Chama Gaucha is bringing its southern Brazilian flair to the Grapevine community as it officially opens its first North Texas location on February 25. Located at 4025 William D. Tate Ave. and conveniently situated off of U.S. Highway 121 just minutes from downtown Grapevine, the modern churrascaria offers a delicious assortment of USDA Prime meat, aged a minimum of 45 days and carved tableside by swift-moving gauchos. Reservations for the public are available now on OpenTable.

“Since opening our doors in 2008, our priority has been to create a unique dining experience for guests while showcasing the rich tradition and hospitality of southern Brazil,” says Chama Gaucha Grapevine Manager, Lauri Brun. “As the city of Grapevine has also grown while holding onto tradition, we felt strongly about planting new roots here. We’re committed to delivering top-notch service to the community and continuing our strategic growth plan in the Lone Star state.”

Chama Gaucha prides itself on serving prime cuts of 12 types of meat to its customers, including its specialty, Picanha (prime cut sirloin), Cordeiro (leg or rack of lamb) and Porco (pork ribs dusted in parmesan). Each cut of meat is adeptly seasoned and brought directly to customers’ plates from the grill, where it’s sliced off of a large skewer and served. Guests are in control of their individual service and are provided a green and red card, which indicates if they are ready to be served or if they’ve reached their limit.

The elegantly designed 12,100 square-foot restaurant can seat up to 389 guests and has four large private party rooms throughout, perfect for business dinners, private events and family celebrations. Chama Gaucha's extensive wine offerings are housed within a large wine cellar, visible to guests upon entering. In addition to its high-quality meats, Chama Gaucha is also known for its large salad bar consisting of over 30 items including specialty cheeses, cured meats, fresh vegetables, olives, asparagus, peppers and more, giving every palate something to enjoy.

“We pride ourselves on serving high-quality, exquisitely flavorful meats and are thrilled to give the community a truly traditional taste of Brazil,” says Owner João Carlos Ongaratto. “Combined with curated cocktails and wine, excellent customer service and a sophisticated interior, we’re bringing a new and thrilling culinary experience to Grapevine. We welcome the community to dine with us and celebrate our churrascaria!”

This marks Chama Gaucha’s fourth location with existing restaurants in San Antonio, Houston and Chicago. Chama Gaucha is open for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday from 3:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

News and information presented in this release has not been corroborated by WTWH Media LLC.

Communications Specialist

Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) Collegiate Discussion Meet will offer college students an opportunity to develop public speaking skills and critical thinking.

This year’s contest is set for March 31 and April 1 at TFB’s Young Farmer & Rancher (YF&R) Spring Conference in Grapevine.

“Discussion Meet is important for students because they are not only going to grow public speaking skills, but they’re networking and meeting people their age who have a common interest,” Tyler Schuster, TFB YF&R Advisory Committee member, said.

The contest, which is hosted by TFB’s YF&R Advisory Committee, helps college students better understand issues facing all sectors of agriculture—farming, ranching, agribusinesses, the food supply chain and more.

The contest features a roundtable discussion on two of the five possible agricultural topics on Friday, April 1. A final round consisting of the top four contestants will take place on Saturday, April 2.

“Critical thinking and time management are additional skills you gain. You’re having to come up with solutions to questions that nobody really knows the answer to,” she said. “You’re having to work to build that answer, but also build it around what other people are saying and collaborate with the other participants.”

To participate, contestants must be between the ages of 18 and 35, must have an interest in agriculture and be pursuing an undergraduate degree.

Professional speakers and former Collegiate Discussion Meet winners are not eligible to compete.

The winner will take home a $2,500 cash award and will receive expense-paid trips to the TFB Annual Meeting in December and the American Farm Bureau Collegiate Discussion Meet in February 2024.

The runner-up will receive a $1,500 cash prize and an expense-paid trip to the TFB Annual Meeting.

The remaining finalists will each receive $750.

In addition to the prizes, the Collegiate Discussion Meet will serve as a networking opportunity for the students to meet people within agriculture, get involved in TFB and learn professionalism, Schuster said.

“It’s a really unique opportunity. Scholarship money is great. If you win, you get to go to the American Farm Bureau discussion meet and the State Farm Bureau meeting,” Schuster said. “But if you don’t win, you’re going to walk away with a new understanding and a broader view of agriculture.”

