By Phil Cerroni

There will always be mysteries in our lives: desire, passion, love and aliens. As one of the brightest stars in Texas, Irving may have caught the attention of some celestial travelers according to Pabitra Shrestha who posted a video of what he believes to be a UFO taken on June 5 outside of his Irving apartment.

“Me and my wife were watching TV, and I decided to go out and smoke. I thought the first time I saw it that it was a star. It’s shining really bright; it was moving from one location to another location,” Shrestha said, recounting the night he saw a strange light in the sky. “It had different colors: green, red, yellow, all kinds. I saw those lights were far away, so I decided to go inside and grab my camera. I have my camera handy all the time because this kind of stuff really interests me. It was right over 161 and Rochelle.

“Actually, I was really curious. On the next day I went to take a look at the same spot in the sky and I saw the same object right over there,” he said.

Shrestha was convinced it could not have been any manmade object.

“I analyzed all sorts of possible things. Some people say it could be an RC plane, but it couldn’t be that far. I don’t think any remote control would fly that high in the sky.

“It cannot be an airplane because it has the multicolor, and it’s not blinking like an airplane,” Shrestha stated firmly. “Airplanes have definite colors blinking, but this one is not blinking. If it had been an airplane it would have been fast – it was actually moving really slow in one direction.”

This is not a new pursuit for Shrestha. He has been keeping tabs on the sky for quite some time.

“I am pretty much fascinated by this kind of stuff, because I’m more into science and astronomy. So I keep looking into the sky,” he said. “I recently bought this camera, because I’ve been seeing this kind of stuff, strange things, in the sky.”

Besides being the chair of the physics department at the University of Dallas, Dr. Richard Olenick has had an illustrious career as an astronomer. He did not agree with Shrestha’s conclusion that the object was of mysterious origins.

At first, Dr. Olenick thought the object in the video could be a satellite, but he quickly dismissed this possibility.

“There are things called Iridium Satellites that if they’re at a certain angle with the sun already set, they appear really, really bright because they’re very reflective, and you see this bright light appear and disappear,” Dr. Olenick said. “It wasn’t that because there wasn’t one visible on the fifth. And also those last for maybe a few seconds; he had a minute [of video].”

After watching the video a couple of times, Dr. Olenick concluded that it was most likely an airplane.

“You’re getting these colors over here probably because of the heat. It’s fairly low so you’re getting distortions in the atmosphere a little bit,” he said. “It’s going through enough atmosphere and heat to give you that shimmering and colors.”

Another aspect of the airplane theory is that Shrestha’s apartment is only a few miles from DFW airport.

“Next thing is I would say that most likely is an airplane that was approaching,” Dr. Olenick continued. “I’ve seen this happen with planes in Love Field. They’re flying, and they’re coming towards you and suddenly you see a bright light for a while. Then they’re moving maybe at an angle away from you, and you see it slightly disappear.”

The last thing Dr. Olenick mentioned was that the object’s erratic behavior was most likely caused by how far Shrestha zoomed in on the object.

“When you’re zoomed in you’ve got very little field and therefore any slight motion moves it around a lot,” he said.

Despite any incredulous viewers, Shrestha insisted this is not the first unidentified object he has seen in the sky and been unable to explain.

“I’ve seen four or five different incidents,” Shrestha said. “I was with my brother; it was morning. It was a big object, because all of us saw it: my brother, my friend and me. They didn’t believe this stuff; they were not really interested. I do believe.”

“If I tell this kind of thing to my friends, they’re baffled. They don’t really believe all these things. They say, ‘You are really crazy,’” Shrestha said. “I think it’s a UFO, definitely. Some people do believe – and they see it; they believe it – but when they don’t’ see it with their own eyes, they don’t believe it. I don’t know if you believe it.

“Strange things happen in the sky. We don’t normally notice them; we don’t look up in the sky so you don’t actually notice. If you keep your eyes open on the skies, you see strange things.”

To see Shrestha’s video on YouTube, visit UFO sighting from Irving, TX on 09/05/12.

