SPRING TRAINING CLINIC – Northwest Texans Baseball is having a Spring Training Clinic for area youth 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Northwest High School indoor facility, located on the west side of the high school near the tennis courts. This clinic is for second-sixth graders. Cost of the clinic is $20 and includes two hours of instruction with NHS baseball coaches and players, a T-shirt and a poster of the 2013 senior players. Participants should wear appropriate workout attire. Bring gloves and bats if you have them. A form can be downloaded by going to www.leaguelineup.com/nwtexans and clicking on “handouts” on the left side of the page. Checks can be mailed to the address on the form. Players can sign up the day of the camp, but they are encouraged to sign up now.

CAREGIVER SEMINAR – The First Baptist Church in Justin will present a free seminar at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27 on preparing for the death, injury or ill health of a family member. The seminar will include topics such as handling family finances, planning a funeral, taking care of the family business, preparing to be a caregiver, caring for your home and vehicles and becoming familiar with your loved one’s medical needs. Light refreshment will be served.

TREES FOR SALE – The Denton County Soil and Water Conservation District has 14 species of tree seedlings available for purchase through its annual tree sale. To place an order, call (940) 383-2691 or stop by the office at 525 South Loop 288 in Denton. All proceeds will benefit the Cool Shade for Third Grade program in local schools. Make checks payable to Denton County SWCD. Orders may be mailed to 525 S. Loop 288 Suite C1, Denton, Texas 76205, or delivered to the same address. Orders are filled on a first come first serve basis. Orders must be placed by Feb. 14 at 4:30 p.m. Orders must be picked up on Friday, Feb. 22 at the North Texas Fairgrounds in Denton from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

COUNCIL WORKSHOP/PUBLIC HEARING – The Justin City Council will have its monthly workshop session at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28 at city hall. The meeting will include the second public hearing on an application for an oil and gas pipeline that will cross city property.

NORTHWEST SCHOOL BOARD – The Northwest School Board will meet Thursday, Jan. 31, with a closed session at 6 p.m. followed by the open session at 7.

CLARA LOVE TEAM PLACES – In its first year to compete, the Clara Love Elementary School High Tech Lil’ Texans earned 10th place overall and eighth place in Region XI at the TCEA Regional Robotics Competition on Jan. 12. The team is comprised of two fifth grade students and two fourth grade students who competed against 50 teams made up of fourth through eighth-grade students from Region X and Region XI. Students were required to program a Lego Mindstorms Robot to score as many points as possible on the game board. After three rounds, the team finished with a score of 165. This is the second year Clara Love Elementary School has offered a robotics club for students. The team is coached by librarian Brigid Kosek and third grade teacher Christopher Sayen.

HATFIELD TECHNO EXPO – Hatfield Elementary School will host Hatfield Techno Expo at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29 at Hatfield Elementary School (5051 Texan Drive, Justin). Hatfield students will demonstrate their use of technology to staff, parents and community members.

STAAR/END OF COURSE PARENT MEETINGS – Northwest ISD administrators will hold a meeting with parents at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31 at Northwest High School’s Performing Arts Center, 2201 Texan Drive, to present information regarding students’ graduation requirements in relationship to the STAAR/EOC for students in eighth through 10th-grades. STAAR has proven to be a more rigorous program, with new expectations for students and teachers. Most of the changes predominately affect students at the secondary level. Freshman and sophomores will be tested in grade-specific End-of-Course exams that will impact graduation. Based on the new assessment, a student’s year-long success in a course can be impacted by their score on the STAAR/EOC exam.

After today, you can add This Justin into the pile of “tried but failed” efforts to provide a community newspaper for Justin. That is unfortunate because the news is there, but the advertising revenue is not.

That’s not to say we didn’t appreciate those advertisers who helped us over the past few months, but the dollars just aren’t there to support a quality news product.

Roy J. Eaton

That is unfortunate because Justin is very active politically – some might even say fractious – and the citizens need and deserve quality news coverage of city council, planning and zoning, and other meetings. We just can’t afford to do it anymore.

To be perfectly frank, a part of the problem was ours. My predecessor felt a twice-a-month paper would be sufficient for the volume of news and advertising that could be generated in the community.

He was right in many ways, but I soon discovered that to do the community and advertisers justice – and to try to develop any out-of-town advertisers – would require a weekly newspaper. And we just couldn’t afford to do that.

