BY MARK HENRICKS
METROPOLIS
Student
BY ANTHONY MARIANI
HIGGINS
Thursday, February 19
5–8 p.m. | FREE
Enjoy an exclusive evening with free food and tunes for college and graduate students. Listen to music in the galleries, make some art, and get inspired by the Carter’s collection!
Fort Worth troubadour Keegan
McInroe’s Neon John gets down and dirty. By Steve Steward
Protest on your own time, kiddos.
By Anthony Mariani
As singles turn away from dating apps, many are also turning away from commitment altogether.
By Mark Henricks
Lots of local eateries are celebrating Cupid’s day with splendid deals. By Jennifer Bovee
Inspired by the 2003 rom-com Love Actually, this week’s cover art by Fort Worth Weekly Art Director Ryan Burger features (from left to right) Chefs Jon Bonnell (Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine, Waters, Buffalo Bros), Wendy Felix (Café Americana), Marcus Paslay (Clay Pigeon), Molly McCook (Ellerbe Fine Foods), Andrew “Drew” Thomas (Drew’s Place), Mary Patino Perez (Enchiladas Ole), Irene Garza (iL Modo), Juan Rodgriguez (Magdalena’s), David Pachero (Restaurant506), Tom Jones (Tom’s Burgers & Grill), Richard Sandoval (Toro Toro), and restaurateur Rex Benson (Rex’s Bar & Grill, Ol’ South). Photos are courtesy of Downtown Arlington Inc., E.R. Bills, Ellerbe Fine Foods, Facebook, Instagram, Visit Fort Worth, and Working Title Films.
STAFF BOX
Editor-in-Chief: Anthony Mariani
Art Director: Ryan Burger
Special Projects Manager: Jennifer Bovee
Calendar Editor: Elaine Wilder
Film Editor: Kristian Lin
Music Editors: Patrick Higgins, Steve Steward
Proofreader: Emmy Smith
Editorial Board: Anthony Mariani, Emmy Smith, Steve Steward, Elaine Wilder
Contributors: E.R. Bills, Jennifer Bovee, Jason Brimmer, Jess Delarosa, Buck D. Elliott, Danny Gallagher, Juan R. Govea, Mark Henricks, Patrick Higgins, Kristian Lin, Cody Neatherly, Rush Olson, Emmy Smith, Kena Sosa, Steve Steward, Teri Webster, Ken Wheatcroft-Pardue, Elaine Wilder, Cole Williams
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COPYRIGHT
to Trinity Metro Bus Routes 2 and 4 begin on Sunday, February 1. Route 2 will have an adjusted schedule for better connections, and Route 4 will have expanded service to the Cultural District. Plan ahead at RIDE TRINITYMETRO .org/ SERVICECHANGES
When it’s The Man determining what is and isn’t a crime during a protest, walking out of class doesn’t pay.
BY ANTHONY MARIANI
As students protest creeping dictatorship, recrudescent Nazism, and the recent shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents on U.S. soil, at least one campus cop has some thoughts.
At a local school the other day, students said they overheard their on-duty patrolman say a lot of perhaps expectedly spicy stuff, like how high school students don’t know enough to even know what they’re protesting (we’d argue most do) and that they’re wasting everyone’s time (not quite). Protesting has a way of changing public perception, which can lead to tangible progress.
One (other) thing this policeman allegedly said that stands out betrays an uncomfortable truth: that students should protest on their own time and outside of school.
We agree.
The only people hurt by walking out of class — which has been happening since the Vietnam War — are the students. Becoming smart future voters who can change the laws and lawmakers ruining both Texas and the United States
demands showing up for instruction. And now Gov. Greg Abbott says he’s going to arrest student walker-outers who are “violent” (as determined by The Man), because that’s totally normal in a functional democracy with First Amendment rights for every citizen.
Kids, and parents, and I hate to say this because I understand that protesting should not be comfy and cozy, but don’t test him. An arrest record will only work against you, and the reward for walking out — maybe a viral social media post? — is not worth the incredibly high academic and professional risk. In other words, be cool, stay in school. There are lots of other ways to express your displeasure with the White House and its gestapo. Write letters, post Reels, call your representatives, volunteer, and march at organized after-school protests.
Fort Worth students appear to be heeding the warnings. Kids at Boswell High School protested Monday afternoon after dismissal, though many are worried they still may be disciplined by their district, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw.
Dallas students? Not so much. Hundreds walked out Tuesday during school hours.
“The law of free speech is more complex than that,” Abbott said recently. “You don’t have freedom of speech to say and act any way you want to, anywhere you want to, anytime you want to. The Supreme Court has been very clear about free speech of students, and that free speech of students does not include leaving the school to go protest.”
Greg Abbott is a terrible governor for many reasons but especially because the First Amendment and the right to free speech and assembly mean nothing to him. An outspoken Trumper, Abbott is taking the decision to protest the government — not murder someone or steal from them or rape them, simply express displeasure with the people in charge — and making that decision his and not ours. Kids who want to protest and fall behind? That’s their right. Threatening them with jail time or worse for their intellectual self-harm is un-American,
which is really saying something in our current fascist state.
The kids aren’t going to listen to me, some middle-aged writer-bro whose white, straight, male privilege supersedes whatever middling success he may have experienced in his wretched life. (Not much.) Hopefully, some parental figures out there will realize that allowing their children to protest during class time is counterproductive. Today is not 1967. We now live in a de facto dictatorship, and in Texas, the punishments — expulsion, the clink, worse — are not worth destroying your future or losing your life over. The best thing our kids can do is learn more and learn better and become the kinds of voters we need to turn the country around. Data crunchers say that Abbott is attacking 400,000 potential new voters by the end of this school year. That’s a huge, clearly engaged bloc he’s pissing off, which
is good news for nice, empathetic, non-hateful Texans everywhere.
In response to all the student walkouts across the state, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) recently issued guidelines at the behest of Gov. Abbott. Now, teachers will mark students protesting during class time as absent, teachers could lose their licenses for even helping protesting students stay safe, and districts that allow walkouts during class could lose funding or find their boards replaced by managers hand-picked by the state GOP.
Like millions of others across the globe, the students are mainly protesting ICE, whose heavy-handed tactics have resulted in the deaths of several protestors and the deportation and/or detainment of thousands of noncriminal U.S. citizens. Student walkouts have occurred over the past couple of weeks and days at several area schools, including the Young Women’s Leadership Academy, Trimble Technical High School, and Birdville High School. The number of protestors has ranged from a couple dozen at various campuses to around 100 at the predominantly Hispanic Haltom High School. One Buffalo told the Star-Telegram, “We’re protesting ICE today because they kill people and get no punishment at all,” referring to the recent, highly publicized shooting deaths in Minneapolis of Good and Pretti by federal agents.
Students’ speech has been upheld by the courts for decades. In 1969’s Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, the Supreme Court ruled that schools could not keep students from protesting the Vietnam War by wearing black armbands. In the Tinker ruling, the court went on to indicate that schools could intervene only if students’ actions created “substantial disruption.”
Again, when The Man is making the determinations, best to err on the side of caution. l
This column reflects the opinions of the editorial board and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a column, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
In politics, the celebrations start early, and the excuses never end. In the recent special election to fill a vacant Texas Senate seat, union official Taylor Rehmet beat conservative political activist Leigh Wambsganss by 14 points — in a district where voters picked Donald Trump for president by 17 points only a little over a year ago.
