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SWAT shows "newer" normal
I'm sort of getting tired of the phrase, "the new normal." The simple fact is that when a society like our is in a state of constant change, if something is "normal," it's not "new."  Whether its a desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of the latest technological twist or attempting to balance the ever-changing financial picture of this roller coaster economy, the only thing that should be normal is constant flexibility.
Cities that want to stay competitive in this 21st century marketplace are finding new ways to aggregate services. A prime example of which we can all be very proud is the new North Texas Metro SWAT Team, combining the best resources of the Addison, Carrollton, Coppell and Farmers Branch Police Departments. With each of these very fine police departments having their own Special Weapons And Tactics teams, it only makes sense for our concentrated geographic region to combine forces for even greater success. We are already very proud of the low crime rate in our community and joining forces with our neighbors only helps make that effort even stronger. By doing so we eliminate duplication of effort, lower costs by combining equipment and training and, as a result, increase effectiveness. The only losers are the bad guys.
  
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ImportantUPDATES
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Tree Lighting coming Saturday
 HISTORICAL PARK ~ Fireworks will light the early December sky in advance of 300,000 twinkling lights at the annual Farmers Branch Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, set for Saturday, December 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Farmers Branch Historical Park.
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FeaturedSTORIES
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 FARMERS BRANCH ~ The Farmers Branch Historical Park's modern day time machine cranks out another experience from the past with the December 1 grand opening of the replica 1920s General Store. Set for the same evening as the Christmas Tree Lighting event, the General Store opening will enable visitors to glimpse the merchantile and social centers of Texas towns in the twenties. There will be opportunities that evening for patrons to sponsor authentic or replica items to stock the store for additional authenticity. Historical Park Superintendent Derrick Birdsall said the store will accurately replicate those that were vital segments of the Farmers Branch community in that era. "Mercantilism was alive and well in Farmers Branch in the 1920s with several family owned general stores in the tiny community," he explained. "Most of the stores were located along the intersection of present day Valley View and Denton Drive. If you could imagine a much smaller scale Walmart, you'd have the right idea for what you could find inside these small stores." Mr. Birdsall added that everything from candy for the kids to horseshoes to canned goods could be found in these stores. "Additionally, these early Farmers Branch stores were located very close to the original location of the train depot that currently resides inside the Historical Park so there was access to pretty much anything across the country." Staff at the Historical Park has spent countless hours researching old photographs of our Farmers Branch stores in addition to 1920s catalogs from places like Montgomery Ward to make sure that items on display accurately represent what was available to customers in Texas at that time in history. A Ribbon Cutting event will be held at 6pm on Saturday, December 1st as part of the Tree Lighting ceremony.
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Farmers Branch joins with other cities to create regional SWAT team
 FARMERS BRANCH ~ Farmers Branch Police Department is joining forces with three neighboring north Texas cities to leverage their talent and resources to create a state-of-the-art Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team to deal with crisis situations in their communities. A total of 54 officers from the four cities will work and train together as the North Texas Metro SWAT Team and will be available for deployment as needed to back up officers in the field. "Our cities already w ork together on a number of issues," said
Farmers Branch Police Chief Sid Fuller. "This is a more formal arrangement with a command structure, shared resources and training that will make this program more effective and add to officer and public safety."
The team will be staffed by 10 officers each from Farmers Branch, Addison and Coppell and 24 officers from the larger Carrollton Department. Each department also contributes crisis negotiators to the team that provides an essential functionality that every professional SWAT team must have. The North Texas Metro SWAT Team will also provide administrative and training support to its member agencies.
Unlike mutual aid programs, where neighboring departments respond to back up officers in another city, these SWAT officer will
be spending time training together and working together as a team and function under a unified command structure when deployed.
The four cities will also share in the expense of specialized SWAT equipment needed for operations which can range from armored personnel carriers to heavy body armor, ballistic shields, night vision optics and automated surveillance equipment.
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Tour of Lights offers chance to donate new toys to kids in need this season
HISTORICAL PARK ~ The 2012 edition of the Farmers Branch Tour of Lights will not only feature dazzling displays, blinking bulbs and crisp Christmas cheer, it will also afford tour-ists the opportunity to donate to children in need via WFAA's "Santa's Helpers."  From the 2012 Tour's opening night, on Friday, November 23, through Wednesday, December 19, anyone driving through the holiday wonderland can drop off a new, unwrapped toy at the Farmers Branch Historical Park section of the tour that will be donated to "Santa's Helpers." The self-guided driving Tour, featuring more than 300,000 twinkling lights, will be open every evening from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. November 23 through December 31. The Historical Park section of the tour will be closed only on December 1, for the Christmas Tree Lighting event, and on December 25, in observance of Christmas Day. Admission is free with donations accepted by the various non-profit organizations working in the park each evening. For more information, visit www.farmersbranch.info, www.facebook.com/branchlights or call 972.919.2620.
