Jarmel Johnson, 33, was arrested Friday and is charged with murder in connection to a Fort Worth robbery or carjacking from Dec. 23, 2023.
A suspect was arrested and charged, on Friday, with murder in a carjacking from Dec. 23 where the victim later died, according to Fort Worth jail records.
Jarmel Johnson, 33, faces a murder charge in the death of 33-year-old Chase Warren DeBerger.
According to a Fort Worth police report, authorities were dispatched to the 150 block of southbound East Loop 820 on Dec. 23 in response to a robbery or carjacking.
Johnson was arrested on Dec. 29 on an aggravated robbery charge.
The victim, DeBerger, died on Jan. 15 due to complications from blunt force injuries, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. The manner of his death was ruled a homicide.
Johnson was indicted March 20 on a robbery charge. He “intentionally or knowingly, while in the course of committing theft of property and with intent to obtain or maintain control of said property, cause bodily injury to Chase DeBerger by striking him with his hand, or by kicking him with his feet,” according to the indictment.
The indictment also mentions a habitual offender notice. According to court records, Johnson has a criminal history dating back to 2007, including several charges of robbery, aggravated robbery, theft, and burglary of habitation.
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Nicole Lopez is a breaking news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she studied multimedia journalism. She also does freelance writing.
A fatal motorcycle crash early Wednesday morning closed Texas 121 to traffic for several hours, according to Fort Worth police.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
A fatal motorcycle crash early Wednesday morning closed Texas 121 to traffic for several hours, according to Fort Worth police.
Shortly after 1:15 a.m., officers responded to the single-vehicle accident on State Highway 121 at North Beach Street in central Fort Worth.
The Fort Worth Fire Department and MedStar provided medical care, but the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the accident scene, police said in a news release.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office will identify the motorcyclist once next of kin have been notified.
All northbound lanes of Texas 121 were closed to traffic while police investigated. The lanes reopened shortly before 9 a.m., police said.
Traffic investigators are asking any witnesses with video or other information about the crash to call the Fort Worth Police Department non-emergency line at 817-392-4222. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477.
This story was originally published April 17, 2024, 10:08 AM.
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Amy McDaniel edits stories about criminal justice, breaking news and education for the Star-Telegram.
The report revealed that a household earning the city’s median income could not afford to buy a home in most of Fort Worth.
The city is in the early stages of planning its 2026 bond campaign and will need to weigh the proposal against projects to support road construction, park expansions and public safety, said Christianne Simmons, who leads the city department in charge of planning, budgeting and data analytics, in an email to the Star-Telegram.
The city has the ability to borrow up to $800 million in the 2026 bond, according to Simmons, however, it’s not clear if will use all of its capacity.
The city is compiling the list of possible bond projects and plans to have a preliminary list sometime in October, she said.
Any bond proposal would have to be approved by voters in the May 2026 bond election.
Members of the Fort Worth City Council appeared to support the idea at a work session Tuesday.
The city has done a great job using bond money to support police, firefighters and parks, and this is another tool it can use when it comes to housing, said council member Chris Nettles, whose represents part or east and southeast Fort Worth.
Council member Jared Williams, whose district includes the Como neighborhood and parts of southwest Fort Worth, echoed Nettles’ sentiments.
He said the bond could create opportunities for generational wealth at a time when a lot of Fort Worth residents are “asset limited.”
This would be the first time Fort Worth has used bond funds to support affordable housing, but it wouldn’t be the first time the tactic has been used in Texas.
Austin, Dallas, Denton, Houston and San Antonio have used bond propositions to build new housing or help residents repair the homes they already have.
The bonds have also spurred investment from private developers with a study of Austin’s bond programs showing developers kicked in $6 for every $1 spent by the city. In San Antonio, that ratio was 9 to 1, according to a city of Fort Worth report.
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Harrison Mantas has covered the city of Fort Worth’s 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.
On Monday at 7:22 p.m. a severe thunderstorm watch was issued by the NWS Fort Worth TX in effect until 9 p.m.
This watch is in effect until 9 p.m.
Actions to take when lightning threat is imminent
Around 25 million lightning strikes occur in the United States every year, with most taking place during the summer months. The NWS reports that these strikes result in about 20 fatalities annually. The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above. As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.
Here are tips on how to stay safe during a thunderstorm:
• To minimize risk of being struck by lightning, when going outside, have a plan to get to a safer place.
• If the sky turns ominous and thunder can be heard, find a secure place for shelter.
• Once inside, avoid contact with corded phones, electrical equipment, plumbing, and windows and doors.
• Wait 30 minutes after the last lightning or thunder before going back outside.
If finding indoor shelter is not an option:
• Avoid open fields, hill peaks, or ridge tops.
• Avoid tall, isolated trees or other elevated objects. If you are in a forest, stick to areas with shorter tree cover.
• If you are with a group, fan out to stop the current from transmitting between members.
• When camping in an open environment, select a campsite in a valley, ravine, or low region. Just remember, tents do not offer protection from lightning.
