ATV brothers racebrinto the spotlight
Football and cross-country have stolen the show as of latebrhere in Southlake — and rightfully so — but two local brothers are now sheddingbrlight on an exciting sport that doesn't usually get much attention. Cody andbrBryce Ford, students at Carroll Middle and Durham Intermediate, respectively,brare quad-racing superstars, having participated in numerous regional andbrnational ATV racing competitions for seven years, beginning when Cody was 6 andbrBryce was 4. In 2013, they earned nine championship titles between them.
“Webrtraveled all the way to New York and back for racing, logging over 22,000 milesbron our RV and trailer,” says Robin Ford, the boys' mother. Whether competingbrthroughout Texas or in countless states across the country, number 52 and numberbr44 love fulfilling their need for speed. To learn more about the boys and theirbrstellar credentials, visit their websites, Cody52.com and Bryce44.com.
High school studentsbrdetermined to make a difference
With an overriding passion for philanthropy, three studentsbrrecently joined forces to create NotLess, a nonprofit organization whosebrmission is to heal a hurting world by providing care packages to the DFW-areabrhomeless. Abby Detrich, a junior at Southlake Carroll, Eric Hasset, a senior atbrSouthlake Carroll, and Zach Saxion, a senior at Keller, sell T-shirts designedbrby Abby at $20 each to pay for basic necessities like blankets, clothing andbrhygienic products they distribute at the Fort Worth Resource Center.
“We all aimbrto better ourselves through the humbling process that is inherently a part ofbrcharity,” Abby says. One T-shirt is equivalent to one care package. To purchasebra T-shirt — or to simply make a donation — visit NotLess.org.
Lady Dragons fall inbrstate semifinal
The Lady Dragons made their first run at the District 4-5Abrtitle this season, which ended one victory short of the state championshipbrgame. Sophomore Abby Buckingham was the game leader, posting 31 kills, whilebrAmy Nettle assisted with eight kills. However, San Antonio knocked off thebrDragons' path to state 25-19, 25-20, 15-25, 25-22. It was a retaliating victorybrfor Churchill, which lost to Carroll earlier in the season. The Lady Dragonsbrposted a season record of 48-2.
GCISD plans tobrreorganize athletic department
Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District is in thebrprocess of reorganizing its athletic department at the district level. Thebrrestructuring of the department will include the addition of an executive directorbrfor athletics as well as new executive roles to strengthen the program forbrstudents. The department reorganization will provide additional ways forbrstudents to learn teamwork, sportsmanship and other characteristic traits.brMoving forward, current athletic director Tim Ford will continue to play anbrintegral role in the department.
McCoy joins UnderbrArmour All-America team
Carroll Lady Dragon volleyball senior Cat McCoy was chosen tobrplay on the Under Armour First-Team All-America. McCoy played in a nationallybrtelevised match and skills competition during the NCAA Final Four in Seattle.brThe Lady Dragon superstar is one of four Texans on the 24-player First-TeambrAll-America list. McCoy signed with the University of Texas, where she willbrcontinue to showcase her efforts. The match was played Dec. 21 at Key Arena.brMcCoy was a prominent leader in assisting the Lady Dragons this season to abrClass 5A state semifinalist finish.
Dragon athletes signbrscholarships
An impressive 18 Dragon students signed scholarships duringbran athletic event at Carroll Senior High School. The seniors crossed their t'sbrand dotted their i's after accepting scholarships from various colleges andbruniversities. Family, friends and the community attended the event in a packedbrStudent Activity Center. The Lady Dragons volleyball team led the way with thebrmost signees, featuring five seniors. Additionally, athletes from the tennis,brlacrosse, diving, softball, baseball and basketball team also signedbrscholarships.
Seniors achievebrperfect ACT scores
Two Carroll Independent School District seniors earned topbrscores on the ACT. Drew Anderson and Reid Long each earned a top composite scorebrof 36. Both are Class of 2014 students at Carroll Senior High School. On average,brless than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the ACT earn the topbrscore. To put it into perspective, only 1,162 of more than 1.8 million studentsbrearned a composite score of 36 from the high school graduating class of 2013.
