Best of Fort Worth

The Fort Worth Weekly has released their Best of Edition for 2011.  Pick one up, check it out.

In addition to finding all the best spots in town, you can read about groups and people we've told you about - NCTCA, Clyde Picht, Ann Sutherland and Layla Caraway, just to name a few.

WHO was the politician most likely to sell grandma to the highest bidder?  YOU know WHO.

Oh, and Readers Choice for Locally Made Film - Up a Creek.  Congratulations to Bob Lukeman and TRIP and to all those out there making a difference.   Like the Weekly.

Lone Star salutes you all.

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Bullies Beware

The Fort Worth Weekly is coming for you.

Read the latest on the FWISD fiasco.  WHO's next?

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Education Boondoogles

Check out the two articles in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram -

Fort Worth schools fail federal and state standards in largest percentage among big districts

The Fort Worth school district had the largest percentage of schools failing to meet state and federal academic standards among the largest districts in Texas, according to recently released data.

More than half, 56.4 percent, of the schools fell under the federal adequate yearly progress measures, and 16.5 percent were rated academically unacceptable by the state. While districts across the state had dips in accountability ratings, Fort Worth had the highest percentage of failing schools among the 10 largest districts.
 
AND

TCC Administrators propose 5-year tuition increase

Tarrant County College students could pay more tuition under a preliminary plan to raise $27.4 million in five years to help pay for three new facilities and academic programs.

"We are going to see if it sticks," Trustee Bill Greenhill said.

Be sure and read the comments, from THE taxpayers.

Does anyone see the irony?

One has to ask, if they hadn't shoved the TCC boondoggle down the taxpayers throat, would there be a need to raise tuition?  If OUR schools are failing in standards, will OUR kids be able to attend TCC?

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Top City?

When Fort Worth was named a top city, we wondered, top of what? 

Failing schools? Embarrassing ISD? Corrupt Politicians?  Committing taxpayers to debt?  Eminent domain cases? Worst air quality?  For running out of water?  Or contaminating it?

We weren't the only ones wondering, check out the short and sweet letter to the editor in Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

All choked up

So Fort Worth is an award-winning city? Guess the judges sat in their offices at their computers and didn't come down here to breathe the highly polluted air we enjoy. I would have thought that would be a main criterion for a top city.

-- Christina Davis, Fort Worth

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Fort Worth Bullies

Fort Worth Weekly does a good job reporting on the bullies in the Fort Worth School District.  It doesn't stop there either, Fort Worth is full of bullies from the classroom, to the ISD, from City Hall to Capitol Hill.

Is there a law against that?

Read the article here.  Don't miss the comments, those in the know tell you many things if you listen.

Kudos to the Weekly for racking up awards in Houston and New Orleans!  Keep up the good work!

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Divided they fail

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's recent article concerning the Fort Worth School Board was so divided it was laughable.  Leave it to the Fort Worth Weekly to turn the lights on. What happens when you turn on the lights?  They scurry, quick.  Notice WHO didn't respond for the article.  The very same ones that "failed to show up" for a recent meeting.  Failed to show up?  For something they have been elected to do? Concerning our kids?  And these are the ones the S-T claims are above board?  The same ones that sent emails attacking the others by namecalling?  Elections can't come soon enough. 

No wonder the recent speaker at City Hall pointed out the difference of the "news" papers to Mayor Price.

Betsy Price ran this week’s city council meetings in the same manner she handles herself — she was pleasant, efficient, and confident. She remained calm after a resident took his turn to speak, lectured the council on how to vote, and told them not to believe anything in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram while urging them to take Fort Worth Weekly stories to the bank. Price smiled and joked with the guy about using her big gavel to keep the council in line. Former Mayor Mike Moncrief would have smiled in that situation too — but only after saying, “Release the dogs” and watching a pack of Dobermans maul the dissenter.

Back to the school board, be sure and read the article, otherwise, YOU don't know what you're missing.

After Johnson’s resignation, Vasquez, Sims, Sutherland, and Rangel asked board president Ray Dickerson to call a special meeting to name an interim superintendent; Dansby’s name had already been raised as the likeliest candidate. He had strong support from the local educational employees union and from a coalition of activists and ministers representing the city’s minority communities.

Needham, Norm Robbins, Christene Moss, and Jackson — all failed to show up. With no quorum, the meeting was cancelled even though the auditorium was full of Dansby supporters. A week later, on June 7, Dickerson called another special meeting, and Dansby was appointed.

Since May 2010, the daily has written 30 editorials implying dirty dealings and collusion by Sutherland, Rangel, and Vasquez, in particular in the awarding of a lucrative tax collection contract to the Austin-based law firm of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson rather than to the local joint venture of Perdue, Brackett, Flores, Utt and Burns. Perdue had the contract for 17 years but lost it after the election of Sutherland and Jackson, both of whom voted with Rangel and Vasquez to hire Linebarger. Sims and Needham voted for Linebarger as well but faced no criticism from the daily paper.

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Breaking News

And a ray of hope.  From the Fort Worth Weekly.

Melody Johnson resigning from the Fort Worth School Board.

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