RamblerNewspapers.com April 30, 2016 50¢

See BEST Page 3

See WHOFEST, Page 5

Fans celebrate a sci-fi legacy at WhoFest 3

'Voice of the Mavs' inspires future leaders

See BOOKS Page 4

‘Best in Irving’ snubs most Irving businesses

See LEADERS Page 2

Getting their groove on, Irving's future leaders sing and dance to their class song at the Future Leaders of Irving graduation ceremony. / Photo by John Starkey

North Texas Teen Book Festival attendees double

By Adam Stephens Fans of the long-running Dr. Who

franchise gathered at the Westin DFW Airport Hotel in Irving for the third annual WhoFest. For three days, starting on April 22, fans met with actors from various eras of the show, displayed their own costumes and custom props, and attended panels exploring every facet of the show and its fandom.

WhoFest was first held in cel-ebration of the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special: The Day of the Doctor, which was produced in 2013. So many fans attended the event that the following year saw the attendance of guests such as Colin Baker (the 6th Doctor). Un-like other conventions, WhoFest is completely run by volunteers, and a great deal of emphasis is put on the fandom as whole.

“This is a great way for fans to

By Courtney OuelletteIt is no secret that Irving is home

to hundreds of successful business owners, civic leaders and entrepre-neurs. The keys to these men and women’s success was passed to the next generation of leaders during the Future Leaders of Irving’s most recent sessions that focused on pre-paring the students to choose a ca-reer path.

Some of the topics included ways to pay for college, such as scholar-ships and military options. In addi-tion, students were offered details

By Sarah BaysFor all their beauty and wonder,

Rome, London, Paris, Malan share one indisputable trait, a timeless jealousy of Irving, Texas. While bragging is not something we like to do, at times it is unavoidable.

Chief among Irving’s stellar as-sets are the businesses that offer shopping and services and provide hundreds of thousands of people employment every day. Businesses including The Ranch at Las Colinas, Sonic, Porter’s Army & Navy Store, Pure Salon and Cavalli Pizza enrich the city, gleaning great reviews from patrons.

Surprisingly, when it does come time to brag about the quality of Irving businesses, one place you won’t find these -- and many other -- businesses listed is on the Great-er Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 BEST in Irving Awards survey.

It seems, the names of businesses offered on the survey includes only Chamber members, even though the survey mentions nothing about

By Trenton ConnerOver 7,000 book lovers united

at the second annual North Texas Teen Book Festival presented at the Las Colinas Irving Convention Center on April 23. From all over North Texas, students and parents alike had the chance to meet some of their favorite authors and to dis-cover new ones.

“It’s kind of crazy but in the best way possible,” said Mary Hinson, a senior library assistant for Irving Public Library. “Last year we had about 3,500 people. The goal for this year was 7,000.”

With 75 featured authors, includ-ing additional authors who helped moderate panels, students listened to influential writers talk about their process, and even worked on their own writing skills.

Holly Black, author of The Spi-derwick Chronicles, addressed hun-dreds of fans in her keynote speech.

“Writing kids’ books sounds real-

of several career options in vari-ous fields like technology, medical, and hospitality. Seminars even ad-dressed dressing for success.

Several powerhouse organiza-tions in Irving participate in the Future Leaders of Irving program, including the Irving Chamber, city staff, the La Buena Vida Leadership Foundation and the Irving Schools Foundation.

At the Future Leaders of Irving class of 2015-2016 graduation cer-emony on April 20, the students

that. Some find the title ‘Best in Ir-ving’ to be misleading.

“That obviously isn’t going to give the best listing of the best,” Steph-anie Webb said. “Maybe the ‘Best of the Chamber,’ but not the ‘Best of Irving.’ I just looked up the list and most seem more like the best of Irving are places that are big box/corporation type places versus all the wonderful small businesses or unique, one of a kind places that make Irving awesome.”

Gold’N Carats Jewelers owned by Jim and Lucinda Rogers won the ‘Best in Irving’ award for jeweler in 2015. The couple was upset to dis-cover their category had been delet-ed from the 2016 survey.

“When the survey was first post-ed on the Internet, I observed that the category for best jeweler was not listed, and we had won last year,” Lucinda said. “So I questioned the Chamber office. Their response was that the category had been excluded due low participation.

ly wholesome and nice, except when you then have to explain I don’t write picture books,” Black said. “Though every now and then an interviewer asks me, ‘Will you ever write any-thing but fantasy?’ The answer, by the way, is no-never.”

“They reminded me how it em-barrassing it once was to be the kid who liked to make up stories and loved magic, and have to justify that to people,” she said. “It was espe-cially hard when people around me thought that I should grow out of it. Obviously I didn’t.”

During her morning address, Black was honored by Sam Houston State University with the Jan Paris award of achievement in teen liter-ature.

This event has caught the atten-tion of several schools around the area with teachers and students playing a big role in attracting at-tendees.

“The students are the ones who are pushing the books on their friends,” Hinson said. “They are the ones who are helping us promote

come together and do some good,” charity coordinator Beki Brinkmey-er said. “It’s created by fans for the love of the fans. We go out of our way to make it the best experience for the fans possible. For instance, at, say, Dallas Comic Con, you nev-er really have enough time to talk to the special guests, but here we let the fans talk to the guests for a while.”

The special guests include actors from multiple eras of the show, including Eve Myles, who played Gwen Cooper in the spinoff series Torchwood. Script writer Andrew Cartmel signed copies of his book, Script Doctor — The Inside Story of Doctor Who 1986-89, which is an account of his work with the se-ries. Actors from the “classic” era of Dr. Who included two companions of the Second Doctor, Frazer Hines

Page 2 April 30, 2016 www.RamblerNewspapers.com

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LeadersContinued from Page 1

COMMUNITY CALENDARValley Ranch’s EARTHfestApril 30, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.Join us for a day of fun as EARTHfest meets Cimarron Family Field Day! Enjoy planting, building, and creating at various stations surrounding the pavilion. And don’t forget about the face painters! Come for the ladybug release and stick around for the games. LADYBUG RELEASE AT 10:30 a.m. in the back field. *FREE Bug containers available while supplies last. Roll out your blanket for a true picnic expe-rience while listening to the upbeat sounds of The Boxcar Bandits. Free Hotdogs and Drinks will be provided by the Cimarron Recreation Center.

Take Home a Big Best FriendApril 30, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Want to change the world for a homeless animal? Then adopt a pet from the Irving

Animal Care Campus! Irving Animal Services and its partner, DFW Humane Society, are celebrating National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day by waiving adoption fees for all dogs 40 pounds and larger. Visit the IACC, 4140 Valley View Lane.

Not Too Young to Serve GodApril 30, 7:00 p.m. “Not Too Young to Serve God” from Styling Diva Productions and presented by the Irving Black Arts Council, is a stage play focused on the events and situations that young people face at home, at school and in everyday life. Dupree Theater, $10-$15 Irving Heritage HouseMay 1, 3pm to 5pmThe Irving Heritage House monthly tours now include a tour of Mary’s Playhouse. Located at 303 South O’Connor. Admission is free

and docent led tours are offered at 3pm and 4pm. Built in 1912, this Recorded Texas Historic Landmark provides a glimpse of one of Irving’s early families and their home. For more information, visit www.irvingheri-tage.com or call 972-252-3838. Group tours of the Heritage House and Mary’s Playhouse are available by special appointment.

Cinco de MayoMay 1, 7:00 PMSee two World Class Mariachi Bands per-forming with the Irving Symphony Orchestra at the Irving Convention Center. Pre-Per-formance Appearance by Famous Express Clydesdales Live. Photo-Opportunity & Door Prize/Raffle Drawing, 4:30 - 7:00 PM. Come before the performance to see the Clydesdales Team up close. Enter Drawing Free for great Clydesdales gifts & Mexican Sombreros.

Community Meeting on the Heritage Park May 4, 6 p.m.The City is seeking community input regard-

ing plans to expand the Heritage Park area.Council Conference Room at City Hall 825 West Irving Blvd.

received inspiration for making life-changing decisions from Chuck Cooperstein.

Cooperstein is best known in the Dallas area as the voice of the Dal-las Mavericks, a position he’s held for the past 11 years. Listeners can hear him broadcast the Mavs play-by-play action on 103.3 FM ESPN. A regular in the Dallas sports scene since 1984, he recently moved to Ir-ving.