It’s the latest of election victories boosting Democrats’ hopes for a “blue wave” this November and sending Republican political strategists into full-blown panic over the prospect of losing control of one or both houses of Congress.
Even if you’re convinced that the right electoral outcomes can really change the trajectory of events, though, it’s a little early to start celebrating — or mourning.
As Harold Wilson once pointed out, “A week is a long time in politics.”
The midterm congressional elections are, as I write this, 38 weeks away.
A lot can change in 38 weeks. Only 22 weeks separated Abraham Lincoln’s election in November 1860 from the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter in 1861. Only 33 weeks separated George Bush’s inauguration in January 2001 from the 9/11 attacks.
Events of much less long-term import have their effects as well.
Yes, the party in power historically tends to lose congressional seats in midterm elections.
Sometimes a few, sometimes more. Beyond that obvious likelihood, trying to predict the mood of the electorate nine months out is a fool’s errand.
I can, however, confidently predict how much will change as a direct result of the elections’ outcomes, whatever those outcomes may be.
Not much.
Aside from a few firebrands and gadflies — some of whom may even get lucky at the polls — both parties will spend the next nine months tacking toward a wholly imaginary “center.”
We’ll hear a lot, from both sides of the aisle, about not throwing out the baby with the bathwater (even if, as Harry Browne suggested, it’s Rosemary’s Baby).
On immigration enforcement, tariffs,
health care, you name it, we’ll see a bunch of proposals for tweaking, rather than truly disrupting, business as usual. The only reliable way to tell the two sides apart will be to listen to them yell “fascist!” and “commie!” at each other in between the echoes.
And, hey, who knows? Maybe a few of those tweaks will actually get implemented in 2027. The Titanic will still be sinking, but, by golly, the deck chairs will be nicely arranged for just a little while longer.
Politics won’t get us out of the mess that politics got us into.
But once the celebration that’s already prematurely cranking up ends, we’ll hear endless explanations of, and excuses for, why it didn’t work last time, why it didn’t work this time, and why it will no doubt, for sure, pinky promise work next time if we just keep on voting really, really hard.
Signed,
Thomas L. Knapp, director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (TheGarrisonCenter.org). He lives and works in North Central Florida.
This letter reflects the opinions and fact-gathering of the author(s) and only the author(s) and not the Fort Worth Weekly. To submit a letter, please email Editor Anthony Mariani at Anthony@FWWeekly.com. He will gently edit it for clarity and concision.
A bold and ambitious halftime performance saves an otherwise
BY PATRICK HIGGINS
As painful as it is to realize, it’s all over kids. With the Seattle Seahawks winning their franchise’s second Super Bowl this past Sunday, another NFL season has come and gone. Time to take off those jerseys, tuck away the foam fingers, and shed the requisite tears before we renew that Pro Football Focus mock draft simulator subscription and begin preparations for the 2026 season. There’s only a handful of months left before the NBA and NHL follow suit and we’re left with only the dry desert of baseball and FIFA sports viewing.
Let’s face it. This year’s season finale, at least footballwise, ended with a fizzle instead of a bang. The Hawks’ 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots was a snoozer if ever there was one. It was a full minute and a half into the fourth quarter before the game’s first touchdown. Seattle had settled for four straight field goals before this season’s favorite redemption story, Sam Darnold, finally found tight end AJ Barner in the endzone, putting the Blue and Neon Greens ahead 19-0. New England’s porous O-line had quarterback Drake Maye under pressure all game. Through three quarters, Seattle’s monstrous front had accumulated four sacks, three more than the Patriots had first downs. With the Boys from Baahstin managing just 78 yards of offense through that span, it looked like we were headed toward the first-ever shutout in the NFL’s championship game.
Maye would find his footing late, amassing 235 yards in the fourth, a Super Bowl record for QB production in a single quarter, along with two
touchdowns. But the rally was too late. A pick six caused by another Seattle sack put the Seahawks beyond New England’s reach and ultimately sent blue and green confetti into the air at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium. Former first-round bust Darnold completed the storybook redemption arc and former Cowboy Demarcus Lawrence was proven right in his claim that he couldn’t win a Super Bowl in Dallas by hoisting his first Lombardi just one year after leaving (or not being retained by) the Silver and Blue Circus.
The storylines of the game were far more intriguing than the game itself. Even considering the interesting narratives, it was an altogether forgettable matchup. Even the commercials collectively had an unremarkable offering. The ad trends of the past, like the ever-popular bizarre and surrealist gimmick, or last year’s general hard lean toward folksy conservativism, have been wholly replaced by poorly CGI de-aged celebrities and a shameless bid for AI acceptance. Thankfully, the five-hour borefest was broken up by the one genuinely remarkable aspect of the entire evening: that of international superstar Bad Bunny’s halftime performance.
Despite being the most listened-to musical artist on Planet Earth prior to his halftime show, I had never heard a Bad Bunny song. And even
“It is the divine responsibility of each generation to advance and improve the world they were given at birth. So far, my generation; the baby boomers have yet to fulfill this moral obligation to our creator and heirs”.
now, after the 15-minute performance, I don’t think I would have any better chance of picking his music out from a collection of random reggaetón artists than my 10-year-old would of picking out Coltrane from a playlist of fellow ’60s hard-bop saxophonists. I will say, though, despite the music rather than because of it, I will remember his performance forever and rank it among the very best in the history of America’s perennially mostviewed television broadcast.
Based on Monday morning’s doomscrolling, I am aware that some percentage of readers are likely not going to share my opinion of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio’s ambitious celebration of love, unity, and Latin American culture, and you’re entitled to that opinion, shallow and unnuanced as it may be. You, of course, have the forum of the driver’s seat of your $60,000 F-150 Super Cab to whine into a front-facing camera to your 85 Facebook followers about the your narrow criteria for America’s biggest television stage. And I — as inexplicable as it might be to you and, frankly, to me also — have this one to explain to you why you are wrong.
The fact that so many apparently have such strong feelings about whether a Puerto Rican who sings in Spanish is appropriately representative of America or American culture and therefore
“THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE.”
deserving of a coveted Super Bowl halftime performance is exactly what made Bad Bunny’s performance so profound. The MAGA information silo, as is its mandate, whipped its constituents into a frenzy of manufactured outrage over the NFL’s selection of the Latin popstar. “He wears dresses!” “His dance moves are so sexual!” “He said that bad thing about ICE at the Grammys!” “He doesn’t even sing in English!!!”
Bad Bunny was sold to the Fox News heads as alien and divisive.
Instead, what audiences across the world were treated to was a beautifully creative expression of a different idea of Americanism than the one the culture-war instigators on the right want the concept defined as. One that includes every country in the hemisphere, North, South, and Central America. One that speaks to our commonalities rather than our differences. In front of a giant message on the Jumbotron that read, “THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE,” Mr. Bunny delivered a sermon on unity and shared humanity that spreads from the arctic reaches of Canada to the frosty tip of Chile. And he delivered it with joy, charisma, and fun. Proving that ultimately the real reason the Stephen Miller stans got their undergarments in a twist about Bunny’s selection is not that he’s “not American” but because he’s not white.
So, suck it, haters. Benito’s display of unfiltered and unqualified love and his unafraid proclamation, “Together, we are America,” was really the only thing worth watching on Sunday. l
BY MARK HENRICKS
“Since the beginning of the year, every client I’ve had that’s single has said, ‘I can’t do this online dating thing anymore. I would sooner tear my hair out than go on another Hinge date.’ ”
That’s a local dating coach talking about the ways dating seems to have hit a major inflection point.
