By Nakia MagazineNDG Special Contributor

Construction giant Skanska USA,Inc. is a well-known organization inthe real estate industry as a lead de-veloper of multimillion commercialbuilding projects. However, the com-pany’s ethical practices are in ques-tion as it potentially faces a lawsuitbrought by a Dallas/Fort Worth-based minority contractor. The law-suit stems from the construction ofthe Irving Music Factory (nowknown as the Toyota Music Factory).

The ARK Group, developers of theToyota Music Factory, awardedSkanska a $94 million constructioncontract in February 2016 to build theentertainment complex. According tothe press release heralding the deal,the project was slated to convert the16.8 acres into an entertainment com-plex featuring the Pavillion for in-door/outdoor concerts able to seat upto 8,000 music lovers. Throughout aseven-building venue, visitors wouldenjoy a premier entertainment desti-nation featuring more than 250,000square feet of retail, restaurant andentertainment options. Plans includeda six-level parking garage for 1,200visitors.

Recent headlines related to ARK’songoing dispute with Billy Bob Bar-nett, the owner of Big Beats Dallas, aformer tenant at the Toyota Music

Factory relate to the Pavillion andparking. As the North Dallas Gazette(NDG) reported on June 21 in the ar-ticle entitled “ARK Group FacesMore Heat from Irving Taxpayersand the Honky-Tonk King”, the com-pleted project did not include coveredspace for the Pavillion as initiallyplanned or sufficient parking forguests visiting the five restaurantsand indoor/outdoor concertgoers.

As a result of these and other alle-gations, the local taxpayer advocacygroup, Irving Taxpayers Matter,launched a petition requesting theCity of Irving not release payment of$44 million to the ARK Group tocover additional expenses for the

building project. For more detailsread NDG’s July 3 article entitled“Irving citizens learn about concernsrelated to Irving Entertainment Cen-ter.” The article also includes allega-tions that during the constructionphase, they played musical chairswith the accessories, including toi-lets, countertops, etc. to gain Certifi-cate of Occupancy (CO).

Our article, as spotlighted on theDallas Eater blog recently, also in-cluded concerns regarding allega-tions related to “ARK Group’s al-legedly discriminatory music clausein its lease agreements that states, ‘A

Volume XXVIII, Number XXVIII

Visit Us Online at www.NorthDallasGazette.com

People In The News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Op/Ed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6Wells Fargo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7City Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-13Church Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

On the GO??? But still need to be in the KNOW!!! BookmarkNorthDallasGazette.com on your phone or mobile device!!!

INSIDE...

July 26 - August 1, 2018

See Page 2

-See Page 3

See SKANSKA, Page 12

Skanska accused of avoidingpayment to minority contractor

at Toyota Music Factory

People In The News…

Bishop T.D. Jakes Clay Myers

READERSSOUND OFF!!!

See Page 2 to see whatNDG readers are sayingabout the latest news!

Plano therapistspush Pilates forrehab, sports

-See Page 4

Students leadprotest of

Trump SC pick-See Page 6

Dallas Barbuilds 28thHabitat Home

Cowboys go intonew season with

new faces

Win tickets tocatch Gladys

Knight on stage

Sister Tarpley:

Let Godtake control

-See Page 8

-See Page 9

-See Page 10

-See Page 15

Garcia to leadLULAC at

national level-See Page 5

Lost Art:SpiritualEducation

Shandra Colón with the President of the Regional Black Contractors Association spoke earlierthis week to Robert Ashley on KHVN. (Image shared via Facebook by Marina Ecolatino)

Black Workers Need‘Real’ Not ‘Fake’

Paid Family Leave Real Family Leave is not

all that Black workersneed. We need a "LivingWage" that goes up everyyear - based on the cost ofliving increases that comewith inflation, etc. The"Minimum Wage" conver-sation has outlived its' use-fulness. We need vacationslike the kind they have inFrance. We need laws thatallow us to speak ourminds and organize our-selves at our jobs withoutfear of being fired.

The US needs to catch upwith the rest of the worlds

industrialized countrieswhen it comes to the treat-ment of working people.

-Anonymous

Free HIV and STDtesting offered today

by DCHHSI think this is one of the

most vital info for me. Andi'm glad reading

your article. But want to

remark on few generalthings, The

website style is great, thearticles is really nice : D.Good job, cheers

- Emory

Irving fire stationscollecting back-to-

school suppliesThank you, @NDGEdi-

tor, for helping us spread

the word about Supplies forSuccess 2018 - and thanksas always to @IrvingFirefor providing dropoff loca-tions. Remember, the drivecontinues through July 31 -learn more at http://irv-ingschoolsfoundation.org/supplies-for-success/.

- @IISDFoundationvia Twitter

T h a n k y o u f o r t h eretweets and likes thisweek on Twitter: @Fair-ParkRising, @Rachel-hawkins1 @Arlington-BlckBz, @attorneydtorresand @DanielHalseth

To share youropinion visit

NorthDallasGazette.com

APGA Tour presented byLEXUS proudly announcestheir Dallas event July 30 -31 at TPC Craig Ranch. Themission of the APGA Touris to promote greater diver-sity in the game of golf bydeveloping African Ameri-cans and other minoritiesfor careers in the golf in-dustry.

Dallasite Clay Myers is aprofessional golfer living inDallas is slated to partici-pate in the tourney. Intro-duced to the game at the ageof 8 years old by his father,he progressively got betterthroughout the years and

has played on every com-petitive level from middleschool, high school, colle-giate, to professional. Clayhas worked in almost everyfield in the golf industryfrom club repair and equip-

ment sales, to planning andorganizing golf tourna-ments. He has also caddiedon the LPGA TOUR forCheyenne Woods, and Na-talie Sheary, became a FirstTee Coach and TPI Certi-fied in Dallas, and currentlyis working at NorthwoodCountry Club. Staying fit,reading books, traveling theworld, and working to be apositive role model for oth-ers that want to be success-ful fuel his passion in life,golf.

"I am truly blessed tohave the opportunity to turnmy dream of playing golfprofessionally on the PGATour into reality." After

moving to Florida and turn-ing professional in the fallof 2012, Clay has played onvarious tours such as NGAHooters Tour, E-Golf Tour,Florida Professional Tour,Fore the Players Tour, WestFlorida Tour, Advocates ProGolf Tour, and PGA TOUR.Clay has also played inter-national golf tours in Dubai,China, and Argentina. “Myexperiences in golf moti-vates me through my per-formance but keeps megrounded and humblethrough my success." How-ever, having such huge as-pirations comes with a pricetag that is hard to acquire onhis own. Please consider

making a donation to sup-port Clay in his quest for thePGA Tour.

The APGA Tour startedin 2010 with three profes-sional tournaments, 80player entries, and $40,000in prize money. By 2018 thetour has grown to seventournaments, 450 player en-tries and $200,000 in prizemoney. Members also com-pete for the Lexus Cup(given to the top player onthe tour) and $29,000 inbonus money.

“We are excited about ourDallas event,” says KennethBentley, APGA Tour Presi-dent. “TPC Craig Ranch isan outstanding golf course

and will be a real test forour players. The event willbe special because it will beour first on a TPC courseand highlights our six-yearpartnership with the PGATOUR.”

Dallas is the fifth stop onthe 2018 APGA Tour. Manyof the top minority profes-sionals in the country areexpected to compete includ-ing PGA TOUR Lat i -noamérica winners TimO’Neal and Felipe Ve-laquez, three-time APGATour winner and PGATOUR Lat inoamér icamember Willie Mack. Ad-

NEW YORK - BLACKENTERPRISE will presentits highest honor in recogni-tion of the achievements ofblack men when it presentsthe XCEL Awards at the 2018Black Men XCEL Summit onAug. 29 in Palm Beach Gar-dens, Florida. The Black MenXCEL Summit celebrates theachievements of today's blackmen.

The Summit, which offersexecutive development andleadership for men of color,annually attracts more than800 corporate executives,professionals, and business-men and women from acrossthe country. The Summit willtake place Aug. 29–Sept. 2,

2018, at the PGA NationalResort & Spa.

The XCEL Awards recog-nize outstanding impact,achievement, and leadershipby men in business, the arts,education, government, andother influential areas. Past

XCEL Award recipients in-clude luminaries such as U.S.Rep. John Lewis; award-win-ning actor Robert Townsend;historian, author, curator andFounding Director of theSmithsonian's National Mu-seum of African AmericanHistory and Culture LonnieG. Bunch; and Ariel Invest-ments Founder and CEOJohn Rogers.

Honorees to be recognizedat the 2018 Black Men XCELAwards Dinner, include thefollowing outstanding achiev-ers:

Bishop T.D. Jakes, acharismatic leader, visionary,provocative thinker, and en-trepreneur who serves as sen-ior pastor of The Potter'sHouse, a global humanitarian

organization and 30,000-member church located inDallas. Named "America'sBest Preacher" by Time Mag-azine and CNN, Jakes' voicereverberates from the world'smost prominent stages fromthe White House to the AspenInstitute to Nasrec Expo Cen-tre in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica. A new model for the21st-century Renaissanceman, Jakes is a committedphilanthropist who gives backon an ongoing basis to thecommunities that he servesworldwide. As a businessleader, his media and enter-tainment empire spans film,television, radio, music andbest-selling books.

Kenneth Chenault, spentthe past 17 years steering

American Express into prof-its. Referred by billionaire in-vestor Warren Buffett as "thegold standard for corporateleadership", Chenault cur-rently serves on the boards ofFacebook, Airbnb, and aschairman and managing di-rector of General Catalyst.Chenault is the first black per-son to serve on Facebook'sboard of directors. Chenaultjoined American Express in1981. Under his leadership,American Express built oneof the world's largest cus-tomer loyalty programs –Membership Rewards – andearned global recognition as aleader in customer service.He launched lucrative corpo-rate partnerships with compa-nies including Delta Airlines.

In 1997, Chenault was namedpresident and chief operatingofficer of American Express.He was named CEO in2001—becoming one of thefirst African Americans tolead a Fortune 500 company.

Tommie Smith, during thehistorical 19th Olympiad inMexico City in the summer of1968, Smith broke the worldand Olympic record with atime of 19.83 seconds and be-came the 200-meter Olympicchampion. As "The Star-Spangled Banner" played,Smith and John Carlos stoodon the podium, draped withtheir Olympic medals, eachraised a clenched fist coveredin a black leather glove in ahistoric stand for black power,liberation, and solidarity.

People in the News www.NorthDallasGazette.com

N o t C e r t i f i e d b y t h e Te x a s B o a r d o f L e g a l S p e c i a l i z a t i o n¥ If you qualify. *Fees quoted above are minimum down payment needed to begin processing your case.

2730 N. Stemmons Frwy, Suite 409 • Dallas, TX 75207

817-277-0196 (Metro)

$69* DIVORCEFamily Cases

• Divorce / Annulment• Child Support / Paternity• Custody Modification• Restraining Order• Protective Order• Name Change / Adoption• Domestic Violence

Criminal Defense• DWI / Suspended License• WARRANTS Removed ¥

• 24 Hour Jail Release ¥

• Occupational license, felonies

• Protective Order

• Misdeamenor/Felonies ¥

Easy Payment PlansEasy Payment Plans

214-638-5930Law Offices Of Vincent NdukweLaw Offices Of Vincent Ndukwe

2 | July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Bishop T.D. Jakes

Clay Myers

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

NDG Readers Sound Off...