“It’s really great to be here and see what the future of Irving’s leader-ship looks like,” Coopertstein said. “I never think of myself as a leader. I think of myself a doer, and I think they probably go hand and hand. If you do and do well, you lead, and people want to follow people who do right.

“Part of discovering yourself and hopefully your full potential is to be able to find the aspects of your job that actually do work best for you,” he said.

Cooperstein addressed the chal-lenges and realizations students are bound to face at this point in their lives.

“There was a time when I was 14, and I realized that I wasn’t going to be 7 feet tall,” Cooperstein said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to play golf, because I wasn’t going to spend the time out there on the green. My father, who was a very, very practical man and my mother was the typical ‘why can’t you be a

doctor, why can’t you be a lawyer?’ I knew that was not going to be who I was.”

Despite the various pressures from an array of sources, Cooper-stein urged the young adults to find a career that would make them happy and to embrace meeting new people.

“Never take for granted the oppor-tunity to meet people who might be able to help you,” he said. “We think

we have the answers, but we never really do have the answers. We have to be able to learn from others and grow from others.

“Make sure that your mind stays open enough that something might filter in that might make you a better person or make you produce a bet-ter product,” Cooperstein said. “The world does not go nice and smooth. You just don’t know what’s going to be coming your way.”

By Courtney OuelletteHoping to bring a new type of

buyer to south Irving’s Heritage Dis-trict, a single-family homes develop-ment broke ground on April 14. The 20.64-acre tract of land along Dela-ware Creek was previously home to multifamily apartments.

The project will be completed in phases led by K. Hovnanian Homes and Hines, a developer with a long-standing history in Irving. Hines’ developments include La Villita, the Lakes of Las Colinas and Riverside Village. Forty homes are planned in phase 1 with an estimated 60 addi-tional homes to follow.

“This is a great day for me. It’s kind of like a walk down memo-ry lane,” Councilman John Dan-ish said. “Down the street, here on 6th Street, at the corner of Nursery and 6th, my dad started as a min-ister and he was there for 52 years. When he first came to Irving it was 1,500 people. Today we’re now at 230,000. We’re a city that’s going to produce more jobs than we ever have.”

The construction of the new homes will help support the city’s mission to breathe new life into south Irving, according to Danish.

“What’s spectacular about this de-velopment is that it’s the beginning of a revitalization of the oldest part

While celebrating the official groundbreaking of a new housing development, Councilman John Danish describes the revitalization of the Heritage District. / Photo by Courtney Ouellette

City plans to revitalize south Irving with new development

of our city. Planners have a fancy word called gentrification. Every planner that has looked at Heritage District has always concluded that if we could get 100 more families with

the buying power that comes with their pockets, you will then trigger the retail that you need in the Heri-tage District. This is the beginning of

See REVITALIZE, Page 3

Page 3April 30, 2016972-870-1992

UNITY CHURCHUnity of Irving

Sunday Morning Services:9:30 AM Adult Class

11:00 AM Service& Children’s Church

Reverend Frank Poundersand Reverend Margaret Pounders

210 Virginia St., Irving, Texas 75061972-253-5083

unitychurchofirving.com

First United Methodist Church 211 W. Third, 75060

972-253-3531 www.fumcirving.orgSunday School 9:15 a.m.

Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.in the Sanctuary

6:30 p.m. in the ChapelSecond and fourth Sundays

Oak HavenUnited Methodist Church

1600 N. Irving Heights 75061972.438.1431

www.oakhavenumc.orgSunday School 9:45 a.m.

Sunday Worship 10:45 a.mMinisterio Hispano NISSIEstudio Biblico 1:00 p.m.

Servicio Adoracion 2:00 p.m.

UNITED METHODIST

CHRISTIAN SCIENCEFirst Church of Christ, Scientist

2250 W Pioneer Dr., Irving, 75061972-253-7202

www.ChristianScienceIrving.comSunday & Sunday School 10 am

Wednesday 7:30 pmReading Room Mon-Sat 10am-1pmDial in to services: 1-857-232-0476

access code 884879For inspiring programs 24/7 call:214-His-Work (214-447-9675)

CHURCH OF CHRIST

Belt Line RoadChurch of Christ

1202 N. Belt Line Rd., Irving, TX 750611st Century Christianity in the 21st Century

Sunday Bible Classes 9 a.m.Sunday Worship 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Wednesday Worship 7:00 p.m.972-790-8606

www.BeltLineChurch.com

WORSHIPList your organization here!

Call 972-870-1992

BestContinued from Page 3

John E. Huffman is celebrating his 90th Birthday. He and his wife, Sue Haley Huffman of 67 years, are both lifelong residents of Irving. He began his work career on the family farm off Belt Line Road and retired from LTV (Vought) after 37 years. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. John and Sue are long-time members of South MacAr-thur Church of Christ (now Christ Church). For those who know John, he is a master gardener and fix-it man extraordinaire; but most important, he is a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and constant friend.

90th Birthday Celebration

“They agreed to reinstate that category, but advised me that only Chamber members would be list-ed on the survey per a super select committee vote, and I would be a write-in candidate. So I am very, very thankful that my customers wrote us in as Irving’s best jeweler.”

On the 2016 Chamber survey, only a blank box was provided to voters to list their choice while Chamber members were identified by name.

The Chamber’s mission state-ment declares that its goal it to “cre-ate, advance and promote economic growth for our investors and com-munity,” which seems to contradict how the survey is conducted.

Joe’s Coffee Shop, a small busi-ness in South Irving that has been a part of Irving for 46 years, was a Chamber member for 25-30 years but is no longer.

“I don’t participate in the survey anymore,” Carol Wood, the owner of Joe’s Coffee Shop said. “It’s not a good survey. We have been the best coffee shop in Irving for many years, and we don’t want to be the best breakfast, the best this, the best that. That is just not acceptable.”

A category for “Best Coffee Shop” is not among the others listed on the 2016 survey.

“If you will look at the people who got the best of last year, it’s the same people,” Wood said. “There’s no way

that a person can be the best over and over again. The Chamber has not been fair about the way they do things.”

Wood was happy to be the “Best Coffee Shop” until she learned that the only businesses named on the survey were Chamber members. She said it seems to her like busi-nesses are “buying their way onto the survey. That is exactly why I left the Chamber. We’re not participat-ing, not until it becomes fair,” she said.

A quick internet search shows 10 florists within the Irving city limits, but only Kroger and Tom Thumb are listed by name as candidates in the “Florist” category on the sur-vey. In other categories, only three hair salons, two bakeries, and two health/fitness centers were listed. Each category included an “other” choice for write-in candidates.

The “Best Pizza” category includ-ed i Fratelli Pizza, Pailio’s Pizza Cafe’ and Spin Neapolitan Pizza. Two plumbers were named in their cat-egory, while only three veterinarian clinics were listed.

Of all the Chambers’ ‘Best in Ir-ving’ winners, only Margie Lou’s Sweets, Spring Creek Barbe-que, Magnolia Chiropractic and O’Connor Animal Hospital were non-Chamber winners that took their categories via write-in votes.

a momentous step,” he said.The councilman compared the

quality and amenities to that of La Villita.

“The homes are going to be built with the latest constructions,” Dan-ish said. “They’re going to have all of the amenities and quality of the homes in a neighborhood up north called La Villita. These homes will rival [La Villita], everything they have, will be every bit as comfort-able.”

The biggest difference, however, will be in price.

“The price tag up there is $450,000. For $200,000 less, you can come out your front door and walk right down to the lake. This lake is what I call the crown jewel of the Heritage District. Basically we have Centennial Lake, Millennium Fountain, which is across from the brand new library, and the Irving Veterans Memorial Park,” Danish said.

Initially, the prices for the homes were to be set starting closer to the $200,000 range. David Vander-slice, Area President for K. Hov-

nanian Homes, explained that the homes will still be a great value de-spite the higher cost.

“We started this about three years ago, and it started in the 250s though it may be a little bit high-er than that though since the costs have gone up,” Vanderslice said. “We will be in the 200s for a 1,900 to 2,500 square foot product. I think the views of the Delaware creek are going to be awesome.

“Jimmy Brownlee [DFW Region President at K. Hovnanian Homes] and I really appreciate being a part of the team here with the City of Irving. We’ve worked on this for a long, long time. To see it come to this point is very exciting.

“This will be the third time that we’ve built the patio home product that we’re going to build here, and it’s been very successful in the other two communities. We’ve really seen these communities revitalized. We really look forward to doing that,” he said.

Danny Opits, Vice President of Construction at Hines attributed the project’s successful establishment

to the teamwork happening behind the scenes.

