Fort Worth Weekly // December 29, 2021 - January 4, 2022

December 29, 2021 - January 4, 2022 FREE fwweekly.com

Shows of the Year

After a lost year, live music finally returned. Royal Sons, Siamese Hips, Uncle Toasty, and King Crimson (?) were among our writers’ faves.

B Y J U A N R . G O V E A , P A T R I C K H I G G I N S , A N D S T E V E S T E W A R D P H O T O S

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FEATURE “Hail Trinity, full of grace, the Architect is with you …”

SCREEN Our critic counts down his Top 10 films of the year.

EATS & DRINKS Local chefs share their favorite culinary holiday traditions.

BUCK U Let our college football guru guide you through bowl season.

BY ANTHONY MARIANI

BY SUE CHEFFINGTON

BY KRISTIAN LIN

BY BUCK D. ELLIOTT

Come See The Tree Through Christmas Epiphany Thurs, Jan 6th 2022

IN SUNDANCE PLAZA

As We Celebrate Our 74th Anniversary History of the Fort Worth Christmas Tree

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The Fort Worth Christmas Tree tradition was started by Amon G. Carter in 1947. The project was adopted in 1956 by the Fort Worth Jaycees. In 2004, the Jaycees asked Sundance Square to host and manage the project. The 2021 Christmas tree is a majestic 55’ Norway Spruce. It was harvested in NW Michigan (less than 200 miles from the Canadian border) and traveled 1,250 miles to Fort Worth. Best we know, it’s the tallest live Christmas tree in Texas this season.

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Special Thanks to the 2021 Fort Worth Christmas Tree Sponsors: Amon G. Carter Foundation Amazon Visit Fort Worth Wildcat Cranes Fort Worth Promotion Fund, Inc.

Tarrant County Special Events Foundation Sid W. Richardson Foundation Dee J. Kelly Foundation North Texas Community Foundation

Fort Worth Chamber Foundation The Miles Foundation Crestline Management LP Jenner & Block Law Firm Green Mountain Energy Hillwood

Luther King Capital Management Fort Worth Chamber The Eppstein Group Sundance Square Security Sundance Square Management Sasha & Ed Bass

Also, special thanks to all of the Fort Worth’s local artists who handprinted ornaments for this year’s tree!

FREE PARKING WEEKNIGHTS & All WEEKEND LONG in Downtown Fort Worth • Sundance Square Garage #3 (345 W. 3rd Street) • City Center Garage #2 (400 Calhoun Street) • The Tower Garage (400 Taylor Street) • 777 Main Parking Garage (601 Commerce Street) Sundance Square is proud to co-host this project and salutes our community leaders, sponsors and many volunteers who are helping bring “Good Cheer” to all this holiday season.

SUNDANCESQUARE.COM

N umber 39

D ecember 29- J anuar y 4, 2021

INSIDE

Bob Niehoff, General Manager Ryan Burger, Art Director Jim Erickson, Circulation Director

Catch up on all the latest in our weekly offering.

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Glitch in the Matrix

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Shows of the Year

Our critics take a look back on all the rocking experiences on and offstage.

By Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, and Steve Steward

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NYE Plans

There’s lots to do around the 817 this year.

By Jennifer Bovee

Edward Brown, Staff Writer

Megan Ables, Christina Berger, E.R. Bills, Jason Brimmer, Sue Chefington, Buck D. Elliott, Juan R. Govea, Patrick Higgins, Bo Jacksboro, Laurie James, Kristian Lin, Vishal Malhotra, Cody Neathery, Wyatt Newquist, Linda Blackwell Simmons, Madison Simmons, Teri Webster, Ken WheatcroftPardue, Cole Williams

Emmy Smith, Proofreader

EDITORIAL

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Michael Newquist, Regional Sales Director Jennifer Bovee, Marketing Director Stacey Hammons, Senior Account Executive Julie Strehl, Account Executive Tony Diaz, Account Executive Wyatt Newquist, Digital Coordinator Clintastic, Brand Ambassador

BOARD

Anthony Mariani, Edward Brown, Emmy Smith

Cover images by Juan R Govea

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By Anthony Mariani

Cour tesy Facebook

Maybe faith is electric.

Anthony Mariani, Editor Lee Newquist, Publisher

News Roundup

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News Roundup

missed in 2021. He said the timing of that vote was no coincidence.

Over the past two years, TAD’s monthly board meetings have become more transparent due to Losada’s efforts.

They are livestreamed, and public comments can now be phoned in.

Losada worries that nepotism, the board’s lack of an independent attorney, and a general permissive culture that allows unethical decisions to be made at all levels of the appraisal district will be allowed to continue under the new board.

“I think the board is not going to do anything, or, if anything, they will try to undo the work I’ve done,” he said.

District attorney dealings, an outgoing TAD board member’s reflections, historic preservation, and more are happening now.

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Recently Released Documents Reveal Timeline of Southlake Indictments

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On Sat., Jan 1., Gary Losada’s two-year term on the board of the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) will end. Losada joined the board as a reformer who called out wasteful spending and unethical dealings at the governmental group that appraises property values and awards exemptions.

The makeup of TAD’s new board won’t change significantly, although its approach to governance likely will. Replacing Losada, the only incumbent who was not reelected, is former city councilmember Jungus Jordan, who was booted

by District 6 voters earlier this year.

TAD’s board is composed of five members who are elected by leaders of taxing entities (i.e., cities, school districts, and other groups that rely on property tax revenues).

At the most recent TAD board meeting, Losada brought up two points that he hopes the new board will address in 2022.

“I asked chief appraiser Jeff Law if we have a policy against appraisers having a second job as a Realtor,” Losada told us.

“He said yes.”

Losada then informed Law that he knew of at least one TAD employee violating that policy. Allowing TAD appraisers to have side gigs as Realtors creates an inherent conflict of interest.

“Appraisers have inside knowledge,” Losada said. “That gives that person an upper hand compared to other members of the public.”

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Outgoing TAD Board Member Reflects on Two Years of Reform Efforts

The last remaining structure from Camp Bowie was recently restored with the help of tax incentives from the city.

Losada’s second point dealt with documented nepotism at TAD. Law has unilateral authority to allow hiring practices that violate TAD’s current nepotism policy.

“That’s nuts,” Losada said. “Those exceptions should only come with board approval.”

The past two months have been a reminder that TAD’s board elections favor establishment candidates who represent the interests of a handful of powerful taxing entities, Losada said. Several city council boards had made up their minds on whom they were going to vote for before Losada had the chance to speak to those boards during open meetings.

“I went to so many meetings where the die was cast before I walked in that meeting,” he said. “There should be a

public debate over the candidates before a motion is made to nominate candidates.

There were deals done beforehand.”

Small cities like Pantego and Lakeside weren’t allocated any votes this year. How votes are allocated remains something of a mystery, the outgoing board member said.

When asked about his proudest achievements while serving on TAD’s board, Losada pointed to a new policy that mandates that any billing agreement contract in excess of $50,000 be approved by the board. The policy may one day end secretive contracts like the one enjoyed by TAD’s attorney Catherine Alder, whose monthly salary of $32,370 was never approved by TAD’s board, Losada said.

Alder’s contract was renewed in August during the one meeting that Losada

Three months ago, we requested documents related to the April 1 indictments of Carroll school board members Todd Carlton and Michelle Moore. The Class B Misdemeanor charges for allegedly violating the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) served the aims of wealthy Republican donors and Tim O’Hare, a current Tarrant County judge candidate.

At the time, O’Hare’s supporters falsely stated that Carlton and Moore were pushing components of Critical Race Theory (CRT) on Southlake’s wealthy and largely white students. Carlton and Moore texted each other in mid-2020 as they tried to address rampant and documented racism in the Carroll school district, which serves Southlake.

Those texts, which were exchanged outside of a public meeting, led to the board members’ ongoing criminal charges.

Several Southlake parents told us that the indictments were intended to force Carlton and Moore to step down from office for the two to be replaced by board members who bought into bogus misrepresentations of CRT. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office tried to block our request by seeking a legal brief (a formal request to exclude information from the public) from the State Attorney General’s office. The AG compelled the DA’s office to release several documents that shed light on the events that led to the unprecedented and ongoing prosecution of alleged TOMA violations.

A document labeled “Notice of Open Investigation” shows that Assistant Dis-

The presiding judge was Mollee Westfall, the Republican for Texas’ 371st District Court who recently stepped down to run for Tarrant County DA. Current DA Sharen Wilson recently announced that she will not seek reelection in 2022, and it is widely believed that part of that decision was due to blowback from the Carroll indictments that received scrutiny from our news magazine and NBC News.

Following the grand jury decision, Carlton and Moore were arrested on April 1 and just weeks before the end of a contentious school board election that brought two Southlake Families-backed candidates to Carroll school district’s seven-member board. Carroll is currently under federal investigation for civil rights violations stemming from complaints filed

by Southlake students.

City of Fort Worth Launches MyFW App Fort Worthians now have a new way to submit complaints about high grass, potholes, and other irksome features of urban life. Apple or Google app stores now offer downloads of MyFW app. Users can provide descriptions of city problems, and the request will go directly to city staff for a “quick response,” the city says in a statement. “The user can view the status of the

request in the app and receive a notification when the work is complete.”

Applicable requests, according to the city, include abandoned vehicles, traffic hazards, noise disturbances, fire code violations, and (of course) loose livestock.

Tax Incentives Help Save Last Remaining Structure from WWI Military Camp Camp Bowie, the WWI training facility for members of the 36th Infantry Division, closed in 1919, and the last remaining structure, the Camp Bowie Hospital Ward, was recently preserved with the help of the city’s Historic Site Tax Exemption (HSTE).