By Jess Paniszczyn 

Families filled the Our Children's House at Baylor – Irving (OCHI) to spend a fun filled morning participating in the Irving Healthcare Foundation’s (IHF) annual Kiddin' a Round Miniature Golf Classic. Nine holes of miniature golf filled the daycare and overflowed into the outdoor play area where kids could have their faces painted, pet therapy dogs and enjoy the playground.

“Our Children’s House at Baylor Irving (OCHI) is a daycare facility for special needs kids,” said Mariel Stribling, development specialist for IHF. “They take care of young children with Down syndrome, spina bifida, autism spectrum disorders and other needs. Each of the holes in the miniature golf fund raiser is devoted to a child, so that golfers can learn about the child’s family, condition, and how OCHI has improved their lives.

“At this point, we’ve raised about $100,000, which will be used for general facility costs. This daycare is primarily run on donations. All of the kids here receive tuition reimbursement. The price of raising a special needs child is so prohibitive that a lot of families qualify for financial assistance. Families really need donations from the community to help pay for their child’s tuition.

“OCHI has a speech therapist and an on-site nurse. A lot of the kids have feeding issues, so they need trained staff who can handle their situations.”

Charlotte Norris attended the event with her family.

“I came out today for my grandson Sam who attends here. They do good work here, and we appreciate all their help.

“The guys have played putt-putt golf. The kids have had their faces painted, blown bubbles and have played on the swings.”

Shedrick Ross watched as his wife and children played golf.

“We came to support my wife who works for OCHI. We are having a good time playing miniature golf. Our Children’s House is a good place for kids to come learn. They help a lot of disabled kids, which is a good thing. There are not a lot of resources out there for parents with special needs kids. I think OCHI is doing a great job.”

All event proceeds will go to Our Children's House at Baylor – Irving. For further information contact Mariel Stribling at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or (972) 579-4395.

By Amanda Casanova 

The Irving Independent School District recently snapped up both a $125,000 state grant and a $30,000 scholarship program.

The school district earned one of the Texas Education Agency’s Technology Lending Program grants, an award that funds Internet access for low-income families.

The $125,000 grant will give Internet access to about 240 students at Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center, Melody Paschall, associate superintendent of academic services, told the Irving’s board of trustees in an announcement on Sep. 17.

“We’re very excited about that opportunity for our students,” Paschall said.

The bulk of the coursework at Barbara Cardwell Career Preparatory Center, which teaches grades 7-12, is available online. Of the roughly 300 students, about 70 percent are economically disadvantaged.

The Technology Lending Program grant was established by the 82^nd Texas Legislature to help fund, implement and enhance technology equipment and access for students.

To be eligible for the grant the school district or charter school must “serve a population of at least 40 percent economically disadvantaged students,” according to application documents. The Irving school district was one of 124 school districtsin the state to earn the award.

The equipment for Internet access will be installed this year, while school officials are required to monitor the program and report progress to the state.

In another achievement for the district, Ford Motor Company Fund announced on Sep. 18 that the company would offer $30,000 in scholarships to Irving Independent School District high school students and an after school peer-to-peer program.

The scholarship program aims to promote on-time high school graduation and enrollment in college. Irving freshmen and seniors can start applying for a scholarship from Ford in early 2013.

"The Ford Driving Dreams Tour is giving Irving ISD students a wealth of resources to help bolster their high school education and motivate them to successfully complete high school," said Dr. Dana Bedden, superintendent of schools for the district. "We are grateful to Ford for entrusting this new initiative to our school district and helping continue to put our students first.”

The Ford program also includes a $35,000 donation for the district to buy two Ford Explorers that will be used to transport students and staff to district events.

"We are excited to energize youth about the importance of education," said Jim Vella, president, Ford Motor Company Fund. "Ford has a longstanding commitment to education and investments in programs that help build communities, and we couldn't think of a better partner than Irving ISD to launch this innovative program."

As part of Ford’s program, all 9,269 high school students in the district will enteran essay contest to describe “what drives their dream.”

Ford will award first, second and third place prizes. The top five essays, selected by educators and community leaders, will enter an online video competition. The five finalists (one per school) will win an Apple MacBook Pro and a Flip video camera to create a video based on their essay.

