IRVING, Texas - A traveling exhibit highlights the struggles Black people endured traveling across the country during the Jim Crow Era.

The exhibit is called the Green Book, and it is currently at the Irving Archives and Museum.

The art exhibit acts as a trip back in time, a curated mix of vintage video and photos.

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The Green Book was a national directory compiled by the late Victor Green. It highlighted safe places and businesses that welcomed African-Americans.

"My husband knew it by heart because he was a sales person," said retired educator Marybelle Whiteman.

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Whiteman encourages anyone who hasn't already to visit the exhibit before it ends Jan. 8.

Whiteman recalls how she and her husband relied on the Green Book while on roadtrips with their 5 children.

"I remember some of the places we could stay like the Teresa Hotel in New York City, we could go there because it was Black-owned," she said. "My husband always used the Green Book to direct us to the safest places to eat, to sleep and so on."

An interactive feature shows how African-American families packed their car for roadtrips.

"Honey, don't forget the blankets, not a lot of motels on the road that'll let colored folks spend the night," the exhibit says.

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Dr. Myron Watkins and his wife Barbara vividly recall travel challenges for Black people, like once when they were denied use of restroom at a gas station.

"We asked for the restroom and the attendant said, ‘Oh you have to go round back,’" Dr. Watkins said. "These are things that happened, and you just didn’t know about it until it did happen. And it wasn’t just in the South, it was all over."

A realistic view of history.

"I’ll sell you gas, but that’s it, you hear me? I know you’re going to ask. We don't allow no coloreds in our restrooms," the exhibit says.

The Negro Motorist Green Book Exhibit in Irving through Jan. 8.

"It’s worth seeing. I certainly hope that this little exhibit, asking me about it, will encourage people to come and take a look and learn something," said Whiteman.

You can learn more about the exhibition here.

IRVING, Texas, April 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Invited Clubs, the world’s largest owner and operator of private clubs, officially debuted its newest venue The Constellation Club on March 30. Located on the 26th floor of The Towers at Williams Square in Irving, Texas, the premier social and city club transports guests to a new era of hospitality, social connections, and elevated experiences.

“We’re thrilled to finally open the doors to The Constellation Club and welcome both members and guests following the clubhouse’s multimillion-dollar renovation,” said BB Jorjadze, Regional General Manager of Dallas City Clubs at Invited. “Paying homage to the golden era of aviation, The Constellation Club embodies all aspects of the City Club experience plus unique club amenities and features for members and guests to immerse themselves in. The Constellation Club is your home away from home, providing anyone who steps foot inside with endless opportunities and memories that will surely last a lifetime.”

A $3.4 million reinvention of the former La Cima Club, The Constellation Club is a purposeful, yet sophisticated destination for club members to call home, offering spaces for both work and play with the goal of building relationships and enriching lives. Members as well as hosts and guests of private events can delight in The Constellation Club’s casual and upscale dining concepts, tailored member experiences, and a refreshed interior design and luxurious atmosphere inspired by the Lockheed Constellation “Connie” aircraft commissioned by TWA owner Howard Hughes in 1939.

The ultimate destination for shared business, social, and community experiences, The Constellation Club upholds its promise to create member value every day through the following offerings:

The Constellation Club is now accepting applications for membership, as it seeks to grow its community of business professionals and socialites in the Las Colinas area. For more information about The Constellation Club and membership inquiries, visit www.invitedclubs.com.

About Invited (formerly ClubCorp)Since its founding in 1957, Dallas-based Invited has operated with the mission of Building Relationships and Enriching Lives®. The leading owner-operator of private golf and country clubs, city, and stadium clubs in North America, Invited is relentless in its pursuit of providing extraordinary experiences, meaningful connections, shared passions, and memorable moments for its more than 400,000 members. The company’s mission is supported by 20,000 peak-season employees and a portfolio of 200 owned or operated golf and country clubs, city clubs, sports clubs, stadium clubs in 29 states, and seven BigShots Golf locations. Invited creates communities and a lifestyle through its championship golf courses, workspaces, handcrafted cuisine, resort-style pools, tennis and pickleball facilities, golf lounges, fitness centers, and pioneering programming.

Media Contact: Bolt PR (949) 995-1459 invitedclubs@boltpr.com

Contacts:Jim Berra | jim.berra@invitedclubs.comCarla Chirico | carla.chirico@invitedclubs.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/94c77c5c-60db-402e-b4de-40c20a53714bhttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7dd97fe0-042e-4d50-b7d9-99dc73e322fahttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/56e90b69-bcbd-434f-ab6c-f09a8decb7f4https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/69936275-76c5-4725-80b5-fce7a9487b95https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/451c0f38-ed37-4a6a-9aa3-7dbd5a585db7

IRVING (CBSNewsTexas.com) — One eye clinic in Irving is giving back the gift of sight, for free.

"Everyone deserves a swing at bat," said Dr. Michael George of Tylock-George Eye Care. "Everyone deserves the opportunity to have a better life."

Dr. George started the George Foundation for sight restoration. The nonprofit partners with other clinics to find patients eligible for cataract surgery. Once they are identified, the surgery is free of cost—funded by money raised by the foundation.

For Kathya Galindo, who couldn't see for seven years after a cornea transplant went awry, it was a miracle.

"It was so blurry," she told CBS News Texas when describing her life before surgery. "My life, it was so hard every day."

Now, about a month post-operation, her sight has been restored. "Today is a new life...for me, it is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful."

Partial blindness from cataracts is something anyone can develop over time and existing conditions can speed up the process.

Unfortunately, surgery to restore vision is expensive, and low income areas in Dallas are in need of affordable solutions, Dr. George said.

