UTA has selected Wayne Atchley to be the inaugural vice president for regional campuses, overseeing the development of UTA West and the Fort Worth Center, UTA announced in a press release Monday. Atchley previously worked as the vice president for academic affairs at Tarrant County College Trinity River and helped implement enrollment and academic advising initiatives at Tarleton State University, bringing over two decades of leadership in higher education. UTA president Jennifer Cowley said in the press release that Atchley is a highly respected educator with deep roots in West Fort Worth. “When I first met him, it was obvious to me that he has the connection and appreciation for that community, which is critical for building a solid foundation for the new UTA West and a vision for our UTA Fort Worth Center,” Cowley said. After breaking ground in April, UTA West is set to begin enrollment in 2028. The new campus will help UTA work toward its mission to provide students with affordable higher education, according to the press release. Atchley said in the press release that he is excited to have the opportunity to help shape the future of his hometown. “I am looking forward to leveraging UTA’s prestigious R1 status and excellent academic reputation to expand educational and workforce opportunities in west Fort Worth and Parker County,” he said. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Dallas-Fort Worth residents can expect one more round of rain before hot and dry weather takes over for the rest of the week. Matt Stalley, National Weather Service lead meteorologist, said Tuesday brings about a 20% chance of rain showers. Temperatures are expected to rise steadily throughout the week. Highs will stay in the low-to-mid-90s during the middle of the week and could reach 98 or 99 degrees by the weekend. Looking ahead to next week, Stalley said the forecast doesn’t show any major changes, just continued heat and low rain chances. “It looks mostly hot and dry,” he said. @samip.parajuli.54 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross will be hosting a series of Town Hall meetings throughout the next six months to cover key updates around the city, starting Tuesday at the Bob Duncan Center. The Arlington Works public Town Hall meetings will cover several topics, including bond-funded projects, public safety and infrastructure investments and the city’s current and projected budget for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. The meetings take place from 6 to 8 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Mayor Ross said the meetings will be an attempt to bring everybody up to speed on what's happening in Arlington, from the city’s perspective. The series will provide a more community-centered, intimate approach in addition to Mayor Ross’s traditional State of the City address, according to a press release from the city. Residents will be able to ask questions and engage with city leaders after each meeting’s presentation. “It gives people, the average person in Arlington, an opportunity to question the mayor,” he said. “‘What's going on with the new police substation up on Lamar? What's going on with the renovation of [Fire Station No. 8], What's going on with Randall Mill Road?’ That type of stuff.” Ross said a lot of people are tired of the federal, state and local government, and Arlington Works is an attempt to better educate residents on their local situation. “In spite of everything else going on all over the country, we're functioning just fine here in Arlington, and not only are we functioning fine, but Arlington is thriving right now,” he said. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

UTA will be implementing fees for excessive and repeated credit hours beginning this upcoming fall, the Division of Business Affairs announced in an email Thursday. Resident undergrads and doctoral students who exceed the credit hour limit — which allows for 30 additional hours beyond the minimum in a degree plan — will be charged $300 per credit hour. Students who first enrolled in a public Texas public institution before 2006 will be subject to more lenient limits or none at all. Undergrad students who enroll three or more times in a course will be charged $100 per credit hour. All attempted credit hours count, including failed, dropped and repeated courses, withdrawals and transfer credits from other institutions, may be included in the total hours recorded. Classes dropped or withdrawn before census day do not count. The fees will be introduced on student account statements once fall charges are posted by the end of July. This move aims to align UTA with two Texas statutes: Tuition for Repeated or Excessive Undergraduate Hours and Tuition Rates for Certain Doctoral Students. Current undergraduate students with at least 90 credit hours and doctoral students with at least 60 credit hours completed by the end of the summer 2025 will be exempt from the excessive hours fee for the duration of their enrollment at UTA. This does not apply to the repeated hours fee. Students enrolled in Accelerated Online programs are also excluded from excessive and repeated hours fees. Students can appeal the fees if they have special or extenuating circumstances by completing a form before the deadline. An appeal is only valid for a single semester, and students will need to resubmit each term if applicable. Students can track completed credit hours through their MyMav Student Service Center or by meeting with their academic adviser. More information is available online. news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Jame Nguyen has been financially preparing for his freshman year at UTA. His father is unable to work, and his mother doesn’t have a high-paying job. When he starts studying industrial engineering in the fall, Nguyen will receive