That’s Bella Italia, a different restaurant on Camp Bowie Boulevard.
Ever since Bella Italia announced its move, Cafe Bella owner Eli Golemi has had to explain that they’re not related.
“People tell me, ‘I heard you’re selling’ — I tell them I’m not going anywhere!” said Golemi, a native of Ioannina, Greece.
She started as a server at Cafe Bella and now owns the cafe, 3548 South Hills Ave.
“Ladies are shaking my hand, saying, ‘I’m so happy for you getting divorced,’ “ she said — “I am not getting a divorce!
Cafe Bella owner Eli Golemi, a native of Greece, began working at the Fort Worth, Texas, restaurant as a server. She bought a share of the restaurant when founder Sali Kaba retired and now owns it outright. Seen Jan. 3, 2026. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
“”I have never been to that other restaurant! This is my only restaurant!”
The confusion started in 1999. That’s when the prolific Kaba restaurant family opened a small restaurant on Blue Bonnet Circle named Bella Pizza and Pasta.
Across town, chef Carlo Croci had already opened Bella Italia West on Camp Bowie Boulevard.
The new decor at Cafe Bella in the Westcliff Shopping Center, Fort Worth, Texas, as seen Oct. 1, 2025. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
That should have untangled in 2004, when the Kabas and Golemi moved their restaurant to the Westcliff Shopping Center as Cafe Bella.
Now that Bella Italia is moving to 6115 Camp Bowie Blvd., some customers and social media commenters are confused all over again.
Golemi just upgraded Cafe Bella. She redecorated and dialed the decor up a notch, adding softer lighting, tablecloths and nicer dinnerware, giving it the feel of a night-out restaurant at a BYOB price.
“I grew up with my customers, and I wanted to give them a nicer experience,” she said.
Cafe Bella in the Westcliff Shopping Center, Fort Worth, Texas, seen Oct. 1, 2025. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
Cafe Bella has always been known for basic dishes such as chicken Marsala or baked ziti. Customers like the salmon piccata or Golemi’s salmon special from her mother’s kitchen, she said.
“We buy vegetables from the farmers’ market and we use organic chicken,” she said. “We grate the garlic fresh. Everything is a better quality,” she said.
“i just want the people to feel at home.”
Cafe Bella is open for dinner weeknights and Saturdays and for lunch Wednesdays through Fridays; 817-922-9500, cafebellaftw.com..
Eggplant parmigiana and a pizza with tomatoes, green onion, pesto, black olive, red peppers and Canadian bacon at Cafe Bella on November 16, 2011. Joyce Marshall Star-Telegram archives
Bud Kennedy is celebrating his 40th year writing about restaurants in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written the “Eats Beat” dining column in print since 1985 and online since 1992 — that’s more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat. Support my work with a digital subscription
Carlos Puente, shown here in a newspaper image with his daughter Lisa, was, in 1978, the first Latino elected to a Fort Worth ISD board seat in a hotly contested race.
Carlos Puente joined the Raza Unida Party in the early 1970s, helping to form the Tarrant County chapter of the political party representing Mexican-American issues. He rose in party ranks to become vice chair in Texas, the state with the largest membership. As a politico, Vietnam Marine veteran, community newspaper publisher, and devout Baptist, he developed the mental toughness and savvy to enter Fort Worth politics to become the first Latino to win a highly-contested school board seat in 1978.
The U.S. Justice Department and Black and Brown Fort Worth communities’ lawsuits motivated the Fort Worth ISD board to move from seven-member at-large voting to a nine-member district with seven single-member and two at-large seats in 1978. Reby Carey was the sole Black person to take a school board seat in 1974. Since 1925, most Fort Worth ISD school board members were white men who were reluctant to integrate schools and the board.
Concerned they would lose in a civil rights-minded court, school board members Green Trimble and Dr. Jack Turner quit their seats to allow for two Black-dominant districts (Districts three and four) and one Latino District (District 1). (Reby Carey resigned his seat in 1978 to run successfully for the state legislature). The U.S. Justice Department approved the school redistricting plan.
Puente ran for the District 1 school board seat, hoping to become the first Latino on the 53-year-old school board. Robert Starr, Charles Cox, Joe Avila, and the Rev. Alfred Sanford also announced their candidacies for the seat. Joe Avila, a well-known pharmacist on the North Side, met with Puente through the mediation of Robert Jara, and decided to drop out of the race. They agreed the Latino community would have a better chance of seating a representative if they didn’t split the vote. Robert Starr decided not to run and became Sanford’s campaign manager.
The Rev. Alfred Sanford, shown here in a newspaper image, lost a hotly contested Forth Worth ISD board to Carlos Puente in 1978.
Cox was a salesman with Cal-Western Life Insurance Co.; Sanford was a pastor at Thompson Chapel United Methodist Church; Puente was a health care planner with the Texas Area 5 Health Systems Agency. On March 19, 1978, the Star-Telegram editorial board wrote, “This endorsement is made on the basis of Puente’s long record of community involvement, his demonstrated ability to work with persons of all races and backgrounds, his extensive knowledge of intergovernmental relations and school affairs and his ability to grasp and articulate complicated issues clearly.”
On April 1, 1978, Maudrie Walton became the first Black woman elected to the school board in District 3. The Rev. Nehemiah Davis won District 4, becoming the third Black person in the history to sit on the school board. Dr. H. Richard O’Neal won the at-large vote for board president. Mollie Lasater, Martha Adams, and Carlos Puente were thrown into runoffs. On April 22, 1978, the trio won according to the initial count. But then votes were discovered in the Puente-Sanford runoff that threw the District 1 race into confusion and court.
A disputed Fort Worth school board election
Hillery Hardeman had worked as an election official since 1956. As election judge of the Precinct 50 at Washington Heights Elementary, he called the vote total to the election office at 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, 1978, as 339 votes for Sanford and 49 for Puente. The total count tallied 724 for Puente and 708 for Sanford. However, on Sunday morning, Hardeman said he found 22 ballots that had not been counted in the back seat of his car. He waited until Monday, April 24, 1978, to submit the ballots to the election administration. To add to the confusion, assistant election judge Mary Wallace said janitor Larry Erwin found a batch of ballots on a step leading to the counting room. The inclusion of 22 ballots, according to Hardeman, changed the Precinct 50 total to 358 for Sanford and 49 for Puente, tilting the election to Sanford by three votes.
Hillery Hardeman, shown here in a newspaper image, was an election judge in a precinct with disputed votes in the school board race between Carlos Puente and the Rev. Alfred Sanford.
O’Neal prepared to declare Sanford as the winner of District 1 on April 26, 1978, but stopped when Puente called for an official recount. O’Neal appointed a three-person committee to recount the ballots. Legal counsel advised the school board to forgo counting the questionable 22 ballots since they were not in the original steel box that was submitted. The recount showed Puente with 719 votes and Sanford with 714 votes. Based on these results, O’Neal swore in Puente on May 3, 1978, as the first Latino to sit on the FWISD school board.
Sanford retained attorney Clifford Davis, who had represented the NAACP in its 1974 lawsuit to integrate the Fort Worth ISD school board. Davis argued before Judge Joe Burnett that not counting the 22 ballots would disenfranchise those voters and violate their civil rights. Puente’s attorneys, Charles Dickens and Mike Paddock, argued it could not be verified that the ballots were cast. Judge Burnett ruled on May 19, 1978, that the 22 ballots would not be counted, upholding the election of Puente.
Puente served six years on the school board, advocating for Latino students, fighting to prevent Latino student dropouts, implementing professional programs in Latino-dominated schools, involving the community, and facilitating the hiring of Latino teachers, administrators and staff. Arturo Peña succeeded Puente, continuing a succession of Latinos and Latinas on the school board to the present.
On March 13, 1980, Puente held a fundraiser dinner at Pulido’s restaurant on Jacksboro Highway to pay off his $3,500 in legal fees from the contested runoff.
Author Richard J. Gonzales writes and speaks about Fort Worth, national and international Latino history.
Follow More of Our Reporting on Uniquely Fort Worth
The Main Street Bridge on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. Construction on the 1.5 mile bypass channel that will cut underneath the Main Street Bridge is expected to begin summer of 2026.