So, in case you’re single and wondering what’s gone wrong lately, it’s not just you. And it’s not just Fort Worth. When Austin-based Bumble — the second most-downloaded dating app in America after Tinder — laid off 30% of its workforce last year, it hammered home the broad and steep decline of the apps that have ruled relationship-finding for decades.
What’s taking their place? Some people are sticking with the apps and just trying to do digital dating better. Others are going back to the old-fashioned approach, trying to meet partners face to face in real life through clubs, teams, and interest groups. And, although it violates the spirit of Valentine’s Day season to suggest it, could it be that some are just giving up on love altogether?
It could.
“I do think people are giving up,” said Ashley Shihab, the above-quoted Dallas-based dating and life coach. “People are burning out. The same way you would burn out on a job, people are burning out on dating.”
It’s not entirely clear that everybody or even most people are canceling their search for a relationship. However, it is plain and unmistakable that the dating apps have been hit hard.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about Bumble, market leader Tinder — part of Dallasbased dating app titan Match Group — Hinge, or any of the other plethora of digital yentas out there. The themes tend to be identical: declines in paying subscribers, fewer newer sign-ups, and broad-based user burnout with the swipe-andmessage approach to finding connection.
The apps are stumbling for one major reason: People don’t like them. When Forbes magazine surveyed 1,000 app users in 2024, 78% said they at times felt emotionally, mentally, or burned out from the experience.
Part of the explanation for app wilt is their previous success. When apps first entered the mainstream 20 or so years ago, they diverged enormously from the tried-and-true methods of meeting people at church, school, and work that had served singles since time immemorial.
“There was a lot of excitement about the idea of meeting people you wouldn’t be able to otherwise meet and having this wide access to other partners,” said Sarah E. Hill, a TCU psychology professor. “A lot of the enthusiasm about that has waned.”
The apps’ ability to serve up seemingly endless potential new mates, while initially appealing, ultimately worked against them.
“When you have an infinite number of options, it decreases your satisfaction with any one option you choose,” Hill said.
This appears to be basic human psychology. It operates whether you’re choosing a jar of jelly or a lifetime partner. It’s familiar to anybody who recalls how easily they could pick a television show when Fort Worth had only four broadcast channels and compares to scrolling through the hundreds of cable programs available today only to decide that nothing is worth tuning in to.
Excess optionality makes online daters reluctant to commit, Hill said. By that, she means any commitment at all. Something as trivial as meeting for coffee or having a phone chat seems more likely to make it harder to pick someone better in the future than to connect you with someone acceptable now.
Just as the slightest commitment seems to be asking too much, even minor variances from the hypothetical ideal become ample cause to reject a prospect.
“This person likes the third season of West Wing, and that’s the worst one, so enough of that,” Hill said.
As if all this is not enough, there’s online fakery.
“Modern ways of connecting, particularly digitally, can allow individuals to misrepresent themselves in small and large ways,” said Rachel Joy Voth Schrag, associate professor of social work at UTA. “This makes people wary of forming connections or committing to others, particularly if they have previous experiences of folks they met in online spaces misleading them — kittenfishing — or trying to take advantage of them for money or resources — romance scamming.”
Want something else to blame for your empty social calendar? Try the economy.
“There are suggestions that an increased sense of economic vulnerability, including job instability and housing instability, is connected to people feeling less comfortable dating, because of the financial cost of going on dates, the need to focus on economic priorities first, and the sense that they are not in a space to make long-term commitments,” Voth Schrag said.
Last but perhaps not least we have the tinfoil-hat explanation. This one says the apps are intentionally sabotaging your dating life. As conspiracy theories go, it’s not that farfetched.
Dating apps run on algorithms, Shihab noted. The dating services have had decades of gathering data and market-testing to tune their algorithms to do all manner of jobs. They can and do, for instance, present potential subscribers with particularly alluring matches only to then barricade the best choices behind paywalls.
Is it crazy to think they might show only near-misses interesting enough to keep you paying for subscriptions and premium features without ever presenting your actual soulmate? Shihab doesn’t think so, because if you get into a longterm relationship, naturally, you’ll cancel your subscription.
“It’s an algorithm, and it’s all trying to keep you on that app,” Shihab said. “Their goal is not to help you meet somebody.”
Conceivably, you could be feeling some or all of these frustrations but still not be ready to give
Dating apps can and do present potential subscribers with particularly alluring matches only to then barricade the best choices behind paywalls.
up yet. What are some different approaches you could take to online dating? First, stop blaming other people, Shihab said. Own your part, and be the change you want to see.
If other people’s profiles seem too skimpy, for instance, pack yours with revealing detail. If others seem to want only surface conversations, strive for authenticity and openness in your communications. At the same time, even if you want to stay on the apps, try limiting their use. One of the big changes to online dating is that today it’s mostly done through apps running on smartphones that didn’t exist 20 years ago.
The ubiquity of smartphones means your dating app is also ubiquitous. That’s changed online dating from something you do when sitting at a computer to something that interrupts face-toface meetings with notifications that you just got a like or message. Constantly monitoring dating app activity like it’s social media is a recipe for burnout, Shihab said.
“I tell my clients, if you want to do these dating apps, put limits around it,” Shihab said. “Only get on for 30 minutes a day or don’t have the notifications set, so it’s not interrupting. Put something around it, so it doesn’t become the black hole that is TikTok and Instagram.”
Believe it or not, a few folks today still look for love in all the real places. Does that mean antiquated ideas like speed dating, matchmaking services, singles meetups, and social sports leagues? It does, and they might be worth a look.
“There are some who are trying to meet people by going analog and finding potential partners the old-fashioned way,” Hill said. “These are things like joining clubs, taking up interests, going to conferences, taking up a new hobby, being more engaging at the gym, playing pickleball.”
Flirting at the grocery store, learning to line dance, and other real-life methods of meeting someone have built-in limitations. Chief among them is the fact that most people you might continued on page 8
approach in the wild aren’t available because they’re already in relationships, but face-to-face courting has similarly potent pluses.
“There are some things you can’t get from pictures and communication,” Hill said. “It could be smell, the sound of their voice, the way they move, little mannerisms. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A face-to-face interaction is worth a billion words.”
It’s harder than giving your credit card number to an app, but you can get a shot at one of those billion-word interactions if you’re intentional about it, Shihab said. Start by working on yourself. If you want to pick one trait to boost, low self-confidence is one of the most common issues she sees in her clients.
Then start connecting with people in as many face-to-face ways as you can think of.
“This is about building a network and a community,” Shihab said. “If you want to have a relationship, start by having a life. The more you have activities you enjoy and a variety of relation-
There’s still another way to deal with dating frustration, and that’s to give up. This is an actual trend.
“There has been a real increase in single individuals who are not actually interested in or pursuing dating,” Voth Schrag said.
Indeed, back in 2022, the Pew Research Center found a solid majority of single Americans weren’t looking for romance on Valentine’s or any other day. And worries about COVID were the least important of several reasons. Tops on the list: “Just like being single.”
No matter what Pew’s pollsters found, you don’t hear a lot of hit songs extolling the virtues of sleeping alone, so why are people turning away from all forms of dating? TCU’s Hill suspects that real-world connection skills have atrophied due to over-reliance on digital communication.
