The Cross Timbers Gazette December 2016

Serving Argyle, Bartonville, Copper Canyon, Corral City, Double Oak, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Lantana and Robson Ranch

December 2016

Terrain in Transition

By Mark Miller, Contributing Writer

Photo by Brian Maschino

Argyle Middle School opened to students in August.

Tucked away at the confluence of two towns among the rolling fields near the I-35W corridor in southwest Denton County is the beginning of a building boom.

Drive through the Canyon Falls development on the west side of Flower Mound and it’s easy to see the progress being made on one of the area’s newest master-planned communities.

The most recent addition to the 1,200acre site is the large and visually-stunning Argyle Middle School that opened in August. The campus sits on the southeast quadrant, adjacent to the railroad tracks and near Highway 377, north of FM 1171.

The school currently includes about 600 students and 60 staff members, who moved over from the previous location next to Argyle High School. Future plans call for the new school to be swapped with the

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By Mark Miller, Contributing Writer

Lewisville Independent School District (LISD) band programs are familiar with competition success—including being named winners of Grammy Awards. But, what happened over the first weekend in November topped the charts—literally.

LISD high schools earned the top three spots in the 2016 University Interscholastic League Class 6A Marching Band Contest at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Flower Mound High School won the competition for the first time in school history; while Hebron placed second and Marcus third. It was the first time in UIL history that one school district swept the top three spots in the largest classification. The only other district to achieve the feat was the Leander ISD in the smaller Class 5A last year.

“It’s pretty rare when the same district can finish in the top three spots and it’s even something that’s being noticed nationally,” said Brent Biskup, Flower Mound’s fifth-year director of bands. “It was really amazing for that to happen that way.”

Flower Mound also captured its second consecutive Bands of America Super Regional title four days earlier in the same venue; with Hebron placing fifth and Marcus sixth. Though See BANDS on Page A20

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Flower Mound High School won the 6A state marching band contest for the first time in school history.

Comic Book Shop Fulfills Childhood Dream

By Mark Miller, Contributing Writer

Inside This Section

Postal Customer

Since 1979

District Domination: Bands Sweep State

See CANYON FALLS on Page A15

Mayor’s Columns Real Estate Corner Local Experts

Photo by Addison Dunn

Lee Norup of Flower Mound doesn’t have a cape or super powers, but he’s hoping to save the day for southern Denton County residents looking to shop for comic books near home.

From the time he sold his first comic book online at age 14, Lee Norup has wanted to own his own store. Thanks to a housebursting personal inventory, an increasing worldwide demand and the lack of such a place in Flower Mound, that dream has become a reality.

The now 35-year-old and wife Jennifer opened Twenty Eleven Comics in August next to Alforno’s Italian Kitchen on Morriss Road. It came soon after they and their 11-year-old sons from previous relationships moved to town.

“I’ve been planning it, thinking about it and making notes for 20 years,” the 1999 Marcus High School graduate said, while seated in the store. The space had sat vacant for five years, after previously housing a yoga studio.

“I’ve always figured there’s something to this,” he said. “I See COMICS on Page A23

December 2016

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December 2016

Canine Companion Makes Life Easier for Disabled Vet

By Mark Miller, Contributing Writer

Rex Vehrs and his helpful companion, Inez.

Thanks to the generosity of donors to a longtime national organization that’s only been in North Texas for a year, disabled people like Rex Vehrs are living lives with less pain.

Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) connects highly-trained service dogs with the folks who most need them. The organization, started in California in 1975, opened its first training center in Texas in 2015 at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Irving.

One of the most recent recipients is the long-time Flower Mound resident-- who met and bonded with his Labrador-Golden Retriever-mix companion, Inez, in August-after graduating from training.

The 49-year-old Vehrs served 22-years in the U.S. Army and Reserves; many in special operations units. He also worked 10years in federal law enforcement as a canine border patrol officer in southern Texas,

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before transferring to North Texas as an air marshal, before retiring in 2014 due to his disability.

Airborne ranger training was hard with parachute jumps onto concrete airfields and long marches carrying heavy amounts of gear. Duty tours including: the final stages of Vietnam in the 1980s; Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia and Iraq in the 1990s; plus, Operation Iraqi Freedom in the 2000s, added to the challenges.

The cumulative result of multiple injuries suffered while in training and in action took their toll. He ended up with traumatic brain injury and reflex sympathetic dystrophy, also known as chronic regionalized pain syndrome and chronic pain.

“The whole time I kept sucking it up, because that was the way we were programmed,” said Vehrs. “If you are in pain, you suck it up and drive on and you get the mission accomplished. The missions we were performing were much more important than me.

“We were capturing high-value targets.

We were rescuing hostages. We had a lot of different things going on and, for me, the mission was much more important than myself and [I] just kept going. Eventually it caught up with me.”

He’s had two total hip replacements, titanium implanted in his neck, plus a spinal cord simulator with wires and a computer chip.

“It’s an Oreo-sized device with a remote control ,which I have to keep away from my buddies, because they’ll have me dancing around doing a jig,” he said, fully aware his suffering is nothing compared to those killed or those who lost body parts.

Vehrs’ spinal cord injuries caused him to drop things 15-20 times each day. That wasn’t a problem during the summer when his family-- wife Shelley, daughter Regan and son Cameron-- could help him. During the school year was another matter; and something he dreaded.

So, enter Inez.

“Inez has been a blessing beyond description,” he said. “She will pick objects up for me. She’ll carry objects for me.

See COMPANION on Page A21

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December 2016

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From the Desk of Andy Eads Denton County Commissioner, Pct. 4

Completion of FM 1171 Improvements Denton County, local officials and the Texas Department of Transportation gathered mid-November to celebrate the completion of roadway construction for FM 1171 from Shiloh Road to I-35W. The celebration of opening FM 1171 to six lanes of traffic would not have been possible without the confidence of the voters to provide the county the resources needed through its bond programs. First class transportation infrastructure is at the very top of the list of things your government should be doing, and this event was a tangible result of bond funds at work.

The 7.3 mile project was awarded to Webber, LLC at a construction cost of $45,721,253 million and was completed approximately five months ahead of schedule. FM 1171 has been expanded from a two- lane rural roadway to a 6 lane divided urban facility, with raised median and improvements at all major intersections.

Commissioner Bobbie Mitchell, who represents a portion of Flower Mound, remembers when Denton County began this project. FM 1171 was a heavily traveled, two-lane road with limited shoulders, poor sight lines, and deep bar ditches, and was a very unforgiving road. While today we are celebrating the widening of FM 1171 to six lanes, just as important to us is the higher level of safety our motorists will experience by bringing this facility up to the latest safe-

FM 1171 expansion ribbon cutting on Nov. 15.

ty standards.

Denton County has been committed to roadway infrastructure programs for nearly three decades. Improving transportation infrastructure not only spurs economic development, but improves the quality of life of its residents.

This is another example of the incredible collaborative spirit that truly sets Denton County apart. The stakeholders in this important road project have been leaders in every way. We also owe a great amount of gratitude to the homeowners and business owners whose properties were impacted during the construction period. This project will improve safety for the citizens of the region and dramatically improve mobility.

Construction Kick-Off for 114/170 Project Texas Transportation Commissioner Victor Vandergriff, Denton County Judge Mary Horn, TxDOT officials, area mayors, council members and citizens joined

me last month to officially celebrate the start of construction of the SH 114 main lanes/SH 170 safety project. The project will add an additional general purpose lane in each direction on SH 114 from east of Trophy Lake Drive to east of Kirkwood, as well as construct an interchange on SH 170 at Parish Lane enhancing safety measures at that location.

What started out as a safety issue at Parish Lane quickly turned into a much larger project to add congestion improvements for the SH 114 corridor in south Denton County and north Tarrant County. This is yet another example of Denton County’s decades-long commitment to building and maintaining strong partnerships with all our regional partners, such as TxDOT, NCTCOG, area municipalities, and neighboring counties to improve roadways in our region.

Motorists in this area face congestion on SH 114 and SH 170 daily, and this expansion project will address that issue, while also enhancing safety for the

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traveling public. This $24.9 million dollar construction project began last month and is expected to be completed in July 2018.

County Emergency Services Receives Homeland Security Grant Through a resolution in Commissioners Court last month, Denton County approved the acceptance of a grant awarded from the Homeland Security Grant Program. The county’s Department of Emergency Services applied for FY2016 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), Urban Area Security Initiatives (UASI) grant funds.

The purpose of the grant is to provide for a joint project between the Department of Emergency Services, the Department of Technology Services, the City of Lewisville, and the City of Carrollton.

The project will improve upon “Light Detection and Ranging” or “LiDAR” imagery, which provides enhanced elevation data for mapping applications and for the most accurate understanding of local flood plains.

In addition, more detailed threat and risk assessment will allow for the creation and updating of emergency response plans. This data will be used for training and exercise purposes so that risks associated with these scenarios may be better understood.

The total project cost is approximately $300,000, with $130,000 of that coming from the anticipated award from the Homeland Security Grant. The additional funds from the City of Lewisville and the City of Carrollton, along with a future request for supplement funds from the Capital Improvement Program, complete the funding. The project is subject to apSee EADS on Page A17

December 2016

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December 2016

Around Argyle

By Argyle Mayor Peggy Krueger

I would love to tell you that there is a lot of exciting things going on that I can report on, but I have already given you the exciting news on new developments. The preparation of a project seems to be a slow and rigorous process but we are eating that elephant one bite at a time! I promise I will give you lots of information in my next letter.

Please take time to remember all that we are thankful for and enjoy your family and friends this Christmas season. This is a great time to enjoy each other. The holidays are hectic

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and busy, but I hope each of us will pause to remember what the holidays are all about as we roll into Christmas.

Be safe with your loved ones!

Stella’s Corner The Argyle Seniors had a blast at their Halloween wiener roast and hay ride.

Costume contest winners: Scariest was Jim Davis dressed as a vampire, Funniest was Arlene Kerr dressed as a clown and Most Original was Stella McDaniel dressed as Raggedy Ann. Those attending were Arlene Kerr, Diana Farmer, Stephen McDaniel, Juanita Green, Ellie Tilton, Ann & TJ Self, Donna & Paul Lumpkins, Lyn & Jimmy Porter, Margit Wallace, Jim Davis, Colleen & Harry Fogle, John & Jody Bellinghausen, Terry & Carolyn See AROUND ARGYLE on Page A16

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Bartonville Town Update

By Bartonville Mayor Bill Scherer

Greeting from Bartonville, Pardon Our Dust - The Town Hall Remodel Project is well underway. We have repaired the water and termite damage. The exterior siding has been replaced, the new administration offices are completed and new council room, administration lobby and police department area should be completed by mid-December. These deferred repairs and improvements will allow us to better serve our town, accommodate our current council meeting overflow, and provide space for community events.

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We are excited to complete this project and invite everyone to come visit our update Town hall and new Community Room.

In addition to the remodel the Town Council is standardizing our street signs.

You will soon see the new signs which include the Town Logo on the left side with 6” white reflective lettering for better night time visibility.

Our Police Department “Blue Santa” program is underway and we need your help! The giving tree is located inside Bartonville Town Hall with wish tags for each child. You can stop by anytime during business hours (8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.).

Additional suggested items: Warm blankets, gloves, hats, and grocery cards (All children are on the free lunch program and may not eat as well at home when See BARTONVILLE on Page A28

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December 2016

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December 2016

What’s Happening in Copper Canyon

December 2016... from the desk of Mayor Sue Tejml

Saturday December 3rd 3-5 p.m.

Santa Party for Copper Canyon Kids at Town Hall.

(All children must be accompanied by an adult Town resident.)

NOTE: This is a repeat of last month’s information for Town residents with small children who may have missed it.

The highlight of the Santa Party for our kids is always their traditional ride atop the big red fire engine of our Argyle Fire District! Parents are welcome to ride atop the engine, too. And our very fit and muscular firefighters will help adults safely up the vertical metal ladder on the rear of the engine. If your child wants to ride atop the fire engine, be sure they have a jacket to wear. Though the fire engine wanders slowly through our Woodlands subdivision, it can be breezy up on top.

For children who prefer not to ride on

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top, they can ride inside the cab and make the siren ring out! (Many thanks again to the residents of the Woodlands who very good naturedly abide the repeated sound of the fire engine siren!)

Argyle Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger is a longtime Copper Canyon resident and has always reliably provided the fire engine rides for our children’s pleasure!

Unless – there is a fire call – and then the engine and firefighters must respond promptly!

Our Town Administrator Donna Welsh has been organizing this well attended traditional event for many years. And the members of the Copper Canyon Women’s Club have decorated Town Hall for Christmas and provided homemade cookies for the party!

Bids Solicited for Reconstruction of Chinn Chapel Road and Woodland Drive and the construction of the interior residential streets of Ladera Senior Community Three parties are coordinating a joint See MAYOR SUE on Page A14

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News From Town Hall

By Double Oak Mayor Mike Donnelly www.double-oak.com - 972-539-9464 @DoubleOakTx

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December 2016

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December 2016

Flower Mound Council Message

By Kevin Bryant Mayor Pro Tem

November was a special month for our community, as we celebrated our veterans through two different events.

The first was our traditional Veterans Day Ceremony and Parade, which was held on Sunday, November 6. Even though it was an unexpectedly rainy afternoon, our Parks and Recreation staff moved quickly to setup the event under the stands at the Flower Mound High School stadium. It was no surprise that the thoughtful words by our speakers honored the importance of Veterans Day, especially our keynote speaker Mark Hudson. Mark is the father of Marcus graduate Aaron Hudson, who was killed in action while

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serving as an Army private in the 401st Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, from Fort Hood. The rain didn’t dampen the mood as there was a large crowd and a good sampling of local Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, JROTC, and other youth leadership groups presenting the flags of the branches of the US Armed Forces. It is such a joyous site to see the youth of our town uniting together to show honor and respect to those who are currently serving or have served.

Our second event honoring veterans was the third annual Veterans Day Relay Run. It could not have been a more beautiful day as 30 of our veterans, family members, and supporters took each segment of the relay run, proudly carrying the American flag. Our runners were comprised of all different ages and backgrounds, but shared the common goal of proudly supporting our military members See FM COUNCIL on Page A25

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Highland Village Update

By Charlotte Wilcox Highland Village Mayor

It’s hard to believe, but the holiday season is here. We just celebrated the beginning of the Christmas season at The Shops at Highland Village with the annual Our Village Glows. This event is a Highland Village tradition and we are grateful to the Highland Village Women’s Club, The Shops at Highland Village and our city staff for organizing this family event. Listening to the Christmas carols, watching the lighting of the beautiful tree and seeing the excitement of the kids as Santa arrives always puts me in the Christmas spirit.

I encourage you to shop local this holiday season. I am excited to share with

you the new Highland Village Business Association website and online directory. You can easily access the site on your phone or tablet making it easy to find the local business for your holiday gift buying. The directory is separated into categories that include Shop, Taste, Go, Play and Do or you can use the search bar to find a specific business. The new site also features a Community Highlights section that showcases local businesses, upcoming events, and news. Check it out at www.TheHVBA.com and support local businesses this holiday season.

And as we talk about shopping local, just like many of you, I am heartbroken to see our Highland Village Kroger close. This was my store too. We were surprised to hear the store was closing.

It was only a year ago we talked with the regional manager who told us Kroger had renewed their lease and they were See HV UPDATE on Page A26

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December 2016

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11/10 - Theft - 8700 block of James Drive (Kendall)

News From Your Neighborhood

HOA is Going Mobile Lantana’s HOA will soon have a better way to communicate with residents. The Lantana Community Association is rolling out a new mobile-friendly website and app early next year.

Insight Association Management, which manages the Lantana Community Association, and Lewisville-based Nabr Network are working together to bring the new “IAM Connected” app and website to Lantana and the management company’s entire portfolio of community associations.

“Everybody wants information at the touch of their fingers on their mobile devices. They want to access things quickly, conveniently and easily. We started working with Nabr Network a couple of years ago to figure out if there was an option out there that we could utilize to enhance communication by putting information into people’s hands,” said Bruce Crawford, president of Insight.

“Over the last couple of years of working with them they have enhanced their product to meet our needs and we feel like it’s going to be a great thing for all of our clients.”

Crawford said that residents will be able to choose the best way they want to be communicated with, whether it’s an email or a text message or push notification on their phone.

“The whole purpose is to get information to residents in the way that they desire,” said Crawford.

The app will be fully interactive so the same features will be available as if you were sitting at your computer.

“You’ll be able to reserve amenities, check the calendar, pay your assessments and see your payment history. Eventually we hope to be able for residents to use the app to pay for HOA events.”

Another feature will allow residents to send messages and photos straight from the app.

“If you’re out taking a walk and spot a stray dog you can snap a picture and upload it right on the spot. If our managers on property spot any issues they can take a picture and let the community know about it immediately,” Crawford said.

Nabr Network will provide Insight with

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11/10 - Theft - 1000 block of Fortner Road (Bandera)

The Lantana Community Association presented this year’s Run Lantana 5k/10k benefactor, Ranch Hand Rescue, with a check for $14,125. The Argyle-based non-profit organization works to rescue and rehabilitate abused and neglected farm animals. the technology, training and support for the app.

“We are the only management company in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that has a branded enterprise app that integrates with our website,” said Crawford. “I think it’s really going to help with resident engagement and communication.”

The app will be available through an Apple enterprise link for Apple users and in the Google Play Store for Android users. It will also be available for download via text message.

Lantana Man Dies in Motorcycle Crash Jeff Peterson, 60, was killed when his motorcycle slammed into a parked car on Nov. 10.

The accident occurred in the 1200 block of Claire Street in Lantana’s Isabel subdivision just after 8 a.m.

“The victim was wearing shorts, t-shirt, and sandals with no helmet when he lost control, hit a parked car and went under the car,” said Argyle Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger.

Peterson was transported to Denton Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead from multiple blunt force injuries.

Peterson lived just a couple of blocks from the accident scene.

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and Texas Department of Public Safety are investigating the accident.

Crime Watch Recent calls for service in Lantana from the Denton County Sheriff’s Office: 10/24 - Fraud - 9300 block of Sabal Lane (Juniper) 10/25 - Theft - 1000 block of Sheldon Road (Magnolia) 11/2 - Credit Card / Debit Card Abuse - 1400 block of Pitaya Drive (Bandera) 11/5 - Fraud - 1200 block of Burnett Drive (Heritage)

Development Watch Lantana had 3,390 occupied homes as of November 21 with an estimated population of 11,018. There were 95 new home sales year-to-date as of October 31, with the average new home selling for $427,327 or $131.99 per square foot.

There were 2,029 single-family building permits issued in Fresh Water Supply District 6 and 1,479 permits issued in Fresh Water Supply District 7 through October 2016, for a total of 3,508 permits.

Model homes for Highland Homes and CalAtlantic are under construction in the 90 lot Reata subdivision north of Tanner Parkway adjacent to golf hole 16.

The Barrington Addition, located at the north end of Lantana Trail adjacent to the roundabout is nearly complete. The first phase will consist of 119 lots and Highland Homes will be one of the homebuilders.

The final phase of the Garner subdivision along Copper Canyon Road should be completed in March. There will be 82 lots and CalAtlantic will be the homebuilder.

Wise Wireless, Smile Up Dentistry and Farmers Insurance are now open in Lantana Town Center.

Grading operations are expected to begin soon on the 10-acre site of Lantana Town Center Phase II across FM 407 from Kroger.

Phase II consists of seven buildings containing 74,473 square-feet of retail and restaurant space. No tenants have been announced yet.

December 2016

Harvest Happenings

By Page Austin, Lifestyle Manager

Can you believe it’s already December?!

Looking back on November, we had a fun month at Harvest! We held a seminar about juicing by the Denton Juice Lab; seminar on holiday design and craft with Decorating Den; guitar and ukulele class for kids 3-12; and arts and crafts for our littles. Our ladies got together and made fall wreaths for their doors. They also participated in the #mannequinchallenge, which has taken social media by storm! The video received more than 1k views in just a few hours!

We also hosted the 2nd Annual Chili/BBQ Cook-Out where homeowners put their skills to the test! Bryan McLarty from 407 BBQ was our guest judge. It was a fun day of eating chili and BBQ and watching football.

Harvest is a very active community.

From Camp Gladiator, yoga to walking and running clubs, our residents love to get moving. This year, we partnered with Fieldhouse Fitness Center in Justin to host our first “Run Now, Gobble Later” Turkey Trot. We had more than 80 runners participate! The Denton Waffle Truck, Denton

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Juice Lab, State Farm, Costco, and other vendors made the morning a fun one!

We also celebrated Veteran’s Day at Harvest. We have many homeowners who bravely served our country. We know that freedom is never free and so we are very thankful for all the men and women who have served our great country. Harvest veterans, we thank you!

Kerrie Hargis (Air Force), Danny Hubbard (Marine Corps), Kevin Inskeep (Marine Corps), Ray Jarest (Army), Sylvia Jarest (Army), Melvin Johnson (Army), Katie Kleinkort (Air Force), Joe Kleinkort (Air Force), Michael Logar (Air Force), Charles Lowrance (Air Force), Ryan Martin (Navy), Tom Meaney (National Guard), Eric Munger (Army), Chris Newland (Navy), Paul Nightingale (Army), Chad Nixon (Marine Corps), Ken Otis (Army), Derrick Owens (Army), Don Palmire (Army), Scott Peterson (Marine Corps), Lynn Provost (Air Force), Steve Purvis (Air Force), Scott Ragsdale (Navy), Joel Rainier (Navy), Jon Ray (Navy), Chad Reynolds (Marine Corps), Victor Rivera (Army), Elisabeth Roper (Air Force), Mi-

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Robson Ranch: Grassroots Movement Successful

By Kathleen Wazny, Denton City Council, District 3

The petition drive was a success. Never underestimate the power of a grassroots movement.

What was the petition all about? The goal was to allow Denton voters to decide, in May 2017, whether or not to freeze City of Denton property taxes for seniors (age 65 and over) and the disabled. The petitioners needed approximately 3,700 signatures to place this on the ballot. These signatures had to be registered voters in the City of Denton.

At last count, the number of signatures obtained was over 8,500. The next step is for the petition organizers to submit the notarized petitions to the City. Then the

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signatures will be verified by the City Secretary. From there the mechanics include the City of Denton and the Denton County Elections Administration to work through the legal process to place this initiative on the ballot.

Now, onto news about the City of Denton. The City Council can hire and fire four positions at the City: City Manager, City Attorney, Internal Auditor, and the Municipal Judge. The City Council did not renew the City Manager’s contract this past summer. A professional search firm was hired and a nationwide search was held for a new City Manager. Finalists were selected, and interviews took place.

