Fort Worth Weekly // December 10-16, 2025

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EATS & DRINKS

Near Benbrook, The Mont does elegance and fine dining superbly.

SCREEN

A mad dash to the finale, Stranger Things 5 packs a lot into the concise storyline.

Millions watched as the FIFA Men’s World Cup selection set Team USA on a favorable path.

BUCK U

Though TCU fans to the core, it’s hard not to feel good for Aggies and Red Raiders.

MUSIC

Dustin Brown’s new single, “Ballerina,” is deep, rich, and haunting.

Texas Transformation

Texas’ Best

With the Aggies and Red Raiders in the CFP, it’s hard not to feel a little state pride — even if you’re part of Frog Nation.

By Buck D. Elliott

Restricting bathrooms, nixing the STAAR test, and suing abortion-pill providers are among the new laws.

Alex Nguyen

4

Set Peace

Fake trophy notwithstanding, the FIFA Men’s World Cup stands to thrill next year.

By Kristian Lin

10

‘I

Don’t Know’

With their new hard-rocking single, Arenda Light mark their return.

By Anthony Mariani and Juan R. Govea

STAFF

Editor: Anthony Mariani

Publisher: Lee Newquist

General Manager: Bob Niehoff

Art Director: Ryan Burger

Marketing Director: Jennifer Bovee

Regional Director: Michael Newquist

Sr. Account Executive: Stacey Hammons

Account Manager: Julie Strehl

Account Executives: Tony Diaz, Wendy Maier, Sarah Niehoff, Wyatt Newquist

Proofreader: Emmy Smith

Brand Ambassador: Clint “Ironman” Newquist CONTRIBUTORS

E.R. Bills, Jennifer Bovee, Jason Brimmer, Jess Delarosa, Buck D. Elliott, Danny Gallagher, Juan R. Govea, Mark Henricks, Patrick Higgins, Kristian Lin, Cody Neatherly, Rush Olson, Emmy Smith, Steve Steward, Teri Webster, Ken WheatcroftPardue, Elaine Wilder, Cole Williams

EDITORIAL BOARD

Laurie James, Anthony Mariani, Emmy Smith, Steve Steward

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Cover art by Ryan Burger

New Texas Laws

Restricting transgender people’s access to public bathrooms, allowing lawsuits against abortion pill providers, and replacement of the STAAR test are among the changes.

Dozens of new Texas laws will take effect in December and January, bringing wide-ranging changes to the state’s education system, law enforcement, taxes, and more.

More than 800 laws from this year’s regular legislative session already took effect on Sep. 1, but more measures from that period as well as the second special session will soon be activated. Some also had to wait for voters’ approval, such as more tax exemption for businesses’ inventory.

Notably, the legislation behind the Texas GOP’s mid-decade push to redraw the congressional map and acquire five more seats for President Donald Trump is supposed to take effect on Dec. 4. The measure took two special sessions this summer to pass, after most of the Texas House Democrats skipped town in protest and froze legislative businesses. Now, all eyes are on the legal fight over the new lines, which escalated to the U.S. Supreme Court after a federal court ruled against Texas earlier this month. The high court has temporarily restored the new map while the justices consider their final decision.

A recent lawsuit also halted the constitutional amendment that allows Senate Bill 5 to go into effect Dec. 1.

A priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the regular session, the law would create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to study dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other brain-related conditions, as the state is growing older faster than the rest of the country.

In early November, voters approved the constitutional amendment providing $3 billion in surplus state revenue to fund the institute,

METROPOLIS

but the lawsuit now claims that voting machines used in this election were faulty — a tactic that right-wing activists have used in the past to block constitutional amendments from going into effect. Patrick has urged the court to resolve the matter quickly for this law to take effect.

In the meantime, here are some other key measures to watch.

Laws taking effect in December

House Bill 7 will let private citizens sue anyone who manufactures or distributes abortion drugs to or from Texas. Those who take the drugs cannot be sued. The plaintiff, if related to the fetus, could win at least $100,000 following a successful case. If they are unrelated to the fetus, they could only get 10% of the damages and must give the remainder to charity. Backers of the law say it protects unborn babies and closes loopholes, while its critics said the measure turns individuals into “bounty hunters” and tries to broaden the state’s abortion ban beyond its border. The law will take effect on Dec. 4.

House Bill 8 will replace the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness with three shorter tests throughout the school year. The law will swap out the standardized test that critics have long said puts too much pressure on students and requires too much classroom preparation time. The vast majority of its provisions will be activated on Dec. 4, and students will start taking the new assessments in the next school year.

House Bill 18 will create more penalties for lawmakers who break quorum to delay legislative

actions, including harsher fines and new limits on funds they raise during the break, as well as loss of seniority and committee posts. The law was passed during the second special session after most of the Texas House Democrats fled the state in response to the Republican congressional redistricting effort. It will take effect on Dec. 4.

House Bill 25 will allow people to buy ivermectin, which is mainly used to treat parasites in livestock, without a prescription. The drug became popular during the pandemic as a COVID-19 treatment, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for such use. Its backers said the measure is about medical freedom while its opponents are concerned about misuse and drug safety. The law will take effect on Dec. 4.

House Bill 26 will allow Harris County’s sheriffs and constables to enter into contracts with homeowner associations, school districts, and municipal utility districts to provide additional policing for them without needing approval from the county’s commissioners court. Its backers said the measure protects the popular deputy contract program while some local officials, including county commissioners, said it will disrupt the county’s budget process. The law will take effect on Dec. 4.

Senate Bill 8 from the second special session will restrict which private spaces transgender people can use in public buildings — such as government offices, public schools, universities, prisons, and jails — based on their sex assigned at birth. It will also prohibit those assigned male

at birth from using women’s domestic violence shelters, unless they are a minor and the child of a woman receiving services there. Institutions would face a $25,000 fine for the first violation and a $125,000 penalty for each subsequent one. The law’s backers said it protects women’s privacy and safety while critics said the measure will put trans people as well as cisgender people who are falsely accused in danger. The law will take effect on Dec. 4, following a decade-long effort by Texas Republicans to pass such restrictions.

Senate Bill 11 will shield trafficking victims from prosecution for certain crimes committed under their trafficker’s force, fraud, or coercion. Lawmakers also passed similar legislation during the regular session, but Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed it for being too broad. The measure, which will take effect on Dec. 4, also makes those who committed serious offenses — such as murder, trafficking of a person or child, sexual assault, or burglary — ineligible for protections under this law.