Amanda McCoy
amccoy@star-telegram.com
Dirt might finally start turning on Panther Island in 2026, roughly a quarter of a century after its inception.
The idea to revitalize the Trinity River began in 2001, with plans for an 800-acre district north of downtown emerging years later. The idea was to reconnect the community to the river after it was cut off when the earthen levees were built following the 1949 flood.
It then became a flood control project to improve the Trinity River levee system by connecting two sections of the river north of downtown.
The Main Street bridge on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. Work is expected to start on the north channel of Panther Island in 2026. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
It has since split into two projects to distinguish between the flood control work being done by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the development work being done by private developers in coordination with the city of Fort Worth and Tarrant Regional Water District. Officials haven’t updated the cost of the project since 2018, when they put the price tag at $1.17 billion.
The project has faced repeated setbacks, from changes in the plans, to construction delays on the bridges, to a block in funding during the first Trump administration. In 2022, the project received $403 million from the 2021 Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act.
The Main Street bridge on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. Work is expected to start on the north channel of Panther Island in 2026. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Meanwhile, the city of Fort Worth and Tarrant Regional Water District have been busy preparing the island for development to go hand in glove with the Army Corps’ flood control work. A March 2024 consultant’s plan envisions a 338-acre island, with a walkable business and entertainment district.
There is a lot of work to be done, both on flood control and development, but the island may finally begin to take shape in 2026.
The flood control bit
Construction is expected to begin this summer on the most visible part of the project — the 1.5 mile bypass channel. Work will start on the northern portion near the Main Street Bridge and is expected to take three years, Kate Beck, the water district program director, said during a Nov. 6 meeting of the Trinity River Vision Authority board.
This map shows the new bypass channel that follows a straighter path than the natural bend in the river at downtown. HR&A consultants
The southern half is still in the design phase. It will run under the Henderson Street and Westside Drive bridges before opening onto a section of the Trinity River across from City Hall.
The Corps has enough money for the design portion, but will need more for construction. The same is true for the Samuels Avenue dam, a pump station and three floodgates.
The Corps will also start work to restore some of the ecosystem of the Ham Branch stream in Harmon Park. The park is one of several so-called “valley storage” sites meant to hold back floodwater.
The restoration includes planting trees, grasses, and transforming an urban waterway into a natural channel, according to a project page on the Army Corps’s website.
Development on the island
The Tarrant Regional Water District put out a call on Oct. 16 looking for developers to purchase land around a section of the island’s internal canal system.
The district owns about 36 acres on the island that can be developed without waiting for the bypass channel. This initial section will focus on an area bordered by North Main Street to the west, Northwest Fifth Street to the north, Northwest Fourth Street to the south and the levee to the east.
However, the district wouldn’t turn down developers in areas outside that first canal zone, said Susan Alanis, the waster district program director.
The area in the initial phase will have all the necessary water, sewer and drainage pipes in place, so it’ll be easiest for developers to work there first, she said.
The water district set aside $12.4 million in its 2026 budget to build a section of canal in that area. It expects to start by the middle of 2026, according to water district documents.
The site of the Coyote Drive-In will be turned into a park. The pavilion will stay, but the rest of the area will be turned into a park, according to water district documents.
The levee along the West Fork of the Trinity River near the Main Street Bridge on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
The pavilion is a real asset for the water district, Alanis said. It has a beer garden atmosphere, and will create the kind of fun atmosphere the district is looking for on the island, she said.
The city is still working on more sweeping updates to zoning rules on the island, but those won’t get a public airing until sometime in 2026, assistant city manager Dana Burghdoff said in the Nov. 6 meeting.
The canal will be near a 1.5 acre parcel owned by Austin-based developer Seco Ventures. The company bought 26 acres on the island in 2023, making it the island’s largest private landowner.
Seco started land planning for a 300-unit apartment complex at 508 N. Main St., which, once completed, will usher in a new era for Panther Island, founding partner Josh Needham said in an email the Star-Telegram.
He praised the work of the city and the water district to lay the groundwork for development on the island, saying it has created a clear path for Seco to secure the needed funding for its project in the coming year.
Seco is working with the city and other government agencies to set up a special taxing district to fund improvements on the island, Needham said.
“Panther Island is a place rich in history and character; we’re simply bringing that legacy back to life,” he said.
Beyond 2026
In the coming years, Panther Island will lean into its strengths around river and trail access and along with the new canals and future parks, Seco’s Needham said.
“With those advantages, our task is to build spaces that enable the lifestyle they make possible,” he said.
The company hasn’t released details for how it plans to develop those properties, but Needham shared a concept rendering from Lake Flato Architects showing a mixture of hotels, apartments, offices, a music venue and a grocery store.
Panther Island: District Concept Massing by Lake Flato Architects Courtesy of Seco Ventures
The construction of the other phases of the flood control project are still up in the air except work in Rockwood Park and along University Drive.
The Army Corps plans to dig out a section of Rockwood Park along the Trinity River for another valley storage site.
The road will be raised 12 to 15 feet to act as another buffer against floodwater escaping the river. The section is at risk during a major flooding event, so this will stop the road from being washed out.
Construction on the section of University Drive is expected to take 18 months, and is expected to start sometime in 2029 to line up with the completion of the northern section of the bypass channel.
In the meantime, the city plans to build a new access road to help traffic bypass the construction site.
The access road will curve behind the businesses that sit on the blocked section of North University Drive and dump traffic out onto Jacksboro Highway just north of the Super Star Car Wash, according to a presentation at the Nov. 6 TRVA board meeting.
Construction of the access road will start in 2026, and take about a year to complete.
This story was originally published January 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
Harrison Mantas has covered Fort Worth city government, agencies and people since September 2021. He likes to live tweet city hall meetings, and help his fellow Fort Worthians figure out what’s going on.
Christopher Judge and Raquelle Judge of Fort Worth took nearly $5 million from more than 40 clients for unfinished home design and construction projects.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
A Fort Worth couple who managed a custom home-building, remodeling and interior design firm pleaded guilty to charges they defrauded clients of millions of dollars.
According to details released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas on Dec. 31, Christopher Judge and Raquelle Judge, a husband and wife who were managing members of Judge DFW LLC, took nearly $5 million from more than 40 North Texas homeowners for construction and design projects they began but never completed between 2020 and 2023.
Court records showed the defendants accepted installment payments from the victims for the unfinished projects and commingled victims’ funds instead of keeping project money separate. Additionally, Christopher Judge was accused of falsely representing himself as an architect.
The scheme entailed Judge DFW offering below-market bids to the victims, according to court records.
Christopher Judge pleaded guilty Dec. 30 to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Raquelle Judge pleaded guilty Dec 17 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She faces up to five years in prison. Both defendants also face monetary penalties.
Raquelle Judge is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth on April 14 for sentencing. A sentencing hearing for Christopher Judge is scheduled for May 12 in the same venue.
Matt Adams is a news reporter covering Fort Worth, Tarrant County and surrounding areas. He previously wrote about aviation and travel and enjoys a good weekend road trip. Matt joined the Star-Telegram in January 2025.
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.
Spec’s Wines, Spirits & Fine Foods is coming to west Fort Worth.
Michael Graczyk
AP
West Fort Worth will soon be home to a new liquor store.
The Texas-based Spec’s Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods is planning a new, 11,000-square-feet store at the northwest corner of the Interstate 30 service road and Chapel Creek Blvd., according to documents from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Construction on the new liquor store is estimated at $4 million and will start on April 1, 2026, and should be finished by December 2026, according to the TDLR document.
Jake Harris is the Service Journalism Editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has spent nearly 10 years working as a digital producer across newsrooms in Texas. He mainly writes about pop culture and local North Texas happenings and occasionally writes concert reviews.
Voice the view outside the Morrow Center, Monday, December 29, 2025. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Georgia’s winter temperatures and high winds didn’t stop crowds from gathering inside and outside of the Morrow Center on Monday afternoon in anticipation of the arrival of some special guests. Two dozen Buddhist monks, led by Bhikkhu Pannakara, have embarked on a 2,300-mile Walk For Peace, which included, among other counties, Clayton and DeKalb.
In Decatur, hundreds of people gathered along Rainbow Drive to watch the men march up the drive and into the center. Hours before the monks arrived, mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, grandparents, friends, and interested parties sat, stood, and walked in place to stay warm while they waited.