The City Council appointed Todd Hileman as City Manager, following a specialcalled meeting on Nov. 21. The Council voted 7-0 on a five-year contract set to begin on or before Jan. 30.

Hileman has served as Village ManSee ROBSON on Page A13

See HARVEST HAPPENINGS on Page A27

Photo by Brian Maschino

Harvest residents enjoyed participating in the 2nd Annual Chili/BBQ Cook-Out and wreath making during November.

Ground was broken last month on Wise Health Surgical Hospital near Robson at I-35W and Crawford Rd. The hospital is expected to open in fall 2017. Several medical office buildings will also eventually be built near the hospital.

December 2016

Robson

Continued from Page A12

ager of Glenview, IL, a north Chicago suburban community with a population of nearly 50,000, since 2004. In previous assignments, he served as City Manager and Assistant City Manager of Avondale, AZ, from 2000 to 2004 and as City Administrator for the cities of Delavan, WI and Vandalia, MO. His local government experience spans 24 years.

Hileman holds a Bachelor of Science

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degree Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State University and a Master of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University. He received the City Manager of the Year award from the Illinois Assistant Municipal Management Association (IAMMA), and the Village of Glenview received the Community Partnership Award from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

Another important position being filled is the City’s Internal Auditor. The City has not had one for several years. The City

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Council moved forward with the decision to fill this post. Again, a professional search firm is bringing forward qualified applicants, and we should see this position filled in early 2017.

As I write this, it’s the eve of Thanksgiving, and I have much to be thankful for. This is my favorite time of the year.

There is magic in the air, as we prepare for Hanukah and Christmas. As we draw the year to a close, hold close the people in your lives, and say the words in your heart.

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Please remember the Robson Ranch Music Club Choir Christmas Concerts.

They are a special holiday touch to Robson Ranch! The dates and times are: Saturday, December 17th at 7 p.m., AND Sunday, December 18th at 4 p.m. The concerts are at the Main Clubhouse, and tickets will be available at the door, for $10.

Happy Hanukah and Merry Christmas!

It’s an honor to serve.

The Real Estate Corner by: Gary Kuhatschek Rules for Tax Free Gains on Personal Home Sales If you are an owner occupant of your home at the time you sell and meet IRS requirements you maybe tax exempt on any profits you made on the sale. In past years the rules changed how gains were handled and eased as far as restriction on homes used partially for business, the separate sale of land near the home and homes sold due to unforeseen circumstances. However, no changes have been made to the maximum dollar amount of tax-free gain on the sale of a principal residence. The maximum amount of tax free gain for joint filers is $500,000 and $250,000 for single filers.

Some taxpayers use a room in their homes for business or rental purposes. When the home is sold, the $500,000/$250,000 gain exclusion doesn’t apply to the portion of gain that represents any depreciation or tax deduction that was taken on the business/rental portion of the house. The $500,000/$250,000 gain exemption applies to a home that has been owned & used by the taxpayer as a principal residence for at least 2 years for a 5-year period ending on the date of the sale. Several exceptions now apply: • Residences lost through a catastrophic event, such as tornado, fire or earthquake.

• Those who are forced to live in a facility for health reasons.

• Those involved in a divorce.

• Those whose spouses have recently died.

Also, under certain conditions taxpayers that don’t qualify for the full $500,000/$250,000 exclusion may qualify for a partial exclusion.

Homeowners living on a large lot or acreage may sell part of the land separately from the rest of the land and residence. The gain on the land sale is eligible for the $500,000/$250,0000 exclusion if the residence is sold within 2 years before or after the land sale. If the land is sold before the home then capital gains tax must be paid, then once the home is sold you can amend your previous return and receive a refund on the land gain. This exclusion applies to the total gain from the land and residence sale as long as the land was owned and used as a primary residence for at least 2 of the 5 years preceding the sale.

As you can see, the tax rules applying to primary residences can be quite complex. For full disclosure I am not a tax attorney or CPA, therefore it is always best to consult with a tax attorney or tax accountant when considering the sale of your property.

Gary Kuhatschek is a broker/associates at RE/MAX Cross Country REALTORS located in the Victorian building at 1990 Justin Road in Highland Village. He can be reached by phone at 972-317-9401 or by e-mail at garyk@rmccdfw.com

93 18 15 $1,555,000 $50,000 $427,765 $514,131 $146.88 58

11 3 1 $840,000 $615,000 $770,000 $741,667 $166.10 219

5 0 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

4 3 0 $650,000 $440,000 $650,000 $580,000 $174.82 53

11 4 3 $575,000 $370,000 $503,950 $488,225 $163.08 85

260 81 54 $1,290,000 $146,000 $362,000 $394,858 $139.62 37

59 15 12 $700,000 $190,000 $369,900 $377,673 $133.93 57

63 18 13 $729,900 $277,000 $428,000 $440,561 $116.32 74

96%

90%

N/A

98%

99%

99%

98%

98%

Statistics for the Month of October 15, 2016 to November 15, 2016 Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

1990 Justin Road Highland Village, TX 75077 CALL GARY @ 972-317-9401 www.garykuhatschek.com garyk@rmccdfw.com Independently Owned and Operated

Cross Country REALTORS

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Updates include carpet, tile in the kitchen and breakfast area. All Bedrooms are down the hall, one could be a home office. Low E Windows are going to be installed. Kitchen has double oven, replaced cook top, Corian counter tops. Wet Bar in the Living Room and covered patio in the backyard. Great lot with many mature trees providing shade. Long driveway with 2 car garage. Welcome Home!! $259,900

Perfect Ranch Home on 1 Acre!! 4 Bedroom 3 Bathrooms with 2 Living Areas. Eat-In Kitchen has been recently updated with custom cabinets and counter tops, Stainless Appliances. Master Bedroom Suite has a large Sitting Room and Coffee Bar with Double sided Fireplace. All Bathrooms have been updated with Granite. Large Screened In porch is great for alfresco dining. Windows have been updated. Large Backyard features a salt water pool. Welcome Home!! $449,900

Great 2 Acre Mini Ranch!! One Story with 4 Bedrooms and 3 Full Baths. Kitchen has been updated with custom cabinets and Stainless Steel Appliances. Commercial Grade Range has gas cook top. Open Floor Plan with Game Room and Family Room adjoining with a wet bar.

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Backyard Oasis includes Large Diving Pool, Mature Live Oaks, Magnolias, and large covered patio perfect for entertaining. $574,900

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Gormet Kitchen features granite counter tops and large island.

Upstairs has a second Master Suite, 2 additional bedrooms and 2 full baths. A Large Game Room and Media Room Combo. Circular Stairs in Master lead up to a second story office or storage. $524,900

Rare One of a Kind Property!! 83.705 Pristine Acres with Native Oak Trees. Also offered in MLS #13368854 as 57.724 Acres and 25.981 Acres. Rolling Hills, one of the highest points in Bartonville, tons of trees. Could be used a horse property, raise cattle or also as a residential two acre lot development. Property is surrounded by Tour 18, Stonewood Acres. See example plat attached. Great Opportunity to Build a development.

Excellent 1.9 Acre Lot Perfect to Build Your Dream Home!!

Lot is in Stonewood Acres in the sought after Town of Bartonville on a Cul-De-Sac so there is minimal traffic.

Live the Country life but with all the amenities that you find in the city. If you are looking to build this is a great opportunity. $285,000

December 2016

Mayor Sue

Continued from Page A8

bid on their individual three projects.

Chinn Chapel Road will be funded by Denton County and supervised by Copper Canyon Town Engineers – Halff Associates. Woodland Drive will be funded by the Town of Copper Canyon and supervised by Copper Canyon Town Engineers – Halff Associates. Ladera’s interior streets will be funded by Integrity Group and supervised by Bobby Dollak with G&A Consultants. The joint project is on target and requests for bids were publicized in November.

The Council wishes to gratefully thank Copper Canyon resident Grace Weir for allowing her acreage to be used as the location of a temporary concrete batch plant.

The area on the northwest corner of Chinn Chapel Road and Woodland Drive is easily accessible to both road construction sites and should greatly speed up the time necessary for rebuilding the two roads.

The local batch plant will dramatically reduce the amount of time lumbering concrete trucks must access our town roads.

Road construction is always stressful for Town residents. Thank you, Grace, for greatly lessening the time your neighbors will have to endure the turmoil of road construction!

Woodland Drive resident Craig Laughlin also made a good suggestion at the November Council Meeting. He asked that the road reconstruction plans of Woodland Drive be available on the Town website for all residents to see. The Council also suggested that a larger hard copy of the engineering drawings be available at Town Hall for any resident interested in seeing them. (Engineering drawings on a website can be too small to see details clearly.)

Jamie Laughlin, who also lives at the top of Woodland Drive, told the Council that she was disappointed that the speed

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limit on that section of Woodland Drive had not been reduced for safety reasons.

She was also disappointed that our Deputies did not more stringently enforce the current speed limits. However, our two Sheriff’s Deputies, David Berry and Jess Moran, have both heeded requests by residents on Orchid Hill Lane and Chinn Chapel Road and responded with more frequent traffic patrols on those two roads. And, the Deputies will do the same to slow speeders as they make the “blind crossing” over the peak of Woodland Drive.

keep us safe. And to provide that medical attention swiftly, without long debilitating delays that make a mockery of their sacrifice!

After the church service, we gathered on the grass around the new flagpole with the Stars and Stripes flowing and sung “America the Beautiful” together. Two stone benches are placed in a semi-circle flanking the flag pole. Anyone is welcome to sit and contemplate our American heritage and our veterans over the recent decades, and even centuries, who have kept us safe.

Chinn’s Chapel Methodist Church dedicates Veterans Memorial Flagpole Chinn’s Chapel Methodist Church dedicated its Sunday November 13th service to honoring American military veterans in our area. The small church had such a “full house” that volunteers had to place folding chairs alongside the wooden pews to accommodate the overflowing congregation.

Pastor Paul McGarvey asked all veterans present to please stand as he called out the name of each of our American military services. Sixteen men stood, representing almost every branch of service!

A few of the older men who served after World War Two were even in uniform!

Pastor McGarvey marveled that the men still remained so physically trim that they could even button those well preserved military jackets!

One Marine veteran from our recent Middle East conflicts stood with his wife and children. He stood on two metal prostheses, as both his legs were blasted off in a land mine explosion. It is that kind of stark sacrifice by our veterans and their families - that is humbling to witness. And, reminds us that as Americans we have a moral obligation to fund the best medical facilities possible for our veterans who have sacrificed so much to

Copper Canyon residents in attendance at the Veterans’ Memorial Service It was fun to see Copper Canyon residents in attendance at the Veterans’ Memorial Service. Ken Seale looked distinguished in his Air Force uniform with his wife Trish Seale accompanying him.

Ken met Trish in England. At that time Trish was serving her country as a nurse in the British armed services. She came to the United States as Ken’s bride and became an American citizen many decades ago. Trish has been an emergency room RN at Baylor Grapevine’s hospital.

Ken has volunteered as a Copper Canyon Council Member.

Jim Coleman and wife Shirley Coleman are also longtime residents of Copper Canyon for 31 years and members of the Chinn’s Chapel congregation! Jim was the Project Manager for the building of the Education Building behind the Church. Jim was also a District Governor for Lions Clubs in 2000-2001 and oversaw 70 local Lions Clubs. And he served on the Copper Canyon Town Council with Ken Seale. Jim has been an Election Judge for our Town and Chairman of the Election Committee.

Also present was the Hartley family!

George Hartley and his wife Jimmie Hartley have lived in Copper Canyon

BEST KNOWN FOR

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since 1962 – 54 years! Their son Dean Hartley was raised in their home on acreage east off of Copper Canyon Road.

Dean has served the Town as a volunteer Block Captain for years! Dean and his wife Sandy Hartley and parents George and Jimmie Hartley have been faithfully attending members of Chinn’s Chapel congregation for decades!

Also present at the Memorial Service was Grace Weir, a Copper Canyon resident for 53 years and an enthusiastic member of Chinn’s Chapel Methodist Church for almost as long! Grace and Jimmie Hartley went to school together in Cumbie, Texas, a small town located between Greenville and Sulphur Springs in Hopkins County. Grace is an outstanding cook, as her children-grandchildrenand even great grandchildren will readily attest! But Grace always recognizes her decades long friend Jimmie Hartley as one of the finest of cooks! Grace was 88 this year and still greets the world with her amazing, infectious smile – and her ever present latest hat, cocked at a rakish but very positive angle on her head!

NOTE: The first church building of Chinn’s Chapel was a log cabin built in 1858 by volunteers. The chapel was located within the grounds of the cemetery on the west side of Chinn Chapel Road.

The log cabin is still standing there, but a second metal roof was installed over it to protect the original wood structure from the elements. The current white frame church was built in 1872 on the east side of Chinn Chapel Road. It was the only school house in the area for many years and served as a “rooming house” for new residents. Henry A. Porter came to Denton County in 1876 and lived within a mile of the chapel for the rest of his life.

He said he “stayed in the chapel with his family for 2 weeks. They would move out on Sundays so services could be held.”

See MAYOR SUE on Page A18

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December 2016

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Canyon Falls

will include office space for the Flower Mound Police Department.

Continued from Page A1 Having a fire station in the area is part of a strategy to increase coverage to the western part of Flower Mound.

“Our fire chief does an amazing job of looking for ‘pockets-of-need’ in the community and that area of town has been one that has sorely been underserved,” said Alora Wachholz, Flower Mound’s Photo by Brian Maschino E c o n o m i c The Denton County Southwest Courthouse is taking shape in west Flower D e v e l o p m e n t Mound.

Manager.

“The current high school, if district enrollment people out there projections prove correct. Also on the would get service from Argyle or drawing board is the potential building of Northlake, so it was something needed a new elementary school. long term.”

Nearby, Flower Mound’s western Two other key structures are in different operations and maintenance facility is stages of construction. The Canyon Falls under construction. Its dual purpose is also Club Amenity Center is on target to open to temporarily house the Flower Mound either later this year or early in 2017, while Fire Department’s No. 6 station. the Denton County Southwest Courthouse Weather delays that slowed construction-- is expected to open next year. and upgrades to Stonecrest Road-- meant The club will feature 6,851-square-feet the 4,800-square-foot facility couldn’t of space, plus an additional 2,700 square open on time. So, the FMFD and Argyle feet in a building adjacent to the outdoor Independent School District worked out pool. Inside will be a fitness facility with use of a small apartment space in the aerobic and free weights, plus a main school to cover daytime needs, plus a gathering area for special events. The spot in the parking lot for one full-sized poolside facility will include concessions engine. and restrooms.

Flower Mound Fire Chief Eric Greaser Outside the two buildings will be two expects the new facility to be open this playgrounds, a splash pad, the pool and month, with the fire engine being joined a special event lawn for concerts, movies by a brush truck. Current plans call for the and other events. Near the club will be the temporary station to move eventually to start of 10-miles of paths and trails. permanent facilities within two-to-three The Denton County Southwest years at a yet-to-be determined site near Courthouse will be a place for area the school. The permanent facility also residents to conduct most of the same

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business for which they currently must travel to downtown Denton or Roanoke.

The 32,000-square-foot facility will feature offices for the county commissioner, the Precinct 4 constable and multiple departments, plus places to obtain driver’s licenses, passports and other amenities. It is expected to open in the spring.

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Dr. David Taunton is one of the few trained Orthopedic surgeons in North Texas offering Regenerative Therapy and Stem Cell treatment to relieve hip and knee osteoarthritis.

Patients now have the option for non-surgical treatment for hip and knee pain. Whether you have mild or advanced arthritis of the hip or knee, we have treatment options available.

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“It’s going to serve so many people over there,” Wachholz said. “Anyone on the western side of I-35W even would prefer to go there than to go to Denton.”

A town park is in the works as well, with a little over 10 acres recently donated by See CANYON FALLS on Page A21

Advanced arthritis treatment and minimally invasive joint replacement

December 2016

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Around Argyle Continued from Page A6

Stanford, Mary Schluter, Dr. Jo Ann Melendez, John & Karen Kiel, Stella McDaniel and Clarice Siegrist.

Everyone was dressed for Halloween. There were Indian warriors and lots of witches.

Our thanks to Terry Stanford for taking us on the hay ride. Carolyn Stanford & Jody Bellinghausen for decorating the trailer. Argyle Police Department for the food. The Argyle Donut shop for donuts and Karen Kiel for all the toe’s, fingers & spider goodies she made.

The seniors celebrated Thanksgiving and continued to play the games that were not finished at the wiener roast.

Some of the seniors attended a ceremony at Argyle Middle School as they celebrated Veterans Day and enjoyed listening to Colonel James L. Furgerson, M.D. USA (Retired) as he told of his experience while in the service. Also some attended the home of Mike and Stephanie Crider where they sponsored a picnic to raise money for the Old English Sheep Dog Rescue.

The seniors enjoyed their meal and the program at Camp Copass as they celebrated 70 years of service for children and adults of all denominations to have a place to go and have fun, fellowship and to hear the Gospel.

The Baptist camp’s manager is Brad Springer and his wife Denise.

The seniors will be celebrating Christmas at their next luncheon Friday, December 16. Everyone is asked to bring a $10 tree ornament to ex-

Argyle ISD celebrated School Priority Day on Nov. 16 by inviting mayors, council members and employees from area municipalities to get a close up look at their schools.

The third grade classes at Hilltop Elementary enjoyed eating with their family members at the annual Thanksgiving Feast the week before Thanksgiving.

change, and bring a covered dish to go with our turkey and roast or donate $4 dollars that will go into the senior fund.

The seniors meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week at Argyle Town Hall, 308 Denton Street, to exercise at 10 a.m. and play games at 11 a.m.

For more information, contact Stella McDaniel at 940-464-7438, or Karen Kiel at 940-464-0506.

-Submitted by Stella McDaniel

December 2016

Eads

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proval by the State of Texas.

Meet Michelle French, Denton County’s Tax Assessor/Collector Michelle French began her career with Denton County over 30 years ago as a Deputy Clerk in the Tax Office. In her career, she has served in numerous roles, including Michelle French Chief Deputy to two separate Tax Assessor/Collectors. She earned her Registered Texas Assessor/ Collector Certification in 1999 and currently holds and maintains a Professional County Collector Designation. In 2012 she had the honor and privilege of being elected as Denton County Tax Assessor/ Collector and was just re-elected to a second term.

Her office collects for over 90 jurisdictions, billing over 450,000 property tax statements and providing five branch locations around Denton County. In addition to property tax collection, the office provides motor vehicle registration services for approximately 600,000 motor vehicles and over 100,000 title transfers.

Michelle served as President of the Collin County Texas Association of Assessing Officers (CCTAAO) 2011-2012 and was a recipient of the National Association of Professional Women 2010/2011 Woman of the Year Award.

Currently, she serves as Ex Officio member of the Denton Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. She serves on the Board of the Tax Assessor/Collectors Association of Texas (TACA) where she was recently elected to serve as Vice President-External after a three-year term as the TACA Secretary/Treasurer. She serves on the TACA Audit, Legislative, By-Law, TxDMV Liaison, Program and Technology Committees, as well, and recently joined the Core Legislative Group with Texas Association of Counties. She was honored to be nominated for the TACA Tax Assessor/Collector of the Year award and received the coveted TACA President’s Award in 2015.

Michelle is involved with the Denton Breakfast Kiwanis, where she just completed her term as Club Co-President (2015-2016), and the Denton Republican Women’s Club, where she serves as President. She is also a member of the Advisory Council for Journey To Dream.

Michelle and her husband reside in Ponder and have two sons and a granddaughter. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, church, traveling, reading and supporting her community.

Did You Know?

The 2016 Tax Year has begun and approximately 490,000 tax statements have been mailed!

The Denton County Tax Office offers numerous options to pay property tax-

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es, including: - Online using Credit/Debit Card (service fees apply) - Mail - By Phone (1-866-549-1010) - Night Drop Box - Bill Pay or e-Box through your financial Institution - e-Check - ACH or Wire (Contact the tax office for details and instructions) - In Person

Denton County offers free e-Check services to taxpayers, or they can pay by debit or credit card for a convenience fee of 2.35%. To pay online, go to http:// tax.dentoncounty.com and select ‘Make Tax Payments.’ The Bureau Code for Denton County is 3368661.

A property owner may also escrow their taxes for the following year. The escrow agreement allows a taxpayer to pay toward their taxes each month in preparation for the following year taxes.

Property owners can download a copy of their tax statement from the website or request the statement be emailed.

All property taxes must be paid by January 31, 2017, to avoid penalties and interest. The Tax Assessor Collector is restricted from waiving or reducing penalty and interest assessed on a delinquent tax.

Payments are accepted at any of the five tax office locations in Denton County.

For more information on payment options, escrow payment agreements or electronic tax statements, visit the tax office website at http://dentoncounty.com/ Departments/Tax-Assessor-Collector. aspx or call 940-349-3500.

35 Express Update The reconstruction of I-35E is part of the 35Express Project, an expansion of I-35E from US 380 in Denton to I-635 in Dallas, and is scheduled to be substantially complete in mid-2017.

As always, check out the project website at www.35express.org for more detailed information and detour routes, as well as regular updates on additional lane and road closures and upcoming construction. Sign up for alerts to receive upto-the-minute information to ease your commute. In addition, access to traffic cameras along I-35E is available.

Connect With Us We would love to have you connected to the county by subscribing to our newsletter. Just use this link and enter your email and you’ll be up-to-date on everything that’s going on in Precinct 4: http:// bit.ly/2aT2XNW. And be sure and find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CommissionerAndyEads for the latest news in Denton County.

If you have any questions or comments, please let me hear from you. My email is andy.eads@dentoncounty.com and my office number is 940-349-2801.

Got News? Let Us Know!

news@crosstimbersgazette.com

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December 2016

Mayor Sue

Continued from Page A14

(From Towns and Communities of Denton County, compiled by Emily Fowler and Alma Lain Chambers, courtesy of Emily Fowler Public Library.

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Items Discussed at the November Council Meeting: “Flag Lots,” Flexible Requirements for Roof Pitches on New Homes, Exceptions for a third Major Accessory Building, and a Clarification on Executive Sessions. (The Council is reviewing old ordinances to allow Resi-

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dents more flexibility in building while maintaining quality construction standards.)

1. “Flag Lots” The Council was asked by a resident to consider a “Flag Lot” on his 8 acre residential lot with his existing home on it.