See KIRK, Page 5

As July comes to an end,all students should be in fullsummer mode while enjoy-ing rest and relaxation.Soon it will be time to getinto the regular routine ofgetting up early in themorning, catching the busto school and taking on ad-vanced courses to stay onpace globally. Of course,this schedule is followed byextra-curricular activities,going to bed and preparingto do the same the next day.But with all of the emphasison education, we are over-looking key lessons stu-dents cannot learn in aclassroom.

(What is the purpose ofthis paragraph - are youtalking about money a fam-ily spends, the governmentor ….I’m speaking of fundswhich come from state andlocal government/mostlysales and property taxes)We spend millions of dol-lars on education which Ifeel is money well spent be-cause this investment willreap the rewards in the fu-

ture. I want to be on recordsaying I have no problemwith the concept of using fi-nancial means to pay it for-ward for the next genera-tion.

However, I have an issuewith lost resources in notonly Texas but across ourwonderful nation. I do notthink any community, cityor state are exempt fromthis matter. The develop-ment of a child's spirit andfaith is too often ignored,overlooked or abandoned.There are such things thatyou can not touch with yourhands nor see with thenaked eye.

I am not going to jump onthe bandwagon of putting"God back in school" be-cause we simply can't bossHim around. God willnever leave nor forsake usbut what we have done isweaken our position atschools by not utilizing theOne Source that is steadfastand unmovable. Computerscannot understand it, thesoftware cannot interpret it,hardware cannot hold it, norcan technology explain it.

A great deal of blame hasbeen placed on schools forlack of education and ac-knowledgment in this area.However, this is indeed a

major component thatshould be shaped andmolded at home. I am awarethis presents another chal-lenge when speaking of thehome environment. That isa sensitive topic for anotherarticle, but home life is nextof kin to school life.

As we go further downthis path, respect continuesto lose value. Many youthhave no clue what it meansto be respectful, nor how toconduct themselves amongelders and anyone in au-thoritative roles. On theother hand, we as adults aretoo busy attempting to gen-eralize our youth and relyon traditional training andconcepts. Respect is a two-way street, but this issue hassurpassed the roads and iswreaking havoc on thehighways with no speedlimit in sight. Good privatehome teaching and trainingbeget good public habitsand decisions. Again, a sub-ject for another article tocome.

The facts are simple - wemust place value in thewhole child, not just educa-tional sense. We as adultsmust provide the pathwaysof effective modeling andnot give up on being thepacesetters.

The Bible reminds of theimportance of religious ed-ucation. (hope you don’tmind I added more versesfor context...I’m good withit...Thanks)

Deuteronomy 11:18-21states, "Fix these words ofmine in your hearts andminds; tie them as symbolson your hands and bindthem on your foreheads.Teach them to your chil-dren, talking about themwhen you sit at home andwhen you walk along theroad, when you lie downand when you get up. Writethem on the doorframes ofyour houses and on yourgates, so that your days andthe days of your childrenmay be many in the land theLord swore to give your an-cestors, as many as the daysthat the heavens are abovethe earth."

Let's get back to theSource and the resourceswill follow.A.D. Jenkins serves as a

member of the Board ofTrustees of the Irving Inde-pendent School District.The views and opinions ex-pressed herein of the authorand do not necessarily re-flect the views and opinionsof the Irving ISD, its Boardof Trustees or its employees.

www.NorthDallasGazette.com Op-Ed

Religious/ Marketing EditorShirley Demus Tarpley(“Sister Tarpley”)

Columnist A.D. Jenkins

Contributing WritersJackie HardyRachel HawkinsDwain Price

Terri Schlichenmeyer Nicole ScottDavid Wilfong

Publisher’s Office:publisher@northdallasgazette.com

Sales Department:marketing@northdallasgazette.com

972-509-9049

Editorial Department:editor@northdallasgazette.com

Online:www.NorthDallasGazette.comwww.twitter.com/NDGEditor

www.facebook.com/NorthDallasGazettewww.pinterest.com/NDallasGazette

www.instagram.com/NorthDallasGazette

STAFFChairman Emeritus

Jim Bochum1933 – 2009

Published ByMinority Opportunity News, Inc.

Web MasterTodd Jones

Community MarketingNadina Davis

Account Executive Ana Comacho

Production David Wilfong

Editor Ruth Ferguson

North Dallas Gazette assumes no responsibility forunsolicited material and reserves the right to edit and make

appropriate revisions.

The North Dallas Gazette, formerly Minority Opportunity News, was foundedin July 1991, by Mr.Jim Bochum and Mr.Thurman R. Jones. North DallasGazette is a wholly owned subsidairy of Minority Opportunity News, Inc.

July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 3For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

“Do what you say you aregoing to do ... when you say

you are going to do it. ”

P.O. Box 763866 - Dallas, Texas 75376-3866Phone: 972-432-5219 - Fax: 972-509-9058

Lost Art: Spiritual EducationA.D.

JenkinsNDG

Columnist

The time to conserve water is nowBy Lewisville MayorRudy Durham

You might have seen anotice from the city on Sun-day about the urgent need toconserve water. One of thelarge pumps at the watertreatment plant broke onThursday and will not be re-placed until Tuesday. That,combined with droughtconditions and record hightemperatures, put a lot ofstrain on our water system.

Lewisville is not runningout of water. We have theability to purchase addi-tional treated water fromDallas Water Utilities if weexhaust our own capacity.That would come at a cost –about $280,000 per year foreach additional million gal-lons made available for

Lewisville (a little morethan a dollar per month forthe typical water bill). But itis an important safeguard.

Once the pump is re-placed this week, our sys-tem will go back to normal.However, the pump is notour greatest concern rightnow. Machines break downso you have to be prepared,and we were prepared forthis.

I’m more worried aboutthe dramatic unsustainableincrease in water consump-tion we’ve seen during July.

Stage 1 restrictions allowoutside sprinkler systems torun twice a week, and donot prevent residents fromfilling their pools. Stage 2restrictions are much moresevere, including outdoorwatering only once per

week. If the current rate ofconsumption continues, I asmayor will have to consideractivating Stage 2 restric-tions. That’s not a threat ofany kind. It’s just a state-ment of fact.

It’s only natural, whensummer comes along, to usemore water for lawns andswimming pools and othermore mundane purposes.We always use more waterduring July than we do mostof the year. But this year’swater use during July hasbeen unusually high. Au-gust is our biggest monthevery year in terms of waterusage, so I don’t see thosenumbers getting any betterunless a lot of us changewhat we’re doing.

As Americans and asNorth Texans, we’ve be-

come accustomed to havingwater on demand. Whenyou turn the faucet handleyou know water is going tocome out every time. That’snot the case in many partsof the world. If we want itto continue being true inNorth Texas, we’ve got tochange the way we thinkabout water.

We need to view water asa highly valuable commod-ity, something we could runout of, something we wouldnever waste because it’sworth too much. It’s notenough to know that wehave water today – we wantto make sure we also havewater tomorrow, next week,next month, and next gener-ation.

Please join me in beingwater wise.

WASHINGTON – TheAssociat ion of MatureA m e r i c a n C i t i z e n s[AMAC] has endorsed bi-partisan legislation in Con-gress to focus attention andresources on “the scourge”of dementia and, in particu-lar, Alzheimer’s, which isAmerica’s most expensivedisease.

The BOLD [BuildingOur Largest Dementia] In-frastructure for Alzheimer'sAct [S.2076] and the Housev e r s i o n o f t h e b i l l[H.R.4256] were both intro-duced last November withbi-partisan support. SusanCollins [R-ME], Chairmanof the Special Committeeon Aging, introduced thebill in the Senate. Rep. BrettGuthrie [R-KY] sponsoredthe House version. Themeasures would provide“ r e s e a r c h f u n d i n g …

needed to achieve our goalof preventing and treatingAlzheimer’s by the year2025,” according to an on-line post by Sen. Collins.

AMAC president DanWeber sent letters of sup-port to Senator Collins andher cosponsors in the Sen-ate and to RepresentativeBrett Guthrie and hiscosponsors in the House. Inhis messages, Weber stated:“The BOLD Infrastructurefor Alzheimer’s Act willempower those living withAlzheimer’s, and their care-givers, by increasing accessto education and expandingnecessary support services.The steps outlined in thisbill will ensure both patientsand caregivers are best po-sitioned to deal with the ef-fects of Alzheimer’s andpreserve the financial in-tegrity of our healthcare

system by averting a poten-tially disastrous publichealth crisis.”

Weber has long been call-ing for a new focus onAlzheimer’s and says “it’sabout time that one of themost devastating diseasesafflicting older Americansreceives the full attention ofthe U.S. government. It isdestructive to the individu-als who suffer from this ma-lignant form of dementiaand their families. But italso has the potential ofoverwhelming America’shealthcare infrastructure ifit is not checked.”

Weber notes that AIDS, adisease that is in decline andafflicts 1.1 million Ameri-cans, receives some $32 bil-lion in Federal funding.Meanwhile, he points out,the National Institutes ofHealth [NIH] says it will

spend just $1.9 billion thisyear to fund research onAlzheimer’s – a disease thatplagues the lives of morethan 5.7 individuals in theU.S. and is expected to de-stroy the lives of as many as14 million by the year2050.”

Former U.S. SurgeonG e n e r a l , D r . D a v i dSatcher, who also servedas the Director of the Cen-ters for Disease Controland Prevention (CDC),“Alzheimer’s is the mostunder-recognized threat topublic health in the 21stcentury.”

In an appeal for supportof the BOLD Act, Satchersaid that the legislationwould create a “publichealth infrastructure acrossthe country to implementeffective Alzheimer's inter-ventions.” It would:

• Establish Alzheimer’sCenters of Excellence thatwould increase early detec-

tion and diagnosis, reducing

Health www.NorthDallasGazette.com

4 | July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

See BOLD, Page 5

team

marche / Flickr

Pilates is increasinglybeing used in physical ther-apy clinics as a complemen-tary form of treatment, saidJake Spivey, a physical ther-apist with SportCare & Re-habilitation -- a Vista Rehabpartner.

As such, Spivey’s clinic inPlano, Texas has one certifiedPilates instructor and threemore physical therapiststrained in Pilates positionsand equipment.

“Most people seek out aphysical therapist for a par-ticular issue -- for example,recovery from an injury orsurgery, or pain in a particularpart of the body,” Spiveysaid. “Incorporating Pilatesinto the treatment plan goesbeyond rehabilitating one

area of the body to improvingoverall strength and move-ment throughout the entirebody.”

Pilates is a system of exer-cises designed to improvephysical strength, flexibilityand posture designed in theearly 20th Century. It can be

done on the floor with a mat,but it often involves specialapparatus, including the Re-former, which is a sliding car-riage inside a large frameconnected to springs, ropesand pulleys.

According to Spivey, oneof the key benefits of Pilates

is building core strength andstability. When your core isstrong, it serves as the centerof power so your limbs don’thave to work as hard at mov-ing.

“Think of Pilates as usingdynamic motion to createstrength and flexibility,”Spivey said.

Pilates exercises are typi-cally controlled and precise,allowing the body to buildstrength in the smaller mus-cle groups that, in turn, allowthe larger muscle groups tomove more smoothly and ef-ficiently.

Pilates is especially effec-tive in helping with backpain, Spivey said. A strongercore supports the spine better,it teaches and helps maintain

proper alignment and pos-ture, and it promotes gentlestretching of tight back andneck muscles.