This may be especially true of more recent generations.
“I think that younger people haven’t been raised to interact,” Hill said. “They don’t know how to make telephone calls. Kids just don’t know how to interact with each other because they’ve spent their lives online.”
The particular challenges men face today
continued from page 8
said. “Women who are educated and accomplished aren’t getting what they want either, because they are looking for someone who has at least as much education and accomplishment as themselves.”
The most committed dating ditchers can just go all-digital. Joi is an AI sex chat company that provides users with all-artificial companions. Despite being limited to chat, these seem to have some appeal. Joi reported its April 2025 survey of 2,000 members of Gen Z found 83% could have a deep emotional bond with an AI partner. Almost as many would consider marrying one, whatever that means.
These and related digital services will likely find some users, Hill said. “You’re going to have some small pockets of the population that are turning to AI to meet their emotional needs. You’re going to have people having their sexual needs met with pornography. Some people are opting out and fulfilling their desires for connection and sexual release digitally.”
Somewhere between app burnout and AI love lies the future of dating. AI-based dating is one possibility that kind of blends these two.
Ditto, an AI dating matchmaking service for college students, launched last year promising to match relationship-seekers using data they put into the service, as well as planning their dates for them. Another, Three-Day Rule, updates a traditional matchmaking service with AI coaches trained by real human matchmakers.
In addition to these startups, Match-owned Tinder is testing an AI feature called Chemistry that it says will get around the endless swiping necessary to identify potential dates. If AI works better, it may be no bargain. A new AI plan being tested by Grindr, the leading app for LGBTQ+ daters, could cost more than $200 a week.
Despite the discouraging trends, it’s likely too soon for us to give up on love, at least as a species.
“There’s a lot about attraction we don’t have figured out,” Hill said.
That leaves room for a turnaround.
And optimism persists. Match’s 2025 survey of 5,000 American singles found most — 57% — felt they would someday find true love. The youngest, Gen Zs aged 18 to 29, were the most hopeful, with 80% envisioning themselves eventually enjoying the real thing.
Some of those optimistic types may be recalling that love and sex are not exactly new on the scene.
“We’ve inherited our brains from millions of years of successful survival and reproduction by our ancestors,” Hill said. “The one thing our ancestors have had in common is the ability to find a mate and reproduce.”
So, whatever you’re feeling or facing, or however much you have to evolve to cope with the current situation, know that Mother Nature is on your side.
“We have a brain meant for pair bonding and love,” Hill said. “People are always going to want relationships and sex.” l
AZZ Inc., has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an amendment to and renewal of Air Quality Permit No. 34144, which would authorize modification to and continued operation of a Hot Dip Galvanizing Facility located at 1530 Gilman Road, Kennedale, Tarrant County, Texas 76060. Additional information concerning these applications is contained in the public notice section of this newspaper.
FX’s new Ryan Murphy series has hot models, slick action sequences, and just about zero substance.
BY DANNY GALLAGHER
Ryan Murphy’s shows and movies outside of the American Horror Story universe feel like properties designed for the digital information age, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. They feel engineered for an era of collapsing attention spans, built around viral moments instead of stories.
Of course, every media empire has to adhere to the viewing habits of their audience if they want to thrive or even survive, and Murphy has become the modern master of the viral TV show. FX’s The Beauty is a great example of a media consumption model. It’s like trying to make a loaf of bread out of a handful of really tasty crumbs.
The problem arises when you have to sit down and actually consume the thing from beginning to end. By the time you’re done, the whole thing just falls apart in your hands into a jumbling, inconsistent, bewildering mess.
This time, Murphy and his bleak sense of storytelling along with co-show creator Matthew Hodges take on the high-fashion world, a subject that he seemed destined to tackle after exploring the world of real and fictional villains like Nurse Ratched, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ed Gein. After all, there are few industries seedier than one that treats its most valued employees as disposable pieces of meat on the most shallow of terms.
Murphy also throws in a heavy dose of international espionage with two FBI agents, Evan Peters (Cooper Madsen) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall), and corporate malfeasance overseen by a ruthless capitalist Byron Forst (Ashton Kutcher). However, the characters all seem like afterthoughts to the big moments built around the plotlines.
The titular “Beauty” refers to a serum delivered in the form of a sexually transmitted disease that turns people into model-grade hunks and babes, which may be the most Ryan Murphy story ever created for the big and small screen.
The series starts with one of the most action-packed openings ever to a Murphy property. Model Bella Hadid shows us the effects of the serum/ STD as she goes on a violent rampage through a Paris fashion show and eventually the streets of the city. We learn early on that the stuff causes the body to overheat at an exponential rate, and God help anyone who gets in between them and an open toilet. Then, at the peak of the drug’s effect, the person explodes in a bloody, fleshy mess.
This leads to an investigation that introduces us to Agents Madsen and Bennett, who are partners
(!!!) model they were just called in to investigate. Do exploding people happen more often than we realize in this universe, or did Kash Patel just hire these agents?
The show also follows the life of an ordinary incel named Jeremy (Jaquel Spivey) who is affected by this beauty-enhancing toxin or virus or whichever it inevitably decides it wants to be. He starts as a reprehensible, basement-dwelling troll who still lives at home and can only find happiness in self-pleasuring sex toys and OnlyFans channels. His story starts off promising as he gets plastic surgery to enhance his look and feels like we might get some wise commentary on the dangers of a society that swims in shallowness, but the decisions Murphy and Hodges make veer into purely shock territory as he turns the clinic who transformed him into an active shooter situation. By the time he transforms into the post-Beauty Jeremy (Jeremy Pope), there’s no reason to really care what happens to him.
with benefits. It’s bewildering the choice Murphy and Hodges make to introduce us to characters in this series. They don’t seem to be married or cheating on each other, but they talk about their sex and work partnership like two people who just learned some big words and are way too eager to use them. They come off as more reprehensible than interesting. We’re not sure if they’re someone we’re supposed to root for or not because they are mixing business with pleasure. They don’t seem to have any connection other than a badge or a bed. At least a “will they or won’t they?” plotline gives us a meaning to following their story, especially if something happens to one of them. Their investigative skills are laughable. The agents are being briefed on this new outbreak, and they literally watch footage of a person exploding into a bloody mess in their car. They don’t put it together that this incident might be connected to the exploding
It’s not even really clear what Kutcher is doing in this series other than to have a big star name to latch onto in the opening credits. He plays the head of a conglomerate that’s trying to make the Beauty a viable product, but he seems so detached from everything around him, as if he’s only there to spout ominous lines about how beautiful people think “the rules don’t apply to them.”
The Beauty feels like it doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be but will figure out something by the end of the run. It borrows heavily from David Cronenberg’s body-horror fascination and the far-superior film The Substance, but it learns nothing from either. Murphy’s earliest work on Nip/Tuck, the foundational FX drama upon which he built his television empire, had a clear message about the dangers of pursuing perfection and the price that must be paid to achieve. The Beauty feels like a first and very rough draft of that, and we’re only in the first season. l
“The measure of a man is not in millions made; miles travelled or even loves fulfilled. The cubit of stature is the magnitude of misery and evil possessed by the enemies that he chooses”.
The chefs-turned-cover models and the other restaurateurs in this issue represent all that we love about our food scene.