“There’s a lot of other players in-volved in this,” Opits said. “A lot of it started with some of you sitting out there, who attended the meetings we had. We had public meetings that were arranged by the City of Ir-ving. You came, you gave us your in-put, we listened and we tried to in-corporate as many of those changes in to our plan.”

Opits explained what residents can expect as the project breaks ground and construction begins.

“We’ve got a lot of dirt work to do here,” Opits said. “We’re going to be taking four to seven feet of dirt out and putting it back in place and put-ting another three to four feet back on top of it to build the paths and everything else, and get the homes up where we need them with re-spect to the floodplain.

“I would anticipate that you will see the possibility of a model home coming up here towards the end of this year. By this time next year I’m hoping you’re seeing some finished homes, and the possibility of some people moving in,” he said.

RevitalizeContinued from Page 2

By Trenton ConnerIrving celebrated one of its great-

est natural and often unsung re-sources, the tree, during the Irving Arbor Day Celebration hosted at Heritage Park on April 23. The city’s parks and recreation department, water utilities department, and local organizations provided demonstra-tions explaining the importance of trees as well as proper tree caretak-ing procedures.

“If you plant the tree properly, that eliminates a lot of problems in the future you would have not had to deal with,” said Mike Griffith, Park Superintendent of Irving.

The festival celebrated Earth Day week and U.S. Arbor Day. In No-vember, there will be another Arbor Day event where the city directly in-vites local students to join recycling initiatives.

“We’ve completed seven years of being Tree City USA,” Griffith said. “To do that you have to have a tree board and spend two dollars per capita for the people who live in Irving. Since our population is 240,000 or something, [the parks department] has to spend like $480,000. We submit that every year in November to apply for Tree City USA, and that shows we are tree loving people in the Metroplex.

Arbor Day Celebration shares the wonder of trees

Showing that even adults enjoy climbing a tree, Carlos Fuentes displays climbing safety and his technique for tree trimming. / Photo by Trenton Conner See TREES, Page 7

Page 4 April 30, 2016 www.RamblerNewspapers.com

BooksContinued from Page 1

2016 City Elections: Letters to the editor

Porsche Z Hello, wonderful people! My name is Porsche Z. I am about 11 years old. I know, I know. You’re probably wondering, “how did an 11-year-old beauty queen end up at a shelter?” Well, I had a great owner. Sadly, my human fell on hard times and be-came homeless. As it turns out, the awesome angels here at DFW Hu-mane Society took me in and have been so kind and generous. I am grateful for their compassion. I love for people to stop by and pet me and

JoeyLook at me!! I’m Joey. I am a Chi-huahua mix. I came to this shelter because my owner got a new job and doesn’t have time for me. I love to

run, play and investigate. The staff and volunteers here spend time with me and we do have fun. I’m easy going and happy to play with them, but it’s time now for me to move on to my forever family and home. I’ve al-ready been neutered so I am good to go. Come to the shelter soon to visit me. I am sure we will bond immediately!

give me some attention. I’m really good with other cats, and I love humans. As nice as it is here, I long for a loving home where I can spend my senior years with love and care and, of course, naps.

Better than traditional speed dating, attendees of the book festival receive their tickets to participate in the Speed Date a Book event. / Photo by Trenton Conner

him in District One. He has been in the forefront of new development in District One, and in moving forward with improvements Downtown. He has pushed to renovate the City’s golf course that had fallen into dis-repair and the council is now mov-ing forward on its repair. He has strongly supported the Historical Museum and now it has been ap-proved. John has earned our vote. Please vote for John Danish. Elec-tion Day is May 7, but early voting takes place until May 3.

-M/M Gilbert Ornelaz

Elect Anthony HillTo the Editor:On May 7th, I will be voting to re-

elect Anthony Hill for CISD School Board, Place 3. I first met Antho-ny Hill about 5 years ago through school events at Austin Elementary. He is extremely involved on all cam-puses in our district and I continued to be inspired by his involvement throughout my term as PTO Presi-dent at Austin. As my children be-came involved at CMSE and now as one graduates CHS this year, I have been pleased to see Mr. Hill contin-ue to be very active and interested in all programs at each and every Cop-pell campus.

His passion and his commitment to the students and district of Cop-pell is evident in all he does. I have seen first hand the significance Mr. Hill has made in improving our dis-trict. When making decisions, he researches and asks the right ques-tions to determine what is the best course of action for our district and more importantly, our children.

Please join me in re-electing An-thony Hill. There is not a better, more informed, passionate candi-date for CISD School Board, Place 3.

-Kristi Scates,Coppell Resident

To the Editor:Code enforcement was on the

mind of many at the SIPOA forum on March 15. One council candi-date’s response to a citizen having a problem was very forthright by rec-ommending he contact his district’s council person. As I reflected on this suggestion, a song from the ‘80s came to mind. So apologies to Ray Parker, Jr., the man who wrote and scored the theme to “Ghostbusters.”

“If the grass is tall in your neigh-bor’s yard,

Whadda you call this guy? Code buster!

To ignore the blight is just too hard,

Who you gonna call? City coun-cil!

I ain’t afraid of no threats,I ain’t afraid of no threats,If his car’s on blocks and it’s leak-

ing oil,Whadda you call this guy? Code

buster!If his broken fence, just makes

you boil,Who you gonna call? City coun-

cil!I ain’t afraid of no threats,I ain’t afraid of no threats,Who you gonna call? City coun-

cil!Go ahead, pick up the phone, and

call City council!”P.S. I am supporting John Dan-

ish, Allan Meagher, and Kyle Taylor. I hope you do, too!

-Mike Gregory

To the Editor:It is very important to have

strong leadership on the city coun-cil. Strong leaders get things done. Strong leaders stick to the issues, don’t engage in personal attacks, and push forward for the benefit of the city. John Danish is such a leader and it is important to re-elect

the festival through social media, so we can reach our intended audi-ence.”

“All the publicity was done by the teachers and librarians on our part-ner list,” said Carla Morgan, volun-teer coordinator for the event and the Irving Public Library.

“Two of the middle schools here in Irving went together for a bus and each school brought 25 students. One librarian was having class-es come into the library. He was talking about authors that were go-ing to be here, showing the kids the books, then giving them a form and saying the first 25 of these I get back get to go. There were kids asking to use their cell phones to call their parents right then to get their par-ents to come up to the school to sign the permission slip,” she said.

Some school teachers offered students incentives to attend the event, such as grades for listening to authors talk about their books and writing techniques.

The festival had 250 volunteers helping to reign in eager visitors and direct them to anticipated panels.

“We have received a tremendous amount of support from our local North Texas communities, both teachers and librarians from local schools and public libraries, avid book fans who just want to help, and definitely a lot of friends and family from staff members,” Hinson said.

By Matthew PedersenExpress Employment Profession-

als hosted Refresh Leadership Live 2016, a leadership seminar, present-ed at the Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie on April 6.

The program offered a number of speakers who shared their ex-periences with the hundreds in at-tendance and the thousands who were watching the event simulcast. Among the speakers were Express Employment Professionals’ found-er, chairman of the board, and CEO Robert “Bob” Funk, and former NBA star and doctor of leadership and education, Shaquille O’Neal.

Funk kicked off the seminar as the first guest speaker, telling the cheer-ing crowds the history of Refresh Leadership Live.

“Express created the Refresh Leadership Live event seven years ago to give back to the business communities in which we do busi-ness, and to help business leaders be the best that they can be,” Funk said. “Being the best takes passion, hard work, and a dedication to life-long learning.

“We dream big at Express, but we know that this is possible because of the passion we have for our work, for our tireless dedication to education, to training, and our goal to putting a million people to work annually.”

Shaq motivates professionals at leadership seminar

Funk explained how attendees benefit from the event.

“We hope that they learn some leadership skills,” Funk said. “Our company is determined to help our clients in many of these cities to learn how to lead. Many of us have built businesses, but we haven’t been good leaders, and so if they learn those leadership skills, we know that those companies will be much better off and will survive for much longer.”

“We have about 10,000 nationally in North America who are attending this meeting today, this leadership conference today, with 1,400 local-ly,” he said,

“We’re certainly proud of the fact that your organization, your city, and your area are expanding and that they believe in entrepreneur-ship. As most Texans are great en-trepreneurs, we’re certainly proud of the state and what you’ve done to foment and to enjoy the growth that you’ve had, because you’ve endorsed entrepreneurship,” Funk said.