Registration for the Young Farmer & Rancher Conference and the Collegiate Discussion Meet closes March 3.

The Collegiate Discussion Meet Manual, which includes the topics, room setup and more, can be found online at texasfarmbureau.org/YFR. Additional registration information, including costs and the sign up link, is also available.

Contact youngfarmers@txfb.org with questions related to the contest or the organization’s YF&R program.

For more information and to apply, visit www.texasfarmbureau.org/YFR.

HOUSTON, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Radix Engineering and Software, a global IT/ET/OT consulting company, will exhibit in booth # 117 and give two technical presentation at Campus Energy 2023, February 27 – March 2, 2023 in Grapevine, TX. The event focuses on good practices in the operation and optimization of energy systems on campuses of American universities and colleges. This year’s conference theme is De-Carbonizing the Campus: Planning, Tools, and Technologies. For more information on Radix’ solutions for de-carbonizing the campus: https://content.radixeng.com/energy-efficiency

Thiago Bacic, Business Development Manager for Radix will present on Radix's framework for energy efficiency, and will talk about 3 case studies. The presentation, “3 Steps to Reduce Operational Costs and Increase Energy Efficiency” is on March 1^st at 4:15 p.m. The presentation discusses the challenges associated with managing complex campus environments with multiple mixed-use areas that are in use 24/7.

Presentation Abstract

Variable power demand presents a huge challenge for campuses looking to meet consumption needs while maximizing energy efficiency. This presentation will discuss a 3-step solution Radix has implemented for multiple clients. For the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Radix implemented an Energy Audit and a scenario-based Advisory System that provides ongoing control and visibility over energy usage and makes real-time recommendations to keep the physical plant running at maximum possible efficiency. Expected results are 3%/$1,000,000 annual reduction in operating costs. A second case is how Radix developed an Operational Intelligence system for Ecogen, a utilities management specialist. The Intelligent Optimization Platform, called PIMS, is capable of detecting instrumentation failure, monitoring equipment performance, predictive failure detection and equipment selection for operational optimization. Expected results are reduced maintenance time and costs, better data reliability, improved energy efficiency, and reduced CO2 emissions.

“The PIMS project done in partnership with Radix is another big step towards digital transformation in Ecogen’s operations. Each of the tools in this project contributes on getting maximum energy efficiency, data reliability and reliability of the operation itself. The partnership was fundamental to digitalize and automate Ecogen’s know-how developed over 20 years of energy solution implementations and operations,” said Erick Rocha, Engineering Manager at Ecogen Brazil.

A third case will discuss an Operational Assessment and an energy efficiency study of a Cogeneration plant for George Washington University. Expected operational savings for GWU could be up to 27%."

Radix will also have a poster presentation on How Operational Intelligence Improves Utilities’ Efficiency and Reduces Costs.

For more information on Campus Energy 2023 or to register: https://www.districtenergy.org/campusenergy2023/home

About Radix Engineering & Software

Founded in 2010, Radix Engineering & Software is a privately held global engineering, software, and Operations/Information Technology consulting company with more than 1,500 employees around the world. Radix provides technology-based solutions to industrial customers focused on the Oil and Gas, Chemicals, Power, Metals & Mining, Pulp & Paper, and Food & Beverage industries, as well as non-industrial customers focused on Transportation, Education, Healthcare, Financial, and Entertainment industries. Radix’s North American headquarters are in Houston, TX with the Global HQ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and offices in São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. With a strong focus on results, people, and long-term relationships, Radix has been developing projects in more than 35 countries worldwide. Follow Radix on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/radix-engineering-and-software/

For more information contact:

Radix Company Contact:

Ana Carolina Parreira Ferraz Mastrangelo, ana.mastrangelo@radixeng.com Radix Engineering, + (832) 377-9601

Radix Media Contact:

Becky Stevens, rebecca.stevens.ext@Radixeng.com / becky.stevens@virtualmarketing-pr.com

Virtual Marketing +1 (713) 444-6860

CNN —

Officials in Texas and Michigan are complaining they didn’t receive any warning that contaminated water and soil from the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, would be shipped into their jurisdictions for disposal.