The longtime resident couple wishes to continue living in Copper Canyon, but as “empty nesters” they no longer need their very spacious two story home. They would like to sell their current large home with 4 acres around it and build a new home on the rear 4 acres on a “Flag Lot.” The smaller one story new home would be more in tune to their current life style, with their adult children no longer living at home. (A “Flag Lot” is so named, because it is accessed by a long driveway running to the rear “Flag Lot.” The “flag pole” part is the long driveway that usually runs to the side of the original front lot facing the street.) The neighbors in the area have signed a petition approving the flag lot.

The Council responded by asking our Town Attorney Terry Welch to draft an ordinance allowing flag lots for Council and P&Z to consider in January. The “Flag Lot” draft ordinance by Town Attorney Terry Welch proposes the following for consideration: a. A flag lot is a minimum of two acres in size. b. No other flag lots are allowed on the original property. c. The remaining original underlying lot (minus the flag lot) must meet current zoning requirements for that area (which could require a minimum one or two acre original lot. If the current zoning for that area requires a minimum five acre original lot, then the flag lot must also be a minimum of an additional five acres.) d. A flag lot must have adequate acces-

Page A18

sibility for emergency responders. e. A flag lot must have adequate accessibility for required utilities. f. A flag lot must comply with requirements of Town driveway ordinances. g. There must be a public hearing before both the Planning & Zoning Commission and Town Council, which hearings may be held on the same night, with prior notice to every land owner within 200 feet of the proposed flag lot.

However, the Council by majority vote has the final decision on any allowance of a flag lot.

Additionally, P&Z and Council may consider topographical, environmental preservation, or other severe physical constraints that prevent the usual subdivision of the property and result in a flag lot being the best solution for subdividing the property. Such constraints might be a restricted flood plain area not available for construction or the saving of “heritage” groves of trees.

Note: Our Town Attorney Terry Welch commented that flag lots will only be considered on properties with a minimum of three acres. The original lot must remain at least one acre; plus, the flag lot is a minimum of two additional acres. Therefore, this possible ordinance should have minimal effect on the traditional one acre residential lots in our Town. But, it does allow for some flexibility for residents on lots of three acres are more who could benefit from a flag lot. Council Member Valerie Cannaday, an experienced realtor, noted that the Town of Southlake already allows flag lots.

2. Flexible Requirements for Roof Pitch on New Home Construction.

A resident couple in Town wish to build the “contemporary home of their dreams!” The home would be 10,000 square feet of quality construction on See MAYOR SUE on Page A22

December 2016

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December 2016

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Bands

Continued from Page A1

Flower Mound ended Marcus’ streak of five consecutive UIL titles in the even-year competition, it kept the title in the town for everyone to share.

“It’s nice from an LISD standpoint-- and a Flower Mound standpoint-- to say we kept it in the town,” Biskup said.“That’s a feat in and of itself. And, it’s an accomplishment for the students and the school to say ‘hey we’ve achieved things at a very high level, as well.’”

Flower Mound’s best previous finish was ninth in 2014. A week later, the Jaguars placed sixth in the Bands of America Grand Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., at a time that helped set the stage for the program’s ultimate success this year.

“It’s really an amazing accomplishment,” said Biskup. “Our students go to church and are friends with the kids at Marcus. We’ve revered that program for so many years.

It’s been something close to home. We’ve always been supportive of what Marcus had been doing, so for us all of a sudden to be in that situation is a huge deal.

“It’s been great for the two programs.

The first person to come over and give me a hug was Ms. (Amanda) Drinkwater (Marcus’ director of bands) and we always do the same for them. Our students are always so supportive of each other, which sometimes rival schools don’t always do.”

Flower Mound’s show was titled: “Leonardo’s Dream,” based on Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Leicester scientific writings collection; and, da Vinvi’s desire to fly.

The performance visual feature portrayed a student as da Vinci learning how birds fly, then half-man and half-bird ideas, ending with a flying machine; where the student portraying da Vinci enters the machine while it takes off.

Such a show relies on a tremendous amount of help from people behind the scenes. For Flower Mound, approximately 100-150 parents and other volunteers spent

Photo by Ron Nadwodny

Marcus High School placed third in this year’s 6A state marching band competition.

time assisting the 394 band members.

“We have quite a few dads that worked on the props, parents that came in and helped with the competition uniforms, that have to be individually fitted for each student and we have chaperones and truck drivers,” said Dora Ness, president of Flower Mound’s band booster club, whose daughter Hannah is senior bass clarinet player.

“The creative directors keep coming up with more and more intricate shows and we’re fortunate to have a group of parents working on props; many of whom are engineers that design really extensive props, which means it takes a lot of trucks to move all of that,” said Ness’s husband, Michael, the group’s director of communications, noting a convey of one large semi-trailer truck and four rented box-trucks.

Similar logistics were required for Hebron’s 300-member band, which performed “Uncharted Waters” with music from composers Paul Lovatt-Cooper, Claude Debussy and Michael Martin.

“We were proud of the way they performed and proud of their work ethic and their progress all season,” said Andy Sea-

ley, in his 14th year as Hebron’s director of bands. “We made a lot of progress the last month of the season and [remained] true to our goals all the way to the end. Ultimately we work against ourselves and try to be the best we can be at the end of the season.”

Marcus’ show was titled “Twist of Fate” and included opera numbers from Italian composers Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini. Visual effects included large, colorful harps and centered on a Verdi piece called: “The Force of Destiny.”

“It’s been 15-years for me in the district and I’m so proud of all three programs,” said Marcus Director of Bands Amanda Drinkwater. “I’m thrilled for Flower Mound, thrilled for Hebron and thrilled for our students. I would have felt that way regardless of the order or the outcome or whatever.

“I feel really proud of our students. We were young-- we graduated a large class last year-- and the majority of our leaders.

Many of our marchers were first-timers on the field and for them to be able to pull off the program … I truly believe I’ve never worked with a group that came further than

Page A20

this group.”

The LISD bands weren’t the only ones from the southern part of the county to enjoy success in San Antonio.

Argyle finished in second place in the Class 4A competition Nov. 7 and only on a technicality. The Eagles, state champions in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014, actually had the best score, but were moved to second place when one judge ranked eventual champion Paris North Lamar seventh.

“UIL kind of has a rule within-the-rule that states, if a band receives a first-division rating from two (out of three) of the music judges and one of the marching judges (out of two), they would automatically become the champion,” said Kathy Johnson, Argyle’s director of bands. “And that’s what happened. It’s called ‘the judges’ preference rule.’ It’s if there’s one judge that kind of is off-a-ways from the other judges, to keep that band from being punished or whatever.”

Argyle’s 122-band members performed a show titled: “i-Generation:” featuring a combination of James Horner music from the movie “A Beautiful Mind,” some from University of Texas composer Donald Grantham and English composer Biggi Hilmars, plus from the light shows at Disney’s Epcot theme park.

“We want the students not to put everything on winning,” said Johnson. “We want them to put it on the experience; the journey, the preparation and then the performance. Did you perform to suit yourselves?

All of our students know there were some flaws, so they were disappointed in that. If it had been a more clear-cut second place, it wouldn’t have hurt so much. But, it was because of a technicality in the rules that prompted it [second place] to happen.

“Of course, we wanted to keep our streak going; who wouldn’t? But, we know we did a good show, we loved the show, we loved the music, our parents and the school district and community loved the show. So, we put a great product out there. They have a lot to be proud of.”

December 2016

Canyon Falls

Continued from Page A15

the developer, according to Flower Mound Town Manager Jimmy Stathatos. “There has been a concept plan, but nothing is chiseled in stone. We still need to go through the process of determining what amenities will be there,� said Stathatos. “Some of the residents love the concept plan and some are not happy about it. We continue to let everyone know that no binding decisions have been made.�

Canyon Falls sits on land under the jurisdiction of two towns – Flower Mound and Northlake. Students attend schools in either the Argyle or Northwest ISD. “A lot of people are starting to talk about Canyon Falls,� Wachholz said. “I do a lot of trade shows and conferences around the area and the nation and the things people always say are ‘Flower Mound, my brother’s sister’s cousin’s mom lives there.’ And the other thing I get is: ‘what is that development way out west, what is that?’�

Very preliminary discussions have

Companion

Continued from Page A3

Laundry used to be a very painful process, but she’s helped it ease-up a lot. She’ll help me get the laundry out of the washer and into the dryer. “She drags the laundry basket in our bedroom to the laundry room for me, then helps me change them out. I’m always dropping clothes from the front-loader and she picks them up. It’s small things like that.�

Inez has been with Vehrs at all times, except once when he visited his mother in the hospital. “It felt like I was missing a part of my body for that short time,� he said. “She’s flown to Idaho for a veteran’s retreat. She’s been to a law enforcement event at a friend’s ranch up in north Texas. Not only was she there to

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

started on the possibility of one additional amenity near the development-- a new interchange off I-35W. Stathatos and Northlake Town Manager Drew Corn are the initial players who would recommend options to the Texas Department of Transportation; the ultimate decider. The location would be important to both communities, because of potential commercial development that could sprout up near the interchange.

So far between 320 and 330 of the eventual 2,100 homes have been built and occupied, according to Tracy Simmons, regional marketing director for developer Newland Communities. Homes will sell between the mid-$200s and the $600s. “There will be a lot to come in the next 12-months,� Simmons said. “It’s an exciting time. We’re excited to see it come to pass and give people a way to capture nature, which is the thing I’m most excited seeing, because people value that. I’ve learned coming from a different market (Phoenix) that people here love to commune with trees and space and nature.�

comfort me, but the other veterans and law enforcement officers that were there. “She’s spread joy throughout the community. Flower Mound has been wonderful to embrace her. The people have been very respectful and don’t rush up to pet her. She’s helped some kids overcome their fear of dogs. She just works miracles every day, primarily for me, but for many others.�

People needing CCI’s services submit an application. Once a dog is found that meets their needs, they are contacted. Vehrs found out about CCI through a fellow military veteran who highly-recommended the organization. “The dogs are smarter than the people,� he said. “I was blown away with the modules they use for training. It’s short, hands-on experience. When you are done it’s a great marriage.�

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Page A21

December 2016

Mayor Sue

Continued from Page A18

their 28 acre home site. And from the home’s location at the top of Orchid Hill, the Residents and their family and guests would have a spectacular unobstructed view all the way to Plano! However, the proposed roof would have a shallower pitch and different style than our current construction ordinance requires. Our current ordinance requires a Hipped Roof with a pitch of 6 to 12, and/or a Gabled Roof with a pitch of 9 to 12. None of the surrounding neighbors have objected to the proposed new home’s contemporary style or shallower roof pitch.

Town resident Gary Beavers, also an architect, noted that currently Mediterranean style homes with shallower sloped red tile roofs are very popular. Attorney Welch also commented that shallower pitched roofs are less visually intrusive on neighbors who live nearby. P&Z and Council will meet December 12th to consider an exception to our current Town ordinance which requires steeply pitched roofs. If the exception is granted, the

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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Residents can begin immediate construction of their “dream home!”

In January both P&Z and Council will consider modifying our current ordinance to allow more flexibility in roof pitch and design - and without a resident or builder needing to come before P&Z and Council for a special Exception. Our goal is simpler municipal restrictions – but with maintenance of quality construction standards in our Town.

3. Major Accessory Building Exceptions Town Attorney Terry Welch noted that up to two Major Accessory Buildings are a ‘right’ under our current ordinance. (A Major Accessory Building is defined as over 210 square feet in footprint.) Any third accessory building can only be on a residential lot of a minimum two acres in size and is subject to approval by majority vote of council, but only after a public hearing, with prior notice to all land owners within 200 feet.

At the November meeting, the Council unanimously granted an Exception to residents Gary and Jan Beavers for a third Major Accessory Building on their home

Page A22

site. It is a three-sided roofed horse shelter on their 5.8 acres on Bridle Path Road. No neighbors had objected to the addition of the open horse shelter.

4. Clarification of Executive Session According to State Statue, a “retained” outside legal counsel can be present at Executive Session by telephone. Our Town Attorney Terry Welch was available Monday night at our Nov 14th Council Meeting by telephone from Anchorage, Alaska from 7-9 p.m. for legal advice or any necessary Town Executive Session. Terry is in Anchorage, because he is a featured speaker there every year at an American Bar Association legal seminar. One of Terry’s acknowledged legal specialties by fellow attorneys is Municipal Land Use. Calloway’s in Flower Mound on FM 2499 has the Freshest Christmas Trees!

“Live” Christmas trees are a tradition in our family for over 70 years – or for 5 generations! We all marvel at the special smell of a “live fir tree” in our home! And, I have treasured memories of lying under the tree as a child with my younger brother and looking up through the green branches with the Christmas lights twinkling above us in so many colors! This is a family ritual that I have loved repeating with Emil’s and my three children when they were little – and now with our seven grandchildren spanning ages 3 (the youngest) to 27 (the oldest!)

The challenge is always where to find the “freshest” live Christmas tree, as they are cut before Thanksgiving and shipped from states far away with colder climates more suitable to their growth. Fortunately, I discovered Calloway Nursery’s newest store in Flower Mound about a decade ago. The store opened on September 3rd, 2008 with Ty Poynter as Manager. (Ty has now been with Calloway’s for over 28 years! And has helpfully shared his extensive knowledge of gardening with many of the Garden Clubs in our area! If your club needs a program on roses, annual and perennial flowers, houseplants, vegetables, shrubs, landscaping, even tree pruning – call Ty!) The living room in our home has a 24 foot ceiling, so it easily accommodates a 10-11 foot tall Christmas tree!

Ty always calls me as soon as he has his first delivery of fresh firs, and he knows my preference is a Noble fir. Calloway’s Noble firs are up to 10-11 feet tall and are grown

by Bear Canyon in Washington State, which for years has supplied the Noble fir for the Christmas tree at the See MAYOR SUE on Page A24

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December 2016

Comics

Continued from Page A1

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

a consignment business near their previous home in Mansfield closed; leaving him with a large collection and only his house in which to store it.

“I had to go pick up all of the stuff from their garage and bring it all home and set it in our living room, because it was convenient,” said Norup.

The couple once had entire rooms of their house stacked with hundreds of thousands of comics contained in long boxes.

“She [wife Jennifer] said, ‘what are you going to do with this stuff? Are you going to put it in the office upstairs?’

“I said: ‘yeah, it will trickle up there.’

Half-joking I said: ‘well we could just open a comic book store and get all these comics and Star Wars toys out of the house.’ “’She said: ‘yeah, but I can’t quit my job to run a comic book store all day long.’

“Once we moved up here, she quit her job, didn’t find a teaching position here and said: ‘what do I need to do?’ ” Those conversations started in May. They signed a lease in June, did all the finish-out themselves and opened in August.

Twenty Eleven Comics carries at least 90percent of all new titles-- about 320 in all-and also sells some of the most popular board

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games around. Norup has designed and built most of the shelving and bins that ultimately will be able to display more than 450 comics.

With about 8,000 back issues, such units will be helpful.

In addition to comic book sales, Twenty Eleven hosts Friday Night Magic and Dungeons and Dragons events on Saturdays, at which people can bring their games from home and enjoy a night playing them.

“They can bring their kids and leave their phones, tablets and TVs and unplug for a little while,” he said. “You can spend time playing games as a family. We have several demo games to play in the store. It’s something my wife and I did as kids with our parents; have game nights and stuff, before all the TVs and tablets and all that stuff. Now, with the plethora of different electronics kids play all the time, getting our kids to put down that stuff and turn the TV off and play a game is something that’s always been important to us. It’s a challenge for us.”

With comic icons like Marvel and DC Comics putting out up to nine movies a year-and with about 15 television shows [Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Gotham, among others] based on comic books, the current market is skyrocketing.

“There’s a lot of shows that people don’t realize are based on comic books,” he said.

“For example Dr. Strange (an upcoming movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch) hasn’t been in print since the 1990s. So a lot of them don’t realize it originally was a comic book in the 60s, so it’s been around for a long time.”

Most superhero comics originated in some form back to the 1930s. From there characters with different origins, backgrounds and abilities in comics, movies and TV shows have followed. One of the exceptions was Star Wars, which started in the movies and expanded into comics.

When not working elsewhere, going to school, playing games or reading comics themselves, the entire Norup family often can be found working at the store. While Lee still works full-time for the federal government, the store now is Jennifer’s lone focus, after careers as a special needs teacher’s assistant in Mansfield and with the government, where they met.

“It’s been challenging,” Norup said. “At least I have a free employee to run the store for now.”

But if their comic books have taught them anything, it’s that superheroes love a challenge.

G Start It. G Buy It. G Build It.

had sold online in large amounts and selling in bulk and on consignment at other stores, so I’ve spent a lot of time working closely with other store owners. I’ve had a lot of involvement and learned a lot about the industry.”

Among the things he learned, was that his younger days were not the best times to open such a business. Then, when the Spiderman movies started arriving in theatres in the early 2000s, followed by the X-Men movies, their corresponding comics became part of pop culture; and, everything changed.

“That [transition] made it a much bigger industry,” said Norup. “People would see the movies then want to read the comics, so it kind of revived a lot of life back into the industry and make it feasible to open this kind of business in the last few years.”

Norup said most of the approximately 60 Metroplex comic shops have opened in the last 10 years. He figures his store is now the closest one for 120,000-130,000 people, since the nearest competitors are in Lewisville, Denton and Euless, after one in Grapevine closed this summer. Additionally,

Page A23

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December 2016

Mayor Sue

Continued from Page A22

White House! The Fraser firs are grown in North Carolina by Cartner Christmas Trees, which has grown Christmas trees for generations! (This shipment of

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

Frasers has a maximum height of 9-10 feet.) The most recent variety of fir is Nordman, which is a native of Russia and now grown in Oregon. Ty described it as a “Noble fir on steroids” with larger needles and denser branches. But, it has a maximum commercial height of

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8-9 feet – a perfect height for homes and apartments with 10-12 foot high ceilings.

However, all three varieties of Christmas trees are also available in 6-7 foot heights for homes and apartments with standard 8 foot tall ceilings.

The Challenge of Maintaining the Freshness of a Live Christmas Tree Immediately after delivery of Christmas trees, the Calloway staff chain saws off the bottom 2-4” of each trunk. This allows the tree to wick moisture up the central trunk and keep the branches and needles hydrated. The trees are immediately mounted in sturdy stands that contain water reservoirs around the base of the trunk. Calloway’s staff refills the water reservoirs each day and each Christmas tree is sprayed with water a minimum of twice a day. This standard procedure of the nursery ensures that the Christmas trees remain hydrated and fresh. The price of each tree includes the stand it is already mounted in.

For $20 the tree and stand will be delivered within a 10 mile radius and setup in the home. (Though, setup does not include moving furniture to make room for the Christmas tree.) Deliveries are made west to Argyle, Justin, and Robson Ranch; north to Denton; east to Lewisville and Carrollton; south to Coppell; and any towns within that outlying radius. After Thanksgiving and beginning Friday November 25th, store hours will be Monday to Saturday 9 am to 8 pm and Sunday 9 am to 6 pm. 972-691-2650. Calloway’s is located at 2901 FM 2499, Flower Mound, TX. 75022 or the east side of FM 2499, 3rd light south of FM 1171 - Main Street and just south of DATCU and the Black Walnut Café.

The Fire Hazard of a dried out Christmas Tree in your Home This endorsement is freely given by me,

Page A24

as I genuinely appreciate the quality and safety of a well-hydrated live Christmas tree inside a home Many years ago, when my first two children were 6 and 8 years old, I let them build “forts” from neighbors’ discarded Christmas trees that had been left curbside for trash pickup. The kids dragged the trees into our back yard and piled them up in a circle on our patio, with a spaced carved out in the middle for their “hide out.” As long as the trees’ needles were still fairly green and supple, the branches weren’t too “prickly” for our children to enjoy playing inside the circle of 4 foot tall Christmas trees laid on their sides.

That year I also decided to cut up the undecorated Christmas tree in our living room and just throw the branches on the gentle fire in our fireplace. MAJOR MISTAKE! The branches still containing sap just exploded into a blazing inferno in our fireplace, and black smoke was billowing out into our living room! Fortunately, my husband Emil was home for the holidays and responded immediately to my desperate cry for help! With some frantic effort, Emil and I were finally able to put the fire out with only some smoke and soot damage to walls, ceiling, and furniture and a badly singed walnut hood and mantle over our stone fireplace opening. But, we did feel incredibly stupid dragging a garden hose into our living room to help put out the fire - and having incredibly hot scalding steam spraying back on us from the sputtering flaming branches in our fireplace. Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!

But of far more importance: Horrified, I realized that I had allowed our two precious children to “play” among these volatile dried out Christmas trees! It had never occurred to me that benign Christmas trees could be such an incredible fire hazard!

December 2016

FM Council

Continued from Page A10

and spreading the importance of Veterans Day. Thank you to all our schools, who showed our runners support as they passed by with signs, cheers, and highfives. This tradition started with resident John Scully, who often took the American flag with him on a run on special occasions, such as Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Mayor Hayden spoke with him about expanding his great idea into a Town-wide event and it has grown larger and more popular each year. At the end of the relay race, we hold a small ceremony for our runners, their families, and anyone in the community, as a way to celebrate the day.

The proceeds from this year’s T-shirt sales and event benefited the Victory Therapy Center, a local organization that provides a “Horses for Heroes” program for veterans. If you’d like to learn more about all of the Town’s veterans programs, please visit www.flower-mound.com/veterans.

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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to donate to members of the Summit Club for Christian Community Action during the parade. Once the parade ends at Gerault Park, there will be a tree lighting ceremony with choir performances, pictures with Santa Claus, carriage rides, kids’ activities, petting zoo, local vendors, food trucks, and more. For more information

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Seniors In Motion Veterans Day lunch.

Just before 11 a.m. words of remembrance were spoken and the near-packed house joined the moment of silence to remember those who sacrificed all in the world’s wars. Afterwards, there was a festive USO-style show and we gathered outside the Senior Center to cheer on the Relay runners. If you missed this or any of our Veterans Day events, you should make plans to attend next year.

While you are planning, don’t forget the Town will hold its annual Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, December 10, from 6 to 9 p.m.

Once again, the entire event is free for everyone. During the parade, lighted floats will travel down Spinks Road to Gerault Park. I have it on good authority that the Marcus High School and Flower Mound High School Marching Bands are scheduled to march and perform in the parade.

Be sure to bring your canned food items

Page A25

about the parade or tree lighting ceremony, please visit www.flower-mound.com/ parade.

