Bear Creek Township is not increasing its real estate taxes in 2026 as originally reported by the Luzerne County Treasurer’s Office.
Treasurer’s Office Manager Thomas Foley said Thursday he misunderstood a tax rate resolution supplied by the municipality.
The township said the tax rate was 0.4412 mills, with 0.1103 mills earmarked for the Bear Creek Volunteer Hose Company.
Foley said he thought the 0.1103 was in addition to the 0.4412 mill, but the fire department earmark is included in the total 0.4412-mill rate.
In summary, township taxes will remain at 0.4412 mills.
To figure out the actual tax payment, the assessed value of a property must be divided by 1,000 and then multiplied by the millage rate.
This means the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 in the township will continue paying $44.12 in municipal taxes, and $11.03 of that payment will go toward the fire department.
Foley said the miscalculation was missed in the proofing process with the municipal tax collector as part of the initial tax bill preparations leading up the the public release of the new millage rates.
However, the Treasurer’s Office was able to correct the township millage before the tax bills went to print.
Combined 2026 county/municipal tax bills will be issued Friday.
Property owners will have two months, or until April 21, to pay at a 2% discount.
Payments are then at the full, or face, amount for an additional two months, until June 23.
A 10% penalty is added for taxes paid for the rest of the year.
The county noted it is not involved in municipal tax billing for Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, or Nanticoke.
The original story reporting municipalities with 2026 tax increases has been updated online to accurately reflect Bear Creek Township’s decision to keep taxes at the same level.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
A student was hospitalized after being hit by a university shuttle bus on Wednesday morning, Feb. 18, at the University of Texas at Arlington, campus police said.
Getty Images
Getty Images/iStockphoto
A student was hospitalized after being hit by a university shuttle bus on Wednesday morning at the University of Texas at Arlington, campus police said.
UTA police officers responded about 9 a.m. to the intersection of South Oak Street and West Fourth Street, where a pedestrian was struck by a MavMover bus, UTA police said in a statement.
The student was taken to the Medical Center of Arlington with no apparent life-threatening injuries, police said.
The driver of the bus was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, resulting in the injury, police said.
Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.
The five employees from a Fort Worth-based company who were indicted Feb. 11 in a $220 million cattle sale fraud are accused of falsifying records to cover their scheme and paying themselves seven-figure salaries, according to court documents.
Beccy Tanner
McClatchy
Five employees from a Fort Worth-based company who were indicted Feb. 11 in a cattle sale fraud are accused of paying themselves extravagant salaries with victims’ money and falsifying records to cover their tracks, according to court documents.
Agridime LLC began operating in 2017. From January 2021 through December 2023, authorities say the defendants — operations director Jed Wood, executive director Joshua Link, marketing director Tia Link, financial controller Royana Thomas and cattle broker Tyler Bang — collected more than $220 million by promising investors their funds would be used to buy and raise cattle and sell the meat for a profit. The employees used the company’s website and bank accounts in the scheme, according to the federal indictment.
Instead of fulfilling their contracts, the suspects used the funds for the company’s operating costs and their own personal expenses, the documents state. More than 2,200 victims, including cattle purchasers, ranchers and feedlots, have been identified nationwide.
How the alleged scheme worked
The Agridime website from that time advertised a 15% to 20% return on the contracts, according to screenshots contained in court documents. The purchaser could buy a steer or heifer at $2,000 a head. Each one would yield approximately 500 pounds of beef and could be sold for $6 per pound. The customer would receive between $300 to $400 profit for each animal, and Agridime would receive $600, the website stated.
“We feel if we were giving much less than a 15-20% return that we wouldn’t be doing right by our customers,” the website stated. “Our aim is to create a sustainable supply chain that we can have 100% transparency with start to finish and everybody still wins.”
The funds paid by the purchasers were put in an Agridime account, at least three of which were controlled by Joshua Link, Wood and Thomas, according to the indictment.
The defendants developed a variety of ways to cover their fraudulent activities, federal investigators said. In April 2023, Joshua Link is accused of issuing duplicate Electronic Identification tag information to two different purchasers to make them think that separate heads of cattle had been bought for each of them, the indictment states.
Also in April 2023, the Arizona Corporation Commission filed a cease and desist order against the company. The following month the North Dakota Securities Department followed suit. They alleged that Agridime was offering and selling unregistered securities, offering and selling securities while not registered as dealers or salesmen, and committing fraud on its website.
Joshua Link, Bang and Thomas sold some cattle to an Arizona resident in November 2023. To hide their “intentional violation” of the cease and desist order, the defendants named Bang as the buyer and left the real purchaser’s name off the contract, the indictment states. Then they allegedly had the buyer send $240,000 to an account owned by Bang instead of Agridime and generated fraudulent business records to hide the purchase.
The same month, Thomas allegedly encouraged a potential buyer to purchase 125 head of cattle and promised him profits of more than 24% a head. She said they were getting a really good price for selling the meat. According to the indictment, this was during a time when the funds coming in were used to pay money owed by Agridime to earlier cattle buyers, not purchase new cattle.
In spite of the cease and desist orders and scrutiny the company was under, Thomas told a potential buyer in July 2023 that “we have passed our 2023 audit with the USDA and are above reproach with all standards and regulations … This will not affect your current nor future contracts.” Tia Link told another customer something similar the following month, the indictment states.
In December 2023, Bang and Thomas planned to alter dates of sale on cattle purchase records and receipts to make it look like Agridime had paid for the cattle within 24 hours of each purchase “because delayed cattle payments may have resulted in a negative assessment of Agridime during a review of its business practices by the USDA,” the indictment states.
In another part of the scheme involving retained ownership contracts, Agridime agreed to care for the cattle of certain ranchers for a specified amount of time, investigators said. The company would then deliver the cattle to feedlots for processing into meat and Agridime would pay the ranchers a previously agreed on price.
“The defendants did not pay the ranchers, as promised,” the indictment states.
The defendants also profited financially from the scheme, authorities say. At one point, Wood and his wife received a salary and commission totaling nearly $2.5 million. Joshua Link and Tia Link received close to $3 million and Taylor $410,000. Bang received a commission of close to $7 million, according to the indictment.
If convicted, the suspects will have to forfeit to the government any property purchased with proceeds from the fraudulent cattle deals. They also could face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy and 10 years for each count of money laundering.
In addition to Fort Worth, Agridime also had operations in Arizona, Kansas, North Dakota and other states. On Dec. 11, 2023, the court appointed a third party “receiver” to oversee the company’s affairs and preserve their assets. There is an ongoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission case against the company.
How one defendant responded
Joshua Link was indicted with the other suspects but has not been taken into custody. He’s currently on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. He is challenging the government’s allegations in public Facebook posts, maintaining that Agridime was a legitimate company. According to Link, the problems didn’t begin until after the government takeover in December 2023.
“The question remains, how many actual cattle were purchased by Agridime and how much meat in pounds was actually in inventory at the time of the government takeover?” Joshua Link wrote in a post Wednesday. “The biased ‘forensic’ accounting of the receivership paints a one sided and demonic picture of these numbers. However, even just a glance beyond the surface shows the truth and fact that Agridime purchased more than enough cattle to satisfy all contracts.”
In a Feb. 13 post, Joshua Link stated that “every person within Agridime acted in complete good faith.” The decisions made by himself and his wife, Tia Link, were based solely on accounting information they received from the Fort Worth office, he wrote.
Texas is a land of opportunity for real estate investors. The market moves fast. Rental demand is strong. Cities like Austin and Houston are consistently booming. Financing the right property can make or break your investment. Traditional loans check personal income like hawks. They can be slow to approve. And they often limit how much you can buy.
Luckily, there’s another way to finance income-producing properties. Enter DSCR financing, or loans based on the debt service coverage ratio. DSCR financing for Texas investors focuses on a property’s cash flow. Not their personal income. It opens doors that might stay closed with traditional banks.
Want to unlock loans for more real estate investments in the Lone Star State? Here’s why DSCR financing is catching the eye of Texas investors.
The Focus Isn’t Personal Income
Traditional loans focus heavily on your debt-to-income ratio. Lenders want to see every paycheck. Every loan. Every credit card balance. It’s like they scrutinize every financial decision you’ve ever made. That creates a huge pressure to get your finances in order. Investors often scramble to prove their income is enough. This slows down deals.
DSCR loans flip the script. They focus on the property’s cash flow. Not the investor’s personal finances. Rental income speaks louder than your paychecks. Investors can show that a property earns enough to cover the loan.
For example, say you want to buy a duplex. It rents out for $1,200 per unit per month. That easily covers a $1,800 mortgage, even if the investor’s personal salary isn’t huge. That opens doors in Texas cities where home prices are climbing. You can move faster. You’ll seize more opportunities without jumping through endless hoops.
Maximizes Texas’ Strong Rental Demand
Texas has a hot rental market. Austin, Dallas, and Houston are becoming favorites among those wanting to move to big cities. People are moving in fast. Rental units are in high demand. That’s why even home insurance is getting more expensive in Texas. Properties here are highly sought after.
DSCR loans let investors tap into this demand. If a rental generates solid monthly income, you can qualify. Investors can target neighborhoods with strong rental trends. Like those near tech hubs in Austin. Or college towns in Dallas. This means faster approvals. It also reduces the stress of proving personal income. Properties that earn reliably become easier to acquire.
Capitalizes on Low-Tax Advantage
Texas doesn’t have a state income tax. That’s huge for investors. It’s one big reason why many are relocating to Texas. People want to keep more of what they earn. That drives demand for housing. It also increases opportunities for rental income.
With DSCR loans, the focus is on the property itself. If the property generates solid income, it already proves it can cover the loan. Investors can keep a bigger share of rental profits. All thanks to Texas’s low-tax environment. This makes each investment more lucrative. You get a steady cash flow. A growing portfolio. More money stays in your pocket. Basically, DSCR financing helps investors effortlessly ride Texas’s financial perks.
Better for Out-of-State Investors
Financing for out-of-state real estate can be tricky. Lenders usually want to see local ties. Traditional loans demand proof of stable income nearby. That can end up blocking deals.
DSCR financing changes that. Lenders look at the property’s cash flow. Remote investors can qualify even if they live in another state. For example, someone in Florida could buy a Houston rental that covers its own mortgage. This makes out-of-state investments more practical. It opens up Texas markets for people who can spot growth opportunities from anywhere.
Streamlined Approval Process
Traditional loans drag on. Income verification. Credit checks. Personal documentation. It can take forever. Deals fall through during this time. Investors can miss high-demand properties.
DSCR loans streamline everything. Lenders care about property performance. Less focus on personal finances speeds up approval. Investors can close faster. That’s crucial in competitive Texas markets like Dallas or Austin. Quick approvals mean less time worrying. More time capturing revenue. Your investment momentum stays strong.
Flexibility with Property Types
Texas real estate is incredibly diverse. It’s anything but one-size-fits-all. There are sprawling ranch-style homes in the suburbs. Modern condos downtown. Multi-unit apartments near colleges. Each type has different cash flow potential. Different tenant profiles, too.
Traditional loans often favor single-family homes. That’s because lenders tie approvals closely to the borrower’s personal finances. Larger properties can trigger stricter requirements. DSCR financing skips all that. It focuses on the property’s income. That means investors can target anything from a downtown loft to a suburban duplex without extra hurdles. DSCR loans make it easier to pursue the best opportunities in the state, regardless of property type.
Conclusion
DSCR financing opens more opportunities than traditional loans. Investors can focus on the property’s cash flow. Not be judged by their income. They can navigate Texas’ booming rental markets. Out-of-state investors can step in without stress. The streamlined approval process saves time.
Using DSCR loans lets investors grow portfolios faster. A property’s cash flows on its own. It sustains itself. Decisions are based on income potential. Not personal limits. Texas renters get homes. Investors see returns. In a state like Texas that moves fast, DSCR financing keeps you ahead. Consider it for your next big real estate investment.
Second-grade students at Cesar Chavez Elementary work on an assignment during class on Feb. 3 in Fort Worth.
Amanda McCoy
amccoy@star-telegram.com
In the digital world, screen time is almost unavoidable for children. Experts have tips for how parents can navigate the content their children are consuming and the amount of time they’re consuming it.
Screens should be avoided for infants and toddlers from 18 months to 2 years old unless they’re video chatting with a family member to facilitate a connection, according to Texas clinicians. But when children grow older, they eventually become exposed to media at home or at school for both education and entertainment. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends families create their own media plan to navigate this and to use the “5 Cs”, which is based on the child, the content, ways to calm down, what media is crowding out and ongoing communication.
“What are your child’s strengths? What content are they exposed to? Are we using this as a calming mechanism? Are we crowding out other opportunities for growth with the digital ecosystem? And is it being used in a way that is going for or against communication in the parent-caregiver relationship?” explained Dr. Liz May, a pediatrician at Texas Children’s Pediatrics.
May reiterated the importance of the content itself and how time boundaries will look different for each family depending on their children’s ages. Toddlers and preschoolers between ages 2 and 5 are recommended to limit screen time to one hour per day of quality programming, according to clinicians. At age 6 and older, emphasis is placed on what they’re doing on the screen, which should be monitored by parents, according to Dr. Nicholas Westers, a clinical psychologist with Children’s Health and an associate professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
High-quality, educational media can have positive impacts on children, while low-quality content can have the opposite effect. May and Westers encourage parents to avoid showing violent or discriminatory content to their children.
“Research indicates that excessive or inappropriate use of digital media can impede language development. Conversely, high-quality educational content, when used appropriately, can support language acquisition and vocabulary growth,” according to a May 2025 article published by the AAP.
Parents are advised to watch digital programs with their child and talk about what’s happening with them. This avoids an otherwise passive experience that lacks interaction. Both Texas clinicians also recommend parents model the same habits they’re trying to instill in their children, such as banning phones during dinner time.
Westers suggests parents focus on what they’re protecting rather than what they’re taking away. For example, protecting sleep by turning off screens an hour before bedtime reframes the boundaries limiting digital exposure.
“Whatever time that they’re spending on these screens, tablets or TV — What is it they’re not doing?” Westers said. “Usually, they’re not playing with their toys. They’re not moving around, being active… They’re not socializing or interacting with others, and they’re not reading out loud.”
It’s important to avoid using screens to help soothe your child when they’re overwhelmed or emotional, according to May and Westers. This prevents the child from learning how to regulate their emotions and can send an indirect message that their caregiver is unable to hold space for those emotions. May notes an overreliance on screens also increases the risk of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self harm and a sedentary lifestyle.
May wants parents to know she understands the guilt that can come with screen time and the fast pace of life, but it’s important to remember screens are deeply ingrained into society beyond child-caregiver relationships.
“(I) encourage parents to do the best they can with the resources that they have, and their visual media plan or family plan may look different than another, and that’s OK,” May said. “These are things that are far larger beyond just the family unit. I encourage them to talk to their pediatrician if they’re struggling with screen time or things they’re worried could be related to screen time,” May said.
Lina Ruiz covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.
I’m about to drop some film history on you, so brace yourself. In 1949, the British director Robert Hamer made a black-comedy masterpiece called Kind Hearts and Coronets, about an impoverished young man who resolves to claim his ancestors’ inheritance by killing all the relatives standing between him and the family fortune. The kicker: All the murdered relations were played by Alec Guinness, which not only allowed the actor to give delightful performances in multiple roles but also played up the family resemblance among them and emphasized the protagonist’s position as an outsider.
In the late 1990s, Mike Nichols floated the idea of remaking the film with Will Smith as the killer and Robin Williams as the people he kills. I don’t have any special insight about why that project never came together, but a story about a Black man taking revenge on the white family who screwed him out of his rightful inheritance would have carried great potential.
Now Kind Hearts and Coronets has an unofficial remake in How to Make a Killing, with the racial element removed and different actors portraying the dispatched kinfolk. This takes a great deal of fun out of the original concept, so the new film emerges as a mere trifle whose enjoyment mostly comes from Glen Powell’s ability to play a psychopathic killer whom we can root for.
That would be Becket Redfellow, who’s born into one of America’s richest families, only for his grandfather (Ed Harris) to disinherit his mother (Nell Williams) for giving birth to him instead of having an abortion. When Becket’s mother dies from an illness, he finds out he can still come into the family’s $28 billion if seven other relatives die, so he resolves to start by offing his younger family members before finishing up with that grandfather. The plan goes awry, though, because the framing story has him confessing his deeds to a Catholic priest on death row, where Becket’s scheduled to be executed for a murder he didn’t even commit.
If you’ve seen the original film, none of the plot developments here will surprise you. Maybe that would matter less if the slaughtered family members were funnier and/or more strongly characterized. There is some success in this area, particularly with Zach Woods as a pretentious art photographer who calls himself “White Basquiat” and Topher Grace as a megachurch pastor who preaches the prosperity gospel and holds a sword to Becket’s throat after mistaking him for an exposé-hunting journalist. The more loathsome the victims are, the more enjoyment we derive from Becket’s schemes to get rid of them, and Powell offers up some nicely understated reactions when he meets these rich bitches. If the various disguises he wears to get close to his victims do less than the ones he has worn in other films, they do work to play up his performance as a guy who’s deeply uncomfortable whenever he’s not wearing a bespoke tailored suit.
Much less happy results come from the love triangle between Becket, his childhood sweetheart (Margaret Qualley), and White Basquiat’s ex-girlfriend (Jessica Henwick). As the respectable, virtuous woman in the relationship, Henwick can’t help but come off as dull, especially since writer-director John Patton Ford repeatedly films Qualley with her legs perched up on desks, tables, and ottomans. Besides having great legs, Qualley at least does some good work as a siren who’s way more evil than she seems.
Ford made a brilliant debut four years ago with Emily the Criminal, but neither his murder plotting nor his action sequences here live up to the standard of that movie, not even when the grandfather turns the tables and goes after Becket with a World War I-era rifle. Unfathomably, Ford chooses to take the sting out of the original’s element of class warfare. All this leaves some minor charms behind in How to Make a Killing, along with the feeling that it could have been so much more.
How to Make a Killing Starring Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley. Written and directed by John Patton Ford. Rated R.
Fort Worth-area UIL girls high school basketball area-round pairings. See start times, locations, opponents for local squads
Bob Booth
Special to the Star-Telegram
The Texas UIL high school girls basketball area-round playoffs continue on Thursday and Friday. See where and when Fort Worth-area teams will play and check back for updates and results.
Class 6A Division I
North Crowley (28-4) vs. El Paso Franklin (22-10), 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Lubbock Christian University
Keller (24-7) vs. El Paso Eastlake (19-13), 6 p.m. Friday at Lubbock-Cooper HS
South Grand Prairie (22-12) vs. Flower Mound (25-8), 6:30 p.m. Friday at Coppell HS
Class 6A Division II
Trophy Club Byron Nelson (23-10) vs. El Paso Montwood (25-5), 4:30 p.m. Friday at Lubbock-Cooper HS
Southlake Carroll (31-1) vs. Wolfforth Frenship (28-8),6:30 p.m. Friday at Abilene Christian University
Arlington Bowie (22-12) vs. Frisco Rock Hill (21-13), 6:30 p.m. Friday at Flower Mound Marcus HS
Class 5A Division I
Aledo (25-7) vs. Joshua (34-4), 6 p.m. Thursday at Godley HS
Denton Ryan (32-4) vs. Cleburne (26-8), 7 p.m. Friday at Arlington ISD Athletics Center
Class 5A Division II
Grapevine (20-12) vs. Everman (23-14), 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Haslet Eaton HS
Argyle (29-5) vs. Mansfield Summit (23-10), 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Saginaw HS
Class 4A Division I
Decatur (32-4) vs. Lubbock Frenship Memorial (26-8), 6 p.m. Friday at Stamford HS
Kennedale (15-17) vs. Prosper Richland (32-4), 6:30 p.m. Friday at Hebron HS
Godley (23-11) vs. Frisco Panther Creek (17-16), 6:30 p.m. Friday at Thomas Coliseum, Haltom City
Class 4A Division II
Bridgeport (24-13) vs. Lubbock Liberty (28-4), 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Abilene Christian University
Brock (28-5) vs. Krum (20-16), 6 p.m. Thursday at Saginaw HS
Class 3A Division I
Ponder (23-12) vs. Gunter (27-7), 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Sanger HS
Grandview (20-15) vs. Fairfield (28-4), 6 p.m. Friday at Corsicana HS
Class 3A Division II
Tolar (24-9) vs. Wall (32-3), 6:30 p.m. Friday at Baird HS
Paradise (30-4) vs. Commerce (20-8), 6:30 p.m. Friday at McKinney Boyd HS
Keene (27-7) vs. Buffalo (30-4), 6 p.m. Thursday at Waco Midway HS
DALLAS TWP. — A two-week layoff before a playoff game certainly isn’t ideal. And while second-seeded Dallas showed some effects on one end of the court Wednesday night, they showed little on the other.
The Mountaineers clamped down on defense in the second and third quarters and did enough on offense to defeat seventh-seeded Wallenpaupack 45-22 in a District 2 Class 5A girls basketball quarterfinal game.
Dallas (20-3) will host third-seeded North Pocono (19-4) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the semifinals. A victory will send the Mountaineers back to the championship game at Mohegan Arena, but it will be the first time senior Molly Walsh will step on that court.
Walsh was the Times Leader Player of the Year in 2024 and scored her 1,000th point this season. However, she missed last season with an injury.
“It’s extremely important, especially it being my senior year and me being out a year,” Walsh said. “It’s very important for us to win and get there.”
Walsh scored 10 points Wednesday after averaging 18.4 during the season. Mia DelGaudio and Odessa Kanton had 12 each as the Mountaineers finished below their regular-season average of 55.7 points per game.
The defense, though, forced 11 turnovers in the second quarter as Dallas began to ease away. Another strong effort in the third allowed the Mountaineers to outscore Wallenpaupack 23-10 in the middle quarters.
At one point, Wallenpaupack (8-15) went over 10 minutes without scoring in that span.
“We’re usually a second-half team,” DelGaudio said. “Once we went into the locker room, coach was like you need to come out and go hard.
“We weren’t playing to the best of our ability. So in the second half, we all came together and got it done.”
Dallas built a 41-20 lead before the midway point of the fourth quarter as DelGaudio and Caitlyn Mizzer converted turnovers into layups early on. The reserves played out the final four minutes.
Wallenpaupack trailed 10-8 after one quarter and 12-11 when Abby Vanderputten hit a 3-pointer at 6:38 of the second. The Buckhorns had just four more field goals the rest of the game.
“This first game, the last four years we’ve played in it, we’re so rusty in that first half,” Dallas coach Vince Bucciarelli said. “Even though my younger kids are pretty good, it’s not what’s going on here.”
Lily Mancino had a strong game on the boards for Wallenpaupack with 11 rebounds.
District 2 Class 5A Quarterfinals
Dallas 45, Wallenpauack 22
WALLENPAUPACK (22) — Fiona Shanaberger 2 1-2 5, Abby Cykosky 0 0-0 0, Lillian Williams 2 0-0 4, Lily Mancino 1 0-3 2, Abby Vanderputten 2 0-0 6, Natalie George 0 0-0 0, Kathryn Williams 0 0-0 0, Sophie Fontano 1 1-2 3, Laura Posdon 0 0-0 0, Victoria Latek 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 4-9 22.
Luzerne County’s employee pension fund grew to nearly $350 million at the end of 2025 — a new record high, fund advisor Richard Hazzouri, of Morgan Stanley, said during Wednesday’s county Retirement Board meeting.
Growth is needed because pension-related payments out of the fund are also increasing, officials said.
Last year, the fund covered a total $30.38 million in pension-related payouts, according to county Pension Coordinator Richard Hummer.
Of that amount, most — $25.5 million — was for actual pensions. Another $1.5 million was for beneficiary payments upon the death of pension members. The remaining $3.4 million was money workers had contributed and wanted to cash out when they left employment, Hummer said.
In comparison, the three categories of payments totaled $14.1 million in 2011.
Approximately 3,900 current and past workers are either actively collecting pensions or vested to receive them in the future, Hummer said.
Last year’s investment returns yielded approximately $38 million and amounted to 12.2%, Hazzouri said.
Hazzouri told the board the challenge is prudently maximizing returns on money that can be invested while keeping sufficient cash on hand to cover ongoing pension obligations.
“We never want to be forced to sell at an inopportune time,” he said, in reference to liquidating investments.
A county subsidy and employee contributions helped offset the impact of the required $30.38 million in payments last year, but nearly $8 million still had to be paid from investment returns, Hazzouri said.
An annual county pension subsidy has been necessary for more than two decades to help close a gap that emerged years ago between fund assets and future pension payment obligations.
The gap started forming because money put into the fund from investments and employee contributions was not keeping pace with the growth of existing and eventual pension obligations. The problem was exacerbated when the fund’s market value dropped from $203.5 million in 2000 to $141 million in 2003 as county officials disagreed over the best way to manage the plan.
The county’s pension subsidy was $13.6 million in 2025 and is budgeted at $14 million this year, said county Budget Finance Division Head Mary Roselle, who serves on the Retirement Board.
Approximately 72% of the subsidy is paid through the general fund operating budget, with the rest coming from human service departments and other offices largely or entirely funded by the state and federal government or other outside sources, Roselle said.
According to the county’s outside auditor, the fund’s liability decreased from $106.1 million at the end of 2023 to $95.2 million at the close of 2024. The status at the end of 2025 will be reported in the next audit released later this year.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo, County Council members John Lombardo and Chris Belles, and County Chief Deputy Sheriff Eugene Gurnari also serve on the Retirement Board, with Gurnari filling a seat elected by employees and retirees as required by the county’s home rule charter.
Lombardo was named board chair on Wednesday, while Belles was selected as vice chair.
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Star-Telegram illustration/Ricky Moon photo
A 47-year-old Allen figure skating coach was arrested Tuesday evening and charged with sexual assault and indecency with a child, police said in a statement.
The investigation against the coach, identified by police as Benjamin Shroats, began on Feb. 15 after a report was made that Shroats had engaged in inappropriate relationships with two athletes he coached, according to the statement.
One of the relationships began when the athlete was a minor, police said.
Shroats was once listed as the coach of Plano-based Olympic champion Amber Glenn, according to CBS Texas. Glenn earned the gold medal in team figure skating events at this year’s Winter Olympics in Italy.
He is being held in the Collin County Detention Center on a $200,000 bond, police said.
Lillie Davidson is a breaking news reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from TCU in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, is fluent in Spanish, and can complete a crossword in five minutes.
“Whited out” used to describe using Liquid Paper to cover up or “white-out” a space on a story or piece you were writing on a typewriter.
The term predates computer/Word processing and/or writing and dot matrix or laser printing. Those were the days — but not really.
Liquid Paper went the way of the milkman, pagers, Rolodexes, and, still scary, maps. Heck, kids don’t even write anymore really. At least without AI.
But there was a time. And there was even a time when kids, students, and adults read. Actual books even.
It’s true.
It’s also true that white-out has come to mean something else. Like what many conservatives would like to have seen done to the recent Super Bowl halftime show.
It’s a bad look, flagrantly un-American, but the equivalent of the 1980s mullet. Conservatives just can’t quit it. They love whiting things out.
The most recent place I’ve noted it is in school libraries. This past October, PEN America, an esteemed nonprofit dedicated to protecting free speech, updated an index of banned books that suggests a dystopian fixation that has seized many school districts across America.
“Never before in the life of any living American,” the report states, “have so many books been systematically removed from school libraries across the country. Never before have so many states passed laws or regulations to facilitate the banning of books, including bans on specific titles statewide. Never before have so many politicians sought to bully school leaders into censoring according to their ideological preferences, even threatening public funding to exact compliance. Never before has access to so many stories been stolen from so many children.”
Ouch. Unless you’re a conservative (and you want everyone else to be whether they agree with you or not).
Two observations about PEN’s index are hardly shocking. First, Texas ranks second nationally with 1,738 banned books in only seven large districts. A considerable number of smaller districts are worse, but out in the sticks, folks hardly read anyway. Their voting preferences confirm this. Book banning is now common in Texas, so much so that the banning crowds are undermining their own slogans. There’s hardly anything left to “come and take” in Texas, except stupid. Which brings me to the second hardly shocking observation about PEN’s index. A large percentage of the banned titles involve LBGTQ+ narratives.
Which begs a question. Texas men are usually considered “manly,” cocksure and comfortable in their heterosexuality. And usually confident in their seed. But an unruly herd of Texas men (and women) are terrified of little Johnny becoming a Joanie and vice-versa. I’m surprised no one’s banned Billy Lee Brammer’s A Gay Place, which, curiously, is about Texas politics — but not the homoerotic aspects.
The less obvious but really conspicuous point here, however, is the white-out, the flagrant banning of Black and brown titles. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is banned. Beloved and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison are banned. Native Son by Richard Wright is banned. And I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is also banned.
Makes sense in conservative Texas, though. On the list of the African-American Literature Book Club’s 100 Favorite African-American Books of the 20th Century, The Color Purple is No. 1, Beloved is 3, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is 5, and Native Son is 10. Never before has access to so many stories been stolen from so many children.
You’ll also find Cesar Chavez: Fighting for Farmworkers and Diego Rivera: Art of the People on the list.
Oh, and back to the fragile Texas male ego, The Handmaid’s Tale by Maragaret Atwood is also frequently banned.
It’d be nice to go back in a time machine just thirtysomething or so years back, when we weren’t ruled by conservative dullards, but H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine also appears on PEN’s Texas index, as does Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange (repeatedly), which is silly anywhere that the clock isn’t white and the time begrudgingly signified with Black numerals.
The PEN index doesn’t have to sum things up, especially during Black History Month.
White Texans seem to be becoming very uncomfortable in their own skin. It’s very thin.