• Keep a distance from water, wet articles, and metal objects. While water and metal do not draw lightning, they are proficient conductors of electricity.
What to do in the rain on the road?
• Turn on your headlights — Even when it’s light outside, using headlights can improve visibility and alert other drivers to your presence.
• While driving — Stick to the middle lanes and stay on elevated ground. Rainwater tends to accumulate at the road edges.
• Steer clear of puddles — Driving into puddles or low areas of rainwater can cause vehicles to hydroplane or skid out of control.
• Don’t tail large vehicles closely — Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.
• Steer clear of flooded areas — When coming to a flooded road, turn around and head back. Flash flooding currents are strong and can sweep drivers off roadways. Driving through deep water can also affect a vehicle’s mechanical and electrical systems.
What is hydroplaning?
Hydroplaning is when a vehicle starts uncontrollably sliding on wet roads.
This happens when water in front of the tire builds up faster than the vehicle’s weight can push water out of the way. The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control. The three main causes of hydroplaning are:
1. Vehicle speed — When a vehicle’s speed increases, the tire-traction grip and ability to control the vehicle decreases. Drive at a reduced speed during wet weather.
2. Water depth — The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road. It doesn’t matter how deep the water is, even a thin layer can lead to hydroplaning.
3. Tire tread depth — Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
In the event of your vehicle hydroplaning, here’s what to know:
• Ease off the accelerator — Step off the gas to slow down the vehicle until the tires find traction.
• Turn into the skid — Turning into the skid can help the vehicle’s tires realign to regain control.
• Make sure the tires reconnect with the road — During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.
• Brake gently as needed — Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle.
One person was hospitalized after a shooting in the Fort Worth Stockyards area early Saturday morning.
Getty Images/iStockphoto
One person was hospitalized after a shooting in the Fort Worth Stockyards area early Saturday morning.
Officers were called to Ellis Avenue and Northwest 26th Street shortly after 2:30 a.m. and found a victim with a gunshot wound, according to a Fort Worth police spokesperson.
Gun violence unit detectives are investigating what led to the shooting. The preliminary investigation found that the victim was shot during an argument, police said.
No arrests have been announced.
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Amy McDaniel edits stories about criminal justice, breaking news and education for the Star-Telegram.
Landlords in Fort Worth lodged just under 46,000 eviction notices in 2023, the report found. (Its data, sourced from research group Eviction Lab, includes Tarrant and Denton counties under the Fort Worth umbrella.) The Fort Worth area registered more total filings than both Austin and Dallas.
Fort Worth renters, shielded by pandemic eviction moratoriums and cushioned by rent subsidies, received 19,505 notices to vacate in 2020. The tally crept up a couple thousand the following year before skyrocketing to 42,425 in 2022, as legal protections faded and state support funds dwindled. Eviction filings in the city have outpaced the national average almost every month since.
Black residents in Fort Worth account for 40% of eviction defendants, despite constituting only a quarter of the city’s renters, the study added. Fort Worth women also experience disproportionately high filing rates.
Fort Worth hasn’t escaped the swell in rents sweeping Texas’ booming major cities; nor has it been immune from the trend’s most dire symptoms. Evictions have climbed in tandem with homelessness, which has pierced record levels in recent years (though it has dropped off in 2024, according to the city’s latest estimates).
The city report proposes a roster of policy changes to combat the crisis. Forcing landlords to pay slightly more to submit eviction notices, and guaranteeing legal counsel to tenants who receive them, could reduce both the number of filings and the number of removals. Affording renters more time to pay back overdue rent could also ease the pain.
HB 2127, a state law passed last year banning any and all city or municipal statutes “regulating evictions or otherwise prohibiting, restricting, or delaying evictions,” would complicate tenant-friendly reforms introduced on the city or county level, the report notes.
The regulation further emptied an already limited toolbox available to local leaders. In 2015, lawmakers outlawed local ordinances preventing landlords from discriminating against renters that paid for living costs with government vouchers. Fort Worth on March 19 forbade voucher discrimination for one demographic exempted from the state ban — veterans.
In the meantime, the report advises, policymakers can pursue a timeworn remedy for evictions: building more homes for less.
“Evictions are a symptom of a housing market in which the supply side represented by landlords has great power on account of high demand by renters,” the study notes. “Where there is ample affordable housing available, tenants can have greater market choices and are more likely to find rental housing that meets their income limitations.”
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth director Marla Price is retiring after 30 years at the museum.
The former associate curator of 20th century art at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and well-known scholar of contemporary art came to Texas in 1986 to serve as the museum’s chief curator, presenting shows like 1989’s renowned touring show “10 + 10: Contemporary Soviet and American Painters.”
Price became acting director after E.A. Carmean left for the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in 1991. She took the job in 1992, coinciding with the state’s oldest art museum’s centennial. She oversaw an aggressive expansion of the permanent collection with acquisitions of works by Francis Bacon, the world’s largest collections of Robert Motherwell, Wangechi Mutu of Kenya and the Nigerian American Njideka Akunyili Crosby.