BY JENNIFER BOVEE
Inspired by the 2003 rom-com Love Actually , our cover image and these listings feature some great chefs celebrating love and food. This who’s-who of local luminaries will be hosting and toasting at their best this weekend, and you should, too. With Valentine’s Day falling on a Saturday, the pressure is on!
From a quiet night at home to a full-blown staycation experience, these chefs’ restaurants (and many more) have ideas for your consideration. Plus, if you make it to the end of this article, you’ll find details on a contest you can enter to win dinner and a movie, compliments of the Weekly . #winning
Looking for that ever-popular heart-shaped box of tacos you’ve seen all over your socials? There are local options. The special at Los Guapos (2708 W 7th St, Fort Worth, 817-8770008) includes six tacos your way, chips and queso, and two drinks for $30. Quantities are limited, so you’ll want to call ahead and place an order. Tacos el 24, with three locations in Arlington and one in Grand Prairie, also offers a $28 option. Find the location nearest you at TacosEl24.com.
Enchiladas Ole recently moved to the Near Southside (1208 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-751-5556). When you dine there, you can try Chef Mary Patino Perez’s “Mexican done better” or items from her Holy Que Texican Bar-B-Q menu. For this weekend, you might consider Mary’s Family Meals for carry-out. For $69.99, you can feed 4-6 people with 12 enchiladas or tacos, served with rice, beans, chips, and salsa, or with arroz con pollo (grilled chicken over rice), served with chips, salsa, and queso. For more info, visit EnchiladasOle.com.
Start your celebration early with a pasta class at iL Modo (714 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-415-0144) on Thursday and leave with a recipe card to recreate the Valentine’s Day continued on page 15
Heart-Shaped Ravioli at home whenever the mood strikes. Start the class with a glass of bubbles, then step into the kitchen with the culinary team to learn how to make the ravioli from scratch, with chef tips and tasting along the way. Tickets are $80 per person at ow.ly/ bARK50Y4UEO.
Soul-food favorite Drew’s Place (5701 Curzon Av, Fort Worth, 817-476-1857) is offering a sweet take-away deal for Valentine’s Day (literally), but you have to act fast. Order 12 chocolate-covered strawberries for $35 or six for $20 and receive a complimentary custom message. Text “ORDER” to 817-988-8440 by Wed, Feb 11, for Fri-Sat pickup. Be sure and come back to Eats & Drinks next week to read more about Drew’s in our annual Black History Month Issue.
Keep It Casual
Rex’s Bar & Grill (1501 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-968-7397) can be as chill or as fancy as you want. By sitting at the bar, in the dining area, or on the patio, you can create whatever vibe you like. From Friday to Sunday, you can enjoy an elevated night out there with a chef-curated dinner for two for $99. First course is two jumbo Maryland crab cakes with mustard sauce and citrus slaw, followed by Surg & Turf: two 5-oz glazed beef filets with caramelized garlic-onion butter and crab-stuffed jumbo shrimp served with Yukon mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Reserve your table at RexsFTW.com.
How about a romantic, candlelight dinner in a cozy diner atmosphere? That’s what’s happening this Saturday at Tom’s Burgers & Grill (1530 N Cooper St, Arlington, 817-459-9000). For $110 per couple, enjoy ribeye steaks with shrimp, loaded baked potatoes, and salads, plus a slice of triple-layer chocolate to share. Wash it all down with two complimentary beers or glasses of wine per person. Call the restaurant for reservations.
Fancy, Don’t Let Me Down
The teams at Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine and Waters are preparing for a busy weekend without their popular owner. Chef Jon Bonnell has recently been battling cancer and is recovering at home. We wish him all the best. He’s a great chef but an even better human.
Cafe Americana (403 E Main St, Arlington, 682-270-0041) and Chef Wendy Felix are serving up a four-course meal on Friday and Saturday for $125 per person. As a welcome cocktail, the First Kiss Prosecco includes elderflower, lemon, and rose petals, or there’s a nonalcoholic hibiscus-and-ginger sparkling mint soda. The appetizer course includes either a crab cake or a spring vegetable and mushroom tart. Next, choose either a local burrata or a duck confit fritter. Entrees include three options: Chilean sea bass, an 8-oz filet, or a morel-and-truffle risotto. The fourth and final course is dessert: a dark chocolate-and-strawberry love bomb or a panna cotta. Reserve your table at CafeAmericanaTX.com/reservations.
At Clay Pigeon Food & Drink (2731 White Settlement Rd, Fort Worth, 817882-8065), Chef Marcus Paslay is serving a Valentine’s prix-fixe on Saturday featuring seasonal soup or salad; your choice of ribeye, braised short rib, or scallops; and a dessert for $110 per person. To make a reservation, visit ClayPigeonFD.com.
Saturday reservations are already gone at Ellerbe Fine Foods (1501 W Magnolia Av, Fort Worth, 817-926-3663). However, there is still room for you at the table on Friday, and they guarantee to deliver the same finely crafted four-course Valentine’s menu at $120 per person. Start with an amuse-bouche of housemade profiterole, followed by your choice of smoked tomato bisque or a winter lettuce-and-feta salad. For the entrée, choose between seared mahi mahi with roasted cauliflower and sautéed winter greens or a red wine-braised Texas Wagyu short rib. Finish the meal with a housemade Dubai chocolate cake. Call the restaurant for a reservation.
Bonnell’s (4259 Bryant Irvin Rd, Fort Worth, 817-738-5489) has a dine-in Valentine’s meal for $150 per couple: honey-nut squash bisque, braised lamb shank with green-chile cheese grits, étouffée, and chocolate ganache cake with cherries.
Specializing in international small plates,
Magdalena’s, the family-owned catering and event company specializing in upscale American, Mexican, and global cuisine, is the life’s work of Chef Juan Rodriguez, and his monthly Magdalena’s Supper Club (502 Grand Av, Fort Worth, 817-740-8085) is basically a pop-up that serves a different menu every time. For February, it’s a dinner inspired by Like Water for Chocolate . Amor en la Cocina at 7pm Sat features a welcome cocktail, chocolate
continued on page 16
continued from page 15
and caviar tarts, lobster carpaccio, quail medallions in rose petal sauce, carnitas rolls, dryaged picaña, and a heart-shaped Mexican hot chocolate mousse for $105 per person. Book your reservation at MagdalenasTX.com.
Chef Richard Sandoval is bringing a Latin-fusion twist to his Valentine’s event at Toro Toro (200 Main St, Fort Worth, 817-9759895) in Sundance Square 5pm-10pm Sat. For $94 per person, enjoy a three-course dinner, including an heirloom beet salad; a Wagyu, halibut, or prawn entrée; and a red velvet tres leches dessert. There are à la carte options as well. Reserve a table at ToroToroFortWorth. com/valentines-day.
In addition to the pasta class on Thursday, iL Modo is setting the table for romance all weekend long. From Friday to Sunday, Chef Irine Garza will serve an Italian-rooted Valentine’s dinner with “lingering conversations, thoughtful courses, and a celebration best enjoyed together.” Begin with mixed greens accented by marinated strawberries, whipped goat cheese, and candied pecans, followed by delicate lobster ravioli finished in a rich lobster coulis. End the night on a sweet note with a shared dark-chocolate molten cake, paired with chocolate or vanilla gelato.
Well, actually, iL Modo is located inside the Kimpton Harper Hotel (714 Main St,
Fort Worth, 817-332-7200), so the night doesn’t have to end there. For a restaurant reservation, call 817-415-0144. If you’d like to stay for the weekend, check out the current offers at TheHarperFortWorth.com/hotel-deals.
