Weather News

Latest Dallas-Fort Worth freezing spell sticking around another day

Please warm up over freezing, thank you.

Photo courtesy of Oxygen Concentrator

Dallas-Fort Worth is hunkered down under a thin but lethal layer of ice, with sleet and freezing rain expected to prevail through Thursday, February 24.

The area is under a winter storm warning until 6 pm Thursday. It was originally predicted to hit 38 degrees on Thursday, but unfortunately is now forecast to not get much above freezing. Dreamy meteorologist Kyle Roberts says there will be "minimal melting."

WFAA is ruling with updates that include not only radar but also a weather person pointing to a TV screen showing images of stuff happening on Facebook. They have it covered.

FOX 4 says a "light, but study round" of freezing drizzle is expected to fall throughout the morning. (Surely they mean "steady" and not study.)

Roads
Everyone is being warned to stay off the roads to prevent inevitable accidents like this one on Harry Hines Boulevard, or this backup on Royal Lane at US-75. The Dallas Police Department said it had responded to nearly 500 crashes as of 5 pm Wednesday.

Team of truck drivers with the City of Dallas Department of Public Works have been out for 48 hours using sand trucks to de-ice bridges, crossovers, and streets.

For the best and most up-to-date compendium of collisions and other roadway snafus, watch community news site DallasTexasTV.

Dallas public transit
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has extended "Operating Scenario 2" of their Severe Winter Weather Operating Plans through the end of the day on Thursday, February 24. DART rail operations remain suspended. To replace the rail service, they'll operate 14 shuttle bus routes between rail stations that will run every 45 minutes. DART bus routes will operate on a Sunday schedule from 5 am-9 pm. DART will determine a service restoration timeline based on weather conditions. The Dallas Streetcar will not operate at this time, but there will be a shuttle bus running to and from EBJ Union Station and the Bishop Arts District, making all stops.

DART transit centers will be open from 5 am-9 pm, manned by DART staff:

Addison Transit Center
Arapaho Center Station
Buckner Station
Central Business District (CBD) West Transfer Center
Central Business District (CBD) East Transfer Center
Downtown Garland Station
Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing Station
J.B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center
Lake June Station
Ledbetter Station
Parker Road Station
South Garland Transit Center
Cockrell Hill Transfer Location will be available between 6 am-2 pm.

The Operating Scenario 2 shuttle bus routes are available on the DART website at www.dart.org/winterweather.

Fort Worth public transit
Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is operating on a Saturday schedule.

Trinity Metro bus routes will run on a Saturday schedule on Thursday February 24, with the following exceptions:

No service on Molly the Trolley
No service on The Dash
No Route 31/CentrePort Circulator
No Routes 23, 30, 111, Burnett Plaza Lunch Line, Express Routes 61, 63, 65, 66 & 67

TEXRail will operate on its regular schedule. TRE will operate on a Saturday schedule. ACCESS paratransit will be available for life-sustaining trips.

Customer care representatives will be available by phone at 817-215-8600.

DFW Airport
FlightAware reported 1,057 total cancellations at DFW on Thursday, following Wednesday when more than 1,000 flights were canceled.

weather

Homeless News

Downtown Dallas homeless service Stewpot lands bigger better space

The Stewpot

It's official: The Stewpot, a community program that serves the homeless, has a new home. According to a release, First Presbyterian Church of Dallas — the organization that oversees the Stewpot — has acquired the CitySquare Community Center building at 1610 S. Malcolm X Blvd. where the StewPot will soon reside.

“This new facility will allow us to better deliver our programs and continue to support the 12,000 people served annually by CitySquare’s Neighbor Resource Center and Food Pantry programs,” said Brenda Snitzer, executive director of The Stewpot.

The Stewpot is a community ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. Established in 1975, it began with a concerned group of church members who started preparing lunch for the congregation's homeless and hungry neighbors.

It serves those experiencing homelessness and poverty. Its programs have tripled in size in recent years, and the ministry has outgrown its current space at 1835 Young St. across from the church.

When CitySquare announced earlier this year that it would cease operations and sell its property by the end of the year, First Presbyterian leaped in to make a bid on the space. Members voted on Sunday, December 8 to approve the acquisition. The closing is scheduled for Friday, December 13. The Stewpot will begin moving into the new space later this month.

As a part of the acquisition, The Stewpot will continue two of CitySquare’s core programs: its Food Pantry and its Neighbor Resource Center, which helps people with housing options, SNAP, WIC, healthcare, financial assistance, and mental health services.

The property is a mile from The Stewpot’s current facility on Young Street, across the street from the church. With this acquisition, The Stewpot will move its operations and offices, while continuing to serve more than 1,000 meals daily at The Bridge downtown.

charity downtown