About 2 million gallons of firefighting water from the train derailment site are expected to be disposed in Harris County, Texas, with about half a million gallons already there, according to the county’s chief executive.

“It’s a very real problem, we were told yesterday the materials were coming only to learn today they’ve been here for a week,” Judge Lina Hidalgo said Thursday.

The Ohio toxic train wreck was '100% preventable' -- but there's no evidence the crew did anything wrong, investigators say

Contaminated soil from the derailment site is being taken to the US Ecology Wayne Disposal in Belleville, Michigan, US Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said Friday.

“We were not given a heads up on this reported action,” Dingell said in a news release on Friday. “Our priority is to always keep the people we represent safe.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said 4,832 cubic yards of soil have been removed from the ground in East Palestine and about six truckloads were on the way to Michigan.

The complaints widen the controversy caused by the February 3 train derailment that left residents complaining about feeling sick after hazardous chemicals seeped into the air, water and soil.

A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report found that one of the train’s cars carrying plastic pellets was heated by a hot axle that sparked the initial fire, according to Jennifer Homendy, the chair of the safety board.

Residents worry rashes and headaches may be tied to chemicals from train crash

As the temperature of the bearing got hotter, the train passed by two wayside defect detectors that did not trigger an audible alarm message because the heat threshold was not met at that point, Homendy explained. A third detector eventually picked up the high temperature, but it was already too late by then.

“This was 100% preventable. … There is no accident,” Homendy said during a news conference Thursday.

Residents in East Palestine frustrated by lack of answers

Texas official learned about the shipments from the news

In a news conference Thursday, Hidalgo expressed frustration that she first learned about the expected water shipments Wednesday from the news media – not from a government agency or Texas Molecular, the company hired to dispose of the water.

Hidalgo said Texas Molecular told her office Thursday that half a million gallons of the water was already in the county and the shipments began arriving around last Wednesday.

She added that although there’s no legal requirement for her office to be notified, “it doesn’t quite seem right.”

Ohio's toxic spill is unleashing poisonous, partisan politics

Texas Molecular is receiving the water from trucks, but it’s unclear if trucks are used for the entire trip, Hidalgo said. The company told her office they’re receiving about 30 trucks of water a day, she said.

Texas Molecular said Friday that all shipments, so far, have come by truck for the entire trip.

“Texas Molecular neither transports nor selects the mode of transportation for the water,” Jimmy Bracher, vice president of Sales for VLS Environmental Solutions, which owns Texas Molecular, told CNN in a statement Friday evening.

“The company that generates the waste will determine/select who ships the wastewater and they must be DOT and EPA approved transporters,” Bracher said.

On Thursday, Texas Molecular told CNN it has been hired to dispose of potentially dangerous water from the Ohio train derailment. The company said they are experts with more than four decades of experience in managing water safely.

Hidalgo’s office is seeking information about the disposal, including the chemical composition of the firefighting water, the precautions that are being taken, and why Harris County was the chosen site, she said.

Norfolk Southern is paying $6.5 million to derailment victims. Meanwhile, it's shelling out $7.5 billion for shareholders

“There’s nothing right now to tell me – to tell us – there’s going to be an accident in transport, that this is being done in such a way that is not compatible with the well, that there’s a nefarious reason why the water is coming here and not to a closer site,” Hidalgo said. “But it is our job to do basic due diligence on that information.”

More than 1.7 million gallons of contaminated liquid has been removed from the immediate site of the derailment, according to a Thursday news release from the Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Of this, more than 1.1 million gallons of “contaminated liquid” from East Palestine has so far been transported off-site, with the majority going to Texas Molecular and the rest going to a facility in Vickery, Ohio.

CNN has asked the Ohio agency the location of the remaining 581,500 gallons which has been “removed” but not “hauled off-site” and has yet to receive a response.

‘We learned about it via the grapevine,’ Dingell says

Wayne County, Michigan, officials have been in contact with officials with a variety of federal and state agencies, along with the train company involved in the derailment since learning of the transportation of the contaminated materials, Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans said in a news conference on Friday evening. Evans said the county did not receive a call from anyone that this was happening.