This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
Family and friends of Kiara Valdez and Jahlil Kirkland gather for a balloon release Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, at S.J. Stovall Park in Arlington.
Lillie Davidson
A 34-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting to being the driver in a hit-and-run crash that killed a young Arlington couple in late 2024, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office said.
Nathan Vaughn pleaded guilty this week to charges of manslaughter and collision involving death, District Attorney Phil Sorrells said.
Vaughn was traveling between bars late in the evening on Dec. 15, 2024, when his car swerved off the road and struck 23-year-old Kiara Valdez and her boyfriend, 22-year-old Jahlil Kirkland. Valdez and Kirkland were walking home from dinner on the sidewalk along East Lamar Boulevard at the time, and Vaughn did not stop to try to help them.
Investigators determined Vaughn was the driver after media coverage of the crash resulted in a tip, police said.
The tipster told police they had seen Vaughn’s car, a silver Chevrolet Malibu with heavy front-end damage, in the parking lot of a bar. Vaughn was later arrested and charged with the counts of collision involving death.
At the time of his arrest in this case, Vaughn was out on bond for a November 2023 charge of driving while intoxicated, according to Tarrant County court records. On that occasion, Vaughn was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08 for Texas drivers.
Valdez’s mother, Nicole, described her as “pure joy” at a balloon release shortly after the crash.
“That crash literally crashed our family’s life,” Nicole Valdez said. “It’s in pieces now, and we’re stuck trying to pick up those pieces.”
Lillie Davidson is a breaking news reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from TCU in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, is fluent in Spanish, and can complete a crossword in five minutes.
With National Margarita Day (Sun, Feb 22) happening during Black History Month, I got to wondering: What are some Black-owned bars where we can get a delicious tequila-based drink? Here are some answers.
Founded by Black entrepreneur and TV host Jonathan Morris, alongside Allen Mederos, Hotel Dryce (3621 Byers Av, Fort Worth, 817-330-9886) is recognized as the first Black-owned boutique hotel in the city in 100 years. Located in the Cultural District, on-site Bar Dryce serves cocktails/mocktails, craft beer, and wine. The signature Dryce Marg ($14) features blanco tequila, lime, and yucca syrup and is rimmed with Tajin. From the Boilermakers menu, try a Dos Pasos ($10), a Modelo with a shot of tequila.
Big Fellas Ice House (1826 Cannon Dr, Ste 100, Mansfield, 469-799-3376) is a small business owned by Shane Farrar. Named after the nickname his daughter gave him, this sports bar and grill has a diverse menu, with birria tacos, carne asada fries, jerk lemon-pepper wings, and more. Happy hour is 3pm-7pm daily with assorted drink specials, including $3.99 wells and $2 off all cocktails. If it’s tequila you seek, visit Big Fellas on Tuesdays for $2.50 tacos and $2 off all tequilas all day.
Known for its “grown and sexy” atmosphere, the upscale Club Ritzy (1201 Oakland Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-888-3360) has dancing, live performances, and a lounge area (and is often compared to Studio 80 downtown). Happy hour is 5pm-8pm Fri, and at 8pm on Fri, Feb 27, Club Ritzy is hosting its Black History Month celebration. Guests are encouraged to wear heritage-inspired attire.
Vault Seafood & Steakhouse (2300 Matlock Rd, Ste 21, Mansfield, 817-512-8100) is an upscale restaurant with a cigar lounge and live entertainment. The menu combines traditional flavors with innovative items and techniques. Popular dishes are the Tomahawk steak (often carved tableside), bison egg rolls, and lobster mac ’n’ cheese. On Sundays, brunch includes endless crab, freshly carved prime rib, and a full dessert bar. Along with a vast wine selection and craft cocktails like the floral- and berry-forward Love Lindsey, named after co-owner Lindsey Heefner, Vault offers eight specialty tequila drinks, including the Honey Horseshoe Margarita ($22), a combination of Herradura reposado, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, and honey syrup, served with a squeeze of orange.
Yo Love & Cole Cigar Lounge (3095 Claremont Dr, Ste 102, Grand Prairie, 469-660-0014) is described as the first Black-woman-owned cigar haven in the area, with a sophisticated, chill environment for socializing. There’s a bar space with setups and such, but the place is BYOB, so you tell me: What kind of margaritas are you bringing to the party?
Named for co-owners Yolanda and Cole, Yo Love & Cole Cigar Lounge is the first Black woman-owned cigar haven in the area. Courtesy YoLoveandCole.com
Welcome to our annual Black History Month issue. Now, don’t even. For the 10th time, Chad, there’s no “White History Month” (or editions of periodicals) because whites have never been oppressed simply for the color of their skin. Since Blacks have, most markedly in a country whose white founders nearly eradicated the “red” indigenous population upon arrival, Blacks get a month to celebrate their distinct culture and heritage, and we’re right there with them, not only as members and allies but as Americans.
Living in a country built and peopled by different races requires paying respect to them through laws, both legal and moral, that engender equality and reinforce the sanctity of a constitutionally enshrined triumvirate: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our country is no longer mostly hospitable to minorities, especially Blacks. Donald Trump’s War on Black America started with forcing corporations, universities, media outlets, white-hat law firms, and other institutions to dismantle their DEI initiatives or risk losing federal funding and has continued with whitewashing Black history in texts and museum exhibits and rolling back any economic progress that Black entrepreneurs and small-business owners had made in the preceding decades. The current occupant of the White House also normally trots out antediluvian white grievances to sow more division among us (narrator: “Confederate soldiers are still hate-filled losers and should not have even a toilet named after them”), and — you can bank on this — this president will send federal troops to polling locations in predominantly Democratic-leaning Black cities throughout midterm voting. All he wants is fewer ballots cast, because his side is going to lose handily, and more fighting in the streets, anything to suspend the election and also to keep his name and that of history’s most notorious pedophile from fusing together even further. You know whose name isn’t in the Epstein files? Barack Obama’s. You also know whose name isn’t in the Epstein files 38,000 times? No one not named Donald Trump. And you have to laugh at how a “Democratic hoax” has now “exonerated” him. Make it make sense, Donny.
I’m not bragging on myself, but as a straight, white male who, perhaps sadly, couldn’t be more stereotypically straight, white, and male (beer, babes, balls, and barbells *sigh*), I can’t understand how seeing other races (or genders) flourish is somehow offensive or demeaning. Or threatening. (Put some weight on that bar and drink some milk if you’re that worried. That way, you may feel a little less small-souled.) As long as you aren’t hurting anyone, flourish away! Like a lot of the folks in this issue.
With cover model Dr. Opal Lee as their guiding light, they’re flourishing not despite their Blackness but because of it. The owners of soul-food institution Drew’s Place have taken a sweet grant they won and transformed it into gussying up their Como digs (pg. 7), while DJ Asa Ace is using music to heal psychic wounds (pg. 24). This issue also includes a rundown of some stellar soul-food gems (pg. 17), a list of some fun Black-owned local hot spots to visit on National Margarita Day (Sun, Feb 22) (pg. 21), a review of the spectacular Cowboy Noire exhibit at 400h Gallery in Sundance Square (pg. 11), a narrative of must-see films from Black auteurs dating back to the medium’s nascence (pg. 23), and more. So, step inside. This power isn’t going to fight itself.
From history to the creative arts, Black-led and Black-centered programming is stacking the calendar across North Texas. In honor of Black History Month, here’s your field guide to events where culture, community, and commerce meet now thru May.
