Mosquito samples test positive for West Nile Virus

Two trap locations set overnight Tuesday, April 30, captured mosquitoes that tested positive for the presence of West Nile Virus. Locations were the 800 block of College Street and the 1700 block of South Edmonds Ln. (behind Renaissance Village Retirement Center). Follow-up traps set overnight Wednesday did not capture enough mosquitoes for accurate testing.

Based on those test results, and the fact that cases of human infection did occur near both locations during 2012, the City has decided to treat both areas with a combination of ground-level spraying to kill adult mosquitoes and aggressive larvicide treatment to kill eggs and larva.

Spraying has been scheduled for two consecutive nights in both target areas – Tuesday, May 7, and Wednesday, May 8 – starting after 10 p.m. each night and lasting most of the night. Maps of the two spraying target areas are available on the city website.

Fire fighters will be out on the streets of the Lewisville asking motorists to help “Fill the Boot” for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on Monday, April 29th, through Saturday, May 4th. Every dollar that passing motorists can pitch into the fire fighters’ boots helps Local 3606 fire fighters provide medical treatment and support services to individuals and their families living with neuromuscular diseases in the Lewisville area.

The International Association of Fire Fighters has been a national MDA partner for more than 50 years and remains committed to the fight to end neuromuscular diseases.
“Fire fighters are American heroes who make such a difference for the people and families we serve,” said MDA Executive Director, Hilda Avila “The funds they raise are used for health care services and equipment support, and to help send kids to free MDA summer camps. We are grateful for everything they do.”

Fill the Boot funds also are used to support some of the 250 worldwide research projects seeking better treatments and cures for the more than 40 neuromuscular diseases covered by MDA, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy and ALS.

“We know the money we raise definitely makes a difference in the lives of people affected by neuromuscular diseases, and that it helps them get the care they need,” said Lewisville Firefighter and Assistant Chief, Brian Freed. “Fill the Boot is a proud tradition for us, and it’s a great way for fire fighters to be out in the community reminding residents that we are here, always ready to help.”

IAFF became the first national sponsor for MDA in 1954, and over the years, fire fighters have raised millions of dollars to help improve and enhance the lives of those living with neuromuscular disease. Fire fighters have raised money for MDA through their participation in the annual Fill the Boot campaign, as well as by sponsoring golf and softball tournaments. Many also contribute some of their vacation time each year to volunteer at MDA summer camps across the country.

As we've mentioned before here, and here, the City of Lewisville is putting together a long-range strategic plan for where we all want to go as a city.

Here is a 29 minute video of a presentation at a recent Chamber of Commerce meeting, where Councilman TJ Gilmore and the city's planning consultant explained the planning process, and have asked citizens to participate in various ways:



Please, if you have not yet done so, set aside some time to watch the video, visit the Lewisville Vision 2025 Plan website and then take about 30 minutes to go work on the surveys:

Survey #1 - Multiple choice

Survey #2 - Open-ended questions

The first campaign finance reporting deadline for City Council candidates has passed, and all four candidates for Lewisville have reported. Reports cover the period from 1/1/2013 to 3/31/2013, so candidates have no-doubt raised and spent other money since then.

Place 4:
Councilman John Gorena reported receiving $2,266.50 in contributions from 22 donors, and spending $589.75. He reports $2,160 in cash on hand.

Challenger and former councilman Greg Tierney raised $6,700 from 11 donors, and spent $2,997.36. He reports $3,702.64 in cash on-hand.

Place 5:
Councilman Rudy Durham reported no contributions or expenditures, and cash on-hand of $1,039.28

Challenger Raymond Daniels reported $80, all in contributions under $50, and total expenses of $382.72, with $80 cash on-hand.

Flags are ordered at half staff statewide through sunset on Saturday, April 20, 2013 by the Governor pursuant to an order issued by the President of the United States under 36 USC 10 in respect for bombing victims in Boston. City Hall is lowering them now.