Other benefits include im-proved posture, longer andleaner muscles, better coordi-nation and balance, and in-creased circulation and en-ergy. All of these result in in-creased performance in sev-eral sports and hobbies in-cluding strength training,running, skiing, tennis, golf,dance, and yoga, all of whichcan be prone to repetitivestress and injuries.

Pilates also promotesmovement in several planes,moving the spine from flex-ion to extension and internalrotation and side bending,which improves flexibility.

Maintaining precise and con-trolled movements reinforceseffective movement patternsthat reduce stress on joints,tendons, muscles and liga-ments.

Decreased stress and in-creased strength and flexibil-ity minimize injuries.

Finally, Pilates improvesbone density. Bone is also adynamic tissue that respondsto resistance and weight-bearing exercise, accordingto Spivey.

“Pilates is an incredibly ef-fective tool in restoring ourclients to performance lev-els,” he said. “Once they’vedone it, they also see the ad-vantages in continuing thatform of exercise and move-ment.”

Plano therapists use pilates for injury prevention, rehab and sports performance

Congresswoman Johnson’s National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act Passes HouseWashington, DC – Con-

gresswoman Eddie BerniceJohnson this week securedthe passage of H.R. 2345,the National Suicide HotlineImprovement Act, in theU.S. House of Representa-tives. The bill proposesmeaningful changes to theNational Suicide PreventionLifeline and Veterans CrisisLine. Co-authoring the billwith Congresswoman John-son is Congressman Chris

Stewart (R-UT).The bill passed the House

of Representatives by a voteof 379-1 and received over-whelming, bi-partisan sup-port. It now goes to the U.S.Senate for consideration.

“I am pleased by the bi-partisan support this bill re-ceived, which proposesmeaningful changes to theNational Suicide PreventionLifeline and Veterans CrisisLine,” Congresswoman

Johnson said. “This legisla-tion sets out to enact easily-implementable improve-ments to our nation’s currentsuicide-prevention infra-structure. Once the provi-sions in this bill go into ef-fect, we will make more re-sources available and avail-able at much greater ease, somore Americans in distresscan access the resourcesthey need and fewer willfeel the only solution is to

take their own life.”The bi-partisan legislation

tasks the Federal Communi-cations Commission and theSubstance Abuse and Men-tal Health Services Admin-istration to study the cre-ation of a three-digit dialingcode, similar to 9-1-1, as asuicide prevention and men-tal health crisis hotline. Ad-ditionally, it directs theagencies to perform a costand benefit analysis of the

hotline’s creation and pro-vide recommendations toimprove the overall effec-tiveness of the current sys-tem.

“Today’s legislative ac-complishment lays thegroundwork for realprogress to be achieved insaving lives. This bill isabout improving our coun-try’s primary suicide-pre-vention communicationssystem and equipping it to

carry out its mission withgreater efficiency. I am ap-preciative to CongressmanStewart for his support dur-ing the entire process of in-troducing the bill and, ulti-mately, helping it passtoday. The success of thislegislation is a testament tothe work Congress can stillsuccessfully undertake tomake our country better foreveryone,” said Congress-woman Johnson.

AMAC supports Congressional BOLD initiative to combat ‘the scourge’ of Alzheimer’s disease

Animal advocates an-nounced this week a citizen-led campaign for a dedicatedanimal cruelty unit within theDallas Police Department.They have organized as acoalition called Just Save TheDog (JSTD).

“For the past three years,advocates reporting animalabuse to the authorities havebeen met with hands-in-the-air, ‘It’s not our job’ ex-cuses,” said Alisia Lowder, amember of the Dowdy FerryAnimal Commission and JustSave The Dog. “It’s time forthe city to get serious aboutthose crimes and take care ofour companion animals.”

JSTD members note whileseveral organizations are re-sponsible for handling theissue, they’re uncoordinated,lack accountability and col-lectively accomplish lessgood than a single one could.

In fact, four law enforce-

ment agencies investigatecruelty to animals within thecity of Dallas: the DallasCounty Sheriff, Dallas PoliceDepartment (DPD), DallasAnimal Services (DAS) andSPCA of Texas.

Of the ten largest cities inthe United States, only Dal-las lacks a dedicated animalcruelty unit.

The four groups have sep-arate databases and do notcollaborate on cruelty inves-tigations. Any investigationundertaken by one is notknown to the others. Lack ofcoordination, knowledge ofanimal law and confusionabout their areas of responsi-bility result often in deadlymissed opportunities – toprevent animal abuse or toremove an abused animalfrom their home before itworsens.

The result: while DAS re-ceives about 4,000 reports of

animal cruelty annually, theDPD conducts around fiftyinvestigations and makes justaround 7 arrests per year.

“Most people don’t knowthat making an animal cru-elty report to DAS doesn’t re-sult in criminal charges,” saidHolly Morgan, public rela-tions director for Just SaveThe Dog. “They assume itwill be prosecuted and takenseriously. What really hap-pens is each time, it’s citizenadvocates who push and prodand babysit the case throughthe ranks of those agencies tofind someone who will takeit on and prosecute – withrare success. That’s not justunacceptable in a city the sizeof Dallas, it’s disastrous.”

Members of the JSTDcoalition are visiting with cityleaders, attending budgettown hall meetings, speakingbefore city council, spreadingthe word among Dallas citi-

zens and building their coali-tion – to call for funding inthe fiscal year 2019 citybudget for a dedicated animal

cruelty unit within the DallasPolice Department. Thatbudget vote takes place Sep-tember 5, 2018.

They encourage everyoneto contact their council mem-bers by phone and email tosupport the mission.

Community

July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 5

www.NorthDallasGazette.com

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

Domingo Garcia elected national president of LULACP H O E N I X , A Z -

Domingo Garcia, a practic-ing civil rights attorneyfrom Dallas, Texas and life-time social justice advocatewho pledged to make immi-gration reform, assistancefor veterans and seniors plustuition-free higher educationhis top priorities was electedLULAC National Presidenttoday at the organization’s89th Annual Convention.

“This is the moment inour nation’s history whenwe must confront and over-come the greatest chal-lenges facing our country toensure that justice and lib-erty rings true for all, notjust some,” stated Garcia.“We must never forget that

the greatness of our unionhas been forged from thestrengths of all immigrantswho arrived upon our shoresand the price to maintain

our freedoms has been re-deemed with their blood,sacrifice and lives,” headded.

Garcia is a former Texas

lawmaker who served as theyoungest Mayor Pro Temever elected in one of Amer-ica’s largest cities and au-thor of the state’s DACAlaws, the first in the nationand the template for theDACA protections enactedthrough Executive Order byPresident Barack Obama.

“It is up to us now as thefastest growing communityin the United States to mo-bilize, register to vote andhave our voices heard at theballot box, both this No-vember during the criticalmid-terms and in 2020when we decide what kindof an America we want forour future and that of gener-ations that will follow,”

stated GarciaGarcia outlined his plat-

form which includes grow-ing the membership, ex-panding the organization’sbudget to $20-million tosupport local LULACCouncil programs and in-creased emphasis on devel-oping the youth, youngadult and collegiate compo-nents to ensure their futureopportunities.

“I want to once againthank all the LULAC mem-bers, friends and family, andgreat LULAC Team whohelped me win the nationalpresidency of LULAC,”Garcia addressed to his sup-porters following the win.“LULAC founded in 1929,

is America’s oldest andlargest civil rights organiza-tion. I have gotten congratu-lation calls from Multipleelected officials includingSenator Bernie Sanders,Congressman-elect ChuyGarcia (Chicago), formerUS VP Joe Biden, DallasCounty Judge Clay Jenkins,but the most important oneswere from dozens of peoplewho wanted to join LULACand support us. Looking for-ward to building our mem-bership to one million andrecruiting the next genera-tion of leaders. Standingwith Dreamers, veterans,seniors, educators, and com-munity leaders to changeAmerica.”

Domingo Garcia (left) has been a local advocate for immigrants suchas 2016 McKinney Boyd Valedictorian Larissa Martinez (right) formany years. He was recently elected national President of LULAC.

(Photo: David Wilfong / NDG)

risk, preventing avoidablehospitalizations, reducinghealth disparities, support-ing the needs of caregiversand supporting care plan-ning for people living withthe disease.

• Provide funding to helppublic health departmentsi m p l e m e n t e f f e c t i v eAlzheimer’s interventions.

• Make available funding

for the Increased data col-lection, analysis and timelyreporting needed to supportresearch aimed at control-ling and controlling the dis-ease.

“The BOLD Act providesa new, sorely needed per-spective on Alzheimer’sdisease and much needed,substantive support in thequest for a cure. Along the

way it will help researchersto come up with new, moreeffective ways of managingthis insidious form of de-mentia. Meanwhile, themore we learn about thepathways of Alzheimer’swith help from the publicsector, the more effectivemedical researchers in theprivate sector can be inchecking the progress of thedisease among older Amer-icans,” Weber said.

BOLD, continued from Page 4

Local animal advocates form coalition, take on the City of Dallas

6 | July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Education www.NorthDallasGazette.com

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

Principal’s passion sparks direction for new IGNITE Middle SchoolWhile enrolled in medical

school and doing nightrounds a t a hospi ta l ,Michael Gayles came to alife-changing decision: hewould follow his dream ofbecoming an educator.

After graduating frommedical school, Gayleswent on to serve as ateacher at North DallasHigh School and, severalyears later, as an assistantprincipal at T.W. BrowneMiddle School . Today,Gayles is helping open andserving as principal at IG-

NITE Middle School, thenew Dallas ISD Personal-ized Learning transforma-tion campus opening in Au-

gust.For Gayles, his goal for

IGNITE Middle School issimple: help students envi-sion their best possible life,and set them on the path to-ward making that life a re-ality.

“Growing up I didn’thave anyone who helpedme think about what I waspassionate about or possiblecareer paths I could pur-sue,” Gayles said. “WhatI’m most excited about ishow Ignite Middle Schoolwill help students discover

their passions at an earlyage.”

IGNITE Middle Schoolis seeing tremendous inter-est: more than 700 incom-ing sixth-graders applied forwhat was originally 150seats. Due to the high inter-est, the campus increased itsinaugural class to 230 stu-dents.

IGNITE Middle Schoolis a Personalized Learningcampus that will provide in-dividualized instruction, notonly based on each stu-dent’s academic needs, but

also on their interests andgoals. The students willtake field trips to highschools, colleges and work-places to help them betterenvision their future.

“The most important re-source in a child’s educa-tional life is their own po-tential. If we can ignite thatpotential, they will be un-stoppable,” Gayles said.“Ignite is dedicated to help-ing students discover theirsuper powers.”

IGNITE Middle Schoolis opening thanks to the Of-

fice of Transformation andInnovation’ Public SchoolChoice Competitive Pro-posal Process. The processgives educators the chanceto create high-quality, best-fit options for Dallas ISDstudents to realize their fullacademic potential.

T h e P u b l i c S c h o o lChoice Competitive Pro-posal Process, Version 5.0,is currently underway forany educator interested inrebranding their campus ordesigning a new choiceschool.

Principal Michael Gayles(Photo: DISD)

By Rachel HawkinsNDG Staff Writer

Amid the political clamor-ing of voices, one singlevoice may appear to be weakand small in our vast fast-paced world. However, thechants of dozens of passion-ate youths were undoubtedlyheard throughout the streetsof Dallas over the weekend.

