DALLAS, Texas. – Comienza el mes de marzo y trae posibilidad de tiempo severo y tormentas para este jueves 2 de marzo en el norte de Texas.

Sin embargo, desde este miércoles tuvimos dos avisos por tormentas severas para Tarrant y el sur del condado Dallas. Además el Servicio Nacional de Meteorología emitió una Vigilancia por Tormentas Severas para varios condados del norte de Texas que expiró a las 10:10 am.

En Tarrant, ciudades como Arlington, Burleson, Forest Hill y Mansfield reportaron granizo del tamaño hasta de una pelota de golf.

Nuestra meteoróloga Nelly Carreño indicó que será un sistema que pasará relativamente rápido sobre el norte de Texas, pero trae consigo riesgo moderado de lluvias intensas, granizo y tornados. Además, un riesgo alto de fuertes vientos.

La escala del tiempo severo se mide del 1 al 5, siendo este último el máximo en su intensidad, y Dallas y Fort Worth están ubicados en el riesgo 2.

“Estamos dentro de un riesgo de 2 o 3 en una escala de 5, principalmente por fuertes vientos, granizo grande y no descartamos la posibilidad de tornado o cualquier modalidad de tiempo severo”, dijo Ángela del Río, experta en el tiempo.

Planifica tu lugar seguro

La meteoróloga Nelly Carreño resalta que debemos buscar un lugar céntrico dentro de nuestros hogares, lejos de las ventanas en caso de tornados.

Las personas que viven en casas móviles o rodantes deben buscar otra opción, es peligroso quedarse dentro de este tipo de viviendas en tiempo severo. Puedes acudir con tus vecinos.

El sistema llega después de las 4:00 pm y sí el riesgo más grande es de granizo grande, vientos de hasta 60 millas por hora y la posibilidad de tornados.

“El riesgo de inundaciones es mínimo, pero no se descarta, especialmente en áreas propensas a acumulación de agua”, pronostica Ángela del Río, experta en el tiempo.

Te recomendamos descargar la aplicación de Noticias 23 para recibir las alertas del tiempo.

Dallas Banner

SÍGUENOS EN NUESTRAS REDES

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Univision Dallas

FOREST HILL — Behind the busy southeast intersection of Loop 820, Interstate 20 and U.S. 287 lives Carla Hernandez, one of the many residents in the area who navigate the web of highways on a regular basis.

Although Hernandez moved there in June 2022, she has already seen how chaotic this intersection can become and looks forward to the completion of the Southeast Connector project, the Texas Department of Transportation’s largest investment in highway infrastructure in Fort Worth.

“Around five o’clock, it is very hectic,” said Hernandez, 30. “Even sometimes on the weekend, around the split to I-20 and I-820.”

Increased traffic demands and population growth have forced TxDOT to revisit the major highway completed in the 1970s to increase safety and mobility in congested parts of southeast Fort Worth. But the expensive and ambitious project — a $1.6 billion price tag over 11 miles — has been marred with funding hurdles, forcing some parts of the project to be deferred until money is available.

“Because of inflation, supply chain issues, things of that nature, all of the bids came in higher than what TxDOT has allocated,” said Jay Proskovec, public information manager for South-Point Constructors, the engineering firm behind the project.

The project, which broke ground in November 2022, is expected to officially start construction in early March and be completed in 2027.

Not everyone agrees that the connector needs a makeover. One watchdog group calls it a “boondoggle” and Arlington resident Shelley Ames finds it “completely unnecessary.”

“We’ve got four lanes on both sides that are never jammed unless there’s a traffic accident. If there’s an accident, it’s going to be jammed no matter what,” said Ames, a mother of four.

The Southeast Connector touches four communities — Fort Worth, Arlington, Kennedale and Forest Hill — and includes portions of I-20, Loop 820, U.S. 287 and Spur 303 (Rosedale Street).

Since the completion of southeast Loop 820 in the ‘70s, the highway has remained at four to eight lanes despite a significant increase in traffic. During that time, traffic has increased from less than 10,000 vehicles per day to over 200,000 vehicles per day at some locations of 820, said Michael Peters, public information officer for TxDOT’s Fort Worth office.

“With the increase in population during that time, these roadways can no longer accommodate this area’s growing traffic demand,” he said in an email.

Texas A&M’s Texas Transportation Institute released data in 2022 on the state’s most congested highways and ranked the eastbound I-20 segment between U.S. 287 and Texas 360 among the most congested freeways.

Based on growth projections, redesign for the connector gained traction in 2016, and identified a need for more lanes, from four to five on each side. Some exit ramps will be relocated from left to right and extended to improve safety and allow for more space to brake. Turn lanes will be added along some frontage roads.

“Frankly, the design of the roadway just really no longer stands up to the modern-day standards,” Proskovec said.