Despite the busy holiday season, your Town Council members are here to listen to you. If you have a question or concern, please feel free to reach out to me at place3@flower-mound.com.

Photos by Brian Maschino

A little rain did not dampen the enthusiasm at Flower Mound’s annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony on Nov. 6.

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December 2016

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Page A26

HV Update

Continued from Page A10

staying in Highland Village. However, during that year the grocery store landscape in our area changed. A new Kroger Marketplace opened to the west of us and it appears some of the Kroger Highland Village shoppers chose to shop at the new location. Kroger tells us the Highland Village Kroger just wasn’t making a profit. It was a hard decision for them but in the end they told us Kroger corporate chose to close this location. Some of you have asked how the City and I could let them leave. I wish I could say we had the power to make them stay, but every business has to do what is best for them. As soon as we learned the store was closing we started working to find a new tenant.

The property owner, Brixmor, is motivated to lease the space and rejuvenate the center and so are we. We will keep you posted when we have information to share.

City staff has been working diligently on a pretty exciting public safety project. Last year we approved and funded upgrades to our public safety system that included moving into compliance with a digital public safety radio system, integrating with Denton County, updating the dispatch consoles to utilize the digital system and installing a new computer –aided dispatch and records management system. In November we officially switched to migrate with the Denton County digital public safety radio system.

This could not have happened without the partnership between the City, the Denton County Commissioners Court and Sheriff Will Travis and his office. Making the transition to the digital public radio system not only puts us in compliance with radio communication system standards, it also greatly improves reception and

Congressman Michael Burgess presented five local veterans with Congressional District Veteran Commendations at the annual Salute Our Veterans luncheon on Nov. 10 hosted by the City of Highland Village and the Highland Village Business Association. (Pictured left to right): Bill Lawrence, Congressman Burgess, Roberta “Tutu” DuTeil, Clinton Turner, Ginger Simonson, Chuck Wright.

regional interoperability which enhances the safety for residents and our area first responders. We anticipate completing the entire public safety project by early next year.

We do have a lot of fun going on this month. Santa will be making his appearance in Highland Village again this year.

He will be at the Highland Village Fire Department for Santa Day at the Fire Station on Saturday, December 3, from 1 – 4 p.m. Come by for a photo with Santa and enjoy a bounce house, cookies, hot chocolate, coloring and much more. Then Santa will drive through our neighborhoods the week of December 18 – December 23. The map showing his route is on the city website, just search “Santa.”

The Highland Village Parks and Recreation department has a fun contest underway – the Parade of Lights Holiday Lighting Contest. This is for Highland Village residents and awards the home

with the best exterior holiday lights based on five different categories. Get together with your neighbors and have a friendly contest! We also have a photo contest underway. You can submit the photos you’ve taken in Highland Village for an opportunity to win cash prizes and have your photo used in city publications or on the website. Check out hvparks.com for all the details.

Most of us here are blessed with jobs, good health, family and friends. However, there are those who are not as fortunate. We have many great non-profit organizations that help those in need. This season I hope you’ll help where your heart leads. This time of year is the busiest and most draining for our non-profit organizations. They are working hard to make sure everyone, young and old, has a special holiday. Help them spread some holiday cheer this year.

Our police chief, Doug Reim, and our

fire chief, Brad Goudie have asked me to remind to you consider the safety of you and your family this season. Remember to be aware of your surroundings when you are shopping. Never leave valuables or your gifts in plain sight in your car. Always lock your car and remember to take your keys with you. I am surprised every year to learn how many of us take the safety of our city for granted and leave valuables and even our keys in an unlocked car. When we do this we become easy targets for theft. Also remember to be responsible when you attend holiday parties. If you plan to drink, designate a driver, call a taxi or use the DCTA discounted Uber service.

I’m looking forward to celebrating reason for the season and spending time with family and friends. I wish all of you a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year! See you around town!

December 2016

Harvest Happenings Continued from Page A12

chael Russey (Air Force), Brenton Sanders (Marine Corps), Chris Sebastian (Air Force), Cameron Sebastian (Navy), Steve Sisk (Navy), William Smiley (Navy), Bill Steuernagel (Army), Shawn Stief (Navy),

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

Megan Strachan (Army), David Strachan (Army), Gary Weiss (National Guard), Michael Wray (Navy), Fern Pelletier (Army).

We commonly use the term #HarvestProud. It’s fun to recognize and celebrate the many great things our homeowners and their children are doing. Here are just a few examples:

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

Jeff Woelfel, Aletha Bailey, Mackenzie Lore are few of the many students who are in the Argyle High School Band, who won 2nd place at the UIL State Finals. We know they have worked hard and it paid off.

John Bailey (#23), senior at Argyle High School, was voted WFAA Player of the Week for Texas High School Football Week

Page A27

9. He was up against 11 other players from around Texas. With more than 25,000 votes, John was the clear winner!

Slater Wright (#20), junior at Argyle High School, earned SportsDayHS Defensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention See HARVEST HAPPENINGS on Page A29

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December 2016

Bartonville

Continued from Page A6

school is out.) Monetary donations and grocery store gift cards are now being accepted and may be taken to the Bartonville Police Department/Town Hall. For

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

more information please call 817-6935280. Because of you and your generous support, this drive was extremely successful last year. We look forward to another successful Blue Santa to make a joyful holiday for the families in need of assistance this holiday season.

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Bartonville Town Administrator Stacey Almond is leaving for a City Manager position in Lake Worth, TX.

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Page A28

It is with great sadness and excitement that we announce the resignation of Stacey Almond, Town Administrator effective December 8, 2016. Sadness in her leaving Bartonville and excitement in watching her grow her career. Stacey accepted the position of City Manager in Lake Worth, Texas. Stacey has been a great leader of our town staff, servant to the community, and will be greatly missed. We are reviewing options to backfill this key position. Fortunately, the Town has an excellent staff in place to facilitate this transition process and will continue to carry out the day-to-day operations of the Town.

The next scheduled Town of Bartonville General Election will be May 7, 2017, for the purpose of electing a three councilmembers Places 1, 3, and 5 for a term of two years. The first day to file for a place on ballot is January 18, 2017, ending February 17, 2017. Qualified citizens can file an application during this time between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Candidate application packets will be available at Town Hall or may be downloaded from the Town’s website after January 5, 2017.

The Bartonville Town Council and Staff would like to extend our warmest regards and best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

9808 North Beach St. | Suite #600 | Fort Worth, Texas 76244

I have been a resident of Flower Mound since 1986 and am extremely knowledgeable of the Real Estate Market and its current conditions. It would be my pleasure to assist you with your Real Estate needs.

LEWISVILLE

LOVELY HOME FOR LEASE!

Lovely 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Home with a Covered Front Porch in The Highlands. Wood Flooring in the Family, Dining & Formal Living Rooms, New Carpet in all 3 bedrooms. $2095 per month Call Cindy Haddock 940-231-1004 www.HomesByHaddock.com

Dan Staples 469-955-9426 www.danielstaples.com

LEWISVILLE

LEWISVILLE

BEAUTIFUL ROLLING HILLS!

Easy access to I35 and shopping. Updated home w/ 2 living areas, large open living area with vaulted beamed ceiling, skylight & many windows letting in natural light, recently installed HVAC 2015! Must see! $229,950 Call Ben deAnda 972-342-5029 www.BuildBuyorSell.com

LOCATED IN WONDERFUL GATED COMMUNITY! Within a short distance to restaurants, shopping and major highways. Granite countertops, SS appliances, gas stove, wood floors in entry and living room, tile in kitchen and all baths. Premium corner lot backing to community pool and an extended patio way across the entire back of the house. $289,900 Call Dottie Curry 972-317-9420 www.DottieCurry.com

LEWISVILLE

BEAUTIFUL AND MOVE IN READY

PRICE REDUCED! Features include new paint, new carpet, c-tile down stairs, kit has granite, stainless steel appl., solar screens, spacious bedrooms, covered flagstone patio and home backs to greenbelt. $199,900 Call Eva Bradley 469-323-8733 www.EvaBradleyHomes.com

PLANO

SPACIOUS, LIGHT AND BRIGHT

4/2/2 with 2 living and 2 dining areas.

Huge bedrooms & lots of storage. Updated gourmet kitchen w/island. Breakfast area has built-in hutch. Oversized yard, covered sitting area, storage building and sprinklered. $299,900 Call Charlotte Wilcox 214-808-8612 www.YourPreferredTeam.com

GORDONVILLE

NEAR LAKE TEXOMA

Formerly a restaurant. Large open dining area with another separate area for private dining. Kitchen area has walk-in cooler, cooking area and office space. Property offers substantial parking. Approx 2 acres - Faces Hwy 377 - next to Dollar General. $164,900 Call Cerita Loftis 972-841-1379 www.CeritaLoftisRealtor.com

HICKORY CREEK

WONDERFUL LAKESIDE COMMUNITY!

Spacious 4 Bdrm, 4 FULL Bath, Game & Media.

Study down could be private In-Law Suite with Full Bath. 3-Car Garage + Car-Lift in Garage allowing 4 cars to park is negotiable. Private Pool, Pond & Playground in community, Lake access via Boat ramp! $339,900 Call Dirk Dahlke 972-322-2171 www.DirkSellsHomes.com

Your Preferred Team of Charlotte and Lisa has been proudly selling the area since 1999!

Charlotte Wilcox and Lisa Healy 214-808-8612 & 214-384-1940 www.YourPreferredTeam.com

DENTON

EXQUISITE HOME!

Located in a private gated community this exquisite home is warm and inviting with tall ceilings, breakfast bar, stone fireplace, office and game room. the private Master suite is down, other bed rooms are up.

Community pool and fitness center and breathtaking lake views. $374,900 Call Dave Ryer 214-704-2606 www.DaveRyer.com

THE BUYER CENTER

Call the team of Tracey Clifton and Debbie Lief for all your Real Estate needs!

Tracey Clifton - 469-358-3008 Debbie Lief - 682-551-5305 www.TheBuyerCenter.com Come see what’s happening and like us on Facebook “The Village People”!

BARTONVILLE

GREAT 2 ACRE MINI RANCH!

One Story with 4 Bedrooms and 3 Full Baths. Updated kitchen, open floor plan with game room and family room adjoining with a wet bar. 5 Car garage, 3 stall horse barn. Backyard oasis includes large diving pool, mature live oaks, Magnolias, and large covered patio perfect for entertaining. $574,900 Call Gary Kuhatschek 972-317-9401 www.GaryKuhatschek.com

ARGYLE

GATED HORSE PROPERTY!

5+ acres Argyle ISD. Elegant entry, great views from every rm, 3 living areas, Sun room, 2 offices, library w built ins, formal dining, game room, wet bar & fridge, Master suite & large sitting area. Pond, tool shed, 48 x 36 insulated barn w covered porch, tack, conditioned office-apartment full bath. 2 car garage-shop area. No city taxes. 2.5 contiguous acres available separately. $740,000 Call Sherry 214-794-6045 www.SherryGriffinRealtor.com

BARTONVILLE

VICTOR MYERS CUSTOM!

Magnificent entry Rotunda with lighted stained glass crown surrounded by sweeping circular stair and flanked by dining and living. Intricate moldings, hand scraped hardwoods and stone with surfaces of exotic granite, onyx and marble.

Updated kitchen with Wolf cooktop and ovens, Subzero and huge center island with eat-in. Outdoor gazebo, kitchen, living area and pool-spa area are spectacular with a pond view. $1,199,000 Call Sherry Griffin 214-794-6045 www.SherryGriffinRealtor.com

December 2016

Harvest Happenings Continued from Page A27

for his 3 PBU & 101 yard pick 6 game.

Alden Wells earned his black belt in taekwondo after many years of hard work.

Olivia Phillips won a gold medal in Spe-

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

cial Olympics Bowling on her 20th birthday!

Jenna Webb took second place in the walk/trot flat and third place in the crossovers. She was also crowned the grand champion for the walk/trot pole at the Vilhalla Horse Show. Way to go Jenna!

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that all the storm drains in Harvest are connected underground and collect rain water that funnels into our 11acre lake? That water is then used to irrigate all of the common areas in the community.

If you like numbers, check these out: Once

LOCAL EXPERTS

Retiring Abroad? Here’s What You Need to Know

By Jeffery Price

There’s something undeniably appealing about the idea of living an expatriate adventure in retirement.

Striking out for foreign shores can seem both pragmatic and poetic.

But relocating to another country isn’t easy. You’ll need to consider a range of factors, from your destination country’s political stability to the logistics of managing your assets from afar. Retirees need to plan carefully and consider the following questions.

Is your family on board?

Moving across the globe can change family dynamics. Understand the impact your move will have on your relationships. Make sure your spouse is as invested in the idea as you are. That way, when unexpected issues arise, you won’t have the added complications of resentment and blame.

How will you handle health care needs?

Access to quality health care is para-

mount in retirement, so be sure to understand the relative cost and quality of care in the country where you hope to retire.

Research local physicians and facilities and plan accordingly. Make sure quality remains on par with what’s available in the U.S. If it doesn’t, budget for the possibility that you may need to return home for certain medical procedures.

Given that Medicare doesn’t cover health services outside the U.S., you may want to look into private health insurance or seek out a country that allows those holding permanent residence visas to join its national health plan. Keep in mind that if you return home later in retirement and sign up for Medicare, your premium will be 10% higher for each year you could have been enrolled but were not.

Are you looking for a tax advantage?

The IRS taxes U.S. citizens on income no matter where they live. Even if you relinquish your citizenship, you’ll owe income tax as a nonresident alien. The U.S. also has laws to collect income tax from retirees who move their assets to a foreign country; however, many countries have tax treaties with the U.S. that prevent double taxation.

How does the cost of living compare?

A beachfront home in Mexico may cost less than its U.S. counterpart, but you need to consider your entire budget. For example, relocation costs may be higher

than if you moved somewhere domestically. And the costs of groceries, electricity, and transportation may equal what you’re currently spending.

Will you be able to work?

Many of today’s retirees hope to work during their retirement but living in a foreign country may complicate employment. Consider the job prospects for people with your experience in that country and whether you’ll be allowed to work as a U.S. citizen abroad.

How will you manage your assets?

As finances can be comfortably managed from afar, expat retirees can keep most assets in the U.S., where the economy and political situation are relatively stable. A local account will prevent currency exchange fees and ATM withdrawal charges.

You may want to explore proactively addressing cash flow issues — like having your account automatically frozen when you repeatedly access your credit card from a remote location.

Talk to your financial advisor about how to hedge against exchange-rate fluctuations by setting up a local account and making regular transfers from your U.S. account to cover everyday expenses. It’s a good idea to know whether these transfers might incur their own fees, and to ensure that legal documents will be enforceable in your destination country.

Page A29

fully built out, the community’s 32 acres of common areas (35% of total open space) will be irrigated by the Harvest Lake; that’s roughly 47,000,000 gallons of water a year; total savings is $232,650 vs. city water.

When moving assets abroad or acquiring new investments in another country, consult a lawyer to determine whether those assets will be subject to local estate tax rules.

Can you adjust?

After the fantasy of living abroad becomes reality, some expats find themselves feeling isolated. Consider living somewhere with a vibrant expatriate community. Keep in mind that the amount of English spoken in countries may vary between regions. Spend a few months in a potential destination before making a permanent move.

How will you connect with family and friends?

E-mail and video services make it easy to stay in touch with family and friends back home, but if you want to see them regularly, choose a destination that will enable you and your loved ones to travel easily and affordably. Starting a brandnew life is appealing, but retiring abroad adds a layer of complexity to many aspects of retirement planning. So do your homework, and make the decision with your eyes wide open.

For more information, contact Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Advisor Jeffery D. Price of the Southlake, TX office at 817-410-4940 or Jeffery_price@ ml.com.

December 2016

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

Page A30

LOCAL EXPERTS Legal Talk Texas Holiday Schedules and Divorce

By Rachel Craig

The holidays are a cherished time for many. For divorced parents, the holidays may feel more like navigating a field of landmines.

But parents can work together to keep the holidays special and low-stress. Here are some tips to achieve a “new normal” for the 2016 holidays: 1. Read and understand your Order.

If you are unsure what any of it means, consult an attorney.

2. Work with the other parent to come up with a plan and a schedule. While you should understand your court order, it is vital for parents to work together for the benefit of your shared children’s holiday experiences.

If you do not yet have an Order, it is even more important that you communicate with your ex-partner and agree on a functional plan for the holidays.

After you agree on a schedule, put it in writing. This agreement will likely not supersede any court order, but it can be helpful to have a written schedule during the hectic holiday season.

3. Talk about the holiday plan with your kids. Have an age appropriate discussion about the holidays with your kids. If the kids are going to be experiencing Christmas morning with just Mommy, tell them beforehand. If possible, include your ex-partner in the conversation, so you both can answer any questions your kids may have.

4. Roll with it. Do not let your frustration or anxiety affect your children’s holiday experiences. If part of the plan does not work, do your best to let it go.

Your kids’ holiday memories depend on it.

Contact us at Hammerle Finley today if you need compassionate guidance on your 2016 holiday plans.

Got News? Let Us Know!

news@crosstimbersgazette.com The content in Local Experts is provided by our Sponsors.

Jesse James Fit: Did You Know?

By Jesse James Leyva

Life isn’t only about investing for retirement, but investing in yourself and your health.

Unfortunately, too many people fail to realize this fact until it’s almost too late. They reach retirement, and suddenly decades of poor habits catch up with them. Or so they think.

Do you think weight gain, body aches and pains, and high blood pressure and cholesterol medicine are just part of getting older? That they suddenly appear in our 50s and 60s without reason? Think again.

As you move through your adult life, if you neglect to be intentional about staying active and making healthy food choices, slowly your health begins to fail you. By the time retirement comes around, you have poured years into working hard to have the financial means to enjoy it, but you may find yourself 30 to 80 pounds heavier with aches and pains, and little to no energy to do all of the things you’ve been saving and planning for, for all of these years. As A.J. Reb Materi stated, “So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.”

Investing in your health in the retirement years is important physically and mentally. Poor physical fitness leads to muscle weakness and balance issues, increasing risk for falls and other injuries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.8 million older adults are treated for falls in emergency rooms every year. These falls are often the beginning of a downward spiral of poor health and quality of life, which can also lead to depression.

Falls aren’t the only concern. A lack of exercise and physical activity is also associated with an increased risk for dementia and metabolic syndrome, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and more. So what is the key to preventing or reversing this downward spiral, so you can enjoy your golden years to the fullest? The answer is finding the right fitness home for you, one that is focused on your goals and is a positive, encouraging influence as you work to reach those goals.

For three consecutive years, Jesse James Fit has been voted by the community as the Best of Denton County. That’s because we’re about overall fitness.

We’re a family of support that includes all ages and fitness levels. But did you know that we also specialize in senior performance? At Jesse James Fit, our senior training program incorporates a variety of fitness aspects focused on safe and enjoyable living, including strength, balance, range of motion and reaction time.

Visit our incredible facilities in Flower Mound and at Outlaw Fitcamp in Hickory Creek. Both locations offer our senior performance training program, experienced trainers and, of course, our upbeat, encouraging environment. We want to work with you along the way to be a positive influence as you invest in your health.

December 2016

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

Page A31

LOCAL EXPERTS Robo Advisors

By Ken Kendall, CFP, CLU, Kendall Financial LLC. Member, Wealth and Wisdom Institute

It seems like every major bank and brokerage firm is now offering a Robo Advisor. Why not? We are all familiar with the power of computers. They can win at Jeopardy, Chess, Go, and they most likely will be driving our cars for us very soon. Well, the reason the financial industry is putting robots in your pocketbook is the same reason automakers put robots on the assembly line.

A computer is cheaper than a human.

Once you have filled out a minimal questionnaire that will “assess” your risk profile, you drop your investment dollars into an account and the computer will “manage” it for you for an annual fee of 1 to 1.5% of the value of your account. A human broker is no longer needed to service your account. All that is needed is a lower level (cheaper) customer service representative to handle any administrative details in your account. The firm has created a reoccurring monthly income stream, which is the Holy Grail of the financial service industry.

How well do Robo Advisors perform?

Each firm has their own algorithm or recipe for how to manage accounts, but they all are heirs to a 1952 paper by Nobel Prize winner Harry Markowitz. The meat of the paper, greatly simplified, says that people would rather have less risk than a higher rate of return and since a portfolio of different asset classes will not all be going up or down at the same time, the risk is lessened. The asset classes are rebalanced periodically to keep the starting

percentages of investment consistent.

Now I’m all for reducing risk. The biggest problem with a Robo Advisor is the same as we talked about with Target Date Funds last month. It is an unthinking mechanical approach to very complex human problems. In spreading the asset classes, they don’t take into account the time and place. Every Robo Advisor I have seen has a bond component, even though we are at the end of the biggest bull bond market in history and there is nowhere left for bond prices to go but down. Why would you put a guaranteed loser in that asset basket? I’ve also seen them rebalance as often as weekly, they all tend to rebalance at least monthly.

If they don’t rebalance frequently you might not think they are earning their fees. That’s not how markets work. Bull markets keep going up for long periods of time, so by rebalancing frequently you are cutting your profits from your winners and investing more in the losers, thus guaranteeing mediocre returns while believing you are reducing your risk.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season. On a different note, one of my associates, Jack Kendall, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® (same last name, no relation) will be teaching an adult learning, Personal Finance course at North Central Texas College’s Corinth campus on Monday night for 7 weeks starting January 30, 2017. It should be a great experience and you can learn a lot from his 37 years of financial experience.

Call our office, 972-874-8757, for more information on the course or to set an appointment for a free “get to know you” appointment to talk about your personal situation. We love to help people, reduce their risk, increase their wealth and improve their lifestyle.

Happy Holidays!

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Kwik Kar Ask the Expert:

Vehicle Maintenance and Repairs: Here Are Your Top Questions to Ask Your Mechanic

By Albert Gutierrez, Operations Manager, Kwik Kar Flower Mound

Our society has become full of quick, faceless transactions where few questions are asked and discussed in person. That may be ok when you’re having dinner delivered, but not for maintaining or repairing your vehicle.

Although a lot of research can be done online, not all buildings with service bays operate the same way. So before assuming anything, it’s important for you to do your due diligence and communicate face-to-face (or at least over the phone) with prospective mechanics to discuss and obtain satisfactory answers to questions like these: Question #1 - Can I get a written, detailed, free estimate for my maintenance/ repair cost? It can be disheartening to get a bill when no actual repairs have been made to your vehicle. Asking about estimates and the details of your repair up front before deciding on who you’ll choose as your regular maintenance or repair shop can end up saving you both time and money in the long run.