Voting for the best video starts Nov. 30. The winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship and a $3,000 grant to be donated to an after-school program of his or her choice.

Some information provided by Irving ISD.

Mexican Americans proudly celebrate Mexican Independence

By Phil Cerroni

The Fourth of July is one of the most celebrated holidays in the American calendar and has a whole battery of ceremonies and tradition that go along with its honored place. On Sep. 15, the Mexican Consulate General in Dallas rented one of the halls in the Irving Convention Center in order to celebrate a different independence day: Mexico’s Independence.

Jesus Contreras, the Consul for Media Affairs, Consulate General of Mexico in Dallas, was more than happy to explain both the historical and the cultural significance of this event.

“Everywhere in the world where there is a Mexican community, a consulate or an embassy of Mexico we celebrate the independence ceremony on the 15^th of September,” Contreras said. “For us, this is a great opportunity to get together and show unity, and is a big day for Mexico. Our independence day is actually the 16^th of September, but on the night of the 15^th our heroes started the independence movement at 12 o’clock so everywhere we have a ceremony, at different hours, but the same ceremony.”

“My sister lives in Boise, Idaho, and we right now she is dancing in front of thousands of people also, doing the same exact celebrating and remembrance of our country,” said Haidy Leal, one of the event’s participants. “Us representing our country and remembering the independence of it and remembering everything we had to go through to get to where we are now. That’s why we celebrate.”

The celebration commemorates “El Grito de la Independencia,” or “Cry of Independence” that was shouted by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in Dolores, Mexico on Sep. 16, 1810. It marked the start of a popular revolt that became known as the Mexican War of Independence and lasted until 1821.

A contemporary aspect of the celebrations in the United States is to act as a counterforce to the negative portrayal of Mexico in the American news.

“We are a big number; Mexico has many things to be proud of,” insisted Contreras. “Sometimes you read the newspapers – things that happen in Mexico – yes, they do happen, but we have much more things in the country to be proud of. That’s what we want to communicate in the community.”

Contreras also insisted that unity among Mexican Americans as Mexicans is key to developing unity as Americans.

“We insist that our people integrate in the United States, and they are integrated in many ways. So first we have to be integrated ourselves, and we’re here and we promote that. One extremely important thing about our community is they’re here because they’re working here. They’re looking for a better like, and they’re communicating with the rest [of the United States]. That’s a way to show how integrated they are by showing their work,” Contreras said.

Haidy Leal echoed Contreras’ words, about Mexican integration into the United States, saying that celebrating the independence of the old country adds a rich layer to life in their new homeland.

“We are not just raised with the American culture, but we have another mindset also, which makes us better Americans,” Leal said. “So we bring the best of the two worlds, and we enrich people with the culture. You don’t go to American Independence Day and say, ‘Let’s dance American.’ We don’t have American music as the ethnicity, American food you think pizza and hamburgers. We have the knowledge of the American side, and we also have the knowledge and the culture of the Mexican side. There are a lot of people even in Texas who are unaware that today is Mexican Independence Day, or they think in Mexico, they speak Mexican.”

Jonathan Tarin pointed out that integrating into a new culture takes time.

“When you’re first generation Hispanic, and you adapt to the American lifestyle, you’re taking on what America is, you’re first language is eventually going to become English,” Tarin said. “These children are going to public schools. Our cities are educating these young kids who at home are more likely being spoke to in Spanish and are answering in English. We take on the lifestyle of Americans. Obviously your parents, your educational levels and the drive that we want to succeed are always going to be implemented into our children and even into us.”

This dual responsibility may be a difficult concept for a fourth generation American or even more so for someone whose family has been in this country since before its independence. For many of us, our cultural pride is American, when we think of American music, we think of the Blues and folk, and American barbecue is pretty unique. At the same time, however, there are many aspects of our own culture that have been passed down through successive generations of Americans from various immigrant cultures. This may be religion or certain foods, but the same spirit of pride that prompts Mexican Americans to celebrate Mexican Independence motivates our own, albeit further removed, traditions.