By Amanda Casanova

The Coppell City Council voted on Jan. 8 to approve a zoning change that would bring in a kayak business to the city.

With the unanimous City Council vote, Trinity River Kayak Company is able to open a convenience store and canoe and kayak rental / sales business at 1601 E. Sandy Lake Road, the former site of the longtime, but now shuttered Harrington’s Bait Shop.

“Kayaks are very popular,” Pam Varnell, co-owner of the business, said. “No company exists on the river that can provide guided tours, shuttle and rental service like this.”

Varnell said her family bought the Trinity River property in summer 2012 with intentions to only open a retail business. However, the family took a couple kayaks down the river, launching from the property and decided to open a kayak business.

“We really thought differently about the property and what it could be used for,” she said. “We wanted to preserve the nature and the beauty of this area.”

Council’s approval was conditional and among a range of stipulations, the company will have to meet fire code standards, improve landscaping and set up screens around the property.

“I ask myself questions when it comes to these decisions,” Councilman Marvin Franklin said. “Will it attract people from outside of Coppell and will it benefit the city? And this does.”

The business will offer two-to-six hour trips and prices could be about $100 to $200 for a family of four. The convenience store will cater to anglers as well as kayak and canoe enthusiasts and will also sell hunting and fishing licenses.

Semper Fidelis All-American West football player Rami Hammad waits for his turn to run plays at Santa Ana Stadium on Jan. 1. An Irving High School student, Hammad, was one of 102 athletes selected to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl. Photo by Staff Sgt. Clinton Firstbrook.

By Lance Cpl. David Bessey

More than 100 student athletes from across the United States can now call themselves Semper Fidelis All-Americans, and a few now claim the title of champions. The East defeated West in a 17 to 14 showdown of discipline, talent and teamwork at the second-annual Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in Carson, CA, Jan. 4.
The Marine Corps’ annual football bowl game brought together some of the most talented high school student-athletes from across the United States who had demonstrated success on and off the field. 
“It feels good that the nation’s top 100 players are here. I like how it’s not just about football but the classroom and character too. It’s just an honor that I was chosen,” said Corey Cooper, a wide receiver for the East Team and a student of Millbrook High School in Raleigh, NC.
The bowl is the culmination of a series of youth football camps and a nationwide All-American player selection tour that celebrates academic excellence, proven physical fitness and quality of character. The players -- among the most talented in the nation -- have achieved academic excellence and are leaders in their communities.
Players began to arrive in Anaheim, CA on Dec. 29, and spent the next four days practicing with top college and high school coaches from their respective coasts. Marines added a unique twist to practice by integrating Marine Corps drill instructors and officers as mentors. 
“As Marines, we are here to reinforce our core values of honor, courage and commitment,” said Staff Sgt. Chris MacVarish, a drill instructor with Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. “We demonstrated our values’ relevance to success both on and off the field." 
In keeping with the Marine Corps’ commitment to “return quality citizens,” players volunteered their time with local youth in Carson and Long Beach, CA. Marine drill instructors and players guided children aged seven to 13 through football and Marine inspired games and events like pass drills, tug-of-war and marching. 
Their journey to the bowl has been one of strenuous practices, community building and team bonding. 
“Selflessness is the key ingredient and that’s the one thing these kids have got thrown in their faces this week,” said Evans. “Selflessness and the lack of the ‘I focus’.”
Source: DVIDSHUB.net

By Amanda Casanova

Business owners and residents invested in the Heritage Crossing district spent more than two hours on Jan. 8 discussing possible improvements to the area.

Scott Polikov, president of the Fort Worth-based Gateway Planning Group, told attendees at the public forum his company is working on making an action plan with recommendations that can be taken to the City Council.

“How do you take advantage of all the cars that drive past here?” he asked. “This is about harnessing what’s good about downtown and taking all that planning and coming up with a plan of what that means as far as improvements.”

Heritage Crossing, which includes downtown Irving, is bordered by Pioneer Drive, Shady Grove Road, Britain Road and MacArthur Boulevard.

“There may be places where we scale back,” Kevin Kaas, redevelopment and corridors administrator for the City, said. “Our initial focus is the core area where the City owns property. Those are our best targets, but it doesn’t mean we can’t expand.”

Among concerns expressed at the public meeting were worries about which section of the district would be worked on first, how the area could attract young professionals and how much the City would support the effort.

Some residents voiced concerns at the meeting the City would not “back the project,” but Polikov disagreed.

“The engagement of our firm is a sign they are serious,” Polikov said.

In the past, several plans have already been drawn for the area. If the City Council approves the recommendations, they will then be able to hire a firm that could create a final plan. Polikov said he would like the City to retain his company, but the decision is up to the Council.

Polikov said the company has worked to revive downtown areas in McKinney, Roanoke and Duncanville.

“We created a way for tbusinesses in those places to relate to each other,” he said. “Walkability is crucial. It allows for the perception that if you want to walk from the first part of your day to the second part of your day, then you can.”

The next public workshop will be at 9 a.m. on Feb. 5 at City Hall. Gateway Planning will present its recommendations to the City Council on Feb. 28.

– Miles Fain, 6, poses with “prisoner” Francesca Funk during the Get-Out-of-Jail Fundraiser on Jan. 7 at the Irving Central Library.By Amanda Casanova

Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. smuggled scraps of paper from his jail cell in Birmingham, AL. Those scraps would comprise his famous 21-page “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

On Jan. 7, a half century later, six Irving leaders volunteered to recreate King’s imprisonment for a “Conviction for Peace” Get-Out-of-Jail fundraiser. This time, however, instead of slipping pieces of paper to the outside, the “prisoners” made phone calls and posted to Facebook in hopes of drumming up $300 each in bail for a fundraiser to honor King’s work.

The funds raised will be used to buy paperback copies of the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that will be given out at the City’s Martin Luther King Jr. Observance on Jan. 21.

“The letter is still so relevant today,” said Jacqueline Madden, special events coordinator for the City. “All of his writings are so current. There’s a message there that transcends time and everyone can benefit from his words.

“I think everyone connects him to his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. It didn’t stop there.”

During April 1963, nonviolent marches started in segregated Birmingham. Then on April 12, King was arrested for demonstrating without a permit. During his 11 days in jail, King penned his letter.Tony Grimes, president of the Irving-Carrollton Branch NAACP, grips the bars of his cell during the Get-Out-of-Jail Fundraiser on Jan. 7 at the Irving Central Library.

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed,” King wrote in the letter.

“It’s a message people still need today,” said Francesca Funk, a member of the Irving Arts Center board. “We need to be reminded that the struggle isn’t over. King said that ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’ and that’s for everyone. It could happen to anyone.”
Just before stepping behind the bars for his hour long lock-up, Tony Grimes, president of the Irving-Carrollton Branch NAACP, said he was glad to be involved in the fundraiser.

“I don’t think we’re there yet, where King wanted,” he said. “Something like this, it’s a good learning tool for people. It’s a really good cause to support education.”

Other “inmates” included Lorraine Taylor of the Irving Heritage District; Ray Cerda of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department; Bob Toler of the Lions Club; Chris Dobson, Library Director; and Doug Fox of the YMCA.

A second fundraiser will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Irving City Hall.