His clinic typically hosts one surgery from the foundation each month. Though, they recently completed 10 in a day.

Now, they're working to help as many people as possible. "It's heartwarming, it's been amazing."

To learn more about the foundation, click here.

Nicole Nielsen

Nicole Nielsen joined the CBS 11 news team in June 2020. Born and raised in Keller, Nicole is a North Texas native who is thrilled to work for the station she grew up watching.

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IRVING (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Rene Amaya, a 19-year-old Irving High School senior, experienced a life-threatening ordeal on what was supposed to be the biggest day of his life.

Earlier that day, Amaya was focused on what he was going to wear to his graduation. "I was trying to be the best dressed and show off," he said.

While walking with his parents to the car, the unthinkable happened.

"it all just went down so quick," Amaya said. "I got out the front door when I just saw a wasp go so fast to my bottom lip, bit me, stung me. I told my dad about it. We all know I'm allergic so my heart dropped."

Immediately, the family began to drive Amaya to the hospital, and he quickly went into anaphylactic shock.

Upon arrival at Baylor Scott & White Irving, dThe 19-year-old Irving High School senior was heading to his graduation earlier this month when the unthinkable happened while walking with his parents out to the car. octors were deeply concerned about Amaya's condition.

"Rene was very ill when he got here" Dr. Connie Swickhamer, the Emergency Department Medical Director, said, Very life-threatening. We only use epinephrine for things such as severe anaphylactic reaction or even like cardiac arrest."

Thankfully, Amaya's health improved within hours, but his heart remained broken.

Amaya said "I kept telling myself, why me?"

Rene is the first in his family to graduate high school so three weeks after he missed walking the stage in his cap and gown, he wore them back to the hospital for a surprise. The hospital staff, along with Amaya's teachers and principal, arranged a graduation ceremony within the hospital walls to honor Amaya's achievement.

The ceremony was complete with programs, balloons, and a special presentation.

The nurses who spearheaded the idea felt compelled to take action after witnessing Amaya's disappointment.

One nurse, Ashley, shared, "I went to Ashley and said, 'Can we do something?' and Ashley was like, 'Come on, let's go.' So we went to the gift shop to see if they had any balloons or anything that said congrats, and they did."

Amaya, enjoyed the support and the ceremony, saying of the nurses who organized the event, "They're awesome, they're angels honestly." As he symbolically moved his tassel, he reflected, "What did you learn from all this? God knows what he's doing."

Rene Amaya can now truly feel like he's done something no one else in his family has done before.

J.D. Miles

J.D. Miles is an award-winning reporter who has been covering North Texas for CBS 11 since 1996.

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Wells Fargo and developer KDC broke out the gold-painted shovels and a country-music soundtrack under a tent Tuesday in Irving to ceremonially kick off construction on a $455 million office campus that will ultimately serve as the base for 3,000 of the bank's North Texas corporate employees.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the two-tower, 850,000-square-foot regional campus on 22 acres “a Texas sized investment in the future of Las Colinas and Irving.”

“Interestingly, Texas is home to the largest financial services workforce in the entire United States of America,” Abbott said. “What this project will do by its expansion is it will boost that No. 1 ranking even higher.”

Charlie Scharf, Wells Fargo CEO, said the San Francisco-based bank has more than 800,000 square feet of office space spread through 14 corporate sites around Dallas-Fort Worth, including Irving. In the past five years, Wells Fargo has grown from 5,800 employees in the area to 6,800, with nearly all of the jobs in technology, operations and risk management, he said.

The new facility will allow Wells Fargo, which has Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) as its parent organization, to consolidate multiple offices across DFW into the Irving site by the end of 2025, when the campus is expected to officially open.

“San Francisco is the headquarters of the company. It's been that way for a very long period of time,” Scharf said. “But we have significant employee bases across the country and we're very, very thoughtful about where we want to add our resources. We're thrilled to be able to not just consolidate but to continue to add resources here in the DFW area. We're thrilled to be able to join other financial services companies, and one of the great attractions to the community here is the talent base.”

The new campus is located on the northeast corner of West Las Colinas Boulevard and Promenade Parkway, one block south of West Northwest Highway.

Steve Van Amburgh, CEO of KDC, said Las Colinas is the ideal location for the new Wells Fargo office campus.

“It is designed with employees as the priority, including easy access to public transportation through Dallas Area Rapid Transit light-rail train,” he said.

Van Amburgh said the campus is designed to be “timeless, sustainable and organic.”

The campus will be Wells Fargo’s first net-positive energy campus, Van Amburgh said, meaning it is expected to generate more energy than it consumes, with rooftop solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, and native plantings to minimize watering requirements. The campus is targeted for LEED Platinum environmental certification.

The interior design boasts full-scale amenities including barista-style coffee, a world-class food hall with open view cooking stations, and a dining hall overlooking Lake Carolyn. There will also be a library with a high-tech workshop space and a tech express lounge on-site.

The Wells Fargo project is a prime example of what city government and businesses can achieve when they work together on mutually beneficial developments, Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer said.

“Our city has a reputation as being the headquarters of headquarters,” Stopfer said. “This is something that we take very seriously. We know how important it is when a new company comes to our state and to our city that they are welcome and that their employees feel welcome.”

Gov. Abbott also congratulated Irving business and government leaders on landing the deal.

“You all are an economic powerhouse for the state of Texas,” he said. “You're at magnet for economic development projects. What you do has the secret sauce to success of what we're able to achieve in the state.”

The project is designed by Dallas-based Corgan architecture firm, Austin Commercial is the general contractor and Kimley Horn is handling the landscape and civil engineering.

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