Laws taking effect in January

House Bill 9 will exempt up to $125,000 of businesses’ inventory from being taxed by all entities such as counties, cities, and school districts. This type of inventory is currently not taxed if it’s valued under $2,500. The law, which its backers called a win for Texas businesses, will take effect on Jan. 1 after voters approved a related constitutional amendment. Meanwhile, the legislative budget board estimated that local revenues would be reduced by $442 million in fiscal year 2027 if entities like cities or counties don’t adopt higher tax rates.

Senate Bill 8 from the regular session will require sheriffs in counties that operate a jail to formally cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and carry out certain immigration enforcement actions under the so-called 287(g) program. It will also allow them to apply for grants — from $80,000 to $140,000 depending on the county’s population — to help with their participation. The law’s backers said it is about public safety while critics said it will lead to more racial profiling affecting immigrants and citizens alike. The law, which covers the vast majority of Texas counties, will take effect on Jan. 1.

Senate Bill 38 will speed up the eviction process for squatters. While the law targets those illegally occupying properties, housing advocates are concerned that it reduces protections for tenants. For example, it will effectively ban the state’s governor and supreme court from changing eviction proceedings during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. One section of the law already took effect in September, while the rest of it will be activated on Jan. 1. l

A version of this story originally appeared in

A slate of new laws will go into effect this month and next.
Ronaldo Bolaños/The Texas Tribune

‘Quite’ Piggy

The White House recently attempted to justify Donald Trump’s “quiet, piggy” response to Bloomberg News correspondent Catherine Lucey’s questions about late, likely assassinated sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The administration said the philanderer-in-chief’s remarks reflected his “frankness and transparency.” And the folks who supported and/or voted for Herr Trump still silently (even if somewhat less enthusiastically) stood by their “man.”

It’s really a terrific indicator of how “great” or, actually, grating America is right now, not in the distance, through your front windshield, or in your rearview mirror, slowly fading — but right now. It is entirely unprecedented and, regardless of how fiercely Trump Nation demonstrate their furor for Herr Fuhrer, Trump needs to be un-presidented and his cadre of enablers deposed. The current White House displays no modicum of decency, class, or ethics, and there has never been a more blatant instance of dereliction of presidential duty regarding American ideals.

To be fair, however, the primary apologists who stood with disgraced former president Richard Nixon, including Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, and Fox News creator Roger Ailes, did pretty well, remaking the Republican Party in

Nixon’s image and becoming fixtures in the halls of power. All three are dead now, but the damage they did (especially Ailes’ “GOP TV”) still lingers, and Trump was their final triumph, regardless of Cheney’s dim view of a monster he helped create. As American Nobel laureate Paul Krugman recently noted, the current stewardship of the nation is not vibing positively. Frankly, and, yes, transparently, Trump is quite piggy.

Trump Nation does not care. Its denizens have been radicalized.

For years — a couple of decades, really — we’ve been subjected to hundreds of thousands of mentions, accusations, and warnings about the radicalization of Muslims. Osama bin Laden, ISIS, Hamas, and so on, bad infinitum.

But from the very beginning, it’s been a false flag and a predominantly Republican red herring. It’s been a wildly profitable hysteria that justifies disenfranchising brown folks in oil-rich countries, repeatedly ramping up the American military-industrial complex, and taking our war machine out for vapidly patriotic, rabid spins.

The rides have been swindles and lies.

Lies as American as apple pie

Radicalization may be a problem in Islam, yes, but it does not nearly compare to the radicalization of our friends and neighbors here in America. Ailes’ network has become a preeminent, perversely profitable driver of radicalization in America, turning normal people into hateful fearmongers and hardcore conservatives practically genocidal. GOP TV specializes in blatant logical fallacies, insulting rhetorical inferences, and a staggering promulgation of assentient behaviorisms across its viewership. So much so

that large swathes of its audience — who claim to be American patriots — no longer even espouse, much less believe in, American ideals. In fact, in a nation of immigrants, often referred to as the “Great Melting Pot” and a “Great Experiment,” Fox News viewers suffer from a virulent communal neurosis blatantly adverse to our national motto, E pluribus unum, and passionately reject the aforementioned profound metaphors for the assimilation of immigrants of diverse cultures in

the United States, blending together to form a new, unified American culture.

Trump Nation doesn’t want a new, arguably improved, unified culture. Damn due process, fuck protected speech, target protesters, and kill the free press. Trump Nation demands the white primacy, white patriarchy, and white privilege of old (which obsequious brown and Black citizens can taste alongside or behind), and they will shamelessly shill for and — more and more frequently — somehow blamelessly kill to reserve and preserve it.

At a time when ICE is a sanctioned regiment of conservative profiteering, an even more merciless campaign is being waged against American intellect and conscience, because Trumpers are on board with neutering our libraries, retarding our universities, and attempting to ensure future degenerations of American exceptionalism

Trump Nation is a vile American abomination, and their votes and views created our current state of civil repugnance — but Fox News has them thinking they’re our only hope. Their radicalization is near impenetrable and terrifying.

It’s certainly much worse than anything that happened on 9/11, but, no, that’s not President Piggy’s head on a pike. That’s the pig’s head from Lord of the Lies

Sorry, I meant Lord of the Flies. — E.R. Bills

This column reflects the opinions and fact-gathering of the author(s) and only the author(s) and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.

Wait For It

The College Football Playoff is set, and there are a lot of happy Texans who have been very patient.

DECEMBER 13TH 10 AM - 2 PM

I may be as petty as Karma itself, but I find myself overwhelmed with joy for my fellow Texans. It’s exciting to see the hope in their souls as they shout from every corner of the interwebs how proud they are of their triumphant Aggies and Red Raiders.

The wait has been excruciating for many of these playoff qualifiers in what might be the most interesting collection of combatants in the relatively short history of the 12-team grouping. The Aggies, for example, must travel back in time nearly as far as the Horned Frogs to find their last national title, a short 86 years to 1939. Though the Ags have lost only once this season, to their big brother Texas Longhorns, they don’t have any hardware to show yet for this season. Still, their first playoff appearance and seventh-seed first-round matchup with the least-deserving participant, Miami, will suffice for now as TAMU has waited since long before their jump to the SEC to be taken seriously, and they finally are — and should be.

The fruits of success for Texas Tech might be even sweeter. Even considering the ghastly quantity of black-gold bucks dumped into this year’s roster, the investment has proven worthwhile. The Red Raiders haven’t won an outright conference championship since Eisenhower’s first term and have never won a claimed or otherwise national title. Their lone blip was a particularly poor game against Arizona State in which quarterback Behren Morton was injured. The Big 12 championship against BYU this past weekend began with a contentious and competitive first half before the red machine completely annihilated the Cougars to the tune of four turnovers and 21 unanswered points during the second. One loss in the Big 12 was good enough to secure a fourth seed and first-round bye for the Lubbock lovers, and they’ll have plenty of time to press fresh tortillas while they watch last-seed James Madison and fifth-seed Oregon battle in the opening round.