-RNeil

Keep Lewisville Beautiful seeks motivated and organized part-time administrative assistant to perform daily office duties and help organize KLB programs. This is a part time position (20-25 hours per week), hours are flexible and some weekend work applies during special events. Pay rate based on experience.

Main responsibilities involve: receptionist duties, inventory of supplies, managing office files and binders, maintaining volunteer databases, assisting Executive Director with state and national reports and grants, clerical duties, and assisting with special events as needed. Additional responsibilities include light office work (faxing, mail outs, research, copying, database entry, etc) and social media site posting/monitoring.

Lewisville residents are being encouraged to participate in a community visioning process that will result in a Lewisville 2025 long-range plan as the city nears its 100th birthday.

Two online surveys launched today for residents to offer their input and ideas on a range of long-term issues facing the city, and a citywide “Big Ideas Workshop” is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, at the Medical Center of Lewisville Grand Theater in Old Town Lewisville.

“This very ambitious project will take a comprehensive look at city operations and the city as a whole, with the goal of charting the city’s course through the next decade,” said Mayor Dean Ueckert.

“To do this right, our residents and business community must be an integral part of creating the Lewisville 2025 plan. There will be several committees formed to study different aspects of the plan, and even for those unable to serve an active role in developing the plan, there will be multiple ways to provide input and help shape this vision-creating process.”

Visioning is generally described as a process by which a community decides the future it wants and then plans how to achieve that future. Broad-based participation is important in order to achieve a clear vision that can be shared and supported by the community at large.

Lewisville last went through a similar process when the Lewisville 2010 plan was developed in 1999 and 2000. Many of the major elements of that plan have been implemented in the ensuing years, including an emphasis on neighborhood programs and revitalization of the historic Old Town district.

“Lewisville 2025 is intended to be a reflection of our community values and aspirations - answering the question of what kind of community we want Lewisville to be when we hit our 100th birthday in 2025,” Ueckert said. “It will be a guide for the management of growth and change, and a reference point for future decision-making. Basically, it is going to be a multi-year ‘to-do’ list for the City.”

The Lewisville Texan Journal has received inquiries into rumors about former Lewisville City Councilman and current Council candidate Greg Tierney. It’s not uncommon in any election cycle for us to hear all sorts of things about any given candidate, only a portion of which may be true or warrant mentioning. We looked into some of the rumors and could not find any substantiation, but we did find a couple of items that warranted further investigation. Some of that, we gleaned from public documents, and for some we sought clarification from Tierney.

Lawsuit
The first rumor was that Tierney was sued for “illegal music use”. He was sued, but it was not about music. The rumor probably came about in 2003 when Tierney’s old restaurant “Mill Street Cafe” restaurant was briefly seized by federal marshals to settle a legal judgement. The problem actually began back in 1998, when he had another restaurant and bar attached to a hotel in Dallas. Tierney explained that it had the same cable TV system as the hotel. Someone came in on the night of a boxing match, and asked him if he would tune the TV to the match - which he did. Shortly thereafter, he was sued in federal court for $250,000 for unauthorized broadcast.

Tierney says he turned the case over to an attorney from the Texas Restaurant Association, who he thought would take care of the matter. But somewhere along the line, either Tierney or the attorney dropped the ball or they misunderstood each other, and nobody responded to the lawsuit in a timely fashion. Because of that, there was a default judgement in the amount of $8,295, which Tierney says he was not aware of at that time. Fast forward to 2003, and the plaintiff (who has over the years brought 38 of these suits) moved for a writ of execution, which the judge granted. This allowed federal marshals to seize assets from Tierney to pay the judgement. The agents entered into his restaurant and emptied his cash register, then seized his bank account.

All of this was over a TV in his bar on a night that he thinks brought about $250 in sales. Here are posted copies of all of the documents that the federal court has made available - which includes the judgement and execution, but unfortunately not the complaint.