Belinda T. lives down the street from the temple and took the short drive over to witness what she called “history.”
“This is a historical event. I have lived to see a Black president, a Black vice president, and now this,” Belinda T. said. “I feel like I’m witnessing history.”
Steven Gibson echoed her sentiments. He was there with a couple of family members. Gibson and his party made their way to Decatur from Douglasville. He told The Atlanta Voice that he planned on making the trip because he, too, wanted to witness something he had never seen before. He also agrees with the monks’ overall mission of peace.
“I agree with what they are doing. It’s noble,” Gibson said. “Where we are as a country, we need something positive to lift our spirits.”
A mother and her four children moved closer and closer together in order to stay warm. She wanted her kids, an older boy and three small girls, to see the monks for various reasons. The top reason being proof of life.
“I support their walk for peace, I believe it is bringing us all together,” Nyah S. said. “But I also want my children to witness different walks of life.”
Kyah S. didn’t intend to use the perfect pun, but it landed right on target. She said her children are way too young to have witnessed the Civil Rights marches of the 50s and 60s, or even the Black Lives Matters protest of 2020 and 2021, but they can see this.
“Especially, peaceful ways of life. There are people of all colors and religions out here,” Nyah S., who is Muslim, said. “It’s important for them to witness this.”
In Morrow, massive crowds gathered along Tara and Mt. Zion boulevards, while some people stood on cars, bundled in blankets, and used walkers as they awaited the monks’ arrival at the Morrow Center at Southlake Mall. Due to the number of people in the crowds, the monks were moved inside the building for safety reasons.
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Residents peered into the windows near the entrance of the Morrow Center to catch a glimpse of the modestly dressed monks in their traditional saffron and brown robes.
This peace walk began in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to conclude in Washington, D.C., according to the steady stream of social media posts associated with the monks’ mission. The goal is to promote national healing, unity, and compassion. The Walk for Peace will traverse 10 states on its route to Washington, D.C., stopping at state capitols, historic landmarks, and local communities to share its message and invite moments of reflection and prayer.
This 110-day pilgrimage began at the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, the future site of one of the most significant Buddhist projects in the United States: The Ancient Sacred Buddhist Scripture Stupas, Dhammacetiya.
This visionary $200 million development spans 14 acres and will feature 840 stupas, each inscribed with sacred Buddhist scriptures symbolizing the boundless wisdom and compassion of the Buddha.
The project stands as a testament to Texas’s vibrant and growing Buddhist community and its commitment to strengthening the moral and spiritual fabric of the nation.
The view inside the Morrow Center on Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Buddhist monks dedicate their lives to preserving, practicing, and sharing the teachings of the Buddha through renunciation, meditation, study, and compassionate service. Following the Buddha’s example, monks often undertake long walking pilgrimages, spiritual journeys that may last for months.
During the Walk for Peace, participating monks will observe a strict ascetic code inspired by these ancient traditions, including eating only one meal per day and sleeping beneath trees, as a practice of humility, endurance, and spiritual focus.
Rooted in both spiritual devotion and civic purpose, the Walk for Peace looks to remind Americans that peace is not a destination; it is a practice. As the nation faces challenges of division, mental health crises, and conflict both at home and abroad, this pilgrimage offers a simple yet profound message: peace begins within the heart of each person and extends outward to families, communities, and the nation.
Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
Walk For Peace Spiritual Leader Bhikkhu Pannakara said they walk not to protest, but to awaken the peace that already lives within each of us.
“The Walk for Peace is a simple yet meaningful reminder that unity and kindness begin within each of us and can radiate outward to families, communities, and society as a whole,” he said.
Supporter Monique Funches says this movement, in which the monks are participating, has inspired her own healing journey.
“For me, this walk means a lot and contributes to my healing journey because of my own experiences, personally being adopted from foster care,” she said. “It has taught me the value in being able to come to peace and to terms with my circumstances and with being separated and longing and yearning for that connection with my first family.”
“I support their walk for peace, I believe it is bringing us all together,” Nyah S. said. “But I also want my children to witness different walks of life.” Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
She also says the Walk For Peace pilgrimage’s goal is to promote unity, peace, and a color-blind perspective, seeking wholeness and embracing differences.
After watching so many people unite for a single goal, Funches says it feels like everyone is “finally coming together,” especially in a time when it seems like everyone is divided.
The monks continue their 2,300-mile pilgrimage on Tuesday with a public stop planned in Decatur. The pilgrimage will culminate Feb. 13, 2026, at the U.S. Capitol, where participants hope to deliver a brief message symbolizing healing and renewal.
Fort Worth has one less Pei Wei location as of this week, according to an email sent to rewards members on Monday, Dec. 29.
The Montgomery Plaza location of Pan-Asian chain restaurant shut its doors permanently this week in suite 101 at 2600 W. Seventh St. The restaurant chain, known for its Pan-Asian cuisine with inspiration from Chinese and Thai street food, has more than 116 locations across the country.
Pei Wei closing in Suite 101 at hasn’t been the only restaurant closure this year in Montgomery Plaza.
Goat & Vine, at the corner of the 2600 block, closed in April, marking the 10th restaurant in 17 years in that space to close. And Bankhead Brewpub off North University announced the closing of its sole Fort Worth brewery.
Here’s what we know about the Pei Wei closure.
Bowl of Honey Seared Chicken and noodles at Pei Wei in Montgomery Plaza. Photo taken Monday April 19, 2010. Bob Booth Star-Telegram
What will happen to the rewards members at the Montgomery Plaza Pei Wei?
Those with points at the previous West 7th Pei Wei location will still have points eligible for the Pei Wei Waterside location in West Fort Worth.
Where else is Pei Wei in Fort Worth?
The Pei Wei Waterside location is at 5925 Convair Drive, Suite 501 in Fort Worth in the Waterside Shopping Center.
This shopping center located off Bryant Irvin Road has Whole Foods, REI and First Watch brunch restaurant, only a mile from The Shops at Clearfork.
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.
More homebuyers in Fort Worth are discovering they can bring something to the negotiation table that has eluded them for years: leverage.
For the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fort Worth real estate agents are seeing rising inventory and slower price growth — in other words, a more buyer-friendly market.
“Every real estate market has its ups and downs and levels,” said Shawn Buck, president of the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors. “Right now in Fort Worth, we’re really just balancing out, which is a great thing, specifically for buyers and getting them into a market where they can have more leverage when buying a home.”
A balanced housing market equates to exactly six months of available inventory, meaning it would take six months to sell every house currently on the market if no new homes were listed. Right now, Fort Worth is seeing about three to six months of inventory, which creates the most balanced market the city has seen since before the pandemic, Buck said.
High mortgage rates and other economic pressures over the last few years pushed many buyers out of the market. With mortgage rates falling and price growth slowing, pending home sales grew nearly 4% in November, the largest jump in contract signings since early 2023.
November housing prices in Fort Worth were 6% lower than one year ago, and active listings were up by over 3%, according to Realtor association data. Closed sales declined by over 11%, reflecting softer demand for homes. In Tarrant County as a whole, home prices in November averaged $336,450, down by 5.2%.
Buck said the Fort Worth area’s shift to a more buyer-friendly market comes after years of “chaos” created from the pandemic and a subsequent mass population increase in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
“With the mass migration to Texas, DFW was a large recipient of that,” Buck said. “We had a much higher demand than our housing mortgage, so that can very much cause a seller’s market in that time. Now, we’re really just balancing out, which is a great thing for buyers.”
Buck also said buyers are able to negotiate more now than they have since before the pandemic in 2020.
In November, 708 homes were sold in Fort Worth — just over 11% less than November 2024. The median price in November was also less than November 2024, and the monthly housing inventory rose.
The Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors also said that the average home spent 64 days on the market in November, which was nine days longer than this time last year.
Those numbers were similar in Tarrant County as a whole. Over 1,400 homes were sold across the county in November, also about 11% lower than November 2024. The median house price dropped almost 6% compared to the same time last year, and houses spend five more days on the market in November than they did in November 2024.
Buck said he doesn’t have any crystal ball, but he fully expects the Fort Worth market to remain in a more balanced state for the time being, he said.