The problem in trying to develop out-of-town advertisers (with the exception of a few from our hometown of Decatur) is that many don’t consider Justin a separate and distinct market from the broader Northwest Tarrant/Southwest Denton County market. They feel their products are adequately advertised in the metropolitan newspapers or the myriad of free circulation shoppers which provide no news coverage for the area.

We also failed in our efforts to develop what we call hard news or spot news coverage. That includes the car wrecks, fires and other high-interest police/fire related stories that can only be covered with a full-time reporter who lives in the community. Sadly, we couldn’t afford to do that either.

A lot of people have tried and failed to provide Justin with a community newspaper. Even the mighty Fort Worth Star-Telegram had to cut back on its news coverage of the Northwest area during the economic turndown, and the Denton Record-Chronicle long ago decided to ignore southwest Denton County – a decision I have never understood. The DRC virtually ceded the Justin, Roanoke, Northlake, Westlake, Trophy Club market to the Star-Telegram many years ago.

For those of you whose main interest lies in the Northwest School District, we would invite you to subscribe to the Wise County Messenger. The Messenger offers the most comprehensive coverage of the school district – from academics to sports – of any newspaper in the area. You’ll get it twice a week for only $43 a year or you can opt for a digital on-line subscription for only $25 a year.

Before we say goodbye, I would offer a word of caution about leadership of the city. A community can only grow and prosper with unified leadership that doesn’t spend its time bickering over every issue and can keep political egos in check. I would point to Roanoke as an example of a city that “got it right” and growth and financial stability followed.

Justin, we wish you only the best for a bright and economically sound future.

So here goes.

Brian Knox

My time covering Justin has been relatively short. I still feel like a newcomer to the area and feel there is still a lot I have to learn about the community.

What I have seen is both good and bad. I see a town that is planning for growth – both in population and business.

That’s good.

But I’ve also seen disagreement on how to plan for that growth.

I wasn’t here long enough to really learn enough back stories, but it seems there are some, even if it is a small, vocal minority, who distrust elected officials in the town.

And there seems to be a rift, or at the very least communication issues, between the city council and the economic development corporation.

This isn’t unusual for small towns. What I’ve seen in other towns is it’s usually more of a personality issue than a philosophical difference. Both entities have the same goal: bring business and a strong tax base to Justin. Hopefully the city can work through any issues they may have and emerge stronger for it.

The city is going through a major transition now to a city manager form of government. There hasn’t always been agreement on how to move forward, but that’s OK. As long as all the voices are being heard and considered, I believe things will work out.

I’ve seen a community that is proud of its people and its traditions. Just look at the community response to such events as Justin Fun Days, the fire department’s fish fry or the Christmas celebration.

The children of Justin are lucky to have a great school district like Northwest. Their education and safety are in good hands.

I’ve also gotten to know members of the Justin Police Department in my five months covering the community. Police can sometimes be polarizing (residents usually either love them or hate them). It seems Justin is no different. But in my opinion, the residents of Justin should feel safe under the watchful eye of Chief Bill Brooks and his officers. They do a great job and have been most helpful to us in our time in Justin.

Local businesses have a great supporter in the Justin Business Association. This group has also been most helpful in making us feel welcome and introducing us to the community as well as providing us with story ideas.

People are taking notice of Justin. At a recent city council meeting, an apartment developer looking to build in the city was asked what drew him to Justin. The developer said good schools, good parks and a growing population in the area.

The future is bright.

Thank you to all who have made me feel welcome, and best of luck in the future.

STUDENT SUPPORT – Students of Gwen Hilliard, center, nominated their teacher for the KLTY/CareNow Teacher of the Month award. Also pictured is Hilliard’s 6-year-old son, Joshua. Hilliard is the second Northwest ISD teacher selected for the award this school year. This Justin photo by Joe Duty

Northwest High School teacher and Justin resident Gwen Hilliard has received more than her share of bad news lately. Her father had a stroke, her mom fell and hit her head, and her husband is scheduled for serious surgery later this month that requires cracking of the skull.

She could use a little good news, and it came in the form of a familiar voice on the other side of the telephone earlier this month.

“Mrs. Gwen Hilliard, from Northwest High School? My name is Frank Reed, and I’m on the air at 94.9 radio in Dallas and Fort Worth …”

The tears had already started to fall before he could finish his sentence. Hilliard knew the voice – it belonged to the host of The Family-Friendly Morning Show at contemporary Christian radio station KLTY. Reed was calling to let Hilliard know she had been selected as the KLTY/CareNow Teacher of the Month for December.

