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Karen Gavis

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Robert Riggs' True Crime Reporter Podcast Is a Hair-Raising Hit

By Karen Gavis
Dec 21, 2020

Resurrected tales of terror are moving listeners to the edge of their seats. Culling through reporter notes from stories he’d written decades ago, Robert Riggs created a hair-raising podcast that’s attracted more than 55,000 listeners in its first three months. “It’s a journey into darkness when you’re listening to it,”...
Small North Texas Town Is Fighting to Preserve the Natural Night Sky

By Karen Gavis
Dec 10, 2020

It’s not a municipality of vampires, at least we don’t think so, but a lone town in North Texas is clinging to the darkness. “It’s kind of a dark area, not a lot of development, not yet,” says Gordon Meredith, North Texas regional manager for the Texas chapter of the...
Arlington Builds an Artistic Community Through Create Arlington

By Karen Gavis
Nov 27, 2020

A retro space in downtown Arlington is now second home to a creative community. When Mark Joeckel, former general manager of Arlington Music Hall, had to cancel four months of shows earlier this year because of the pandemic, he says he refocused and re-created a vision he had for local...
Every November, a Writing Group Is Making Published Authors Out of Locals

By Karen Gavis
Nov 25, 2020

Although they often write in self-imposed solitude, this month, scribes will have a chance to get ... well ... Zoom together for some all-nighter writing sessions. November is National Novel Writing Month and NaNoWriMoers nationwide will be jotting down 50,000 words before the clock strikes midnight on Nov. 30. “I...
New Book Texas Titans Defines George H. W. Bush and James Baker III as a Match

By Karen Gavis
Nov 6, 2020

By chance, two Texans teamed up for a tennis doubles match. It would be the beginning of a decades-long friendship, and a powerful one in terms of politics. “They went back-to-back men’s doubles championships by helping each other with their own weaknesses,” says Charles Denyer, author of Texas Titans. The...
Musician JJ Fenceroy Sings for the People as He Runs for City Council

By Karen Gavis
Oct 12, 2020

When he’s not campaigning for office, JJ Fenceroy can be found, more than likely, strumming a guitar. The 50-year-old retired Air Force veteran, who made the rounds at art shows and open mics before COVID-19, is also running for Arlington City Council. Fenceroy grew up around music, he says, and...
There May Be Hope for Texans Facing Evictions

By Karen Gavis
Sep 28, 2020

Although Texas’ unemployment rate fell to 6.8% last month, some renters may still be anxiously eyeing a new year. Talks of a new coronavirus relief package appear all but stagnant these days, and with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s moratorium on some evictions set to expire Dec. 31,...
Nonprofit Nexus Recovery Center Stayed COVID-Free While Helping Women in Recovery

By Karen Gavis
Sep 18, 2020

Tough times, like during a pandemic, may mean a rise in addiction and relapses, but a Dallas treatment center is making it easier for women to recover. September is celebrated as National Recovery Month and each week there’ll be a flurry of pep rallies and activities at Nexus Recovery Center...
Cultural Events Are Happening Once Again in North Texas

By Karen Gavis
Sep 17, 2020

While the coronavirus has left a trail of cancellations, many events have changed their format by either going outdoors or online. Things are changing daily, but Dallas culture is still thriving. We’ve put together a list of upcoming events that, so far, have survived a pandemic. Sept. 17-20 Book Sale...
Dallas Renters Get the Biggest Splash for Their Bucks in the Suburbs, Experts Say

By Karen Gavis
Sep 8, 2020

It’s still summertime. It’s hot. Everyone wants a pool. But where can renters get the biggest splash for their buck? According to data from apartments.com, an online apartment-listing website, living in the ‘burbs increases the chances that apartment dwellers will have access to amenities like pools and gyms at the...
Rooftop Cinema Club Is Opening a Drive-In in Dallas; Some Proceeds to Support BLM

By Karen Gavis
Aug 24, 2020

Outdoor entertainment is nothing new for Rooftop Cinema Club, which is set to open a Dallas drive-in Tuesday. The new venue will be the fourth Texas-based drive-in the company has opened since March. While Rooftop has been around for a decade, its owner, Gerry Cottle, has been in show business...
Music Journalist Jeff Prince Created Toast and Jam, Now Burned by the Pandemic