When its growing collection required a new home, she oversaw the construction of a new building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando and opened in 2002. Peter Plagens wrote in Artforum that “If everything goes according to design [it] will have turned itself into the most elegant museum in the entire country.” (Plagens was a huge fan of the neighboring Kimbell as well.)
A larger building allowed for more ambitious exhibits like “KAWS: WHERE THE END STARTS,” “Mark Bradford: End Papers” and “Lucian Freud: Portraits,” and dedicated space for the collection. An expanded lobby, auditorium and large café created more opportunities to engage the community.
Board Chair Marsland Moncrief and Board President Rafael Garza praised her leadership.
“The Modern has become an outstanding star on a national and international scale, while the mission has grown to be an inclusive community space for people to engage on different levels with the art of our time,” Moncrief said.
Garza commended “her artistic vision and commitment to scholarly excellence have cultivated a robust organization with devoted, longstanding supporters and staff.”
On Sunday at 8:57 a.m. an updated flood warning was issued by the NWS Fort Worth TX valid from Monday 5 p.m. until Tuesday 3 p.m.
Minor flooding is forecast for Trinity River at Dallas from Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon.
“At 30.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding will begin. The pasture lands near the river will flood. Trails along the river begin to flood,” explains the NWS. “Do not drive cars through flooded areas. Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks.”
This warning is in effect until Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Ways to stay safe during a flood according to the NWS
For either residents or campers of flood-prone, low-lying areas, take immediate action and seek higher ground. Follow evacuation instructions without delay. If time permits, lock your home upon departure and disconnect utilities and appliances. Avoid entering basements or rooms where electrical outlets or cords are submerged in water. If you see sparks or hear buzzing, crackling, snapping, or popping sounds, evacuate the area immediately. Refrain from entering water that may have electricity in it and avoid walking through floodwaters. Even 6 inches of moving water can pose a serious risk of knocking you off your feet. If you find yourself trapped by moving water, move to the highest possible point and contact emergency services, and dial 911.
During heavy rain, flooding is possible, especially in low-lying and flood-prone areas. Never drive through water on the road, even if it does not appear to be deep. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars, according to the NWS.
What to do in the rain on the road?
• Switch on headlights — Even during daylight hours, using headlights can enhance visibility and signal your presence to other drivers.
• On the road — Drive in the middle lanes and stay on high ground. Rainwater tends to stockpile on the edges of roads.
• Keep clear of puddles — Driving through puddles or low rainwater areas can cause vehicles to hydroplane or skid out of control
• Do not follow large vehicles closely — Large vehicles like trucks or buses can create a spray of water that can reduce your visibility.
• Avoid flooded zones — If you encounter a flooded road, make a U-turn and go back. The powerful currents of flash floods can carry drivers off the road. Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle’s mechanical and electrical systems.
What is hydroplaning?
Hydroplaning is when a vehicle starts uncontrollably sliding on wet roads.
This happens when water in front of the tire builds up faster than the vehicle’s weight can push water out of the way. The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control. The top three contributors to hydroplaning are:
1. Vehicle speed — When a vehicle’s speed increases, the tire-traction grip and ability to control the vehicle decreases. Drive at a reduced speed during wet weather.
2. Water depth — The deeper the water, the sooner a vehicle loses traction on the road. It doesn’t matter how deep the water is, even a thin layer can lead to hydroplaning.
3. Tire tread depth — Checking your tire tread before hitting the road is important, as low or no tread can lead to sliding.
In the event of your vehicle hydroplaning, here’s what to know:
• Ease off the accelerator — Step off the gas to slow down the vehicle until the tires find traction.
• Turn into the skid — Turning into the skid can help the vehicle’s tires realign to regain control.
• Make sure the tires reconnect with the road — During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.
• Brake gently as needed — Brake normally if the vehicle has anti-lock brakes and pump brakes gently if in an older vehicle.
On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. an updated wind advisory was issued by the NWS Fort Worth TX valid for Sunday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The advisory is for Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Young, Jack, Wise, Denton, Collin, Stephens, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, Dallas, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Somervell, Johnson, Ellis, Comanche, Mills, Hamilton, Bosque and Hill counties.
South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected expected for areas of North Texas near and west of the I-35 corridor from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
“Unsecured outdoor items may be blown around in the wind. Driving on area roadways may become difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles,” comments the NWS. “A Wind Advisory means that sustained winds of at least 20 to 30 mph are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Boaters should use extra caution when venturing onto area lakes. Residents may wish to take action to secure trash cans, lawn furniture, and other lightweight outdoor objects that may be blown around in the strong winds.”
On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. an updated wind advisory was issued by the NWS Fort Worth TX valid for Sunday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The advisory is for Montague, Cooke, Grayson, Young, Jack, Wise, Denton, Collin, Stephens, Palo Pinto, Parker, Tarrant, Dallas, Eastland, Erath, Hood, Somervell, Johnson, Ellis, Comanche, Mills, Hamilton, Bosque and Hill counties.
South winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected expected for areas of North Texas near and west of the I-35 corridor from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
“Unsecured outdoor items may be blown around in the wind. Driving on area roadways may become difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles,” comments the NWS. “A Wind Advisory means that sustained winds of at least 20 to 30 mph are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Boaters should use extra caution when venturing onto area lakes. Residents may wish to take action to secure trash cans, lawn furniture, and other lightweight outdoor objects that may be blown around in the strong winds.”
Rube Foster, front row center, and Chicago American Giants all-stars, 1914.
Courtesy
Richard Selcer
Andrew “Rube” Foster is known as “the Father of Black Baseball.” He is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, has a Texas Historic Marker at his birthplace, and has been honored with both a U.S. postage stamp and U.S. Mint commemorative coin.
Now, he is being honored in a joint effort by the New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church, Fort Worth Parks & Recreation, and the Texas Rangers baseball team with “The Black on Base Negro League Presents: From Cowtown to Cooperstown, Andrew Rube Foster,” which will climax with a “Rube Foster Hit, Pitch & Run” event for kids at Gateway Park on April 20.
Though there has already been a lot written and said about Foster, little of it covers his years playing semi-pro ball in Texas when he became a Lone Star legend as a pitcher. If he had been white, he would have been in the major leagues as a teenager. But he was Black, so his exploits were only reported below the fold on the back pages of the newspapers, if at all.
He was born in Calvert, Texas, on Sept. 17, 1879. Attending a segregated school, Foster got as far as the eighth grade before dropping out to pursue his athletic talents. This was before the days of organized Black basketball and football, so a big, athletically talented Black man headed to the baseball diamond. Foster reportedly had a killer fastball and screwball that gave batters fits.
He also lacked the advantage of throwing off a pitcher’s mound. That came later. The field in his day was flat. Pitchers pitched off a “rubber.”
A star with the Waco Yellow Jackets
As a 16-year-old, he joined the Waco Yellow Jackets, a barnstorming team that played all comers. The kid from Calvert was an immediate sensation, pitching the Yellow Jackets to unprecedented success in the next four years, in the process earning the descriptive “famous” in front of the team’s name. Waco adored them, and attendance wasn’t hurt by the fact that games involving Black baseball teams had free admission by Waco ordinance. The club set aside a section of the bleachers for white fans who came out to see the pitcher nobody could touch.
On July 18, 1899, they played the Fort Worth Wonders, who had lured away seven former Yellow Jackets. Foster was in the “pitcher’s box” at home for the first time that season. When he took his place, the crowd at Golden Gate Park burst into cheers of “Hurrah for Foster!”
They knew what was coming. In the next nine innings, he struck out 17, allowing only two base hits. He walked off the field at the end of the game to more cheers. Perhaps most remarkable, this was his 22nd game in a season that was only three months old, and he had pitched 12 straight games without giving up a base hit. The Waco newspaper, with understandable pride, called him, “the best ball player and pitcher in the South” without making the usual distinction between Black and white players.
Before the 1901 season, the man known as the “Texas Star” traded in his Yellow Jackets uniform for a Fort Worth Colts uniform. How the Colts managed to steal him from the Yellow Jackets is a mystery, but it probably had a lot to do with offering more money and a bigger fan base than Waco.
The Colts went through the 1901 season like a buzzsaw, losing only one game. At the end of June, manager Will Snow issued a public challenge to manager W.J. Tackabery of the Fort Worth Cannon Balls for “any wager he can afford.” The bet: that Foster would strike out no fewer than 18 men. The Cannon Balls weren’t just any team; they were the highly regarded, white ball club of the Texas & Pacific Railroad. There is no record whether Tackabery took up the challenge.
The Colts were back in Fort Worth on Aug. 4 for a two-game series against the Yellow Jackets in Texas & Pacific Park. This was the first time the teams had faced off since Foster pitched for Waco. The Fort Worth newspaper called the Waco club “a good team of ball players,” admitting that the last time the two teams played, the “famous” Yellow Jackets took three straight games from the home team. Fans were encouraged to come out and see the Texas Star thrash his former team. Foster pitched the first game, won by the Colts 8 to 3.
The Colts played the Yellow Jackets for the last time in the 1901 season on Aug. 29. They played in Waco, but homefield advantage did not help the Waco team with Foster in the box. Even the local newspaper had to admit that the man who was “formerly one of the Yellow Jackets” was so dominant the hometown team “could not do a thing but stand and take it.” With the final score 19 to 1, the reporter pronounced it “a thorough defeat” which could have been worse, but the Fort Worth team was feeling “generous.”
The Colts barnstormed across the South and Midwest in 1901, playing teams in Kansas City, Missouri; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Chicago. Everywhere they went the results on the field were the same: they won. Their stop in Chicago was especially important because the next year the Chicago Union Giants came calling on Foster.