the maximum Pell Grant of $7,395. “It's definitely a lot helpful,” he said. “But it also made me realize, ‘Dang, college is expensive,’ and that it's a real financial toll on my family and me.” Nguyen’s maximum amount, however, will soon change. He is one of the tens of thousands of UTA Pell Grant recipients who will be affected by changes to the program in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. UTA leaders are bracing for an impact, too. Starting in the 2026-27 academic year, the maximum Pell Grant award will be $5,710 — a $1,685 decrease and the lowest amount in more than a decade. The cut will be “devastating” as the maximum amount has remained steady for three years, said Karen Krause, UTA’s executive director of financial aid. For the fall 2024 semester, 75.1% of recipients at UTA qualified for the maximum federal Pell Grant amount. “There just are pieces of this that we're not going to know for a while, and that's frustrating,” Krause said. “And I know it's frustrating. It's frustrating for us too.” Roughly 40% of undergraduate students nationwide rely on Pell Grants, which are given to those who demonstrate financial need on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Work-study funds earned through part-time jobs often help cover additional education expenses. The Pell Grant is the largest source of grant aid in Texas. More than 480,000 recipients in the state — 34% of enrolled students — will be affected, according to The Education Trust, an organization advocating for low-income Black and Latino students. The American Council on Education estimated the state could face financial aid losses between $353 million and $493 million. The budget, signed by Trump on July 4, includes provisions that provide $10.5 billion to stabilize the program and leaves out a requirement from the original House version that would have required students to take 15 credits per semester instead of 12. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was approved with only Republican support. Other changes to Pell Grant eligibility include excluding those who receive a full-ride scholarship to a university and adding individuals who enroll in workplace training programs. Lawmakers also changed the student aid index, a formula used to calculate students’ Pell Grant eligibility. A student is now ineligible if their student aid index is more than double the maximum grant amount, higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz said. Almost all of UTA’s current Pell Grant recipients remain eligible under the double student aid index requirements, Krause said. Now the student aid index takes into account families’ foreign income, which was previously excluded. If a student has a family farm that meets certain criteria or a small family business, they can be excluded from adding those to the Pell Grant calculation, Krause said. ‘So many unknowns right now’ As the Pell Grant changes, UTA anticipates an overall tighter fiscal situation. President Jennifer Cowley recently announced the university is bracing for budget cuts due to decreased federal funding. Students without legal status may not be eligible for in-state tuition. The recent travel ban may also push students to choose a different country for their education. “At this juncture, it's just premature to know what options the university might be able to explore and implement,” university spokesperson Joe Carpenter said. Krause said multiple departments at UTA are monitoring state and federal changes to financial aid. Her team will continue to provide workshops and presentations to help students and parents keep track of updates. Also, students submitting documents by deadlines is becoming even more important, she said, as it helps UTA to manage its funds. The good news is, Krause said, no financial change, including to Pell Grants, is expected for the 2025-26 academic year. As for 2026-27? “I don't think we're ready to make that kind of a proclamation to say, ‘OK, we're going to replace X dollars’ or anything like that because there's just so many unknowns right now,” Krause said. Nguyen, who took a gap year after high school and is taking 15 credit hours for his first semester, said he doesn’t have the experience yet to know if he’s ready for the workload. But his friends are pushing him to pursue education. His boss already promised support. So, he’s going for it. He’s looking for other resources to pay the remaining tuition amount and also to prepare for the changes to the maximum grant amount in the 2026-27 academic year. His mother also agreed to help. “It's just —” he said, pausing. “I'll try to find any way I could help my mom not have to chip in.” @DangHLe news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Clarification: Fire Station No. 8 was demolished and is being fully rebuilt. It is not a renovation. Arlington has made significant headway on its $13.9 million rebuild of Fire Station No. 8. The new facility is being built from the ground up to replace the old station, which originally opened in 1978 and has been demolished. Since the groundbreaking ceremony in January, the project has been underway and is expected to be completed in November. The 10,000-square-foot two-story building will include three drive-through apparatus bays, dorm rooms, a day room and kitchen. It will also incorporate cancer awareness best practices with extractors to wash the firefighters' bunker gear, a system to remove exhaust fumes and a cascade system for filling breathing air cylinders. Lt. Adam Evans, Arlington Fire Department public information officer, said the original station was becoming a safety hazard. Though it was remodeled in 2005, the nearly 50-year-old building could not meet the growing space needs and had become dilapidated. “[It got] to where the cost of trying to repair it and update