“Mental health and mental illness is not a crime,” Cook said. “If we start working to provide people with mental illness with solutions and we don’t treat [them] as criminals then I think we are already starting in the right direction.”
Tittle said mental health issues do not excuse criminal behavior. However, he said officers can detain individuals having a mental health crisis rather than arrest them if they are an immediate danger to themselves or others.
“That is more often the appropriate detainment, and they do not come to jail, they go to [Methodist Richardson Medical Center] and go to their psychiatric center,” he said. “We just want to be diligent in our efforts to call [a mental health crisis] what it truly is and take the appropriate actions that should truly be taken.”
Lake Highlands Junior High could be replaced as part of the $750 million bond package that the Richardson ISD board of trustees is putting on the May 1 ballot. (Courtesy Richardson ISD) Richardson ISD voters will have the chance to decide on a $750 million bond package for the district as part of the May 1 election.
District trustees called the bond election, which will include two separate propositions, during the board’s Feb. 8 meeting. Proposition A will be for the amount of $694 million to cover costs related to planned improvements to district buildings, buses and vehicles. Proposition B is set to be for the amount of $56 million to improve technology devices throughout the district.
Whitley wants to see efforts in North Texas extend beyond the four largest counties. He estimated as much as 8% of the around 200,000 vaccinations Tarrant County has distributed have been to non-county residents and 31% of the registrants on the wait list are from outside Tarrant County.
“We re going to want to figure out ways to set up sites in those surrounding counties,” Whitley said. “The thing that we re constantly trying to do is to prepare for what I hope is a tsunami of vaccines that will be coming in the next three to five weeks.”
Counties receive little notice of how many vaccines they will receive on a weekly basis, Whitley explained. Eads said all four judges are hoping to get two to three weeks of notice on the number of vaccines they will receive to allow for more staffing and better planning.
As of 3:45 p.m. Jan. 29, Shafik Ben Guesmia was the only candidate who has filed for the Place 1 seat on the board.
PISD voters will also have the chance to vote for Places 2, 3 and 6 on the May 1 ballot.
Angela Powell is the Place 2 board member; Nancy Humphrey fills the Place 3 seat; and board Vice President Jeri Chambers holds the Place 6 position.
Ajikwaga Felli is the only candidate currently listed on the district website as having filed to run for the Place 2 position. Powell confirmed to
Community Impact Newspaper she plans to run for re-election, but her filing has not yet been posted to the district s website.
The British Emporium plans to remain in its space inside Fish & Fizz on a permanent basis. (Courtesy The British Emporium) The British Emporium pop-up shop that opened inside British eatery Fish & Fizz in Richardson on Oct. 1 is now a permanent part of the restaurant s space.
The business hails from historic downtown Grapevine and offers traditional British foods, such as brandy butter, mince pies, crackers and more. After initially planning to operate the pop-up through the holiday season, British Emporium owner Sheela K. Bailey and Fish & Fizz owner Nick Barkley agreed earlier this month to continue with the two British businesses under one roof.