Mark Guilbert becomesbrpresident of Southlake Chamber of Commerce
After former Chamber President Dana Davis left his post inbrMarch, Mark Guilbert ran the day-to-day operations at the Southlake Chamber ofbrCommerce. Consequently, Guilbert assumed the permanent role as president inbrAugust. Guilbert is no stranger to the city and community members, havingbrserved on the Southlake Chamber of Commerce board of directors for more thanbrsix years. During the past few months, Guilbert prepared a new budget andbrwelcomed new board members. Going forward, Guilbert plans to improvebrSouthlake's economic development initiatives and redesign the website.
Grapevine baseballbrcoach announces retirement
Grapevine High School head baseball coach and teacher TimbrMcCune announced his retirement after roughly 25 years. McCune's retirementbrtakes place at the end of the semester. During his time as head coach, Mustangbrvarsity baseball was a strong competitor. Under McCune's guidance, the varsitybrprogram won more than 430 games, roughly a dozen district and area titles andbrwere regional finalists. Additionally, more than a dozen of his players havebrgone on to play in minor leagues under top major league systems, including thebrNew York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins.
Developers breakbrground on Southlake retail center
Woodmont Co. broke ground on a new shopping center inbrSouthlake. The developers are building the 190,000-square-foot Park Villagebrshopping center on 22 acres at the southwest corner of Southlake Blvd. andbrCarroll Ave. Herschman Architects designed the project. Tenants living in thebrcenter will be able to experience a specialty gourmet grocer and goods retailerbrREI. The retail center is more than 50 percent leased and is slated to open inbrlate 2014.
Colleyville secures safest city spot in Texas
Colleyville was named the safest city in Texas, according tobrSafeWise, a home security company. The city ranks at the top of the list basedbron its location near Fort Worth. Colleyville also enjoys a well-earnedbrreputation as laidback and friendly. According to the most recent FBI CrimebrReport, there were no crimes such as arson and murders reported to law enforcement.brColleyville's low crime coupled with its convenient location to Dallas-ForthbrWorth International Airport is mainly why it's ranked as a superb city tobrsettle down in. The city features 11 award-winning parks and greenbelts,brproviding residents opportunities to enjoy recreational activities.
Southlake varietybrshow holds 30th annual auditions
Auditions for the 30th Annual Variety Show arebrunderway and open to the Southlake community. To register for auditions,brpatrons must visit the Dragon choir website and submit an online registrationbrform. Registration ends Jan. 17 with $5 fees for individuals and $10 forbrgroups. Acts will have a four-minute maximum time limit, and all pre-recordedbrmusic must be submitted as part of the online registration form. Auditions willbrtake place Jan. 28-29 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the choir room at Carroll SeniorbrHigh School, 1501 W. Southlake Blvd. Final audition selections will be postedbrby Feb. 7 on the Dragon choir website.
SASO launchesbraffiliated organization
The Southlake-based mom and son philanthropic organization,brSASO, recently launched an affiliated group with a singular vision: providingbrphilanthropic opportunities to moms and daughters of the community. SASO Girlsbrwill be a nonprofit dedicated to providing service and personal growthbropportunities for young women in high school. The organization will be guidedbrby its board of directors and advised by local businesswoman, philanthropistbrand cofounder, Laura Hill.
Carroll theaterbrstudents take center stage
Several Carroll theater department seniors attended thebrNorth Texas Drama Auditions in Plano, receiving callbacks from top collegesbracross the country. Eight students now have multiple options to consider for theirbrtheater careers, including Cody Shuck, Joey Donoian, Kristine Lahde, ColettebrCulbertson, Sarah Carron, Mark Elliott, Steven Riedel and Heather Wang. ThesebrDragon thespians are on their way to collegiate success in the realm of actingbrand music theater.
Southlake plans tobrreduce aircraft noise
Southlake set aside money in its 2014 budget to join thebrNational Organization to Insure a Sound Controlled Environment (NOISE) to dealbrwith noise issues from planes taking off at DFW International Airport. Thebrdecision comes after weather patterns and airport construction sent morebrflights over the city this fall. In 2012, complaints over the aircraft noisebrsurfaced, and then again in October of this year, as more traffic was sent ontobrthe west diagonal runway. To better combat the noisy challenges, Southlakebrcouncil members joined NOISE to provide a solution to the heightened issue.