“Entrepreneurship is what drives this country. That’s why we’re so successful as a country, because of the medium and small businesses that want to grow and do a great job in servicing their clients,” he said.

Shaquille O’Neal discussed his

motivations for doing more with his life following his NBA career and his past business experiences.

“Ironically, 85 percent of athletes when they’re done playing have nothing left, and I didn’t want to be a part of that stat,” O’Neal said. “I met Magic Johnson when I was 19 years old and we were at an event togeth-er. They applauded for him; they ap-plauded for me. Magic grabs me and says, ‘It’s okay to be famous, but at some point you want to start owning things,’ and in my mind I was like, ‘What the hell are you talking about Magic?’ But then as I got older, I realized that, and I started making some tricky investments when I was young. I invested in Google; I invest-ed in Facebook.”

He also shared some advice to young entrepreneurs and anyone who was looking to start their own business.

“One thing I would tell them is that you definitely have to educate yourself about finance. You have to educate yourself about business, be-cause it’s not about making money, it’s about keeping it. A lot of us make the money, but now we have to in-vest and be knowledgeable about in-vestments. You just have to be smart and educate yourself,” O’Neal said.

Page 5April 30, 2016972-870-1992

CLASSIFIEDSLEGALS

WhoFestContinued from Page 1

DEATH NOTICES

Arrangements byBrown’s Memorial Funeral Home

972-254-4242

Mary “June” Bailey June 1, 1929 - apr. 23, 2016

David W. Davis Nov. 24, 1933 – Apr. 22, 2016

Arrangements byDonnelly’s Colonial Funeral Home

972-579-1313

Evelyn Hlavenka BarathDec. 28, 1925 – Apr. 24, 2016

(972) 870-1992 laurier@ramblernewspapers.netOBITUARIES

PUBLIC NOTICE

THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF IRVING, TEXAS, SHALL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING IN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING AT 7:00 P.M. ON THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016, AT THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL, 825 WEST IRVING BOULEVARD, IRVING, TEXAS, ON THE DESIGNATION OF AN AREA AS A TAX ABATEMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE PURSUANT TO AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH TEXAS TAX CODE SECTIONS 312.201 THROUGH 312.209, AS AMENDED. The proposed tax abatement reinvestment zone, which, if designated, will be known as Tax Abatement Reinvestment Zone No. Fifty-Eight (58) is described by metes and bounds description as follows:

LEGAL DESCRIPTION36.826 ACRES

BEING a tract of out of the John Cox Survey, Abstract No. 219, the Antonio Hernandez Survey, Abstract No. 551 and the Able Moore Survey, Abstract No. 909, in the City of Irving, Dallas County, Texas, being part of the 56.052 acre tract of land described in deed to GTE Realty Corporation recorded in Volume 97179, Page 4254 of the Deed Records of Dallas County, Texas and being more particularly described as follows:

BEGINNING at a 5/8” iron rod set with a plastic cap stamped “KHA” in the north right-of-way line of Hidden Ridge (110’ ROW) for the southeast corner of a 3.8390 acre tract of land described in deed to Dallas Area Rapid Transit recorded in Instrument No. 200900352746 of the Official Public Records of Dallas County, Texas, said iron rod being the beginning of a curve to the left having a central angle of 4°56’14”, a radius of 644.75 feet, a chord bearing and distance of North 6°51’05” East, 55.54 feet;

THENCE with the easterly and southerly lines of said 3.8390 acre tract, the following courses and distances to wit:In a northeasterly direction, with said curve to the left, an arc distance of 55.56 feet to a 5/8” iron rod set with a plastic cap stamped “KHA” for corner;North 4°22’58” East, a distance of 985.94 feet to a 5/8” iron rod set with a plastic cap stamped “KHA” at the beginning of a tangent curve to the right having a central angle of 58°25’06”, a radius of 640.75 feet, a chord bearing and distance of North 33°35’32” East, 625.37 feet;In a northeasterly direction, with said curve to the right, an arc distance of 653.30 feet to an X in concrete found for corner;North 27°11’54” West, a distance of 10.00 feet to a 1/2” iron rod found at the beginning of a non-tangent curve to the right having a central angle of 25°44’35”, a radius of 650.75 feet, a chord bearing and distance of North 75°40’23” East, 289.93 feet;In a northeasterly direction, with said curve to the right, an arc distance of 292.38 feet to a 1/2” iron rod found for corner;South 4°22’04” East, a distance of 6.32 feet to a 1/2” iron rod found for corner;North 85°37’48” East, a distance of 212.51 feet to a 5/8” iron rod set with a plastic cap stamped “KHA” for corner;

THENCE leaving the south line of said 3.8390 acre tract, the following courses and distances to wit:South 15°30’59” East, a distance of 952.63 feet to a 5/8” iron rod set with a plastic cap stamped “KHA” at the beginning of a tangent curve to the left having a central angle of 35°07’47”, a radius of 300.00 feet, a chord bearing and distance of South 33°04’52” East, 181.07 feet;In a southeasterly direction, with said curve to the left, an arc distance of 183.94 feet to a 5/8” iron rod set with a plastic cap stamped “KHA” for corner;South 50°38’46” East, a distance of 29.50 feet to a 5/8” iron rod set with a plastic cap stamped “KHA” for corner in the north right-of-way line of said Hidden Ridge

THENCE with said north right-of-way line, the following courses and distances to wit:South 39°21’14” West, a distance of 543.21 feet to a 1/2” iron rod found at the beginning of a tangent curve to the right having a central angle of 60°33’52”, a radius of 595.00 feet, a chord bearing and distance of South 69°38’10” West, 600.07 feet;In a southwesterly direction, with said curve to the right, an arc distance of 628.95 feet to a 1/2” iron rod found for corner;North 80°04’55” West, a distance of 392.01 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING and containing 36.826 acres or 1,604,125 square feet of land.

Bearing system based on the Texas Coordinate System of 1983, North Central Zone (4202), North American Datum of 1983.

The CITY OF IRVING, Texas will receive sealed responses in the Purchasing Division, 1st floor, 835 W. Irving Blvd, until the date and time below and will open responses at the same location for the following items:1. ITB #120M-16F Park Grounds Maintenance MaterialsDue Date: 5/6/16 @ 3:30 p.m.2. ITB #125M-16F Purchase of Audio-Video EquipmentDue Date: 5/9/16 @ 3:00 p.m.3. ITB #128D-16F General Services WorkDue Date: 5/10/16 @ 3:00 p.m.4. RFQ #129D-16F Architectural ServicesFor Irving Museum and Heritage CenterPre-Submittal Mtg: 5/5/16 @ 10:00 a.m. Due Date: 5/26/16 @ 3:00 p.m.Responses must be received in a sealed envelope with solicitation number and due date on the envelope. Late responses cannot be accepted. Information may be found at www.cityofirving.org click Departments/Purchasing Phone: 972.721.2631

MOVIE REVIEWS

DONALD WAYNE LORENZ

Donald Wayne Lorenz, 93, died April 3, 2016 in his home in Irving. Donald was born on January 23, 1923 in Winner, South Dakota, the son of William Lorenz and Ame-lia Wagner Lorenz. He graduated from Kingfisher High School in Oklahoma. In 1943, he joined the US Navy, serving as a machinist. He graduated from Southern Meth-odist University in 1954. In 1956 he married Ina Carolyn Morehead in Dallas County and they moved to Irving in 1957. They are mem-bers of St. Marks Church in Irving. Donald had a natural aptitude for all things mechanical. He retired as a mechanical engineer and spec writer after 40-year career, but never retired from projects, which included a carpentry and electrical at the church as well as for home

and extended family. He had lively interests in recording, photography and Volkswagens. He loved music and played the guitar. He was pre-ceded in death by his parents, and his brother Wilbur Lorenz; and nephews John Lorenz and George Chatham. He is survived by his wife; three children: Leslie and husband Dale Gibson, Marion and husband Roy Wadsworth, and Alex Lorenz; grandchildren Celeste Gibson, Ellen Wadsworth and husband Robert McCullough, Charles, John, Paul, Michael and Annie Wadsworth; nephew Geoffrey Chatham; nieces Christina Chatham Cross and Car-olyn Bridges Parrish and husband Doug; and Susan Stahl Crumpton and husband Brent. A memorial service was held at 10 a.m. Mon-day, April 11, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Irving, under the direc-tion of Rolling Oaks Funeral Home.

(Jamie McCrimmon) and Wendy Padbury (Zoe Heriot).

