Published 07/08/2010 - 1:11 p.m. CST
Even though physical fitness in Texas schools has become
an
essential part of the curriculum, a recent study indicated that
high
school students are more out of shape than they were last year.
The
study showed a shortfall in certain benchmarks required to be in
the
healthy zone. Fitness tests on 2.9 million students in third
grade and
up made it clear that less than a third of the children in
those grades
were deemed physically fit after taking a battery of
six tests measuring
such areas as muscular strength, endurance and
body composition.
Published 07/08/2010 - 1:07 p.m. CST
Dirk Nowitzki, undoubtedly the best basketball player in
Dallas
Maverick’s history, recently became a free agent. That means
he’s up for
grabs to the team that offers him the best contract.
That generally
means the team that can provide the player with the
fattest paycheck.
However, that’s not the case with Nowitzki. The
man who earned All-Star
status 9 times has decided that home is
where the heart is, and Dallas
has been his home from the beginning
of his hoops career. Hence, he has
worked out a four-year $80
million deal; about $16 million less than he
could have earned if he
held out.
Published 06/24/2010 - 11:41 a.m. CST
A recent proposal to the Lewisville School District would prohibit
employees from criticizing the district or representing themselves as
working for the district when using social networking sites such as
Facebook. A second-grade teacher at a local elementary school referred
to the proposal as a violation of her Constitutional right to free
speech and may result in her filing of a lawsuit. However, lawsuits
can affect both sides of the issue. A lawsuit filed by parents of a
former student at the Episcopal School of Dallas refers to more than
3,800 e-mails, instant messages or pornographic texts sent between a
teacher and their daughter.
Published 06/17/2010 - 11:28 a.m. CST
According to the preliminary results of the Texas
Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), the Denton Independent
School District
(DISD) should attain the prestigious Recognized
status from the Texas
Education Agency on July 30. DISD
Superintendent Ray Braswell gave
well-deserved credit to the
teachers and students.
Published 06/10/2010 - 12:30 p.m. CST
Major kudos to Texas Governor Rick Perry for his
commitment to
ensure that veterans and their families have the
resources they need to
receive an education, get a job and return to
civilian life after their
deployments are over. Perry recently
joined with the Texas Workforce
Commissioner to announce a $3
million workforce development initiative,
which seeks to maximize a
returning veteran’s knowledge, skills and
abilities for college
credit and employment. The comprehensive strategy
includes funds for
demonstration grants in the three areas of the state
with the
highest veteran populations.
Published 05/27/2010 - 11:43 a.m. CST
Last Friday, the Texas Board of Education approved
controversial new
standards for its social studies curriculum that
could affect what
students across the country study in their
classes. The new standards
require more focus on the Biblical and
Christian traditions of the
Founding Fathers and on the teaching of
free market principles,
including how government taxation and
regulation can restrict private
enterprise. In addition, the GOP
dominated board wants to emphasize the
achievements of Republican
leaders, in particular former President
Ronald Reagan and former
House Speaker Newt Gingrich. The new curriculum
also states that the
system of the U.S. government be called a
"Constitutional Republic"
rather than a "Democratic society."
Published 05/27/2010 - 11:41 a.m. CST
The new Flower Mound Council hit the ground running last
week when
Mayor Melissa Northern, at Thursday’s work session,
directed town staff
to put a few items relating to gas drilling on
the agenda for the
council’s June 7 meeting. One of the agenda items
will the consideration
of the ordinance submitted by the Flower
Mound Cares Petition
Association.
Published 07/08/2010 - 1:10 p.m. CST
If you want to get into a heated debate, bring up the
subject of
cameras being used for traffic enforcement. Many drivers
view them as
just another way for cities to extract money from the
public in order to
finance government. Given the fact that Texas
cities have collected
more than $100 million in fines since a
red-light camera law took effect
in 2007, it would seem to be a good
argument. Yet, city administrators
insist that the cameras have cut
accidents at intersections and saved
lives.
Published 06/24/2010 - 11:42 a.m. CST
The largest contractor for U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, has reached a preliminary agreement to “soften
confinement,” free of charge, at nine immigrant facilities, including
three in Texas, covering more than 7,100 beds; a deal that Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials see as a precursor to changes
elsewhere. As a result of the agreement, some asylum-seekers and
immigrants awaiting deportation proceedings could soon be able to wear
their own clothes, participate in movie and bingo nights, eat
continental breakfasts and celebrate holidays with visiting family
members.
Published 06/24/2010 - 11:40 a.m. CST
There was a time when police officers on patrol would have to use
the radio to call the dispatcher with a plate number on a car that
appeared to be suspicious. Then they’d have to follow the car until
the dispatcher put the plate number on the national computer system
and wait for a response. Several years later, as technology improved,
officers were equipped with computers in their patrol cars, enabling
them to type plate numbers into the system and receive immediate
responses that informed them of the status of the car that had caught
their attention.
Published 06/10/2010 - 12:31 p.m. CST
If you speak to anyone about the illegal immigration
imbroglio you’ll
get opinions that run from one extreme to another.
Some say we should
not have any borders; that the world belongs to
everyone. Hence, people
should be able to walk, ride or swim from
one country to another without
obstacles. On the other extreme there
are those who say illegal entry
is tantamount to an invasion of a
sovereign nation. Hence, those who
break into our country must be
viewed as enemy combatants and should be
shot.
Published 06/10/2010 - 12:29 p.m. CST
Given all the attention paid to gas drilling in
the Barnett Shale
area of Flower Mound, one only needs to glance at
a Denton County town
only minutes away to get some idea of what
happens when energy companies
are not strictly regulated. There’s a
family of four living in Dish,
Texas that is just one example of the
horror stories we hear across the
country.
Published 05/27/2010 - 11:41 a.m. CST
Meanwhile, this past Monday morning, in our neighboring
city of
Argyle, protesters opposing a gas company’s plans to build
wastewater
tanks and compressors in their neighborhood, temporarily
blocked
workers’ access to the site. A spokesperson for the
Argyle-Bartonville
Communities Alliance, the organization behind the
protest, said they
were there to protect the children because the
proposed site is too
close to homes.
Published 05/20/2010 - 1:45 p.m. CST
Last week, Republic Property Group, which, in
addition to their development of many other projects in Lantana, owns
and manages the award winning, private, Jay and Carter Morrish
designed golf course in Lantana, announced that it is beginning to
make plans for the second phase of the Bandera neighborhood in the
master planned community. The additional 120 lots will be sold to
Highland homes for development, which will be built in 2 phases, each
containing 60 lots. Access to the second phase of Bandera will be off
of Lily Way.