Disappointing for Dentonites and perhaps other DFW dwellers, the “Envy Bowl” went the way of the Green Wave literally intercepting the Mean Green’s chances at a bid by picking off quarterback Drew Mestemaker three times, upending what had been a dream season for UNT. Lightning is unlikely to strike twice with their coach absconding for Oklahoma State and possibly convincing his pearl in a sea of oysters — Mestemaker — to follow.

The Mustangs of SMU foiled themselves with a late-season loss to Cal by three and a midseason failure against Wake Forest by a single point. Duke

upended the entire conference by beating 17thranked Virginia (led by former Frog quarterback Chandler Morris) during the ACC championship game. The Blue Devil win opened an unlikely door for Miami to weasel themselves into the only Atlantic Coast Conference bid despite losses to Louisville and SMU. It seems the committee really respected their first-week win against Notre Dame, leaving the Irish as the first team out. Notre Dame responded with the class and dignity you’d expect from a coddled and overvalued program by pouting and rejecting bowl invitations entirely, choosing to take their yearly Disney check back to South Bend and decide which players they’ll steal in the portal to ready themselves for next season.

The penultimate seed is the most familiar among those with first-round byes. The Georgia Bulldogs absolutely trucked Alabama to win their sixth SEC championship game. Uga and company haven’t been as dominant as years past, losing to the Tide early in the season and surviving close spats with Florida and Georgia Tech, but Georgia will sit and wait for the winners of the “Interim Bowl” between Ole Miss and Tulane, whose head coaches left for new head jobs at LSU and Florida, respectively.

Not to take anything away from the accomplishments of TAMU and TTU, but the undeniably best story of this season are the Hoosiers from Indiana. Like the Aggies and Frogs, their only national titles are claimed or recognized from an era before playoffs or championship games and never won outright on the field. The Hoosiers are now the top-ranked team in the nation after besting Ohio State on Saturday night while winning their first outright Big 10 title in 80 years. Curt Cignetti has lost two games during his tenure at Indiana, one to Ohio State and the other to Notre Dame in the opening round of the playoffs last season. He gives Gary Patterson vibes in the manner in which he builds squads with overlooked talent that’s perceived as mid-tier at best but fits together in a superior way. If you love an underdog story, this is the only one better than the Red Raiders, and IU is the only FBS team who remains unbeaten. Yet the Hoosiers may face the toughest quarterfinal opponent in the winner of an SEC-spat between Alabama and Oklahoma. This rematch of their mid-November game that the Sooners won by two points is a major data point for OU being included in the playoffs at all.

Notable losers for selection are the previously mentioned Notre Dame, who might as well have decreed in their TV contract that they receive an automatic bid as long as their coach has a functioning

brain and beats Navy. BYU via the rankings is the second squad out and lost only a regular season game at Tech and then again to the Raiders in the conference championship (which is in theory not supposed to count against a team on the cusp). I’m of two minds about this selection. The Cougars definitely have the resume, record, and strength of schedule to be included in the field, but they already lost to the fourth-seed twice and each contest was a beatdown. Do we really need to see more?

Texas, whom Coach Steve Sarkisian lobbied early and often for, is also a notable Disney-darling who was excluded. The Longhorns beat two playoff teams, Oklahoma and Texas A&M, but lost single-possession games against Florida and Ohio State and were trucked by Georgia. Texas would have been one of the most capable inclusions based on the available data, but a third loss during this regular season was insurmountable to the committee, even in the SEC.

Our local boys are riding high after an unexpectedly competent showing at home against Cincinnati to cap the regular season at 8-4 and will return to the Valero Alamo Bowl for the third time on Dec. 30. The first appearance under Gary Patterson is still legendary for a game of menial importance as the Frogs suspended then quarterback Treyvone Boykin for a bar fight the night before the game, elevating backup Bram Kolhausen to the starting role. The Frogs fell to a 31-0 deficit at halftime against Oregon before storming back to a 47-41 win during the third overtime in one of the largest turnarounds in the history of college bowl games. TCU will face the 16th-ranked USC Trojans, who are in three-loss purgatory like Texas for dropping ranked matches against worthy teams like Oregon and Notre Dame but also a two-point head-scratcher at Illinois. Aside from Frog fanatics watching the playoff like everyone else, Funkytowners can rejoice that Kendal Briles has officially been hired back into the SEC by the South Carolina Gamecocks — likely because of his connection to former athletic director and current head-other-USC-man Jeremiah Donati. Frog HC Sonny Dykes is searching for his third offensive coordinator during his tenure. I suspect this lateral(-ish) move was the best way to tell Briles, “It’s not you. It’s me, but it’s really you, and you need to go, but no hard feelings.”

We, as college football fans, have only two weeks to wait for important football to be played again, and that’s outstanding. In the meantime, join your local friends and rivals in their joy, be happy with them, and support them if they lose, because we as Frogs have been there. We were there first. l

Thanks to loads of portal money, the Red Raiders are celebrating their first outright Big12 championship in the university’s history.

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Ballad of a Small Player: The Quiet Collapse of a Gambler

Edward Berger’s new film turns the glitter of Macau into a mirror for human ruin.

Colin Farrell’s latest role in Ballad of a Small Player may be one of his most inward. He plays Lord Doyle, a British gambler drifting through Macau’s casinos in search of an impossible win. The Netflix drama, directed by Edward Berger, trades spectacle for introspection, following a man who keeps playing long after the game has stopped meaning anything. Berger, who last brought a grim sense of fatalism to All Quiet on the Western Front, now finds a different kind of battleground — one fought under the fluorescent lights of baccarat tables and mirrored walls.

Doyle’s story begins not with a fall but with the endless repetition of falling. Berger’s camera traps him in corridors of reflection and light, using Macau’s visual excess to underline the emptiness beneath. The casinos are rendered as temples of illusion, where fortune and failure coexist in the same glittering breath. A standout sequence finds Doyle surrounded by spectators as he bets

everything he has on a single hand. The suspense lies not in the cards but in his face — that flicker of awareness that he’s already lost, and that the loss itself is what keeps him alive.

Farrell plays Doyle as a man both charming and broken, moving with the practiced ease of someone who has long performed control. In a restaurant scene, he devours a lobster so mechanically that it borders on grotesque, a moment that strips away his elegance and exposes the hunger beneath. It’s an image that defines the film’s tone: indulgence as despair. Farrell never seeks redemption for his character; he simply allows him to unravel with quiet inevitability.