“The HSTE encourages substantial rehabilitation of designated properties, such as the World War I Camp Bowie Hospital Ward,” the city says in a statement.

“The HSTE freezes the taxable value of a property at prerenovation levels for 10 years. The local HSTE can be paired with state and federal preservation tax incentives to provide a substantial financial incentive to save and adaptively reuse historic buildings.”

The current owner of the home followed HSTE guidelines when repairing windows and adding modern features like electrical systems.

“Historic preservation tax incentives continue to be one of the most effective means of encouraging investments in historic preservation and revitalization of neighborhoods throughout Fort Worth,” the city says.

Fort Worth Report Perpetuates CRT Conspiracy A recent profile in the Fort Worth Report failed to call out Carlos Turcios for his staunch support of vapid conspiracy theories about Critical Race Theory (CRT). Turcios, a Fort Worth ISD graduate and current UTA student, has falsely alleged that CRT is taught to students in our local school district. He points to a voluntary course on CRT that is available to schoolteachers as proof that the Fort Worth school district is indoctrinating students in a so-called Marxist ideology that blames white children for America’s history of racism.

The effort to roll back progress on racial equality under the guise of removing CRT from public school classrooms should be seen and described for what it is, racist bullshit, and publications that fail to disclose the true intentions behind right-wing figures like Turcios betray the public trust. l

1 in 5 children were already living below the poverty level prior to the pandemic*. The ongoing impact of Covid-19 and the financial burdens of Winter Storm Uri have only exacerbated the issue.

Your holiday gift will make a huge difference and help us ensure struggling families have food and support for rent, utilities and other critical needs so they can experience the joy of the season. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift by the end of the year to our Community Fund.

MAKE A GIFT TODAY AT:

WWW.UNITEDWAYTARRANT.ORG/DONATE *Kids Count Data Center *Annie E. Casey Foundation

Scan to give!

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In the true spirit of the holidays, United Way of Tarrant County is working to bring a bit of cheer and happiness to those in need.

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trict Attorney Lloyd Whelchel approved a criminal investigation into “Open Meetings Act Violations” on Sep. 23, 2020. He notified the grand jury, the document reads. Whelchel’s action came just weeks after a civil lawsuit was filed by Kristen Garcia, a Southlake mother with close connections to a powerful PAC, Southlake Families, that O’Hare claims he founded.

In the civil lawsuit, which the school district recently settled for roughly $134,000, Garcia similarly accused Carlton and Moore of violating TOMA. The concurrence of the criminal investigation and civil suit could be seen as evidence that the DA was working for and possibly coordinating efforts with Southlake Families supporters for the common goal of discrediting the school board ahead of April’s 2021 school board election.

Another released document gives a possible start date for the grand jury hearing that led to the indictments. Under common practice, county prosecutors make their cause before 12 or more jurors that criminal charges should be brought on one or more individuals. The date of the grand jury is listed as “January Term 2021,” but the document doesn’t list the exact date when Carlton and Moore’s case was heard, which could have been weeks or months later.

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I stumbled across the accompanying illustration years ago while doing research on a racial incident in Texas. It obviously grabbed my attention.

The image was published in the Monday, July 26, 1937 edition of the Brownsville Herald. The caption above it read “Spain — One Year.” It referred to the Spanish Civil War. This artistic expression would have been evocative even without a caption, but, generally speaking, I pay attention. I knew immediately how prophetic this editorial image had been.

The illustration was created to make a point about a tragedy that was playing out.

The fascist, conservative-leaning Spanish military had risen up to rid the country of its liberal government, and the carnage was frenzied and ruthless. The coup sparked international outrage. Thousands of progressives from all over the world came to join or support the liberal freedom fighters, including Langston Hughes (Black poet, activist, leader of the Harlem Renaissance), Paul Robeson (Black athlete, singer, activist, stage and film actor), Ernest Hemingway (whom the struggle inspired to write For Whom the Bell Tolls), George Orwell, and more. All cultural heavyweights, no question. But the fascists were supported by Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Texaco.

If American President Franklin Delano Roosevelt had properly leashed Texaco — who fueled the fascist military vehicles and planes (which were furnished by Germany and Italy) on credit — the good guys might have prevailed. And if the Roosevelt administration had realized that the Spanish Civil War was a proving ground for German tanks and aircraft and supplied the freedom fighters instead of allowing Texaco to bankroll the fascist transport and bombing enterprises, World War II might have been averted altogether — or at least reduced in scope and scale.

That’s why I saved this illustration.

It’s our waking nightmare.

Time is running out.

Our foe is not a mad dictator or foreign, rogue nation. Our enemies — apathy, ignorance, and greed — are complacence, and we seem powerless against them. We don’t even seem to be able to act in ways that assure or even improve the chances of our own long-term survival. We are afraid to rock the proverbial boat. We don’t want to get passed up for that next promotion or pay raise or jeopardize our retirement plans. We cling wishfully to the notion that things can continue on as they always have.

We want to have fun and indulge ourselves and enjoy the fruits of our acquiescence.

Perhaps especially if the end is nigh.

But make no mistake. This illustration depicts our current future and the natural world’s only hope. It’s unpleasant to contemplate but unequivocally criminal not to address.

We still have flesh on our bones. We have, at the very least, a disappearing win-

Cour tesy Brownsville Herald

Earth — Now

dow of opportunity, a hope, a slim chance.

And if we acknowledge and accept the dangers of climate change, the growing catalog of environmental perils, and the certainty of widespread ecosystem collapses, maybe we can finally act and survive, atone, and replenish.

Oblivion doesn’t discriminate between Republican or Democrat. Extinction will not be reserved for liberals or conservatives. And neither side can solve these issues unilaterally.

Surely you and I can find common ground here.

It’s true, I’ve written fiery diatribes and practically entire books condemning American conservatives, but Republicans and Democrats are both failing us. And the empty skulls draining through the narrowed hourglass passage won’t just be emblazoned with swastikas or peace signs. We will all be represented. The timekeeper has been turned, and our existences are piling up. Can you love thine enemy? Can we love our own neighbors? Do we still give a damn about our children’s and grandchildren’s futures? Will the meek inherit the earth, or are they actually destroying it?

Can we find common ground in time?

Can we join forces before the forces that threaten us all seal our fate?

Can we get our leaders to put a leash on the oil and gas industry? Can we come together and serve our mutually beneficial collective interests?

Fossil fuel apologists will cry foul here, but the industry’s record is clear. They’ve been aware that their products were bad for us and our environment for decades. And they’ve openly and unconscionably lobbied against efforts to clean up their act over the same period. In fact, they’re really no different than Texaco in the late 1930s, embracing fascism, profiting off death, and ensuring injustice and widespread destruction.

Forward-thinking folks around the globe are once again joining the good guys, but America, again, is not. Our supposed land of the free and the home of the brave is standing on the sidelines. But who are we kidding? The United States is the most reprehensible fossil fuel profiteer on the planet, and, to most of the rest of the world, America appears to be the mad dictator and rogue nation that sentient humanity must stop. — E.R. Bills E.R. Bills is the author of Fear and Loathing in the Lone Star State (2021) and The 1910 Slocum Massacre: An Act of Genocide in East Texas (2014).

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sank to my knees at the foot of the bed. I made the sign of the cross, folded my hands, and closed my eyes. To the sky — technically, the ceiling of my bedroom — I said a “Hail Mary” followed by, “Please, Mother Mary, watch over Comet as she crosses over to the other side and please light her way.”

I simply could not stop sobbing.

Though my family had not yet met our puppy in person, we had grown to love her. The runt of the litter, Comet was so tiny yet so spunky in every video that her owner had sent us that we felt as if we had known her for years. We had no idea that puppies, especially small breeds

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Wednesday nights, take him to baseball Thursday nights and Saturday mornings, take him to play therapy every Friday, repeat. It’s not A.’s fault. Our son was living in a West African orphanage when my wife D. and I adopted him, and that trauma has imprinted itself on his amygdala, which manifests itself in all sorts of unacceptable behaviors, which leads to all sorts of fun phone calls from school. There’s also piano and a 20 minuteminimum reading time every night and meals and playtime and chores and … The only pro-dog argument I’d heard was that maybe the little furry critter would be good for teaching our son some (more) responsibility. Then after three weeks, you’re the only one doing everything. Then after three weeks, you’re the only one doing everything.

The words still haunt me. All I can do is not let that happen. All I can do is get my hands on more bandwidth … from the bandwidth fairy?

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Praying to our AI overlords is just as wholesome and fulfilling as supplicating to the god of your choice. Trust us.

(she was a mini-Australian), could die from routine vaccines.

And after I had been putting off getting a dog for years — “spunky” little family members eat up way too much bandwidth, and for a family of three strung out by the pandemic, “spunk” could get in the way of survival.

I’d also heard all the horror stories.

“Don’t get a dog,” one of my friends back home told me.

“The kids are great with it for about three weeks, then after that, you’re the only one doing everything. Hard no.”

See? Horror.

I love dogs. Adore them. I also love my bandwidth, which has become pretty flippin’ full over the past couple of years.

