01.19.2024

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Today’s Forecast

36º | Sunny | 0% chance of rain
Sunrise 7:32 a.m. | Sunset 5:36 p.m.

📚 2024 stacks up for the public library

Director Midori Clark shares what’s next for the Fort Worth Public Library

Midori Clark came to the Fort Worth Public Library from Aurora, Colorado. | Graphic by FTWtoday

Meet Midori Clark, the new director of the Fort Worth Public Library (FWPL). She brings previous director experience from libraries in Aurora and Pueblo, Colorado.

We asked Clark eight questions about what drew her to the FWPL, new library initiatives, and her 2024 reading list. See what’s next for the FWPL.

What drew you to Fort Worth from Colorado?

I think what is really exciting about the library here is the strong foundation that’s been built over the past several years, making a shift from being a leader in providing books, to being a leader in providing programming and different kinds of educational opportunities for people in the community.

We have more than 7,000 programs a year happening at the Fort Worth Public Library, which is remarkable. That is a team I want to be on + a community impact that I want to be part of.

Do you have a vision for the library or initiatives that you’d like to take on as director?

The strategic plan that’s currently in place is coming to an end, so we will be focusing our energies together with our staff, the community, and city leadership to determine what that next phase of FWPL looks like. It’s a collaborative process to think about the next phase of impact that we want to have within the community, the partnership, and collaboration with the city of Fort Worth + the excitement that our staff has for serving the community. All of those different stakeholders together will create the future that we want to head toward.

How do you hope to expand library usage and programming or engagement?

One of the big ways that we’re expanding is through new locations for library services. We’re very excited to be opening a new branch inside a retail shopping center on Clifford Street in west Fort Worth + we’re working on a new traditional branch library in far northwest Fort Worth, thanks to voter approval of the 2022 bond.

5 more questions

Events

Friday, Jan. 19

Nick Simmons | Friday, Jan. 19-Saturday, Jan. 20 | 7-11:15 p.m. | Big Laugh Comedy Club, 425 Commerce St., Fort Worth | $20 | Get ready to laugh your socks off in this stand-up special from the NYC-based comic.
Pony Bradshaw | Friday, Jan. 19 | 10 p.m. | Billy Bob’s Texas, 2520 Rodeo Plaza, Fort Worth | $20-$32 | The Mississippi folk singer is taking the stage at the world’s largest honky tonk.

Saturday, Jan. 20

Sounds Modern: Maps of Music and Memory | Saturday, Jan. 20 | 2 p.m. | The Modern, 3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth | $0-$16 | Watch and listen as the art galleries transform into a concert hall in this music series.
Mustang Magic Top 10 Finals | Saturday, Jan. 20 | 6 p.m. | Will Rogers Memorial Center, 3401 W. Lancaster Ave., Fort Worth | $15-$105 | Be amazed by this performance by some of the country’s best horse trainers and their wild American Mustangs.

Sunday, Jan. 21

Ultimate Bullfighters | Sunday, Jan. 21 | 1:30 p.m. | Cowtown Coliseum, 121 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth | $12-$45 | If the FWSSR isn’t enough for you, check out this ode to traditional Spanish bullfighting.

Events calendar here

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News Notes

Outdoors

The Fort Worth Zoo welcomed two new red wolves named Shiner and Natalie. The zoo said that red wolves are an endangered species with less than 30 left in the wild due to habitat loss. You can visit the duo in the Pineywoods + Swamps area of Texas Wild.

Real Estate

Defense and aerospace company Lockheed Martin is expanding in Fort Worth to a new 136,165-sqft building in the Fort West Commerce Center. The newly built, three-story industrial park along I-820 is about seven miles from where the company produces F-35 jets. The new space will primarily be used as a storage facility. (The Business Journals)

Coming Soon

Healthy eatery Original ChopShop will open a location in Alliance this summer. The store will serve protein bowls, salads, sandwiches, juices, and acaí bowls at the northeast corner of Heritage Trace Parkway and I-35W. The Dallas-based chain opened a location in Southlake last year.

Concert

Janet Jackson will bring her “Together Again Tour” to Cowtown this summer. The five-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will perform on Thursday, July 25, at Dickies Arena with rap artist Nelly. Grab your tickets.

Watch

Fans are invited to see live tapings of “Ray’s Roadhouse” from Tuesday, Jan. 23 to Thursday, Jan. 25. The free shows will be taped at The Cowboy Channel studio in the Stockyards at 1:30 p.m. + 4:30 p.m. Admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Biz

Fort Worth-based Crescent Real Estate LLC named Christopher Goff the new Senior Vice President of Capital Formation. Goff said he will oversee the company’s equity capital formation efforts and enhance relationships with investors in his new role. (Fort Worth Business Press)

Tech

Biotechnology and pharmaceutical company Panthera BioSolutions opened a flagship facility in Fort Worth. Called Good Manufacturing Practices, the facility will offer services for innovators, startups, and established companies alike. (Dallas Innovates)

Shop

Girl Scout Cookie Season (aka the best time of year) is in full swing. Behind every cookie box lies a world of endless possibilities. Support your local Girl Scout troops this season as they work towards unboxing a more equitable, barrier-breaking, fun future. Find a cookie booth now through March 3.*

Finance

Erasing interest on purchases and balance transfers into 2025 can really make a difference. Throw in no annual fee, and there’s no wonder why thousands are lining up for these cards.*

Edu

🏗️ A groundbreaking new development

Fort Worth Country Day breaks ground on a $25 million lower school

FTW-fwcd-lower-school-courtyard-rendering

Fort Worth Country Day broke ground on a new Lower School for first through fourth grades. | Rendering courtesy of Lake|Flato Architects

Earlier this week, Fort Worth Country Day broke ground on a $25 million, state-of-the-art elementary school.

The Annie Richardson Bass Lower School will replace the existing 1964 Lower School when it opens in the spring of 2025. As part of the school’s Forward Together Comprehensive Campaign, the 32,720-sqft facility will cater to 350 students in grades 1-4.

The campus is designed by San Antonio-based Lake|Flato Architects and Dallas-based landscape architect Hocker Design with construction services by Linbeck.

Complete with natural light and outdoor connections, the school features:

A 2,130-square-foot library
An outdoor courtyard
Two dedicated science labs, a maker space, and study rooms
A commons area
Covered outdoor learning spaces
A playground with a sports court and play structures
Integrated technology for students
Communications and security platforms
A dedicated safety shelter
Offices, wellness, and admin spaces

The Buy

The Buy 1.19.23 (Affiliate + Six & Main)

“The 5-Minute Gratitude Journal.” Written by happiness and relationship coach Dr. Sophia Godkin, this journal inspires gratitude with prompts to answer every day — and it only takes five minutes.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
FTWtoday team

From the editor

We hope everyone enjoyed the short break from the freezing weather. Temperatures rose above freezing late Wednesday morning, ending an 89-hour streak of the area being 32° or cooler.

Despite the brief relief, another cold front blew through overnight with low temperatures expected to be in the 20s° through Sunday.

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