On July 21, several stu-dents led Texas’ first youth-led rally, Youth ProtestTrump's Supreme CourtNominee (YPTSCN) andprotested in front of SenatorJohn Cornyn’s office in Dal-las. They brought forth theirconcerns on President Don-ald Trump’s Supreme Courtnominee, Judge Brett Ka-vanaugh.

Dozens of students, youthleaders, and members ofPlanned Parenthood ofGreater Texas, Young Pro-gressive Christians, and Dal-

las Women’s March at-tended the rally to show sup-port.

With the guarantee of aconservative majority on theSupreme Court, many issuesheavily debated in our soci-ety could take a turn and im-pact the nation in a vastlydifferent way. These issuesinclude Trump's campaignpromise to nominate a judge

who would overturn Roe vs.Wade (1973), and reconsiderthe topic of race in univer-sity admissions. With rulingsl i k e t h e M a s t e r p i e c eCakeshop, LGBTQ rights,along with reproductive, im-migrant, and affirmativerights are also threatened byanother staunchly conserva-tive voice on the SupremeCourt.

Michelle Landry is thecreator of the YPTSCNevent and a student at theUniversity of Texas at Dal-las, and she plans to becomean attorney. She is a historymajor and was an organizerfor the Democrat Party ofWisconsin for severalmonths.

“I think it’s so importantto have your voice heard, Ibelieve there is value incoming together, to be frus-trated together and get en-ergy from each other,”Landry said. “It’s importantto create a platform like thisto talk about the issues thathappens nationally as well aslocally here in Texas.”

When Landry heard aboutthe Supreme Court nominee,her heart drop to her stom-ach. The week before therally Landry reached out toDenise Rodriguez, PublicAffairs Manager at PlannedParenthood on Facebook

seeking to get involved inPlanned Parenthood becauseshe wanted to do somethingabout the Supreme Court. Atthe time they did not have aplan but were open to takingthe lead.

Once Landry and PlannedParenthood came out withan outline for the protest,they found people rangingfrom students, social work-ers, to immigrants to speakat the rally. She created ateam, and together they leadoutreach and recruitment toorganize the protest.

“With everything goingon it’s easy to feel helplessabout what’s going on, butit’s good to build and strikefor the community and toknow that there are organiz-ers on the ground who aredoing fantastic work,”Landry said.

Landry hopes and wantsGeorge W. Bush to use hislibrary to get all of the

records open on Kavanaughnomination. She firmly be-lieves the public should haveaccess to those records dur-ing the nomination.

According to a poll fromthe Pew Research Center,the majority of Americansoppose the confirmation ofJudge Brett Kavanaugh.

Since the election of Pres-ident Trump, it is said that20 percent of the youth areplanning to come out andvote for the next election.

Landry also wants Sena-tor Cornyn to know thereare Texans who dislike whatis going on, and would alsolike to bring awareness tolocal issues and organizers.

“This is their future.There is still a small andpassionate group of peoplethat care about it,” Landrysa id . “We’re going tobe l iving with the con-sequences of it for the nextfew decades.

Michelle Landry, student and creator of the Youth Protest Trump’sSupreme Court Nominee, speaks to the crowd on current issues.

(Image: Rachel Hawkins / NDG)

Students raise voices in Dallas’ first youth-led protest

Irving’s parks and trails,pools, recreation centersand sporting venues aresome of the most popularplaces around town for res-idents play and learn. TheParks and Recreation De-partment and Halff Associ-

ates continue to gather feed-back about the future useand needs for the commu-nity, which will shape theParks and Recreation Mas-ter Plan.

Residents are invited toparticipate in an online sur-

vey. The survey is 19 ques-tions long and should takeapproximately 10 minutesto complete.

The survey seeks togauge if during the last yeara resident has visited one ofthe city’s parks, recreational

centers, or participated in acity-wide youth or adultathletic league. They arealso trying to understandwhat do residents expect toenjoy when they use one ofthese facilities or organizedsporting groups.

Once the public input pe-riod is complete, the Halffteam and city staff willevaluate the feedback anddata gathered to build a for-ward-looking, prioritizedmaster plan.

The plan will include

identified funding optionsand recommended pro-gramming, and will estab-lish operational and staffingneeds. The master plan willinclude a five-year imple-mentation period, with a 10-year horizon outline.

Irving Parks and Rec seeks public input through online survey

Carrollton Public Library hosting job search classes in AugustThe Carrollton Public Li-

brary is offering a JobSearch Jumpstart Series ofclasses to assist local jobseekers in pursuit of thatnext employment opportu-

nity. Six sessions will beconducted in August from7-8 p.m. at Josey RanchLake Library (1700 KellerSprings Road). Three ses-sions in English will be

available on Wednesdaysand three in Spanish onMondays.

Resume Writing –Wednesday, Aug. 8

Before you hit the send

button on your computer,learn the top tips and re-sources for creating a win-ning resume. Whetheryou’re updating an existingresume or creating a new

one, discover pointers onwording, formatting, andpresenting your work his-tory in the most effectiveway.

Presenting Your Best

Image – Wednesday, Aug.15

Learn how to prepare forthe big day. First impres-

See JOB, Page 11

Arts & Entertainmentwww.NorthDallasGazette.com Wells Fargo

July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 7For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

DallasAutism Speaks Dallas/Ft.

Worth is hosting the DallasKick Off Event on July 29from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. atMicrosoft Store NorthParkCenter, in Dallas. As theyprepare for their walk youcan enjoy an evening of fun,food & inspiration. For moreinformation visit act.autism-speaks.org.

FriscoCalling all Heroes! Vet-

erans, Military & First Re-sponders will be held onJuly 28 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.at the Frisco Athletic Center,

in Frisco. Veterans, Military,Police and Fire/EMS will re-ceive free admission to theFrisco Athletic Center. Therewill be a special two-hourprivate swim from 9 a.m. to11 a.m. for honored person-nel and their guests. Therewill also be free snacks,drinks, and an appreciationgift. You must show militaryor first responder ID. A max-imum of five people admit-ted with each ID. For moreinformation visit Frisco-Fun.org/CallingAllHeroes.

GarlandDallas Harley-Davidson is

hosting DOG DAYS OFSUMMER on July 28 from11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1334 WCenterville Rd, in Garland.There will be FREE HotDogs & Dog Treats, a BikiniDog & Bike Wash, Free Raf-fle, and Pictures by the Pup-parazzi! If you bring neededdonations in for the rescueyou will receive a 20 percentdiscount towards LicensedH-D Merchandise! Itemsneeded for this event are:

Pine-Sol cleaner (originalpine scent); Dawn Dish De-tergent; Large Kong DogToys, Canned Kitten, Cat &Dog Food, Gift Cards to Pet

Supplies Plus, Lowe’s orHome Depot. Cash Dona-tions for Rescue Animal VetServices are Welcome!

IrvingThe Let's Play Gaming

Expo 2018 Satellite Eventwill take place on July 28 to29 starting at 10 a.m. at theIrving Convention Center, inLas Colinas. There will be a$20 entry fee for the TecmoSuper Bowl (NES) but therest of the events are free. Tofind out more and to pre buyyour tickets, visithttp://retroworldseries.com/2018-19-season/2018-lets-

play-gaming-expo/

PlanoYoga in the Box Garden

at Legacy Hall will be heldon July 29 from 9:30 a.m. to11 a.m. at Lexus Box Gardenat Legacy Hall, in Plano. Youcan enjoy a morning of yogaat Legacy Food Hall, fol-lowed by a complimentaryretox: mimosa or BloodyMary. Later stick around tosnack on local food trends.Tickets are $25. They will in-clude your yoga mat spot,and Yoga Digest Goodiebags. A portion of the pro-ceeds will go to the One LoveMovement benefiting under-

served youths around theworld. To purchase ticketsvisit eventbrite.com.

RichardsonKarting Academy Dallas

will be held on July 28 to 29starting at 8 a.m. at K1Speed, in Richardson. K1Speed Karting Academy isfor both beginners and ad-vanced racers who want tolearn more about Karting andmotorsport. Feel free to con-tact K1 Speed today for moreinformation or to schedule areservation. For more infor-mation, please visit:http://k1speed.social/dallas

8 | July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

City Briefs

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

www.NorthDallasGazette.com

City of D

allas

Dallas Bar Association dedicates 28th Habitat for Humanity houseOn Saturday, July 21, the

Dallas Bar Association ded-icated its 28th house forHabitat for Humanity. TheDallas Bar Associationbegan building Habitathomes in 1991 and is thelongest running whole-house sponsor in Dallas.

This year’s donors in-clude:

G o l d H a r d H a t s($5,000+): Baron and BlueFoundation; Thompson &Knight Foundation; Vinson

& Elkins LLPSilver Hard Hats ($3,000-

$4,999): Cozen O’Connor;Drinker Biddle & ReathLLP; Kane Russell ColemanLogan, PC; Vistra Energy

B r o n z e H a r dH a t s ( $ 1 , 5 0 0 - $ 2 , 9 9 9 ) :Austin Industries; Canter-bury, Gooch, Sur ra t t ,Shapiro, Stein, Gaswirth &Jones P.C.; Clark Hill Stras-burger; Cokinos Young;Cutler-Smith P.C.; andmore.

The Dallas Bar Associa-tion Home Project Commit-tee coordinates the build andis led by co-chairs DavidFisk, of Kane Russell Cole-man Logan PC, and MichaelBielby, Jr., of Vinson &Elkins LLP.

Volunteer attorneys carrythe torch, making the projectwhat it is today: a coordi-nated effort by hundreds ofDallas attorneys that givetheir time and money to sup-port the cause of affordable,

decent housing. The centraltheme is that no commit-ment of time or money is toosmall; every hour and everydollar make a difference.

For more informationabout the Dallas Bar Asso-ciation, visit www.dallas-bar.org. To learn more aboutthe DBA Home ProjectCommittee’s work withHabitat for Humanity, logon to https://www.face-book.com/DBAHomePro-ject. C

ourtesy photo

Southeast Dallas residentswelcome new playground

at Bitter Creek ParkSoutheast Dallas residents

will join Dallas Park andRecreation officials at a rib-bon-cutting ceremony 9 a.m.Saturday, July 28 to welcomea new playground at BitterCreek Park, 912 WoodgreenDr. in Dallas.

Ceremony participants in-clude Dallas City Councilmember Rickey D. Callahan;Dallas Park and RecreationBoard member YolandaWilliams, and representativesfrom area community groups.

According to park offi-

cials, vandals destroyed thepark's existing playground afew years ago. A CommunityDevelopment Block Granthas funded the new play-ground and Park and Recre-ation Planning, Design, andFacility Services employeesdeveloped the playground'sdesign and provided con-struction and installation ofthe new equipment.

The City of Dallas hasmore than 200 playgroundsat park sites throughout thecity.

By Dwain PriceNDG Sports SpecialContributor

Primarily out of neces-sity, the Dallas Cowboyshave hit the reset button andare ready to start anew.

Gone from a year ago areveteran mainstays JasonWitten, Dez Bryant and Or-lando Scandrick. RandyGregory and – the Cowboyshope for a whole season –running back Ezekiel Elliottare back this year.

With an influx of youngplayers and the addition ofreceiver Allen Hurts andrunning back Tavon Austin,the Cowboys believe theyhave enough game-break-ing weapons to qualify forthe playoffs after missingout on postseason play lastyear.

“It’s fun to have some ofthe young guys -- they bringenthusiasm, they’re great,”linebacker Sean Lee said.“But it definitely gives youa sense of urgency that forme if we need to make amove now and win now, myimpact has got to be greaterthan it ever has been.”