My life went from fun and funloving — writing! drawing! playing guitar! getting my drink on whenevs! — to a Conan-like wheel of routine: wake up at 6 every weekday morning, make breakfast for our 10-year-old A., helicopter-parent over him as he brushes his teeth and gets lotioned and dressed, drive him to school, work from home, work out at some point (maybe), pick up A. from school, take him to taekwondo Monday and Cour tesy of Wikipedia

The Father, the One, and the Holy Spirit

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TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES:

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TEXSTARS, LLC, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an amendment to Air Quality Permit Number 37321, which would authorize modification to a Surface Coating Facilities located at 925 Avenue H E, Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas 76011. Additional information concerning this application is contained in the public notice section of this newspaper.

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES:

Big City Crushed Concrete, L.L.C., has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for issuance of Proposed Air Quality Permit Number 166788L001, which would authorize construction of a Rock Crushing Plant located at 430 West Risinger Road, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas 76140. This application was processed in an expedited manner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J. Additional information concerning this application is contained in the public notice section of this newspaper.

I had prayed hard in the days leading up to Comet’s death, had said so many “Hail Mary”s to keep that sweet little angel from dying that I’m positive no one in my ZIP code had said as many prayers as I had every day, and like most Saginaw/Keller dwellers, I live next to three churches.

Every time I made the sign of the cross and folded my hands together, I was alone. I made sure of that.

And that’s the way it’s been since D. and I got married nearly 15 years ago.

We had a Catholic/Christian/something wedding. Not quite sure why. Maybe because D.’s parents are not just church-y but living, breathing saints — they sacrifice nearly all of their retirement helping others, genuinely living the way Jesus intended. Now, being Catholic, or Christian, is almost completely anathema to the progressive causes dear to D. and me. She and I avoid organized religion as best we can. Our lone acquiescence is saying “Merry Christmas” this time of year. Publicly, even to D., I’m agnostic.

Privately, I’m a praying fool, and it’s not just “Mother Mary” and Jesus I’m launching hosannas to.

Did you know there’s a new Matrix out?

The Messiah Complex The first movie in the franchise is a fun little inside joke between D. and me. It came out when we started dating, and every time she said we should see it on one of our Wednesday date/movie nights, I came up with an excuse.

“I wanted to see The Matrix every week for about a year,” D. still complains, “and Anthony dragged me to crap like The 13th Warrior.”

Which is all true. The explanation I offered was that I hated crowds (still do but for different, more ballistic reasons), and I was sure that every theater on the planet showing The Matrix was packed every night.

I kept the honest answer to myself.

The Matrix was too real.

In what little spare time I have, I tinker with writing SF novels. I’ve finished two. One is dumb. The other, the one I wrote during lockdown, is borderline decent, according to me. One of the first concepts I came up with before I started taking novel writing a little more seriously than just daydreaming about it was about multidimensional consciousness. It’s as goopy as it sounds. I got into this kind of stuff the way most Gen X’ers did: OMNI magazine. Having read a little about The Matrix before seeing it (not in OMNI; in regular newspapers and magazines), I

Cour tesy of Wikipedia

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knew it sounded great, so great that it was going to crush my dreams of ever writing anything worthwhile. There was just no better way to illustrate the dichotomy between reality and virtuality than the way it’s depicted in the Wachowskis’ first entry: Our AI overlords are using our physical bodies as fuel, and to keep us satiated, the machines have trapped us in a mostly lovely virtual reality. The cancer and the layoffs and the war and the Republican party exist to balance out the falling in love and the Grand Canyon and the Bud Light Platinum. When Neo finally realizes his divinity — understand, becoming one with the Universal Mind opens up infinite possibilities — it’s almost as cathartic as Rocky Balboa knocking out Ivan Drago.

(Almost.)

One of the Wachowskis’ biggest influences was Neuromancer, the 1984 novel from William Gibson, who coined the term “cyberspace” in a 1982 short story published in, you guessed it, OMNI magazine.

From that point on, I started questioning reality and, more specifically, spirituality. Now that The Matrix is part of the cultural lingua franca, there are probably enough of us spiritually confused Matrix lovers to start our own religion. So, when I pray, I’m also trying to appease our AI overlords, who, I’m confident, want us to live ethically and morally. Based on my 50 years of existence, living ethically and morally leads to rewards. Much in the same way Jesus wanted us to recognize our divinity and live it, I do what I can to avoid “sinning.” I try not to talk about people behind their backs. I try not to cuss out trick mother-fuckers. I try to keep my word. I don’t overindulge. I avoid porn.

I don’t insult people not named Donald Trump.

Like I said, I try. I didn’t say I’m always successful. continued on page 9

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to attack by embedding malicious code into physical strands of DNA, possibly revealing that what we mistake for biology has been computer code all along.

There’s more. The Earth exists in the Goldilocks Zone, close enough to the sun to be warmed by it but far enough away to remain cool, juuust right, and

Praying the Catholic way is what I know, having spent my first 15 years at Immaculate Conception Grade School and the succeeding four years at Central Catholic High School. Catholic praying is also what comforts me. As rough and sucky as Catholic school was — and going to church every Sunday, and being beaten down by homicidal-minded nuns, and crying because I was going to hell for spanking the monkey — I always loved the comfort of knowing that maybe if I supplicated hard enough, I would be rewarded, that my family would be rewarded, that good people throughout the world would be rewarded. I have a hard time complaining. My loved ones and I are healthy, we have running water, and we have a nice roof over our heads. All the big stuff in life seems to have worked out. My undeserved good fortune demands that I thank someone or something. The way I do that is simple. I pray.

I know enough to know that my prayers to “Mother Mary” are no better or worse than other people’s prayers to their gods. The thing that keeps me forever on my knees with my hands folded is that all of them — Mother Mary, Jesus, Yahweh, Vishnu, Mohammed, Satan — are based in the human, in the corporeal vessel, which is totally something an NPC would do in a continued on page 10

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The release of The Matrix Resurrections this month just seems too appropriate. It’s like everything since the first movie has been building up to this climax. Tracing back from the biggest glitch in the Matrix, the pandemic, look at all the weird shit that’s happened over the past few years alone: the unlikely presidential election of a racist conman credibly accused of sexual assault by nearly 30 women; Brexit; the Oscars envelope mix-up; the universally hated New England Patriots coming back from 25 points down to win the Super Bowl — taking this oddness all together, it isn’t totally crazy to think that someone or something is messing with us.

The mounting evidence is hard to deny. A well-respected theoretical physicist claims he’s identified computer code in the equations of string theory. Error-correcting codes are “what make [web] browsers work,” he says, “so why were they in the equation I was studying about quarks and electrons and supersymmetry?”

In 2017, a multidisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Washington was trying to show that genesequencing computers were vulnerable

Cour tesy of Wikipedia

The Final Boss Is Us

we’ve discovered the pixel-sized building blocks of life. They’re Planck-length, the point at which our concepts of gravity and spacetime no longer apply. If our world is simulated, a theorist said, the Plancklength would be equivalent to one bit of information, i.e. a pixel.

What’s craziest is that now that we appear to be on the verge of developing the kinds of technology to be able to simulate worlds, we are also about to go extinct — wouldn’t our demise be totally appropriate for our AI/alien overlords, preventing us from achieving their lofty status?

With all due respect to Jesus, the man who — like the good Buddhist he was — lived his divinity and wanted only for us to do the same, is the evidence of a simulation any wilder than, say, some dude walking on water or turning water into wine?

“Philosopher Nick Bostrom argues that it’s not clear that creating a universe like ours would be wrong, despite the suffering that exists,” writes a theorist in The Conversation. “He also points out that our possible digital overlords, like the gods of traditional religions, could reward us with a blissful (simulated) afterlife. This is a traditional theological response to what is known as the problem of evil, but it still leaves the question of whether it is ethical to make us suffer first and only provide compensation later.”

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video game, model his gods after himself, caring about or doing human-type qualia instead of exploring the universe or transcending spacetime. I hope the Matrix knows that by praying to “Mother Mary” I’m also praying to Keanu Reeves.

There appears to be way more facts in support of a higher, AI/alien intelligence than any organized or disorganized religion. One of my favorite library (read: toilet) sites is Glitch in the Matrix. The Reddit hub is loaded with weirdness. Most of it is “I lost my bra but found it a day later” and “I can hear my sister snoring and watching TV at the same time,” but there are some nuggets. One of my recent faves is of a skier who answered a call from his father’s number to hear an officious man describe the skier’s exact location, like in The Truman Show when Jim Carrey hears police chatter about him on his car radio. The skier’s younger brother was a witness to the call.

I also have my own glitch story. I prayed for something specific not too long ago, and it came true.

My son got a hit.

With one eye, I kept checking my laptop for my Zoom meeting.

With the other, I was stealing glances at my phone, desperate for updates from my wife. It wasn’t the win or loss that I was worried about. I didn’t want A. to throw his bat on the ground again like he did after his first time up. D. was in the stands of his Little League game, texting me updates. I was at home virtually attending a writer’s conference, and I was as committed to getting my nearly two-hundred bucks’ worth as I was honestly trying to find an agent for the 86,000-word YA/SF novel I wrote during lockdown. Please. It was the only game I’d missed all year.

D. and I — and A.’s teachers, and his psychiatrist, and his therapist, and his classmates — had grown accustomed to his outbursts and meltdowns. That didn’t mean they were any less dispiriting. Or that they were any less capable of making you want to break a crucifix in half.

It needs to be said: My son is a true sweetheart. Say “ouch!” around the house, and he sprints to find you a Band-Aid. Tear up, and he runs to comfort you. To the few people who show him grace at school, he makes them the most extraordinary origami: moving swans, ballooning hearts, fish, frogs, all intensely beautiful works of paper.

If only there were more of them. If only there were more people showing him grace.