“Being part of this show is just amazing,” Padbury said. “Originally, it was made for children’s television, but it appealed to everybody. It’s an absolute phenomenon. When I joined the show in 1968, I couldn’t imagine that I’d still be talking about it in 2016. The doctor’s regenera-tion is absolutely brilliant, because it means the show could just go on and on.”

“Working on this show was three of the happiest years of my life,” Hines said. “Fifty years ago, I’d have never thought that a children’s tele-vision show would take me all over the world. In some ways, American fans are more appreciative of meet-ing with the cast than British fans. Americans seem to be very grateful that we would come all this way to meet with them.”

Fans were also given a chance to showcase their talents, including the volunteers responsible for orga-nizing the event. Master craftsman Max Kirkland showed off his phone controlled, screen accurate (mean-ing the same measurements and hardware as the original prop used in the show) model of the Tardis, the Doctor’s iconic vehicle.

Paul Barrett brought a working model of the Doctor’s robotic dog companion K-9. The robot incorpo-rates three different processors, and LEGO gears are used for some of the parts. The robot is even equipped with sonar, which lets it recognize obstacles. Naturally, these models got a lot of attention from children at the convention.

“You can’t buy the props they use in the TV show, so you’ve got to make them yourself,” Kirkland said. “It takes a lot of time, and I really love building these things and im-

proving them.”A group of younger fans also got

some recognition at the convention. The Lamplighter School’s Dr. Who fan club had a special presentation talking about their club’s project: creating an episode guide of the series. Currently, they have written guides for 95 episodes out of over 800.

Their guide has attracted over 600 subscribers. At the end of their pre-sentation, the kids were surprised with the announcement that their club would be featured as the cover story for the Celestial Toyroom, the official magazine of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society.

Throughout the convention, a charity auction was held to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Many of the guests donated auto-graphed paraphernalia and other items to the cause. Various fans also sold handmade crafts related to the

show.“Doctor Who has one of the best

fandoms out there,” Sharla Break-way said. “We all connect with the Doctor on some level. It’s great es-capist fun. It’s like this sub-cult—it’s small, strong, and powerful. Every-one has a favorite Doctor and we are all very passionate about specific episodes, and it’s great that we can all celebrate the show and what it’s created.”

The high spirits and fun of WhoFest 3 were marred on April 23 when the event’s co-founder, Ed Dravecky passed away. He was 47 years old. Also known for co-found-ing FenCon, Dravecky was well known among those who host Dal-las area cons.

Donations to help the family with the sudden expenses related to his loss are being accepted at pages.giveforward.com/remembrance/page-h3qs533/.

Donning an outfit the Doctors themselves would approve, fans stop by to get their books signed by Andrew Cartmel. / Photo by Adam Stephens

By Matt Mungle Synopsis: When the galaxy comes

under the threat of a nefarious space captain, a mechanic and his new-found robot ally join an elite squad of combatants to save the universe. Review: Never judge a book by its cover or a movie by its poster. Yet there was something about Ratchet & Clank that just did not bode well from the beginning. The thin charac-ters and Saturday morning motif of the animation just screamed, “rent me later!” Based on the original PlayStation Video game and after several failed attempts over the last decade to actually make it to produc-tion, it finally limps to the big screen. If you read up on the history of the film, it makes sense why this one seems so disjointed. Numerous big name directors were attached but then walked away. The main characters are voiced by the actors who did the video games which is lost on a normal movie audience who are used to hearing familiar big name stars. And even though this one has a few (Paul Giamat-

By Courtney OuelletteThe practices and purpose of the

Freemasons are generally unknown to those who are not associated with a Masonic Lodge. One practice peo-ple can be certain of, however, is the organization’s dedication to educa-tion as demonstrated by the Irving Masonic Lodge’s Lamar Awards cer-emony.

“You may wonder why a Masonic Lodge is making these awards to-day,” former master David Geisler said. “The Masonic fraternity has existed in Texas since before the revolution in which we won our in-dependence from Mexico.”

“In fact, the official charter of the first masonic lodge in Texas was carried in Anson Jones’ saddlebags as he fought in the battle of San Jacinto. Many of the Texas heroes were Masons: Sam Houston, Anson

Irving Masonic Lodge presents Lamar Awards

Jones, Lorenzo de Zavala, Antonio Navarro, William B. Travis and oth-ers,” he said.

As is tradition, the Irving ISD Board of Trustees names elemen-tary schools after local heroes, the middle schools after Texas heroes and the high schools after national heroes.

“Ladybird Johnson is our newest middle school, the other seven are named after men who are all Ma-sons,” Geisler said. “I’m sure the board didn’t name them because they were Masons, but it just turned out that the seven that are represent-ed here tonight were all Masons.”

Masonry began in Europe by craftsmen and architects, and is now the oldest and largest fraternity in the world, according to Geisler. All of the Masonic Lodges combined

contribute $1 million a day to chari-ties. Local education plays a big role in their philanthropic endeavors.

“The fraternity has long support-ed public schools. In the early days, most lodges were two story build-ings. The lodge met on the second floor and encouraged local churches and schools to meet on the ground floor,” Geisler said. “Many lodges started public schools and even paid teachers’ salaries, and we’re going back into the 1800s here in Texas.”

The awards program takes its name from the second president of the republic, Mirabeau B. Lamar, who was also a Freemason.

“In 1988, the Grand Lodge of Texas started a program to honor public school educators and stu-dents and named it the Lamar Med-al,” Geisler said. “Tonight, we are

Video game turned movie is a bustti, John Goodman, Sylvester Stal-lone) they never truly stand out. Also the main characters, which may come across as memorable on a video console, seem flat and unin-teresting on the silver screen. Ratch-et (James Arnold Taylor-Voice) is a hybrid fox like animal who has a large heart and larger ears. He longs to join the ranks of his ga-lactic heroes led by the egotisti-cal Captain Qwark (Jim Ward). When his home planet comes under attack he gets the chance to save the day while teaming up with a robot he calls Clank (David Kaye). Animation movies must reach a wide audience from the young tots to the adults sitting beside them. We are spoiled by the PIXAR and Disney franchises that know how to write deep, humorous, well balanced scripts. This film is void of laughs and the attempts at adult aimed jokes and witty ban-ter fall way short. Everything feels forced and rehearsed, and at no time, do you get an organic line that evokes a natural response.

Thirty minutes into the film and you are ready to check out. The hook that grabs you and engages you with the story and characters never happens. As each new personality is introduced you think this will be the one that gives you some substance. But they soon fizzle out. The look of the animation doesn’t help. Though teeming with bright colors and ex-pansive graphics it still evokes a vid-eo game/small screen image. In this day and age, that just will not cut it. Ratchet & Clank is rated PG for action and some rude humor. It is kid friendly though not very kid entertaining. If you only want a safe environment for your younger family members, then it does deliv-er that. The smaller kids will laugh a little more than the rest but not much.

I give it 1.5 out of 5 ejection seats. Wait a few months and then rent it. If your kids have something else to do while this plays in the back-ground, it will make this go further.

See AWARDS, Page 9

Page 6 April 30, 2016 www.RamblerNewspapers.com

FUN & GAMES

Organizations are required to re-submit their infor-mation on a monthly basis to insure that the Irving Rambler will have accurate information. Listings are limited to the Organization’s name, meeting location and time. If an organization wishes to have more in-formation than the free listing offers, we will continue to offer other advertising opportunities.

(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

American Legion Post #218Heritage Park Building

215 Main St. Downtown Irving3rd Thursday of each month.

Recruiting/Questions call 469-621-7878Buttons & Bows Square

& Round Dance Club 1st & 3rd Saturdays at 8:00 pm

Senter Park East 228 ChamberlainCircle I - Square

& Round Dance Club2nd & 4th Fridays at 8pm

Senter Park East 228 ChamberlainDFW Scroller Saw Club

Last Saturday of each month9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

Georgia Farrow Rec Center 530 Davis St.www.dfwscrollers.net / 214-995-9270

Evening Lions Club1st & 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00pm

Community Bible Church2301 Texas Drive

Greater Irving RepublicansMeets the first Tues. each month@ Spring Creek BBQ at 7 p.m.

Irving Amateur Radio Club Fourth Thursday of the month

7:30 to 9 PMSenter Park East 228 Chamberlain

www.irvingarc.orgIrving AMBUCS

Thursdays @ 11:30 a.m.at Spring Creek BBQ

Irving Garden & Arts2nd Thursday, 10am

Irving Garden & Arts Building906 S. Senter 214.435.9876

Irving Masonic Lodge #1218Second Tuesday each month @ 7:30 P.M.