If the playoffs are indeedin the Cowboys’ future,they know they’ll have todo better than the 9-7 recordthey finished with last sea-son. The work on improv-ing that record starts inearnest on Thursday whenthe Cowboys open trainingcamp in Oxnard, Calif.

“Our guys worked reallyhard in the offseason, andwe saw a lot of growth indi-vidually and collectively inour team over that time”head coach Jason Garrettsaid. “So you get away fromit, and now you get a chanceto come back, and every-body’s re-charged, and it’llbe fun to see these guys intheir training camp environ-ment.

“You try to get yourselfrefreshed and re-charged toget ready to go once train-ing camp starts,” he added.

New faces catchingthe ball

For the first time since2002, the Cowboys will begoing to training campwithout Witten, who retiredin the offseason and is nowworking as an NFL analyston ESPN’S Monday NightFootball. Before hanging uphis football cleats after 15years, Witten left the Cow-boys as the team’s all-timeleader in receptions (1,152)and receiving yards(12,448).

Meanwhile, the Cowboysreleased Bryant on Apr. 13,ending his eight-year tenurewith the team. In 113 gamesfor the Cowboys, Bryanthad 531 catches for 7,459yards and a franchise record73 touchdowns.

However, Bryant clearlyhas lost a step or two, so theCowboys decided it wastime to part ways. AndHurns, the newcomer, isbeing touted as the Cow-boys’ No. 1 receiver.

Or, is he?“As far as (the wide re-

ceivers go), we don’t talkabout that at all,” Hurnssaid. “As far as the fans orthe media, if they want totalk about that, talk about it.

“The main thing for us iswe’re working each andevery day so when we goout there on Sundays thatwe won’t be the weak pointof the team.”

In short, Hurns, who

caught 189 passes for 2,669yards and 21 touchdowns infour seasons with the Jack-sonville Jaguars, said he didnot join the Cowboysstrictly to replace Bryant.

“Me and him are two to-tally different players,”Hurns said. “As far as me, Ifeel like this is a big oppor-tunity for me, but that’ssomething that I got tocome in each and every dayand work towards.

“It’s not something I cando in one day or tomorrow.It’s a gradual thing that I’vegot to come in each andevery day, even at trainingcamp.”

To help with the bondingbetween himself and hisnew crop of receivers, quar-terback Dak Prescott andreceivers Lance Lenoir, De-onte Thompson, MichaelGallup and Hurns all re-cently went to Disney’sWide World of Sports in Or-lando.

“It’s about being a family,not just being a team,”Prescott said. “The momentwe walk in here we’re ateam.

“Finding winning wherewe can get that camaraderiein the right way, we growwith each other. As I said,be a brotherhood and be afamily.”

The Cowboys unceremo-niously put the 2017 seasonto bed knowing it couldhave easily ended much

better if they had the serv-ices of Elliott for the entireseason. Dallas was 5-3 andin the thick of the playoffrace when Elliott was sus-pended for six games by theNFL for violating theleague’s personal conductpolicy.

With Elliott sidelined, theCowboys went 3-3 and ba-sically had very littlechance of punching a play-off ticket.

Changes on the defenseDefensively, the Cow-

boys are hoping to be muchimproved than they werelast year. The Cowboysused the No. 19 overall pickin the draft to select BoiseState linebacker LeightonVander Esch.

Defensive end RandyGregory, who missed last

season for violating theleague’s substance abusepolicy, has been reinstatedby the NFL and should givethe Cowboys some addedpunch once he gets his legsunder him.

“He’s been off a longtime -- he’s talented, noquestion, and he’s a greatguy, and he’s smart,” defen-sive coordinator RodMarinelli said. “But the No.1 thing we’ve got to do isjust groove him back in.

“Like I say, it’s kind oflike golf. If you don’t playfor a year, it’s not the same.So I’m just excited to get achance to work with himagain.”

Elsewhere, the Cowboysreleased Scandrick, whowas one of their corner-backs since they draftedhim in 2008. But the Cow-

boys believe they haveenough young defensivebacks to stem the tide.

They also feel the sameway about their offense, de-spite the losses of Wittenand Bryant, with holdoversTerrance Williams and ColeBeasley hopeful of having abreakout season at the widereceiver spots.

“I think we’ve got reallygood depth – it’s youngacross the board,” offensivecoordinator Scott Linehansaid. “Our running back po-sition, tight end positionand our receiver position,they’re young.

“We’re a little bit of a no-name group out there rightnow. But they get an oppor-tunity to make a name forthemselves now with moreopportunities.”

July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 9

www.NorthDallasGazette.com Entertainment

Do you have an upcoming event? Contact NDG Entertainment at marketing@northdallasgazette.com

NDG Entertainment Ticket Giveaway!!! Visit us on Facebook to win ticketsto the the hottest events in Dallas/Fort Worth!!!!

Enter to Win!Ticket Giveaway

Dallas Cowboys start new season with new faces

Ezekiel Elliott (left) and Dak Prescott are familiar faces returning to asquad with a host of new players. (Photo: Keith Allison / Flickr)

Car Review

10 | July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Entertainment Too! Let NDG Entertainment be a part of your upcoming events! Contact marketing@northdallasgazette.com

Do you have an upcoming event? Contact NDG Entertainment at marketing@northdallasgazette.com

ORT FS NOIT’ONE, YO VERE JU

THE LEADERS OF.W.OMORROT

TUS S OF

s andollege000 ce than 1,ailable at morvAos yteC sTOy R, Armwides nationsitieeruniv

edibleship skills and incraderviding leoy prt baraptid It alstldl

ouble

,err,fico t

or

ates grvideoo pr. It alstnempolevedlanosrepaining andeer trared cance advs likfitbene

fify o. As an Armsshipcholaror ss funitietoppors ttherer ows and empoo challenget tou adapyoady feable and rtained, adapome highly trbecseam that makeader on the te a leything. Ban

. eencerfa dif ctorom//rc.yy.armgo

etatd Setine Uhy tr bod fia. P610©2

.devreses rthgil rl. Aymrs Ae

Win tickets to see GladysKnight and The O'Jays

Whether you want tocatch the Midnight Train toGeorgia or the Love Train,fans of Gladys Knight andthe O'Jays have an opportu-nity to win tickets to thelegendary acts perform atthe Toyota Music Factory(TMF) on Wednesday, Aug.8 at 7:30 p.m. Visit NDG'sFacebook page and join ourcommunity by liking thepage, then tell us your fa-vorite Gladys or O'Jayssong.

For more than 50 yearsGladys Knight has de-lighted audiences no matterthe genre whether it wasPop, Gospel or R&B. Firstas the lead for GladysKnight & The Pips beforetransitioning to a solo ca-reer. Multiple Grammys andNAACP Image Award arejust a few of the honors be-stowed on her over theyears.

The O'Jays, who personi-fied The Sound of Philadel-phia , added songs l ike

Backstabbers and Use TaBe My Girl to our sound-tracks over the years. EddieLevert Sr., Walter WilliamsSr. are still performing withthe group along joined in1995 by Eric Nolan Grant.

For a chance to win tick-ets tell us your favorite songby Gladys, solo or with thePips; or from the O'Jays at

our Facebook page. A win-ner will be selected, notifiedand will need to visit our of-fice off at Stemmons andRegal Row.

The TMF is loca tedat 316 West Las ColinasBoulevard in Irving. Ticketsare available at LiveNa-tion with prices rangingfrom $29 - $99.

Gladys Knight still sounds wonderful 50 years later. (Courtesy photo)

Concerts coming to DFW this fallWhether you love hip hop

or soulful ballads, concertlovers will have options thisfall. Drake is playing atAmerican Airlines Center inSeptember and Maxwell willperform at the Toyota MusicFactory in October.

Platinum selling artistDrake announced the‘Aubrey and The ThreeAmigos Tour.’ Drake will bejoined by special guests and“Walk It Talk It” collabora-tors Migos on a NorthAmerican run throughoutthis summer and fall. Pro-duced by Live Nation, the41-date outing will kick offJuly 26 in Salt Lake City, UTand visit Dallas' AmericanAirline Center on Sept. 26.The tour announcement fol-lows the release of Drake’shit singles “God’s Plan” and“Nice For What,” leading upto his highly-anticipatedfifth studio album Scorpion.

Maxwell announced his“50 Intimate Nights Live“tour, a 50-date trek to manyof North America's top the-atres, including New York's

Beacon Theatre, and theToyota Music Factory in Irv-ing on Oct. 27. Following onthe heels of performances atNorth Sea Jazz Festival inRotterdam and AfropunkParis, the multi-GRAMMY-winning soul singer willdebut new material duringthese intimate shows along-side his many critically ac-claimed hits.

Tickets will go on-salestarting this Friday, July27th.

Last month, Maxwell de-

buted "We Never Saw ItComing," his reflective newsong and his first piece ofnew music since 2016. Thesong's music video, 'TheGlass House,' is a chillingmusic short-film starringMaxwell and activist/ac-tress/model Yomi Abiola.The film was written and di-rected by Jay Z collaboratorsGerard Bush and Christo-pher Renz.

Tickets for both showsare available at LiveNa-tion.com.

Drake fans can hear him in Dallas this fall (Image: Shot by Drew:Drake (The Come Up Show) via Flickr

By Hugh Norton

Parents take their chil-dren's financial future seri-ously, and technology pro-vides an ever-evolving vari-ety of fun and innovativeways to teach kids aboutmoney. However, some par-ents are concerned aboutlimiting their kids' screentime, and others may belooking for more hands-onactivities to use to add totheir children's financial toolkit. Luckily, there are manyoff-screen ways to discuss,explore and learn about per-sonal finance.

When un-plugged fromdevices, there are lessonsand activities available topromote financial fitness,which can vary dependingon your child's age and tem-perament. Here are a fewideas to get you thinkingabout how you can to ap-proach this important topic.

Have them compareeveryday expenses. Regu-larly discuss how mucheveryday items, such as gro-ceries, meals out and house-hold supplies, cost. Thenhave your kids brainstorm

ways to save money.Whether they're comparisonshopping or coupon hunting,they'll learn what a normalweek's expenses might beand practice budgeting inthe process.

You can also segue theseactivities into discussionsabout wants versus needs,such as the need to eat din-ner versus the want to makea spontaneous trip to an ex-pensive restaurant. Or thewant for a game that theycan't afford unless theymake money and save upfirst. These are good finan-cial habits to instill and re-mind yourself of at any age.

Practice calculating sav-ings. Looking for ways tosave money can also doubleas a math lesson – good forstaying sharp during thesummer – and may lead tosome surprising discoveries.For example, a sale whereyou buy one item and get asecond of equal value for 50percent off is equivalent to25 percent off your pur-chase. Twenty-five percentoff may not sound as entic-ing to them as 50.

The exercise could help

teach them to consider howmuch they're going to spendrather than how much they'll"save." You can use thesesales-related examples topoint out that if you weren'tplanning on making the pur-chase anyway, buying some-thing because it's on saleisn't really saving at all. Ihad a college friend thatloved to quote his father say-ing, "never spend a dollarjust to save a nickel."

You can also combine fi-nancial education with mathpractice when you dine outby having your children cal-culate the tip. Reviewing thebill could help them appre-ciate the true cost of a meal,which may be much higherthan the menu price due totax and tip.