You could also do a staycation at the Sandford House Inn & Spa (506 N Center St, Arlington, 817-861-2129) and enjoy Chef David Pacheco’s contemporary American cuisine at the inn’s Restaurant506 (817-801-5541). This bed-and-breakfast, situated in a hidden historic neighborhood west of AT&T Stadium and just north of Downtown Arlington, is worth checking out. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so: Valentine’s weekend is sold out. However, restaurant reservations and hotel accommodations are available starting next weekend. Hopefully, your love will last. For more information, visit TheSanfordHouse. com. There are also gift certificate options available at SanfordSpa.boomtime.com/lgift.
Now, About that Contest
Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re interested in winning a gift card to Rex’s Bar & Grill (1501 S University Dr, Fort Worth, 817-968-7397) or Terra Mediterranean (2932 Crockett St, Fort Worth, 682-224-2687), a copy of the movie Love Actually on DVD, and other cool prizes, register for our email newsletters using the QR code below, then check your inbox on Galentine’s Day (That’s Friday, y’all.) l
BY ELAINE WILDER
Denton and Oak Cliff aren’t part of Tarrant County, but maybe they should be. (#LoveYouMeanIt) With bad winter weather behind us, we’re ready to hit the roads again for adventures and just in time for Mardi Gras. Here are the top events happening now thru Fat Tuesday (Tue, Feb 17) in The Fort and beyond.
Funkytown
Known as Fort Worth’s largest Mardi Gras party, Krewe of Kowtown blends Louisiana-style festivities with Texas blues music and has been a staple for over three decades. For its 33rd Annual Mardi Gras Party, the krewe is returning to its former home, Billy Bob’s Texas (2520 Rodeo Plz, Fort Worth, 817-624-7117), at 7pm. In addition to performances by founder James Hinkle, live music on the Honky Tonk Stage will feature the Blues Champs, Claire Hinkle Band, Latin Express Horns, and Zak Webb. Must be 18+. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets are $20 at BillyBobsTexas.com.
Tulane’s (2708 Weisenberger St, Fort Worth, 817-615-9980) is hosting its Sixth Annual Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Party from 3pm to close. There will be drink specials all night, plus tarot readings 6pm-9pm and live music by the Fallout Boys 8pm-10pm. This event is free to attend.
TX Whiskey Ranch (2601 Whiskey Ranch Rd, Fort Worth, 817-840-9140) is celebrating on Fri, Feb 20. From 6pm to 9pm, the distillery will have three food trucks on-site (A Taste of Louisiana, Funky Town Donuts, Kelly’s Onion Burgers), Mardi Gras-themed drinks, and live jazz by the Andrew Skates Trio. Tickets are $12 at TXWhiskey.com and include your first cocktail. Must be 21+ to attend.
Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall (122 E Exchange Av, Ste 200, 817-900-9300) is also keeping the party going with a Mardi Gras event later in that week. On Sun, Feb 22, at 7pm, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Zydeco Cha Chas will perform as part of the Stockyards venue’s Mardi Gras Mambo. These two renowned acts founded in the late 1970s often tour together to serve up high-energy New Orleans-style funk, brass jazz, and Creole zydeco and are considered key representatives of Louisiana’s cultural heritage, combining traditional roots with modern, funk-infused sounds. Tickets start at $20 at Tannahills.com.
Chef Suzanne Johnson of the popular bistro the Chestnut Tree (107 W Hickory St, Denton, 940591-9475) is curating a Creole-inspired beer-pairing dinner at Denton County Brewing Co. (200 E McKinney St, Denton, 940-435-0710) on Mardi Gras at 6:30pm. In the Barrel Room, there will be a seated multi-course tasting menu with fried green tomatoes, crab beignets, boudin-and-rice sausage, gumbo, shrimp gateau, king cake, and more, thoughtfully paired with DCBC beers and guided pairing notes throughout the evening. Organizers say to “expect bold Louisiana flavors, festive vibes, and great company” and encourage festive attire. Tickets are $95 per person at DentonCBC.ticketspice.com/mardi-gras-dinner.
Sparks Sports Bar (5209 Rufe Snow Dr, North Richland Hills, 817-576-4122) is hosting the Best Mardi Gras Party in Texas, with drink specials 11am-2am and live music by the Squeezebox Bandits 6pm-9pm. The bar’s on-site Cocodrie’s Bayou Kitchen (817-393-3155) is boiling crawfish, serving king cake from 11am to 9pm, and grilling a whole alligator over an open flame starting at noon.
Oak Cliff is kicking off Mardi Gras earlier than almost anyone with its annual parade on Sun, Feb 15. Starting at 1pm, the route runs along Davis Street from Nova (1417 W Davis St, Dallas, 214484-7123) toward Encina (614 W Davis St, Dallas, 945-306-3067). This must-see Oak Cliff tradition will feature floats, music, and colorful costumes. Be sure to arrive early to get a good spot! On Fri, Feb 13, two days ahead of the parade, Oak Cliff Brewing Co. (1300 S Polk St, Ste 222, Dallas, @OakCliffBrewing) is hosting the Mardi Gras Kickoff Party & Masquerade Ball from 7pm to 10pm. A keys, bass, and horn trio will perform, and there will be authentic king cake flown in from Louisiana to go with the light bites on hand. As always, there will be cold beer on draft, but expect a few new releases as well. Mardi Gras masks are encouraged. There is no cover charge. l
BY STEVE STEWARD
Seeing as how Keegan McInroe released an album entitled A Good Old Fashioned Protest in 2017, and, given the abrogation of civil liberties that has happened before our very eyes in the past year, I was kind of surprised to learn that the Fort Worth singer-songwriter’s new album is not of a political bent. Instead of an album full of songs like Protest’s “Bombing for Peace,” Neon John couches McInroe’s experiences with love, lust, and heartbreak in the same drily humorous, observational tone used on both Protest and Dusty Passports and Empty Beds, his 2024 album that unpacked his feelings about life during the COVID-lockdown era.
To be honest, hearing a troubadour’s ruminations on the emotional downside to his troubadour life is a welcome break from the headlines. Consider Neon John-midpoint track “Wild and Free,” which bears this verse: “Well, it ain’t no kind of mystery / I’d had a bit of history / With women who have tried to tie me down / But when I pick up the rope myself / And offer it to someone else / It always seems to wind up on the ground.”
There’s struggle there: lonesome versus lonely, confidence against rejection, the quip that covers the bruised feelings. It’s kind of sad, but McInroe makes it all kind of funny.
“Yeah, so I’ve collected a lot of these, uh, romantic misadventures, if you can believe it,” he told me in a phone interview. “I mean, you know, they wouldn’t necessarily have to be misadventures, but in my case, they almost always are. There are eight songs on the new album, but I really have so many more.”
While he might be unlucky when it comes to matters of the heart, McInroe was a lot more fortunate with Neon John’s title track. While playing a gig in Bluff Dale, he introduced some “new material” with some future plans. “I mentioned before [performing] ‘Neon John,’ ‘When I get the money together, I’ll be putting it on a new album,’ and I played the song or whatever.”
As luck would have it, someone in the crowd paid attention. Later, this person (whom McInroe declines to identify) financed much of Neon John’s production. So, McInroe certainly lucked out in that regard.