Foster only played two seasons in Fort Worth. By his second season, the hometown teams was being called “the famous Colts,” while the formerly “famous” Yellow Jackets, without the Texas Star pitching for them, had fallen back into the pack.
In 1902, Colts ownership placed sporting bets with opposing team owners. When in April they played a Dallas team that boasted an ace they got from Little Rock, there was a $400 “purse” at stake. The Colts won.
The crowds at Foster’s games now included scouts as well as fans. Word had gotten around the baseball world about the Texas wunderkind, and the Chicago Union Giants wooed him away from Fort Worth with the usual inducements. Relocated to Chicago, he was still playing in the Negro Leagues, but on a bigger stage. In the years that followed, he continued to bounce from team to team, following the money. He played for Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. In every city the crowds came out to see him pitch.
Foster gets the nickname of ‘Rube’
Foster was not known as Rube Foster in Fort Worth. He got the nickname when he out-dueled white star pitcher G.E. “Rube” Waddell in an exhibition game in Philadelphia. Thereafter he was known as the Black “Rube” and eventually just “Rube.”
Foster eventually did everything, both taking the field and managing teams, including a hand-picked bunch of traveling all-stars, the Chicago American Giants. In 1920, Foster and seven other owner-managers of Black clubs formed the Negro National League. The high regard they held Foster in was indicated by the fact that they elected him as their first president and treasurer. His club won the pennant three successive seasons before he suffered a nervous breakdown that forced him to retire. Four years later he died on Dec. 10, 1930. Sports writers all over the country lamented his passing and celebrated his accomplishments. Thousands of fans, both Black and white, turned out for his funeral in Chicago.
Rube Foster’s Major League Baseball plaque, Cooperstown. Courtesy Richard Selcer
Fort Worth’s Black superstar was only a memory by then, but his legacy lasted beyond the two seasons he played here. Foster’s old Fort Worth team changed its name from the Colts back to The Wonders (sometimes with “World” in front of it) and continued their success, winning 15 of 17 games to begin the 1907 season. They routinely attracted crowds of 1,000 or more fans for home games. Success allowed them to move from the decrepit Texas & Pacific Park to Douglass Park four blocks north of the Trinity River (named for civil rights icon Frederick Douglass).
Management of the team passed to prominent saloon man and Republican stalwart Hiram McGar, who had the money to enlarge the grandstands of what became known as McGar Park. He still reserved a section for white fans because since Foster’s time they had come out regularly to see the team play.
One of the intriguing questions about Rube Foster is whether he ever faced any white major leaguers while pitching for the Colts. It is known that the Cincinnati Reds brought their team to Fort Worth and Dallas for spring training in the early 1900s. They squared off against the local teams in both cities to prepare for the coming season, but there is no record they ever played the Colts.
It is long past time for Fort Worth to honor its first superstar ball player, Black or white, in any sport. No other athlete was referred to as the “Texas Star” before Andrew Foster, and even before he became the Father of Black Baseball in the nation, Rube Foster was the man who brought white fans out in droves to see Black baseball in Texas. It is telling that before Foster, Fort Worth’s white newspapers rarely, if ever, covered Black teams. After he arrived in town in 1901, the Colts and their successors were regularly covered. Fort Worth can rightfully claim a piece of Andrew “Rube” Foster history just as we claim a piece of the world champion Texas Rangers. Not too shabby!
A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle in northwest Fort Worth on Thursday night, police say.
Chalabala
Getty Images/iStockphoto
Police are investigating an accident that killed a pedestrian Thursday night in northwest Fort Worth, officials said.
Officers were dispatched to the intersection of State Highway 199 and Ten Mile Azle Road around 8:40 p.m. regarding a major accident. They found a pedestrian who’d been hit by a vehicle, police said. The pedestrian, who hasn’t been publicly identified, died at the scene.
The Traffic Investigations Unit will be investigating the accident, according to police. It’s not clear if the driver of the vehicle faces any charges.
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Harriet Ramos covers crime and other breaking news for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
With the benefit of hindsight, it’s possible to see how Kelly Clarkson began charting her present course 15 years ago, undertaking the shift from pop superstar to inescapable lifestyle brand.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of her fourth album, All I Ever Wanted, which followed the contentious release of her third album, 2007’s My December. A fraught project that found Clarkson pivoting from the comparatively breezy pop-rock of her first two records to embrace a darker, edgier style (in both presentation and subject matter), December deeply fractured Clarkson’s relationship with her label, RCA Records — so much so that 16 years later, while promoting her 2023 album Chemistry, she was still exchanging barbs in the press with former label head Clive Davis.
Given that Sturm und Drang, it was little surprise Wanted swung the pendulum back in the direction of easy, sunny and accessible. Wanted debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and spun off three hit singles, not least of which was the chart-topping (and certifiable banger) “My Life Would Suck Without You.”