Question #2 - What is your experience with working on my vehicle’s specific make and model? Car manufacturers pride themselves on unique amenities and features that may not be familiar to all mechanics and repair shops. Be sure your mechanic’s level of expertise is applicable to your specific vehicle. Also, for additional assurance, ask for reference information from satisfied customers.

Question #3 - What are the associations and certifications you maintain? Reputable auto repair shops and service centers know it is good business to be a part of associations like AAA (American Automobile Association), and to have mechanics certified through places like ASE (Automotive Service Excellence - a trade group that sets standards for auto repair with testing and certifications for technicians). Each of these organizations offer third-party research, follow-up, and reviews requiring stringent guidelines regarding education, industry standards and customer service expectations.

Question #4 - What is your warranty on parts and labor? The general standard on parts and labor is 12 months or 12,000 miles.

If there’s only a 90-day warranty, it’s best to check somewhere else. Michael Calkins, manager of the AAA approved auto repair program says, “There is no reason to be talking about a 90-day warranty. You can get more than that on almost any product.”

Question #5 - What kind of replacement parts do you use? There are a lot of aftermarket products that are inferior to the factory original. Make sure products are at least factory quality, and ask if they use refurbished replacements. You can also request to see the failed part prior to replacement.

Having these questions answered to your satisfaction not only helps you be more confident about your choice for a mechanic, but also helps ensure you have a clear understanding of what to expect regarding the estimate and repair costs, warranties, and the level of expertise the mechanics have on your specific vehicle.

At Kwik Kar, we’ve done our due diligence and pride ourselves on our customer service and face-to-face interaction with satisfied clients like you. We are here for you and are glad to answer these questions and more, because we know that the more informed you are, the happier you are with the results!

Visit our website at www.GoKwikKar.com.

December 2016

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

$300,000

12016 Joyce Lane - Unique fixer-upper on 1.3+ acres near private airstrip!

Denton

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$475,000

1023 W Oak Street - Rare opportunity to own 1920 historically-designated home set on .466 acre w mature trees & hedge maze!

$380,000

2216 Columbia Drive Awesome 2-story, 4 BR home w pool-spa!

Great location! Desirable FM schools!

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$ 385,000

11802 Marseilles Lane Desirable 1.5 story home on .374 acre corner lot!

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Corinth

E V TI C A

E V TI C A

Flower Mound

E V TI C A

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E V TI C A

E V TI C A

Roanoke

Flower Mound

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$500,000

4821 Rippy Road Rare Flower Mound acreage!

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Highland Village

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$275,000

586 Perro Place - Fabulous potential in this 1-story 4 BR,2 BA home on .44 acre cul-de-sac lot w mature trees!

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Inside This Section Students of the Month Police Blotters l Gardening

December 2016

www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

Recent Suicides Raise Questions

Music To The Eyes

By Lyn Rejahl Pry, Editor

By Noelle M. Hood, Contributing Writer

Photo by Brian Maschino

Sante Center for Healing and the Wellness Association of Flower Mound hosted a forum on suicide awareness and prevention at the Wellington Athletic Club in Flower Mound on Nov. 17.

The loss of a family member or friend to suicide leaves the survivor feeling alone and unsure of where to turn for help.

The loss of three young Flower Mound residents since Oct. 15 --young men ages 17, 21 and 16-- has created pain and left many with unanswered questions about suicide; an uncomfortable subject of conversation.

“I know LISD is addressing the trag-

edies with our kids,” said Tina Johnston, a licensed psychotherapist and executive life coach based in Flower Mound. “We have a good school district that cares and wants to provide the best quality resources to parents and students.”

As part of the LISD program, “Creating Resilient Teens,” two videos were shown at a Parent Education Night as part of the introduction and implemenSee SUICIDE Page B4

B Page B1

Photo by Helen’s Photography

Mark Clark of Flower Mound builds one-of-a-kind functional, playable art pieces using reclaimed, repurposed “found” objects.

A luthier; an unfamiliar term that entered the English language in 1879.

And, no, it’s not a fancy term for a super hero-like caped swordsman. So, unless you know Flower Mound’s Mark Clark, you will need an Oxford English Dictionary to find its meaning.

Clark owns a one-man garage workshop factory called Meloddities, and when he’s not working full-time for Sprint, he’s a luthier. He manufactures whimsical guitar-like string instruments

from cigar boxes, cast off violin cases and repurposed garage sale fare. They all belong in the lute family.

Guitars and banjos, for example, are lutes generally used by folk musicians.

Standard highbrow string ensemble lutes-- meaning the violin, viola, cello and bass-- are classified as fiddles and are historically associated with classical music.

See LUTHIER Page B17

Full Design Services Available 500 N. Hwy 377 Ste. 1, Roanoke, Texas 817.490.0082 • RunyonsFineFurniture.com

December 2016

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

Why Make Your Heirs Wait?

As people live longer a new trend in inheritance is evolving: fast-tracking inheritances. In fact, 60 percent of people age 50 and older, in a Merrill Lynch study1, said they would prefer to give sooner rather than later – so that they can help and see their children pursue their dreams.

Glen D. Smith

Before joining the trendsetters and speeding up your legacy, take into account the following considerations:

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

Avoid over-giving Before you give, determine what you need for the rest of your life—and make sure you've set those resources aside. Otherwise, you may shortchange not only yourself but the very family members you're trying to help. You don't want to put them in a position of having to support you later on.

Communication is the first step in planning for your inheritance.

Having an open and honest dialogue with the whole family can help set everyone up for success. Consider looping in a financial professional from the beginning to mediate the process and develop an inheritance plan that meets all parties’ financial goals.

For more information, contact Merrill Lynch Financial Advisor Glen D. Smith of the Flower Mound, TX office at 972-8741842 or glen_smith@ml.com.

Not one size fits all Some of your children may prefer to wait for their inheritance, while others could benefit greatly from having the money now.

For example, if your grandson's startup requires seed money to be able to beat the competition to market giving him his entire inheritance now might make a lot of sense. You'll get the satisfaction of seeing him invest in his future. And he won't have to defer his dream. But consider, too, how other family members may feel about the gift, and what their immediate needs are. Talk with everyone, and make it clear that gifting now could affect how much they will receive later on, in your will.

The investments or strategies presented do not take into account the investment objectives or financial needs of particular investors. It is important that you consider this information in the context of your personal risk tolerance and investment goals.

Gift vs. burden Larger gifts, in particular, sometimes bring unwanted responsibilities. If, for example, you give one child control of a trust—and discretion over distributions to other family members—could you be thrusting that child into an unwelcome position? Before gifting take an honest moment to consider if your heirs are prepared to take on the inheritance.

Merrill Lynch refers to any company in the Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., group of companies, which are wholly owned by Bank of America Corporation.

Always consult with your independent attorney, tax advisor, investment manager, and insurance agent for final recommendations and before changing or implementing any financial, tax, or estate planning strategy.

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management makes available products and services offered by Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (“MLPF&S”), a registered broker-dealer and Member SIPC, and other subsidiaries of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”)

Investment products: © 2016 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

1 Family & Retirement: The Elephant in the Room. A Merrill Lynch Retirement Study, conducted in partnersip with Age Wave in 2013. http://www.ml.com/publish/content/application/pdf/GWMOL/ Merrill-Lynch-2013-Family-and-Retirement-Study.pdf

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December 2016

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YOUR 2 CENTS Editorials, Opinion, Letters to the Editor, Forum Posts Let’s Stay in Touch During Texas’s 85th Legislative Session

By Representative Tan Parker

It’s hard to believe 2016 is rapidly coming to a close. The Christmas holiday season is upon us and we will soon be ushering in 2017. There is much anticipation ahead for us as a nation and state as we look ahead to our future.

Here in House District 63, I am very enthusiastic about getting to work for the citizens of Denton County and contributing to the policy direction of our state. Serving as your representative in the Texas House is truly the highest honor of my professional life and a charge that I take very seriously. As such, over the year and a half since the end of the 84th Legislative session, I have been preparing for the day when your Texas Legislature reconvenes for the 85th Session and addresses critical issues to keep Texas moving in the right direction.

Of course, the only way to truly understand our priorities is to listen to

Texas Deserves Better Elder Care I have never met anyone who couldn’t wait to grow old and go into a nursing home! And yet, in 2014 there were 93,086 Texans residing in 1,211 skilled nursing facilities in Texas. Only New York has more nursing home residents; only California has more nursing homes.

The worst news? Independent citizen advocacy group Families for Better Care reviewed the eight most significant measures of quality using data compiled by the Kaiser Health Foundation, performance measures from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the compliant data from the Office of State Long Term Care Ombudsman for 2014 and ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia in order of overall quality.

Texas ranked number 51. Again.

Texas Advocates for Senior Care (formerly known as Texas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents) was established in 1989 by a powerful pair of women who were determined to improve the quality of life for our most frail and vulnerable citizens. They made progress, but aging and illness of the principals caused the organization to lose a great deal of its power. Today, with a new name and a new mission, we are on the move. We are determined that our great state of Texas will not remain number 51!

As a new citizen advocate and new Director for TASC, I was privileged to attend the annual conference of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care. Held in Arlington, Virginia, this conference draws attendees from across the United States. This year, the conference’s main focus was on the changing Federal regulations which the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services hope will improve the overall quality of nursing homes across the country.

The new regulations will roll out over a period of three years, and they will affect

the concerns, ideas, and triumphs of the people I am fortunate to represent as well as many others who have generously shared their input and ideas over the course of this interim period. In addition to Committee hearings, attending local events, and meeting with engaged citizens, I have also continued to host open office hours on the first Saturday of every month. This has always been a rewarding experience for me that provides a more convenient time to those who need greater scheduling flexibility.

Generally referred to as First Saturday Coffees, the open office hours I have hosted for nearly 10 years when the legislature is in recess provides interested individuals with the opportunity to enjoy a cup of coffee while visiting with me about issues important to them. The last year and a half of meeting people through my open office hours has given me great value and perspective to apply while serving you on the House Floor.

As has always been the case, my attention and focus will be on representing my constituents from Austin during the upcoming legislative session that starts on Tuesday, January 10, 2017. In keeping with my traditional approach, I will be temporarily suspending these First Saturday Coffee gatherings starting in January since so much of my time will be required to be spent at the State Capitol.

However, there is still the chance to come by the office and enjoy a cup of coffee with me at my final Saturday coffee gathering before the 85th Legislative Session, on Saturday, December 3rd from 8:30-10:30 a.m. – or until the last person leaves. Please join us and share your thoughts with me in preparation for the legislative session before I depart for Austin. If you cannot make it this weekend, then I hope to see you when the First Saturday Coffees resume.

Although I am in Austin during the week, I want to stay in touch and hear your thoughts so please contact my Capitol office at (512) 463-0688, my district office at (972) 724-8477 or by e-mail tan.parker@house.texas.gov. I also intend to use Twitter as a communication tool during the legislative session and encourage people to follow and tweet to me at @tparker63. Additionally, to receive further legislative updates, you can like my Facebook page www. facebook.com/TanParkerTX. During a typical legislative session, my office receives thousands of constituent correspondence items, and I truly work diligently to be responsive to each of them. I value the thoughts of my constituents and look forward to sharing them with my colleagues in the Texas House, so please continue to keep me apprised on the topics most important to you. Your voice does matter!

several important areas that impact quality of care, but unfortunately, the single most important factor in quality care—staffing-has not been addressed in a way that will make a significant difference. There is no minimum staffing standard and no requirement for a 24 hour registered nurse, only the requirement that staffing levels must take into consideration the number, acuity, and diagnoses of the resident population.

Ambiguous enough for you?

While all of the sessions were great learning experiences, meeting like-minded people who care passionately about our elderly and disabled people was the highlight of the conference. Where there are so many committed folk determined to make a difference, there is hope. TASC brings that hope to Texas families with committed volunteers who are willing to work with administration, staff, survey agencies and regulatory bodies to improve life in our nursing homes one resident at a time.

We are not adversarial in our approach to management—instead we prefer to find ways to work together to improve overall quality. We are funded exclusively by donations from the general public and accept no money from any corporation or individual who has any financial or management interest in the nursing home industry. In other words, because our funding comes with no strings attached, we are able to focus exclusively on the needs of the person receiving care. We never charge for our services, although donations are always gratefully accepted.

While the large majority of our phone calls come from concerned family members who feel their loved one is not receiving proper treatment, we also support the decision-making process when nursing home care is indicated, helping families to realistically evaluate care communities and select the best possible choice. Often the choice is made quickly, when hospital discharge in within 24-36 hours, which

puts a tremendous strain on the family and the patient to find the best possible place.

If you or someone you know is wrestling with the issues of aging or disabled loved ones, and struggling to find a solution, we are here to help. It is our most fervent hope that we can one day know that we are honoring our frail and elderly in need of help with the best possible care available.

As always, it is an honor to serve you in the Texas House of Representatives. If I don’t see you prior to the start of the next legislative session, I would welcome you in Austin anytime and hope to see you around House District 63 as well.

Number 51 is just not acceptable. They deserve better, and Texas deserves better.

Margie Sullivan Director, Texas Advocates for Senior Care 972-572-6330 www.taschelps.org margie@taschelps.org

December 2016

Suicide

Continued from Page B1

tation of the curriculum in its middle and high schools.

The videos featured Tamara Thaden Castaneda whose son, Nick, committed suicide on Aug. 20, 2013 while at his

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

father’s house in Grapevine; he was 17 years-old.

The second video will be shown to parents and students in an area middle school for a suicide awareness presentation that will be conducted in a small group setting.

Photo by Helen’s Photography

Tamara Castaneda of Flower Mound lost her son, Nick, to suicide in 2013.

“Nick was not what people may think of as the ‘stereotypical’ suicidal teenager; the ‘loner’ kid in the Goth-style clothes,” said Castaneda. “He was popular, an Eagle Scout, had a girlfriend, was active in church and had not been bullied.

He didn’t know how to admit he needed help, because he didn’t know how to handle failure.

“When you lose a child, you stop and re-assess. In communities like Flower Mound, we have high expectations for our children and will jump to bring forgotten homework up to school or fill other responsibilities that are theirs; and, so they don’t get to learn how to manage failure when it’s little, before it becomes bigger things when they’re older.

“In the home, they need to be able to feel it’s okay to make mistakes. We end up comparing our ‘worst-self’ to everyone’s ‘best-self.’ Everyone has a gift or

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talent and we should look for that. As parents we’re falling into this comparison trap. It’s okay for people to make mistakes; and, they need to know-- and have proof—that they’re loved, no matter what.”

Castaneda, her husband and family participated in the 10th Annual Touched by Suicide walk on Nov. 5 at Parker Square.

In an attempt to increase awareness, in April 2017, the family plans to present a new interactive family event, “Life Is Messy,” to present the resources available for a new way to interact as a family.

She recommended some parenting books about helping children develop resiliency: The Gift of Failure; The Price of Privilege; Mindset: The New Psychology of Success; and, The Entitlement Trap: How to Rescue Your Child with a New Family System of Choosing, Earning and Ownership.

“Suicide rates have been increasing in most age brackets very recently,” said Johnston. “Suicide is not a ‘school’ problem; it is a societal problem and involves many factors.

“Depression is the number one cause of suicide and should not be ignored.

People need to be encouraged to see a mental health professional. Research suggests the best treatment is a combination of psychotherapy and medication.

There are many excellent therapists here in town for all ages, plus the Sante Center for Healing in Argyle has an outpatient clinic with psychiatric care.”

In conjunction with the Sante Center, Johnston facilitated a Community Suicide Awareness Event at the Wellington Amenity Center on Thursday, Nov. 17.

See SUICIDE Page B9

December 2016

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December 2016

Double Oak Police Beat

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en’s Club for hosting a well-attended and successful fundraising auction for the Double Oak Volunteer Fire Department.

Submitted by Congratulations to Sheriff Elect Tracy Chief Derrick Watson Murphree. During elections it is impoliHappy Holidays tic for sitting police chiefs to actively from all the officers endorse or campaign for any particular in the Double Oak candidate. Now that the election is comPolice Department. pleted I would like to share a few things We sincerely appreciate the opportunity about Sheriff Murphree. I’ve known to serve in such a great community. I Sheriff Murphree since he was a Texas would like to thank each and every citi- Ranger and had the privilege to watch zen for the positive support we have re- him at work serving the community of ceived over the past year.

Double Oak and the State of Texas. DurThank you to Laura Dutt and the kind ing an aggravated kidnapping investigaresidents of Chinn Chapel for hosting a tion in 2010 I witnessed Ranger Murphree fire and police appreciation chili cook coordinate investigators, officers and reoff on Saturday, November 12. It was a sources from the Denton County Sherlot of fun attending the block party and iff’s Department, the Texas Department meeting so many longtime Double Oak of Public Safety and the Dallas Police residents and their children and grand- Department fusion center in a successchildren. ful investigation to arrest and prosecute Thank you to the Double Oak Wom- three highly mobile and dangerous violent criminals. Ranger Murphree seemed to know everyone in the North Texas law enforcement community and was relentless in his pursuit of the offenders. Even though he went at least two days without sleep (I think it may have drifted into three days) he never lost his composure, he focused relentlessly on the task and hand, and literally did not rest until the kidnapping victim was home safe in Texas. Ranger Murphree was a law enforcement role model. I know that Sheriff Murphree has prototype:IT in Flower Mound overwhelming support from the

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

law enforcement community and that he will do an outstanding job for the citizens of Denton County.

Thank you to outgoing Sheriff Will Travis. You and your command staff Deputy Chief Rex George and Assistant Chief of Operations Randy Plemons were always available to answer questions, provide resources when needed and were extremely professional in their duties. Thank you to all the Denton County Deputies, Investigators and Telecommunicators for the daily and professional assistance you provide to the citizens of Double Oak and their police department.

May we all enjoy a peaceful New Year.

Recent Police Calls Alarm – 100 blk. Trailing Oaks, Double Oak. Motorist Assist – 300 blk. Waketon Rd., Double Oak – Officer gave a ride home to a moped rider who became stranded in Double Oak. Harassment – 300 blk. Waketon Rd., Double Oak – A resident reported threatening telephone harassment by a known person.

Criminal Mischief – 200 blk. Cedarcrest, Double Oak – A resident reported an unknown person flattening their vehicle tires.

Failure To Leave Identification – 8000

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Editor’s Note: the Argyle Police Blotter wasn’t naughty this month but will return in January.

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blk. Justin Rd., Double Oak – A motorist reported having been sideswiped, by a known vehicle, with resulting damage to their car.

Suspicious Circumstances – 900 blk.

Ranch Rd., Copper Canyon – A resident reported an unknown person with a flashlight trying all the doors on a nearby home. Upon arrival Double Oak and Bartonville Officers found an unlocked back door and conducted a house check (no one was found inside the residence).

Dallas County Sheriff’s Officer arrived and took control of the scene.

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – 3300 blk. Justin Rd., Double Oak – During the course of a traffic contact officer found the motorist to be in possession of drug paraphernalia.

Driving While Intoxicated – 3600 blk.

Justin Rd., Double Oak – Officer stopped a male driver, 40 years of age, believed to be intoxicated on alcohol. Subject was taken into custody and transported to the Denton County Jail.

Possession of Drug Paraphernalia – 3600 blk. Justin Rd., Double Oak – During the course of a traffic stop officer located drug paraphernalia and subject was issued a citation.

Suspicious Circumstances – 3900 blk.

Chapel Ct., Double Oak – A resident observed an unknown person walking around a vacant home. Follow up investigation revealed subject was working for a contracting company winterizing the vacant home.

Criminal Mischief – 400 blk. Oak Trail, See DO POLICE BEAT Page B7

December 2016

Flower Mound Police Calls

The following was compiled from Flower Mound Police Department incident and arrest reports: On Nov. 4, the Target store at 5959 Long Prairie Rd. reported the theft of multiple items worth approximately $30 at 2:25 p.m.

A subject was identified and the items were recovered.

DO Police Beat Continued from Page B6

Double Oak – Unknown person spraypainted over multiple “Vote Republican” signs.

Juvenile Complaint – 100 blk. Cross Timbers, Double Oak – A resident reported juveniles ringing her doorbell and then running away. Officer was unable to locate the juveniles.

Suspicious Circumstances – 200 blk. S. Carruth, Double Oak – A caller reported an unknown vehicle, occupied by multiple people, parked in front of their home at 10:51 p.m. Further investigation revealed the occupants were waiting to pick up a friend from a nearby home.

Disturbance – 400 blk. Cross Timbers, Double Oak – Complaint about loud music.

Arrest – 8100 blk. Justin Rd., Double Oak – Officer stopped a motorcyclist riding without a license plate. Further

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

Later that day, at 7:30 p.m., the Academy Sports store at 3621 Justin Rd. reported the theft and recovery of clothing items. A juvenile was identified.

On Nov.5 at 6:50 a.m., the theft of service worth $6,587 in cash was reported in the 4100 block of Kirkpatrick Ln. A suspect was identified.

On Nov. 6 at 9:30 p.m., the theft of jewelry worth $5,300 was reported from a residence in the 3900 block of Kirkpatrick Ln. A forgery and counterfeiting report worth $2,020 was reported in the 4100 block of Cross Timbers Rd. on Nov. 6 at 8:20 p.m. Two investigation revealed he was wanted for multiple misdemeanor warrants. An adult male, 33 years of age, was placed under arrest and transported to Flower Mound jail.

Assist Agency – 900 blk. Crimson Rd., Lantana – Officer assisted with call regarding a runaway child.

Suspicious Circumstances – 1300 blk.

Lakeside Ct., Bartonville – Double Oak Officer and Denton County Deputy investigated a house where the owner discovered a door had been unexpectedly opened while they were asleep. Homeowner asked the officers to check their residence. No sign of criminal activity was detected.

Major Accident – Lusk Ln. at Kings Rd., Double Oak – At approximately 9:30 p.m. a motorist ran the stop sign at Lusk, drove across a resident’s lawn and struck a tree disabling their vehicle. Subject left the location on foot prior to officer arrival. Investigation is ongoing.

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suspects were identified.

block of Skelton St.

An estate sales business reported the theft of $747 in cash from a home in the 3800 block of Sunnyview Ln. on Nov. 7 at 4:50 p.m.

In the early hours of Nov. 12, the Empress of China restaurant at 1913 Justin Rd. was burglarized. Two windows valued at $1,000 were broken and $682 in cash was stolen.

Then, on Nov. 14, the restaurant was again burglarized with $690 in cash stolen.