“Listening to economists, looking at all the market reporters, all those things, I think that we’re going to stay in the more balanced market for the foreseeable future,” Buck said. “Now, if rates were to come down drastically that could change, but with the growth and development and the job market and people moving to DFW, I think we will continue seeing this balanced level market.”
A more stable market is a good thing for both buyers and sellers, and now is the perfect time to buy a home whether you’re a first-time buyer or a tenth time buyer, Buck said.
“No realtor really likes having that chaos of an unbalanced market for that long like we saw during and after COVID,” Buck said. “We like the seasonality, we like the trends. And as we move back toward a more stable and balanced market, there is consistency, which is a great thing for both buyers and sellers.”
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.
A police car drives through the neighborhood where two children and a 17-year-old were shot the day before in the 8500 block of Steel Dust Drive. Neighbors say the presence of local law enforcement is unprecedented on the usually quiet street.
FortWorth
Your home is supposed to be a safe, comfortable place. But when one can hear music so loud it’s shaking the house or a constant yapping dog barking, home doesn’t feel so cozy.
In Texas, particularly in unincorporated county areas, any noise that’s louder than 85 decibels can be breaking the law. Fort Worth’s noise rate is set at 70 decibels during the day and 60 at night in residential areas. This is quieter than a lawn mower or maybe even a blender. A vacuum cleaner is right around 70 decibels.
According to Texas law and the city’s ordinances, here’s what you can do.
Daytime: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. = 70dBA (equivalent to a running vacuum cleaner)
Nighttime: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. = 60dBA (equivalent to a normal-level conversation)
All non-residential and mixed-use zones:
Daytime: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. = 80dBA
Nighttime: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. = 70dBA
“H” Central Business District,“TU” Trinity Uptown, and West 7th Village:
Sunday—Thursday Daytime: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. = 80dBA
Nighttime: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. the following day = 70dBA
Friday—Saturday Daytime: 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. the following day = 80dBA
Nighttime and Sunday: 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. = 70dBA
First, try speaking with your neighbor to set boundaries
Though noisy neighbors can be aggravating, it’s best to try and sort it out neighbor-to-neighbor before involving local law enforcement.
Noise complaints are low priority to police officers, so filing one doesn’t always guarantee that law enforcement will come right away to solve the problem. And sometimes, police arrive after the noise has died down.
The City of Fort Worth created a neighbor-to-neighbor program to help those who live in Fort Worth understand how to be a good neighbor from parking to noise violations and trash/litter control.
Janet Williamson, one resident who lives in the Westcliff neighborhood near TCU’s campus, told the Star-Telegram in March she attempts to resolve the issue of student house party noise by speaking with the students directly.
How to file a noise complaint on a neighbor
To file a noise complaint in Fort Worth, there are a few options:
Can you sue for a noisy neighbor?
If your neighbor is repeatedly being a disturbance, the only way to get them to stop being loud may be to ask the court for money damages.
Like any court case, to win, you would need to provide ample evidence. Keeping a record of evidence is the best way to prove guilt. Emails, police reports, notes, videos or a recording of the offensive sound are all valid evidence.
In court you would need to specify:
There is excessive and disturbing noise.
The person you’re suing is either creating the noise or is the landlord and therefore responsible and your enjoyment of your home is affected.
You have asked the person to stop the noise.
However, taking your neighbor to court does not promise a payment. Promoting peace would be a more realistic expectation.
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.
Fort Worth couple Jackie Ledezma, left and Dustin Bauer feed the ducks and geese of the Trinity Park Duck Pond in Fort Worth on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
Chris Torres
ctorres@star-telegram.com
Christmas in Fort Worth was a tie for the second-hottest on record. Jack Frost heard, and he’s coming to town.
Friday, Dec. 26 will be the second-hottest Dec. 26 since 2008 with a high temperature of 84. Saturday will continue the trend with a high of 81.
Though Sunday during the day may seem warm, “big changes arrive by late Sunday afternoon/evening as a ‘Blue Norther’-type cold front races southward across the region,” according to the NWS forecaster discussion.
Here’s what to expect in the upcoming cold front.
Temperatures drop 40 to 50 degrees overnight on Sunday. Fort Worth National Weather Service
Freezing temperatures in Fort Worth
By Sunday evening, the NWS predicts temperatures will drop 40 to 50 degrees.
“Temps look to drop from Sunday afternoon’s highs in the 70s/80s down to Monday morning’s lows in the upper 20s/30s,” said the forecaster’s discussion.
The cold front will also bring scattered showers, maybe even a thunderstorm, east of the 1-35 corridor, plus gusty winds behind the front.
Sunday night has a low of 34 degrees. While Monday will reach freezing temperatures with a low of 27 and high of 46.
Monday, Dec. 29 is predicted to be the coldest day of the week.
🔥 In case you missed it…
Will it stay cold in Fort Worth?
The remainder of the week stays cold, but not freezing.
As we inch closer to January and February, Fort Worth can expect less sunny days.
According to the NWS winter forecast, which covers December 2025 until February 2026, it shows weak La Niña conditions will transition into neutral conditions, also known as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
ENSO conditions would bring greater chances of precipitation later into winter.
There hasn’t been a North Texas winter without some kind of precipitation since the NWS started recording temperatures. So they are sure at least one winter weather event will occur.
What they are unsure of is the number and intensity of weather events. Also, it is hard to predict whether temperatures and precipitation will deviate from their normal.
Chilly weather kicks off the start of next week. Fort Worth National Weather Service
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.
A number of city-approved fee and rate changes adopted in recent months will officially go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, and impact Fort Worth residents’ utility bills and city service charges.
Fort Worth will increase its stormwater utility fee by 5% in 2026 to create an estimated $2.6 million to fund drainage project and equipment upgrades, as voted on by City Council in September. The change will impact homeowners as well as commercial and industrial property owners.
Increases to most water bills will be minimal, as the average residential property owners will only see an additional 35 cents added to their bill, elevating from $6.94 to $7.29 next year for most homeowners, according to a statement from the city in September. Rates for commercial and industrial properties will be increased based on impervious surface and square footage.
Residential solid waste rates for garbage pickup are also increasing in the new year. A 32-gallon cart will go from $12.50 to $13.75, a 64-gallon cart from $17.50 to $19.50 and a 96-gallon cart from $22.75 to $25.75, City Council voted in October.
⭐ Our editors also recommend:
Other fee increases include a 75-cent increase to environmental protection fees, and slight increases to food inspection fees and development services fees.
The city of Forth Worth estimated in October that all those monthly fee increases would result in about $56.88 more in user fees in 2026 compared to 2025. But that increase will be partially negated by a recent property tax decrease of a quarter of a cent. That lower rate reduced the average homeowner’s tax bill by about $20 per year, according to a statement from the city in October.
Fort Worth also made changes to its water and sewage tier breakpoints in August, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. The actual water rates are mostly the same, but the tiers that trigger higher rates will now start at lower usage levels. The second tier previously went up to 18 cubic feet of water, but that will drop to 12 cubic feet in the new year. The third and fourth payment tiers will also slightly drop.
New state laws taking effect
Fort Worth residents will also be impacted by a few new state laws that will officially go into law on Jan. 1, 2026.
Texas lawmakers passed legislation earlier this year to require app stores, like the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, to verify users’ ages and get parental consent before minors can download certain apps to their devices. But that bill was shot down by a federal judge on Tuesday.
New state laws that will go into effect include one that will speed up the eviction process in squatter cases in the new year and new framework that will regulate the use of artificial intelligence, which will include consumer protections and other disclosure requirements. All of these new laws were voted on by state lawmakers in recent months.
Samuel O’Neal is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covering higher education and southwest 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.
The sun rises behind downtown Fort Worth’s skyline on Friday, September 9, 2022.
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the hardest regions in the United States for minimum-wage workers to afford rent, according to a study.
According to an analysis by Realtor.com, two workers making Texas’ $7.25 minimum hourly wage would have to work 80 hours per week each to afford the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area’s median rent price of $1,441 in December for apartments up to two bedrooms. The only metro areas in the country where earners would have to work more hours are Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh, Pittsburgh and San Jose.
Just five of the country’s 50 largest metro areas have median rent prices that the study deemed affordable for minimum wage workers without having to work overtime. All of those metros — Buffalo, N.Y., Rochester, N.Y., St. Louis, Phoenix, and Kansas City, Mo. — have a statewide minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
Detroit and Jacksonville are expected to join that list in 2026 after Michigan and Florida pass upcoming legislation to raise their wage floors.