While Clarkson hasn’t really deviated much from the glossy pop playbook in the intervening years, Wanted was the first instance of the Burleson native giving the mainstream what it wanted — but on her terms.
That ironclad insistence on meeting the audience in a manner of her own choosing has allowed her to expand her footprint well beyond pop music, incorporating a regular network television presence (via her eponymous daily talk show and The Voice), as well as becoming a familiar face in advertisements for brands like Wayfair.
Released on March 6, 2009, All I Ever Wanted eventually sold over a million copies in the U.S. and earned Clarkson a Grammy nomination for best pop vocal album. She aligned herself with multiple A-list producers, including Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Howard Benson and Ryan Tedder, all of whom knew how to maximize Clarkson’s strengths as an artist and preserve her unique approach.
The sonic sensibility on display throughout Wanted skews guitar- and drum-heavy, filtered through major label glossiness — Clarkson’s vocal work, always impeccable and impressive, scales new heights here, particularly on “My Life Would Suck Without You,” which has the Texan nailing multiple octave leaps with ease.
“Already Gone,” its uncanny stylistic similarities to Beyonce’s “Halo” notwithstanding, also gave Clarkson, one of popular music’s all-time great balladeers, an immaculate, tear-stained close-up. It’s one of the more moving pop tracks of the mid-aughts — the way Clarkson’s voice breaks and catches just so on the line “I love you enough to let you go” never fails to induce goosebumps.
Lyrically, she doesn’t shy away from the messiness of relationships — the one true throughline of Clarkson’s entire output to date, up to and including her most recent release, Chemistry, which sifts through the ashes of her marriage to Brandon Blackstock — and offers up plenty of memorable lines (“I know that I’ve got issues/But you’re pretty messed up too/Either way I found out/I’m nothin’ without you,” Clarkson sings on “My Life Would Suck Without You,” as zippy an ode to toxic co-dependence as you’ll find).
Critics believed Wanted recovered Clarkson’s footing as a pop star of consequence: “All I Ever Wanted is a masterful rapprochement with the mainstream, full of cheerfully ear-snagging tunes, inventive production, exhilarating vocals, and enough inherent Kelly-ness to put aside fears that her label bosses implanted blonde electrodes in her brain to make her behave,” said Ann Powers in the Los Angeles Times.
Rolling Stone’s Jody Rosen concurred, to a point: “‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ is a kind of repentance, a chastened pop star’s retreat from auteurdom. It’s also, as it turns out, fantastic — the early favorite for single of the year. It’s hard to match that thunderclap opening, but Clarkson does, for a couple of songs, at least.”
That said, it wasn’t universal raves: “If her first album was the Obligation, her second the Breakthrough and her third the Reaction, then All I Ever Wanted plays out as Ms. Clarkson’s Concession,” observed the New York Times’ Jon Caramanica, in an assessment splitting the difference between praise and dismissal.
The range of critical reaction aside, what’s more troubling upon reflection is how My December was treated less like a choice made by an artist who wanted to explore a different direction than something a petulant pop star just needed to get out of her system. In that way, listeners can feel the bared teeth in Wanted tracks like “I Do Not Hook Up” or “Don’t Let Me Stop You” — she might have let in the sunshine, but the sentiment was unchanged.
The follow-up to Wanted, 2011’s Stronger, seemed to split the difference between sunshine and seething — hits like the anthemic title track “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)” or the luminous “Dark Side” — were less revolutionary than a refinement. In time, Clarkson would deliver her first holiday album (2013’s Wrapped in Red) and continue threading the needle between anguish and uplift (2015’s Piece by Piece; 2017’s Meaning of Life), building a formidable fan base in the process.
That take-it-or-leave-it attitude, which colored My December, but was more channeled into All I Ever Wanted, is the foundation of the now-41-year-old pop star’s career. By dictating the terms of her creative participation in the music business — to the extent such a thing is possible, anyway — Clarkson has enabled herself to grow and change and remain true to herself, avoiding the trap of being locked into a particular sound or style, while also being allowed to not only have a life, but to find creative inspiration in areas beyond music.
Looking back, what can seem a sop to staying put amid the A-listers at the time seems less like copping out than seeing around the curve. Kelly Clarkson has long accommodated pop stardom on no else’s terms but her own, and even the glossiest songs in her catalog sparkle less from sunshine than the glinting reflection from her steely, unshakeable determination to answer to only herself.
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker called Nikki Haley an inspiring candidate with a vision for the future.
Harrison Mantas
hmantas@star-telegram.com
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker bucked the trend of most prominent Texas politicians by endorsing former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley for president.
Parker introduced Haley at a packed rally Monday at Tannehill’s Tavern in the Stockyards. She called the former South Carolina governor’s message a hopeful vision for the future.
“Each of you are here because you’re voting for someone, not against the status quo,” Parker said. She called Haley inspirational, adding that Haley inspires people to be better together.
Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn and several North Texas congressional representatives support former President Donald Trump.