132 E. Second St. Irving, TX 75017irving1218@verizon.net / 972-253-5600

Irving Noonday LionsPH 972-409-9940

Every Wed. @ NoonGolden Corral, 1701 N. Belt Line Rd.

Irving Republican Women’s Club

Monday, May 9th, 6:30 pm Texas Center for Proton Therapy

1501 W Royal LaneIrving Retired School

Personnel AssociationFirst Christian Church 104 W. Grauwyler Rd.

Second Thursday every monthIrving Rotary Club

Thursdays at 12 pmLas Colinas Country Club

ndugger@irvingisd.netIrving Sunrise Rotary

Thursday at 7 amLas Colinas Country Club

4400 N. O”Connor RdIrving Texas Democratic

WomenMeet the first Tues. each month

7 p.m. To 8:30 p.m.East Buffet Rest.

Irving Women’s NetworkLas Colinas Country Club

Fourth Tuesday of every month11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Metroplex Glass ClubEvery 2nd TuesdayAt Oak Haven UMC

1600 N. Irving HeightsSaturday Singles

Lunch Bunch 1st & 3rd Saturdays

469-348-5023Sticks and Strings

Community Knitting GroupFirst and third Tuesdays

2:00-4:00 pmS. Irving Library, 2nd floor boardroom Beginners and Crocheters welcome

www.sticksandstrings.org TOPS TX #58, Irving

Thursday at 9:30 a.m.Chateau on Wildbriar Lake

1515 Hard Rock RoadVFW Post 2494 IRVING

Post Meeting – 1st Thursday at 7pmLadies’ Auxiliary -1st & 3rd Wed at 7pm

Men’s Auxiliary – 4th Wed at 7pmJunior Girls – 2nd Sun at 12:30pm

3375 Belt Line RdWidowed Persons Service

Every Saturday @ 8:30 a.m.at Wonderful World of Cooking

Karen – 972-986-4056

CLUBS

* A proverb of unknown origin states, “The length of a piece of wood can only be too short on one end.”

* Scotsmen and their descendants make up almost half of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and almost three-quarters of American presidents.

* An adult human has 60,000 miles of blood vessels.

* There was a scientist once who made it his mission to taste as many different kinds of meat as he possibly could. In his opinion, the worst tasting was mole meat. I won’t ar-gue. There probably aren’t very many peo-

ple who would be willing to gain enough experience in that field to be able to debate the matter.

* Hong Kong has more Rolls Royce cars per capita than any oth-er city in the world.

* The main cabin of Air Force One, the airplane in which the president flies, is 4,000 square feet. That’s more than many people’s homes. Air Force One has seven bathrooms and 16 TVs. And there is enough food aboard to serve 2,000 meals.

* There is a popular, bright green melon liqueur, “Midori,” which is used to make fruity drinks such as melon balls. The name is very descriptive -- in Japanese, “midori” means “green.”

* Most people know that a human has 46 chromosomes, but how do we compare to other living things? Not surprisingly, an ant has only two. A fruit fly has eight. A garden pea has 14. Your pet dog has 78. And a garden fern? It has 1,260 chromosomes!

* The state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work is Alaska.

1. GEOGRAPHY: On what continent is the nation of Sierra Leone located?

2. TELEVISION: Which TV character was known for the saying, “Live long and prosper”?

3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which of Santa’s reindeer comes first, alphabetically speaking?

4. MEASUREMENTS: What is the time frame indicated in “circadi-an rhythm”?

5. MATH: How many sides does a heptagon have?6. MUSIC: What was the Oscar-winning theme song of “The

Poseidon Adventure”? 7. COMICS: What company created “Avengers,” “Spider-Man” and

“Hulk”?8. HIGHER ED: What private university’s main campus is in South

Bend, Indiana? 9. ASTRONOMY: What was the first planet to be discovered using

the telescope?Answers1. Africa2. Mr. Spock, “Star Trek”

3. Blitzen4. 24 hours5. Seven6. “The Morning After”7. Marvel8. Notre Dame9. Uranus

Page 7April 30, 2016972-870-1992

Receive shade trees by joining the Arbor Day Foundation

National Arbor Day is Friday, April 29, and the Arbor Day Foun-dation is making it easy for anyone to celebrate the annual tree-plant-ing holiday. Join the Foundation in April and receive 10 free shade trees.

By joining the Foundation in April, new members receive the following trees: red oak, sugar ma-ple, weeping willow, baldcypress, thornless honeylocust, pin oak, riv-er birch, tuliptree, silver maple, and red maple.

The free trees are part of the Foundation’s Trees for America campaign.

“These trees provide shade in the summer and vibrant colors through-out the fall,” said Matt Harris, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foun-dation. “Through the simple act of planting trees, one person can make a difference in helping to create a healthier and more beautiful planet for all of us to enjoy.”

The trees will be shipped postpaid

with enclosed planting instructions at the right time for planting in April or May. The 6- to 12-inch trees are guaranteed to grow or they will be replaced free of charge.

To become a member of the Foun-dation and receive the free trees, send a $10 contribution to TEN FREE SHADE TREES, Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Avenue, Ne-braska City, NE 68410, by April 30, 2016, or visit arborday.org/april.

SOURCE Arbor Day Foundation

Trees are important.” Tree City USA is a nationwide

movement that provides the frame-work necessary for communities to manage and expand their public trees, according to the Arbor Day Foundation. The Tree City USA en-terprise has been around since 1976, and has over 3,400 active members.

During the event, families en-joyed tree climbing lessons from the forestry crew, learned about snakes and various reptiles, and entered a drawing to win tree saplings.

“It’s a workout,” Said Pedro Jau-regui, a city employee who showed residents proper tree climbing and limb removal. “But after ten times, it’s easy.

“We’ll teach them how to do the knots, and a bunch of techniques to go up. But we’ll be beside them, seeing everything that happens,” he said.

In addition to tree recreation safe-ty practices, the tree board offered advice on caring for trees.

“If a tree is pruned correctly, it likely will not need to be pruned again until it’s old and has dead limbs,” said Sara Beckelman, Dal-las citizen forester and member of the tree board. “You should never trim more than 20-25 percent of the leaves’ surface.”

Residents of Irving attended throughout the day, coming and go-ing on their busy Saturday to join in the festivities. The free saplings were quickly given out, and people en-joyed the benefits of walking around Main Street and seeing not only tree specialists, but local businesses.

Taking advantage of a free event that will get kids off the couch and outside of the house, Irving mom Diana Piccolo brought her family to the event.

“We saw the city of Irving’s an-nouncement, and I brought the boys out to go tree climbing and to get some trees,” she said. “We were re-ally excited about it.”

TreesContinued from Page 3

EDITORIAL

OPINIONS (972) 870-1992 staceys@ramblernewspapers.net

My email is filled with messages reminding me that May 4 is Inter-national Respect for Chickens Day, which seems oddly appropriate as so many Irvingites seem caught up in a political ‘chicken dance.’

Certain members of the city coun-cil sparked this time honored jitter bug by squawking about dirty birds and crowing roosters. I feel obligat-ed to point out that as long as Ir-ving, Texas is in the migratory path of grackles, starlings, sparrows and Canadian geese, there will be bird droppings in our fair city with or without the presence of pet chick-ens.

If the members of the city council are truly opposed to anything that

awakens the gentle sleepers of our kind abode from their restful slum-bers, then I suggest an ordinance banning construction. How annoy-ing is it to be awakened bright and early on a Saturday morning by a crew repairing your neighbor’s roof? While few of us have memories of having been awakened by roosters, we’ve all been rudely awakened by hammers.

Chickens have been here since before Irving was established. The truth is no one, besides the own-ers, cares about chickens. The ordi-nance, the public meetings and all this hen pecking is a bunch of chick-en poop.

This contrived debate is little

more than a dog and pony (or chick-en and rooster) show meant to dis-tract voters from the real problems in south Irving and to absolve the members of the city council from not acting to solve them.

South Irving roads are in need of repair. Much of the sewage system is antiquated and inadequate. In many places, open ditches rather than closed drains are used to mitigate water overflow from rains. Some neighborhoods have no sidewalks at all, meaning that children and adults are forced to walk, ride bicy-cles and play in the streets. These are a few of the real problems the city council should address long be-fore they consider chickens to be an

issue worthy of their time. After years of hollow promises

by the city council and pretty ren-derings paid for by taxpayers, Fire Station Number One remains a tiny, undermanned and underequipped fire station in the heart of Irving. Meanwhile, Irving tax money pays for the state of the art Fire Station Number 12 to be built, which will serve Coppell’s residents as well as Irving’s.