it and do things just didn’t outweigh what it would be to go ahead and build a new, more energy-efficient fire station that could actually house all the equipment we have,” Evans said. The building’s new frame and exterior are complete, and now the focus is on moving gear and equipment inside, like trucks and extractors. The construction team is also finishing up the masonry work. While the new Fire Station No. 8 is being constructed, firefighters are currently operating out of the surrounding fire stations 5, 11 and 17. These stations have helped cover calls in the area, and response times have not been affected despite the construction, Evans said. “We just appreciate our city using the resources to keep our guys safe,” he said. news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Arlington Express was launched in April as an extension of Arlington On-Demand, the city’s public rideshare system. The pilot program adds more options for residents and UTA students in public transportation. Individuals can get rides to the University Center, Arlington City Hall and the CentrePort/DFW Airport Station. The service runs from 6 to 8 a.m. and again from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Jana Wentzel, city principal planner with the Transportation Department, said the goal of the program is to serve community members who are making consistent commutes and improve the reliability of those trips. “It's really a big quality of service increase for riders, and then it also helps the city maintain a very cost efficient service,” Wentzel said. Arlington Express currently has a fleet of three vans, each supporting up to six ambulatory passengers and one wheelchair bound passenger. The service costs $3 per ride and can be scheduled through the Arlington Transportation app or by calling 817-784-7382 during service hours. “We wanted to keep that pricing consistent, because we wanted it to be affordable for people to connect to other places in the region without necessarily having to use their own car,” Wentzel said. The program is being funded through spring 2028. Wentzel said that by the end of the term, they will compile the data and statistics and determine whether to keep the service running. “We're just testing the waters right now, and we'll build off of whatever we see throughout these three years,” she said. Arlington Express is a subservice of Arlington On-Demand, which also allows residents and students to commute for a cost between $3 to $5, depending on the distance. Arlington On-Demand doesn’t have fixed routes, allowing riders to pick locations across Arlington. “We really like trying out new things in Arlington, we're kind of known for that in the transportation sphere,” Wentzel said. “When we thought of this idea, we knew that we can be a leader in this and then also help other cities who maybe have consistent or similar patterns to us [and] learn from it as well.” @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Patrons gathered to celebrate Arlington’s 60th annual Independence Day Parade, with this year's theme being “Shining Bright Since ’65.” Attendees lined up along Park Central at UTA and downtown Arlington to enjoy the event. The event featured performances by six Arlington high schools, along with other organizations and festive floats, keeping the patriotic spirit alive throughout the parade. The parade is funded by community organizations, local businesses and individuals who help keep the tradition alive every year. @mabelcruzjournal photo-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

@yasursketches design-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Families and friends lined the streets surrounding UTA and downtown Arlington, creating a sea of red, white and blue for the annual Arlington Independence Day Parade. This year was the 60th Arlington Independence Day Parade, the city’s diamond jubilee celebration. Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said that while the event is a big celebration of America’s independence, it is also an opportunity for the community to come together and socialize. “It’s sort of the apple pie, hamburger, hot dogs type of event,” he said. Chris Cassidy, National Medal of Honor Museum CEO, served as this year’s parade grand marshal. “It's not very often in life you get to do something like this, be a grand marshal of a parade that's so representative of America,” Cassidy said. “Arlington is a small town in a big metroplex, but it's also very representative of what we are as a nation.” The event featured around 145 floats of various colors and designs. The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal group that’s been in the parade since the beginning, marched for their 60th time this year. Tony Fontanelli, Knights of Columbus chairman, said the group has been in the parade since it started. The group used to make floats in the ’80s and ’90s, but recently, they began marching with a garrison flag that flew over a joint reserve base nearby. “Knights of Columbus have four guiding principles: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism,” Fontanelli said. “Patriotism is one of our four guiding principles, and so we will always march, we will always support the country.” The event started with a 5K race and the national anthem before the two-mile long parade began. Rick Baker, Arlington Community Band director, said he went to his first Arlington Fourth of July parade in 1978 after graduating from UTA. He said that bands are an important part of any celebration. The band sat and performed at the steps of Arlington City Hall and played patriotic pieces such as marches by John Philip Sousa, playing in breaks between the marching bands in the parade. Baker said the band is always glad to be asked to play at the parade, but it always means something more when there