The $1.6 billion Southeast Connector is funded by the Texas Clear Lanes initiative, which uses a combination of federal and state funds to help TxDOT address congestion priorities with local officials. Funding does not include money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

However, rising costs and inflation have forced TxDOT and South-Point Constructors to prioritize certain aspects of the project. At this time, only 11 of the originally planned 16 miles will be worked on with an estimated completion date of 2027. If the tabled highway segments are added back on the timeline, the completion date could shift, Proskovec said.

To complete all 16 miles as one project, it would require $2.4 million, South-Point Constructors told the Fort Worth Mobility: Infrastructure and Transportation committee on Jan. 10.

Sections of the project that will be paused include I-820 between Ramey Avenue and Brentwood Stair Road, US 287 between Village Creek Road and Bishop Street, and I-20 between Little Road and Park Springs Road.

Ames, whose backyard opens up to I-20 and the exit ramp at Kelley Elliot Road, is also concerned about increased noise pollution and safety.

“There’s been cars in the ditch behind our house,” Ames said. “You get us too much closer to the freeway and we’re gonna start having cars in our backyards. This is a neighborhood with lots of kids. What happens if a car plows through my backyard and my kids are outside?

While the Southeast Connector faces funding setbacks, the project has also come under scrutiny from some watchdog organizations. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group and Frontier Group designated the project as one of the country’s most wasteful highway proposals in a 2020 annual report.

The report described the project as pointless with the appearance of having value — a “boondoggle.”

The project will also result in 23 residential and 19 commercial displacements and cut down about 15 acres of trees, which has raised concerns from neighbors.

TxDOT had no comment related to the watchdog report and instead noted the transformative impact the Southeast Connector project will have on a growing region in need.

“Traffic volumes on the facilities included within this project continue to increase as a result of this growth. Due to these considerations, the project has had the support of these cities, Tarrant County and the North Central Texas Council of Governments throughout its development,” TxDOT’s Peters said in an email statement.

TxDOT has said in the past it would compensate those forced to move because of the connector.

For opposed residents like Ames, this project is just “a huge waste of taxpayer funds.”

“If we were doing construction in our own house and I was budgeting for a new kitchen but the prices went up and I discovered that I won’t be able to afford half of my cabinets, I wouldn’t just go ahead and start the project anyways,” she said. “That doesn’t seem like an intelligent thing to do.”

Sandra Sadek is a Report for America corps member, covering growth for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at sandra.sadek@fortworthreport.org or follow her on Twitter at @ssadek19.

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

Forest Hill council member Beckie Duncan Hayes, who was suspended in November for failing to get a permit for repairs at her home, is suing four council members and the city, alleging that they are trying to silence her and to have her serve as little of her term as possible.

Hayes filed her lawsuit in Tarrant County district court late Thursday afternoon. Council members Malinda Miller, Racquel Belle, Carlie Jones and Ozell Birks were named in the suit. Mayor Clara Faulkner and council members Sonja Coleman are not being sued.

The suit alleges that the four council members who voted to suspend Hayes violated her right to due process and are acting outside of their authority as elected officials.

“The divisions on the Forest Hill city council have a long history, but the current actions taken against Beckie Hayes are unprecedented in their level of pettiness, and go beyond any rational grounds for discipline of a council member,” according to the lawsuit.

Interim city manager Venus Wehle did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Monday morning.

Hayes was suspended until March 17 following a lengthy hearing that lasted until after midnight on Nov. 17. While she is on suspension, Hayes will not have access to her city-issued cell phone and email and must communicate with the interim city manager regarding her mail.

During the Nov. 16 hearing, Frank Hill, an attorney representing Hayes, admonished the council, saying that the charges were unclear and “constitutionally vague.”

“My point again is not to be threatening but to alert you that you are about to embark on an unlawful constitutional proceeding without sufficient clarity of the charges and without clarity in the ordinances as to what she has allegedly done,” Hill said during the hearing.

According to the suit, Hayes hired a contractor in April to repair damage to her home from February’s winter storm.

An underground pipe burst, sending sewage into Hayes’ home. Because the break was close to the line that the city would be responsible for, Hayes contacted city employees, who came out and inspected the damage, and knew that repairs were needed, according to court documents.

Hayes also hired a foundation contractor, Cory Gray, who told her the repairs were cosmetic and that she did not have to have a permit. Gray was hired in April and finished the work in May.

Hayes also contacted the city to make sure that she didn’t need a permit for the repairs, and was told that she did not need one, according to the lawsuit.

Besides the foundation repairs, other work was underway at her home. Tommy Thompson, Forest Hill’s chief code enforcement officer, drove past the home daily, but said he did not see anything that required a permit.

However, in June, former city manager Sheyi Ipaye told Hayes that a neighbor complained that she didn’t have a permit for the work at her home. When Hayes asked who complained, the suit stated, Ipaye did not tell her.

Hayes asked her contractor to submit the permit paperwork, which was done in September.