“Neon John,” about an amiable frequenter of a red-light district, ambles into your ears like a shithoused relative, funny and wheels-off and more than a little sad. “Neon John, will it fill the hole / All the pleasures you have known?”
McInroe sings, his weathered baritone carrying the concern like a tobacco note in a pour of bourbon. McInroe deftly balances the wry (and, I suppose, the rye) and the sincere in his songs, and the album’s other seven tales carry those wistful currents to varying degrees.
“Blackout Beauty,” co-written with Fort Worth singer-songwriter Matt Tedder, is a boogie-woogie paean to one-night stands that hardly regrets its own hangover, while “Post-Wedding Weekend Blues” laments, “She’s got a man / All I’ve got is the muse.”
In McInroe’s love life, there’s a space between the double-entendres and double beds, where, in the heat of the moment, the socks and underwear land. When you notice it later, sometimes it’s funny and endearing. Other times, it’s a small pile of regret.
Either way, Neon John is a fun listen. Produced and engineered by Ben Hussey at his Melody Mountain Studios in Stephenville, the tracks have an easy-going, ramblin’-gamblin’ gait to them, courtesy of bassist Aden Bubeck and drummer Grady Don Sandlin, who give McInroe’s hazy morning-after yarns a hefty, two-steppin’ swing. McInroe, who, in addition to writing and singing the songs, plays acoustic and resonator guitars on the album, said that with the added budget, he was able to put together the studio band he’d been dreaming of, a who’s-who of local C&W
luminaries. Besides Bubeck (Miranda Lambert) and Sandlin, his studio musicians include Gary Grammer on harmonica; Presley Haile on vocals; Morris Holdahl on guitar, lap steel, and backing vocals; Dirt Stinnett on mandolin and fiddle; and keyboardist Chris Watson. The songs work well as acoustic solo jams, but with a studio band behind him, McInroe makes you feel like you were there when his stories happened.
McInroe’s music puts the storytelling at the forefront — sometimes you get the feeling that he could be in the middle of telling one amusing vignette or another and happened to strum along with himself almost as an afterthought — in part because he’s built a life that lends itself to situations that easily become stories. He’s been a musician for over 20 years and has seen just about every corner of the Lone Star State, as well as plenty of other corners, having crisscrossed the United States, United Kingdom, and Western Europe in those two decades. When I spoke with him over the phone, he was on the road between gigs in Houston and Spicewood, and those gigs had come in the wake of a week spent in New Orleans with his friend, Nashville-based songwriter Heidi Holton, for the Folk Alliance International Conference. From New Orleans, they played gigs in Lake Charles and Port Neches, followed by another in Huntsville, then Houston. McInroe has an itinerant, travel-light, go-where-the-wind takes him credo. It would be weird if he didn’t have stories about romantic misadventures.
Still, it would be just as weird if he didn’t write about the times we’re living in. “I am working on a concept album with a friend that isn’t as on-the-nose as A Good Old Fashioned Protest was,” McInroe said. “There’s a lot of things right now to inspire those kinds of songs, so that will probably be [the next album] if it gets written in a reasonable amount of time or I’m just itching to make something, but if not, I have sequels to Neon John for days.” l
“We must grasp the sword of justice, shield ourselves with the truth, and shoulder the burden that history will bestow upon us if we fail to fight for our
APPLICATION AZZ Inc., has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for an amendment to and renewal of Air Quality Permit Number 34144, which would authorize modifications to and continued operation of a Hot Dip Galvanizing Facility located at 1530 Gilman Road, Kennedale, Tarrant County, Texas 76060. AVISO DE IDIOMA ALTERNATIVO. El aviso de idioma alternativo en espanol está disponible en https://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/air/newsourcereview/airpermits-pendingpermit-apps. This link to an electronic map of the site or facility’s general location is provided as a public courtesy and not part of the application or notice. For exact location, refer to application. https://gisweb.tceq.texas.gov/LocationMapper/?marker=-97.235,32.662777&level=13. The existing facility and/or related facilities will emit the following air contaminants: carbon monoxide, hazardous air pollutants, nitrogen oxides, organic compounds, particulate matter including particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less and 2.5 microns or less and sulfur dioxide.
The applications were submitted to the TCEQ on January 15, 2026. The permit renewal will be issued in conjunction with the amendment. This permitting action also includes the incorporation of permits by rule, and changes in emission factors related to this permit. The reasons for any changes or incorporations, to the extent they are included in the renewed permit, may include the enhancement of operational control at the plant or enforceability of the permit. The applications will be available for viewing and copying at the TCEQ central office, the TCEQ Dallas/Fort Worth regional office, and the Kennedale Public Library, 316 West 3rd Street, Kennedale, Tarrant County, Texas beginning the first day of publication of this notice. The facility’s compliance file, if any exists, is available for public review in the Dallas/Fort Worth regional office of the TCEQ.
The executive director has determined the applications are administratively complete and will conduct a technical review of the applications.
PUBLIC COMMENT You may submit public comments to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below. The TCEQ will consider all public comments in developing a final decision on the applications and the executive director will prepare a response to those comments.
PUBLIC MEETING You may request a public meeting to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below. The purpose of a public meeting is to provide the opportunity to submit comments or ask questions about the applications. A public meeting about the applications will be held if requested by an interested person and the executive director determines that there is a significant degree of public interest in the applications or if requested by a local legislator. A public meeting is not a contested case hearing.
NOTICE OF APPLICATION AND PRELIMINARY DECISION. In addition to this NORI, 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) § 39.419 requires this application to also have a Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision (NAPD) after the application is determined to be technically complete and a draft permit is prepared. Note: The TCEQ may act on this application without issuing a NAPD and without seeking further public comment or providing further opportunity for a contested case hearing if changes to representations in the application make the application no longer subject to the applicability requirements of 30 TAC § 39.402. In such cases, this NORI will be your final notice of this application and you will not have additional opportunities to make comments or request a contested case hearing. If a NAPD is required, it will be published and mailed to those who made comments, submitted hearing requests, or are on the mailing list for this application, and contain the final deadline for submitting public comments.
OPPORTUNITY FOR A CONTESTED CASE HEARING You may request a contested case hearing if you are a person who may be affected by emissions of air contaminants from the facility. If requesting a contested case hearing, you must submit the following: (1) your name (or for a group or association, an official representative), mailing address, daytime phone number; (2) applicant’s name and permit number; (3) the statement “[I/we] request a contested case hearing”; (4) a specific description of how you would be adversely affected by the application and air emissions from the facility in a way not common to the general public; (5) the location and distance of your property relative to the facility; (6) a description of how you use the property which may be impacted by the facility; and (7) a list of all disputed issues of fact that you submit during the comment period. If the request is made by a group or an association, one or more members who have standing to request a hearing must be identified by name and physical address. The interests which the group or association seeks to protect must also be identified. You may also submit your proposed adjustments to the application/permit which would satisfy your concerns.
The deadline to submit a request for a contested case hearing is 30 days after newspaper notice is published. if a request is timely filed, the deadline for requesting a contested case hearing will be extended to 30 days after the mailing of the response to comments.
If a hearing request is timely filed, following the close of all applicable comment and request periods, the Executive Director will forward the application and any requests for contested case hearing to the Commissioners for their consideration at a scheduled Commission meeting. The Commission may only grant a request for a contested case hearing on issues the requestor submitted in their timely comments that were not subsequently withdrawn. If a hearing is granted, the subject of a hearing will be limited to disputed issues of fact or mixed questions of fact and law relating to relevant and material air quality concerns submitted during the comment period. Issues such as property values, noise, traffic safety, and zoning are outside of the Commission’s jurisdiction to address in this proceeding.