Make saving a regular andphysical activity. Creatingseveral savings jars is acommon practice amongparents who are teachingtheir kids about money, andit's one worth considering asa precursor to opening anaccount. The idea is simple:have three jars (piggy banksor other containers) forspending, saving and char-

ity.Whenever kids get an al-

lowance, money from work,a gift or any other sort of in-come, you ask them to splitit up among the three jars.The split could be doneevenly or divided in anotherway; that's a decision thatyou can make together.

Having the physical jarscan be helpful, especiallywith younger children, asthey can see the money

grow over time. Oncethey're older, you can con-tinue a similar practice byintroducing them to check-ing and savings accounts.

Be honest and open thebooks. It's up to you to de-cide how much detail youwant to share, but offeringexamples of how you man-age your finances could helpyour children prepare for thereal world. Sharing food andhousehold expenses with

them could be a startingpoint, but you may also wantto consider adding other, re-curring bills into the mix.

For example, you couldgo over the monthly utilitybill together and discusshow the family's energy-re-lated actions affect the billand ways you could all helpcut costs. Or go over a bankor credit card statement to-

July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette |11

Let NDG Entertainment be a part of your upcoming events!

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

Market Place

See FIT, Page 16

Fall 2018!Register n now for

Classes begin Registration e

August 27. n August 22. ends .

MCKINNEY – CollinCounty Black Chamber ofCommerce (CCBCC ) an-nounce that they will hostthe fifth annual Small Busi-ness Expo on Friday, Au-gust 10, 2018 from 9 a.m. -2 p.m. at the Spring CreekCampus of Collin Collegelocated at 2800 E. SpringCreek Pkwy. in Plano. Thisevent is the premier smallbusiness expo for compa-

nies located in CollinCounty and open to all busi-nesses and professionals.By sponsoring the expo, theCCBCC brings several stateagencies, local corpora-tions, vendors and dynamicspeakers together for a fullday packed with knowledgeand opportunities. Theevent underscores the mis-sion of CCBCC to empowerand support Black busi-

nesses in Collin County.“The Expo allows busi-

nesses & corporations inCollin County to continueto improve and increase di-versity”, said Terri Thomas,President of the CollinCounty Black Chamber ofCommerce.

Signature sponsors forthis event are Collin CountyBlack Chamber of Com-merce & Texas African

American Association ofChambers of Commerce .Additional sponsors in-clude, Telecom ElectricSupply Company, GoldmanSachs, and Regions Bank todate. Please check our web-site www.ccblackcham-ber.org for most up to dateinformation.

The expo will featurespeakers in the Workingwith Millenials, Technology

& Social Media, and Busi-ness Resources & Access toCapital.

The expo will also in-clude opportunities for localbusinesses to meet withstate agency purchasing de-partment representatives.There will be a “speed net-working” session that willallow participants to getface time with decisionmakers for several state

agencies.The CCBCC is a member

of the US Black Chambers,Inc. and Texas Associationof African American Cham-b e r s o f C o m m e r c e(TAAACC). The CollinCounty Black Chamber ofCommerce is dedicated toachieving their mission forsmall businesses in CollinCounty.

Collin County Black Chamber of Commerce Small Business Expo

sions are always important,especially during a job in-terview. Start with planningyour skincare and choice ofclothing. Have a confidenthandshake and discoverhow to look and be at yourbest.

Interview Success –Wednesday, Aug. 22

Learn tips to stay cool,calm, and collected whilepresenting your best image.

Gain strategies to preparefor the interview, answercommon questions, andlearn how to follow up.

“These job search classesare a new and different av-enue for the Carrollton Pub-lic Library,” said RachelYoung, Josey Ranch LakeLibrary Branch Man-ager.“Carrollton is excitedto bring these courses to thecommunity in English and

Spanish. A good first im-pression starts with a wellwritten resume and a goodinterview, and that is onlythe beginning. The Libraryhopes this series will helpresidents positively im-prove the whole job-seek-ing experience from thatfirst impression through theinterview and beyond.”

For more information,call 972-466-4800, or visitcityofcarrollton.com/li-brary.

JOB, continued from Page 6

Activities beyond the screen to teach your kids to be financially fit

tenant shall not permit two(2) ‘hip-hop or Tejano’ or‘rap’ music formatted songsto be played back to back.'”Both articles contain a link toThe Irving Taxpayers Mat-ter’s petition. Any Irving res-ident interested in signingthe petition is invited to con-tact Anthony Bond at 214-830-6719.

Visit NDG’s website toview a video on NDGTVfeaturing Thurman R. Jones,NDG’s publisher, speaking ata recent meeting with con-cerned Irving citizens dis-cussing Skanska’s half faitheffort to meet the stated goalof 32 percent minority par-ticipation in the constructionphase of the Music Factory.However, as NDG’s July 23,2016, Irving’s Music Factoryproject is off key for minor-ity businesses pointed outthey were only at 8.45 per-cent. By the time of the pub-lication of our follow-upstory on Oct. 4, 2017, enti-tled, “New Irving entertain-ment complex constructionfalling far short of minorityparticipation goals” showedthe participation rate had in-creased to 13 percent with afinal goal of 19 percent.

“I don’t believe the com-mitment was ever there,”Jones stated in the recentvideo. “We have real reser-vations about the certifica-tion of this 19 percent,” hesaid in light of learning aboutSkanska’s history of falsify-ing minority participation inearlier projects.

City of Irving and ARKGroup dispute

A video is also linked inthe July 3 story featuringCity of Irving Mayor RickStopfer discussing his dis-pleasure with how the city’spartnership with ARK Grouphas resulted in what he char-acterized as mistreatment ofcity staff and threats of law-suits from parties represent-ing the ARK Group.NDG reached out to each

City of Irving council mem-ber asking for their commenton the allegations of bogusinspections, minority con-tractor participation and ifthey plan to vote in favor ofreleasing the $44 million inTIF monies to the ARKGroup.

We received a responsefrom Susan Rose, the City of

Irving’s Communication Di-rector via email stating, “Atthis time, due to pending lit-igation, the City of Irving isnot able to comment.” Oth-erwise, NDG received no re-sponse from any member ofthe council, including Den-nis Webb, the only AfricanAmerican member of thecouncil.

Also this week, CBS 11aired a report indicating theCity of Irving is consideringrescinding their agreementwith the ARK Group be-cause it prevents the cityfrom supporting any enter-tainment venue similar to theToyota Music Factory. Thiscontract clause potentiallyimpacts plans to build an en-tertainment venue on the siteof Texas Stadium, the formerhome of the Dallas Cow-boys.

Council Members, localprofessionals, and residentshave publicly expressed out-rage and find the clause re-strictive to commercialgrowth and revenue. IrvingCity Council Member AllanMeagher described theagreement’s clench on thedevelopment of similar busi-nesses as “not r igh t .”Meagher suggested Irving,which he referred to as the“heart of Texas” should beable to cultivate its ownmusic culture without hav-ing the type of strongholdlevied by the TMF agree-ment.

Longtime Irving RealtorLisette Caraballo referred tothe restriction as “discourag-ing” and insisted it is imped-ing growth opportunities onthe whole for the commu-nity.

Noah Lazes sent a state-ment to the news station ac-knowledging the non-com-pete clause in the agreement.However, he contends itdoes not prevent the con-struction of similar venuesbut does not allow the city orARK to finance or supportany future similar venues.

The city and the ARKGroup are reportedly sched-uled to go to mediation laterthis month to discuss thisissue and other points ofcontention.Skanska’s checkered past

With more than 11,000U.S. based employees and2017 earnings of $7.3 bil-

lion, the company prides it-self on employing strong di-versity metrics. Consistently,Skanska has shaped its cor-porate image to support itsclaim of fostering a cultureof inclusion. This effort ex-tends reportedly to their part-ners as well. For example,each year, the New YorkCity-based enterprise hostsfree training opportunitiesfor minority contractors.

President and CEO,Richard Kennedy, has madestrong, compelling publicstatements about Skanska’scommitment to safety anddiversity. Partnerships withminority contractors and theDisadvantaged Business En-terprise (DBE) have beenstrategic and highly publi-cized. However, Skanska’sactual performance score-card as it relates to contractswith minority channel part-ners is unimpressive.

Over the last decade,Skanska received two infrac-tions related to unethicalbusiness practices alignedwith contractual obligationsto minority contractors. In2011, Skanska USA was or-dered to pay $20 million forusing a bogus minority-owned firm to win a multi-million dollar bid. The com-pany faced national scrutinyfor engaging EnvironmentalEnergy, a minority-ownedfront company, to win NewYork City MetropolitanTransportation Authority andPort Authority contracts atthe World Trade Center siteand Kennedy Airport.

The NY Daily News re-ported prosecutors arguedthat while Skanska createdthe appearance a minoritycontractor was receiving apercentage of contract rev-enue, actual compensationwas awarded solely to Skan-ska.

Four years later, Skanskawas fined again for more mi-nority-related misconduct.The company was ordered topay $95,000 to settle a racial

harassment and retaliationlawsuit filed by the U.S.Equal Employment Oppor-tunity Commission (EEOC).According to the EEOC’ssuit, Skanska violated fed-eral law by allowing workersto subject a class of blackemployees to racial harass-ment and then firing the em-ployees when they com-plained to Skanska about themisconduct.

John Proctor, Presidentand Chairman of the Re-gional Black Contractors As-sociation (RBCA), is notsurprised to learn about pre-vious allegations.

“Skanska is no differentthan any other heritage gen-eral contractor in northTexas; black contractors arenot allowed to participate inthe great construction NorthTexas boom,” Proctor stated.“We are at 1 percent nowand been there for years.”

Skanska’s familiar pat-terns persist in IrvingSkanska later had an op-

portunity to rectify priordealings with the Minor-ity/Women Business Enter-prise (M/WBE) program andminority contractors when,after winning the $94 millioncontract from the ARKGroup, it hired Butler Ma-sonry to complete work atthe Toyota Music Factory.The minority contractorclaims Skanska did nothonor the terms of theiragreement. Other minoritycontractors reportedly havesimilar concerns NDG haslearned and the companymight face civil rights alle-gations.

Butler Masonry is a totalservice masonry companyspecializing in completingcustomized brick, block,stone, and cast stone con-struction projects on time,according to specifications.The company is a multi-gen-eration family owned, mi-nority entity respected forquality craftsmanship andprecision. The company cur-

rently lists close to a dozencompleted commercial proj-ects in its portfolio.

After an extended periodof waiting for revenue dueunder its masonry contract,Butler Masonry, representedby Dallas based constructionlitigators, Griffith Davison &Shurtleff, PC, is currentlysuing Skansa for unpaiddebts surpassing the $1 mil-lion mark. The company de-scribes the work performedat the Toyota Music Factoryfacility as complete and fit tocontract specifications.

Both Butler Masonry andSkanska have elected not tocomment publicly on thismatter. Attorney StewartShurtleff, representing, But-ler Masonry, offered a “nocomment” statement toNDG regarding the case.

Shandra Colón, a memberof the board for RBCA,spoke earlier this week toRobert Ashley on KHVNRadio.

“Our concern is our mem-bers are informing us that ithas been over a year sincethey have been paid. Theseare the type of issues that putour black contractors out ofbusiness for good. And I amnot talking small dollars; Iam talking million dollarcontracts that have not beencompensated to our mem-bers and our contractors,”Colón stated.

Colón who is also theFounder and CEO of TheCatalyst Company, empha-sized they are not only advo-cating on behalf of their

member companies or evenjust minority contractors.She stressed the importanceof all contractors who havecompleted their work ingood faith should receivepayment due.