“At no time did Ms. Hayes claim that as a city council member she didn’t need a permit, nor did she ever attempt to avoid complying with city policies and ordinances,” according to court documents.

Hayes also alleged that when a male council member was suspended for misusing his city credit card, he was told he could not vote or sit on the dais at meetings.

Hayes is requesting a hearing seeking a temporary injunction against the council members, and to be reinstated to her council seat.

Mayor Lyndia Thomas and Mayor Pro Tem Beckie Hayes, who also resigned, allegedly asked for reimbursement from the city for $545 tickets to Michelle Obama’s recent event in Dallas

FOREST HILL, Texas — This story has been updated to clarify the name of the mayor of Forest Hill.

10:01 p.m. Wednesday Dec. 16 UPDATE:

After the meeting where Forest Hill City Council accepted the resignations, Hayes and Thomas defended their actions to reporters and explained why they decided to resign.

"I will not leave my fate in the hands of other individuals," said Hayes. "I am a woman of integrity, and the allegations, they have no substance. They are false."

Hayes acknowledged that she purchased two $540 tickets for the Michelle Obama event for herself and the mayor and filed for reimbursement from the city's public relations fund. The expense was approved by the city manager, and Hayes received a check. She later paid back the money when there was criticism, but she said they had done nothing wrong.

"It doesn't specify what we can do and where we can go," she said. "But it's set aside for us to go and learn and get involved."

The expenditures were brought to light by a citizen's audit committee, which also flagged other expenses that they said were questionable, either lacking in documentation or approval from council.

"[The Obama event] had nothing to do with city business at all," said former councilmember Michielle Benson. "Public relations is supposed to make our city shine. That is not it."

"I feel like they took my money!" said Leslie Jasperson, a Forest Hill resident who served on the committee.

Jasperson has an accounting certification and was prepared to present evidence she collected at the meeting, but that proved unnecessary following the resignations.

Both Hayes and Thomas said they are being targeted for political reasons, and they both said they will now run for city council again. The next election will be in May.

"We don't get a salary, but we are entitled to be reimbursed for our expenses," Thomas said. "We are not trying to hide anything."

EARLIER:

The mayor and mayor pro tem of Forest Hill have resigned suddenly, ahead of public hearings on their alleged misuse of funds.

Mayor Lyndia Thomas and Mayor Pro Tem Beckie Hayes allegedly asked for reimbursement from the city for $545 tickets to Michelle Obama’s recent event in Dallas. A citizens committee apparently discovered that and other questionable expenses in an audit.

Hayes told Channel 8 she tendered her resignation because she did not want to leave her fate in the hands of others.

The city council is set to meet shortly, and other council members said they will continue to discuss ways to hold the officials accountable.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

The Forest Hill City Council is in turmoil after its mayor and mayor pro tem resigned this week following accusations of misuse of city funds to attend a Michelle Obama event.

Mayor Lyndia Thomas and Mayor Pro Tem Beckie Duncan Hayes stepped down Wednesday afternoon, just hours before public council hearings on the matter were to take place.

The two were accused of using city money to cover, among other expenses, tickets to attend a "conversation" with Michelle Obama, a Dec. 17 event held in conjunction with the former first lady's recent book tour. The tickets cost $545 each.

"They were ripping us off," Leslie Jasperson, a longtime Forest Hill resident who decided to check up on how city officials spend tax money, told KXAS-TV (NBC5).

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Through open record requests, Jasperson uncovered a check for $1,091.92.

But Thomas defended the Obama expense.

"We don't get paid a salary," she told NBC5. "But ... we are entitled to be reimbursed for our expenses."

City Manager Sheyi Ipaye approved reimbursement for the tickets, Hayes said. The money came from a $10,000 public relations fund that allows council members to attend events for educational purposes, she said.

"It doesn't specify what we can do and where we can go. But it's set aside for us to go and learn," Hayes said of the fund.

Jasperson told NBC5 that she doesn't buy it.

"It's not PR," she said. "What are they going to learn from Michelle Obama that they are going to bring back the city? I mean, really."

Thomas and Hayes received a letter notifying them of violations Jan. 8, though no details were provided, Hayes said.

Hayes said she reimbursed the city for her ticket after the allegations were raised. She said that she and Thomas resigned in order to avoid suspension but that they left under duress and "were not going to put our fate in [the council's] hands."

On Tuesday, Thomas and Hayes asked for a 90-day extension before their public hearing in order to prepare, but the council voted to deny the request.

The officials were elected two years ago, with Thomas defeating current council member Gerald Joubert by a single vote.

Thomas and Hayes filed to run for re-election on Wednesday, the first day to give notice.

"I'm expecting to win," Hayes told NBC5. The election is in May.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Clara Faulkner is acting mayor, NBC5 reported.

"I am astonished," Faulkner said. "The city is moving forward. We will continue to move forward. We can only go up."