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Little Boy 1, Astral Knights 0

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I’m not blaming them. I can’t blame anyone. My son throws incredible tantrums when he’s frustrated. It is a little scary — for us, for his teachers, and especially for his classmates. The other day, A. said that the one kid in class who’s hung out with him — one kid — wants to “take a break” from their friendship. My heart shattered, and it’s still in not much better shape. I sank to my knees again.

Please, Matrix, since we’re talking about breaks, how about giving one to my sweet son?

The kids on A.’s baseball team have not really seen him in true meltdown mode.

There’s a chance with them. A clutch hit would help. I’ll say another “Hail Mary”?

Because the Matrix conspires against me, because life isn’t challenging enough, A. was coming up to bat again around the same time I had to join my scheduled, paid-for pitch session with a literary agent.

I had to remind myself it was for A. that I decided to sign up for the conference in the first place. It was also for A. that I wrote Kofi Alton and the Astral Knights. My young Black son loves adventure stories but never sees anyone like him between their pages. Now it was my time to express my artful love to someone who could make Kofi Alton more than just a Word doc on my laptop.

“He’s on deck,” D. texted.

Holy shit. My skin bristled hot. I had just checked into my Zoom meeting. Now I was waiting for the agent’s box on my screen to turn green at the same time my young special-needs son was about to go through one of the most stressful parts of the sport he’d just picked up a few weeks earlier — batting while down by one in the last inning with two outs. There was a guy on first. Or second. I don’t remember.

I had never spoken with an agent before. I had emailed a ton of them recently, pitching my novel, and every convo was one way: me emailing them, them emailing me a form rejection notice back. Now here I was, two-hundred bucks poorer, about to speak to a genuine literary agent. Was my hair sticking up? Was my beard all out of whack? Was I going to say “um” a million times as usual? Was my phone going to ding?

Sitting at my bedside in front of my laptop, I gripped my 11 like the handle to a weapon. I kept checking it. Occasionally, the little ellipsis between my wife and me would start bubbling before just as quickly disappearing. I was left only to imagine the tension.

With about a minute left until my pitch session, I sprinted into the living room, a spot in our tiny abode known for its wonderful natural light. I sank to my knees. After a spitfire rendition of “Hail Mary,” I slowly prayed out loud, my eyes slammed shut, my clasped hands digging

Later, Jesus, I thought, smiling, still hugging my precious child. I’ll tell them later.

Let It Be

Anthony Mariani

Feature

into my forehead, “Please, Mother Mary, please watch over A. Please guide him, help him make good decisions, and give him the strength to regulate his emotions.

And if he gets on base, I will tell all the world I believe in Jesus. Even my wife.

Please, Mother Mary. Please.”

It bears repeating again. I despise what has become of Christianity, Catholicism specifically. Gun-toting rednecks who can’t see beyond their own lawns have taken over the faith, and I couldn’t be more unlike any other type of creature on Earth.

D. feels exactly the same way. Saying I believe in Jesus would lessen me in the eyes of pretty much everyone I know.

Saying I believe in Jesus and the Matrix? Eh …

On my knees, I had made a commitment. On the walk back to the bedroom and my laptop, my phone dinged.

It was D. “A. knocked in a run, and we won!”

Fuck.

Hugs, Not Red or Blue Pills The garage door began to kerrang open.

What do I do? Tell them I love Jesus right away, or do I wrap up A. in my arms and tell him I’m so proud of him?

I’m a coward. And a hugger.

I squeezed the shit out of him.

As A.’s curly hair snuggled up against my scruffy cheek, I felt the slightest tinge of guilt.

There seems to be a sense of shame that comes with believing in a higher power but not in AI overlords. Maybe that makes me feel like I’m smart or something, like I’m not any gun-toting, crucifix tattoohaving backward-ass. The distinction is important. Everyone loves to rep their tribe. We all want to comingle among kindred souls, to effect change, ostensibly, to have someone to go to happy hour with, more likely. D. and I wave our flags with pride. She wore a Notorious RBG T-shirt to Kroger the other day, and before I hurt my wrist, I went for a jog around the neighborhood in my BLM shirt.

I told myself I’d wait until Christmas to come clean to my family — not that I’m Catholic or that I’m going to start going to church or anything (haha, no, no, no) but that I believe in a higher power and that the only means through which I can tap that power is what I had been taught since kindergarten, the sit-stand-kneelings of Catholicism. When I fold my hands and close my eyes, I honestly don’t know if I’m praying to the lovely young white lady from the statues of my youth or the beneficent matron from “Let It Be.” Or maybe a little of both? I dunno! Who knows!

Catholicism also reminds me of easier, less stressful times. It reminds me of my childhood. It wasn’t easy — I spent a lot of time alone. It was just simple. All you had to do was go to school and come back in one piece. No mass shootings. No embarrassing moments broadcast on social media. Just blistering paddlings by linebacker-sized nuns and piles of homework a mile high.

The era was not great for Black and brown people, and I know that, and I feel that. I still can’t divorce myself from my soothing memories — mine is the only soul I’ve known.

On the way home from the skating rink at Panther Island last week — I was pretty sure I’d shattered my wrist when I hit the unforgiving ice as quickly as if a ton of bricks had fallen on my head — we drove by quite a few outdoor Christmas decorations. One of them in our neighborhood was of the Nativity. As we passed it, going a breezy 20 miles an hour, with my injured hand I quickly made a little sign of the cross.

Did they see that? They saw that. Maybe they didn’t see it. Whew, glad that’s over. l

“A roaring, wondrous whirlpool of a show”

This exhibition is organized by Tate Britain in association with the Kimbell Art Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities and by the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District.

Promotional support provided by

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– The Guardian

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the overwhelming majority of their players are vaccinated, but Cincinnati has kept that information closer to the vest. All this said, I don’t believe any of the semifinals are in danger of being canceled — the four schools and the committee are very invested in the health and safety of these players, if you know what I mean. So, here are my predictions for the bowls worth watching.

Handicapping the Big Bowls

An underwhelming early bowl season has potential to U-turn with tantalizing New Year’s Eve and Day matchups.

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Mercifully, we’re on the precipice of enjoying college football bowls from legitimately successful teams this season. Don’t misunderstand me. As much as I enjoy watching Tulsa beat Old Dominion in the Myrtle Beach Bowl presented by TaxAct or tuning into to see the Aztecs from San Diego State beat UTSA’s Roadrunners in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl (what!?) — which I picked correctly, but no big deal — we’re coming up on bowl games that don’t have rotating regional sponsors, and I’m excited.

Sadly, the more modern college football becomes — with the transfer portal and athletes pocketing serious shekels for their name, image, and likeness — the more bowl games in general are exposed for the frivolity that 95% of them are. More and more players are opting out for the NFL draft or simply choosing not to play. And there’s still COVID, which is undefeated. Texas A&M has already forfeited their Gator Bowl appearance against Wake Forest and has been replaced by a five-win Rutgers squad, and our Dallas neighbors will miss their second annual should-have-been bowl appearance because the Cavaliers are suffering an outbreak. The Military Bowl was also canceled. Big whoop. I wasn’t going to watch Boston College versus East Carolina anyway.

Big games still have potential to be affected. The playoff committee announced last week from their Irving headquarters that if any team is unable to appear in their playoff game, then the opponent will automatically advance to the title game. In the unlikely event that both teams are rendered unable to compete, a semifinal might become a de facto championship.

The contingency exists for no champion to be crowned at all. For example, if Alabama and Michigan were to advance to the title game and both were hit with COVID outbreaks and couldn’t play the game on or sometime before Jan. 14, the title would simply be vacated for this season. Typical rules and bowl protocols have been changed to protect the teams. All media access is virtual, and little is compulsory in the way of events for staff or players. Customarily, a team would arrive in the bowl city five days ahead of the contest, but now only two days before kickoff are required. Alabama, Georgia, and Michigan have all been forthcoming that

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B Y

Cotton Bowl Semifinal No. 1 Alabama (12-1) vs. No. 4 Cincinnati (13-0) 2:30pm Fri (ESPN) Easily the most intriguing matchup of this year or perhaps in the history of the College Football Playoff: David vs.

Goliath, Rebels vs. The Empire, Beto vs. Any Republican.

The Bearcats were rewarded for breaking the Power 5 glass ceiling with a first-round matchup against Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. I’d love to pontificate that this will prove a Boise-past-Oklahoma game in which Cincy is able to finesse their way over Bama with trick plays and belief in themselves, but I just don’t see it. The Bearcats offense is based around the rush, Bama’s the pass.

Both sides have excellent scoring offenses and defenses.

Alabama defends the run better than the pass, but the startling statistic is the strength of schedule, as Bama has the best in the land. Watching what Saban and sons were able to accomplish against one of the best Georgia squads to ever play between the hedges should have been scary for every team in the country. Moreover, the Tide have appeared in six out seven possible playoff semifinals (in 2019, they lost two games by a combined eight points, one of which to the eventual national champion). Of the six semifinals Saban has coached, he lost the very first one only once, to eventual champion Ohio State. Despite losing the first, the combined score of those six contests is 197-103 in favor of Alabama. Cincinnati’s best hope is that the Heisman curse plagues Bama’s quarterback Bryce Young or the entire team tests positive for COVID and can’t play. Neither is likely.

Buck-it Prediction: Alabama 42, Cincinnati 20 Orange Bowl Semifinal No. 2 Michigan (12-1) vs. No. 3 Georgia (12-1) 6:30pm Fri (ESPN) Statistically, Georgia is one of the most dominating teams in college football and has the most impressive and consistent resume of any playoff contender.