“When they don’t get paidon time, their bond is jeop-ardized,” she stated. Accord-ing to Colón the delay inpayment is caused by dis-agreements between the de-veloper, general contractor.

“If black contractors canget through the eye of theneedle, they meet the fate ofour member the Butlerbrothers. They worked forSkanska and completed thejob successfully, then there aproblem with the money,”Proctor shared. “This is con-stant with the RBCA mem-bers with these big compa-nies, that’s why the lifespanfor black business don’t ex-ceed five years, it doesn’tmatter their qualifications.The big construction boysgroups say no blacks al-lowed and it is strictly ad-hered too.”

A bold statement, to whichProctor has a response.

“If this statement is nottrue, prove it,” Proctor chal-lenged.

RBCA is encouraging theCity of Irving not to issue therequested $44 million TIFmonies while these substan-tial payments remain pend-ing completion of a full in-vestigation regarding theoutstanding monies owed tothe contractors according toColón.

12 | July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Marketplace II College Educated Readers read the NDG. Contact Marketing at 972-509-9049 for Career Opportunity Advertising

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

SKANSKA, continued from Page 1 See Related Story,Contractors reflect onIrving's entertainmentproject controversy

On Page 16

July 28L&S Hiring Event

They are having a hiringevent on July 28 starting at12 p.m. at Town East Mallin Mesquite. The event willextend through very week-end until August 26th atCome see them and learnmore about their story, cul-ture, and all the opportuni-ties you can have at L&S.Free swag will be offered .

July 30Inside Sales Hiring

EventThe Inside Sales Hiring

Event will take place onJuly 30 – 31 starting at 5:30p.m. at 14460 VarsityBrands Way, in FarmersBranch. Join the BSN Re-cruiting team, for their openhouse. They will be con-ducting in-person inter-views and making offers totarget our next Inside SalesTraining Class.

July 30F-35 Productions

Job FairLockheed Martin is hold-

ing a F-35 Productions JobFair on July 30 from 7 a.m.to 5 p.m. at Sheraton in FortWorth. Lockheed Martin isexperiencing tremendousgrowth within their F-35production teams. To sup-port this growth, they arehosting a hiring event. Atthis event you will have theopportunity to meet and in-terview with our HiringManagers. We are hiringonly for the following skillsets: Low ObservableCoaters, Avionics Techni-cians, 5 Axis Milling Ma-chinist (STEM Operator),Structural Assemblers, Air-craft Mechanics, Field &

Service Mechanic, andElectrical Assemblers. Youmust bring paper copy ofcurrent resume to event andnon-registered/walk-ups arenot guaranteed participa-tion. For exact location andto register for a time slot,please visit this page:http://jobs.lmt.co/4Z5ka.

July 31Afterschool Care -

Hiring Event (Dallas)The Afterschool Care -

Hiring Event will take placeon July 31 from 1 p.m. to 3p.m. at Park South YMCA,in Dallas. Enjoy workingwith kids? Need a part-time

job? The Y is hiring Rock-stars for our 70+ afterschool sites and we inviteyou to come in for a groupinterview. Staff will workfrom 2:30 -6:30PM M-Fduring the school year andhave the weekends OFF!Additionally, as a staffmember you will recieve aY membership for free! In-terview slots are limited.You can sign up at app.mo-bilecause.com/form/NlP7JA.

August 1Afterschool Care -

Hiring Event (Irving)The Afterschool Care -

Hiring Event will host an-

other hiring event on Au-gust 1 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.at the YMCA, in Irving.The event will last aroundtwo hours.

Each interviewee willget a free week YMCAGuest Pass just for attend-

ing the interview. In addi-tion, you can request towork in an area close tohome.

Since slots are limited,b e s u r e t o s i g n u p a tapp.mobilecause.com/form/NlP7JA.

Attention Suppliers of Goods,Services and Construction

Review Competitive Opportunities athttps://garlandtx.ionwave.net

www.garlandpurchasing.com

972-205-2415

July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 13

Advertise Career Opportunity 972-509-9049 Career Opportunity

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

DO YOU WANT AN EXCITING ANDREWARDING CAREER?

PURSUE A CAREER AS A POLICEOFFICER OR FIREFIGHTER!

• Competitive wages• Array of benefits

• Education incentive pay• ...and more

REGISTER ONLINE TO TAKETHE CITY OF IRVING’S NEXT

CIVIL SERVICE ENTRANCE EXAM

www.cityofirving.orgThe City of Irving does not discriminate on thebasis of race, sex, religion, age or disability inemployment or the provision of services.

Upcoming DFW area job fairs

July 2, 2018Ed Bell Construction is a Dallas based heavy highway contractordoing business in the North Texas market since 1963. With clientssuch as TxDOT, Dallas County Public Works, and the Cities ofDallas, Fort Worth, Richardson and Mansfield (plus many others),we have a strong backlog of work in the highway market locally.We are currently hiring for the following positions:• Mechanic• Crane Operator• Finisher (Paving)• Laborer (Underground)• Laborer (Utility) – Must have valid DL• CDL Driver (Haul Truck)• Finisher (Structures) – Must have valid DLAvailable: multiple openingsRate: NegotiableMust have own transportationYears of Experience required will vary, from 6 months to 2 years(depending on position)Physical and Drug Screen RequiredMust have a Clear BackgroundMust be at least 18 years old (CDL Driver, 21 yrs)

Ed BellConstruction

CompanyAn Equal Opportunity Employer

Must apply in PERSON, Monday – Friday from 8am to 11am @ 10605 Harry Hines Blvd.

Please visit our website: www.edbellconstruction.com/careersOr email your resume to: careers@edbellconstruction.com

BETHEL BIBLEFELLOWSHIP,CARROLLTON

(A PLACE TO BELONG)

NOTICE: Pastor Woodsonserves the community byproviding “ProfessionalTherapy and CounselingServices” on a “SlidingFee” scale. To schedule anappointment call the Pas-toral Counseling Center at972-526-4525 or email thechurch at www.bethelbible-felloswhip.org.

Discover Hope and Help fordaily living; and, you don’thave to be a member tocome. The Connect-2-Re-flect (C2R) meetings areheld in comfortable and re-laxed homes, one in Car-rollton and one in Plano, re-freshments are served. Callthe church for details.

July 29, 9:45 a.m.Join us in our “Prayer andMeditation” at 9:45 am.You will be blessed and in-spired. You don’t want tomiss this as we celebrateservice to God, our commu-nity and all mankind.

August 01, 7 p.m.Join us in Wednesday’sPrayer and Bible StudyClass with Senior PastorWoodson, Pastor LarryGardner, and others con-ducting a new book studywith “The Red Sea Rules”by Robert J. Morgan, 10God-Given Strategies forDifficult Times, with sup-porting chapters and verses.Spiritual maturity is God’sdesire for you; it’s Time toGrow in the Word of God.

Dr. Terrance Woodson,Senior Pastor1944 E. Hebron ParkwayCarrollton, TX 75007972-492-4300www.bethelbiblefellow-ship.org ______________________

FELLOWSHIPCHRISTIAN

CENTER CHURCH INALLEN

“THE SHIP”

July 29, 9 a.m.Join us in our SundayMorning Services as wepraise and worship God in

the Joycie Turner Fellow-ship Hall, followed by ourWorship Services; and bringsomeone with you, you willbe blessed. It’s for God’sglory and honor.

August 01Join us in our Wednesday’s12 Noon-Day Live, Prayerand Bible Study classand/or our WednesdayNight Live, Prayer andBible Study at 7 p.m. tolearn more about God’sWord. Be encouraged byGod’s plan for your matu-rity and His glory; and mostof all; be prepared to grow.

Dr. W. L. Stafford, Sr., Ed. D.Senior Pastor2450 K Avenue #300 Plano, TX 75074972-379-3287www.theship3c.org ______________________

INSPIRING BODY OFCHRIST CHURCH,

Let’s Go Fishing!MATTHEW 4:19

July 27, 7 p.m.All men are invited toMen’s Ministry meetingeach Friday night at 7 p.m.,(IBOC promotes proactivemale leadership.)

July 29, 10 a.m.Don’t forget to invite fam-

ily and friends to join us forour Morning Service as wecelebrate our Lord and Sav-ior, Jesus Christ.

July 30, 7 p.m.Join us in Monday School;come and see what God hasto say to us.

August 5, 10 a.m.Join us for our “The White-Out” Worship Service,every 1st Sunday of eachmonth. Women are ex-pected to wear white

Pastor Rickie Rush7701 S Westmoreland RoadDallas, TX 75237972-372-4262www.Ibocchurch.org______________________

MT. OLIVE CHURCH OF PLANO (MOCOP)

(Uniting the Body ofChrist Among Nations)

July 29, 10 a.m.Join us for Morning Wor-ship Service as we praiseand worship God for HisHonor and His glory. Don’tforget to comeback at 7p.m. for our BrazilianChurch.

August 01, 7 p.m.You’re invited to ourWednesday’s Bible Studyclass; you will learn what

God has to say to us. Cometo be encouraged by God’splan for your spiritualgrowth and His glory.

Dr. Sam Fenceroy, PhDSenior Pastor andPastor Gloria Fenceroy300 Chisholm PlacePlano, TX 75075972-633-5511www.mocop.org______________________

SHILOH MBCIN PLANO

(WHERE COMMUNITY BECOMES FAMILY)

Come and connect to Godthrough Shiloh; grow inChrist through the study ofGod’s Word; and Serve Godthrough service to eachother and to the world.John 12:26.

July 29You are invited to join usduring our 8 am and/or our11 am Worship Services.Sunday School will start at8:30 a.m. We would love tohave you at all our worshipservices.

August 01, 7 p.m. You’re invited to ourWednesday’s Bible Study tolearn more about God’s

14 | July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

Church Happenings www.NorthDallasGazette.com

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

NDG now has a “Special Advertising Package” forchurches and non-profit organizations that need to letthe community know about your Special Event.

Opportunity You Can Measure...

Church Events• Church Anniversary• Pastor’s Anniversary• Women’s Day• Men’s Day

Non-Profit Org. Events• Fundraisers(Concerts)• Special Events(Personal or Community)

Special Rate $199(Black & White, per insertion)

Ad size - 4.905”x 6”(Quarter Page, B&W)(NOTE: Color Ad $75 extra per inserion)

Production disclaimer - NDG ad meake-ready is not included in promotion.

Layout/production of “copy ready”ad will be a nominal extra cost.

E-mail ad copy to:Marketing@NorthDallasGazette.com

or call our Marketing Department today!

972-509-9049

See CHURCH, Page 15

Paid Internship opportunityfor writers, college students

in the Dallas AreaThe North Dallas Gazette has an internshipposition available. Thegoal is to provide stu-dents and aspiringwriters an opportunityto gain published clips,experience and pro-fessional feedback.The position is for upto 20 hours a week at $8.00 per hour. Appli-cants must have reliable transportation.

Send resume and writing samples to:businessoffice@northdallasgazette.com

Investors Liquidation Sale:Laurel Land Cemetery Burial Plot For Sale (one space)

Section # 3, Space # 15, Lot # 20

Laurel Land Cemetery charges for cost of single Plot: $3995.00Discount Amount, if you act right away: <$1745.00> (your savings)

Your Cost: $2250.00

Call Today! 972.432.5219

(leave message,if no answer)

Dennis Jarvis / Flickr

"When the righteous arein authority, the people re-joice; But when a wickedman rules, the peoplegroan." Proverb 29:2.