At Your Leisure
The Lenora Rolla Heritage Center Museum (1020 E Humbolt St, Fort Worth, 817-332-6049), located in the newly restored Boone House on the Historic South Side, focuses on the history of African Americans in Tarrant County and throughout Texas and is curated by the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society. It is named for Lenora Rolla, who initially raised money to purchase the building and start the museum in 1979. You can make an appointment to view the collection at any time by emailing info@tarrantcountyblackhistory.org.
Now thru Sunday, March 22, 2026
As part of the national theme of A Century of Black History Commemorations, the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society is presenting the 13th Annual Lenora Rolla Juried Art Show in Sundance Square. Up now thru Sun, Mar 22, at Zona 7 Gallery (404 Houston St, Fort Worth, 817-266-1589), the exhibit features works like Frank Sowells Jr.’s “Music of Amor” (pictured). The gallery is open noon-8pm Tue-Sun. Admission is free.
The 13th Annual Lenora Rolla Juried Art Show at Zona 7 Gallery features works like Frank Sowells Jr.’s “Music of Amor.” Courtesy the artist
Another Black History Month exhibit on view thru Sun, Mar 22, will be at the Irving Archives & Museum (801 W Irving Blvd, 972-721-3700). Key moments in the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches will be brought to life in March to Freedom. Featuring powerful photographs by James “Spider” Martin and the words of civil rights leader John Lewis, the exhibition aims to capture the “courage, resilience, and impact of those who fought for voting rights.” Don’t miss this moving look at the way collective action helped shape lasting change. The gallery is open noon-5pm Tue-Sat. No reservations are needed, and admission is free.
The Irving Archives & Museum explores the key moments of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches in March to Freedom. Courtesy Irving Archive & Museum
Now thru Sunday, March 28, 2026
Chosen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), A Century of Black History Commemorations honors the 100th anniversary of the first Negro History Week, launched by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1926, which set the groundwork for Black History Month. And like Sundance Square, the Irving Black Arts Council’s annual exhibit, Reflection and Inspiration, is also in keeping with the national theme.
Reflection and Inspiration highlights both up-and-coming and established artists whose work provokes reflection, ignites conversation, and celebrates Black life and creativity. The Irving Archives & Museum (801 W Irving Blvd, 972-721-3700) is open noon-5pm Tue-Sat. No reservations are needed, and admission is free.
Thursday, February 19 & 26, 2026
The Oak Cliff Cultural Center (223 Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, 214-670-3777) closes out Black History Month with two Thursday workshops from 1pm to 2pm. The Creative Writing Series, hosted by former journalist Linda Jones, a.k.a. the Writing Doula, showcases Black creatives through poetry, spoken-word performances, and reflective journaling, with the goal of preserving collective memory. There is no cost to attend, but an RSVP is appreciated. Find the registration link in the event page at Facebook.com/OakCliffCulturalCenter/events.
Friday, February 20, 2026
The Denton County Office of History and Culture is hosting a guided walking tour led by county Curator of Collections Kim Cupit of the historic 19th-century African American community of Quakertown. The community prospered with businesses, churches, and a public school until the white citizens of Denton voted to remove the community and relocate it to Southeast Denton. The tour features the rise of the neighborhood (circa the 1880s) and its forced relocation in 1921, using maps and photos to envision the former site, and tells the stories of the people who once lived there. The meet-up time is 2pm at the Denton Civic Center (321 E McKinney St, Denton, 940-349-7275). The 1-mile concrete trail is flat and well-suited for walking. There is no cost to participate.
As part of Grand Prairie’s The Black Experience: A Celebration of Black Culture, Uptown Theater (120 E Main St, Grand Prairie, 972-237-8786) is hosting a free Black History Month community forum from 7pm to 10pm. In the Eye of the Storm will feature thought leaders and public officials participating in a timely civic dialogue. Panelists will explore policy, advocacy, and the Black community’s part in shaping the future. The public is encouraged to join, learn, and participate. The Black Experience also includes basketball nights, cultural presentations, film screenings, a health expo, and jazz tributes. For more information, visit GPBlacExperience.com.
Sunday, February 22, 2026
From 3pm to 5pm, enjoy a showcase of cultural spirit, dance, music, and storytelling at RhythmRoots at the Grand Prairie Events & Convention Center (2925 SH-161 N, Grand Prairie, 682-428-7311). Organizers promise a high-energy celebration honoring Black history through artistic performance and community relationships. There is no cost to attend. For more information, visit GPBlackExperience.com.
Friday, February 27, 2026
The Grand Prairie Library will celebrate one of jazz’s greatest legends, Count Basie. The Andrew Griffith Quartet hope to bring the Count’s timeless sound to life through smooth rhythms and rich harmonies at An Evening with Count Basie at Uptown Theater (120 E Main St, Grand Prairie, 972-237-8786) at 7pm. For more information, visit GPBlackExperience.com.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Today is jam-packed. First, The Dock Bookshop (6637 Meadowbrook Dr, Fort Worth, 817-457-5700) is hosting its annual African American Read-In — part literary salon, part community reunion — in collaboration with the African American Museum of Dallas. Expect poetry, children reading aloud, and a vendor table or two featuring Black-owned brands from 11am to 3pm. There is no cost to attend.
Also, the Grand Prairie Black Film & Writers Festival is spotlighting powerful Black stories on screen and page at a showcase at Uptown Theater (120 E Main St, Grand Prairie, 972-237-8786) from 1pm to 9pm. This immersive festival, presented by the Denton Black Film Festival Institute, features films, writers, and conversations. Tickets are $5 per screening or $60 for an all-inclusive VIP ticket. For information on the exact titles being screened, visit GPBlackExperience.com in the days leading up to the event.
Finally, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center (2901 Pennsylvania Av, Dallas, 214-670-8418) hosts a late-February celebration rooted in food, performance, and family. In honor of Black History Month, Taste of Soul 2026 will highlight some of North Texas’ best chefs and their creations. This free event will have free samples, live entertainment, and giveaways. The audience will determine the People’s Choice grand prize winner. Home cooks are also welcome to enter their best dishes for a chance to win a cash prize. For more information or to register to enter your dish, visit bit.ly/MLKTasteofSoul.
Sunday, March 8, 2026
Every second Sunday at 4pm, including Mar 8, Apr 12, May 10, and Jun 14, the Denton Black Film Festival Institute keeps momentum alive with Soul Talk. This monthly virtual series offers intimate conversations with creatives and industry professionals who examine the motives, interpretations, and implementations of their work across art, film, music, and poetry. The initiative acts as a year-round bridge between annual festivals, sustaining local participation. To join the conversation, visit DentonBFF.com/dbff-presents-soul-talk/.
Friday-Saturday, March 20-21, 2026
The Sixth AnnualFort Worth African American Roots Music Festival (FWAAMFest) returns to Southside Preservation Hall (1519 Lipscomb St, Fort Worth, 817-926-2800), spotlighting the blues, gospel, and folk traditions that shaped American music. Presented by the local nonprofit Decolonizing the Music Room (DTMR), the event runs from noon to 10pm on Sat, Mar 21. But first, be sure and check out the free pre-fest community dance on Fri, Mar 20.
Among this year’s lineup is Grammy winner Justin Robinson, whose music with acclaimed collaborator and DTMR board member Rhiannon Giddens is featured in Ryan Coogler’s 2025 Oscar-nominated film Sinners. And their most recent project, the live album What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, was up for a Grammy this year. Additionally, this year’s FWAAMFest will feature musician and scholar Jake Blount, who, along with Giddens, served as a music consultant to Ludwig Göransson and Ryan Coogler for the film’s Golden Globe-winning score. Tickets are $50 at Prekindle.com.