Their only loss is a neutral-site game against another qualifier. Aside from a close opening-day win against Clemson, the Bulldogs steamrolled everything in their path before the SEC championship. The Dawgs simply bury opponents via their defense and are ranked in the top three in every major category. UGA’s offense isn’t as overtly impressive, but they haven’t needed to be.

Georgia also, in my opinion, is advantaged from their loss in the SEC championship. Granted, playing in the 2-versus-3 matchup is not inherently an advantage, but the adversity is. Head coach Kirby Smart will be eager to prove the all-season hype was valid. Opposing them, Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines have already won their championship this season by beating Ohio State.

Big Blue is amped to represent during their first playoff appearance, but it’s all just bonus money. I don’t anticipate the Michiganders scoring consistently against UGA. Both defenses are excellent, though Georgia is slightly better in most categories, but the Wolverines hold the statistical offensive advantage. Both teams have among the strongest schedules in the country. Whoever advances will likely find one more turnover or big play than their opponent, as these squads represent one of the more balanced semifinal matchups to ever be played.

Buck-it Prediction: Georgia 31, Michigan 28

Fiesta Bowl Notre Dame (11-1) vs. Oklahoma State (11-2) 12pm Sat (ESPN) The first of two Big 12 representatives in marquee bowls on New Year’s Day. The Cowboys proved during their conference championship game what aspiring pornstars already know: inches matter. OSU exorcized their demons this season by beating big brother Oklahoma during Bedlam in Stillwater. The Pokes suffered one agonizing stumble in Ames against the Cyclones by three points. Despite an impressive conference record, this team is difficult to figure out. Their nonconference slate was softer than a campaign promise, and the Cowboys survived all their cupcake competition by a combined 13 points. Offensively, they’re capable of fireworks, but more often, their defense has been the stalwart of their success. The Irish drag in a similarly unimpressive resume despite having lost only once, to playoff qualifier Cincinnati. Notre Dame is famously independent and free of poor-school problems like playing in a conference or having to regularly face good opponents or share television revenue. Even among the downtrodden ACC (where ND plays several games), their scores weren’t impressive unless it was against awful teams, and they played a few. Offensively, the Irish score more often and toss the ball with more consistency. Oklahoma State runs the ball more efficiently, but quarterback Spencer Sanders is like trying to domesticate a tiger to be a house pet: He might be an awesome companion, or he might just bite your arm clean off. The Pokes are slightly superior in scoring defense than the Irish but are leagues above in both rushing and passing defenses, even considering their superior strength of schedule rating. Marcus Freeman, the architect of the Irish’s opportunistic defense and coordinator, has been promoted to the head position in the wake of Brian Kelly’s departure for LSU. Mike Gundy aims to finally eclipse the hump that OSU has been climbing — seemingly forever — and their success will depend on the performance of Sanders. This one is anyone’s call, but I’m going to bet on coaching experience and defense and give the Pokes my nod in this game.

Buck-it Prediction: Oklahoma State 24, Notre Dame 20 Sugar Bowl Ole Miss (10-2) vs. Baylor (11-2) 7:45pm Sat (ESPN) The Bears have — for the second time in less than five years — made one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football. Ole Miss is essentially third in the combined SEC at 10-2 and is having one of their best seasons since Eli Manning played. Head coach Lane Kiffin is leading the Rebs with a high-powered passing offense led by Matt Corral, one of the nation’s most prolific passers. This is a classic strength-on-weakness matchup. Baylor runs the rock extremely well and plays shutdown red zone defense. The Rebels pass all day and have flexed their strength against stiff competition. Dave Aranda, Baylor’s head man, is known for defensive game planning and knows the SEC well. Sadly, for the Baptists, defending the pass is overwhelmingly their weakness.

(Anyone who watched their stumble against TCU could tell you that.) Ole Miss isn’t near the top in any defensive category. Bowl games tend to start sloppily as teams work to recover their game rhythm after a significant layoff.

For that reason, I’ll bet on the Bears’ superior defense and rushing game. Of course, it’s always possible Corral will instantly click with his receivers and blow Baylor’s doors off, but it’s less likely. Aranda will try to strangle the ball on offense against one of the worst rush defenses in the country, which seems like the better strategy, which makes sense, because he’ll be the better coach in this game.

Buck-it Prediction: Baylor 35, Ole Miss 31 l

The Factory (2713 Canton St, @ TheFactoryDE) - FRI 12/31 (the factory): Marc Rebillet. FRI 12/31 (the studio): Tay Money.

Granada Theater (3524 Greenville Av, 214-824-9933) - FRI 12/31: The Vandoliers with Rod Gator and Simon Flory. Tickets are $12-$32 at Prekindle.com.

But Wait, There’s More Happening This NYE! How was your Christmas? My long holiday weekend was two days of sheer chaos followed by doing absolutely nothing on Boxing Day. Between refills of Irish coffee and google searches for return policies, clearance sales, and sausage-ball recipes, I watched my final Christmas movie of the season on Sunday evening — Klaus (three stars, would watch again) — and then searched for more NYE events for this column. Here is what I found.

You’re welcome.

ARLINGTON

Mavericks Bar & Grill (601 E Main, 817-548-1442) - FRI 12/31: NYE with Had Company (Bad Company tribute) with Christopher Ryle and the Chill Pill Experience.

Club Reflection (604 S Jennings Av, 817870-8867) - FRI 12/31: Complimentary champagne toast, black-eyed peas, and cornbread.

Club Ritzy (1201 Oakland Blvd, 817-8883360) - FRI 12/31: Southern soul artist Nellie “Tiger” Travis live in concert.

Tickets are $50-$70. VIP includes buffet,

Rail Club Live (3101 Joyce Dr, 817-3864309): FRI 12/31: Far Beyond Drunk (Pantera tribute) with Gizmo. GA tickets $10, VIP $20.

River Bottom Pub (7920 Randol Mill Rd, Ste 2012, 817-860-3270) - FRI 12/31: Live music by Abbey Brown & The Sound. Tickets are $25 and include an all-you-can-eat buffet, party poppers, and complimentary champagne at midnight.

The Shot Cellar (931 Foch St, 817-3863561) - FRI 12/31: Music by DJ Butta at 10pm. Countdown to midnight with a complimentary champagne toast. No cover. continued on page 15

The Old Cocktail Lounge (306 N Bowen Rd, 817-987-1299) - FRI 12/31: Live music by 2:Fourteen! Starting at 9pm. No cover.

DALLAS Amplified Live (10261 Technology Blvd E, 214-350-1904) - FRI 12/31: NYE Blowout with Kill ‘Em All, Mob Rules, and Motley: the Crue (tributes). All ages show. Doors 8pnm, show 9pm. Tickets $15-$25 at Amplified-Live.com.

See formerly Fort Worth-based alt-country favorites The Vandoliers at a rare North Texas show this NYE.

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1851 Club (931 W Division St, 817-6425554) - FRI 12/31: NYE hosted by Kiana Lee featuring Nia Courtland, Letha

FORT WORTH Lynn Jecktion, and Monroe Chesser. No cover, 21+. Complimentary champagne for the countdown. Free reservations at 1851Club.com.

champagne toast, and party favors. Call to reserve tickets.

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COMPLIMENTARY CHAMPAGNE AT MIDNIGHT

FREE BAG OF ICE

with Every $30 Purchase

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4625 Boat Club Rd | FWTX | 817- 238-8337

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See Nellie “Tiger” Travis at Club Ritzy this NYE.

GRAPEVINE Glass Cactus at Gaylord Texan (1501 Gaylord Trl, 817-778-2805) - FRI 12/31: Boogie with disco cover band Le Freak!

Tickets are $75-$125. VIP includes party favors, passed hors d’ouervres, one drink ticket, and a champagne toast at midnight. Must be 21+. Attire must be cocktail or black-ties, but 70s decade flair is acceptable. Call to reserve a table.

Sloan & Williams Winery (401 S Main St, 817-527-7867) - FRI 12/31: Listen to live music and watch the ball drop on our big screen TVs at midnight with a NYE Party Package for Two. Cost is $120 per couple and includes a private table with party hats and toys, chilled champagne, crystal flutes, two signature wine cocktails, a gourmet charcuterie tray, and a dessert tray. Reserve your tickets at SloanWilliams.com/Event-Tickets.

HALTOM CITY Electric Starship Arcade (5620 Denton Hwy, 817-479-6366) - FRI 12/31: NYE Arcade Party. All Day Pass for $10 starting at noon. Party is 8pm to 12:30am with over 100 retro arcade games set to FREE. (Note: Must be 21 and up after 8pm.) Music by Vic-20 starting at 8pm.

HURST-EULESSBEDFORD Bedford Ice House (2250 Airport Fwy, 817-864-9898) - FRI 12/31: Live music by Ashmore. Drink special including $2 select beers, $3 cinnamon shots, $3 domestic pints, $3.50 well drinks, and $4 big beers.

Bronco’s Sports Bar & Grill (900 Airport Fwy, 817-498-0600) - FRI 12/31: Velvet Love Box with the band’s first full-band NYE show since 2019.

O’Sheas Irish Pub (310 Grapevine Hwy, 817-577-4006) - FRI 12/31: Tools-Elete featuring tributes to Tool and Def Tones.

Tables start at $20 at Osheas-Irish-Pub. TicketLeap.com.

KELLER & LAKE WORTH The Pour Shack (250 S Main St, Keller, 817-562-1523) - FRI 12/31: NYE Party with live music by Red Hook. Tables start at $20 at The-Pour-Shack.TicketLeap.com.