A suspect in the theft of two 12-packs of beer from the Kroger store at 1101 Flower Mound Rd. was identified by five witnesses on Nov. 7 at 11:30 p.m.

On Nov. 11 at 11:40 a.m., a woman reported the burglary of her car from a parking lot in the 1200 block of Garden Ridge.

Vandalism of a residence totaling $500 was reported on Nov. 11 at 10:30 p.m. in the 2000 Disturbance – 1400 blk. Golf Club Dr., Lantana – Double Oak Officer assisted with the investigation of a disturbance between family members.

Crime Prevention – 100 blk. Tanglewood, Double Oak – Officer found a homeowner’s garage door open at 10:15 a.m. and attempted multiple times to contact the owner.

Welfare Check – 800 blk. McMakin Rd., Bartonville – A witness reported a bicyclist riding extremely slowly and was concerned for their health. Officer was

An office in the Lakeside development was the site of a theft on Nov. 12 at 1 p.m. A wallet was stolen with cash and cards.

On Nov. 18, an overnight burglary of an office in the 1000 block of Surrey Ln. was reported.

Electronics totaling $10,000 was stolen.

unable to locate the bicyclist.

Disturbance – 8400 blk. Canyon Crossing, Lantana – Dispute between family members.

Suspicious Activity – 200 blk. Meadowknoll, Double Oak – Caller reported a person flying a drone over their property.

Suspicious Circumstances – Broome Rd., Bartonville – A witness reported loud screams at 10:20 p.m. Upon further investigation it was determined that the screams were from children at a party.

ADAM MCLAUGHLIN

Sales Representative 972-619-5260 AMcLaughlin@cowboytoyota.com

www.CowboyToyota.com

December 2016

Holiday Scams

By Denton County Sheriff Will Travis It’s the holiday season again, and scams of all sorts are on the rise.

People receive calls

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

from people claiming to be from the IRS, and from the Sheriff’s Office, from Bail Bonds companies, and from charities.

These are the scams we hear most about now days; however, as we all know, those and many other scams become more prevalent during the holidays as the spirit of giving is all around, and we want to give gifts and support charities, sometimes even more than at other times of the year.

Unfortunately, this time of year also

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brings out more scam artists seeking to take advantage of our generosity. Below are two of the scams you are likely to run into during the holidays and some tips about what to do if you fall victim to a scam.

Ways to protect yourself from scams: During the holidays, check your card activity daily.” It is always important to monitor charges made on your credit and debit cards, but it is especially critical during the holiday season. If you notice any unauthorized charges, immediately contact your bank.

When you look at card activity, keep an eye out for “microcharges.” Scammers often test cards to see if they are valid by charging small amounts of $1 or $2. Once the card is determined to be valid, scammers can sell it to other crooks for a premium. Do not overlook small, unauthorized charges.

Be aware of emails purporting to be from shippers or retailers. No established business would ask a consumer to disclose her password via email or on the phone.

Always look at the specific email address and domain name of the sites such an email is pointing to in order to make sure it is actually from the retailer in question.

Deals that are too good to be true. Gift cards are increasingly popular, but they are also open to a variety of scams. If someone offers you a gift card with a significantly discounted face value, it could be too good to be true.

Charity-related holiday scams: The most likely place you’ll encounter charity scams is when they hold out a collection box to you either as you do your shopping, at your front door, or solicit donations over the phone. We had a recent example in Denton County. We have had someone calling people claiming to be from the Sheriff’s Office and asking for donations to support the D.A.R.E. program. We have not had the D.A.R.E. program in nearly ten years.

Scammers may wear seasonal costumes, dress in familiar uniforms, wear badges or claim to be associated with a police department or sheriff’s office, or a wellknown non-profit. Scammers are not above using kids to convince you they’re genuine.

Carol and Henry Twyman are originally from the UK and established Imperial Maid Service in 2004 to bring a touch of English class to your home.

All our maids are screened, reliable and uniformed.

We provide all safe non-toxic cleaning materials.

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Before donating, investigate the charity on sites such as www.CharityNavigator.org to confirm it’s legit.

If you do not have the time to investigate the charity, do not donate. If you want to donate to a particular organization that someone claims to be representing, simply look for their website and donate online. Genuine representatives of these organizations will be more than happy for you to do this.

Confirm charities are real before donating. During the holidays, consumers are in a giving mood. Friends on social media might link to a charity, thinking that the organization is legitimate when in fact it’s a front for criminals. “There are viral charity outreaches where they show a very emotional photo or video and say, ‘Please donate to save the kids or the dolphins,’ and that leads you to a site that’s just a scam,” Samid warned.

Four tips to follow if you’ve been victimized: • File a police report. You can use the paperwork to prove to your bank and credit card and credit reporting companies you’ve been scammed.

• Tell your credit card companies and bank. Contact the fraud department at your credit card company, and bank immediately.

You may have to close the account, or the institution may remove the fraudulent transactions.

• Report the fraud to the three credit reporting companies. Do this as soon as possible, especially if your personal information was used to take out a new credit line, make purchases, take out loans, or anything else that could affect your credit. Each credit reporting company has a fraud unit: Equifax: (800) 5256285; Experian: (888) EXPERIAN or (888) 397-3742; TransUnion: (800) 680-7289.

• Gather evidence. In addition to the police report, save what you can related to the suspected fraud. Any paperwork you have such as letters/emails of solicitation, prospectuses, cancelled checks, cash receipts, receipts for cashier’s checks or money orders, bank statements, investment statements, or medical statements could help you get your money back or help you protect yourself from further victimization.

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December 2016

Suicide

Continued from Page B4

Even those not directly affected can suffer from the effects of grief, especially children. Johnston said most psychotherapists deal with grief, as well as depression and anxiety. Johnston recommended an article about the five-stages of grief which could be helpful. http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-5-stages-of-lossand-grief/.

She suggested the Wellness Association of Flower Mound, flowermoundwellness. org, which she founded, as a possible starting place.

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

“I know people are frustrated about where to look for information; it’s frustrating for us [providers], too,” said Johnston. “It would be helpful for everyone if there was a universal information resource. Now it’s a bit like the first responders after 9/11 when different groups couldn’t talk to each other.”

Denton County MHMR Center is a local nonprofit community center specializing in the treatment of-- and service delivery to-- Denton County individuals with a mental health diagnosis or a developmental disability diagnosis. The staff works with individuals, families and oth-

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

er community organizations, plus service providers to develop person-centered treatment plans.

If you or a member of your family are struggling with thoughts of suicide, depression, or mental illness, Denton County MHMR Center is available to help. The Crisis Hotline/Intake/Referral line is: 800-762-0157.

The LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors) Team of Denton County is available for immediate support and resources to individuals impacted by suicide. Team members are volunteers who have been touched by suicide themselves

Page B9

and have received professional training.

The LOSS Team is available 24-hours-aday every day at 940-205-6706.

In addition, Captain Wess Griffin of the Special Services Division, Flower Mound Police Department, also suggests the SROs (School Resource Officers) are on campus and will be valuable resources for students, parents, staff and administrators within the school district.

For those in a crisis, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255).

December 2016

Highland Village Police Blotter

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

The following incidents were provided by the Highland Village Police Department:

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

11/1 - Forgery - 3200 block of Justin Road

11/1 - Assault - 100 block of Brookdale Drive

11/3 - Possession of Alcohol by a Minor - 2000 block of Village Parkway

11/1 - Criminal Mischief - 3000 block of Village Parkway

11/4 - Assault - 800 block of Highland Hills Lane

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11/5 - Robbery - 300 block of Mockingbird Drive 11/5 - Animal Complaint - Bite Report - 2800 block of Justin Road See HV POLICE Page B11

PHYSICAL THERAPY Your Way to Wellness Fit-N-Wise at Argyle is a 3,000 square foot facility conveniently located just minutes south of Denton. Our staff includes physical therapists, athletic trainers and physical therapy assistants. Our therapists provide preventative and rehabilitative care for general orthopedic and sports related patients.

Services include: • Manual therapy • Electrotherapy • Neuromuscular re-education • Ultrasound

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December 2016

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

Page B11

HV Police

Continued from Page B10

11/6 - Sexual Assault - 0 block of Horseshoe Drive

11/14 - Theft of Property - 3100 block of Justin Road

11/17 - Graffiti - 2300 block of Briarhill Boulevard

11/5 - Possession of Controlled Substance 300 block of Mockingbird Drive

11/11 - Credit Card/Debit Card Abuse - 900 block of Tartan Trail

11/15 - Assault - 2700 block of Hillside Drive

11/18 - Theft of Property - 3200 block of Justin Road

11/5 - Disturbance - 4100 block of Barton Creek

11/11 - Driving while Intoxicated - 6200 block of Morriss Road

11/5 - Possession of Marijuana - 300 block of Mockingbird Drive

11/13 - Assault - 100 block of Village Estates Drive

11/6 - Assault - 3200 block of Northwood Drive

11/14 - Driving with Invalid License - 2100 block of Briarhill Boulevard

11/15 - Theft of Property - 100 block of Copperas Branch Court 11/15 - Unauthorized use of Vehicle - 500 block of Doubletree Drive 11/17 - Burglary of Vehicle - 200 block of Turpin Drive

11/20 - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia 2100 block of Justin Road 11/21 - Driving while Intoxicated - Sellmeyer Lane / Brazos Boulevard

11/17 - Fraud - 200 block of Malibu Drive

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December 2016

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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Page B12

Outstanding Students of the Month!

Argyle Senior’s Goal is Role Model

By John English, Contributing Writer

Casey Harper

Casey Harper is headed to the University of Oklahoma to play football next fall, but that is only part of what the AHS senior contributes to his

school and community.

The Argyle High School senior also runs track, is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a member of the Challenge Day Club at AHS. Harper, 18, said the reason he is so involved is because of the people he gets to meet.

“Even in a school where I know most of the kids in my grade level, it provides me with the ability to get to know the people beyond just a name-to-name basis,” Harper said.

The Argyle linebacker, who ranks in the top half of his graduating class academically, said he does have a great passion for football and said if it works out, that would be a career he would be interesting in pursuing.

“If I could do anything, I would play football in the National Football League, because so many athletes are looked up to by younger kids; and, I want to be a positive influence to young people,” Harper said. “I want them to be able to look up to me for the positive things I do for others around me. I want to lead by example and hopefully they would do the same so that they can change the world around themselves through their actions.”

Harper already helps lead a third through sixth grade bible study group and said the most important issue affecting young people today is bullying.

“I think the fear of fighting back against a bully is the biggest issue,” Harper said.

“In my opinion, people are more afraid of getting in trouble for fighting back, so they just accept the poor treatment. If people were more comfortable in standing up for themselves, I think bullying would decrease a lot. Kids need to know it is okay to fight back against mistreatment, no matter who it is and stand up for themselves.”

Harper’s Favorites: Favorite Subject: Anatomy and Physiology Person who most inspires you: My Mom Favorite Food: Chicken Wraps Favorite Movie: Gladiator Favorite TV Show: Sunday Night Football Book Currently Reading/Last Book Read: The 5th Wave Favorite Musical Group or Performer: Gavin DeGraw

Faith is Guide for Lantana Student

By John English, Contributing Writer

Brooke Roberts believes in getting the most out of life.

The Guyer High School senior is a member of several orBrooke Roberts ganizations within her school and is also active in her community, and said she does these things because they help to make her life more fulfilling.

“I enjoy being involved because I love getting to help out others as much as I can,” Roberts said. “I also enjoy getting to meet new people and experience new things.”

Roberts, 17, is a Varsity Tennis player, Student Council Officer (secretary), a member of the Guyer High School Choir, a Key Club member, and a member of the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes).

Roberts, who said that her favorite way to utilize her free time is by spend-

ing time with her family, said that as far as outside of school, her faith plays a key role in her life.

“I’m really involved in my church at Valley Creek,” Roberts said. “I attend our youth group every Wednesday night and serve in our children’s ministry on Sunday mornings.”

The Lantana teen carries a 3.9 grade point average at GHS and said the best part about attending Guyer is “my involvement tennis, fine arts, clubs and school spirit.”

Roberts is headed to the University of Mississippi next fall where her major is undecided and said, for her to be happy in life, she feels that she simply needs to continue on the path she has set for herself.

“I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my life,” Roberts said. “For me that’s attending college, starting my career and eventually starting a family.”

Roberts’ class rank is 144 out of 595 students in the 2017 graduating class at Guyer High School.

Roberts’ Favorites Subject- English Person who inspires me: Tim Tebow Favorite food: Pizza Favorite movie: The Blind Side Favorite TV show: Friends Last book read: The Help Favorite band: Randy Rogers Band

December 2016

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December 2016

Gardening: Tried and True Perennials

By Noelle M. Hood

Everyone who plays in the dirt likes

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

perennial plants, because they don’t have to be replanted every year. The flip side of that particular coin, is that the little bounders do spread underground-sometimes invasively-- which means doing the autumn chore of digging and dividing.

As anyone will say who has succeeded

Bugle is a flowering plant that provides useful groundcover.

with an invasive like, say, Shasta daisies (chrysanthemum superbum), you do develop a hard-heart. So, let’s talk about a few garden perennials that flourish in North Texas.

One packet of successfully-germinated Shasta daisy seeds, or a dozen cuttings with roots, should meet your lifetime need of this cheerful springtime beauty; provided you pay attention to watering.

The year’s first white blooms appear on dramatic waist-high or taller leafy stems in the spring. They eventually flop over under their own weight, but no worries; just get out the clippers and lop the ungainly overgrowth back to the height of the ground-level, tongueshaped leaves. The trimmed plants make a nice border.

Keep them watered all summer; be prepared for afternoon wilting if they receive full sun and by autumn the clumps will have to be culled.

A drought-resistant, I-love-full-sun, background plant with greenery around three-feet tall, until its autumn bloomtime--when the yellow flowered stalks shoot up to seven-feet--is the Maximillian Sunflower (helianthus maximilliani).

The toughest, most drought-resistant, full-sun tree for any yard is the Eastern Redbud (cercis canadensis).

Every

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spring local stores and nurseries keep moderate-priced saplings in stock. The lilac-colored flowering doesn’t start for a couple of years, but the shade does.

Occasional watering encourages quick growth. If you know what to look for, they grow wild in the woods and transplant with ease.

The two things to remember about successful tree planting are: (1) the smaller the sapling the better; and, (2) consistent watering while it gets established underground in its new home. Transplants often drop leaves, but just have faith and keep watering. This is nature’s way of conserving resources while the roots expand. Small redbuds gain height with amazing speed. They top out at around 20-feet.

An excellent perennial low border plant, with intense indigo early spring flowers, is Bugle (ajuga reptans). The plants like afternoon shade and plenty of mulch to conserve soil moisture. By autumn the stuff is growing willy-nilly and needs to be thinned. Pluck off a dozen stems and they’ll root in a cup of water on the kitchen windowsill. Voilà, more border plants at the best price on the planet!

If you want to try camellias or gardenias, remember their roots like to pucker up and slurp in acid soil. That means lots of forestland compost and mulch.

Prepare the planting spot by mixing the native soil with plenty of damp peat moss and landscape mix. Leave a sixinch ring of bare soil around the main stem. Yellow leaves generally mean two things: the plant wants water, or more acid in the soil. Both like summertime shade, but with generous watering my camellias do fine in full sun.

All these plants are bee friendly.

Contact the writer at noellemhood@gmail.com

December 2016

La Nina Could Dash Snowy Winter Hopes

By Meteorologist Brad Barton

November weather in Denton continued the trend begun earlier this fall of unusually warm temperatures, although we picked up some extra rain.

We also got our first actual freeze of the season, right on time.

November started off with a sweltering 88-degree high and a trace of precipitation, indicating how humid it was. That was our warmest temperature all month. Our average high for the month was 73 degrees. Our coldest temperature was 28 degrees on the morning of the 20th, although we actually touched 32 degrees the previous morning.

We had significant frost with our first real freeze, but as of the 23rd, Denton had not yet experienced a “hard freeze.” Our average low 51. Blending the daily average highs and lows, we achieved an average monthly temperature of 62 degrees, fully 6 degrees warmer than normal.

Precipitation was infrequent, but added up.

We had .86” spread over the 2nd and 3rd of November. We picked up another 1.58” over the 6th, 7th and 8th, and trace amounts after

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that. As of November 22, Denton Enterprise Airport recorded 2.44 inches of rain, which was roughly a quarter-inch above normal.

So far this year, Denton has received over 46 inches of rain.

Looking ahead to “Meteorological Winter,” (December, January, February), the La Nina that continues to develop in the eastern and central equatorial Pacific is finally confirmed.

Although a weak La Nina, with temperature deficits of less than 1 degree Celsius, there’s enough certainty to mention the general outlook for Texas weather, which is abovenormal temperatures and below-normal precipitation in La Nina winters. And in general, it seems most Texans favor warm, dry winters (otherwise, they’d probably live somewhere else).

One less certain factor is the length of this La Nina. Government forecasters believe it will be relatively short, which might tend to give us cooler, wetter weather in March, but that’s highly speculative.

As for a “White Christmas,” don’t get your hopes up. The most common meteorological definition of a White Christmas is as follows: Measurable snow (more than flurries) that falls on Christmas Eve and is visible Christmas morning, or measurable snow that falls any time on Christmas Day, preferably in the morning.

According to the National Weather Service, on Christmas Day, 2012, early morning thunderstorms gave way to snow and sleet.

Western Denton County received up to 5”

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

of sleet and snow mixed. It was more of a “Slush Christmas” in many parts.

Our last real White Christmas was a Christmas Eve snowstorm in 2009 that left snow on the ground Christmas morning.

The long-term trend is a White Christmas occurring roughly four times within 100 years. Although our climate trends have become wetter in recent decades, our

Page B15

overnight lows have been trending warmer, which makes a White Christmas very elusive in North Texas. Still, Santa always manages to muddle through, somehow.

Have a safe, happy and meaningful Holiday Season!

Brad Barton is Chief Meteorologist of WBAP820/570KLIF/99.5 The Wolf

Absolutely Free Checking

December 2016

Foodie Friday: Calling All Asian Food Lovers

By Jay Marks

Sometimes we visit a new restaurant after its been open for a few months and I kick myself for not having visited it sooner. Last

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

month I had one of those experiences as we followed the advice of several Foodies and headed to Flower Mound’s new China Island Asian Grill located in the Highlands of Flower Mound shopping center on the corner of FM 2499 and FM 407.

China Island Asian Grill opened in August and has been wowing customers with their delicious Asian-style dishes ever since.

We’ve seen numerous posts on Facebook

about how delicious all of their food is, and even with those high expectations, the food honestly exceeded what we had in mind!

The restaurant is truly a family business with owner, Harry Peng, running the shop alongside some of his children, siblings and nieces and nephews. We had the chance to meet his daughter and talk to both Harry and her about their experience owning running a restaurant here in Flower Mound.

Both of them expressed how grateful they’ve been for the welcome they’ve received from local residents, especially considering most of their business has come from word of mouth. So, kudos to you Foodies for spreading the good word and helping this family and their business off to a great start here in Flower Mound!

Harry has years of experience in the restaurant industry and brings that passion and knowledge to owning his own restaurant.

And he and his staff have created a menu with something that will appeal to just about everyone – no matter which kind of Asianstyle food you prefer.

And boy did they treat us to an incredible meal full of some of their most popular dishes.

We started out with bowls of their Hot & Sour and Egg Drop Soups. Both delicious and the perfect start to our meal.

They then brought us some of their most popular appetizers to sample: Crab Rangoons, Pork Dumplings and Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

I’m a big fan of all of these appetizers, and China Island’s versions were delicious!

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Then they brought us a bunch of different entrees to sample – our whole table was full of incredible dishes to try!

If you like Thai food, you’ll love China Island’s Phad Thai. We had ours with steak and both the meat and the noodles had incredible flavor.

We also tried their General Tsao’s Chicken which is breaded dark meat chicken served in a spicy garlic sauce. It almost tastes like you’re eating boneless ribs and the sauce has a little bit of heat to it, but not too much.

If you like sweeter Asian dishes, you’ll love either their Mandarin Pecan Chicken or their Sesame Chicken.

And if you’re a fan of seafood dishes, their Ginger Shrimp is incredible. It’s made with jumbo shrimp (I mean… JUMBO) stir-fried in a spicy ginger chili sauce.

Needless to say, we really enjoyed our meal at China Island Asian Grill. And can’t wait for our next meal there.

Now, just a couple things to keep in mind about this place. The physical location isn’t huge – they only have about 10 tables, so plan accordingly if you want to dine in the restaurant. China Island does also offer carry-out and delivery services. They deliver within a 7-mile radius (including to Lantana). However, you should plan ahead if you want delivery as sometimes the wait can be close to an hour due to their popularity. And for takeout orders, you should plan on somewhere around 15-25 minutes.

We hope you all try out this amazing new restaurant soon if you haven’t already!

China Island Asian Grill is located at 6101 Long Prairie Rd #740, in Flower Mound.

Visit them at chinaislandasiangrill.com or call 972-704-1971.

Jay Marks is the owner of Jay Marks Real Estate and a top performing real estate broker with 24 years experience and a passion for food.

December 2016

Luthier

Continued from Page B1

“I once tried to interest a school orchestra director in my products, and to put it mildly,” Mark said while laughing, “I got a cool reception.”

The Meloddities sales showroom at Mark’s house is arrayed with gorgeously finished unique instrument products customers often purchase for their decorative value.

“You can display them as art, but they’re all functional, and I urge buyers not to miss the fun of playing their purchases,” said Clark.

An able guitarist, Mark can demonstrate his skill on various homemade guitars-- a Dobro, a Stumpf Fiddle, a Hurdy Gurdy, a Diddly-bo and a mandolin. They’re all visually interesting and the sounds please the ear. He also collects guitars.

“A man can never have too many guitars,” he said.

Clark added that first and foremost, the tone or acoustic is what makes a good instrument.

“The integrity of the neck is next, because the strings exert huge pressure,” he said. “Professionally made fiddles have a steel rod embedded in the neck.”

Mark’s instrument necks run the length of the whole product. The handy thing about a cigar box is that it comes with a latch, so it can flip one open for buyers to examine the interior construction.

“Fret spacing has to be mathematically correct for the scales to come out right, and all this is followed by ease of playing,” said Clark. The strings and frets on his creations are purchased.

He tunes with an electrical tuner and creates electric guitars using vintage radios from garage sales and junk shops.

“I gut the radios and install standard amplifier equipment,” said Clark.