“Do you know how many entries we received about you?” Reed asked, referring to the number of nominations sent to the radio station by students.

The answer: 19.

Jillian Wood, a promotion representative for CareNow, which sponsors the award, said she typically gets about 80 nominations total in an average month. That includes schools, from elementary to high school, all over the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Wood said that a common theme kept coming up in the nomination forms.

“The No. 1 thing I kept hearing was, ‘She’s my role model.’ ‘She’s my inspiration.’ ‘I can always talk to her for whatever I need.’” Wood said.

So just how does a teacher earn that kind of respect and admiration from students?

“I’m laid back, but they know, ‘These are the rules.’ Classroom management is a very strong point of mine. But I also build relationships. That’s probably the key factor,” Hilliard said last week in her classroom during the school’s lunch break.

As if on cue, a student walked in with a couple of bags of chips and a drink for lunch. Hilliard opened up a cabinet and gave the student a power bar instead.

“I try to help my students as much as I can,” she said, returning to her seat.

She’ll often refer to those students as “her kids,” describing her relationship with them as “an aunt.”

In the nomination forms, several students mentioned that they could confide in their teacher and come to her for advice.

“She gives me better advice than by best friends do!” one student wrote.

During her 14 years as a teacher, Hilliard has taught everything from health to physical education to eighth grade English and even kindergarten. She currently teaches child development and lifetime nutrition and wellness.

Whatever the subject, or the age of the students, Hilliard works at relationships.

“No matter if you are teaching kindergartners or seniors, you have to find out what their interests are,” she said. “I am a very well-rounded person. I like every kind of music. You’ve got to stay current with events. It’s literally knowing your students’ interests, because if you connect your activities in class to them, it gets them interested.”

On Monday, Jan. 7, students, teachers, administrators and even Hilliard’s parents, husband and son came to class as Reed and other representatives of the radio station and CareNow made the formal presentation of the Teacher of the Month plaque.

This time, the familiar voice wasn’t on the radio but right there in her classroom.

“We have been doing the Teacher of the Month for many, many years, and I do not think we’ve had a recipient who has had so many entries who have said so many wonderful things about you,” Reed said, eliciting a hearty round of applause.

The presentation included a bag of prizes, including gift cards to restaurants, a jewelry store, a shoe store and even carpet cleaning, to name a few.

What makes the award even more special to Hilliard is knowing that the students who nominated her don’t receive any prizes or recognition. They did it simply because they love their teacher.

Now as Hilliard deals with family members’ health issues, she’s finding the support she’s given to students over the years is being returned to her.

That may be the best prize of all.

GOODY BAG – Eva Royer, KLTY senior account executive, presents Gwen Hilliard with her bag of prizes during last Monday’s presentation in her classroom at Northwest High School. Looking on in the background is Hilliard’s father, Arnold Jochim. This Justin photo by Joe Duty

“In addition to their beauty and shade, these trees will provide numerous benefits to the environment we live in,” the district said in a news release. “Trees provide oxygen, windbreaks, soil retention, and habitats for all types of wildlife. Help us conserve and preserve our natural resources by purchasing and planting trees.”

Types of trees include Afghan pine, fourwing saltbush, pecan, redbud, red mulberry, live oak, shumard oak, Mexican plum, lacebark elm, Mexican white oak, bubba desert willow, vitex, roughleaf dogwood and burr oak.

To place an order, call (940) 383-2691 or go by the office at 525 South Loop 288 in Denton. Orders are filled on a first come, first serve basis. Orders must be placed by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14. Orders must be picked up between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22 at the North Texas Fairground in Denton.

All proceeds will benefit the Cool Shade for Third Grade program in local schools.

Anthony Tri Huynh

Flower Mound police arrested Anthony Tri Huynh, 40, Saturday and charged him with murder in the shooting death of Justin resident Lamont White, 54 on Jan. 1 in Flower Mound.

White was found with a gunshot wound to his head Tuesday, Jan. 1 in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 500 block of Flower Mound Road. He was flown to Dallas Methodist Hospital where he died from his injuries, according to the probable cause affidavit provided by the Flower Mound Police Department.

The Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide.

Surveillance video showed White had been followed from the Target on Hebron Parkway in Lewisville where he worked by a suspect in a white Nissan 350Z.

The affidavit states that on Saturday, Jan. 12, Lewisville police were called to the Suburban Extended Stay hotel in the 1900 block of Lakepointe Drive in Lewisville following a shooting at the location. In this case, according to the affidavit, the victim had been sleeping in his car when he was shot. Surveillance video revealed Huynh as the shooter. He had been a guest at the hotel since October 2012.