By Karen Gavis
Aug 17, 2020

Before getting burned by the coronavirus pandemic, Toast and Jam was sort of sweet. Jeff Prince, who helped create more than 100 episodes of the local music show before getting laid off at the Fort Worth Weekly, describes his nearly 20 years at the alternative weekly newspaper as his greatest...
Haunted Houses Are Scared of Guests

By Karen Gavis
Aug 14, 2020

Halloween season is destined to be different this year, which leaves local spook houses to mull their options. “We hope to open Sept. 21,” says Dark Hour’s artistic director Allen Hopps. “[But] I don’t know if it’s going to happen.” Like many venues, Dark Hour went truly dark in early...
Arlington Museum of Art Welcomes Back Patrons With Works by New York Artist Knox Martin

By Karen Gavis
Jul 28, 2020

The Arlington Museum of Art has reopened with a one-man show spotlighting women. Knox Martin: Living Legend is scheduled to run through Oct. 11 at the downtown venue, which typically presents pre-curated shows. However, AMA’s marketing coordinator, Lily Williams, says this exhibit is unique. “We got to have this really...
Georgie Zang Was Looking for a Home, Instead She Got a Multi-Million Dollar Project

By Karen Gavis
Jul 10, 2020

What started as a mission to find a piece of land to build a home soon morphed into an upscale townhome development. "If you would have told me two years ago I'd be right here, I'd have told you [that] you were crazy," says Georgie Zang, who corralled the vision...
I’m a White Woman Named Karen and Don’t Find The Term Offensive

By Karen Gavis
Jul 8, 2020

I'll admit it. I've never been a lifelong fan of my moniker, but I damn sure wasn't going to change the name that my dear sweet mama gave me. Lately though, it seems as if my particular tag has gone from bad to worse, and Karen has swiftly become a...
Is Nextdoor an Open Forum for Snitch Culture and Covert Racism?

By Karen Gavis and Eva Raggio
Jun 22, 2020

Although Nextdoor's purpose is to unite communities, the digital platform has come under fire for what some see as cultivating a snitch culture among neighbors who aren’t always welcoming. The virtual neighborhood, where members sometimes encourage others to call the police on those who look "out of place" in their...
At 87 Years Old, Al Schahn Began Restoring Violins. At 88, He Became a Violin Maker.

By Karen Gavis
Jun 9, 2020

As a boy, Al Schahn knew that the handmade violins his “papa” created made a distinct sound. Now 88 years old, Schahn began patiently restoring musical instruments last year and has since refurbished more than 20 violins, he says, including 13 that his father made. The instruments arrived from places like...
Big Sammy Is a Rising Hip-Hop Artist, but a Star Activist

By Karen Gavis
Jun 8, 2020

Big Sammy found her voice through rap music. Now, the 20-year-old is organizing protests to help others find theirs. Also known as Sammy Cooper, the artist has lived in Arlington most of her life. She was practically a toddler when she began singing, she says, but took a break for...
What's the Damage on Arlington's Billion-Dollar Entertainment District Investments?

By Karen Gavis
May 13, 2020

As public health and the city's economy are weighed in the balance during the pandemic, an absence of crowds and rumbling roller coaster wheels lend an aura of eeriness to Arlington’s entertainment district. Six Flags Over Texas at Arlington, Hurricane Harbor, Texas Live! and AT&T Stadium remain shuttered, and the...
It’s a Bard Life: A Fort Worth Theater Is Helping Veterans Leave Their PTSD on the Stage

By Karen Gavis
Apr 16, 2020

Stephan Wolfert hadn’t planned to stumble drunk into a Montana theater in 1991 for a performance of a play by Shakespeare. The jaded Army veteran also didn’t expect to connect with the medieval character of a crazed, homeless woman up on the stage, or to eventually share the healing he...
North Texas Film Festivals Are Now Taking Place in Your Living Room

By Karen Gavis
Mar 24, 2020

The coronavirus has mostly eradicated traditional crowds, but that's not stopping some film festivals from creating virtual marquees to ensure that the shows will go on. Thin Line Fest will be happening Wednesday-Sunday, March 25-29, and Dallas VideoFest’s Alternative Fiction will take place April 3-5. Josh Butler, founder of Thin...