In Buffalo, the most affordable metro area in the country according to the study, two workers making New York’s state minimum wage of $15.50 would need to work just 30 hours per week each to afford the medium rent price of $1,176 in December.
Dallas-Fort Worth’s December median rent price of $1,441 for apartments two bedrooms or smaller is below the $1,693 median rent price for all the nation’s top 50 metros combined. But because of Texas’ low minimum wage rate of $7.25, Dallas-Fort Worth is still one of the hardest metro areas for those workers to afford rent, according to the analysis.
Minimum wage earners in Texas’ other major metro areas in Texas, including Houston, Austin and San Antonio, are required to work fewer hours to make their city’s median rent price than they are in Dallas-Fort Worth. In Houston, it would take 76 hours to afford the median rent of $1,369. In San Antonio, it would take 67 hours to afford the $1,207 median rent.
Other cities around the country deemed more cost-friendly for minimum-wage workers include Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, Miami, Seattle, Denver and Chicago. Although all of those metro areas have higher median rent prices, they are also in states that have sustainably higher wages floors.
Rent prices in Fort Worth and across the country as a whole have slowly dropped in recent years, but the overall median rent cost between the top 50 metros combined was still 17% higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic in November 2019.
Samuel O’Neal is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covering higher education and southwest 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.
In April, when Goat & Vine closed in Montgomery Plaza, it was the 10th to fail in the same exact location.
A sign on the door April 9, 2025, said Goat & Vine Restaurant & Winery in Fort Worth, Texas, was padlocked shut. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
But other restaurants closed for happier reasons: so the owners could enjoy the rewards of their hard work or move to better jobs.
Here are some of the dearly departed restaurants in 2025 we’ll miss most:
—Cat City Grill, a 15-year Near Southside steakhouse and bar known for weekend brunch, closed after beef prices and customers’ changing habits squeezed midprice restaurants, owner Martin Thompson said. The space became Enchiladas ¡Olé!.
—Belzoni’s Catfish Cafe, a heralded Mississippi-style catfish restaurant on Loop 820 West that grew from a popular concession trailer, closed because owner Dwight Cooley needed to recover from surgery.
—Sabar BBQ, a Texas Monthly Top 50 restaurant for its Pakistani-seasoned brisket and sausage, drew long lines Dec. 20 when it closed after pitmaster Zain Shafi became a co-owner of Goldee’s BBQ. Brix Barbecue nearby, a Top 100 restaurant, also closed.
Zain Shafi, the owner of Sabar BBQ, writes the menu and unlocks the trailer parked at the corner of East Vickery Boulevard and South Main Street near downtown Fort Worth on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2024. Chris Torres Star-Telegram archives
—Bella Italia West, a Fort Worth tradition for 45 years and for 37 on Camp Bowie Boulevard, will close Dec. 31. Chef Carlo Croci lost his lease to plans for a new development.
—Bodacious Bar-B-Q, a popular East Texas restaurant, closed its 34-year Arlington location across from AT&T Stadium. The landmark 1958 building was originally a location of Texas’ iconic Underwood’s Bar-B-Q.
—Taco Heads, once a symbol of a small truck operator opening two thriving restaurants and margarita bars, closed after a proposed sale to a Dallas restaurateur was canceled.
—Mason & Dixie, a Southern-style lunch cafe in downtown Grapevine known for sandwiches and desserts, closed after a landlord dispute.
—Maiden Fine Plants & Spirits, a fine-dining vegetarian restaurant on the Near Southside, opened with a $150-per-person tasting menu, struggled and closed.
—Vice Burger, a worthy replica of a 1950s diner but serving plant-based burgers and hot dogs, closed on the Near Southside. Tres Amigos Tacos & Tequila, which replaced Yucatan Taco Stand, also closed on Magnolia Avenue.
—T & P Tavern, a grill and bar in the historic 1931 Texas & Pacific Railway train station popular with Trinity Railway Express riders, closed when Trinity Metro took it over. It will reopen as Station & Vine.
The T & P Tavern restaurant, seen August 6, 2023, is in the old 1931 Fort Worth railroad station coffee shop and dining counter. Bud Kennedy bud@star-telegram.com
—Fire Oak Grill, a Southwestern steakhouse and one of the first restaurants in the downtown Weatherford boom around the courthouse square, closed after 18 years and was sold.
—Hutch’s Pie and Sandwich Shop, a bakery that opened in 1935 and grew into a fried pie company, closed when the Hutchens family retired.
—Second Bar + Kitchen, a casual grill by James Beard chef David Bull, closed in Mineral Wells when the Crazy Water Hotel management company changed. Bull had made Mineral Wells a must-stop. It was replaced by Oak & Third with chef Stefon Rishel.
—Campo Verde Mexican Bar & Grill in Dalworthington Gardens, once known for its elaborate Christmas decor, closed Dec. 24. It was never the same after 2022, when founder James “Smiley” Williams sold it before his death.
—Sam Won Garden, a 20-year favorite and Fort Worth’s first popular Korean restaurant, closed after Sylvia Chung retired.
Si Tapas, La Cabrona, Social House, and Terra Mediterranean sit on Crockett Street, formerly known as Crockett Row, now Artisan Circle, in West 7th Entertainment District. Ella Gonzales egonzales@star-telegram.com
—Sí Tapas, a Spanish restaurant in Artisan Circle by the co-founder of Dallas’ Cafe Madrid, never reopened after the 2024 Christmas break. It will be replaced by Partenope Ristorante.
—Mash’D, a 10-year Artisan Circle restaurant based on moonshine, closed at the end of its lease. It will be replaced by Top of the Morning, a breakfast cafe. Bar Louie, Hurts Donut and La Familia also closed, as did several bar-restaurants in Artisan Circle and the nearby Foch Street Warehouses.
—Pearl Snap Kolaches, a 12-year kolache bakery and burger grill, closed on White Settlement Road in Fort Worth. The space will become Seared, a neighborhood steakhouse.
—Heirloom at Archie’s, a sandwich and lunch kiosk with a patio in the middle of the Archie’s garden store, was replaced by the owners’ Gardenland Cafe.
Umelia Neira uses a hot press to toast a Cuban sandwich at Cuco’s Sandwich Shop in North Richland Hills on Dec. 6, 2010. Ron T. Ennis Star-Telegram archives
—Cuco’s Sandwich Shop, a small family operation in North Richland Hills that became known for standout Cuban sandwiches, closed after 34 years. The Neira family retired due to health problems.
—F1 Smokehouse, a confusing barbecue-themed bar and grill in the Cultural District, never closed, but it simplified its name and changed the concept to the Little Tavern. It serves grill dishes and brunch items like those on the menu at the larger Tavern restaurant on South Hulen Street.
—Off the Bone BBQ in Forest Hill, ranked in 2010 by D Magazine as the No. 1 barbecue joint in North Texas, closed after an ownership change and the recent explosion of more elaborate craft barbecue restaurants.
—Paco’s Mexican Cuisine, a 21-year Tex-Mex restaurant in three locations, closed both in Sundance Square and on the Near Southside. The Southside location switched to Shōgun Taqueria.
Much of the interior at Paco’s Mexican Cuisine was unchanged from the previous tenant. Joyce Marshall Star-Telegram archives
—Pinstripes, an Illinois-based “bowling, bocce and bistro” center, closed in the Shops at Clearfork after a corporate restructuring. The restaurant was known for its sprawling Sunday and holiday brunch buffet.
—La Fiesta, a 50-year Cleburne landmark built originally as a Jose’s, was destroyed by fire.
That isn’t even counting the endless chain restaurants and franchises that failed or folded, many due to overexpansion in new suburbs or the passing of food fads.
Nor does it count restaurants that took a break and have now reopened: Chadra Mezza (in a new South Freeway location), Clown Burger, Enchiladas ¡Olé!, Los Vaqueros, the Malt Shop in Weatherford, Old Neighborhood Grill, Pizza Verde, Taste of Europe and Uncle Julio’s.
The flagship Tommy’s Hamburgers on Camp Bowie Boulevard is under repair after a fire and will reopen by mid-2026.