Huynh was arrested by the Lewisville Police Department SWAT Team and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

During the investigation, clues began to emerge that linked Huynh with the Jan. 1 shooting of White. Huynh’s vehicle matched the description of the vehicle in the earlier shooting. The Target where White worked is also less than a mile from the hotel, according to the affidavit. A weapon and ammunition found in Huynh’s hotel room also matched the bullet fragments found at the scene of the earlier crime.

When investigators interviewed Huynh, he initially denied involvement, “but eventually admitted to both the Lewisville shooting and Flower Mound murder,” according to the affidavit.

Huynh told investigators that he saw White sitting in his vehicle outside Target and thought that “he was casing the store or customers/employees and was acting suspiciously,” according to the affidavit. He followed White and used a strobe feature on his flashlight which apparently caused White to pull off into the parking lot where he was shot.

Huynh said he also confronted the Lewisville victim because “he felt he was also acting suspiciously,” according to the affidavit.

It is not clear if the shootings were racially motivated. Both victims were black, and “Huynh stated that he has had more difficulty with black people being confrontational with him and following him around,” according to the affidavit.

An additional charge of murder was added to the previous two charges from the Lewisville shooting, and Huynh remains in the Denton County Jail with bond set at $1.5 million.

Tyler Benton

Seven years ago, I never thought life would change and be so different. I always thought she would be that one person in my life who would always be by my side. But reality came along and showed me different. Knowing that I would never be able to see her ever again changed my whole perspective on life.

Memory after memory running through my head, not knowing what to think when my dad came home and told me she had passed away. Thinking about the day I last saw her, the last hug I ever gave her, not wanting to let go, not wanting her to leave, the last kiss she gave me on the forehead, saying, “I’ll be back before you know it.” The thoughts going through my head until it finally hit me; she would be gone forever.

It feels like it was just yesterday when we were laughing and having a good time without a care in the world. Spending as much time together that we possibly could, I would finish up my homework and dinner. Mom would get her cup of coffee, then go into the backyard and watch me swing on the swings and jump on the trampoline; we would have competitions on the trampoline on who could go the highest. She meant so much to me; I miss her.

My mom was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, when I was 9. She went to Las Vegas with her mother and nephews to gamble; it was her favorite thing to do. She loved the machines. But she ended up getting sicker in Las Vegas than she already was. She was rushed to the hospital right away, but she didn’t survive with her condition. She passed away due to heart failure.

I really miss my mom. She was my best friend and I miss her more than anyone can imagine.

Every teenage girl goes through a phase when they fight with their mom and tell them they hate them even though they love them to death and have no clue what they would do without them. Be thankful for what you have; you’ll never know when they’ll be gone. If there was a phone number to heaven, I’d call her all the time.

Youth Spoken is a regular feature in This Justin where local student journalists share their work and outlook on life.

The report, which represents taxes collected by merchants in November and reported to the state in December, shows the city collected $90,518.75 in January compared to $67,261.33 in January 2012.

The collections represent 2 percent of the tax collected on retail sales in the city. The state also collects 6.26 percent and rebates cities their shares monthly.

Half of Justin’s sales tax revenue goes into the city general fund, and the rest funds the economic development and community development corporations.

Area towns Ponder and Northlake also saw more modest increases. Ponder collected $20,894.78, an 11.24 percent increase over the $18,781.98 collected in January of 2012. The $36,885.42 Northlake collected was a 15.82 percent increase over last January’s $31,845.04.

Roanoke’s sales tax revenue also saw big gains in the first month of the new year. The $800,470.18 collected represented a 27.21 percent increase over the $629,205.56 collected in January 2012.

Overall, Denton County cities collected 4.32 percent more revenue in January 2013: $7,666,705.51 compared to $7,348,529.73 in January 2012.

The report is issued monthly by the office of State Comptroller Susan Combs.

The director’s job has been vacant following the resignation of Chantal Kirkland last September.

Justin City Council member David Speicher attended Wednesday’s meeting and suggested that the boards consider combining the position of EDC director with the city manager position approved by voters last November. The council is currently creating a job description for the city manager position.

Proponents of the idea of combining the positions say it could save the city money and improve communication between the two entities. Concerns on the other side include putting too many responsibilities on one person and losing the EDC’s unique identity.

The city council is expected to discuss the city manager job description at its monthly workshop Jan. 28 and vote on the matter in February.