is a milestone like an anniversary. Attendees from the crowd rushed to take pictures with Arlington resident John Stephenson, who was dressed up as a patriotic Mandalorian, based on a character from the extended Star Wars universe. Stevenson said he has gone to the parade for 15 years, and he dresses up to provide entertainment for the children who attend. Arlington resident Clete McAlister, 78, said his wife’s family had been coming to the parade since it came downtown. He said it’s nice to have a shared tradition with not only himself but his great-grandchildren as well. He said his wife and friend were in the parade representing cheerleaders and football players from 60 years ago. “It celebrates Arlington as much as it celebrates our country,” McAlister said. @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Ward Sakeik has no country to call home outside the U.S. When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the 22-year-old woman of Palestinian descent, a UTA alumna, into custody in February, she didn’t know where she would go. After over 140 days in detention and two failed deportation attempts, Sakeik was released Tuesday evening to her home in Arlington. Sakeik was born in Saudi Arabia, which does not automatically grant citizenship to children of foreigners. When she was eight, her family moved to the U.S. ICE has allowed them to remain in North Texas under supervision. For 15 years, Sakeik and her family have regularly checked in with ICE’s Dallas agency. She has a pending green card application, which Sakeik said was in the “final stages” prior to her detainment. “We have followed all immigration policies and have complied with every single thing, every single document, every single piece of paper,” Sakeik said in a press conference Thursday following her release. She recently married Taahir Shaikh, a U.S. citizen, and they traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands for their honeymoon. Sakeik was detained by ICE at the St. Thomas airport while returning home, she said. “I was handcuffed for 16 hours without any water or food on the bus,” she said. “I was moved around like cattle.” The Department of Homeland Security stated Sakeik’s travel over international waters as the official reason for the detainment, said Chris Godshall-Bennett, one of Sakeik’s attorneys. “There was no lawful authority,” Godshall-Bennett said. “They did not follow any procedures that would be required, given that she was on a supervision.” The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to The Shorthorn’s request for comment. Maria Kari, another of Sakeik’s attorneys, said the first deportation attempt came on June 12, in which they tried to put Sakeik on a plane heading to “the border of Israel.” After the incident, the Northern Texas U.S. District Court ruled to prevent further attempts to deport Sakeik. Monday morning, ICE attempted to deport Sakeik despite having a federal court order prohibiting her removal already filed, according to a joint statement released from Ward’s attorneys Wednesday. The next day, when an officer told Sakeik she was being released, she didn’t believe him, even when he came back with paperwork, she said. She wouldn’t believe him until she was walking outside. On Thursday, two days after her release, a press conference was held for Sakeik, with her legal team, leaders within the Muslim community and various stakeholders present. During it, Sakeik shared details about the living conditions while in ICE confinement. The “stateless” woman was held in three different locations: the Broward Transitional Center in Deerfield Beach, Florida; El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas; and Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. Sakeik said the conditions in these facilities were “terrible,” with dust everywhere, bugs crawling around and unhygienic bathrooms. “Women [were] getting sick left and right,” she said. Texas Rep. Terry Meza, D-Irving, attended the conference in support of the larger immigrant community. “I'm here in solidarity with the Muslim community as we work together to oppose what the current administration is doing against the Constitution and what they're doing to the immigrant community,” she said. “Immigrants are what make America great.” Sakeik wasn’t aware of the thousands of people showing support for her case while in detention. But she wasn’t alone on the inside either. During her almost five months in detention, she grew close to the women in the facilities who were in similar predicaments. Eventually, she asked the women to draw their home country’s flags and what they represented for an art project she wanted to hang in her office once she was free. Sakeik pointed to the piece during the press conference, showcasing nations from several continents. “I want to share with you the honor of those who I left behind: women who come here for better lives and are voiceless and helpless,” she said. “A lot of these women don't have the money for lawyers or media outreach. They come here to provide for their families.” Sakeik said she wants to focus on helping others held in the detention centers — however she can. “I'm the only one that knows what it's like being in there and what these women are deprived of,” she said. @PMalkomes news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Since its humble beginnings as a bike ride through Randol Mill Park in 1965, Dottie Lynn’s initiative has grown into a 150-float, all-volunteer Fourth of July tradition. Today, the Arlington Independence Day Parade is a known spectacle not only across the city but throughout the state. Lynn, who served as a city council member for 18 years, ended her career as mayor pro tempore. She was a dedicated civic leader and was instrumental in shaping the Arlington Fourth of July celebration. She chaired