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Firehouse Theatre plans second annual Christmas Spectacular, December 13-16
FARMERS BRANCH ~ The second annual production of the Firehouse Theatre's "Christmas Spectacular" is set for 6 p.m., December 13-15 and 1 p.m. December 16 at the Victoria restaurant at 13435 Bee Street. Thursday through Saturday will feature dinner at 6 p.m. with the show at 7:30. The matinee performance on Sunday will include lunch at 1 p.m. with the show at 2:30. Tickets are $35 for adults, $32 for seniors and $30 for students. For reservations and ticket information, call 972.620.3747. For more information, visit www.thefirehousetheatre.com.
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Volume 2.48 | Number 92 
is published weekly by the Communications Office of the City of Farmers Branch, TX.
Two-time TAMI Award Winner for Best eNewsletter in Texas
Given by the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers
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Library sets Used Book Sale this weekend
MANSKE LIBRARY ~ Shopping bargains can be had during the Manske Library's semi-annual Used Book Sale, Thursday November 29 thru Sunday, December 1 during regular Library hours.
Many and varied volumes of books, movies, and music will be available for less than a dollar. Funds made from the book sale will directly benefit library programs, facilities, and materials.
For more information, or to donate items to the Used Book Sale, contact the Library at 972.247.2511.
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Next Council meeting set for December 4
CITY HALL ~ With the holiday cancellation of the second City Council meeting in November, the next regular meeting of the Farmers Branch City Council is now set for Tuesday, December 4, beginning at 6 p.m. at Farmers Branch City Hall, 13000 William Dodson Parkway.
In another scheduling move, the Council has announced that regular meetings in January will be held on the second and fourth Tuesdays, rather than the traditional first and third as the first Tuesday is New Year's Day. Those meetings will be Tuesdays, January 8 and 22. Call 972.247.3131 for more info.
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Social media fans find lights online
HISTORICAL PARK ~ The decades-old Farmers Branch Christmas Tour of Lights has come into the 21st century with the addition of a Facebook page for the annual celebration of seasonal celebration. Anyone interested should "like" the Tour of Lights Facebook page at www.facebook.com/branchlights. The traditional Christmas Tour of Lights will be on each night between Thanksgiving weekend and New Year's Eve, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Historical Park segment of the driving tour will not be open on Saturday, December 1 or Tuesday, December 25. Admission is free with donations accepted.
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LBJUpdate
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FARMERS BRANCH ~ This weekly update has been made available by LBJ Express, the construction team responsible for the five-year project.
Denton Drive: AT&T work requires lane closures on the west side of Denton through December 15. Denton will be closed under LBJ during night-time hours on one or two nights for bridge work in late December. Josey Lane: Construction of the permanent paving and drainage on Josey and the east end of Villa Creek has been delayed.. Various lanes will be closed on Josey until late January Webb Chapel: The eastbound Webb Chapel entrance ramp is scheduled to be closed for up to two years beginning on November 29. Webb Chapel traffic will be able to use the new eastbound frontage road and enter LBJ at the Marsh entrance ramp. Marsh Lane: The pavement and bridge work on the west side of Marsh south of Ridgeoak has been extended to April. The opening of an additional lane on the westbound frontage road approach to Marsh has been delayed until December. Removal of the westbound LBJ main lane pavement from Rosser to the Joe Ratcliff Pedestrian Bridge is complete. Valley View: Valley View westbound is scheduled to be closed at LBJ for 12 hours, from 7pm Monday December 3 until 7am Tuesday December 4, for partial bridge demolition. Midway Road: Utility work on Midway requires the closure of the two right lanes and one northbound lane of southbound Midway approximately 200 feet north of LBJ. All utility work on Midway is expected to be completed by December 8. Dallas North Tollway: LBJ is narrowed to 3 main lanes in each direction at the DNT. Other Locations: The new section of eastbound frontage road from Webb Chapel to Marsh is now scheduled to be opened on November 29. The new westbound frontage road from Valley View to Marsh will open in January. The new section of eastbound frontage road from Marsh to Midway should be also be opened by January.
Various main lanes of LBJ will be closed frequently during night-time hours. There will also be intermittent night-time closures of various LBJ entrance and exit ramps. All scheduled work is tentative as permitted by weather conditions and other factors.
For current updates visit
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DEC 1
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
DEC 4
City Council Meeting
DEC 18
City Council Meeting
DEC 25
Christmas Holiday - City Facilities closed
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About the City of Farmers Branch
 An historic community in the geographic center of the DFW Metroplex, Farmers Branch boasts a residential population of 28,800 and a daytime employment population of 66,000. Located on the northwest border of the City of Dallas, the City's 27 parks and lush greeenbelts feature nationally-acclaimed, award-winning soccer fields, football facilities as well as baseball and softball complexes. The city's location in the center of the Metroplex and only 15 minutes away from both DFW Airport and Love Field, along with the 2,200 hotel rooms within the city, make Farmers Branch an ideal location for residents and for business. For more information on the City of Farmers Branch, visit farmersbranch.info, visitfarmersbranch.com, lovethebranch.com
or call 972.247.3131. |
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