I don’t want to see my Coppell neighbors suffer because of a lack of fire equipment. However, on the flip side, I would really like to see the new Fire Station Number One the city council has been promising Irving residents since Herb Gears was mayor.

Fire stations vs. chickens: as a topic of importance, I think fire sta-tions wins.

While Mayor Van Duyne claims not to “have a c*ck in this fight,” I guarantee you she has a red her-ring in the scuffle. The longer she can keep people fighting over things that don’t matter, the longer she can postpone putting in the hard work to fix problems that do matter to people’s lives.

If the chicken ordinance is voted down, council members can always say, ‘We try to help south Irving, but those folks are so backwards, so stuck in their ways, they like liv-ing the way they do. They like bad

roads, muddy ditches and watch-ing their children play in the streets with chickens. There is nothing the council can do to help.’

I like chickens. I like roosters. I like eggs. Most of all I like the people who choose to keep chickens as pets, because they are interesting.

I don’t like being manipulated while watching a group of good peo-ple run through the wringer for pet-ty political agendas.

If the city council wants to im-prove south Irving, they could pass an ordinance that stipulates that 50 percent of all economic develop-ment monies (a.k.a. your tax mon-ey) spent in the city must be spent in south Irving. Therefore, if $400 million is spent on economic devel-opment in the Urban Center, $200 million would be required to be spent on economic development in south Irving.

The council could go further and require that at least half the eco-nomic development money going to south Irving must be dedicated to small businesses. Nationwide, small businesses hire more people than large businesses.

There are a lot of things the city council could do to help improve south Irving picking on people who raise chickens is not one.

Stacey Starkey,Editor

Irving ISD Adult Education and Literacy instructors Sandra Lane and Gregory McCarthy have been named Teachers of the Year by the 2016 TALAE (Texas Association for Literacy and Adult Education)/COABE (Commission of Adult Ba-sic Education). They received the honors at a joint conference of the two associations held earlier this month. Each received $2,000 from The Dollar General Literacy Foun-dation.

Irving ISD’s Adult Education and Literacy Instructors, Sandra Lane and Gregory McCarthy, are joined by program director, Delia Wately (center) to accept TALAE’s “Teach-ers of the Year” award.

SOURCE Irving ISD

Irving ISD’s staff named TALAE “Teachers of the Year”

Celebrating a job well done, IISD Instructors Sandra Lane and Gregory McCarthy show off their awards with program director Delia Wately (center). / Courtesy photo

Page 8 April 30, 2016 www.RamblerNewspapers.com

in the Rambler!Call today about advertising

972-870-1992

www.gloryhousecatering.com

The Irving Heritage Society hosts its12th Annual Fish Fry and Cake Auction on Friday, April 15 at Heritage Park. Guests enjoy the fish and fresh spring air, while also helping to raise funds for the Irving Heritage Society. / Courtesy photo

Irving Heritage Society hosts 12th annual fish fry

By Jess PaniszczynSnails, fairies, mice lost in the

snow, family trips to Rome, and fly-ing through the solar system were a few of the topics explored through original stories written by students in the University of Dallas’ Children and Young Adult Literature class. Works composed for the spring and fall 2015 semesters competed for the coveted 2016 Clodecott Awards, which were presented April 14.

“It was very, very hard judging this year,” Education Department Professor Emeritus Cherie Clod-felter, Ph.D. said. “There was only one book you could consider a fail-ure, and it was pretty bad.”

After months of suspense, Lisa Saman won the Clodecott Award for her children’s book, Little Mouse, which was illustrated by her broth-er, Jonas Saman. In a surprise turn of events, Mary Grace Quinlan also won the Clodecott Award for her young adult literature book, Matty’s Accidental Adventure, illustrated by

Clodecott Awards recognize students’ original kids' storiesMaddie Pelletier.

“This is the first time in years and years that I have felt the need to have two Clodecott Awards,” Clod-felter said. “[Matty’s Accidental Ad-venture] is young adult literature, which means [Quinlan] doesn’t have to have a picture on every page. The story is not told through the pic-tures.

“In Little Mouse, everything that is said in the text is shown in the pic-tures. That is why Little Mouse is for the younger child.

“[Matty’s Accidental Adventure] is for the older child but could eas-ily be read to the younger child by someone. I couldn’t find a thing wrong with Little Mouse. It was perfect. Then I got to Mary Grace’s book, and I thought you cannot

deny that it is absolutely young adult literature,” she said.

Barbara Khirallah, a University of Dallas Department of Education faculty member, has taught the Children and Young Adult Litera-ture class in the past and has ad-vised students endeavoring to write their books.

“I am always stunned by the tal-ent of the young people who go to this University, because this is an amazing accomplishment in terms of not only the story itself, which is so meaningful, but the literary craft,” Khirallah said.

“Through this class, students have discovered the challenge of the whole publication process, but more importantly how important it is to know children in order to adequate-

ly speak to them in those books. The language of children is special. They have to speak that language in order to engage them in the books. The students work really hard.

“Students learn in the Children’s Literature class key elements of good children’s literature, and then they spend a lot of time trying to

See STORIES, Page 9

Value Colleges has announced its list of the nation’s best value online project management graduate pro-grams and the University of Dallas’ Master of Science in Information and Technology Management program is on that list. The program’s num-ber 19 ranking places it among other leading schools such as Northwest-ern University, Penn State Univer-sity and the University of Maryland. “We’re extremely proud of our practice-based Master of Science in Information and Technology Management as it allows our stu-dents to learn relevant topics in class today, then practice them at work tomorrow,” Interim Dean Brett Landry of the Satish & Yas-min Gupta College of Business said. “This recognition affirms what we have known all along: that our graduate business programs are among the nation’s best for work-ing professionals. Students learn these topics in class today and can practice them tomorrow at work.” The STEM-designated 30-cred-it-hour program offered by the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business was designed for IT professionals pursuing leadership positions. It equips students with an intensive education in enter-prise architecture, strategy and governance, project management, business analytics, ethics and sustainability that well prepares graduates for careers as project managers, information systems managers, systems software man-agers and chief information officer. Project management, one of the world’s fastest-growing profes-sions, is expected to increase na-tionally by nearly a million jobs from 2012 to 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Capable project managers are needed everywhere because experi-enced managers [are] aging, retiring or stepping back from their careers,” Value Colleges Editor Carrie Sea-ley-Morris said. “Working profes-

University of Dallas I&TM program named ‘Best Value’

sionals have found it necessary to go back to school for further credential-ing to set themselves apart on the job market or to qualify for promotion.” The “Top 50 Best Value Online Project Management Graduate Pro-grams of 2016” ranking is based on the U.S. News & World Report Ranking, Payscale’s 2015-16 Salary Report and tuition costs for each university. Bonus points were also given to institutions with GAC Ac-creditation (Project Management Institute). The Best Value ranking considers only regionally accredited universities and colleges and ranks them accordingly.

For more information, visit www.valuecolleges.com/.

SOURCE University of Dallas

Page 9April 30, 2016972-870-1992

AwardsContinued from Page 5

pleased to honor two educators and eight students of our Irving public schools with this Lamar Award.”

Jimmy Walters gave out the awards and told guests about each of the recipients, including Elementary Teacher of the Year, Jared Johnson.

“[Johnson] grew up in Irving and attended Nimitz high school, in which she was part of the first grad-uating class,” Walters said. “She at-tended Abilene Christian University on a full scholarship where she grad-uated in 1976. She has a full teaching certificate for grades one through eight.”

Johnson now teaches fourth grade students at Lively Elementary School after starting her career with speech and language pathology. She teaches all subjects to fourth grad-ers, from special needs students to the gifted and talented.

“Her approach is to teach out-side of the box, and she’s open to new ideas in teaching,” Walters said. “She teaches the same group of children all day long. She rotates and keeps them moving in the room

during the day to keep them alert and interested and refers to this as ‘desks on wheels.’”

Lively Elementary School Prin-cipal Sean Flynn sang Johnson’s praises, describing her as a school leader and passionate educator.

The second Lamar Medal for ed-ucators recipient was Tracy Wal-ters, a teacher from Bowie Middle School. In addition to teaching ESL to grades four through eight, Wal-ters has served as the new teacher mentor, a cheerleader sponsor, a summer school teacher, and a de-veloper of co-teaching models and AVID programs.