A generic acoustic lute consists of a sound box with a hole in the front, a neck with or without frets and varying numbers

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

of single or paired strings are stretched over the hole and neck to tightening pegs in the neck’s head; sometimes called its scroll.

Guitars are descended from the ancient Greek term kithara; an instrument thought to have accompanied the blind poet Homer in his epic poetry recitals. Greek immigrants took their instruments to Italy, where the name became chitarra.

Meloddities’ one-man percussion section-- called a Stumpf Fiddle-looks like something the mythical Mr. Bojangles used.

“In the old days, people called this a ‘Jingling Johnny,’” said Clark.

The instrument looks like it’s right out of Dogpatch, USA; often set atop an overturned metal wash tub. It’s a polished 6-foot long by a 3-inch diameter tree branch, which resembles a hiker’s walking staff. It can be adorned with an amusing collection of percussion items: like pie pan cymbals; a washboard; certainly a single wire string (Clark’s is pegged by an outdoor spigot faucet); perhaps a metal-tube triangle; and, well, whatever other fanciful object will make a joyful noise. If the performance venue has a wood floor, this fiddle keeps time being thumped.

“A Dobro is a guitar modified by the placement of a metal-plate resonator over the sound box hole,” said Clark.

“That increases the volume considerably.

The invention bridged the gap between acoustic and electric guitars. Bluegrass bands [like singer Allison Kraus] perform on Dobros.”

The resonator on Clark’s Meloddities Dobro is a shiny silver pot trivet. He is probably the only guy to wander through a garage sale and have musical Ah-ha! moments sorting through kitchenware cast-offs. The instrument is gorgeous and sounds wonderful.

See LUTHIER Page B18

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Minimally Invasive Dentistry – An alternative to Crowns So often you are told that you need a crown. It may be because you have a large filling, the tooth is cracked, decayed, or simply broken. So many people ask “Is there not an alternative way to fix teeth without doing a crown?” Yes there is, and the procedure is called an Onlay.

Onlays are a very conservative method to restore teeth. They remove only the broken, decayed, or weak parts of your teeth. Healthy unaffected parts of teeth are not removed.

Having more of your tooth means your tooth is stronger, healthier, and happier.

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If you would like further information on any of these procedures, please feel free to contact me at Dentistry For The Quality Conscious at 972-6911700 or www.drgolab.net . 3020 Broadmoor Lane #100, Flower Mound, TX 75022

December 2016

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Luthier

Continued from Page B17

His Diddly-bo is a one-string guitar constructed from a wooden cigar box and a fretless broomstick.

“These instruments were invented by black sharecroppers in the early 1900s,” said Clark. “Delta blues songs use Diddly-bo accompaniments.”

If you want something even funkier, the Meloddities Hurdy Gurdy is a mustsee and hear.

The sound box is a stripped down violin case, fitted with strings, eight wooden prototype piano keys and a wheel on the bottom that does something mysterious to produce sound.

Didn’t the traditional organ-grinder with a pet monkey use one of these?

Contact Clark to get the facts and a demo you’ll never forget.

Not only President Bill Clinton came from Hope, Ark.; because that’s where Clark was born, too. However, he got to Texas as soon as he could.

“I grew up, though, in Longview, Corpus Christi and then Tyler,” said Clark.

The Beatles’ American debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1963 blew him out of the proverbial water. He fell in love with the guitar.

“I was six-years-old,” he said. “My

Photo by Helen’s Photography

Mark Clark’s “meloddities” combine elements of depression-era tramp or folk art with the love of playing music.

parents bought me a $5 Sears Silvertone instrument and private lessons. I quickly got tired of the self-discipline for practice.”

But, some of his sympathetic teen neighbors with guitars took over as music educators. “I had a blast.”

When guitar music for folk players is written down, the method is called tablature; he reads that. Instead of stereotypical notes on a staff of lines and spaces, tablature describes chords in small diagrams of the strings, alphabet letters 4 BR, 2.5 BA home featuring two-story family room with gas fp, an upstairs bonus room and formal dining room. Kitchen boasts large island with lots of cabinets, gas stove and refrigerator.

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and dots indicating finger placement.

Sort of a “finger” choreography. A typical “folk” musician, he learned to play by ear.

In his youth, Clark played with three bands: Blind Date, Black Cat Bone and Saturday Night Matinee, a bluegrass group.

“Bands are like middle school romances; they don’t last long,” he said.

He played some in college: “Mostly classic rock in bars. Jamming has always been fun.”

The up-and-coming amateur band performance venue these days is the “house concert” a private party by invitation only. He hasn’t planned a cigar box band house concert--yet.

“Adult musicians, with other professions and obligations, have a hard time getting together to play on more than an informal occasional basis,” said Clark. “I still write songs. Lyrics and chords come easy to me.”

Page B18

And of course he invents, produces, shows and sells unique instruments.

“I was privileged to participate in the Edom Arts Festival last summer.”

It’s near Ben Wheeler, Texas, and specializes in unique, expensive arts and crafts. A jury selects the 60 vendors.

“I was the only musical instrument producer there,” he said. “It was a good market.”

There is a cigar box guitar festival every year in Albert, Texas, near Fredericksburg. The most famous cigar box guitarist in North America is Justin Johnson.

Clark and his wife, antique aficionados and all around nice people, met at and graduated from East Texas State University; now Texas A&M Commerce.

“We became Aggies late in life.”

After graduation, he spent a couple of years servicing equipment at oil fields in the Rockies.

“My degree was in Journalism and Graphic Arts,” said Clark. “I came back and started working as a sales communications, technical training and marketing writer. I’ve been at it for the last 17 years now.”

Clark’s advice to anyone who cares to listen to the voice of experience is: “Have fun! If life isn’t fun, what’s the point?

Give yourself a reason to smile.”

To view a photo album of Clark’s creations, visit: www.meloddities.com.

The Meloddities showroom is open by appointment. Contact Clark at either: info@meloddities.com or call 214-9955502.

Contact the writer at noellemhood@gmail.com

December 2016

Flower Mound Chamber Corner

By Lori Walker, President

November Business of the Month: Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More In the Flower Mound Business Community there is a multitude of businesses that exudes core values such as dependable, friendly, knowledgeable a n d commitment to efficient service. Each month the staff and the committee that choses the Business of the Month, seek to find the business that has shown support, both Chamber and Community and who has risen to the top most recently. This month’s choice is all that and more. There are many words that describe our honored business such as generous, kind, friendly and most of all supportive of their community and the surrounding communities that they serve.

As far as the Chamber is concerned, the ways that this entity has helped and supported us runs so deep that it is impossible to even measure. In a business community such as Flower Mound and the surrounding areas, the opportunity to work with exceptional business entities is prevalent. The Flower Mound Chamber has a great working relationship with all businesses, large or small and is extremely appreciative of them all. We honor Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More as our November 2016 Business of the Month.

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November Ambassador of the Month: Christy Williams Ambassadors are the public relations arm of the Chamber, providing ribbon cutting, grand opening and groundbreaking services for members.

Ambassadors benefit by being on the inside track of new developments, meeting new business owners and helping the Chamber support its members. If your job includes being active in the community and making frequent contact with prospective customers, you should be an ambassador!

That is exactly what our November Ambassador of the Month exhibits month after month. Christy Williams of 9 Round Kickboxing joined our Chamber like a ball of fire and has been a regular at most Chamber events since she came our way in August of 2013. Christy exudes kindness and energy as she shares her passion for kickboxing.

As an Ambassador, she carries that same passion while welcoming new and existing members to events and ribbon cuttings. Her sweet spirit and willingness to help makes it easy to understand why she has been selected for this honor. It is my pleasure to announce our Ambassador of the Month for November 2016: Christy Williams of 9 Round Kickboxing.

New Members American Heart Association Baldree Home Team with Pioneer DFW Realty Bird Advocacy & Consulting Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Carte Blanche Moving Services DISH Network Fit Body Boot Camp Gloria’s Restaurant Flower Mound Good Samaritan Society-Lake Forest Village

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Heartland Payment Systems MedEffect Strategies, LLC Mortgage Financial Services LLC MY BODY Fitness Neighborhood Credit Union Northside Air Conditioning Open House Boutique Pioneer Realty LLC

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Inside This Section

Holiday Guide December 2016

www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

Refugees Showered With Blessings

Charity Makes Miracles Daily

By Mark Miller, Contributing Writer

By Lyn Rejahl Pry, Editor

Photo by Helen’s Photography

C

Page C1

Photo by Helen’s Photography

Mitch Gray helps meet the physical and spiritual needs of the Chin people, religious refugees from Myanmar, on Nov. 19 at Vistas on the Park Apartments in Lewisville.

Tom Cibula, Development Gift Officer at Christian Community Action, knows firsthand the power of his organization’s benevolence.

Imagine being considered such an outcast in your own country that your only hope for survival is to leave everything behind and emigrate halfway across the world.

Such is the case for the 3,500 members of the Chin community who have lived in Lewisville for much of the past decade.

Their former home was on the western

During the holiday season, many southern Denton County residents look to the Christian Community Action (CCA) nonprofit headquartered in Lewisville as a guiding star; but, to give to those in need, rather than to receive gifts from the three kings from the Orient.

The idea for CCA began in 1973 as a seven-person Bible study group and

part of what’s now called Myanmar, previously known as Burma, next to India in Southeast Asia.

Thanks to an organization called the Chin Community Ministry in Lewisville and area religious institutions, like Flower Mound’s RockPointe Church, the group has slowly-but-surely been See REFUGEES Page C9

over the past 43 years, it has grown into an organization of more than 150 staff members plus 2,500 volunteers, providing more than 10,000 individual services each year.

And, even with those impressive numbers, it’s estimated that only one-infour Flower Mound citizens are aware See CCA Page C5

December 2016

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Page C2

December 2016

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December 2016

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Page C4

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C H R I S T I A N

C O M M U N I T Y

A C T I O N

Give the Gift of Hope Please consider

Christian Community Action this Christmas season to give or volunteer!

Are you looking for a way to give back this season?

CCA has several opportunities for you to help make this a special holiday season for so many in our community.

Make a monetary donation to CCA: Make your check payable to Christian Community Action: 200 South Mill, Lewisville, TX, 75057 or, give online at www.ccahelps.org.

Volunteer at the CCA Christmas Program: Help is needed at the Christmas Celebrations, or volunteer for a shift at a mall location to manage a giving tree.

Coordinate a food, Christmas toy, or clothing drive: Host a drive at your church, business, or organization.

Adopt a Senior for Christmas: Adopt a senior citizen and purchase gifts from their needs wish list.

To volunteer, host a drive, or give: To Host a Drive or to Give | Marshall Reeves | 972.219.4369 | Marshall.Reeves@ccahelps.org To Volunteer | 972.219.4382 | volunteer.requests@ccahelps.org

Give. Donate. Volunteer. Change Lives.

200 South Mill Street, Lewisville TX 75057 | 972-221-1224 | www.ccahelps.org

December 2016

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We have everything you need to give your home a little extra sparkle for the season!

Stop by today!

The Shops at Highland Village - 1101 Shoal Creek Dr. #120 - Highland Village, TX 75077 - 972-441-4355

CCA

Continued from C1

that CCA exists.

It has been healing, feeding and educating those in need throughout Denton, Collin, Dallas, Tarrant and Wise counties with a holistic approach to transition rather than rescue; from offering a hand-up instead of a hand-out.

The nonprofit’s Development Gift Officer, Tom Cibula, 57, handles fundraising and creating outreach awareness.

Through group presentations he helps encourage donations and volunteerism.

The Ohio native has two sisters and a twin brother who still all live in Ohio; he last visited this July.

“I was a surprise when I was born,” said Cibula. “I had a really weak heartbeat, so when my brother was born first, he was given my father’s name; and, then I arrived and I was named Thomas, after ‘doubting’ Thomas, the apostle. They all doubted that I would even survive. I was born on April 1 and was in an incubator for eight weeks.”

That beginning was a foreshadowing of what would come later.

His father died when Tom was only 11-year-old and he moved to attend Texas A&M with a double major in finance and accounting, because Texas schools cost less for someone who worked his way through college.

“I spent over 25-years in product development, marketing and consulting and sales of electronic funds transfer solutions to financial institutions in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean,” said Cibula. “I was making a six-figure plus salary and traveled all over the country. I had built a nice nest egg in savings and retirement and accumulated about one-million frequent flyer miles. So, I was looking forward to comfortably retiring someday and traveling the world in style with my saving, retirement income and those miles.”

Then came the economic recession and the collapse of the banking industry. The company he worked for went out of business and he found himself without a job, in an industry that was collapsing along with an economy in the middle of a deep recession.

For two years he looked for work in his industry, all the while living off his savings, his retirement, then eventually he was forced to sell his frequent flyer miles for gas and grocery money.

In addition, his house went into forbearance … a one-year final step away from foreclosure. Forbearance means the bank allowed him to suspend mortgage payments for one year. However, at the end of that time, he would have to provide the bank with all of the deferred interest and resume his payment schedule, or be subject to foreclosure.

“At this point I was flat-busted and finding myself living on food stamps and converting my frequent flyer miles for gift cards at Walmart to buy gas and toiletries; remember, food stamps do not cover these items,” said Cibula. “I would only drive to the library to use their free internet to job search for employment opportunities and job networking groups.”

Some of the interviews took a month or more in multiple locations; then, there’d be a company budget issue, or hiring freeze.

During a discussion with a colleague at a job networking group, Cibula was encouraged to investigate CCA in Lewisville.

“Well, I came to CCA, filled out their application and they assigned me a case manager, who then enrolled me in the CCA [food] pantry, the job search program and they paid my utilities,” he said. “My case manager suggested that I consider volunteering and submit an employment

application at CCA. On the days visiting CCA’s pantry and volunteering, I would go to their community room with my laptop and use CCA’s guest Wi-Fi service to check the internet for possible employment opportunities.”

In January 2013, CCA hired him in their resale store as a part-time cashier (unfortunately, no health insurance).

“After a just few months on the job, I became ill and went to a doctor,” said Cibula. “It was determined during a test in the hospital that I’d had a heart attack at some point and had severe heart disease. I was immediately taken upstairs to an OR and had immediate open heart six-bypass surgery.

“While I was recovering from my surgery, my manager from CCA showed up at my hospital room. Well, I thought, ‘he’s here to tell me that they had replaced me.’

Instead, he leaned over, gave me a hug and told me to get well, because they needed me back at CCA and were holding my position open for me.”

As soon as the doctor gave him his work release, he was back on the job at CCA. In April 2013, CCA made him a fulltime employee which made him eligible for health insurance.

“Then, after a few months, they promoted me to a Development Gift Officer. Unfortunately, I had already

incurred over $100,000 of medical bills. CCA stepped in and assisted me with negotiating the amount down and arranging for monthly payments on the lowered amount.

I just got that paid-off this month.”

He still had the issue with his mortgage hanging over him like a big black cloud.

“It was like having a gun against my head and having the trigger pulled every day,” he said. “All the dominos kept falling and CCA caught them all for me.”

Yes; CCA solved the mortgage issue, too.

“One of CCA’s board members (who worked for the mortgage holder) contacted the company and my foreclosure proceedings were suspended,” said Cibula.

“CCA then loaned me the additional funds I needed to bring my mortgage up-to-date, which took me out of foreclosure.

“Today I can say that I am truly blessed to be a part of the CCA ministry. I have been here almost four years and I have seen so many miracles happen every day. The public’s support and prayers are creating those miracles that change the lives of so many who walk through CCA’s doors. You are looking at one.”

For more information on CCA, visit: ccahelps.org.

December 2016

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Beautiful Decor.

Uniquely You.

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We have everything you need to give your home a little extra sparkle for the season!

Stop by today!

The Shops at Highland Village - 1101 Shoal Creek Dr. #120 - Highland Village, TX 75077 - 972-441-4355

Temple Baptist Christmas Musical

Jesus!

Join us Sunday, December 11 at 9 am or 10:30 am

The Advent of the Messiah

Christmas Eve Services

Join us at 5 pm for a service geared towards children and families or at 7 pm when we will have Communion.

Richard Wallace, Sr.

Senior Pastor

Christmas Day Services Sunday, December 25 10:15 am & 6 pm

TEMPLE

BAPTIST CHURCH

2501 Northshore Blvd.

Flower Mound, TX 75028

Contact Us 972.874.8700

Visit Us Online

templebc.org

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December 2016

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December 2016

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We have everything you need to give your home a little extra sparkle for the season!

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Refugees

Continued from C1

but when you make the wages they make, rent takes up 40- to 50-percent of their income.�

Additional RockPointe efforts have included a Halloween carnival, Chin community garden, homeowners’ garden program, making Christmas baskets and wreaths and a First Christmas in the United States program that matches a RockPointe family with a new Chin family.

They read, pray and decorate together as part of the Chin Community Ministry’s goal to develop relationships. “That is one of the most meaningful events, because we tell them we’re celebrating their arrival in the United States,� Nelson said.

Among those spearheading efforts at RockPointe are Mitch and wife Amber Gray, who pitched the idea of helping the Chin in 2013. “RockPointe is one of our more active support churches,� Nelson said. “They support us financially. We have a member of RockPointe (Arnie Adkison) on our board.

Mitch heads up our newcomer ministry. He and Amber have been supporters in so many ways, particularly with Photo by Helen’s Photography the newcomers.�

Learn more about the Chin Community Ministry at Chin refugees in Lewisville enjoy gifts of clothing, toys and houselewisvillechin.org. hold goods donated by members of RockPointe Church.

turning their lives around. “A lot of people don’t know about us, but those who do become very loyal and supportive of us,� said Becky Nelson, executive director of Chin Community Ministry. “The Chin are kind of the embodiment of the American dream. They work very, very hard. They are not afraid of work. They want to better themselves.�

The Chin are considered refugees by the United Nations as a people persecuted-- or fearing death-- because of religious, ethnic, or political preferences. This included being chastised for practicing Christianity in a country full of Buddhists.

Nelson said the first refugees were a small group of more-educated leaders who had spoken out against Myanmar’s military regime. They settled in Lewisville in 2003-04, because of the growing number of area jobs. “At that time, southern Denton County was the fastestgrowing county in the state,� said Nelson. “They could get jobs easier here than in Dallas,� Nelson said. “Now Dallas and Fort Worth are considered refugee resettlement places; Lewisville is not. But, they could find jobs better here than in Dallas. They could go nearly any direction from here and get a LOSE UP TO 20 POUNDS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR!†job.�

Other refugees originally fled from Myanmar 1,500 miles away to Malaysia, where initially they were able to obtain jobs. Though able to save some money, they were asked to leave by both Malaysia and the United Nations, so the next 150 came to Lewisville in 2007. “We don’t bring them here,� said Nelson. “They basically go through a resettlement agency in Dallas or Fort Worth. When they come here, it’s their relatives that bring them here, because they’ve been so established as part of the community they know that we will help them.�

They receive between four- to six-months of help from the U.S. government, before having to go on their own. Then the Chin Community Ministry steps in, since many aren’t able to get on their feet in that short a time, after arriving with virtually nothing and understanding little.

That’s where the ministry and churches come into play. Other Flower Mound churches involved include The Village, Valley Creek, Trietsch Memorial United Methodist, and First Baptist Church, which originally started the ministry at the request of a Chin minister.

Nelson was a member of First Baptist Church of Flower Mound’s mission team asked to lead the efforts nearly 10 years ago. Members of Michelle, the Chin community arrived with virtually no actual patient knowledge of American culture, customs or lost 22 pounds!†language. The ministry, funded mostly by individual private and church donations, has helped change that.

INITIAL CONSULTATION “Part of our success is 150 of them have become American citizens,� Nelson said. “We &YQJSFT have about 150 homeowners who have worked hard and saved their money. Most of the others 'MPXFS .PVOE live in five apartment complexes in Lewisville. “Some also have started small businesses, in -POH 1SBJSJF 3E 4UF cluding a used automobile sales lot, three restau'MPXFS .PVOE 59 rants, two markets, four realtors, two tax prepar

ers, a taxi service, and sewing services.�

Since joining the movement in 2013, RockPointe has contributed through a variety of events big and small. They include a quarterly Share Day, like one held Nov. 19 at Vistas on the Park Apartments, where about 200 Chin community members were able to secure needed clothing, household goods, blankets and other items donated by church members. “One of the reasons we continue to do this is .&% -044 * .FEJ8FJHIUMPTT DPN housing costs are so high in Lewisville and everywhere else, if we can help them with sweat $BOOPU CF DPNCJOFE XJUI BOZ PUIFS PGGFS 'SFF JOKFDUJPOT XJUI QVSDIBTF PG B MPZBMUZ PS WBMVF QMBO JT MJNJUFE UP UISFF JOKFDUJPOT QFS XFFL GPS UIF EVSBUJPO PG UIF QMBO p 0O BWFSBHF QBUJFOUT DPNQMJBOU XJUI UIF .FEJ 8FJHIUMPTTÂĽ 1SPHSBN MPTF QPVOET UIF mSTU XFFL BOE QPVOET UIF mSTU NPOUI 3BQJE XFJHIU MPTT NBZ CF BTTPDJBUFE XJUI DFSUBJO NFEJDBM DPOEJUJPOT BOE TIPVME POMZ CF DPOTJEFSFE CZ UIPTF XIP BSF NFEJDBMMZ BQQSPQSJBUF '- 0/-: 5)& 1"5*&/5 "/% "/: 05)&3 1&340/ shirts for their kids or jackets or something like 3&410/4*#-& '03 1":.&/5 )"4 " 3*()5 50 3&'64& 50 1": $"/$&- 1":.&/5 03 #& 3&*.#634&% '03 1":.&/5 '03 "/: 05)&3 4&37*$& &9".*/"5*0/ 03 53&"5.&/5 5)"5 *4 1&3'03.&% "4 " 3&46-5 0' "/% 8*5)*/ )0634 0' 3&410/%*/( 50 5)& "%7&35*4&.&/5 '03 5)& '3&& %*4$06/5&% '&& 03 3&%6$&% '&& 4&37*$& &9".*/"5*0/ 03 53&"5.&/5 ÂŞ .FEJ *1 --$ "MM 3JHIUT 3FTFSWFE that, then they have their money to pay rent,â€?

Nelson said. “They are 90-percent employed,

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December 2016

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Everything you need for your holiday gatherings and gift giving!

Check out our online business directory for everything you need to Shop, Taste, Go, Play or Do in Highland Village! www.thehvba.com

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boutique

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Wish Lists Layaway Free Gift Wrapping Shop Small. Shop Local.