Two women appear in Doyle’s orbit — Dao Ming (Fala Chen), a casino worker whose calmness seems to belong to another world, and Cynthia (Tilda Swinton), a figure from his past who haunts him like a memory half-remembered. They are less characters than echoes, reminders of what Doyle has already forfeited. Rowan Joffe’s screenplay gives them only fragments, but those fragments serve the point: Doyle can no longer see beyond his own addiction.

The film’s rhythm is slow, its mood unwavering, yet its restraint becomes its strength. In Ballad of a Small Player, Berger and Farrell find poetry in exhaustion — the moment when the glitter fades, and all that remains is the sound of a man breathing in the dark.If the film has a thesis, it is that collapse rarely announces itself; it accumulates quietly, like smoke in a sealed room. Berger lets that pressure build until Doyle seems to dissolve into the very city he haunts. Macau becomes less a backdrop than an accomplice, its sleepless glow reflecting the seduction of a life lived on the edge of oblivion. What emerges is not a cautionary tale but a portrait of compulsion — the kind that strips away identity until only impulse remains. Even in its bleakest moments, the film retains a strange tenderness, as if acknowledging that Doyle’s ruin is also his final attempt at feeling anything at all. In the end, Ballad of a Small Player lingers because it understands addiction not as a series of choices, but as a narrowing corridor, dimly lit, from which its protagonist can no longer imagine an exit.

Ballad of a Small Player also arrives at a moment when the conversation around betting and responsibility is gaining relevance. According to recent data from Brazilian online casino KTO.bet.br/cassino/, 27.5% of users place bets only occasionally, while 20.4% do so once or twice a month — a sign of predominantly moderate behavior among players. This framework shows that recent legalization didn’t incentivize players to bet uncontrollably, but rather to focus on propaganda and responsible gambling. (Content is courtesy of KTO.) l

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Nostalgia Trip

Stranger Things 5’s first episodes provide

a mad dash to the finale.

It’s weird to think people can now be nostalgic for a show so steeped in nostalgia. There are viewers in their teens and twenties who’ve grown up with Eleven and the rest of the kids, now young adults, since Stranger Things’ 2016 debut, watching alongside viewers who actually came of age in the show’s 1980s setting. Now, after another movie-sequel’s worth of years, Stranger Things 5 is here to put the capstone on what may be Netflix’s signature show. The question is, after so many disappointing long-form TV finales, can this one provide a satisfying climax? After the first four episodes dropped on Thanksgiving, signs are pointing to yes.

Following the devastation of Hawkins and the opening of giant portals to the otherworldly Upside Down at the end of Stranger Things 4, the small Indiana town is under military control while the townspeople who remain try their best to live normal lives — save for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the gang. The young psychic powerhouse is busy training for combat and hiding from soldiers while the rest of her friends help former-sheriff Hopper (David Harbour) as he goes on long “crawls” into the Upside Down to locate series nemesis Henry Creel, a.k.a. Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), to finish him off. And it’s not long before monsters from the alternate dimension are invading our reality.

The show, normally known for its slow builds, all but hits the ground running with

Eleven’s training and a Demogorgon attack before Episode 1 is over. The first four entries feel like one sprint toward the series’ climax, with the usual smaller, intimate moments overshadowed by set pieces. Not that there aren’t any quiet scenes of character growth. One of the show’s strengths is finding interesting pairings of its expansive cast, and this time we get Will (Noah Schanpp) and Robin (Maya Hawke). The bonding between in-the-closet Will and all-but-out Robin reveals intimate development and helps Will, who often gets sidetracked as the show’s Upside-Downness detector, get to shine. Meanwhile, other fan-favorite pairings like Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve (Joe Keery) have what feels like forced-conflict wrenches thrown into their gears. But it’s a good sign that the show is making use of all of the tools in its kit and, hopefully, that while everyone may not live happily ever after, they’ll at least live up to their

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promise. Because with the end nearing, there’s no guarantee everybody will make it out alive, with characters like Max (Sadie Sink) still in a coma and another long-term character abducted by a Demogorgon. It’s that sense of danger that helps keep the show from feeling like it’s playing it too safe.

Another thing the race-to-the-finish vibe does is make each episode feel less standalone and more like the beginning and end of another action scene. This changes the tone from Season 4’s small-scale horror focus to an up-the-ante Aliensstyle entry, the presence of military red shirts and multiple monsters fitting the transition. Fans who’ve had enough emotion may be fine with that, but others who want what’s made the show great, its character growth and interactions, may be disappointed. Again, 5 tries to make the most of this new energy, mostly to successful results.

5

The presence of guest director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist) in Episode 3’s “The Turnbow Trap,” proves him more capable at directing tense action than the Duffer Brothers themselves, who together put out another long-take scene of characters lost in the middle of a battle that doesn’t quite match the intensity that a similar scene in Season 4 did. However, that doesn’t take away from their directing leading to a tense finale at the end of the last episode. And the show’s energy persisting despite long run times, with a promised 2-anda-half-hour finale, says a lot about how well it’s crafted. For some viewers, though, those runtimes may affect binge-ability.

If that sounds like a lot to say about just half a season of a show, it’s because there’s a lot of show here and a lot to like. Though it can feel overstuffed at times, Stranger Things 5 seems to be heading toward a worthy finale for a show that means a lot to several generations of people. If nothing else, it’s worth watching just to experience that. l

There’s a lot of show here and a lot to like.
Courtesy Tudum/Netflix
Stranger Things
Starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard. Created and run by the Duffer Brothers. Streaming on Netflix. Rated TV-14.

STUFF

World Cup Draw Breakdown

Team USA benefits from some luck ahead of the summer soccer tourney with games in North Texas.

If you’re a casual sports fan who thinks that people who watch the NFL draft on TV are weirdos, you should know that a lot of us around the world stay up late at night to watch the World Cup draw. The 2026 version happened today at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. All it is is old white men pulling slips of paper out of a plastic container, but, y’know, sports.

We now know whom the 42 teams that have already qualified will be playing against, as well as the teams that can grab the six remaining slots. The conventional wisdom is that Team USA enjoyed some good luck with the draw — indeed, Coach Mauricio Pochettino publicly warned our guys against complacency once the results were public. Though I hate to agree with conventional wisdom, that’s where I am, too.

Two of the three teams that USA will face next summer are Paraguay and Australia. USA defeated Australia in a friendly match only two months ago, so there’s some familiarity. Furthermore, Aussie central defender Kye Rowles and defensive midfielder Aiden O’Neill play in MLS and have seen many of USA’s players on a weekly basis. The Socceroos’ roster contains a lot of guys playing

USA’s opponents for next year’s World Cup are almost set.

in the second division of England or Germany, and their record in qualifying included a loss to Bahrain and a goalless draw with Indonesia.

Paraguay looks to be a tougher proposition. Their central defense is the heart of their team, with Gustavo Gómez captaining both his country and his club team at Palmeiras, while Omar Alderete is his very rugged defensive partner who played the last two seasons at Getafe before moving to Sunderland in the English Premier League. Offensively, they’ll rely on the mercurial Miguel Almirón, a tricky playmaker who generally lines up on the right and is back at Atlanta United after some fruitful seasons at Newcastle.

The third opponent will be the winner of the mini-bracket in European qualifying that includes Türkiye, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo. While it

would be awesome to see Kosovo qualify for their first-ever World Cup, the Turks have considerably more talent than the other three. Real Madrid’s Arda Güler and Juventus’ Kenan Yıldız spearhead their attack, and Hakan Çalhanoǧlu (the team captain from Inter Milan) plays behind them as a table-setter with a deadly left foot.

While this may not amount to an easy group, it could have been much worse. As one of the tournament’s three host nations, USA was given a top seed, so there was never any chance of us facing Brazil, Spain, or defending champions Argentina. Even so, the countries in the second pot included storied Croatia, Morocco (the surprise package from 2022), and the winner of the mini-bracket that includes Italy. Instead of Australia, the third pot could have served up a South Korea team with

While this may not amount to an easy group, it could have been much worse.

the great Son Heung-min or yet another matchup with Ghana or an Austria team that’s loaded with Bundesliga players. The last pot contained some real opponents to avoid in the always borderline-dirty Uruguay and a Norway squad with maybe the scariest offense in the whole field.

The playoff games to determine the last six spots will take place in Mexico this March. With 48 countries competing (including first-timers Curaçao, Uzbekistan, Jordan, and the Cape Verde Islands), this tournament will feature more matches than any World Cup before it. AT&T Stadium will host nine games, including one of the semifinals.

And Donald Trump will be sure to shoehorn his way into the proceedings at every opportunity. He was at the draw to receive the very first FIFA Peace Prize, a made-up award given out without consulting fans or FIFA’s board of governors because FIFA president Gianni Infantino has a record of cozying up to dictators. Trump took the opportunity to side with some snarky America-hating British people and say that we should stop calling American football “football” because the ball is so rarely kicked. The big soccer party comes to our shores this summer, and if Jeffrey Epstein’s good buddy doesn’t spoil it, he’ll certainly do his best. l

No talking. No food and drinks. No jazz .

Come break the rules and say “yes!” to new art experiences at the Carter’s Second Thursdays!

Every Second Thursday is different than the last. You’ll never think of museums in the same way again.

SECOND THURSDAYS ARE ALWAYS FREE!

THURSDAY DEC 11 | 5–8 P.M.

JAZZ & JINGLES

We’re celebrating the holiday season with a night of smooth sounds and artists inspired by jazz.

Second Thursdays at the Carter is generously supported by: DON’T MISS OUT!

Ate Days of Holiday Fun in Aggieland

Have yourself a big Texas Christmas this year in College Station—where the holiday spirit shines as bright as the Lone Star sky. Picture twinkling lights, festive tunes, and a heartwarming blend of holiday cheer and southern charm. From holiday markets filled with local crafts to classic movies under the stars, we’re wrapping up everything you love into one magical season.

According to some estimates, College Station attracts over 300,000 visitors over the holiday season. And at just over two and a half hours along I-35W and TX-6, it’s really not much of a schlep to enjoy some holiday fun. So, grab your friends, your family, and your holiday spirit and plan your trip today!

Have Brunch With Santa

Enjoy a limited-time holiday brunch menu crafted just for the season at The Dean (801 University Dr E, College Station) from 11am to 2pm on Sun, Dec 14, and 21, with seatings available every 15 minutes. Brunch highlights include savory dishes like Herb-Crusted Beef Striploin, Build-YourOwn Pancake and French Toast Stacks, Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread, and more. Book now at Bit.ly/TheDean_BWS.

Warm Up With Some Coffee

Stay toasty with a steaming seasonal beverage from our local coffee shops, like Carport Coffee, conveniently located across from Texas A&M University, and Gogh Gogh Coffee Company. These specialty coffee stops offer a delightful array of warm drinks that’ll keep you cozy during the chilly months, making your winter moments even more enjoyable.

Catch a Classic Christmas Film

Nothing says holiday cheer like a cozy movie under the stars, and College Station City Hall (1101 Texas Av, College Station, 979-764-3500) is rolling out the red carpet (well, the green lawn) for a festive Christmas Movie Night series. Pre-show festivities run 5pm-7pm, complete with food trucks, a hot chocolate bar, fresh popcorn, games, festive tunes, and kid-friendly fun. There are film screenings throughout the holiday season, including A Christmas Story (1983) on Fri, Dec 12, and Elf (2003) on Sat, Dec 20. Plus,

you can snap a photo with the Grinch himself! Admission is free.

Ice Skate at Spirit Ice Arena

Gather your family and friends for a fun holiday outing at Spirit Ice Arena. Enjoy quality time together on the ice, gliding and twirling around the rink during a public skating session. Skates are available for rent, and if you’re new to skating or bringing a little one along, consider renting a skating aid for extra support.

Go Outside & Play!

Embrace the holiday spirit while enjoying the outdoors at College Station parks. Lick Creek Park, covering 523 acres, offers a peaceful escape with a nature center and five miles of trails for hiking, cycling, and equestrian activities. Meanwhile, Wolf Pen Creek, a 63-acre park, features a 2.7mile trail system, a playground, a disc golf

course, and spacious lawns ideal for picnics and leisurely games like frisbee.

Marvel at a Holiday Light Display

In College Station, the holiday season is nothing short of show-stopping, thanks to our annual light displays. Now thru Sun, Jan 4, Santa’s Wonderland beckons with its dazzling display of millions of lights, live entertainment, and exciting snow tubing.

Shop for Gifts

Discover the perfect holiday gifts in College Station! Whether you’re looking for the perfect Aggie-themed gift from Aggieland Outfitters or a custom pair of boots at Lucchese Bootmaker. To uncover unique home decor, clothing, and gifts, be sure to explore our local boutiques like Sabi Boutique, Grass Stains or Evie + Oak. With shopping options like these, you’ll easily find something special for everyone on your list!