MAILING LIST. In addition to submitting public comments, you may ask to be placed on a mailing list to receive future public notices for this specific application mailed by the Office of the Chief Clerk by sending a written request to the Office of the Chief Clerk at the address below.
AGENCY CONTACTS AND INFORMATION. All public comments and requests must be submitted either electronically at www14.tceq. texas.gov/epic/eComment/, or in writing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Office of the Chief Clerk, MC-105, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Please be aware that any contact information you provide, including your name, phone number, email address and physical address will become part of the agency’s public record. For more information about the permitting process, please call the TCEQ Public Education Program, Toll Free, at 1-800-687-4040 or visit their website at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/pep. Si desea información en Español, puede llamar al 1-800-687-4040. You can also view our website for public participation opportunities at www.tceq.texas.gov/goto/participation.
Further information may also be obtained from AZZ Inc., 3100 West 7th Street, Suite 500, Fort Worth, Texas 76107-8701 or by calling Mr. Jason Pence, EHS Director at (817) 810-0095.
Issuance Date: January 29, 2026
BY ZEE SHAN
If you’ve lived in Fort Worth for any length of time, you already know pests don’t really take a season off. Ants show up in the spring, mosquitoes take over in the summer, rodents look for warmth in the fall, and winter doesn’t always give you the break you’d hope for. That’s why preventative pest control matters more here than in many other parts of the country.
The question most homeowners ask isn’t whether pest control is necessary, but when it makes the most sense to schedule it. The answer depends on Fort Worth’s unique climate, pest cycles, and how proactive you want to be about protecting your home. Understanding the timing can help you stop infestations before they ever start.
One of the biggest misconceptions about pest control is that it’s something you do only after pests show up. In Fort Worth, waiting until you notice insects or rodents inside usually means the problem has already been developing for weeks or even months. That’s why pest control in Fort Worth works best when it’s preventative rather than reactive.
Professional providers focus on year-round protection, not just one-time treatments. They understand how North Texas weather patterns affect pest behavior and use that knowledge to
time inspections and treatments strategically. Instead of chasing visible pests, preventative services aim to disrupt breeding cycles, block entry points, and reduce attractants before infestations become established.
This approach is especially important in Fort Worth, where mild winters allow many pests to survive rather than die off. Without a preventative plan, those lingering populations are ready to explode as soon as temperatures rise.
Homeowners often miss early warning signs because pests are experts at staying hidden. That’s where professional inspections make a difference. Even when there’s no visible infestation, trained technicians know what to look for.
Expert pest companies that identify the presence of pests explain how subtle clues like droppings, nesting materials, moisture damage, and structural gaps reveal activity long before homeowners notice anything unusual. Preventative pest control relies on these early detection methods. Catching activity at this stage allows for targeted treatments that are less disruptive and more effective than dealing with a full-blown infestation later.
Many people assume pest control isn’t necessary in winter, but in Fort Worth that’s rarely the case. While outdoor insect activity slows, indoor pest issues often increase. Rodents, cockroaches, and even some ant species remain active when conditions allow.
Winter is an excellent time for inspections, monitoring, and preventative treatments that focus on interior spaces and structural vulnerabilities. It’s also a quieter season for pest control companies, making it easier to schedule thorough evaluations without the urgency of peak infestation periods.
Spring is often considered the ideal time to schedule preventative pest control in Fort Worth, and for good reasons. As temperatures warm, insects become more active, and many species begin breeding. Ants, termites, spiders, and wasps all start expanding their territories during this time.
By scheduling service in early spring, you’re essentially cutting off the problem at its source. Treatments applied before peak activity can reduce populations before they have a chance to establish nests inside or around your home. Spring inspections also help identify damage or entry points caused by winter weather, such as foundation cracks or gaps around doors and windows. For many homeowners, spring marks the reset point where pest control shifts from reaction to prevention…
Continued in Living Local at FWWeekly.com.
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3958 Vickery | 817.731.3223
BCI BATH SHOWER
The bathroom of your dreams in as little as 1 day. Limited Time Offer: $1000 off or No Payments/No Interest for 18 months for customers who qualify. Many options available. Quality materials, professional installation. Senior and military discounts available. Call 1-855-659-5784 today!
CUPIT CASINO NIGHT
Lucky in Love “Cupit” (get it?) Casino Night is Saturday, February 21st on the levee at 1108 Quaker St in Dallas, benefitting The Love Pit who is on a mission to save bully breeds thru rescue, rehab, education, and advocacy. Learn more at: Facebook.com/TheLovePit
EMPLOYMENT
Alcon Vision, LLC has openings for Principal Platform Owners - Digital Health for the Fort Worth, TX office. Provide strategic direction to the Digital Health Foundational Services organization to drive competitive advantage and enable accelerated growth aligned with overall business strategy as it relates to cloud and identity services. Up to 10% domestic and international travel required. 40 hours per week. Please send resumes to Sylvia Cruz, Alcon Vision, LLC, 6201 South Freeway, Fort Worth, TX 76134, Ref. No. IT0226.
HISTORIC RIDGLEA THEATER
THE RIDGLEA is three great venues within one historic Fort Worth landmark. RIDGLEA THEATER has been restored to its authentic allure, recovering unique Spanish-Mediterranean elements. It is ideal for large audiences and special events. RIDGLEA ROOM and RIDGLEA LOUNGE have been making some of their own history, as connected adjuncts to RIDGLEA THEATER, or hosting their own smaller shows and gatherings. More at theRidglea.com.
Thinking of hosting a Pet Food Drive? That’s great! Not sure how to begin? No problem. Don’t Forget to Feed Me will help you get started. Visit the website and look for “Host a Pet Food Drive” in the “Support DF2FM” dropdown: DontForgetToFeedMe.org
JOIN THE FREEMASONS
Or join the Free Gardeners Secret Society or become a Knights Templar. My Classroom will teach you about any of those organizations and make you a new member of these organizations. Call 702-350-1848.
MEET EMMA SCHWARTZ
“As an independent insurance broker, I will shop the market for YOU and make sure you’re paying the least amount possible for the best coverages. I guarantee you’re over-paying for your home, auto, renter’s, and all other policies. Let me take a look for you!”
Call or text today: 682-312-2566
Ronnie D. Long Bail Bonds
Immediate Jail Release 24 Hour Service. City, County, State and Federal Bonds. Located Minutes from Courts. 6004 Airport Freeway.
817-834-9894
RonnieDLongBailBonds.com
SAFE STEP:
North America’s #1 Walk-In Tub
Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-of-the-line installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Financing available. Call Safe Step at 1-877-578-6218 today!
VETERAN CAR DONATIONS
Donate your car, truck, boat, RV and more to support our veterans! Schedule a FAST, FREE vehicle pickup and receive a top tax deduction. Call 1-844-450-1590 today!
VENDOR SPACES AVAILABLE
The Vintage Shops on Lamar has expanded and we are on the hunt for fabulous vendors. Stop in and check us out. Our unique space is fresh, clean, modern and If you can make your booth “tell a story” we want want you!
747 W Lamar Blvd, Arlington Tue-Sat 10:30-5:30 // Sun 12-5