This story was originally published December 26, 2025 at 4:17 AM.
Bud Kennedy is celebrating his 40th year writing about restaurants in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has written the “Eats Beat” dining column in print since 1985 and online since 1992 — that’s more than 3,000 columns about Texas cafes, barbecue, burgers and where to eat. Support my work with a digital subscription
Sometimes the gift you got from Uncle Frank just isn’t something you would ever use, or maybe that sweater just doesn’t fit right.
There are options for unwanted gifts — returns, exchanging, reselling or regifting. Ultimately, it’s best when you can replace that wrapped present with something you really want.
Here’s how to get the most when returning an unwanted gift. (Just don’t tell Uncle Frank.)
The sooner, the better
It’s always best to check the store policy of where your gift came from.
Most stores have a return window (typically around 30 days) of when you can exchange your unwanted item. If you miss the window, then, sorry Charlie!
Some stores do offer returns via shipping. So before braving the mall, check the store’s policy on returning the gift via the mail.
It’s safest to do Christmas returns during the month of January and no later. Bottom line: The sooner, the better.
Keep receipts or proof of purchase
If you receive a gift receipt, or a normal receipt, it’s more likely you can get cash back instead of store credit.
The receipt will also guarantee that you get the full amount of money that the gift was worth when it was bought.
🔥 In case you missed it…
Keep all tags on
If you try on your gift or use your gift before returning it, do not remove any tags or packaging hardware.
Most stores will accept gifts without receipts as long as they are still tagged or in the original packaging.
Note that for electronics, stores often charge restocking fees if you unwrap them. Keep electronics in the box it came in, untouched.
It’s best to keep the gift in the same condition as when you received it.
Resell or re-gift
If for any reason a gift is unreturnable or unexchangeable, you can always resell it online on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or another site.
If you don’t care about getting your money’s worth, you can always save the gift to re-gift to someone else.
This story was originally published December 25, 2025 at 2:30 PM.
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.
Gold medalist Aristo Sham, left, bronze medalist Evren Ozel, middle, and silver medalist Vitaly Starikov, right, watch the firework show celebration following the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Awards Ceremony at Sundance Square in Fort Worth on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
Chris Torres
ctorres@star-telegram.com
When a year comes to an end, we tend to reflect on what we’ll remember most – those events in our lives and around the nation that will come to define 2025.
We’ve been thinking about all the stories we’ve told this year – from breaking news, politics and education to entertainment and sports.
We’ve chronicled the impact in our communities of President Trump’s new term, and strived to hold our government leaders accountable for the decisions they make. We’ve covered memorable moments in sports, such as the surprising trade of Micah Parsons, which gave him the opportunity to sack his former teammate Dak Prescott. And we kept you in the loop about Fort Worth’s ever-changing restaurant scene.
Some of our stories and photographs have been heartbreaking. Others have provided inspiration, joy and hope. For us, it is a privilege to share stories about the community that we love so much.
Take a look back at 2025 with these photographs from our visual journalists. The Star-Telegram’s photographers captured so many powerful moments that tell the story of North Texas and the people who make it special.
JANUARY
Stripling Middle School students Ariana White, 14, Isabella Rodriguez, 14, and Cecilia Rico, 14, make snow angels in their neighborhood park in Southwest Fort Worth on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. The winter storm led to all Fort Worth ISD schools to close for the rest of the week. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
The Tarrant County Courthouse as light snow begins to fall in downtown Fort Worth on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Chase Pierre of Brookshire competes in the steer wrestling event of the Cowboys Color Rodeo on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
General manager Brandi Moan surveys the aisles at Justin Discount Boots in Justin on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. Moan has worked in Justin for 16 years and has seen the community grow with rapid pace. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Rayleigh Whitt, 9, of Kaufman County 4H gives her show sheep Cali a shower the day prior to competing in the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in Fort Worth on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. Whitt was one of the younger competitors at the stock show. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
FEBRUARY
Students at Young Women’s Leadership Academy in downtown Fort Worth walk out of school on Feb. 3, 2025, to protest federal immigration policies they say are harming their families. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
City Market employee Matt Nitzinger unloads customer Regena Morris’ groceries into her vehicle on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. “We try to be the hometown store,” said owner Kurt Jaeger. “We take people’s groceries out.” Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
La Vernia resident Mattison Koepp, 16, is embraced by her father Matt after her steer won Grand Champion Steer of the Show at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Timber Creek High students gather with other Keller ISD students after walking out of school on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, to protest the proposed split of the school district. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Diamond Hill-Jarvis goalkeeper Reyes Medina defends the goal while teammates run drills during practice on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Fort Worth. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Fort Worth musician Abraham Alexander at Niles City Sound in Fort Worth on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. Alexander, known for his soulful music, picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “Like a Bird” for the film “Sing Sing.” Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Pallbearers carry the casket of Judge Clifford Davis from Saint Andrews United Methodist Church on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 in Fort Worth. Davis, the first Black judge to be elected in Tarrant County, left a long legacy behind including his work to desegregate North Texas schools. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
TCU guard Hailey Van Lith (10) celebrates after making a three-point shot in the first half of an NCAA game between TCU and Houston at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
MARCH
Windmills are silhouetted at sunset on Highway 81 in Bowie, Texas, on Saturday, March 1, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Cody Bates, the Vice President of Operations for the American Hat Company, tosses beaded necklaces from the front of the pirate-ship themed parade float for the 15th Annual Mardi Gras Nocona Style on Clay Street in Nocona on Saturday, Mar. 1, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
The TCU women’s basketball team celebrate after defeating Baylor 51-48 to win the Big XII conference title at Foster Pavilion in Waco on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
The Blood moon lunar eclipse is visible in the Fort Worth sky on Friday, March, 14, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
President George W. Bush and his wife Laura arrive for the ribbon cutting ceremony for the National Medal of Honor Museum Grand Opening Celebration in the Arlington Entertainment District on Saturday, March 22, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (2) fails to tag out Red Sox short stop Trevor Story (10) on a steal attempt in the ninth inning of the MLB Opening Day game between the Rangers and Red Sox at Globe Life Field in Arlington on Thursday, March 27, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
APRIL
Piano tutor Robin Hufford tunes a piano on stage at Nicholas Martin Hall on the Texas Wesleyan University campus in Fort Worth on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Cody Collins of Capital Hatters shapes a hat for a customer at the Cattle Raisers Expo and Convention’s exhibit hall on Friday, April 11, 2025, in Fort Worth. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Opal Lee reacts to seeing guests at the April 17 grand opening of The Opal, a $55 million mixed-income apartment complex with 338 units named in honor of the grandmother of Juneteenth. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Thousands of protestors march down W 5th Street for the national ‘Hands Off’ protest movement in downtown Fort Worth on Saturday, April 19, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Festival attendees pack the streets and party on their parade float during the Lao New Year parade on the third day of the Lao New Year festival at Wat Lao Thepnimith Temple in Saginaw on Sunday, April 27, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
MAY
Maddison Ledesma, 4, meets Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker following the grand opening ceremony of the brand new Riverside Campus in the Morningside neighborhood of Fort Worth on Friday, May 2, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Paschal quarterback Annie Parsons slips past the Arlington Heights defense during the FWISD girls’ flag football championship on May 13 at Herman Clark Stadium. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Parents and students in support of keeping Briscoe Elementary open hold signs during a FWISD School Board Meeting at the District Administration Building in Fort Worth on Tuesday, May, 20, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
JUNE
Gold medalist Aristo Sham, left, bronze medalist Evren Ozel, middle, and silver medalist Vitaly Starikov, right, watch the firework show celebration following the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Awards Ceremony at Sundance Square in Fort Worth on Saturday, June 7, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
A protester speaks through a bullhorn on East Abram Street in Arlington for the “No Kings Day” protest on June 14, 2025. Jaime Moore-Carrillo
The Fort Worth Fire Department responds to a six-alarm fire at an apartment complex in the 1000 block of West Rosedale on Monday, June 23, 2025. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Preston Benjaman-Sewell, right, fist bumps his neurosurgeon Dr. Daniel Hansen following an appointment on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at Cook Children’s Dodson Specialty Clinics with his mother, Meghan Czarobski, center. Benjaman-Sewell is one of 125,000 children or expecting mothers in North Texas who could have their access to health care disrupted after the Texas Health and Human Services Commission denied Cook Children’s Health Plan a Medicaid contract. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after hitting a three-point shot at the halftime buzzer of a WNBA game between the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, June 27, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Fort Worth resident Brian Fehler during Trinity Pride Fest on South Main Street in Fort Worth on Saturday, June 28, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