The student awards winners are called the “Good Kids” recipients.

One of the recipients was Tra-vis Middle School student Violet Brentham, who was introduced and praised by Principal Laurie Gil-crease.

“As a principal and getting to work with kids every single day, there’s a lot of highlights in the day,” Gil-crease said. “Some days are a little bit long, other days are shorter, but

being able to do something like this is really one of the highlights of the year, because we have tons of good kids in Irving ISD and tonight we’re celebrating the cream of the crop.

“Violet is no shrinking violet. She is a confident leader who inspires her peers to be their best. Her kind creative spirit produces thought provoking and detailed projects. She is the type of student a teacher dreams of having in her class.

“Her amazing character makes her the perfect representative for Travis Middle School. She brings light, laughter and liveliness to ev-eryone’s day and her spirit is conta-gious. She is committed to her en-deavors and walks through the door ready to go above and beyond every single day. When I grow up, I want to be Violet Brentham,” she said.

The seven other exceptional mid-dle school students who received the Lamar Award were as follows: Jaryn Townery, Sierra Ragan, Sarah Andrews, Jereni Lambert, Daysha Durley, Josie Satiesteban, and Mi-chael Garza.

integrate those elements into the book.

“Probably more important is the inspiration of the books. These are kids who have something to say and often it’s about their families. It is life-giving to find what is in the heart of my students. It’s one of the few places in our curriculum where a student gets to take something of himself or herself and put in a form that expresses all the commitment they have toward the future of the world by reaching out to engage children,” she said.

Dr. Clodfelter taught at UD for 37 years. During that time, she profes-sionally reviewed children’s books and established the Education De-partment’s Cherie A. Clodfelter Children’s Literature Library.

“Ninety percent of the books that are in the children’s library were sent to Dr. Clodfelter by reviewers, so she would review those books and have a voice in the quality of children’s literature that was being published that year,” Khirallah said.

“The library has almost 20,000 volumes. It has been growing since Dr. Clodfelter came in 1970. In that library, not only are there rows and rows of picture books and easy readers, there is also a special sec-tion dedicated to her mother, Bea Clodfelter, who was a first grade teacher for over 60 years. The Bea Clodfelter Collection is a collection of books that were part of her moth-er’s library in her classroom for all of those years.

“We have a bilingual section. We

also have a section of books that were written in another language and then translated into English. We have young adult literature. We have a separate section of FYI, which are information books.

“There is an entire wall of books that were written in the child and young adult literature course. And we have a special place for all the call winners. It is wonderful.

“More than anything, she is my hero and education, so just don’t ever cross her,” she said.

Authors honored as Clodecott Honor Award Winners are as fol-lows:

A Christmas Home in Rome, by Christina Norton, illustrated by the author, Kimberly Zamora, and An-gelica Hayes.

Something’s Missing, by Made-line Oi.

The Snail Story, by Martin Cro-nin, illustrated by Elena Naccari.

The Word Troll, by Teresa Roach.

Illustrated by the author and Emily Johnson.

Mayhap We’ll Meet the Good People, by Mara Borer, illustrated by the author and Eva Kuehler.

StoriesContinued from Page 8

Page 10 April 30, 2016 www.RamblerNewspapers.com

Irving, Singley FCCLA advance to nationals

Springboard Nonprofit Consumer Credit Management, Inc. (“Spring-board”) recently announced that help is available for struggling homeowners in Texas at no cost thanks to grant funding from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (“NFMC”) Program.

Because 2016 marks the final year for the federally-funded Making Home Affordable (“MHA”) pro-grams, this opportunity addresses an urgent need to connect home-owners with these valuable relief programs before time runs out. To be considered for assistance through MHA, a complete initial package must be submitted on or before De-cember 30, 2016.

Since the housing crisis of 2007, Springboard, a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved housing counseling agen-cy and annual recipient of NFMC funding, has provided an invaluable free service to well over 250,000 homeowners and their families.

IRVING, Texas -- ExxonMobil and its employees contributed $10.2 million to higher education insti-tutions across Texas as part of the ExxonMobil Foundation’s 2015 Ed-ucational Matching Gift Program.

In 2015, ExxonMobil employees, retirees, directors and surviving spouses contributed $2.8 million to 83 Texas colleges and universi-ties, which was matched with $7.4 million unrestricted grants from the ExxonMobil Foundation. Although grants are unrestricted, colleges

ExxonMobil and employees contribute more than $10 million to Texas colleges and universities

and universities are encouraged to designate a portion to math and sci-ence programs supporting student engagement.

The program matches donor pledges on a 3:1 ratio up to $7,500 to qualified colleges and universi-ties in the United States, along with the American Indian College Fund, Hispanic Scholarship Fund and the United Negro College Fund. Since the Educational Matching Gift Pro-gram began in 1962, more than $600 million has been contributed

to American institutions of higher learning.

“Quality education is the foun-dation for individual opportunity and economic prosperity,” said Ben Soraci, president of the ExxonMobil Foundation. “We have a long history of supporting education excellence in the country. It’s a shared priori-ty, year after year, with ExxonMobil employees.”

Nationwide, more than 850 in-stitutions received $45.4 million through the 2015 Educational

Matching Gift Program. In addition to the Educational

Matching Gift Program, ExxonMo-bil and the ExxonMobil Foundation support and develop programs that encourage students, particularly

women and minorities, to consider and pursue careers in science, tech-nology, engineering and math, as well as teacher training initiatives.

SOURCE the ExxonMobil Foundation

Eight FCCLA teams from Irving ISD clinched bids to Nationals with top-two finishes at the State Confer-ence in Corpus Christi earlier this month. Nationals will be held in San Diego in July. The national-qualify-ing teams are listed below by school, category, team members and plac-ing at state:

Irving High SchoolApplied Math in Culinary Man-

agement Senior – (2nd at state) Applied Math in Culinary Man-

agement Occupational – (2nd at state)

MacArthur High SchoolHospitality, Tourism & Recre-

ation - Maria Limon, Mikayla Join-

er, and Jennifer Rocha (2nd at state)Singley AcademyApplied Math for Culinary Man-

agement – Abelardo Villegas, Steph-anie Guerrero, Juan Altamirano (1st at state)

Hospitality, Tourism, and Recre-ation – Hope Cachay, Eileen Rome-ro Victoria Martinez (1st at state)

Life Event Planning – Emily Al-varado, Adrianna Kalakone, Suaha-na Ganchi (2nd at state)

Nutrition and Wellness – Jeremi-ah Turner (2nd at state)

Food Innovations – Jocelin Gar-cia, Celeste Pozo, Janie Lopez (2nd at state).

SOURCE Irving ISD

Grant provides much-needed boost to Texas homeowners in danger of foreclosure

“Foreclosure prevention coun-seling is a lifeline for homeowners who are experiencing any level of difficulty in making their mortgage payments” said Melinda Opperman, Springboard’s Chief Relationship Officer. “Whether families are about to miss a mortgage payment or are already far behind, Springboard’s counseling delivers support, direct access to available resources, and tangible help to relieve mortgage and other related financial strug-gles.”

Although much has been writ-ten about a rebound in the housing market, the fact is, not all commu-nities and homeowners are bounc-ing back at the same pace. Research shows there are still pockets of ex-traordinary need across the coun-try, and Texas continues to be one of the most affected states. Accord-ing to RealtyTrac, Terrell County is struggling the most with 1 in every 797 homes receiving a foreclosure filing last month. That is 41 percent

higher than the national rate of 1 in 1,353. In Dallas there were 1,686 properties in some stage of foreclo-sure as of March 28th; in Houston, that number was 2,090; and in San Antonio, 2,398.

While national headlines move away from the devastating fallout of the housing crisis, it is crucial that struggling homeowners are made aware of the resources and pro-grams that are still available. Early intervention is key to successfully preventing foreclosures, and the sooner a homeowner reaches out – even before missing a payment – the more likely it is that a counselor will be able to help.

Borrowers who need help saving their home from foreclosure are encouraged to contact Springboard by calling (877) 752-6722 or find a certified housing counselor online by visiting http://www.homeown-ership.org.

SOURCE Springboard

y. / Courtesy photo

Singley FCCLA students Abelardo Villegas (left) and Stephanie Guerrero, (right) along with Juan Altamirano (not pictured) won first at state and a bid to FCCLA Nationals in Applied Math for Culinary Management. / Courtesy photo