December 2016

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December 2016

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December 2016

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December 2016

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We have everything you need to give your home a little extra sparkle for the season!

Stop by today!

The Shops at Highland Village - 1101 Shoal Creek Dr. #120 - Highland Village, TX 75077 - 972-441-4355

We wish you merry holidays.

Whether it's a broken bone, emergency surgery or a new baby, we are here to serve YOU, our neighbors, and to lend a helping hand when needed. Our physicians and staff are committed to setting the bar high for healthcare through compassion, innovation and personal care to all we serve.

For more information about the services we offer or to find a physician near you, call 469.322.7000 or visit our website at TexasHealthFlowerMound.com.

Bariatric Services Emergency Services Epilepsy & Seizure Center

Neonatal ICU Orthopedics Robotic Surgery

Imaging Services Intensive Care Unit/ICU Neck & Spine Center

Sleep Lab Center Surgical Services Women’s Services

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December 2016

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December 2016

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

We have everything you need to give your home a little extra sparkle for the season!

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December 2016

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Uniquely You.

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Online at www.CrossTimbersGazette.com

We have everything you need to give your home a little extra sparkle for the season!

Stop by today!

The Shops at Highland Village - 1101 Shoal Creek Dr. #120 - Highland Village, TX 75077 - 972-441-4355

Photos by Brian Maschino

The Christmas season kicked off in southern Denton County on Nov. 19 with the lighting of a 60-foot Christmas tree and a visit from Santa at The Shops at Highland Village.

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NW corner of FM 2499 & FM 407 • 972.317.7500 theshopsathighlandvillage.com

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December 2016

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We have everything you need to give your home a little extra sparkle for the season!

Stop by today!

The Shops at Highland Village - 1101 Shoal Creek Dr. #120 - Highland Village, TX 75077 - 972-441-4355

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Shelly Dodge, CWS® President

Kathy Beahm Office Manager

Stocks & Bonds - Mutual Funds Fixed & Variable Annuity Products IRA’s/401k Rollovers - Alternative Investments College Savings 529 Accounts Life Insurance - Long Term Care

3305 Long prairie road, suite 140 flower mound, tx 75022

972-539-0002 www.visionaryfinancialgroup.com Securities and investment advisory services offered through Next Financial Group, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC Visionary Financial Group is not an affiliate of Next Financial Group, Inc.

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December 2016

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ARGYLE: December 3 - Annual Argyle Christmas Tree Lighting Festival from 4 to 7 p.m. at Argyle Town Hall, 308 Denton St E. Featuring music, shopping, food, games, photos with Santa, bidding on decorated Christmas trees, and a tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. www. keepargylebeautiful.com or call 940-2946277 December 19 - Elf Training from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Cross Timbers Church, 1119 South Hwy 377. Create ornaments, snacks, and play festive games. Free event for kids 5th grade and under. crosstimberschurch.org BARTONVILLE: December 10 - Olde Time Christmas from 5-9 p.m. at Bartonville Town Center, 2652 FM 407. Live music from The Poor Kings, Kid’s Train, hot cocoa, face painting, carriage rides, live reindeer. 940-241-3030 December 18 - Greater 407 Lions Club Country 5K at 8 a.m. at Bartonville Town Center, 2650 FM 407. www.fm407lionsclub.org.

COPPER CANYON: December 3 - Santa Party for Copper Canyon children from 3-5 p.m. at Copper Canyon Town Hall. 940-241-2677 DOUBLE OAK: December 3 - Double Oak Women’s Club Children’s Winter Holiday Event from 2 to 4 p.m. at Double Oak Town Hall, 320 Waketon Rd. Candy cane hunt at 2 p.m., followed by arts, crafts, and interactive games. www. doubleoakwomensclub.com December 5 - Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6 p.m. in JB Wright Park next to Town Hall.

FLOWER MOUND: December 5 - Caring at Christmas from 5:30–7 p.m. at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

Christmas feast, live music, door prizes, and profits are shared with area nonprofits. Tickets $35 for members, $40 for nonmembers, and $45 at the door. www.argylechamber.org/cac December 6 - College - Getting There from Here from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Flower Mound Public Library, 3030 Broadmoor Lane.

Presented by Frank Rattan, Jr., a financial advisor with Edward Jones. 972-874-6165 December 7 - NoveList Plus Demo at 7 p.m. at the Flower Mound Public Library, 3030 Broadmoor Lane. Learn the tricks of the trade for finding the perfect book. To register, email fmpl@flower-mound.com or call 972-8746165.

December 7-8 - Women and War presented by the Flower Mound High School Theatre Arts Department at 7 p.m. at FMHS Black Box Theatre, 3411 Peters Colony. Tickets $10 for adults and $8 for students. Best suited for ages 11 and up. Tickets at www.fmhstheatre. net. 469-948-3628 December 9 - Women of Flower Mound Christmas Tour of Homes, Holiday Luncheon and Silent Auction from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Bridlewood Golf Club House, 4000 Windsor Drive. Tickets $38 each. Proceeds benefit the Women of Flower Mound Scholarship Fund.

www.womenofflowermound.org December 10 - Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Class from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Flower Mound Police Department, 4150 Kirkpatrick Lane. Lunch will be provided.

Attendees must be 13 years and older and register in advance by calling 972-874-3304 or emailing policetraining@flower-mound.com

Ongoing - Farmers Market every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Parker Square. www. fourseasonsmarkets.com Ongoing - The Shops at Lakeside Music Series every Friday night from 7 to 9 p.m. on the Plaza at Lakeside Parkway, just west of FM 2499. Featuring live music and food trucks.

December 10 - Live Nativity at 2 p.m. at Lamb of God Lutheran Church, 1401 Cross Timbers Rd. Free event. Featuring petting zoo with camel, entertainment and food. 972-5395200.

HIGHLAND VILLAGE: December 9-11 – The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at 7:30 p.m. at Studio B Performing Arts Center, 2400 FM 407. www.studiobtheater. com

December 10-11 - Christmas concert from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church, 6101 Morriss Road.

Featuring holiday favorites from the Flower Mound Symphony Orchestra, Trietsch Chancel Choir and the Voices of Flower Mound. Tickets $10 in advance; $15 at the door (seniors and children $10). 972-539-8547 x211 or www. tmumc.org

Through December 24 - Santa’s Tree House weekdays from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and Sunday 12-6 p.m. at The Shops at Highland Village. www.santasfastpass.com or 972-317-7500.

December 16 - Music Fest at 1 p.m. at Flower Mound Senior Center, 2701 W Windsor Dr. Professional concert featuring Dana Sudborough (vibraphone Christmas selection).

Free and open to the public.

LANTANA: December 3 - Toy Drive benefiting Sadie’s Sleigh from 12-3 p.m. at Lantana Golf Club, 800 Golf Club Dr. Santa visit, bounce house, $5 burgers. Support Lantana resident Sadie Keller as she collects new toys for children battling cancer. www.lantanaladiesleague. com

December 2016

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December 5 - Board & Brush Night from 7 to 10 p.m. at Lantana North Amenity Center Group Fitness Room. 940-728-1660

and farm, crafting a Victorian ornament, hot cider and cookies. $3 per person. www. grapevinetexasusa.com

December 7 - Ornament Making Class from 7 to 10 p.m. at Lantana North Amenity Center Group Fitness Room. 940-728-1660

December 3 - Twinkle Light Boat Parade from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lake Grapevine. Watch from the shores of Lake Grapevine and the Glass Cactus Nightclub at Gaylord Texan Resort. www.grapevinetexasusa.com

December 13 - Coffee with the Community Manager from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Lantana Visitor’s Center. 940-728-1660 December 16 - Story Time from 10:30 to 11:30 am. at Lantana North Amenity Center Group Fitness Room. 940-728-1660 December 21 - Kid’s Bingo from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Lantana North Amenity Center Group Fitness Room. 940-728-1660 Ongoing - Denton Christian Women’s Connection Luncheon from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month at Lantana Golf Club. 940-765-3054 or 940-3826977 or cwcdenton@yahoo.com NEARBY AREAS: December 3 - Old Town Holiday Stroll in historic Old Town Lewisville from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Parade, community performances, holiday activities, photos with Santa, interactive children’s games, Santa Paws Village, and Lewisville Lights. 972.219.3401 or cityoflewisville.com December 3 - Old-Fashioned Downtown Christmas Event & Parade from 5 to 9 p.m. at Historic Downtown Roanoke Visitor & Recreation Center, 221 N. Oak Street, Roanoke. Bounce houses, carriage rides, crafts, music, photos with Santa, carolers, refreshments and more. 817-491-6090 December 3 - Victorian Christmas from 3 to 6 p.m. at Nash Farm, 626 Ball St, Grapevine. Featuring tour of the farmhouse

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December 9-11 - Elf Jr. The Musical at The Actors Conservatory Theater, 359 Lake Park Road, Suite 118, Lewisville. www.

GetIntoTheAct.org December 16-17 - The 3 Redneck Tenors Christmas Spec-Tac-YULE-Ar at 7:30 p.m. at Medical Center of Lewisville Grand Theater, 100 N. Charles Street. mclgrand.tix.com.

December 17-18 - Robson Ranch Music Club Choir Christmas Concerts at 7 p.m. on 12/17 and 4 p.m. on 12/18 at the Main Clubhouse.

Tickets $10 at the door.

Photo by Karen Matson

The celebration for the 70th anniversary of the Christmas film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” brought actress Karolyn Grimes, the movie’s character Zuzu Bailey, to Flower Mound’s Moviehouse and Eatery on the weekend of Nov. 19th. Grimes (left) is pictured with Lyn Pry, Editor of The Cross Timbers Gazette.

Through December 18 - “The Last Night of Ballyhoo” presented by Greater Lewisville Community Theatre on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. at the Greater Lewisville Community Theatre, 160 W. Main St. www.GLCT.org or 972-221-7469.

Through December 31 - Hometown Holiday at the Settlement to City Museums, 208 W. Hudgins Street, Grapevine. Victorian-era crafts, activities, stories, and more. www. grapevinetexasusa.com December 31 - Lil’d NYE event hosted by the United Way of Denton County and Greater Denton Arts Council from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center, 400 E Hickory St., Denton. Casino-themed event will feature local food and talent. UnitedWayDenton.org/ NYE

For the ninth consecutive year, the famous lighted tree in Bartonville is on display again this holiday season at Barbara Nunneley’s 10-acre ranch on McMakin Road.

December 2016

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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The Pastor’s Place Joy!

By Daniel Humbert, Senior Pastor at Trietsch Memorial UMC

Even though it was 20 years ago, I remember it like yesterday. The details are vivid and bright. It was a day unlike any other.

That day not only taught me what true joy could be; it set the standard for my understanding of joy.

In 1996, Kay and I had recently relocated and were serving a new church, a new community and living in a new home.

We got the call at 2 a.m. “It’s time! Come now!” We drove to San Antonio in less than three hours! Needless to say, we were excited and in a hurry.

We arrived exhausted and elated. We rushed to greet our family and discover our destiny. It would be the day we’d awaited. Nothing could’ve prepared us for the range of emotions we’d encounter. Our lives would be forever changed!

On this day, we’d be given the most precious gift of all—life; a life that was not our own, and yet a life forever entrusted to us.

Our son. Our first-born child. He was given to us by another mother who wanted us to parent her child. She would entrust to us the child she carried and loved in her body.

Melissa was gracious enough to allow us the blessing of being present while she delivered her first-born child. It was im-

possible to describe the gratitude and joy we felt. We were to be given a life that we could not have created or gained by any other act than of pure love and genuine trust. Melissa was our angel and she was bringing us good news of great joy. This baby would offer us hope for a future.

And pure grace made it possible.

The time came for her to give birth. It was a miraculous event—life, creation!

I’d never witnessed anything like it. To witness the miracle of life come into being was pure joy! A blessing that could never have been imagined was suddenly bestowed. A saving grace had become real for our lives. A son had been born. A child offered. Joy! And characteristic of God’s amazing grace, an unwed, pregnant teenaged girl made it possible for us. JOY indescribable! JOY unimaginable! JOY as pure a gift from God. Every year, as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I cannot help but be reminded of how tangible and real is the joy which God bestows. Joy comes every year and it’s in the form of a little baby boy born to an unwed teenage girl who unselfishly offers him as a gift to the world. Not because she had to, but because she wanted to. Mary’s gift is our gift. God’s desire for the creation is poured out in love. That is JOY! I pray you too can discover God’s joy this season through the birth of Christ. It really is transforming and life-giving; like nothing else the world has to offer.

The Pastor’s Place features articles written by a different area church leader each month.Call 940-728-8284 for more information.

December 2016

Something To Muench On...

To be or not to be…

THAT is the question

By Kimberly Muench

Last night, my husband and I attended a heartwarming documentary produced

by Dallas artist and professor Willie Baronet called Signs of Humanity. This film chronicles the journey Willie took during the entire month of July 2014, between Seattle and New York (with twenty-four stops in between), to buy the cardboard signs of homeless people along the way and to ask them, “What does home mean to you?” Willie later assembled the 1,000+ signs he’d been collecting over the years, including during that trip, in an impressive traveling art exhibit to create awareness about the homeless in our country (learn more at signsofhumanity.org).

It was a special privilege to attend as Willie Baronet and his team were present for a Q&A after the showing, along with a young man from St. Louis named Eddie who was featured in the film and who, two years later, is now sober and no longer homeless. The documentary is truly a moving and important piece of work.

During the film, I couldn’t help but think about how I have responded in the past to the homeless when I encountered them. Of course we don’t see many people living on the streets of our lovely suburbs, but I have certainly been to cit-

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ies where homeless people are prevalent and I, like Willie before he began his mission of buying cardboard signs, know I am guilty of looking away or (worse yet) deciding “those people” must have done something to get themselves into the situation they are in. I imagine, on a deep level, the fear inside of me about ever becoming homeless keeps me from engaging with fellow human beings.

Through the documentary I now recognize this as ignorant and cowardly.

The film also made me think about my son, Allen-Michael, who works in St. Paul, Minnesota and often encounters homeless people, purposely, to buy them a meal and listen to their story. People like Willie and my son inspire me to become less judgmental and less fearful about those who’s circumstances I know nothing about…people just like you and I who, sometimes through no direct fault of their own, find themselves trying to survive on the streets.

I loved hearing some of the responses Willie received from his question “what does home mean to you?” including the following…Heaven. A place to shower and sleep and pay bills. Anywhere that is “safe.” And, my favorite, Home is anytime I hear my mother’s voice.

Sniff.

We have a choice as the year winds down and we gather with loved ones far and near, we can be grateful for the circumstances we live in (no matter what they are), or we can lament the shortcomings of ourselves, others, and the world. We don’t grow as individuals during the times in life that are easy… we build our character in those moments when we learn to do better, which is usually during a time when we’ve fallen.

Choose to look, choose to engage.

Choose gratitude over condemnation, compassion over judgment, and above

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all else, choose love over fear.

May the coming year bring you much growth, because when you and I grow, so does all of humanity.

Kim Muench is a married mother of five children living in Flower Mound. A

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certified parenting coach, her passion lies in supporting and encouraging parents of adolescents. To read more of her work, or to learn about her parenting program, go to www.realifeparentguide.com.

December 2016

The Soapbox: Christmas Is Forgiving

By Brandi Chambless

Christmas may be a time for songs of joy and peace, but there is something about Christmas that makes so many feel like they had Joni Mitchell’s river to skate away on.

In spite of all of its magic, Christmas can be quite melancholy.

In spite of a Christmas baby being born to set debtors free, the so-called Christmas spirit can drive the most sane shopper into taking on debt

THE CROSS TIMBERS GAZETTE

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experienced during the anticipation of Christmas seem to turn blue in the silence of the holiest hour. The stillness brings wet eyes of tenderness toward something we try hard to identify.

Suddenly, the clock has told us that shopping must cease. The cooking is not going to get any further along. The familiar assembly is gathered once again where love must sometimes find a way to stare pain eye to eye. A loved one has said goodbye. An old wound, once thought buried, is fresh once again. All the Christmas wishes in the world cannot solve the mysteries of the shattered dreams that were once at the forefront of an existence that is feeling pretty lame in comparison to the glitter of the moment.

Perhaps, the greatest bondage of Your Smile is your First Impression! all is the shackle of a debt we cannot pay.

Though there is great truth in the notion that holding a debt against a neighbor is a poison that will kill the soul, this is something that can be released by the Dr. G. Robert Marye & Dr. Janet Stone Gonzalez unforgiving captor to free himself.

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in order to have just the perfect gift underneath the tree.

In spite of the free gift of Christmas being life eternal coming down from Heaven in the form of a baby boy, we have adopted the folklore that Christmas is only available to those who have improved their naughty status to nice.

By the time we early shoppers arrive at December 24, skating away on a river seems like a perfectly viable option when faced with the reality of reacquainting ourselves with the Cousin Eddie’s of our lives.

Like Christmas poinsettias, they only come around once a year, but, oh Buddy!

The magical feelings that are

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to forgive ourselves when we have strayed off course, but the choice of our captor in forgiving us is in their hands. Guilty or innocent though we may be, we can do nothing except submit to the life sentence of condemnation. There is no hope within our own power.

But it’s coming on Christmas, the Holy Spirit begins to stir. The cold wind blows, but joy, love, and peace with an unseen God are slowly ushered in with all the pageantry of winter. The Christmas baby is with us and the star is neatly hung on the tree.

This baby we sing about is no ordinary child. He is here to set every prisoner free from the shackles of an unforgiving captor. He is drawing his lines in the sand. He is wiping away every tear and giving new life as His eternal gift.

Many will say that Christmas is for families, traditions, and holiday cheer. Others will say that Christmas is for giving. I will say that Christmas is forgiving. For the captor, it is forgiving those who have wronged you. For the captive, it is a forgiving from this Jesus, this Christ-child who became a man to pay our debt. He has come to lovingly hold your head high when no one else will.

Merry Christmas, Dear Reader.

From my desk to yours.

December 2016

OH FOR PETE’S SAKE! WHAT’S IN OKLAHOMA CITY?

By C. Stroup

Recently, we’ve been bitten by a bug that carries a virus leading to short road trips. We really know so little about many of the cities surrounding Dallas that it’s a bit embarrassing. We did visit a few after first moving here but that was over thirty years ago!

Trying to recall details of these trips from our ancient past is like trying to catch flies with chopsticks.

Some months back we drove to San Antonio and experienced a wide variety of things to do and places to see. Upon hearing that we got such a kick out of that sojourn, an acquaintance suggested we visit Oklahoma City. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings but thought that was one of the worst ideas I’d ever heard. What’s in Oklahoma City?!!

She began describing some wonderful trips to the city that she had taken with her grandsons when they were youngsters. Travel to and from included an Amtrak train ride. Now that sounded like a lot of fun! I investigated the train possibility for us and another couple we travel with.

Unfortunately, their work schedules would have required a very late arrival time into OKC so we nixed that form of transportation. Instead, we opted to drive which turned out swell, and took less than 3 hours by car.

I’d done my homework (like what did we ever do before Google?) and also had the Chamber of Commerce send me a bunch of literature that

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covered a plethora of sites to see and things to experience. I was pleased and amazed at the vast variety.

The hotel we chose was reasonably priced, extremely nice and right in the heart of Bricktown. “Bricktown?� you ask. Yes, so named because of all the bricks (really). Here we enjoyed a multitude of restaurants that featured delightful menus at sensible prices.

We stumbled onto a place called Crabtown and relished their food so much that we went back for second helpings on another night. Our hotel was also conveniently located to the water taxi that cruised the Bricktown Canal (a miniature version of San Antonio’s Riverwalk). The roundtrip ride took a little less than an hour so we rode it a second time on another day. Both times we had cool and informative captains who explained the surrounding buildings and their history.

My favorite part was the depiction of the settlers coming to take advantage of the land rush. At the time, the government was giving away land parcels of 640 acres to any newcomer.

There were 41 fabulous bronze sculptures of men, women, children, dogs and horses making the journey. This exhibit will be expanded over time to include approximately 30 more figures. Very impressive! But most enlightening was the story we were told as to how Oklahomans became known as Sooners. A greedy lot of the settlers secretly took off ahead of the rest and hid themselves. When it came time to make a dash for the

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free parcels, these guys rushed ahead and staked their claim. They arrived sooner rather than later, ergo they became known as the Sooners! (I didn’t Google this so I don’t know if this particular tale is true or not, but it makes for a fun story.)

After that amusing bit of history comes a very sad time in our past‌the Oklahoma City bombing. This gave me goose bumps and I was glad I had a travel pack of Kleenex in my purse.

The presentation made you feel as if you could step right into the chaos and terror which took place. This exhibit deserves plenty of kudos for the massive amount of detail‌even down to the outdoor Wall of Survivors and The Field of 168 Empty Chairs, one for each life lost.

One evening we roamed around the Paseo Arts District which was rich with eclectic shops...jewelry, wines, pottery, paintings, crafts, clothing, all handmade. There must have been almost fifty of these quaint little stores. Each one offered free cookies and sometimes tea. My husband sampled every one, sometimes taking way more than his share from a plate. So when it was time to relax with some wine and cheese at an outdoor bistro patio, Ken was stuffed.

Everywhere we went, my girlfriend kept commenting on the absence of people on the streets and the lack of cars. After all, this was a weekend and the weather was gorgeous, so where was everybody?

The same shortage of vehicles was true of the 45th Infantry Museum

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parking lot. My take was that this place probably didn’t draw much of a crowd on a good day. I found the content pretty dry and boring. All three of my cohorts disagreed and seemed riveted by the vast collection of junky old stuff, facts and figures. The only things I saw of interest were outside and included tanks and airplanes from wars of long ago.

It was Sunday and time to head home but not without a stop at the National Cowboy Museum. This place rocked! I could have spent days there. Huge marble structures of cowboys and horses, rooms full of Indian artifacts, an exact replica of an old western town, a tribute to cowboy’s westerns and movies‌who remembers Sugarfoot? Well, as you can see, I really liked this exhibit. We had just scratched the surface of things to do and see but our weekend visit had come to an end.

On the way home we saw four lane highways loaded with cars, bumper to bumper. It was like a parking lot and we were relieved they were trying to go the opposite direction. Then, as though a light bulb went on, this solved the mystery of the ghost town like atmosphere we’d just left. The Texas/OU football game had been played this weekend and evidently drawn quite a crowd of Sooners!

So if someone ever asks you “Why did you go to Oklahoma City, like what’s to do there?â€? Tell them to get a copy of Travelhost, Oklahoma City Metro‌and they probably ought to do it sooner rather than later!

December 2016

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