JULY
Two gharial hatchlings are revealed at the Fort Worth Zoo on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. This is the zoo’s third year in a row to successfully hatch gharial newborns, a critically endangered species. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Drill team captain Lesa Ellinger takes the saddle off her horse Rayyaa after Circle L5 drill team practice at Papa Doddie Arena in east Fort Worth on Sunday, July 21, 2025. Founded more than 70 years ago, Circle L5 is a Black equestrian group that showcases cowboy culture through rodeos and various community events. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Gretchen Rea, a three-year Cooper resident, throws her mattress out of the balcony of her apartment during a protest outside the Cooper Apartments in Fort Worth on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. After growing restless waiting for more than a month for access, Rea evaded security, entered her apartment unit, and tossed multiple belongings out onto the sidewalk. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Sean Moore stands in the backyard of home that fronts Mary’s Creek in Benbrook on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. Residents are concerned rezoning an 80-acre plot of land on the eastern edge of Mary’s Creek for development could alter the floodplain and potentially cause seious flooding issues. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
AUGUST
Keller residents Lisa Escaloni, left, and Judy Williams, right, protest with the group prior to the Keller City Council meeting at Keller Town Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. Protesters gathered to reject the 287(g) program that would allow the Keller police department to work with ICE to determine a person’s immigration status if they are booked in to the Keller city jail. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Southlake Carroll football coach Riley Dodge talks to his players during morning practice on Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Southlake. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Mike Morath, the Texas Education Commissioner, tours through a classroom following a press conference regarding the updated A-F scores of Dallas and Fort Worth schools at Walnut Hill International Leadership Academy in Dallas on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons greets players after an NFL preseason game between the Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
SEPTEMBER
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott celebrates a drive towards the end zone during the fourth quarter against the New York Giants on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Dallas Cowboys won in overtime, 40-37. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Wanda Fields, 75, interacts with children at the Early Head Start program at J.A. Hargrave Elementary School on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Fort Worth. Fields spends 20 hours a week volunteering through the Texas Health and Human Services’ Foster Grandparent program. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
TCU wide receiver Ed Small (18) catches a touchdown pass with one hand in the first half of an NCAA game between TCU and Abilene Christian at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Members of the Euless-Trinity football team participate in their pregame ceremonial Sipi Tau prior to a high school game between Southlake Carroll and Euless-Trinity at Dragon Stadium in Southlake on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
A large crowd marches to the Tarrant County Courthouse during the rally to honor Charlie Kirk, Saturday, Sep. 20, 2025. John Rowland Special to the Star-Telegram
TCU wide receiver Jordan Dwyer (7) and safety Austin Jordan (1) celebrate with the Iron Skillet after defeating SMU 35-24 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
FBI agents investigate the scene where a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility occurred in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Green Bay Packers’ Micah Parsons returns to AT&T to face his former Dallas Cowboys teammates on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) chases down and tackles Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) in the second half of an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Jeff Pointer sits at the steps of his childhood home where he grew up at Fite Street and Mosier Valley Road on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. Pointer is a member of the Mosier Valley Property Owners Association and is working on revitalizing the community and highlighting its historical significance. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
OCTOBER
Former Dunbar High School principal Shirley Knox Benton reacts to seeing her street topper during a dedication ceremony outside the school in Fort Worth on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. The tribute highlights Benton’s lasting impact on Dunbar and its role in the broader Fort Worth community. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) greets fans following the second half of a preseason NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Leon Bridges attends the ceremonial street naming in his honor on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at the corner of South Calhoun Street and East Daggett Avenue in Fort Worth. Bridges, a Grammy-winning artist and native of Fort Worth, recorded his debut album at Niles City Sound, located across the street from the sign topper. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
TCU linebacker Devean Deal (11) and defensive end Chad Woodfork (9) force a fumble on Baylor running back Bryson Washington (7) in the first half of a Big XII football game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Baylor Bears at Amon G Carter Stadium in Fort Worth on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams runs the ball during the third quarter against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
NOVEMBER
A parade participant from Ballet Folklorico de Fort Worth dances on their float on Ellis Avenue for the Dia De Los Muertos Parade in Northside Fort Worth on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
A statue of the Angel Moroni is seen as the Beaver Super Moon rises behind at the Dallas Texas Temple in Dallas on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Volunteers distribute food to those in need at the Community Food Bank of Fort Worth on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
TCU guard Jayden Pierre (1) is blocked at the rim by Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) in the first half of a NCAA basketball game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Michigan Wolverines at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth on Friday, Nov.14, 2025. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Antonio Harris lost his daughter, Tonishea Harris, 36, to suspected domestic violence. Tonishea and her unborn child died from a gunshot wound on Oct. 10. “I will miss her voice and her laugh because she was always joyful,” said Harris. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson runs into the locker room with the turkey on his hand after winning an NFL game between the Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. Dallas won 31-28. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
The Southlake Carroll football team celebrates after winning the UIL Division II Regional playoff game 49-31 against Prosper at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. Christopher Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
DECEMBER
Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (10) tackles linebacker Bryce Ramirez (3) to celebrate after winning the Big XII championship game against the BYU Cougars at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. Chris Torres ctorres@star-telegram.com
Guests descend the steps of the Fort Worth Convention Center’s new southeast entrance to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony marking the completion of the Phase 1 expansion on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in downtown Fort Worth. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott takes the field before the start of the NFL matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at AT&T Stadium. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston beats Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel to complete a pass in the end zone for touchdown during the first quarter on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, at AT&T Stadium. Amanda McCoy amccoy@star-telegram.com
Amanda McCoy is a visual journalist that produces daily and documentary videos. Before moving to Fort Worth in 2018, she spent 11 years telling the stories of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including the recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. She is a native of Michigan and graduate of Michigan State University.
Brandy Buck, Britni Roberts (cq), Rhonda and Raphael Manuel (l2r) during the candlelight service on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 2013, in Mansfield. (Star-Telegram/Paul Moseley)
Paul Moseley
Star-Telegram
For many people, Christmas Eve is a chance to pause before the holiday. Others turn to candlelight gatherings as a quiet way to reflect and settle into the night.
Churches across North Texas offer candlelight services that vary in style, from traditional music to short scripture.
Some also include a Blue Christmas service option, for people experiencing grief or difficult emotions this time of year.
If you hope to attend a service this year, several churches across North Texas have announced their plans.
Here’s what to know.
What should I expect during a Christmas Eve candlelight service?
Most candlelight services include familiar Christmas hymns, a short message about the birth of Jesus, and a moment of reflection as the lights dim and candles are passed.
Many churches also offer family-friendly seating, child care, or complimentary coffee and hot chocolate before or after the service.
A few churches on this list end the night with “Silent Night” sung together by candlelight. If you’re looking for a service near you, here are several options across Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas.
Fort Worth
Convergence Church
Service begins at 5 p.m. at 5745 James Ave. in Fort Worth.
Good to know: Family worship service with no separate kids’ programs.
Tiffani is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions about life in North Texas. Tiffani mainly writes about Texas laws and health news.
During the holiday season, eyes will be on our airports, which are expected to see some of the largest crowds of the year. But you can expect Texas roadways to be filled with a fair number of merry travelers, too, resulting in congestion and, undoubtedly, frustration.
And when that frustration builds, there will be those who question the sanity of our state’s highway system (to say nothing of the drivers themselves), raising an interesting question: Are Texas roads as bad as we sometimes think they are?
David Schrank, a research scientist and the head of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, has studied mobility for more than 30 years, and he said our roads aren’t as bad as drivers sometimes like to think.
First, Schrank said the state of Texas, with voter approval, has invested heavily in improving the transportation infrastructure over the past 10 years through ballot initiatives such as Proposition 1 and Proposition 7, both of which earmarked funding for hundreds of road projects aimed at reducing traffic congestion.