However, prominent Fort Worth Republicans including Parker, former Mayor Betsy Price, and former Fort Worth city council member Steve Murrin have all shown support for Haley.
Price, who spoke to the Star-Telegram before introducing Haley at a February event in Dallas, said Haley is more of a public servant than a politician.
“I’m just really not sure we need somebody that’s got all that baggage,” Price said.
Haley’s visit to Fort Worth comes on the eve of Super Tuesday, where 15 states, including Texas, will hold primary elections.
Haley trails Trump by a tally of 244 delegates to 43. They each need 1,215 delegates to win the nomination.
Still, people at Monday’s rally said they are supporting Haley for her ability to bring people together. Several blamed Trump for divisions in the Republican party and argued that Haley would stand a better chance of beating President Joe Biden in the general election in November.
Cathy Hartman, 66, said she supported Trump in 2016 at a time when the country needed his style of what she called raw truth.
“I think it’s kind of falling on deaf ears now. It’s not sexy anymore,” Hartman said.
Patrice Lucas, a retired nurse from Fort Worth, was more blunt in her assessment of Trump.
“I don’t want someone who is old and facing jail time, and it would be nice if someone could speak in complete sentences,” Lucas said.
She also said she’s tired of the toxic political culture embodied by Trump, who often focuses on bashing his political opponents rather than talking about policy to make the country better.
Haley picked up on that point in her stump speech, referencing the way Trump lashed out at her after she secured 43% of the vote in the New Hampshire Republican primary.
“All he’s doing is talking about himself, and the thing is, this isn’t about him. This is about the American people,” Haley said, drawing booming applause from the roughly 1,000 people gathered Monday.
“My husband and his military brothers and sisters sacrifice every day for their right to be able to (protest),” she said.
Haley ended her speech with a call to normalcy. Biden calling his opponents fascists and Trump calling his opponents vermin is not normal, Haley said.
She noted that many young Americans can’t afford to buy a house and believe their children will be worse off.
“If you join this movement, if you make your voices heard, I promise you our best days are yet to come,” she said.
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Harrison Mantas has covered the city of Fort Worth’s 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.
A man was shot in the 2900 block of Crockett Street in the West 7th entertainment district in Fort Worth about 10:15 p.m. Saturday night. Paramedics were seen treating the victim on the street.
James Hartley
jhartley@star-telegram.com
A man was shot in the 2900 block of Crockett Street in the West 7th entertainment district in Fort Worth about 10:15 p.m. Saturday night.
Paramedics with MedStar and the fire department were seen treating the victim on the street. Medics performed CPR on the man before he was taken to a local hospital. His current condition is unknown.
Fort Worth police officers responded and were searching for the shooter, who may have left in a car. There was a large police presence in the area.
It wasn’t immediately clear what led up to the shooting but several shots were heard.
Witnesses were told to stay indoors while police investigated. Police advised businesses in the area to keep people inside and away from the windows, but customers and employees have since been allowed to leave.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published March 2, 2024, 10:33 PM.
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James Hartley is a breaking news reporter with awards including features, breaking news and deadline writing. A North Texas native, he joined the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2019. He has a passion for true stories, understated movies, good tea and scotch that’s out of his budget.
Amy McDaniel edits stories about criminal justice, breaking news and education for the Star-Telegram.
John Turner plays a round of bingo at a recent gathering of the TCU student outreach group, “Bingo in the Park.”
Ella Gonzales
egonzales@star-telegram.com
John Turner counts down the days until Friday every week. Turner can’t wait to see his “P and J,” his “pride and joy.”
For years, he has hiked down to a church on Hemphill Street in Fort Worth’s southside, rarely missing a fellowship with a committed group of students from nearby Texas Christian University. The gathering used to be called “Bingo and Bagels” back in 2010, long before the TCU-funded group took over. It is now known as “Bingo in the Park.”
“They are not my biological kids, but for 45 minutes they are,” Turner tells the Star-Telegram.
Sure, a game of bingo is played on the grounds of the Southside Church of Christ. But breakfast is also served, which on most Fridays consists of coffee, tacos and doughnuts. But what really drew most of the nearly 20 individuals — who are either homeless, trying to get free from addiction or simply struggling — on a recent winter morning was the uplifting sense of community, a human connection.
“They have access to local housing communities and job resources, but one of the things they feel like they do not have access to is relationships with people in stable situations,” said Kate Marshall, the student group’s leader.
A gaggle of TCU students meet up with many from around Fort Worth who have experienced homelessness. “Bingo in the Park,” as the gathering is called, provides the warmth of personal connections. Ella Gonzales egonzales@star-telegram.com
Kate Marshall, second from right, said her group offers access to relationships with people in stable situations. John Turner, second from left, says, “They are not my biological kids, but for 45 minutes they are.” Ella Gonzales egonzales@star-telegram.com
TCU student outreach ‘Bingo in the Park’ creates personal connection with homeless
Many have been coming to the park for years knowing the warmth of personal connections would be available, Marshall explained, looking around at the recent gathering under live oaks on the grassy grounds of the stone church on 2101 Hemphill St.