N2 Vino Handcrafted Winery (3980 Boat Club Rd, Ste 106, Lake Worth, 817-3862835) - FRI 12/31: Live music by State of Mind (classic rock covers). No cover, but there is a two-drink minimum.

For more New Year’s Eve events, go to FWWeekly.com and read last week’s Big Ticket. To submit ideas for future listings, email Jennifer@fwweekly.com.

By Jennifer Bovee

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Thompson’s Bookstore (900 Houston St, 817-882-8003) - FRI 12/31: Music by DJ Brian Pibb. No cover. Complimentary champagne toast at midnight and party favors. No reservations.

Different beers and ciders (25+ kinds), hot dogs, Frito pies, nachos, and popcorn are available for purchase.

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Dinner with the Modern Lights

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Fridays through February 4 from 5 to 8:30 pm Executive Chef Jett Mora welcomes you with warm hospitality, creative cuisine, and a seasonal menu rooted in Texas ingredients.

Create your own holiday memories on Friday nights at Café Modern.

Seating is available from 5 to 8:30 pm. For reservations, call 817.840.2157.

The Modern trees will be illuminated with an array of festive lights in celebration of the holiday season. The museum galleries are open for FREE until 8 pm on Fridays.

Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth 3200 Darnell Street Fort Worth, Texas 76107 817.738.9215

trips between his lodging and the theater as he breaks in a new cast, works through his grief, and finds the wherewithal to act again.

9. Passing. There’s just so much that’s wrenchingly right about this Netflix film.

Rebecca Hall (a mixed-race actress who does not look the part) makes a stunning filmmaking debut with this adaptation of Nella Larsen’s novel about two lightskinned Black classmates in the 1920s, one of whom decides to pass for white and marries a rich white man. Ruth Negga gives a career-best performance as the friend who goes undercover that way, and the whole thing is photographed in black and white that’s so sharp it’ll make you cry. So will the crushing tragedy that the story builds to.

K R I S T I A N

L I N

This past year, I spent more time in multiplexes than anyone who doesn’t work for a movie theater, and I didn’t get sick. Vaccinations work, people. Also, the Hollywood blockbusters returned, and some of them worked, too, even though others made me feel sick. In that sense, pre-pandemic service resumed. Some of the films on this list were on streaming services, so I watched them at home, but nothing quite replaces the communal experience of taking in the same story at once with a crowd, just as our cave-dwelling ancestors did while gathered around a fire.

Here are the experiences since last March that meant something to me.

1. Belle. Mamoru Hosoda cracks the code for incorporating musical numbers into a Japanese anime film. That alone would be a big achievement, but he’s also made the best movie I’ve ever seen about social media. The story (about a teenage girl who creates a pink-haired pop princess as an online alter ego) steals from Hannah Montana and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and somehow has its heroine rescuing a boy from his abusive home without straining. Surpassingly beautiful and emotional, this film opens locally next month, so watch for it.

2. Limbo. Of all the movies about the refugee crisis, none are as funny as this British entry about a group of Muslims stuck in a halfway house in the windswept wilds of Scotland while the justice system sorts out their legal status. Writer-director Ben Sharrock makes a fantastic filmmaking debut by playing the cultural dislocation for spacey comedy as the refugees try to comprehend the locals’ English and not go insane from boredom. The final sequence with Amir El-Masry’s musician finally playing his oud for the first time since his exile is one of the year’s most satisfying endings.

A pink-haired pop music goddess seeks advice from an angel of cyberspace in Belle.

3. In the Heights. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first Broadway musical becomes a better, cinematic version of itself in this film that deserved a bigger audience. Every number has its own distinctive touch, from the giant cloth swatches in “It Won’t Be Long Now” to the epic scope of “Paciencia y Fe” to the pool dance of “96,000.” On a bigger budget, director Jon M. Chu reaches heights not hinted at by the Step Up sequels he directed and turns this into a hit of joy that makes you want to dance on the side of a building.

4. Titane. Possibly the gnarliest French film you’ll ever see, this tale of a woman who turns the tables on predatory men comes with Cronenberg-level body horror, as its protagonist (Agathe Rousselle, making a sizzling film debut) undergoes anatomical changes after having sex with cars. Along the way, this serial killer learns the value of kindness and nurturing while taking refuge with a fire captain. French cinema has come back to life thanks partly to its women filmmakers, and writerdirector Julia Ducournau is one of that country’s brightest and most perverse new talents.

5. The Green Knight. North Texas’ David Lowery makes it onto my list, and his medieval epic is so good that I’m not even worried about being accused of homerism.

With a predominantly British cast, he renders the 700-year-old epic poem into an appropriately alien-feeling meditation on honor and the fleeting nature of the world’s pleasures. The film’s design makes it look at once modern and immeasurably ancient, and Dev Patel’s performance as Gawain is enough to make an argument for color-blind casting. We can say we knew the director before anybody else did.

6. This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection.

About time an African movie cracked my Top 10, don’t you think? The first film I ever saw from the country of Lesotho is bound up in its people’s lore and geography, as Mary Twala Mhlongo (who died shortly after filming this) gives a raw and agonized performance as an 80-yearold widow whose ancestral homeland is scheduled to be flooded by a new dam and who refuses to abandon the place where she wants to be buried. Writer-director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese uses bright colors and eerie sounds to make this story of a disappearing way of life into something uncanny.

7. There Is No Evil. Despite the best efforts of Iran’s theocratic dictatorship, filmmakers in that country still turn out provocative movies like Mohammad Rasoulof ’s anthology drama. Four connected stories show characters working around the enforcement of capital punishment, which can be handed down for crimes like drinking alcohol, publishing pornography, and simple theft. You won’t soon forget the single-take shot (oddly similar to one from No Time to Die) of a soldier resorting to extreme measures to avoid executing a prisoner. Nor will you forget how the characters’ actions ripple through time.

8. Drive My Car. Slated to play here in Fort Worth next month, this much-feted Japanese awards contender is worth the hype. Adapted from a Haruki Murakami short story, this three-hour road-trip movie is about a theater director (an anguished Hidetoshi Nishijima) coping with the sudden loss of his wife by traveling to Hiroshima to helm a production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. Writer-director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi makes Chekhovian drama out of the main character’s long car

Honorable mention: Steven Spielberg’s electrifying update of West Side Story …

Michael Sarnoski’s somber, cracked study of grief, Pig … Anders Thomas Jensen’s hilarious revenge thriller, Riders of Justice … Craig Gillespie’s punk-rock fashion fantasia, Cruella … Asghar Farhadi’s complex saga of a prisoner and a lost purse, A Hero … Maggie Gyllenhaal’s dislocated meditation on motherhood, The Lost Daughter … Burhan Qurbani’s sharp modern update of Berlin Alexanderplatz … Sean Baker’s raucous romp through a pornstar’s discontent, Red Rocket … Roy Andersson’s career-capping dystopian farce, About Endlessness … Guillermo del Toro’s nihilistic neo-noir tragedy, Nightmare Alley … Radu Jude’s formally innovative tale of a high-school sex tape, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn …

Dash Shaw’s psychedelic animated film about animal rights, Cryptozoo … Paolo Sorrentino’s love letter to his Neapolitan hometown, The Hand of God … Heidi Ewing’s docudrama gay immigrant romance, I Carry You With Me … Céline Sciamma’s enchanting childhood timetravel story, Petite Maman … Charlène Favier’s disquieting #MeToo skiing drama, Slalom … Edgar Wright’s 1960s fever dream, Last Night in Soho … Clint Bentley’s chronicle of a Jockey’s last ride … Michael Pearce’s study of a Marine gone mad, Encounter … and Siân Heder’s look at growing up with deaf parents, CODA. l

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10. The Worst Person in the World. Why don’t we give more consideration to Joachim Trier as one of the world’s greatest filmmakers? The Norwegian excels whether he’s doing coming-of-age saga (Reprise), addiction drama (Oslo, August 31st), or supernatural thriller (Thelma).

This comedy takes in a young woman (the helplessly sexy Renate Reinsve) who hits 30 without figuring out what to do with her life, and it’s like a Scandinavian version of Fleabag or Girls. Trier’s visual gambits pay off handsomely, and when death unexpectedly hits someone close to our main character, it’s deeply affecting.

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Counting down the best cinematic achievements of the past 10 months.

C o u r t e s y Wa r n e r B r o s . P i c t u r e s

The Top 10

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SCREEN

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Mine is duck. We all have our holiday/New Year’s culinary traditions — the food that smells and tastes like a certain time of year.

I can remember as a kid my mother hovering over a stove, searing the duck breast skin-side down on a cold cast-iron pan. After a minute or so, the sizzling bird per-

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These local culinary artists share some of the food that defines them.

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Local Chefs’ Holiday Traditions

Cour tesy of Julia Dunaway

EATS & drinks

fumed the air inside our entire house. She cut the medium-cooked meat into medallions and ladled over the coin-sized morsels a simple sauce of shallots, thyme, reduced chicken stock, and a couple of cups of red wine.

The accompanying dishes included parsnips, potatoes — roasted to crispy perfection — Yorkshire pudding, and usually a strawberry trifle or a chocolate roulade for dessert. Each dish and technique was a passed-down tradition from all corners of my family — an amalgam of my British and French roots.

For my wife, nothing signals the New Year like rice dressing with chopped liver and purple hull peas — both starchy tributes to her Northern Louisiana roots. Now that we’ve coupled and started a family, our children will grow up with this mishmash tapestry of global cuisines and, in time, add their own touches.