Del Frisco's plots secondary public stock offering
Southlake's very own Del Frisco's Restaurant Group announcedbrits plans for a proposed secondary public offering of 5.4 million shares of itsbrcommon stock. Del Frisco's is the operator of Del Frisco's Double Eagle SteakbrHouse, Sullivan's Steakhouse and Del Frisco's Grille concepts. The companybropened its newest location at the end of 2013 in Southlake. Del Frisco'sbrexecutives said underwriters have a 30-day option to buy up to an additionalbr808,000 shares. Its largest shareholder, an affiliate of Lone Star Funds, willbroffer all shares, and the company will not receive any proceeds from the sale.
Dragon wrestlers set pace for season
Dragon wrestlers kicked off the season by pinning down itsbrstrategy: winning. Carroll took on its first district opponent, Timber Creek,brposting a victory in front of a packed house at Carroll High School. The firstbrmatch was the 152-pound division, a hard-fought victory for sophomore JackbrDuval. The pace was set for the rest of the match as seniors Cameron Gonzales,brMichael Basler and Connor Price placed the Dragons at the top of the line.brOverall, the Dragons sealed a 57-21 victory — giving their team a 1-0 start tobrdistrict competition. The winner of the district regular season will representbrDistrict 4 in the 2014 THSCA State Dual Championships at Allen High School onbrJan. 11.
Southlake tops statebryouth flag football championships
More than 2,000 participants and spectators from acrossbrTexas traveled to Southlake for the 2013 Texas Amateur Federation State YouthbrFlag Football Championships. A total of 30 teams — five of which were frombrSouthlake — played 55 games during the two-day span of the tournament. Consequently,brfour of the Southlake teams finished in third place or higher. In thebr12-and-under division, an all-Southlake championship battle brewed with thebrSouthlake Cobras edging out the Southlake Cougars. Many visitors had thebropportunity to sample the fine dining choices of Southlake as companies such asbrFuzzy's Taco Shop and Feedstore Barbeque offered various concessions.
Rees-Jones Foundationbrcreates Southlake Foster Care Center
The Children's Medical Center received $18.9 million frombrthe Rees-Jones Foundation to create centers for the complex needs of childrenbrin foster care. During the next year, the Rees-Jones Center for Foster CarebrExcellence at Children's plans to open three clinics, including one in Southlake,brwhich will tailor treatment for children in foster care. The center willbrconduct research and offer educational programs to improve the well-being ofbrfoster children. Work on the new center started in 2011, with a $1 millionbrRees-Jones Foundation donation to the hospital to design a more effectivebrhealthcare model for children in foster care.
District 10 open seatbrdraws crowd
The race to represent Tarrant County senate district isbrbecoming increasingly competitive as Sen. Wendy Davis, D-TX, seeks to move upbrto the governor's chair. Both parties are seeking District 10 as one of theirbrtop priorities in the 2014 election year. As the candidate deadline nears, abrhandful of Republicans declared their candidacy in the March primary. ThebrDemocratic primary has thus far drawn in two candidates — businessman MikebrMartinez and neighborhood activist Libby Willis. Still, other candidates maybrwiden the Democratic and Republican fields before the filing deadline.
Travelocity cuts 15brjobs in January
Southlake-based Travelocity will shrink its business by 15 workersbrin January. The employees' last day will be Jan. 24, and they will be eligiblebrfor severance and can also apply for other open internal positions at thebrcompany. Travelocity executives explained that the change is in line with thebrcompany's move to become a marketing-led travel company. In September,brTravelocity announced 14 job cuts. The layoffs are partially due to a deal inbrwhich many job functions will be taken over by former rival Expedia. InbrSeptember, both companies began working together to provide similar experiencesbrto customers. However, both companies will still operate separately.
Nearly 70 newbrbusinesses open in Keller
Since the beginning of 2013, 68 new business openings havebroccurred in Keller. The city has received 11 new eateries, 29 new retailbrbusinesses, 28 new offices and three business expansions. Keller has multiplebrshopping districts within its city limits, ranging from specialty shops to OldbrTown Keller to boutiques in Town Center. The city also received 82 totalbrcertificates of occupancy permits from businesses such as Baylor EmergencybrMedia Center at Keller and Boca Sana Dental. Additionally, 229 total permitsbrwere issued in Keller from January to October, resulting in $260,477. Kellerbralso issued 45 total building permits, including six finish-out permits, 10braddition permits, 11 remodel permits and 18 new construction permits.