The Sixth Annual Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival returns to Southside Preservation Hall, spotlighting the blues, gospel, and folk traditions that shaped American music. Courtesy FWAAM Fest
Thursday-Friday, April 3-4, 2026
In early April, the Money Moves Summit lands at the Astoria Event Venue (3216 Royalty Row, Irving, 469-351-6942). This gathering is for Black women entrepreneurs who are serious about scaling, acquiring funding, and building real community. There are two tracks to choose from: product-based or service-based business sessions. Panel discussions will offer workable strategies, and breakout rooms will help you look deeper into the conversations that matter most to your business. Breakfast, lunch, and all-day coffee/tea service are provided. The cost is $300 per person at ManifestYourPurpose.co.
Thursday-Thursday, Apr 23-30, 2026
The coming of spring brings indie film season along for the ride, and in late April, the Dallas Film Society presents the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF). Showcasing films by Black directors and panel discussions across the city, DIFF 2026 is happening Thu, Apr 23, thru Thu, Apr 30, and passes are already on sale at DIFFDallas.org.
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Black cowboys ride again at the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo at Cowtown Coliseum (121 East Exchange Av, Fort Worth, 817-625-1025). They host several events each year, including this date in May during PBR. It’s culture, athleticism, and history wrapped into one dust-kicking spectacle that recognizes the legacy of Black cowboys and cowgirls through professional rodeo competitions. Showtimes are 1:30pm and 7:30pm. Tickets start at $26 at BillPickettRodeo.com.
Friday, June 19, 2026
Happy Juneteenth! I believe that history will show that we are all very privileged to be in Fort Worth during the lifetime of our beloved Dr. Opal Lee. The legend worked tirelessly to make Juneteenth an official national holiday, commemorating when enslaved Texans finally learned of their emancipation. President Joe Biden signed a bill into law in 2021 to make it so. For a list of Juneteenth events, pick up a copy of our Summertime 2026 special issue in late May.
Between now and then, we have some other holidays to get through. For those looking for Easter basket stuffers, Mattel released a collectible doll in the likeness of the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” as part of its Barbie Inspiring Women series. Designed by Carlyle Nuera, the Dr. Opal Lee doll commemorates her lifelong activism, replicating her signature look from the annual Opal’s Walk for Freedom: eyeglasses, a blue “Unity Unlimited: Opal’s Walk for Freedom” T-shirt, white sweatpants, and sneakers. Retail prices began at about $38 at major retailers like Target and Walmart, but you can also buy directly from Creations.Mattel.com.
Go, Miss Opal indeed! In January, Mattel released a collectible doll in the likeness of the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” as part of its Barbie Inspiring Women series. Courtesy Mattel
This past Monday, the news came from Massachusetts that Frederick Wiseman passed away at the age of 96. Most of the film press was busy noting Robert Duvall’s death on the same day at a similar age, and justly so, for the man was a great actor. However, I’m writing this up because I’m of greater use on the subject of Wiseman, whose work is indispensable to anyone who cares about the art of documentary film.
Born to a Jewish family in Boston, Wiseman graduated from Yale Law School and then served for two years in the U.S. Army after being drafted. He would then spend two years in Paris after his service was up, where he started shooting footage on a movie camera for fun. Later, he would make his second home in the City of Lights.
His movies are all about examining a civic institution from every angle, sometimes to exhaustive length. While his early films are short, you’ll be hard pressed to find any of his efforts from the 21st century under three hours. There were times when he direly needed an editor, but at his best, the length is part of his greatness. His 190-minute In Jackson Heights provided a look at the rioting colors of the New York City neighborhood, where Colombian soccer fans celebrated alongside halal butchers reciting Quran verses over their blades. Ex Libris clocks in at 197 minutes and tallied all the public services that the New York Public Library provided, and it’s even more essential viewing now that the current White House hates libraries.
His first documentary was Titicut Follies, a 1967 look at the Bridgewater Public Hospital for the Criminally Insane. This film was the subject of lengthy litigation because it showed the Massachusetts mental hospital in a bad light, with employees humiliating the patients. The state of Massachusetts sued on the grounds of the patients’ right to privacy, so the film spent decades being only available to law enforcement and medical personnel, where it nevertheless gained a great reputation before finally becoming available to the general public in the late 1980s.
Wiseman’s first documentary to find an audience was High School, from the following year. He filmed at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School, where his unblinking camera found students being bullied by administrators and bored to tears by teachers, with the lower-achieving ones being funneled to military service in the Vietnam War. There’s one particularly uncomfortable scene where the students put on a fashion show, and the teacher running the event makes catty comments about a student model’s weight. The first screening of this film was only for the employees of Northeast High, who overwhelmingly approved of the way the movie depicted them. Then Wiseman started showing the movie to parents and people outside the school, and their consensus reaction was, “My God, these teachers are fascists!” Because of the fallout, the film was under an unofficial ban in Philly for the next quarter century. In the 1990s, he would make a sequel called High School II that found a similar malaise in public education.
Then there was his 1976 documentary Meat, which turned its gaze upon a slaughterhouse in Wisconsin. Wiseman’s depiction of the practices there was so disgusting that many viewers assumed that the experience had turned him into a vegetarian. It hadn’t — he cheerfully admitted that after he and his film crew shot the revolting scenes of cattle and sheep being butchered, they dined on steak every night at a nearby steakhouse. They’re hardly the only ones who are familiar with that old cognitive dissonance: Eating animals may be wrong, but ribeye is yummy.
He wasn’t a mere muckraker, though, as some of his other works were positive in ways that challenged what people thought. His 1997 documentary Public Housing was filmed at Chicago’s Ida B. Wells Homes, and instead of finding thieves, drug addicts, and killers, found a great many residents putting in hard work to make their housing development safer, cleaner, and more efficient. His films Ballet and La Comédie Française turned his gimlet eye on performing arts troupes and how they went about creating conditions to allow dancers and actors to give great performances.
He named his production company after Zipporah, his wife of 65 years. After her death in 2021, he took up acting, portraying American expats in France in Jane Austen Wrecked My Life and A Private Life. He also provided a radio voice in Carson Lund’s Eephus, which I mentioned in my end-of-year movie coverage last month.
You can stream many of Wiseman’s documentaries on Mubi right now. If you don’t like the streamer or prefer physical copies of movies (like I do), you can order discs of his films from Zipporah Films’ website. Either way, you can see how his self-effacing, eagle-eyed style of documentary cinema influenced filmmakers as different as Errol Morris and Michael Moore, who’s the opposite of self-effacing. A great American artist and journalist is gone, and we are richer for what he left behind.
Asa Aziz’s name seems to have chosen her path for her. It means “healer” in several languages, which makes sense — the artist now known as Asa Ace amplifies music’s restorative powers.
Ace had begun a career as a respiratory therapist and had been happy with her choice until around the COVID lockdown. She took her chaotic, dour feelings and transmuted them, spinning them into a carefully woven multilayered DJ set. Her music was as different as her motives: Asa Ace was trying to heal herself at that moment and realized that she could also do this to help others.
It was then that her sound-healing path solidified. Ace started doing music full-time, and by the time the world opened fully again, she was playing live and had developed her signature style. When she recorded her first EP, 2024’s Sound Heals, she was focused primarily on the sound and its effect on the psyche and the soul.
“I wanted the listener to be able to sit and feel the rhythms and to end the track feeling inspired, grateful, and elevated,” she said.
She was full of excitement until she got to the studio, when she was frozen by self-doubt.
“I had to just push through my feelings quickly because I drove to Palm Springs to record with my cousin, Josh Major, and I only had one night to get it done,” Ace said.
