A lieutenant who is noted for his expertise in rescue and who participated in rescue and recovery efforts in West, Texas, was named the Burleson Fire Department's 2013 Fire  Officer of the Year. Lt. Duane Wines accepted the honor at the department's annual banquet. Wines, 42, started with the Burleson Fire Department in 1998 as a rookie volunteer. He shared the Rookie of the Year Award, as a volunteer, in 1998. Burleson hired Wines as a career firefighter in 2001. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2006. Read More

If you have fines that you have not paid to the City of Burleson's Municipal Court, your time is running out. Arrests will be made and unpaid fines will be collected during a Metroplex Warrant Roundup. Notices are being mailed statewide by agencies participating in the 2014 Great Texas Warrant Roundup. Burleson currently has approximately 3,478 outstanding warrants valued at more than $763,000. The municipal court staff has extended the court's hours of operation for February. Regular business hours for the court are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 pm., and Wednesday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.  On Fridays for the month of February (Feb. 7, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, and Feb. 28) the court will be open late, 8 a.m.-7 p.m., to give people who have warrants time to come in and take care of them before the warrant roundup. The court is located inside the Burleson sub courthouse at 247 Elk Dr., Room 114 (across from Burleson High School). Read More

The sweetest dance is between a parent and a child, and the City is setting the stage to make that happen for Valentine's  Day. Parents and their children have two chances to   celebrate with their favorite valentines on Saturday, Feb. 8. If you have little ones who can't stay up until 9 p.m., sign up for the 4 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Valentine Dance at the BRiCk. If you have older children, you can sign up for the 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Valentine Dance. The events will feature a dinner, dancing coordinated by a professional disc jockey, games, corsages and pictures. Pre-event tickets may be purchased at the BRiCk, 550 N.W. Summercrest Blvd. The cost is $16 per couple or $8 per person. At the door, tickets are $25 per couple or $12.50 per person. For more information, call the BRiCk at 817-426-9104.

As of noon on Jan. 30, three of the four incumbents have filed for re-election to their Burleson City Council seats. Ronnie Johnson, Place 6, was the first to file at 9 a.m. on Jan. 29. He was followed by Matt Aiken, Place 4, at 11:40 a.m. and Ken Shetter, mayor, at 4 p.m. Candidates must be at least 18 years old on the date they apply for a place on the ballot; a citizen of the United States; a qualified voter of the city; a resident of the city or have resided in the city for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election; and not be delinquent in the payment of property taxes due to the City of Burleson. If you want to represent your neighbors on council, candidate packets for the May election are available at Burleson City Hall, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, and at city council meetings on Feb. 3 and Feb. 17. Those council meetings start at 7 p.m. The filing period is Jan. 29-Feb. 28. Read More

Robert Clarkin was already a seasoned veteran when he was hired as a firefighter for the Burleson Fire Department in 2007. His military background and integrity were two of the reasons his lieutenant nominated Clarkin as the department's 2013 Firefighter of the Year. The 45-year-old firefighter/emergency medical technician went to the fire academy at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2002. He earned his associates degree in fire science from Community College of the Air Force in 2013. Clarkin worked at the Lockheed Martin Fire Department as a firefighter/EMT and volunteered as a firefighter with Benbrook and Mid-North. Read More

The Burleson Interurban Trolley restoration group is seeking volunteers to maintain the #330 Rail Car and the #411 Parlor Car at the Burleson Visitors Center. Can you spare a  Monday morning and do general painting and handyman tasks? The group meets for breakfast at The Porch, 140 S. Wilson St., at 7:30 a.m. every Monday, then works on the cars all morning. The cars are located next to the visitors center at 124 W. Ellison St., in front of Burleson City Hall. To learn more about the cars go to the City website and click on the links for each car. For more information about the group's restoration efforts, call Chuck Williams at 817-484-2827 or Dale Dexheimer at 817-319-9101.