This is awesome!

A brief view of the changes:

• Eliminating parking mandates downtown and within half a mile of light rail and streetcar stations

• Eliminating parking mandates for offices and most retail

• Eliminating parking mandates for residential uses, while maintaining one parking space per unit for developments over 200 units

• Reducing parking mandates for bars and restaurants while removing mandates completely for establishments under 2,500 square feet

• Eliminating parking mandates for designated historic buildings

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/27465188

It was a tough night for MAGA-aligned candidates in Texas. In the May 3, 2025, local elections, voters across the state decisively rejected far-right candidates, particularly in school board and city council races. From Tarrant County to Collin County, and from San Antonio to Dallas, communities chose leaders who prioritize public education, inclusivity, and pragmatic governance over culture wars and partisan agendas. This widespread shift signals a growing resistance to extremist politics at the local level.

It was a tough night for MAGA-aligned candidates in Texas. In the May 3, 2025, local elections, voters across the state decisively rejected far-right candidates, particularly in school board and city council races. From Tarrant County to Collin County, and from San Antonio to Dallas, communities chose leaders who prioritize public education, inclusivity, and pragmatic governance over culture wars and partisan agendas. This widespread shift signals a growing resistance to extremist politics at the local level.

Hello friends!

As we announced last week, there will be a special update to Guild Wars on April 15th featuring permanently updated availability for a number of limited weapons and miniatures.

Various weapons from pre-order bonuses, special promotions and a few weapons previously exclusive to the PvP Reward system have been added to loot tables across Tyria, Cantha, Elona and Eye of the North. These weapons only appear as Rare quality drops (with a few exceptions as noted) and are randomized rather than featuring the fixed stats and free creation of their bonus-item incarnations. Rods, Staffs, Shields and Focuses can also drop with a variety of stat requirements.

List of changes is available here: https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Game_updates

This is great news for the area. Though it is probably covid related, this was good to hear:

TEXRail, which runs from downtown Fort Worth to downtown Grapevine and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, has seen a 90% increase in recent ridership, Richard Andreski, president and CEO of Trinity Metro, told conference attendees at the Hurst Conference Center.

Caused by the distemper virus, but this now appears to be under control.

Release date: 10/10/25

Event runs from April 3rd to April 22, 2025.

cross-posted from: https://midwest.social/post/25255100

I haven't kept up much with this since moving, but I first read about Synagro and their biosolid fertilizer when it started causing problems in Johnson County, Texas.

Long story short,

This company has been selling a biosolid fertilizer that people have been using in their fields, which has led to incredibly high levels of PFAS contamination in nearby ponds and animals. A couple in Grandview lost a good portion of their cattle mysteriously at the same time.

This actually led to an investigation in Johnson County, but since counties can't regulate PFAS levels and the state (at the time, I'm not sure about now) hasn't regulated it either, there wasn't much that could be done.

Following the county’s investigation, Woolley led the charge to pass a local resolution urging farmers to stop using biosolids on their land.

The resolution called for Fort Worth to stop sending its biosolids to fertilizer companies until the TCEQ tests them for the presence of PFAS and asked the EPA to set limits on PFAS in biosolids. The resolution also called on state lawmakers to regulate the application of biosolids-based fertilizer on farmland or give power to counties to do so.

“That’s the hard part,” Woolley said. “We don’t have authority to ban biosolids.”

The city of Fort Worth has now contracted their contract with Synagro "over contract requirements".

Johnson County, Texas declared a state of disaster in February of this year.

• Investigation reveals "stunningly" high toxin levels near Grandview , Cleburne Times Review Feb 19, 2024

• Texas farmers say sewage-based fertilizer tainted with “forever chemicals” poisoned their land and killed their livestock Cleburne Times Review Dec 5, 2024

• Suits filed against biosolids companies , Cleburne Times Review Dec 12, 2024

• Fort Worth sewage sludge fertilizer leads Johnson County to declare ‘state of disaster’ KERA News, Feb 18, 2025

• Fort Worth ends 10-year contract with fertilizer company accused of water, land contamination KERA News March 26, 2025>

• Johnson County declares disaster over land contamination, asks Gov. Abbott to seek federal aid CBS News Feb 12, 2025

*The Cleburne Times Review has a very stingy article limit. I apologize.

I haven't kept up much with this since moving, but I first read about Synagro and their biosolid fertilizer when it started causing problems in Johnson County, Texas.

Long story short,

This company has been selling a biosolid fertilizer that people have been using in their fields, which has led to incredibly high levels of PFAS contamination in nearby ponds and animals. A couple in Grandview lost a good portion of their cattle mysteriously at the same time.

This actually led to an investigation in Johnson County, but since counties can't regulate PFAS levels and the state (at the time, I'm not sure about now) hasn't regulated it either, there wasn't much that could be done.

Following the county’s investigation, Woolley led the charge to pass a local resolution urging farmers to stop using biosolids on their land.

The resolution called for Fort Worth to stop sending its biosolids to fertilizer companies until the TCEQ tests them for the presence of PFAS and asked the EPA to set limits on PFAS in biosolids. The resolution also called on state lawmakers to regulate the application of biosolids-based fertilizer on farmland or give power to counties to do so.

“That’s the hard part,” Woolley said. “We don’t have authority to ban biosolids.”

The city of Fort Worth has now contracted their contract with Synagro "over contract requirements".

Johnson County, Texas declared a state of disaster in February of this year.

• Investigation reveals "stunningly" high toxin levels near Grandview , Cleburne Times Review Feb 19, 2024

• Texas farmers say sewage-based fertilizer tainted with “forever chemicals” poisoned their land and killed their livestock Cleburne Times Review Dec 5, 2024

• Suits filed against biosolids companies , Cleburne Times Review Dec 12, 2024

• Fort Worth sewage sludge fertilizer leads Johnson County to declare ‘state of disaster’ KERA News, Feb 18, 2025

• Fort Worth ends 10-year contract with fertilizer company accused of water, land contamination KERA News March 26, 2025>

• Johnson County declares disaster over land contamination, asks Gov. Abbott to seek federal aid CBS News Feb 12, 2025

*The Cleburne Times Review has a very stingy article limit. I apologize.

Only a temporary block at this point, but I love the advice here by the judge:

"Anyone who finds the performance or performers offensive has a simple remedy: don't go."

For as free as conservative Texas politicians claim their constituents are, they sure can’t mind their own business.

I haven’t collected cards in years, so seeing these cool, small pieces of art is nice.

I have been hearing about temperature issues in prisons in Texas since I was a child. I can't help but think this stems from a lot of Americans thinking of prisons as places to be punished, not rehabilitated. This quote makes me crazy:

Department officials acknowledge it is hot inside its prisons but deny that the conditions are unconstitutional. During testimony in the case last year, Department Executive Director Bryan Collier argued it would be financially and logistically impossible to immediately install A/C in every one of the state’s prisons and noted that he is working diligently to fix the problem within their fiscal constraints.

This has been an issue for a WHILE. Bryan Collier's statement makes it seem like this is something we just found out about that can't all be fixed at once.

I understand (some) people go to prison for awful things they've done, but they shouldn't have to deal with a Texas summer with no AC on top of that.