News You Ought to Know
After 2 weeks of pounding, Leaning Tower of Dallas is down
DALLAS (AP) — The Leaning Tower of Dallas, the nearly iconic remnant of a high-rise building implosion gone awry, finally collapsed in a cloud of dust Monday after two weeks of being whacked with a headache ball.
The tower collapsed about 3:15 p.m. after a few last whacks with a wrecking ball swung by a high-rise crane. No injuries were reported.
The tower was the core of an 11-story building that was imploded with explosives on Feb. 16. The 11 floors surrounding the core duly collapsed, but the solid concrete core containing the stairway and elevator shafts remained standing at an angle. The demolition contractor has been whacking away at it ever since with a 5,600-pound wrecking ball.
A spokeswoman for De La Vega Development, which is redeveloping the site, had said immediately after the implosion that the tower’s demolition could take up to four days. It ended up taking almost four times that amount of time before it was taken down.
In the meantime, the tower drew hundreds of people who took often-whimsical photographs of themselves with the tower in the background.
Top Teacher Spotlight: Middle school educator helps students launch into their futures
DALLAS — Karla Smith’s passion for STEM led her to the otherworldly experience of attending a Space
Camp for teachers at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Alabama.
After one of the 10 percent of applicants chosen for the opportunity, Smith, a science teacher at Benjamin Franklin International Exploratory Academy, engaged in astronaut training simulations that were both physically and mentally challenging. Following the incredible experience, Smith became even more
passionate about the link between STEM education and student success.
“We aren’t going to Mars, but the ones who will be are sitting in our classrooms today,” Smith said. “We must do everything we can to prepare them to launch into their futures.”
Smith is a top district teacher who is thriving under the Teacher Excellence Initiative, which seeks to identify, encourage, and reward effective teachers by prioritizing and supporting academic excellence. Through the Distinguished Teacher Review Process (DTR), Dallas ISD recognizes teachers who demonstrate leadership, pursue learning opportunities, contribute to the profession of education, and promote academic excellence.
Smith is proud to call herself a DTR Ambassador.
“I serve as a DTR Ambassador because I want other teachers who are equally as passionate about ensuring student success to be recognized and rewarded for their amazing accomplishments,” Smith said.
But above all, Smith cares the most about her students.
“It is always my hope that students will grow and maximize their own God-given gifts in pursuit of their happiness and future of choice,” Smith said. “I often offer this advice: What we feel like doing now is rarely going to get us what we will want later. Do the things now that will prepare you for anything so that your future options include everything.”
Dallas celebrates groundbreaking of multi-million-dollar mixed-use development
Dallas, Texas – City of Dallas officials, Matthews Southwest, City of Dallas Housing Finance Corporation and Volunteers of America broke ground on a new mixed-use development called The Galbraith on 2400 Bryan Street that secures 111 new affordable housing units in Dallas.
“2400 Bryan Street represents a collaborative effort across City departments, lenders, and equity investors to support the City’s affordable housing development goals for Dallas.
The City invested a total of $14 million into the project with a combination of funds (CDBG, Public/Private Partnership Funds, GO Bond Funds), requiring 51% of the units to be affordable. The mixed-use development will provide 217 residential units, of which 111 units will be affordable and 10,000 square feet of commercial space
“The Dallas Office of Economic Development was extremely excited to provide gap financing for the development of The Galbraith, a high-quality, Class A, affordable residential rental development in downtown Dallas,” said Courtney Pogue, Dallas Economic Development director. “The project provides greatly needed workforce housing options in the core of Downtown Dallas while allowing its residents access to employment centers, transit and other world-class amenities such as the Dallas Arts District and Klyde Warren Park. Additionally, The Galbraith will feature a commercial component that will have a childcare facility for working families in Dallas’ downtown.”
“We are privileged to partner with the City of Dallas, the City of Dallas Housing Finance Corporation and Volunteers of America to provide high, quality, affordable housing in the heart of downtown,” said Jack Matthews, president of Matthews Southwest. “This is our second development with Volunteers of America, and it hopefully won’t be our last. We want to open up downtown to a workforce who might not otherwise be able to afford it.”
The Galbraith is expected to be completed in Fall 2021.
Looking for hand sanitizer? Good luck finding it
By JOSEPH PISANI
NEW YORK (AP) — The hand sanitizers on Amazon were overpriced. A Walmart this weekend was completely sold out. Only on his third try was Ken Smith able to find the clear gel — at a Walgreens, where three bottles of Purell were left. He bought two.
“I didn’t want to hoard,” says Smith, a retired biomedical technician in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Fear of the coronavirus has led people to stock up on the germ-killing gel, leaving store shelves empty and online retailers with sky-high prices set by those trying to profit on the rush. More is on the way, although it’s not clear how long it will take retailers to restock.
Sales of hand sanitizers in the U.S. were up 73% in the four weeks ending Feb. 22 compared to the same period a year ago, according to market research firm Nielsen.
The alcohol-based gunk is convenient, but hand sanitizer isn’t the best way to clean your hands. For that, soap and water still reigns supreme, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency recommends first washing hands with warm or cold water and then lathering soap for 20 seconds to get it on the backs of hands, between fingers and under finger nails before rinsing off.