And that’s just the beginning…

In the Heart of Aggieland, the holidays feel a little warmer, and the lights shine a little brighter. Experience the wonder of Santa’s Wonderland, festive markets, and holiday concerts—all surrounded by the spirit of Texas A&M. Whether you’re here for family traditions, seasonal flavors or simply the joy of the season, College Station is your place to celebrate Christmas the Texas way.

Brunch with Santa and more await you in College Station.

NIGHT & DAY

A week that starts with cake and ends with comedy can’t be that bad, right?

Cake & Prose: A Christmas Carol is returning for a second year from 7pm to 9pm at Arts 5th Avenue (1628 5th Av, Fort Worth, 817-923-9500). A suggested donation of $10 is appreciated. The actors will retell a version of the story abridged by Dickens himself for public readings. This event is family-friendly, and, as always, there will be cake from a local bakery during intermission and a musical performance to conclude the evening. RSVP now at Arts5thAvenue.com.

Sweater weather is here, and with it comes Christmas parties and ridiculous outfits. Lean into the season, don your cheesiest jumper, and head to Rusty Nickel IceHouse (2836 Stanley Av, Fort Worth, 817-528-1682) at 8pm for an Ugly Sweater Party featuring live music by Poo Live Crew. There is no cost to attend. P.S. If you’re on the hunt for a sweater to wear, stop by JunkerVal Antiques & Vintage (3458 Blue Bonnet Cir, Fort Worth, 817-266-6403).

Late August marked the final midweek market of the year at Cowtown Farmers Market (8901 Clifford St, White Settlement, @cowtown_farmers_market). Now, until late spring, Saturdays from 8am to noon are their time to shine. This producer-only farmers’ market offers only locally produced foods. They accept SNAP, seasonal vouchers from FMNP/ WIC and SFMNP, cash, and cards. This weekend is their annual Holiday Festival, so expect to meet guest vendors, find unique gifts, and experience seasonal cooking demos with samples, live music, face painting, and games.

Homebody, a female-fronted string quartet with members from Fort Worth and Arlington, is putting a holiday spin on their

original songs written by members Mollie Danel, Heather Hankins, Lisa Renee Smith, and Hilary Tipps at the Homebody Hometown Holiday Show at Birdie’s Social Club (2735 W 5th St, Fort Worth, 817-886-9028) at 6pm. Tickets are $14.24 at TixR.com.

Emmy Award-winning vocal group the Texas Tenors — former America’s Got Talent: The Champions finalists — will perform at the Palace Theatre (300 S Main St, Grapevine, 817-410-3100) at 7:30pm Mon-Wed and 3pm Tue and Thu, with their Deep in the Heart of Christmas shows. The guys will perform seasonal classics plus cover other well-known hits from the American songbook. Tickets are $48 at GrapevineTexasUSA.com.

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden (3220 Botanic Garden Blvd, Fort Worth, 817-463-4160) is hosting a curator talk inside the BRIT Library about the current art exhibit Natural Harmonies: Plants’ Musical Influence. UTA student curator Aaron Michael will share behind-the-scenes insights into planning the exhibit, finding relevant songs, matching them with collection pieces, and more. Come curious, as there will be ample time provided for questions and answers. Registration is $5 at FWBG.org and includes admission to the garden for the day.

JunkerVal Antiques & Vintage has lots of ugly Christmas sweaters to choose from.

EATS & drinks

Mont-ster Flavor

This new fine-dining establishment near Benbrook is destination-worthy.

The Mont, 4729 Saint Amand Cir, Fort Worth. 817502-3400. 4-9pm Sun-Thu, 4-9:30pm Fri-Sat.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY CODY NEATHERY

In Montserrat, a neighborhood straddling southwest Fort Worth and Benbrook, an ambitious upscale restaurant just opened that was pretty risky for co-owners and Cousin’s BBQ leaders Jason Cross and Jeff Payne. Betting on a widely undeveloped edge of town, Cross and Payne launched The

Mont in the summer — typically an unfavorable season, especially coupled with a riddled economy that maintains financial clamps across the hospitality industry. With these scenarios against Cross and Payne, The Mont was a risk they were willing to take while simultaneously developing the upcoming Beverly’s, a fine-dining Mexican concept downtown.

Culinary Director Michael Arlt, previously over now-shuttered the Beast and Company,

tapped Michael Duff, former executive chef at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood on West 7th, for this endeavor, and with all of this combined experience in fine dining, The Mont is seemingly in good hands.

Fort Worth design firm Maven dialed in a clinic with the space. Most are fawning over the midcentury-modern aesthetic. The Mont also leans into the opulence of the Hollywood Regency style. Mid-mod is simple, relying on sleek lines, the incorporation of natural elements,

and an emphasis on functionality, but Hollywood Regency exudes bold dramatics. Layering shapes and textures, glitz with glamour, The Mont makes a luxurious statement.

Inspired by a palette of earth tones, shades of sage green dominate, from seamless waves of the tiled floor and marbled bar to glossy alligator-print booths. Shimmering dusty rose curtains work with mauve seating and the lacquered natural wood of the dining tables. Gold accents include silverware, table lamps, and draped tassels above the bar. No detail was spared from this angle of composition.

My guest and I were greeted with an engaging green curry bisque as our cocktails were placed on the table, a Moscow mule for my guest and an Autumn twist on an Old Fashioned for me. The Pear in the Woods (TX Bourbon, spiced pear, continued on page 17

The Mont’s succulent ode cod with butternut squash is a well-rounded fall dish.
The wagyu beef tartare, crème, and tallow toast have killer sandwich potential.

lemon, port, black walnut bitters) was delightfully topped with a graham cracker.

The fall menu is in full swing with certain items from the opening menu still present but with different ingredients. The Mont’s process is to order all at once to stagger dishes during your seating. This can be overwhelming as tastes are subject to change over the course of dinner and another dish might become more desirable at second glance. Fortunately, the pace was slow, which allowed us to take time combing through the menu and ordering with helpful insight from our server.

Crab hush puppies and royal red shrimp risotto crashed the table first. Stingy the kitchen is not when making these deep-fried bread balls as the shellfish was prominent. Drizzled with truffle honey with a dollop of lemon aioli to accentuate, they’re perhaps the best seafood-mixed puppies I have eaten in recent memory. The chive risotto was sharp from the cheese, sensationally rich from uni butter, and sweet from chunks of shrimp and cured fish roe called bottarga swirling among the Italian rice. This dish could have held its own as an entree.

The tender wagyu beef tartare paired with vinegary pickled shallot and truffle vinaigrette was pleasantly edible alone, but with a slice of beef-tallow toast and a smear of horseradish crème, this merger had the makings to be one of the best sliders in town without even trying.