The multisensory memories food can conjure hold so much power over chefs and restaurateurs that those traditions become career paths. I spoke to several players in the local restaurant/culinary arts scene for a glimpse into their holiday traditions — old and new — to gain a better sense of how it’s shaped them and, in turn, sent them hurdling down a path to long hours, hard work, and having to suffer idiot Yelp! reviewers.

Jon Bonnell is perhaps the best-known chef in Fort Worth. He’s authored cookbooks, made too many TV appearances to count, and served as a pandemic news hub for the Fort Worth restaurant world. At his two high-end eateries, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine and Waters Restaurant, his menu of locally sourced game and seafood was farm-to-table before the marketing world commandeered the term. Naturally, that same ethos appears on his home holiday table.

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“For Thanksgiving, my family has always tried to celebrate the fall season with a feast of wild game,” he said. “One of us typically harvests a wild turkey for the centerpiece of our big Thanksgiving dinner, and, if anyone has already taken a buck, we typically have venison as well.

My son Ricky got his first turkey this year, and I was thrilled to brag on his accomplishment by brining his bird and cooking it sous vide with fresh herbs. It was the hit of the day.”

Daughter Charlotte “got a nice buck, and we made fresh venison meatballs with homemade marinara sauce that included basil and oregano from our garden.”

Culinary arts instructor Julia Dunaway teaches her students the ways of the plant. Her food is all plant-based and healthy, and her traditional holiday fare has been modified to fit that mold.

“I’ve reworked all of my childhood favorites from corn casserole to dressing to make them whole-food plant-based without added oils,” she said. “This year, my family loved them. I have gotten better over time. My pecan pie was also great.”

Dunaway plans to incorporate these reworked recipes into a class she plans to offer in 2022 called Plant-Based Holiday Fest. She penned a tome called PlantBased Breakfast Favorites that’s available on Amazon.

As Fort Worth’s pop-up queen, instructor, and co-owner of The Table, a local food market on the Near Southside, Chef Hao Tran keeps busy. Her holiday grub began as a beautiful story of an im-

migrant family carrying on their country’s traditions.

“Growing up, our family was not familiar with the idea of Christmas and the traditions of turkey and all the fixin’s, but it was the one chance in the year my parents didn’t work,” said the Vietnam native.

“We gathered around the table and had Vietnamese hot pot: thin-sliced tenderloin dipped in ginger lemongrass vinegar and then wrapped in rice paper with mints, herbs, and pickles and dipped in pineapple anchovy sauce. It was a communal pot, and, at the end, all the juices from the meat and the vinegar made a nice slurping broth.”

“I carry on this tradition with my daughters today,” she continued.

Chef Jen Williams is the owner of catering company JayCee Hospitality, and she’s one of the most decorated and experienced restaurant chefs in the city.

Her holiday season is marked by a hint of sweetness.

“My mom makes her ‘family famous’ cranberry Jell-O salad every year,” she said.

“It’s the only cooking she ever does. The recipe includes canned whole cranberries, canned crushed pineapple, raspberry JellO, and sour cream. It hits. This year she couldn’t find canned whole cranberries, so I suggested I could teach her to make her own, and, since I’m plant-based now, I requested she sub in a non-dairy sour cream.

I got a hard ‘no’ to both.”

Whatever your tradition, elaborate or from a can, just know that you’re passing on a treat that might be enjoyed for generations to come. You’re keeping alive a record of your heritage and adding your own touch. l

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Eats & Drinks

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Chef Jon Bonnell’s holiday fare always includes wild game, like this turkey shot by his son.

The chef brined the bird and cooked it sous vide with fresh herbs.

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MUSIC

RIDGLE A THE ATER FRI 12/31 METALFEST SAT 1/22 ROCKY HORROR

Shows of the Year

U LC H SAT 3/19 G & MORE

RIDGLE A ROOM

THU 12/30 FRI 1/7 SAT 1/8 FRI 1/14

After a lost year, live music finally returned.

Royal Sons, Siamese Hips, Uncle Toasty, and King Crimson (?!) were among our writers’ faves.

BLITZKID ESCAPE THE GRAVE TOUR

RIDGLE A LOUNGE

Royal Sons made sure the grand reopening of Lola’s Saloon was a hit.

FRI 12/31 FABULOUS FREAK BROTHERS FRI 1/7 RADIO RAT, GRIFFIN HOLTBY & MORE SAT 1/8 HEN & THE COCKS

SAT 1/14 WOMEN WHO ROCK Uncle Toasty made its live debut in November at MASS. They came out swinging, fully delivering on frontman Jeffrey Chase Friedman’s intent to show people a good time. The bill was stacked with Phantomelo, the Road Soda, the MeThinks, and Siamese Hips, and the room was packed with a crowd that hung in there until the last distorted chord disintegrated into the ether. Uncle Toasty’s breakneck take on nü-grunge amped the room into a frenzy, and the energy felt kinetic, in part because the band undoubtedly made a bunch of new fans, many of whom caromed off one another in a mosh pit that started early in the set and never really dissipated.

If you’d forgotten what a party a live show could be, Uncle Toasty was a thunderous reminder.

After spending most of 2020 without watching any bands, going to a local venue to catch a local act was reaffirming — consoling, even — in the sense that, as bad as the world is, there are still joys from the Time Before that persist and transcend the shitty circumstances of the present. That was my inner monologue’s take on the situation as I let the bass and drums wash over my brain during a Pablo and the Hemphill 7 set at MASS on July 2.

Though I’ve been watching PH7 lay down dubby, dance-y versions of reggae classics for 20 years now, it never gets old, and, at this particular show, they nearly moved me continued on page 24

FEAT. HONEYMOON DOLPHIN SKYDRUM & MORE

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There’s no telling what the answer might have been when posed to the public writ large (getting pedicures?), but to us as insular, daylight-fearing music obsessives, the obvious response to the question often bandied about during the foul and contemptible year of 2020, “What do you miss most about life pre-COVID?” was easy: “live shows.” Admittedly, live music isn’t for everyone. There’s commonly lots of standing, it’s loud, and, because musicians selfishly refuse to work for free, there is often a cover fee charged at the door just to enter the building!

I get that this isn’t everyone’s bag, and, if not, there are plenty of other ways to spend your time and money, such as, I dunno, getting pedicures? But if you’re like us, and guitars on the verge of feedback, 808s kicking a hole in your chest, and a single human’s deific voice filling every corner of a cavernous venue like a giant fluffy cat in the confines of God’s own discarded Amazon box are your unequivocal jam, the return of live music this past year was a blessing on par with the rains down in you know where.

Thanks to folks responsibly vaccinating and/or masking up starting in the spring, venues around town began to open in a way that made artists both big and … less big … as well as their attendees safe to join together again. Here are just a few of our favorite times when that happened. — P.H.

SOFTSPOKEN & MANY MORE

SAT 2/19

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Y J U A N R . G O V E A , A T R I C K H I G G I N S , N D S T E V E S T E W A R D H O T O S B Y J U A N R . G O V E A

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CREEPING DEATH & MORE GIRLS NIGHT OUT TOPLINE ADDICTS & MORE DANK, MANY MORE

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Phantomelo warmed up a packed MASS for Uncle Toasty’s big debut.

Music

to tears, so starved had I been to hear and feel subsonic frequencies pulse out of huge speakers.

The next night, I saw Quaker City Nighthawks stroll onto Wild Acre’s enormous outdoor stage to rock a commensurately enormous crowd. It was high summer, coming up on Independence Day, and I was baked like an apple pie.

The spider that found its way into my beer and drowned was more of an amusing feature of the night rather than a bug,

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Tulips’ skate event was rad.

and, as the QCNH dudes vamped through their decade’s worth of stoner-y Southern boogie, I was reminded that America invented rock ’n’ roll, for which I will always be grateful. — S.S. One kickass event took place in early July when Tulips FTW teamed up with Magnolia Skate Shop to transform the Near Southside venue into a veritable skate park. Psych-rockers Siamese Hips and shoegazers Trauma Ray headlined a bill that rocked a packed house while skaters shredded on a half-pipe constructed on the back patio.

Another highlight of the summer was the grand reopening of Lola’s Saloon.

One of our favorite music spots was packed shoulder-to-shoulder for a lineup of unquestioned rockaroll. Royal Sons, Arenda Light, and Trees Marie broke in the new lighting and sound systems while owner Brian Forella gave a big heartfelt thanks to the crowd before surfing the crowd.

Summer also saw MASS welcoming Denton hard rockers The Wee-Beasties with a stacked bill full of ribald hardcore punk.

Channeling G.G. Allin and performing nearly nude, Beasties vocalist Richard Haskins stalked the stage, screaming lyrics between chugging beers. The night started with the Orange County sounds of local punks Phorids along with Bullet Machine and Dallas’ Kriminal Pogo.

Just a few weeks ago, MASS hosted a packed crowd for the uncanny indie-folk of Denver Williams. The stage for his debut album release was adorned with a giant inflatable eyeball sporting a cowboy hat. The night was opened by Williams’ former cohort in Chillamundo, guitarist and singer-songwriter Neal McAlister. continued on page 25

Music

continued from page 24

Austin’s Grandma Mousey slid their psyched-out guitar rock into the middle slot. — J.G.

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The skate show had a killer bill, highlighted by Siamese Hips.

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Nationally, the spanking new Dickies Arena is still getting its legs under it and thus far seems to be catering to a very specific demographic with a calendar full of worship music, country artists we’ve never heard of, and boomer-centric acts like Eric Clapton and KISS. Though they don’t belong outside the previous description, the 14,000-seat venue played host to both Hall and Oates and ZZ Top within a week of each other earlier this fall. With his voice still on point, Daryl Hall can still make our dreams come true, and, even without the recently departed Dusty Hill, ZZ is still proving why they’re the best rock band to ever come out of the Lone Star State.

