The first, annular solar eclipse comes this weekend. The second, a total or full eclipse, will be on April 8, 2024.
Saturday Solar Eclipse
Saturday’s annular eclipse will be the first since 2012 here in Texas.
An annular eclipse creates a “ring of fire” appearance, when the moon obscures the sun but is too far from the Earth to completely cover it. The remaining ring of sunlight known is the “ring of fire.”
This eclipse will be visible across a narrow path of the US stretching from Oregon to Texas.
Johnson sides with ERCOT over local consumer needs in Wednesday email urging consumers to adjust their thermostats.
In an email to supporters, Johnson noted a recent tweet from ERCOT asking consumers to raise their household temperatures. He then says they are right before asking for contributions to his senate re-election campaign.
Nathan Johnson was first elected in 2018 and since then has tacked further and further left. In 2022, there were rumors of a centrist challenge.
Now it appears Johnson is carrying water for the same energy organization that left Dallas out in the cold in 2021.
Johnson Sides With ERCOT Over Consumers
Texas is growing at a rapid rate, but rather than increase supply, Johnson readily admits his focus is on taking away power.
ERCOT was hit after Winter Storm Uri in 2021, but Johnson was unable to move legislation forward to increase supply.
Dirty Dallas is in the top third of dirty cities in the United States.
Per a new report, Dallas ranks 38th out of more than 150 dirty cities. This ranking makes it slightly more clean than Houston and San Antonio.
Six of the top fifty most dirty cities are in Texas.
Other Side Dallas loves living in the city and access to the arts, culture, and nightlife – when safe to be part of it. However, more residents usually align with more dirt. This includes pollution, rats, and trash.
Some cities are more effective than others in tackling these issues.
Lawnstarter compared over 150 of the largest cities across the United States in four categories. Those were pollution, living conditions, infrastructure, and consumer satisfaction.
Dirty Dallas
A few years ago Dallas improved its standing with rats – with fewer of them in the city per an Orkin report.
However, during COVID19, trash pileups happened and there were numerous delays in city garbage service.
These delays led some in the community to start their own “Clean the Block” initiatives to improve Dallas.
The White Rock bald eagles displaced by high winds earlier in the week may not be lost yet.
A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department urban wildlife biologist, Sam Kieschnick, told NBC 5 that there could still be time in the season for the birds to mate and build a new nest.
The Bald Eagle couple lost their nest from a cottonwood tree a day earlier this week after high winds knocked the nest down.
White Rock Bald Eagles
The eagles are federally protected and the City of Dallas has taken extra steps to ensdure their protection.
As a result, the city had taken extra steps to protect the eagles, including erecting temporary fencing near the parking lot and signs telling visitors to stay away from the nest.
Anyone who takes an eagle or any part of their nest could face penalties up to $100,000.
The city plans to keep the immediate area around the nest closed while natural resources officials monitor the bird’ activity.
The evidence in the Bazaldua ethics hearing is coming next Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 10:00AM by videoconference.
Adam Bazadula, City Council Member for District 7, is accused by Pamela Grayson that he violated city ethics code by making personal attacks against Grayson on Facebook. He also removed his co-sponsorship of an Earth Day event she was organizing.
Grayson’s complaint says Bazaldua had park rangers and police waiting on vendors who were arriving at the event. The complaint states Bazaldua was overheard saying that he does not come to South Dallas because “the risk outweighs the reward.”
Grayson argued Bazaldua’s actions are in violation of Dallas code of ethics rules stating council members must act with integrity and treat others with respect and must be responsible with taxpayer resources.
Bazaldua Ethics Hearing Comes After Tough Re-election
Bazaldua faced more opponents than any other sitting member of Dallas City Council. Additionally, one of his opponents was endorsed by the sitting US Congresswoman and State Senator for the area.
Dallas trash services will be experiencing delays per Tim Oliver, the City of Dallas Interim Director of Sanitation Services.
The City of Dallas is experiencing a laborer shortage within the Department of Sanitation Services, resulting in intermittent service delays for customers.
Sanitation has adjusted operations to prioritize on-time garbage collection for customers. This means all available staff are assigned to garbage collection routes first. Per a city press release, blue roll cart collection of recyclable materials may be delayed by one or two days in various areas of the city, on a rotating basis, over the next several weeks, until staffing levels stabilize. IT has been reported that recycling has been missed by more than a week in some cases.
The City of Dallas says it is not necessary for customers to report missed recycling collection to 311 unless materials have not been collected after more than forty-eight hours. Areas primarily serviced by automated truck routes will be less affected by this disruption.
Residents can find updates on garbage, recycling, and brush and bulky trash collections on Sanitation’s website, on NextDoor, and the Dallas Sanitation app (App Store / Google Play). Sanitation customers enrolled in the City of Dallas ePay system also receive service advisories directly via email.
Dallas Trash Issues Ongoing
At its last meeting, Dallas City Manager TC Broadnax was given another raise along with the City Secretary despite multiple service issues throughout the city.
Last October, Dallas fell one spot in a national survey of cities by Orkin. It fell on spot to sixteen due to a lower rat population per a national survey though those numbers did not account for changes due to COVID19.
Clean The Block Initiative is an outreach program that tackles the disproportionate environmental effect on lower income communities.
The main objective is to clean up loose trash/litter, fight illegal dumping, educate community members on urban environmentalism, and reverse the effects of environmental racism that historically effects socioeconomically challenged neighborhoods.
Clean The Block Initiative
The iniative was started by Calvin Johnson, former candidate for D7 City Council in Dallas, and Brian Hesson. That race which attracted endorsements from numerous elected officials and participation by groups such as Keep Dallas Safe.
The area’s socioeconomic status, climate change and increased pollution has had a negative effect on the health, cognitive development, education, economic status, and overall pride in the community in the area. CBI plans to combat several environmental issues that plague local Dallas communities.
Dallas City Council Member Tennell Atkins reports the Shingle Mountain fix is starting. Per a statement by Atkins issued regarding removal of shingles at 9505 S. Central Expressway: “The removal of shingle material at 9505 S. Central Expressway today marks a new era in Southern Dallas.”
The City’s contractor, Roberts Trucking, will move the shingle material to McCommas Bluff Landfill. The landfill is prepared to receive this type of material, and plans to recycle it. The contractor anticipates the removal process will be complete by the end of March 2021.
The removal process is being supervised by Modern Geosciences to address environmental concerns associated with the removal. Air monitoring will occur on and off site to ensure air quality meets appropriate standards to protect human health.
Shingle Mountain Fix Is Still A Legal Issue
The city statement goes on saying,“While the City has settled with one of the property owners, the City remains in litigation with the remaining defendants.
“We are nearly at the end of a two year journey, involving the tireless work of the City’s legal team and various City departments. We are hopeful this process will alleviate concerns from surrounding community members and emphasizes the City’s commitment to a clean environment.”