There is also the ongoing Texas Clear Lanes congestion reduction initiative, introduced by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2015. In Tarrant County, four Texas Clear Lanes projects have been completed on Loop 820, Jacksboro Highway, and Texas 121. The construction on Interstate 20 east of Fort Worth and the work around the I-20/I-30 convergence west of the city is also part of the Texas Clear Lanes initiative.
“It’s more efficient now at moving traffic than it was a decade earlier,” Schrank said of Texas’ major roadway system. “For every mile you drive, there’s a certain amount of average delay you face. That number is actually slightly lower than it was in the past.”
In addition to road projects, Schrank said changing traffic patterns have also improved roadway flow. Many people have more flexibility now when it comes to where and when they work, which has impacted traditional rush hour congestion.
“We’re not slogging to work at 6 in the morning and slogging home at 6 in the evening like we did a decade ago,” said Schrank.
Texas road conditions
While he said traffic congestion has generally gotten better, Schrank added that you still see a lot of construction on Texas roads, which, of course, results in delays.
Some of that work is related to roadway expansion, but some of it is routine maintenance to fix things like potholes and cracks.
According to U.S. Bureau of Transportation statistics, roughly 77% of all Texas road miles are in acceptable condition. Texas ranks 33rd out of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in that measure.
But in their Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) said nearly 90% of Texas interstate and state highway pavement is in good condition or better.
Austin Messerli, a senior engineer and a member of the ASCE, said Texas’ report card grade for roads has improved slightly from a D-plus to a C-minus over the past four years, which is better than the overall D-plus on the nationwide report card.
Messerli said report card grades were based on things like road conditions, capacity, funding and expected future needs and resiliency.
Asked why Texas roads were better relative to those in other states, Messerli, like Schrank, said state funding had a lot to do with it. He also said local municipalities are also making more of a concerted effort to improve road conditions and mitigate congestion.
“Cities and counties are stepping up to take on more infrastructure development because it impacts quality of life,” said Messerli. “They’re stepping up on the maintenance side and stepping up improvement projects.”
Arlington motorists navigate a southbound I-30 entrance ramp near Ballpark Way. Star-Telegram archive image Fort Worth Star-Telegram
As Texas’ population grows, Messerli said that focus on continuing improvement will be critical. By 2035, Texas’ overall personal auto traffic is expected to be 66% higher than it was in 2008, said Messerli. Over that same span, commercial truck traffic could grow by as much as 123%.
All those cars and trucks contribute to more wear and tear on Texas roadways, which could result in degradation without consistent maintenance and a little foresight in terms of designing more resilient roads.
But what about my commute?
As you read this glowing review of Texas roads, you might be rolling your eyes while thinking about your own morning and afternoon commutes, when those long streams of brake lights so often extend before you as far as the eye can see.
Texas is experiencing a growth boom, with roughly 1,500 new residents arriving each day, Schrank said, and that’s naturally going to contribute to road congestion.
Schrank said new transportation infrastructure usually follows population growth, not the other way around, creating tension.
The Texas A&M Transportation Institute annually puts out its list of the 100 most congested road segments in Texas. The most seriously congested segments create well over a million hours of driver delays in a year, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in congestion costs, stemming from things like increased fuel consumption and wasted time.
Seven of the 10 worst road segments on that list are in the Houston area. Only one in the top 10 is in Tarrant County, that stretch of Interstate 35W between I-30 and State Highway 183 that commuters heading to and from downtown Fort Worth know and loathe.
But while acknowledging that Texas traffic is an issue, Schrank said it may not be as terrible as we perceive it to be.
He said people tend to have selective memories when it comes to traffic. The bad days are seared into their minds, but they often forget about all the times when congestion is minimal.
“I would say when you actually do the math, things are better here in the last year or two than they were for us six or eight years ago,” Schrank said.
It’s hard to convince people of that, though, added Schrank. He said when someone is sitting in gridlock traffic, they’re naturally going to feel as though there’s a problem with the road system. But what they don’t see is the traffic an hour before or after them, when it could be moving along just fine.
Take that for what it’s worth. As you’re setting off en route to grandmother’s house this holiday season, brace yourselves for crowded roads, but perhaps also take a moment to appreciate the stretches that aren’t overly congested.
Maybe, as is the case with most things, there are two ways of looking at Texas roads, and slight change in perception can make all the difference.
Matt Adams is a news reporter covering Fort Worth, Tarrant County and surrounding areas. He previously wrote about aviation and travel and enjoys a good weekend road trip. Matt joined the Star-Telegram in January 2025.
Cher, known for her glitzy, star-studded performances and flamboyant fashion (and recent “Saturday Night Live” appearance) has some humble memories from childhood in Fort Worth.
lived in Burleson off & on as kid…no paved roads,One Woman by Great Aunts House (Built In1882’Old Southall Place’) Had Tv,& Kids Went 2 Ice House 4 Fun.We built bathroom 4 Aunt Did & Ethel,I had pet horn-toad,& my dad shot Aunts pet 🐓 by accident,&She😥. That’s 1/2 My Tx Story
Most fans know her to be from California. However, Cher confirmed that she lived on and off in Burleson as a child with her parents and her Aunt Ethel Southall when the Fort Worth suburb had “no paved roads.”
At age 3 and again at 7 years old the legendary singer, born Cheryl Sarkisian, recalled going to the Ice House for fun and having a pet horned frog.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote about Cher’s upbringing in Burleson on Wednesday, April 19, 1967. Newspapers.com
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.
Passengers wait in line at a TSA security checkpoint inside Terminal C at DFW International Airport on March 1, 2023.
Elias Valverde II
Dallas Morning News
The Dallas-Fort Worth Airport has made some changes to help offset increased traffic and longer wait times for fliers traveling during the holidays.
Still, travelers should expect substantially increased traffic in and around the airport and increased wait times in TSA lines. Nearly 5 million people are expected to fly to, from and through DFW Airport between Dec. 18 and Jan. 6, according to a DFW Airport news release. Overall passenger traffic during the holiday travel period is also projected to increase by more than 3% compared to last year.
⭐ Our editors also recommend:
DFW Airport changes ahead of holiday travel rush
Because of construction in the area, Terminal C is expected to have the heaviest traffic. Construction at Terminal C includes a pier-style expansion of 115,000 square feet, nine new gates, new concessions and a new parking garage. A new 15-gate Terminal F, set to open in 2027, is also under construction in the area which could complicate parking and traffic flow.
The airport has reconfigured traffic patterns for the next several days through Terminal C to alleviate congestion. Signs have been installed to guide traffic through the most highly congested areas of the airport.
Because of the construction, Terminal C has just two garages open — the North and Central garages — rather than three, as the south garage remains closed for reconstruction.
The airport has also launched an access point to Terminal A to alleviate traffic congestion for the holidays. The new right-hand access point, opened Dec. 19, removes detours that were previously in effect. The access point opened sooner than the airport anticipated and was fast tracked due to the holiday season.
When are the busiest travel days?
Dec. 19 through Monday, Dec. 22, is projected to be the busiest travel period. Dec. 23, 24 and 25 are still expected to be busier than normal as well. DFW also marked Dec. 26 through Dec. 28 as another one of the busiest periods of the holiday season.
DFW projected that more than 265,000 passengers flew to and from the airport on Dec. 19, and a similar number is expected on Dec. 28. The airport marked those two days as the busiest individual days of the holiday travel period.
Daily volumes throughout the holiday travel period are expected to be more evenly distributed than during the Thanksgiving travel period. But terminal curbsides are expected to be near the levels they were during Thanksgiving. The busiest periods for curbside pickups are projected to be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 26 and Dec. 27.
The airport recommends travelers arrive at least two hours before their flight boards for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.
“Ensuring enough time will assist customers that encounter traffic, construction impacts, congested parking areas, and busy check-in and security screening areas,” the news releases reads.
What to know about public transit
Airport officials encourage travelers to use public transportation.
The most convenient public transit option from downtown Fort Worth is the Trinity Metro TEXRail, which runs from downtown Fort Worth, Haltom City, North Richmond Hills and Grapevine. The TRE line from downtown Fort Worth stops at the CentrePort/DFW Airport Station, where passengers can the take the TRE Link Shuttle bus from the stop to the airport, with transfers at each terminal.
Samuel O’Neal is a local news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covering higher education and southwest 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.
.png "2 (5).png")
.png "4 (1).png")