We hear a lot these daysabout being "politically cor-rect." It seems we must besensitive to every group, nomatter how that groupmight negatively impact ourlives or violate ethical ormoral laws. When God cre-ated the earth, He did notcare what people thought ofHis policies. His policy wasTHE way!

But his primary motivewas not to control but tobless mankind, His cre-ation. His nature was onlygood. In Jeremiah 9:24 wefind God's nature described:"I am the LORD, who exer-cises kindness, justice andrighteousness on earth, forin these I delight," declaresthe LORD.

God laid down rules inthe Garden of Eden forAdam and Eve to follow.As long as they followedthe rules, they would reignover every living creature.They were representing theCreator in all aspects. God'sgovernment was being ex-pressed through his creationin humans, nature and ani-

mals. He was and is the ul-timate righteous ruler.God's desire was to extendthis mandate across theearth through Godly leaderswho could represent andlegislate His Kingdom in allspheres of life. This is whyHe said in Deuteronomy28:13,14: "The LORD willmake you the head, not thetail. If you pay attention tothe commands of the LORDyour God that I give youthis day and carefully fol-low them, you will alwaysbe at the top, never at thebottom."

God desires to raise godlyleaders who can representHis interest on the earth.He has called you and me tobe one of His representa-tives. Then the world willgo from adversary to des-tiny. "The brother in humblecircumstances ought to takepride in his high position"James 1:9.

Most of us try to avoidpain. We are so averse topain that we think God mustdesire that we will experi-ence pain-free lives. Al-though God takes no pleas-ure in our pain, we have toacknowledge that He some-times allows painful cir-cumstances to occur in ourlives in order to shape usand make us more likeChrist.

The following poem waswritten by an anonymousConfederate soldier, a de-vout young man who foughtin the American Civil War.The lines of this poem ex-

press the soul of a man whohas learned to view histimes of adversity from adifferent perspective: Iasked God for strength, thatI might achieve; I was madeweak, that I might learnhumbly to obey. I askedGod for health, that I mightdo greater things; I wasgiven infirmity, that I mightdo better things.

I asked for riches, that Imight be happy; I was givenpoverty, that I might be

wise. I asked for power,that I might have the praiseof men; I was given weak-ness, that I might feel theneed of God. I asked for allthings, that I might enjoylife; I was given life, that Imight enjoy all things. I gotnothing that I asked for buteverything I had hoped for.Almost despite myself, myunspoken prayers were an-swered.

I am among men, mostrichly blessed.*

Learn to trust God to leadus even though we can't seethe pathway in front of us.Learn to trust Him to be all-knowing, all-loving, andall-powerful. Learn to be-lieve He does all thingswell. As Paul wrote,

"Everything that does notcome from faith is sin" Ro-mans 14:23.

That's why God leads usthrough the dark places.Only in the darkness do welearn to walk by faith.

July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette | 15

www.NorthDallasGazette.com Church Directory

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

Send email to: businessoffice@northdallasgazette.com to sign upfor Sister Tarpley's weekly elec-tronic newsletter.

Allow God to take control

2018 University Graduates from Bethel Bible Fellowship ChurchPictured (L to R): Ms. Maia Wilson, UNT; Ms. Devon Lewis, DukeUniversity; and Ms. Kelsey Jones, DBU. Not Pictured: Ms. Brooke

Ross, Spellman

North Dallas Gazette takes a moment toreflect on the past with

Historical Perspectivesfrom Sister Tarpley

Hear what it was like growing up in a very dif-ferent Dallas when Booker T. Washington wasa black school. Sister Tarpley graduated frmthere and went on to college and later became

a city councilmember in Carrollton.

Look for NDGTV at NorthDallasGazette.com

CHURCH, continued from Page 14Word. Come and be en-couraged by God’s plan foryour maturity and growth;it’s all for His glory and Hishonor. We are, “Growing inChrist through the study ofHis Word.”

Our church ministries offeropportunities for motivation

and growth; join us and see.Be blessed of the Lord.

Dr. Isaiah Joshua, Jr.Senior Pastor920 E. 14th StreetPlano, TX 75074972-423-6695www.smbcplano.org

gether and examine eachtransaction and how itplayed into the familybudget or your individualbudget.

You may also want to

share examples of monthlyloan payments to prompt adiscussion of interest rates.Reviewing savings or in-vestment account statementscan be an opportunity to

show how compound inter-est could help them growtheir money.

Lead by example. Work-ing on financial skills withpractice, lessons and storiesis important but many chil-dren also learn good and badhabits by the examples that

their parents set. Considerthis an opportunity to brushup on your own financialknowledge and then practicethe skills you'd like to passdown.

Bottom line: Financiallyliteracy isn't something youcan teach in a week or with a

single method. You may beable to memorize somepractical knowledge, such ashow interest works, but itcan take time for the moreimportant practices to be-come regular habits. By uti-lizing a variety of methodsto teach and show your kids

how to handle money, youcan help them prepare for ahealthy financial future.Hugh Norton directs

Visa's financial educationprograms. To follow Practi-cal Money Skills on Twitter:www.twitter.com/Practical-Money.

16 | July 26 - August 1, 2018 | North Dallas Gazette

NDG Book Review www.NorthDallasGazette.com

For the 411 in the community, go to www.northdallasgazette.com

FIT, continued from Page 11

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

The buckle on the collaris fastened tightly.

It’s not foolproof, but it’sthe best way you know toprotect your dog. Add tothat collar a leash with youat the other end, and Doggoisn’t going anywhere with-out you. But in “Ruff Jus-tice,” the new whodunit byLaurien Berenson, a collarand a lead won’t protectanyone from murder.

Thirteen-year-old Daveyhad high hopes.

His dog, Augie, was justa few points away fromChampion and it had tohappen that weekend. It hadto. After all, as Davey’smom, Melanie Travis knew,

showing Standard Poodleswas practically a family tra-dition and Davey was a nat-ural in the ring.

But adding points towardAugie’s Champion statuswasn’t the only remarkablething that happened that

weekend. Though dogshows were usually socialevents mostly amongfriends, someone elsethought differently andstrangled Jasmine Crane,local artist and regular ex-hibitor.

But there was more:Abby Burke, sister of well-regarded dog-sitter,Amanda, came to Melanie’sAunt Peg’s house, lookingfor Amanda, who was miss-ing. Melanie agreed to help;she was good at that sort ofthing, and when she learnedthat Amanda had rented anapartment from Jasmine,well, there were just toomany coincidences.

Amanda, as it turned out,had a boyfriend, Rick, and

he was one truly awfulhuman being. Then again,Jasmine was no sweetheart:having pilfered husbands aswell as jewelry and expen-sive artwork, she was a thiefof the highest magnitude.Was Jasmine having an af-fair with Rick – and if not,could Amanda be afraid ofhim somehow? And thenthere was Jasmine’s sup-posed friend, Sadie, wholiked dogs much more thanshe liked people and whoalmost refused to speak toMelanie unless Melaniebrought her poodle, Faith,along. Sadie was eccentric,to say the least.

As Melanie poked aroundand asked questions, no-body within dog show cir-

cles was willing to pointany fingers but it was obvi-ous that Jasmine was no-body’s favorite person. Shewas demanding, conniving,and few were sorry to learnthat she was gone – but whowould have reason enoughto kill her?

Uncomplicated. That’show you want your readingat this time in the year,heading into back-to-school, done with vaca-tions, sliding into fall. Youwant something not-too-in-tricate. You want “Ruff Jus-tice.”

For so many reasons,“Ruff Justice” may be per-fect for you: this mysterydoesn’t have car chases orsniper’s bullets. No interna-

tional spy stuff, no violenceand only a small handful ofthe most minor of swearwords. Yes, author LaurienBerenson packs a lot ofcharacters into her story butoverall, this is an easy bookthat doesn’t take a thousandwatts of brain-power to reador enjoy.

Pick-it-up-and-put-it-down easy. Just right forlate summer.

Be aware that a basicknowledge of the dog showindustry will help in enjoy-ing this book but don’t fretif you haven’t got it. Thereare enough clues in thismystery to help even a neo-phyte catch up quick, whichmakes “Ruff Justice” abook anyone should collar.

NDG Book Review: Ruff Justice is an uncomplicated, fun read

Mistie Gardner, Emer-gency Management Coordi-nator for Richardson, testi-fied on behalf of the U.S.Council of the InternationalAssociation of EmergencyManagers last week in frontof a subcommittee of theU.S. House of Representa-tives’ Committee on Trans-portation and Infrastructure.

The hearing, entitled “AreWe Ready? Recovering fromthe 2017 Disasters and

Preparing for the 2018 Hur-ricane Season,” includedcomments from Gardner andrepresentatives of the FederalEmergency ManagementAgency, the BuildStrongCoalition, the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers and theNational Emergency Man-agement Association.

Gardner gave recommen-

dations for ways to improveU.S. systems of disaster re-covery based on her 23 yearsof experience in public safetyand emergency manage-ment, particularly her serviceafter Hurricane Harvey.

Through Richardson’spartnerships and coalitionsfor emergency response,Gardner served post-Harvey

as the Emergency OperationsCenter Manager for Dallas tohelp coordinate the shelter-ing of approximately 5,000evacuees; worked in theState Operations Center tocoordinate Public Works re-sources from throughoutTexas; and was deployed tothe Victoria Disaster Districtas part of a recovery assis-

tance team supporting theneeds of seven jurisdictions,including help with publicassistance, debris manage-ment and damage assess-ment.

Feedback gathered at thehearing is expected to helplawmakers as they draft theDisaster Recovery ReformAct.

Richardson’s emergency management coordinator testifiesbefore Congressional subcommittee in Washington, DC

Rachel HawkinsNDG Staff Writer

The controversy swirlingaround The ARK Group,Skanska and Billy Bob Bar-nett’s Big Beat Dallas, stillremains a hot topic in Irving.As residents continue to learnand discover new factsbrought to light, it appearsmany seem to forget about agroup caught in the middle:the contractors who helpedbuild the project.

Steve Westbrook, presi-

dent of Highland Builders,who has delivered commer-cial projects in the City of

Irving for over 30 years.They were hired to build theBig Beat Dallas venues for

Barnett, but they have notbeen paid in full yet. Duringan Irving City Council meet-ing held on July 19, West-brook during the Citizen'sForum segment on theagenda Westbrook requestedthe city step in and pay thebalance owed so he can paythe subcontractors.

“We’re owed approxi-mately $2.3 million," West-brook said. "We did every-thing at 100 percent to every-one’s satisfaction. Just be-cause there is some techni-

cality between the developersand Billy Bob Barnett, doesnot mean that these hardworking people should not bepaid.”

The minority partnersworking with HighlandBuilders are facing extremefinancial hardship as a resultof the long delay in payment.

“One of the sub-contrac-tors is owed $100,900,”Westbrook said. “He is asmall contractor, and he cameto me around a week ago andsaid that he had to sell his

house to continue to providefor his family. We are re-questing that you (the IrvingCity Council members) stepin and pay us for what wehave completed,” Westbrooksaid.

The city council membersare not allowed to comment ortake action on items broughtby residents during the Citi-zen's Forum as they are re-stricted because of the TexasOpen Meetings law whichprevents deliberation of itemsnot on the published agenda.

Contractors reflect on Irving's entertainment project controversy

Steve Westbrook, president of Highland Builders, speaks at the July19 Irving City council meeting on non-payment issues.

(Photo: Rachel Hawkins/ NDG)

Courtesy photo