Sound Heals turned out so well, it was accepted into Amplify 817, a streaming platform through the Fort Worth Public Library spotlighting noteworthy Tarrant County musical talent.
The song titles reflect her mission. “YOU ARE FREE!,” “Life is AHHHH,” “Love Is Asé,”and “Sound Heals, Just Meditate” complete the EP. Taking lessons from her career in health and the act of breathing, Ace masterfully combines her paths into one novel listening and feeling journey.
In 2022, Ace became certified in sound healing, complementing her music and bringing her two purposes together as one: healing and musical joy. Creating soft symphonies with Tibetan singing bowls, Ace develops sound sessions around the needs of the participant, intentionally composing an individually soothing and relaxing experience.
Similarly, before beginning her DJ sets, Ace intentionally chooses happiness. In her career, it seems the medical and musical are very intuitively compatible.
“Through my one-on-one sound-healing sessions, I transmute feelings of energetic heaviness, stress, grief, or hopelessness to an elevated state,” she said, “so from heaviness, tiredness, and hopelessness to joy, clarity, and happiness.”
The nature of a healer is to look to a time when a wound feels better or an outlook is brighter, and Ace has big plans for her own future. She dreams of weaving all the senses into a creative immersive experience that feels warm, inviting, and exciting and that she can take with her to different countries. Ace wants this immersive experience to be “one that inspires the audience visually, mentally, and emotionally.”
Heavily involved in culture and authenticity, Ace is also working with an artist in Zimbabwe on new music and hopes to travel there to collaborate in person. Spinning records does take her all over the world, so this goal is within reach.
Ace also recently became an entrepreneur, opening REAL LOVE IS BOBA in Flower Mound. Tea is famous for uniting people, transcending differences, and enhancing relationships through hospitality. Ace pushes herself to create community at her shop by organizing local events there and even offering DJ lessons. The community-based pop-up is “inspiring connection, creativity, and joy through shared experiences,” Ace said.
Asa Ace: “Through my one-on-one sound-healing sessions, I transmute feelings of energetic heaviness, stress, grief, or hopelessness to an elevated state, so from heaviness, tiredness, and hopelessness to joy, clarity, and happiness.” @maiartmedia
An Eagle Ambassador guides a group of prospective students and parents on a campus tour, August 4, 2014. (Ahna Hubnik / UNT)
Ahna Hubnik
University of North Texas
University of North Texas President Harrison Keller will discuss the possibility of substantial budget cuts at the school’s upcoming quarterly Board of Regents meeting, he wrote in a letter to all faculty and staff Tuesday.
UNT is projecting a $45 million budget deficit after it lost significant state appropriations last legislative session— a total that reached a reduction of about $32 million for fiscal year 2026 and 2027. Keller also pointed to a sharp decline in international master’s students because of federal policy changes as a major reason for the deficit. The decline in international enrollment was larger than projected and amplified the school’s financial challenge, Keller wrote.
“UNT is committed to serve every qualified student who commits to learn with us,” Keller wrote in the letter. “International master’s students do not displace qualified Texas residents at UNT. Out-of-state and international students contribute their perspectives and talent to our community, and the additional tuition and fee revenue they bring is important to our university budget.”
In January, the U.S. State Department said it had revoked an estimated 8,000 student visas. Policies during Donald Trump’s presidency during the 2025-26 academic year also resulted in a 17% drop in new international enrollment at colleges in the United States, according to the Center for American Progress.
Keller wrote that the University Budget Council is working to find solutions to address the school’s current budget issue. He warned of “hard choices” that could be made to improve alignment across values, mission, strategy and priorities of the university.
“These challenges present an opportunity for us to examine our current practices and make changes that will ultimately enhance our educational mission while strengthening our financial foundation,” Keller wrote.
Keller did not go into detail about what “hard changes” could be made, but he is expected to share more about potential budget cuts at UNT’s quarterly Board of Regents meeting on Thursday.
To alleviate the school’s budget concerns, Keller said that recruiting more students and restabilizing international enrollment will be the “primary drivers” to help the budget and advance the university.
UNT had financially relied heavily on international enrollment in recent years, which had surged over the last decade. During the fall 2014 semester, the university had 2,587 enrolled international students. That numbers reached as high as 8,580 during the fall 2023 semester. UNT reported a loss of over 1,300 international students in master’s programs in 2025, according to university data.
“I commit to you that we will navigate our budget challenges responsibly, deliberately, and most importantly, with great care of consideration for the implications of our decisions for our university community,” Keller wrote. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to long term success of all our students.”
Samuel O’Neal is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covering higher education and local news in Fort Worth. He joined the team in December 2025 after previously working as a staff writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer. He graduated from Temple University, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief of the school’s student paper, The Temple News.
🍽️ Do you have a favorite “hidden gem” restaurant in your neighborhood? Use the form below to tell us, and we’ll share it with our readers! 📩Get the Star-Telegram’s restaurant news in your inbox with our Eats Beat newsletter.
Where is this restaurant? 4351 Hemphill St.
What readers recommend about Birrieria Los Chivos de Oro:“We just found out about it. The menu is loaded with enough enticing items to warrant at least five or six trips. All the meat items are done with cabrito, which is a huge selling point. Don’t be afraid of it, if you haven’t tried it. It’s delicious!”
What else to know: This traditional family-owned Mexican restaurant has been around since 1993, “carrying the recipes of our hometown in Nochistlán, Zacatecas to the heart of Fort Worth.” Customers flock here for their specialty birria. Says one Yelp reviewer: “If you want the real deal Birria and an authentic Mexican food restaurant, this is the place!! Everything here is amazing and will leave you feeling ready for nap time.”
See the full menu. The hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Wednesday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
Matt Leclercq is senior managing editor at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He previously was an editor at USA Today in Washington, national news editor at Gatehouse Media in Austin, and executive editor of The Fayetteville (NC) Observer. He’s a New Orleans native.
Though the southern region of the U.S. saw a one percent drop in growth for the first time since 2021, Texas was still deemed popular for migrants. This marks the third consecutive year that the Lone Star state has had the largest numerical population increase in the country.
The 2020 census recorded just over 29 million residents in Texas. And from June 2024 to July 2025, the data shows a net gain of 391,243 residents. As of July 2025, Texas has an estimated 31.7 million residents, according to Census data.
Interestingly enough, the states with the largest population numbers — California, Texas, New York and Florida — were also the states with the largest numbers of residents moving away. Census Bureau data also shows that Texas was the biggest supplier of new residents to nine other states– Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Let’s take a closer look at Texas’ growing population.
🔥 In case you missed it…
[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]
Where are new Texas residents migrating from?
Though Texas had the highest population growth number, for the first time since 2021, the state had a drop in growth percentage rate. Texas saw a growth rate of 1.2 percent from June 2024 to July 2025, according to the Census Bureau.
South Carolina had the nation’s highest growth percentage, with a 1.5 percent rate. Factors that affect the growth percentage include size of the state and the amount of new residents added to its population.
The addition of new residents to Texas didn’t make as much of an impact (compared to South Carolina), as the state is much larger in scale and population size.
A Texas Migration Report that analyzed moving data from June 2024 to May 2025 showed that people from California, Florida, Colorado, Arizona and Illinois, respectively, moved to the Lone Star state the most.
A full moon rises between the two City Center towers in downtown Fort Worth on Dec. 12, 2008. MAX FAULKNER STAR-TELEGRAM
Which Texas cities are growing the most?
According to the Texas Migration Report, Dallas-Fort Worth is the leading metroplex for new residents.
In the following order, these metro areas grew the most from May 2024 to June 2025:
Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.
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