Professor: Independent expert needed in toxic spill response

“Doing it in a way that doesn’t let citizens of Wayne County know that it’s coming just looks nefarious to me,” Evans said.

Officials are not aware if this move was done “maliciously or not” but says there are “disconnects,” Evans said.

“We learned about it via the grapevine and then saw Governor DeWine announced it on his site,” Dingell said in a news conference.

Five trucks have been transported to the area so far, 99% with contaminated water and 1% with contaminated soil, according to Dingell. The truck containing soil could have been transported to the area as early mid-week, Dingell added.

The transportation of the materials to the facility in Michigan has been paused and another site is likely to be found, Dingell and Evans said.

CNN has reached out to the EPA and Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the derailed train, for comment.

Train crew not at fault, NTSB chair says

The 149-car train operated by Norfolk Southern had three employees on board: a locomotive engineer, a conductor and a trainee who were all in the head end of the locomotive, Homendy told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday.

So far, the investigation found the crew did not do anything wrong prior to the derailment, though the crash was “100% preventable,” she said.

The next phase of the investigation will examine the train’s wheelset and bearing as well as the damage from the derailment, the NTSB report noted. The agency will also focus on the designs of tank cars and railcars, along with maintenance procedures and practices.

Investigators will also review the train operator’s use of wayside defect detectors and the company’s railcar inspection practices. More specifically, determining what caused the wheel bearing failure will be key to the investigation, Homendy said.

DALLAS, February 3, 2023 — The American Red Cross of North Texas hosts more than 100 pop-up blood drives across DFW each month. Blood donations are needed now as the icy roads caused the cancellation of most of the weeks blood drives. The Red Cross also continues to look for new partners to host blood drives with. Visit RedCrossBlood.org and click on host for more information.

Donors can schedule an appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, by visiting RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunities Feb. 2 - Feb. 15:

Arlington

2/8/2023: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Family Healthcare Associates, 1300 S. Fielder Rd., Arlington, TX 76013

Coppell

2/14/2023: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., Rejoice Lutheran Church, 532 E. Sandy Lake Rd., Coppell, TX 75019

The Colony

Dallas

2/6/2023: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., SMU/Cox Veterans in Business, 6214 Bishop Blvd., Dallas, TX 75275

2/10/2023: 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., The Perot Companies, 3000 Turtle Creek Blvd., Dallas, TX 75219

Duncanville

2/8/2023: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Duncanville Public Library, 201 James Collins Blvd., Duncanville, TX 75116

Flower Mound

2/11/2023: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Trietsch Memorial United Methodist Church, 6101 Morriss Rd., Flower Mound, TX 75028

Grapevine

2/4/2022: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m., Embassy Suites DFW Airport North, 2401 Bass Pro Dr., Grapevine, TX 76051

2/10/2023: 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Foot & Ankle Associates of North Texas, 2421 Ira E. Woods Ave. #100, Grapevine, TX 76051

Richardson

2/4/2023: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., MAS Islamic Center of Dallas, 1515 Blake Dr., Richardson, TX 75081

2/8/2023: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., First Baptist Richardson, 1001 N. Central Expressway, Richardson, TX 75080

Southlake

2/7/2023: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., Southridge Lakes HOA, 111 Southridge Lakes Pkwy., Southlake, TX 76092

Blood Donation Centers

One of the easiest ways to give is to schedule an appointment at a blood donation center. There are two Red Cross blood and platelet donation centers in the North Texas Region. They are in Irving and Plano.

Irving Blood and Platelet Donation Center

2511 West Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway

Monday - Wednesday: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday: Closed

Friday - Sunday: 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Plano Blood and Platelet Donation Center

741 N US-Central Expressway, Suite 1000

Monday - Wednesday: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday: Closed

Friday - Sunday: 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Blood drive safety

The Red Cross follows a high standard of safety and infection control. The Red Cross will continue to socially distance wherever possible at blood drives, donation centers and facilities. While donors are no longer required to wear a face mask, individuals may choose to continue to wear a mask for any reason. The Red Cross will also adhere to more stringent face mask requirements per state and/or local guidance, or at the request of blood drive sponsors. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at a drive.

How to donate blood

Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements.

Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass® to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/northtexas or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossNTX.