptroller, an actuarially determined contribution is the total contribution rate needed to pay for the normal cost of benefits and pay down any unfunded liabilities over a certain period of time.

    The firm noted that member contributions should not be increased, and may need to be decreased over time. And it recommended granting some cost of living adjustments sooner to protect the adequacy of retirees’ lifetime income and to remain competitive with other public safety plans. Under current plans, cost of living adjustments won’t be available until the pension is 70% funded, which could take until 2073.

    But city staff have some concerns about Cheiron’s recommendations, Ireland explained. For one, providing cost of living adjustments before 2073 could increase the unfunded liability and make achieving the 30-year-timeline more costly. The firm’s analysis assumes 2.5% growth in payroll but does not recognize pay increases provided through meet and confer agreements or intentions to increase staffing for either Dallas Fire-Rescue or the Dallas Police Department.

    At the request of the city, a study group made up of local financial experts came up with its own list of recommendations. It suggested the city make contributions in addition to its current annual contributions of 34.5% of regular pay plus $13 million. The city’s additional contributions would begin with fixed incremental payments that increase by $20 million per year over the first three years of the plan period. The study group advised that the city’s fixed-rate contributions could be changed to an actuarially determined contribution beginning in 2028 to achieve full funding within 30 years. Another recommendation included cost of living adjustments once the pension is 70% funded. The city could also seek additional funding by monetizing its assets.

    There are several options on the table for the Employees’ Retirement Fund to become fully funded in 30 years. It could eliminate the maximum contribution cap of 36% of pay starting in January 2025. Eliminating the contribution cap would require voter approval, a point of contention for at least one City Council member, Cara Mendelsohn. She doesn’t want residents to vote on changes to the employee pension before there’s a plan for the police and fire pension.

    “I have no intention of voting to put this on a ballot when we don’t have a solid plan for the police [and] fire pension fund,” Mendelsohn said, according to The Dallas Morning News. “I think it’s extremely objectionable that we would even dare to do that when our most desperate staffing in this entire city is the police and fire departments, and we’re currently not meeting our staffing goals.”

    Mendelsohn later told the Observer she’d like to know other options for fixing the Employees’ Retirement Fund. “There are options we have not yet considered like converting to a 401k plan or similar individual retirement account system with an employer contribution or evaluating a move of this pension to the state retirement system,” she said.

    Higher contributions from the city could be phased in at 2% per year over five years, Ireland said. The city would use an actuarially determined contribution rate from there. It could increase the employee contribution rate to a maximum of 14%. A lump sum contribution by the city would have a positive impact on the actuarially determined contribution and Dallas’ future annual contributions.

    From there, the city could submit its plans to the pension review board by August or September.

    Blackmon said the city is looking for long-term solutions. “You don’t want to put something in place that is a stop gap measure,” she said. “You really want something in place that has long-term effects. I believe that’s what the council is looking for. What is that long-term plan that makes these pensions funded, not just in five years or in 30 years, but in 60 years?”



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    Jacob Vaughn

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