Without this fellowship, Turner said, he’d still be wallowing in his misfortunes — crediting the group for pulling him out of hard times.
He said he watched his family fight, breaking blood bonds. His two sisters fought constantly, until one recently died, he added.
Times were tough for Turner. The stress of it all dragged him into a cycle of addiction, he said.
He wrestled to find equilibrium in his life. But he loved the rush of whatever gave it to him at the moment. He thought he was addicted to dopamine, but he just wanted out of all of life’s hassles.
And he is not alone.
Grace, who did not want her last name to be used, quietly told the group how grateful she was for their support.
“We’re family, and [the students] prove it by them all coming to [her friend’s] memorial. Blessed people bless us.” she said, remembering her friend, Dean, who recently died.
She said she met him on a bus in 2015, and from that meeting on their friendship blossomed. The only memento Grace has of Dean is a scooter a church gifted to him.
“He rode that thing all over the place,” she said.
These stories simply spilled out from the people gathered around picnic tables next to the church.
“If it weren’t for these kids I don’t know where I’d be,” said a grateful Ruby Turner, John’s sister whom he guided to the fellowship in the park. The group led Ruby to want to be baptized.
“We acknowledge that we are a family and then we pray,” Marshall, the student leader, said of the period of reflection they have each week.
Why was ‘Bingo in the Park’ started by TCU students?
This outreach by TCU students was started to “provide some sort of emotional and mental service, and we do that by creating a community that allows for empowering relationships to take place,” said Charlie Newsome, who helped get the ball rolling back in 2021.
The group’s mission dovetails nicely with the university’s Christian ethos — as a partner of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) — that pushes its campus community “to become a force for the greater good.”
“As a senior, I have been involved with ‘Bingo in the Park’ for three years and I can truly say the butterfly effect is real,” Marshall said. “Not only has it impacted my life, and those that come, but it has introduced the topic of homelessness further into TCU’s community, creating opportunity for discussion, initiative, and change.”
One man is dead after he was stabbed and then showed up at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth Friday evening, according to Fort Worth police.
Police were called to the hospital after the man, identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office as 36-year-old Armando Garcia, showed up around 5:40 p.m. Friday.
He died about 40 minutes later from stab wounds, according to the ME’s office. His death has been ruled a homicide.
“Our lives have changed in an instant, our loved one has departed from us due to a senseless murder,” the family wrote in the fundraiser’s description. “Always so goofy, his laugh will surely be missed.”
Police have not announced any arrests or publicly identified any suspects in the killing.
Related stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
James Hartley is a breaking news reporter with awards including features, breaking news and deadline writing. A North Texas native, he joined the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2019. He has a passion for true stories, understated movies, good tea and scotch that’s out of his budget.
One man is dead after he was stabbed and went John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth Friday evening, according to Fort Worth police.
Police were called to the hospital after the man, identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office as 36-year-old Armando Garcia, showed up around 5:40 p.m. Friday.
He died about 40 minutes later from stab wounds, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’soffice. His death has been ruled a homicide.
“Our lives have changed in an instant, our loved one has departed from us due to a senseless murder,” the family wrote in the fundraiser’s description. “Always so goofy, his laugh will surely be missed.”
Police have not announced any arrests or publicly identified any suspects in the killing.
This story was originally published February 18, 2024, 4:56 PM.
Related stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
James Hartley is a breaking news reporter with awards including features, breaking news and deadline writing. A North Texas native, he joined the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2019. He has a passion for true stories, understated movies, good tea and scotch that’s out of his budget.
Three people were wounded, one critically in a shooting in south Fort Worth Saturday night, according to police.
Officers were sent to the El Macate Club around 11 p.m. Saturday, where a caller told 911 someone had been shot. When they arrived, the officers found three people had been shot. One man was taken to the hospital in critical condition and the two others had non-life threatening injuries.
Police said no suspects are in custody. No suspects have been publicly identified by police.
Related stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
James Hartley is a breaking news reporter with awards including features, breaking news and deadline writing. A North Texas native, he joined the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2019. He has a passion for true stories, understated movies, good tea and scotch that’s out of his budget.
Fort Worth police released this 911 audio from a victim and witnesses who called about a kidnapping on Friday morning.
The victim said a man he was dating sped away with him in the back of a van.
Information from callers helped officers find the van and rescue the victim when the suspect was stopped while driving erratically on Interstate 30 in Dallas, police say.
Jail records identify the suspect as Takim Peden, 29, of Fort Worth. He faces charges including aggravated kidnapping with bodily injury.
Related stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nicole Lopez is a breaking news reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she studied multimedia journalism. She also does freelance writing.
Emerson Clarridge covers crime and other breaking news for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He works days and reports on law enforcement affairs in Tarrant County. He previously was a reporter at the Omaha World-Herald and the Observer-Dispatch in Utica, New York.
