Free Republic

PARKER COUNTY - It's been a tumultuous 24 hours for a young Chihuahua mix named Pumpkin. "She would like to take a nap," said Parker County Animal Control Supervisor Karen Kessler, whose arms Pumpkin was nuzzling into. The tiny pup was found Thursday, roaming a lot in rural Weatherford. A woman named Vanessa was the one who discovered her. "It was very skittish at first," Vanessa said of the dog. "It didn't want [to go] anywhere near me." Vanessa's family has had trouble with people illegally dumping on their property, so they set up game cameras. She went to check...

Toll-road financing (SB 256): The growing practice of contracting with private entities to build and operate toll roads calls for hefty upfront payments. For example, the State Highway 121 project, under way in Collin and Denton counties, should produce about $2 billion in advance money that local governments can use for other vital improvements that the state can't fund anytime soon. This bill would outlaw up-front payments, thus inhibiting the ability to start separate projects immediately. It would also put up a roadblock to the proposed, privately operated Trans-Texas Corridor, a reliever turnpike for the overburdened I-35. Neither would be...

Depending on the traffic, it could take quite a while for Parker County residents to make it to one of three transportation meetings slated to take place in local cities next week. Topics up for discussion at the meetings range from Parker County’s long-term transportation needs to finding solutions to the area’s short-term, immediate transportation problems. A discussion of the future roles of passenger rail, bypass routes and safety improvements is also expected. County officials have been asking for public meetings related to the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor for some time. The Corridor, an $8 billion multi-modal transportation plan developed by...

An environmental impact study released Tuesday indicates the most likely route of the Trans-Texas Corridor will travel east of Dallas, but a new rail proposition could bring TTC-35 infrastructure to East Parker County as well. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the narrowed eastern study area was identified as the preferred corridor alternative because it best supports the purpose and need for TTC-35. “The ultimate goal of TTC-35 is to relieve traffic congestion on Interstate 35,” said Gabriela Garcia, TxDOT public affairs specialist. The east corridor alternative also incorporates the most miles of existing highways and rail – 195...

Woman, 3 kids dead in Parker County shooting 07/16/2002 From Staff Reports A woman and her three children are dead and a man wounded in shootings in Parker County. The incident was reported around 2 p.m. Tuesday. It happened in the small town of Hudson Oaks, west of Fort Worth. Deputies say they responded to a call that a woman had shot her children. Witnesses said a wounded man broke through a window at the Parker County residence and sought assistance. The man, a 17-year veteran of the Fort Worth Fire Department, is in critical condition at a Fort...