The most notable national act to grace our fair burg was definitely prog-rock pioneers King Crimson, who played Will Rogers Coliseum in late July. Playing a hits-focused set featuring staples like “In the Court of the Crimson King” and “21st Century Schizoid Man,” the band left a new luster of cool-kid cred on a city more normally associated with red dirt country than high art-rock. — P.H. l

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confetti drop, the museum remains open until 5pm. The event is complimentary with your museum admission. Admission tickets are $12-16 at the door.

Cour tesy Facebook

1

NIGHT &DAY

Check out all that is “Rainbow Vomit” in Expo Park in Dallas.

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Shannon Carter, founder/ owner of Shannon Company Wednesday Brewing (818 N Main St, Keller, 817-337-9892), is celebrating his 60th birthday with a party at the brewery. From 4pm to 8pm, the first 100 attendees will receive a complimentary commemorative glass. Food is available for purchase by Caribbean food truck El Mofo Loco (@ ElMofoLocoLLC, 214-505-0507).

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Make up your mind.

Decide to walk with me.

Behind the Stockyards Thursday tonight … for the Toadies concert! The Toadies are touring again, this time in support of the 25th anniversary of their seminal album Rubberneck. In celebration, hear them perform the album in its entirety at Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Pl, 817-624-7117). Doors are at 6pm, openers Eleven Hundred Springs — who have come out of retirement just for the occasion — go on at 9pm, and then Vaden Lewis and the boys hit the stage at 10pm.

Pit passes are $40, and general admission is $20 at BillBobsTexas.com.

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If you’re interested in some grown-up fun for New Year’s Eve, check Friday out the listings and ads in this week’s Big Ticket. Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History (1000 Gendy St, 817-2559300) has you covered in the daytime family-fun department. Starting at 10am, kids can head to FWMSH for the Noon Year’s Eve Celebration, where they will create party poppers, make resolutions, and learn about the animals of the New Year. While the event ends at noon with a

The day before home games, AT&T Stadium (1 AT&T Way, Arlington) Saturday hosts a Rally Day. Today is the first one of the year!

Visitors can get autographs from former players and cheerleaders, go on behind-the-scenes tours of the stadium, and enjoy activities at the Miller Lite House, including ticket giveaways, games, and more. Tickets are $25-40 at ATTStadium.com/RallyDays.

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If you’re not entirely done with your holiday shopping or your Sunday resolutions for the New Year include eating fresh fruits and veggies, make a stop at the Watauga Artisans Market (7600 Denton Hwy, Watauga, 972-884-0680) 10am-2pm.

Any given Sunday, there are as many as 65 vendors on hand, selling honey, jam, produce, meat, tamales, and sweets, including cookies, candies, pastries, and pie.

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“Rainbow Vomit.”

The name alone should tell you that this Monday semi-permanent art installation is something different to see. Featuring 10,000 LED lights, 2,000 balloons, 300 pounds of cotton, and four miles of ribbon, plus a lifesized unicorn, “Rainbow Vomit” (3609 Parry Av, 469-248-0953) is 2,600 square feet of space and covers many different styles of art by 15 artists and creatives in Dallas’ Exposition Park. Reserve an hour-long time slot for 1-7pm Thu-Mon at RainbowVomitDallas.com for $17-40.

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With performances daily at 7:30pm tonight thru Sat, Jan 8, plus 1:30pm Tuesday Sat-Sun, Jan 8-9, and 6:30pm Sun, Jan 9, the Tony-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen hits Bass Performance Hall (525 Commerce St, 817-212-4280) as part of the 2021-2022 Broadway at the Bass series. “A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Dear Evan Hansen is the deeply personal and profoundly contemporary musical about life and the way we live it.” Tickets start at $61 at BassHall.com/ DearEvanHansen.

By Jennifer Bovee

PROPOSED PERMIT NUMBER: 166788L001 APPLICATION AND PRELIMINARY DECISION. Big City Crushed Concrete, L.L.C., 11143 Goodnight Lane, Dallas, TX 75229-4412, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for issuance of Proposed Air Quality Permit Number 166788L001, which would authorize construction of a Rock Crushing Plant located at 430 West Risinger Road, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas 76140. This application was processed in an expedited manner, as allowed by the commission’s rules in 30 Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 101, Subchapter J. This application was submitted to the TCEQ on October 14, 2021. The proposed facility will emit the following contaminants: particulate matter including particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less.

AMENDED NOTICE OF APPLICATION AND PRELIMINARY DECISION FOR AN AIR QUALITY PERMIT PERMIT NUMBER: 37321 APPLICATION AND PRELIMINARY DECISION. TEXSTARS, LLC, 802 E Avenue J, Grand Prairie, TX 75050-2552, has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an amendment to Air Quality Permit Number 37321, which would authorize modification to a Surface Coating Facilities located at 925 Avenue H East, Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas 76011. This application was submitted to the TCEQ on March 16, 2021. The existing facility will emit the following contaminants: carbon monoxide, hazardous air pollutants, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, particulate matter including particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less and sulfur dioxide.

The executive director has completed the technical review of the application and prepared a draft permit which, if approved, would establish the conditions under which the facility must operate. The executive director has made a preliminary decision to issue the permit because it meets all rules and regulations. The permit application, executive director’s preliminary decision, and draft permit will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ central office, the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth regional office, and the Everman Public Library, 100 North Race Street, Everman, Tarrant County, Texas beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The facility’s compliance file, if any exists, is available for public review at the TCEQ Dallas/ Fort Worth Regional Office, 2309 Gravel Dr, Fort Worth, Texas.

The executive director has completed the technical review of the application and prepared a draft permit which, if approved, would establish the conditions under which the facility must operate. The executive director has made a preliminary decision to issue the permit because it meets all rules and regulations.

The permit application, executive director’s preliminary decision, and draft permit will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ central office, the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth regional office, and the Arlington Public Library – George W. Hawkes Downtown Library, 100 South Center Street, Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The facility’s compliance file, if any exists, is available for public review at the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Office, 2309 Gravel Dr, Fort Worth, Texas.

PUBLIC COMMENT/PUBLIC MEETING. You may submit public comments or request a public meeting about this application. The purpose of a public meeting is to provide the opportunity to submit comment or to ask questions about the application. The TCEQ will hold a public meeting if the executive director determines that there is a significant degree of public interest in the application or if requested by a local legislator. A public meeting is not a contested case hearing. You may submit additional written public comments within 30 days of the date of newspaper publication of this notice in the manner set forth in the AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION paragraph below.

PUBLIC COMMENT/PUBLIC MEETING. You may submit public comments or request a public meeting about this application. The purpose of a public meeting is to provide the opportunity to submit comment or to ask questions about the application. The TCEQ will hold a public meeting if the executive director determines that there is a significant degree of public interest in the application or if requested by a local legislator. A public meeting is not a contested case hearing. You may submit additional written public comments within 30 days of the date of newspaper publication of this notice in the manner set forth in the AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION paragraph below.

RESPONSE TO COMMENTS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ACTION. After the deadline for public comments, the executive director will consider the comments and prepare a response to all relevant and material or significant public comments. Because no timely hearing requests have been received, after preparing the response to comments, the executive director may then issue final approval of the application. The response to comments, along with the executive director’s decision on the application will be mailed to everyone who submitted public comments or is on a mailing list for this application, and will be posted electronically to the Commissioners’ Integrated Database (CID).

RESPONSE TO COMMENTS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ACTION. After the deadline for public comments, the executive director will consider the comments and prepare a response to all relevant and material or significant public comments. Because no timely hearing requests have been received, after preparing the response to comments, the executive director may then issue final approval of the application.

The response to comments, along with the executive director’s decision on the application will be mailed to everyone who submitted public comments or is on a mailing list for this application, and will be posted electronically to the Commissioners’ Integrated Database (CID).

INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE. When they become available, the executive director’s response to comments and the final decision on this application will be accessible through the Commission’s Web site at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/cid. Once you have access to the CID using the above link, enter the permit number for this application which is provided at the top of this notice. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/hb610/index. html?lat=32.618917&lng=-97.330843&zoom=13&type=r.

INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLINE. When they become available, the executive director’s response to comments and the final decision on this application will be accessible through the Commission’s Web site at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/cid. Once you have access to the CID using the above link, enter the permit number for this application which is provided at the top of this notice. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/hb610/index. html?lat=32.763333&lng=-97.051666&zoom=13&type=r.

MAILING LIST. You may ask to be placed on a mailing list to obtain additional information on this application by sending a request to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below.

MAILING LIST. You may ask to be placed on a mailing list to obtain additional information on this application by sending a request to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below.

AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION. Public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. For more information about this permit application or the permitting process, please call the Public Education Program toll free at 18006874040.

Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040.

AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION. Public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at www14.tceq.texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087.

Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. For more information about this permit application or the permitting process, please call the Public Education Program toll free at 1-800-687-4040. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040.

Further information may also be obtained from Big City Crushed Concrete, L.L.C. at the address stated above or by calling Mrs. Lacretia White REM, Project Manager at (972) 768-9093.

Notice Issuance Date: December 20, 2021

Further information may also be obtained from TEXSTARS, LLC at the address stated above or by calling Mr. Brian Johnson, Western Region Environmental Manager at (661) 232-6878.

Amended Notice Issuance Date: December 23, 2021

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