Legendary professor and local political expert Jim Riddlesperger joins Ann and EJ on the 817 podcast. You may see Jim on TV or quoted in the paper. His 40+ year career at TCU allowed him to see the evolution of Fort Worth and provide a rich perspective on what we have accomplished and what is ahead of us as local residents. Enjoy!

SHORT STORY #1: Tarrant County DA appeals ruling that overturned Crystal Mason’s illegal voting conviction

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant County will receive part of a $250M federal grant to expand solar energy

SHORT STORY #3: Two more deaths at Tarrant County Jail

- Tarrant Co sheriff responds to ongoing concerns over most recent jail death, 60+ inmate deaths since 2017
- Tarrant County inmate found dead in jail cell Thursday morning. Cause not yet known
- Man who died in Tarrant jail sought help for schizophrenic episode before arrest, family says

BIG STORY: Interview with Jim Riddlesperger

WINS AND LOSSES:

Ann
👍 Autobahn not building in ClearFork
👎 Losing taxes because they are building in Benbrook

EJ
👍 FW top TX cities as best places to start a business
👎 Dallas Wings move to Downtown Dallas from Arlington

Anna and EJ sit down with Commissioner Alisa Simmons to discuss county politics and why residents should spend more time voting and cross checking county government. The agenda is below:

Short Story #1: Should West 7th property owners pay a tax for safety? How Fort Worth’s plan would work
- Which Fort Worth entertainment district has the most crime? Here’s what we found out.
- The ‘wildcard’ in keeping West 7th safe: Guns and booze. Will Fort Worth’s plan work?

Short Story #2: Fort Worth ISD could close these seven middle schools. Here’s why and what to know.

Short Story #3: Rally gathers in downtown Fort Worth to bring awareness to unsolved cold cases

Big Story: Interview with County Commissioner Alisa Simmons

Wins and Losses:

Ann:
👎 T&P Station Parking Lots
👍 Southwest Rail Conference

EJ:
👎 DFW Venture Capital
👍 Ann and EJ being awesome cohost :)

EJ and Ann sit down with Roderick Miles, who is running for County Commissioner Precinct 1. The election is May 28th. He is going head to head with Kathleen Hicks for the coveted seat Democrats have held for decades.

We start the show with the same format: we dive into short stories impacting Fort Worth and end with Wins and Losses.

SHORT STORY #1: County Commissioners Regular Weekly Shenanigans at this Point
- https://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article287559875.html
- https://www.instagram.com/p/C5pIqgrrrMw/

SHORT STORY #2: Events downtown you need to be aware of
- https://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/fort-worth/article287526845.html
- https://fortworthreport.org/2024/04/11/fort-worth-mayor-state-leaders-push-for-better-early-education-policies/

SHORT STORY #3: What development do you want to see in Fort Worth? City seeks your voice
- https://fortworthreport.org/2024/04/10/what-development-do-you-want-to-see-in-fort-worth-city-seeks-your-voice/

BIG STORY: Interview with Roderick Miles

Wins and Losses

Ann:
👍 Tubman Gallery
👎 Funky Picnic Closes

EJ:
👍 Immigration (Bloomberg Article)
👎 Cowtown Culture

Ann and EJ are joined by a legend of Fort Worth media, Bud Kennedy. Bud is a Fort Worth Star-Telegram opinion columnist. In a 52-year Texas newspaper career, he has covered two Super Bowls, a presidential inauguration, seven Republican and Democratic national conventions, and 18 Texas Legislature sessions.

SHORT STORY #1: Homeless and Eviction Data tell two different stories
- Tarrant County homeless population sees first dip in numbers since 2021
- Eviction filings in Fort Worth soar in the last 3 years. What can the city do about it?
- Homelessness down 12% in Fort Worth's Tarrant County
- Fort Worth considers $100 million bond to increase supply of affordable housing
- Developers propose $150M redevelopment on 9 acres in Fort Worth’s Near Southside

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant County approves use of pre-numbered ballots.
- Do they prevent voter fraud?

SHORT STORY #3: Tarrant Courts Proposed Reorganization
- Some fear Tarrant criminal courts could see ‘chilling effect’ under the proposed reorganization
- Tarrant commissioners hit the brakes on plan to overhaul criminal courts

BIG STORY: Interview with Bud Kennedy

Wins and Losses:

Ann:
👍 Panther Island Transportation
👎 UT DEI

EJ:
👍 TX First EV Fleet in FW
👎 Morgan Ice Cream Strawberry Tragic

Ann and EJ had the privilege of sitting down with former Star-Telegram reporter Kaley Johnson to discuss what it takes to report the news in a city the size of Fort Worth. We addressed the lifestyle of journalists, the business, and where we can go from here.

Ann and EJ sit down with Lee Henderson, a Fort Worth native and political analyst running for the Tarrant Appraisal District Board of Directors Place 3. We know that is a mouthful, but in this episode, we explain why you should care. Henderson's election is on May 4th.

SHORT STORY #1: Fort Worth police chief says his department won’t focus on immigration enforcement

SHORT STORY #2: Tarrant Commissioner Pushes for Countywide Environmental Change with Help of Committee

SHORT STORY #3: Transporation News

1) Have your say in Fort Worth's transit study
2) Bus Route to Alliance
3) Eliminating Dash Routes

BIG STORY: Interview with Lee Henderson

WINS AND LOSSES

Ann
👍 Librarians
👎 TAD web hack

EJ
👍 Fort Worth African American Roots Festival
👎 Recruiting Detention Officers

This week, we have Kathleen Hicks, former city councilwoman and now County Commissioner Precinct 1 candidate. She is going head to head with Roderick Miles for the coveted seat Democrats have held for decades.

We start the show with the same format, diving into short stories impacting Fort Worth.

SHORT STORY #1: Dallas-Fort Worth leads all metro areas in population growth

SHORT STORY #2: Frisco, McKinney and Plano have some of the largest gender pay gaps in the country

SHORT STORY #3: Years after COVID, teachers still leaving profession

BIG STORY: Interview with Kathleen Hicks

Wins and Losses:

Ann:
👎 Ken Paxton suing Meowolf
👍 FW Zoo sets all-time record attendance

EJ:
👎 Kid Rock and PBR
👍 Transportation and seeing people visit FW

Ann and EJ are back after a one-week hiatus from the show. The big story is the primary election results. Should we be concerned about Texas Democrats' poor turnout?

INTRO BANTER: Eclipseboro?

SHORT STORY #1: Fort Worth to address income discrimination in housing with amended city ordinance

SHORT STORY #2: Dallas officials are proving to be a hard sell on extending high-speed rail to Fort Worth

SHORT STORY #3: Game plan for Texas’ $20B surplus

BIG STORY: Texas Primary Election Results and Trends
- Republican voter turnout far outpaces Democrat turnout in 2024 primaries
- Fort Worth-area primary races heading to runoffs in May
- Tarrant commissioner Precinct 1 race headed to a runoff
- Primary election reveals Tarrant County Republican shift
- Tarrant GOP email shows party’s aversion to joint primary
- Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker endorses Nikki Haley for president at Stockyards rally

Wins and Losses
Ann:
👍 Comprehensive Plan and Panther Island Updates
👎 Voter Turnout (Mark your calendar for May 4th)
EJ:
👍 Students getting civically engaged at City Hall (INSTAGRAM)
👎 People complaining about the economy