The salmon crudo was served in tandem, and as attractive as it read on the menu, this was the only dish that left us baffled. The mix of rootsy beets under slices of salmon were left high and

dry without a memorable flavor. The few dashes of brown butter and oyster aioli were simply not enough to lift the flavors where we desired. While this didn’t move the needle for us, it retains potential for other guests who enjoy it straightforward.

The Mont’s deviled eggs should come with addiction warning, and if served at your holiday gatherings, they might steal the show. Like snowflakes, a light dusting of burnt leeks and onion ash covered the eggs topped with briny smoked caviar that meshed well with mustardy whipped yolk. Simply put, they are unfair to your grandma’s family recipe.

The chicken liver paté was creamy and chalky without the gaminess, but when partnered with green tomato chow chow, quick pickles, and grain mustard on the tallow toast, the liver delivered another humdinger of flavor.

The menu offers four wood-grilled wagyu beef steaks, and judging from the initial offerings, they would probably be wise selections. However, we wanted to lean on the seafood of the mains. The black grouper was clean and fresh, another masterclass in simplicity, this one allowing the charred turnip and grilled greens to provide slight

smoke and the creamy pool of fennel herb nage to offer an aromatic hint of earthiness.

Lightly fried ode cod was a medley of flavor. With its elegant lobster fricassee sauce and bone jus engaging smoked butternut squash and burnt endive, a.k.a. chicory, the fish made for one heck of a fall-inspired plate.

In lieu of dessert, goat cheese mac off the menu was offered. No arm twist here.

If this is a glimpse of what’s in store, it gives promise to the upcoming Beverly’s. I believe the odds to be in their favor. l

A manly sweetness infuses The Mont’s seasonally inspired take on an Old Fashioned, the Pear in the Woods.
Gulf Coast royal red shrimp provided seafood sustenance to the risotto.
The Mont’s deviled eggs will make your granny jealous.

HearSay

Arenda Lighting It Up

Arenda Light has returned. After a two-year hiatus due to other commitments and, of course, life, the hard-rocking lineup of lead guitarist Rowdy Carter, new bassist Max Kusin, drummer Matt Mabe, and frontman/guitarist Nick Tittle is releasing a new single. “I Don’t Know” was recorded in Fort Worth at Blackstone FW studio with producer Mark Randall (Two Guys Walk Into a Bar, The Infamists, The Matthew Show).

Arenda Light plans to celebrate the release of the track by performing on Sat, Dec 27, at The Post “I Don’t Know” will tease the band’s upcoming five-song EP also recorded at Blackstone with Randall. Carter and Tittle agree the new material is more upbeat than previous releases.

“We’re very fortunate to be in a band with our best buddies,” Tittle said, “so it’s fun, and we feel passionate about writing and playing the music. It’s what feels good and makes sense to us, and we do it because we love it. What we aim to accomplish would be to make a connection to people by playing Arenda songs again.”

Releasing Arenda Light material is rewarding, Tittle said, mainly because he and his bandmates play in other local groups (Heavy Petal, Cut Throat Finches, Claire Hinkle, The Grae, Alice in Chains tribute Guttersluts).

“All four of us are in Guttersluts, so that’s a huge influence for sure,” Tittle said. “We take from a lot of the bands from the grunge scene and mix it with modern progressive metal, hard rock, and what we like at the time. We blend with it.”

The EP’s lyrical tone, Tittle said, speaks to “confusing times” and “wanting change for the better.”

Arenda Light’s first show, in 2014, was on The Post’s stage when the club was known as Lola’s Saloon

“We hope to see familiar faces out,” Tittle said. “It’s nostalgic to be on that stage again with the band. Bring your party pants.” — Anthony Mariani and Juan R. Govea

Juan R. Govea
(From left) frontman Nick Tittle, lead guitarist Rowdy Carter, drummer Matt Mabe, and new bassist Max Kusin are excited to be back making music together again.

MUSIC

Tiny Dancer

With their new record “Ballerina,” Dustin Brown along with Billy Hartman and Rachel Cole have crafted a mournful gem.

On Friday, local Americana singer-songwriter Dustin Brown is dropping a new single to digital platforms, co-releasing it with collaborators Billy Hartman and Rachel Cole. “Ballerina” is a beautifully world-weary rumination on wandering hearts and roads that never end. I caught up with Brown over the phone the other night. He had just flown in from Denver and was recuperating from a snowboarding shoulder injury suffered the day before. While minor — but enough to complicate his day job as an industrial mechanic, not to mention playing guitar — it was the kind that made him reconsider his hobby, especially since the snowpack wasn’t that great.

“They didn’t have a whole lot of trails open, but that was the day they opened up a few more,” Brown recalled. “That’s when [my injury] happened. I went out there trying to get as much done as I could … but I don’t know. Maybe my snowboarding days are done if I can’t really hold my arm up to play guitar.”

Brown, 33, has good reason to think of his guitar playing. The self-titled album he put out in March 2025 landed in the Americana Music Chart’s Top 40, and since then, he’s steadily bridged the gap from hours-long, covers-forward, uninterested-listener brewpub gigs to the ones

where he gets to play his own songs for people who have actually paid a cover to come see him. Still, even with momentum and the right trajectory, there’s a lot of grind and opportunity costs between where you are and where you hope to be. Sometimes the cost is a snowboarding hobby.

I don’t know how good Brown is at snowboarding, but “Ballerina” suggests that his real talent lies in writing sad songs and haunting melodies — his self-titled album has a lot of these misty-eyed gems, in particular “Burn” — and “Ballerina,” bolstered by the words and voices of Hartman and Cole, is a great showcase for his ability to put a lot of emotional weight inside a few lines. The song spun from Brown’s own observations about life on the road and came to be out of his friendship with Hartman.

“Billy and I have been friends for years and played dozens of shows together, but we’d never collaborated on anything,” Brown said. “It was just one of those things, like we should’ve written a song together by now.”

A couple of years ago, at a post-show hang following a gig in Temple, a friend at the house threw out a line that inspired Brown and Hartman to write around it. “I picked up the guitar, made up a melody, made up some more lines.”

Brown and Hartman traded verses back and forth over text for about two years, but after the back-and-forth, they finally booked some studio time this past summer at Melody Mountain Ranch in Stephenville, working with producer Ben Hussey (American Aquarium, Six Market Blvd.), who had recorded Brown’s self-titled album, as well as Hartman’s Divine Town album. The way Brown describes the song’s genesis, it was in a perpetual state of “almost there” until the inclusion of Rachel Cole, an Austin-based songwriter mentored by the late Todd Snider (and signed to his indie label, Aimless Records), who sang the second verse’s vocals.

“We brought Rachel in to have a third perspective in this song,” Brown said, “and the song really came together from there.”

Along with Hunter Napier on drums, Gus Miller on mandolin, and lead guitarist Joel Allen, Brown, Cole, and Hartman all contributed guitar.

“Ballerina” is spare but sumptuous, just three verses and four chords, a little over two minutes long, the lyrics borne on the doleful washes of Allen’s slide guitar, drifting over the characters like late-night headlights on a lonesome country road. Three people, each staring down roads with no end in sight, look at the pasts that brought them to these moments of debilitating ennui. In Brown’s verse, “Tomorrow is a tightrope I’m over / And if you’re already going down / I’ll be waiting on the shoulder / For you and spring to come around.”

As Cole sings, “Mama always said that I was tough / Made a promise, then I broke it / Now, all I need is a little luck,” Hartman “went and ran off with the circus / Making up for what I lack / The carousel with no purpose / As the train runs out of track.”

Waves of regret swell inside each voice, deepening in the subtext between each line. Miller’s mandolin limns the shadows of Hussey’s baroque production like a candle flickering against the raindrop-patter of Napier’s brushes. The song is as atmospheric and gorgeous as it is sad. And, sadly, Dustin Brown might have to sideline his snowboarding hobby if he and his friends keep making music like this — sometimes the bad times sound too good. l

Created with Billy Hartman and Rachel Cole, Dustin Brown’s “Ballerina” is as sorrowful as it is haunting.
Katie Langley
Brown, Hartman, and Cole recorded “Ballerina” this past summer at Melody Mountain Ranch in Stephenville, working with producer Ben Hussey (American Aquarium, Six Market Blvd.). Katie Langley

BULLETIN BOARD

ADVERTISE HERE!

Email Stacey@fwweekly.com today.

Are You Road-Trip Ready?

CALL COWTOWN ROVER!

With our handy pick-up and drop-off services, having your car checked out could not be easier. www.CowtownRover.com 3958 Vickery | 817.731.3223

CAKE & PROSE @ ARTS 5TH!

A Christmas Carol returns for a second year on Thu, Dec 11, 7-9pm at Arts 5th Avenue. Suggested donation of $10 is appreciated. This event is family friendly. Our actors are reading a version of the story abridged by Dickens himself for public readings. And as always, there will be cake from a local bakery during intermission and a musical performance to conclude the evening. RSVP now at: Arts5thAvenue.com

CELEBRATION

Located at 908 Pennsylvania Av (817-335-3222), Celebration Community Church has services on Sundays at 10am. Want to check out a nonjudgmental, inclusive church at home before attending in person? All services can also be viewed on YouTube! (@ CelebrationCommunityChurch130)

CHRISTMAS CAPITAL OF TEXAS? CHECK!

Trinity Metro TEXRail is the perfect way to enjoy the holiday activities on your wishlist without the stress of driving. Just take a $4 roundtrip ride to Grapevine for ice skating, shopping, and more! Check off your Trinity Metro holiday wishlist here: RideTrinityMetro.org/CCOT

EMPLOYMENT

Computer Professionals for TX based Firm: “Sr. CyberArk Administrator to Installation & configuration of CyberArk PAS solution. Installation of Vault, CPM, PVWA and PSM servers. Onboarding of various privileged accounts on CyberArk & automating the process by running password upload utility scripts. Onboarding accounts in EPV for various platform (Windows, UNIX, Database). Responsible for determining the target Privileged Session Management (PSM) audience. Travel and/or reloc to various unanticipated worksite loc’ns with frequency dependent on Project and/or Client requirement throughout the U.S. may be required.” Apply w/2 copies of resume to Galaxy3 Corp Inc, 3575 Lone Star Cir, Ste 309, Fort Worth, TX 76177.

GIDDY UP & GLIDE!

Stockyards Rodeo Rink is open daily thru January 4th! For details, visit FortWorthStockyards.com.

HALE GROVES GIFT BOXES

Perfect for sharing or gifting, these are the ideal gift for fruit and snack lovers. Regularly $49.99, grab one now for $34.99 (37% off!). Mention Code H6YG89 for your savings on Items #483X or #485X. For gauranteed Christmas delivery, order by December 19: 877-491-6979 / HaleGroves.com/H6YG89

LUNCH WITH SANTA!

See the big guy every Saturday from 10am to 2pm thru December 20th at Heim Barbecue on the River (5333 White Settlement Road). More info at Facebook.com/ HeimBBQRiver/events.

MAKE A REAL IMPACT NEXT TAX SEASON

Volunteer with the United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program just five hours a week and help bring vital resources back into our community. No math skills required. Join a team of dedicated volunteers in roles that include greeting clients, providing translation services, or completing tax returns. Training is provided, and we’ll match you with a rold that fits your schedule. Learn more and sign up at: UnitedWayTarrant.org/VITA-Volunteer

MYTH & MARBLE

See ancient Roman sculpture from the Torlonia Collection thru January 25th at the Kimbell Art Museum. KimbellArt.org/Myth-and-Marble

OWN A SERVICE COMPANY?

Cleaning Services, Handymen, Haulers, Landscapers, Painters, and other service companies, how are you reaching new customer? I’d love to feature you here! Contact me for some affordable options. stacey@fwweekly.com // 817-987-7689

POTTER’S HOUSE

Join the Potter’s House of Fort Worth (1270 Woodhaven Blvd, 817-446-1999) for Sunday Service at 8am and Wednesday Bible Study at 7pm. For more info, visit us online at www.TPHFW.org.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Any Texans who may be concerned that an unlicensed massage business may be in operation near them, or believe nail salon employees may be human trafficking victims, may now report those concerns directly to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) by emailing ReportHT@TDLR.Texas.gov.

PUBLIC NOTICE

The following vehicles have been impounded with fees due to date by Texas Towing Wrecker, 205 S Commercial St, Fort Worth TX 76107, 817-877-0206 (VSF0000964): Apollo, 2016, Streek Bike, VIN L08YCNF08G1000065, $1659.90; Apollo, 2021, Street Bike, VIN L08YGJGC1M1003424, $608.29; Gomaco, 2000, TC 600 Cure Machine, VIN MC19996845T, $3334.24; Kaiser, 1981, M818 Daycab, VIN 05C72571C12413984, $3334.24; Rex Con, 1999, Concrete Placer, VIN 10953, $3334.24; Stewart-Stevenson, 2004, M1078, VIN AT010961BDJG, $3334.24; and Trailer-Lift Ltd, 1998, Bumper Pull Trailer, VIN NA, $668.29.

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Fort Worth Weekly // December 10-16, 2025 by Fort Worth Weekly - Issuu