the event for four years, laying a foundation that would grow into an annual tradition. “Evidently, she was a mover and a shaker,” said Amanda Kowalski, Arlington 4th of July Association board member. A key participant in the parade is the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization. The group initially joined with a float, but over time its role evolved, Kowalski said. Members began carrying a massive 20-by-40-foot retired military garrison flag. “They have been in the parade every year,” she said. “They haven’t always carried the flag, but they’ve always been in the parade.” As Arlington grew, so did the parade. Eventually, after it started to get too large in the late ’90s, organizers capped participation at 150 floats to maintain manageability and safety, said Kevin Donovan, president of the Arlington 4th of July Association. When the world shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, it looked like Arlington’s decades-long parade tradition might come to a halt. But even then, the association found a way to continue it. “A group of board members got together, of course wearing masks and just for camaraderie and nostalgia, we walked the parade route together just so that we would have that continuity in the parade,” said Roxanne Thalman, a director of the parade association. Thalman said the experience was bittersweet, but by the next year, the parade had more or less returned to normal. “The next year we came back and our crowd was large and people were happy,” she said. “There was a lot of hugging and happiness and people missing each other from the year before. And since then, the parade has been bigger than ever.” In recent years, the parade has welcomed a new crowd favorite: Sparky, its official mascot. Kowalski described Sparky as a six-foot, bright red, yellow and blue firework who gives high fives along the parade route. Over the years, the parade has featured prominent figures from Arlington and across Texas as grand marshals, including 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush, Allan Saxe, Cpl. Dick Hill and this year’s marshal, Chris Cassidy, CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum. From humble beginnings of bicycles going down the street to now, where intricate floats glide along the parade route, the Arlington Independence Day Parade has grown into a city tradition. “You can come out and see your family members, if they're in a high school band, or they're from your church, or they're your co-workers or your neighbors,” Donovan said. “People can come out and just see the community reflected in the parade.” News editor James Ward contributed to this story. @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

This is a crime wrap-up from June 23 to 29. Driving while intoxicated On June 25, an Arlington Police officer pulled over a vehicle that was speeding near South Cooper Street and Park Row Drive, said Tim Ciesco, Arlington Police Department media relations coordinator, in an email. After a series of roadside sobriety tests, they were arrested and charged with one count of DWI. Driving while intoxicated is a class B misdemeanor punishable by a minimum of 72 hours in confinement. If the trial shows that there was an immediate open alcohol container in the offender’s possession when operating the vehicle, the minimum jail time becomes six days. Theft of property On June 23, a male student reported the theft of a package from outside the door of his apartment, UTA Police Capt. Mike McCord said in an email. Theft of property valued between $100 and $750 is a class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,000, confinement in jail for up to 180 days or both. The case is still active. Expired Texas driver’s license On June 29, there was a minor accident where a vehicle struck a guardrail, McCord said. Driving with an expired Texas driver’s license is a class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $500. If the offender has previously been convicted, it is a class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,000, confinement in jail for up to 180 days or both. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The Arlington Parks and Recreation Department will bring a night of fireworks and activities across the city Thursday during its 17th annual Light Up Arlington event. The free event will last from 6 to 10:30 p.m. and bring festivities across the downtown area. There will be musical performances across two stages. The DREAM Park stage will kick off with over three hours of performances at 6 p.m. during “Jimmy Pitstick presents Young Stars and Guitars.” At the Levitt Pavilion, Chef Dee will perform at 7 p.m. and Brad Thompson at 8:30 p.m.. The fireworks show is set to begin around 9:50 p.m. and last around 20 minutes, Arlington spokeswoman Susan Schrock said. Over a dozen vendors and food trucks will be available for attendees to visit during the event. The George W. Hawkes Downtown Library is also offering several activities for the event, including rock painting, a children’s fireworks painting and a Fourth of July scavenger hunt in the children’s area of the library. Free parking will be available throughout the downtown area, but some streets will be closed for the event, such as city hall, 101 Center and the city tower. “We do encourage people to come early and be patient when it comes to finding parking,” Schrock said. She also encourages attendees to stay well hydrated, bring insect repellent and wear comfortable clothing since attendees will be standing outside in the heat. “We want [people] to come out in their festive gear and enjoy some of the free activities,” she said. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

The National Medal of Honor Museum is set to host its first FreedomFest from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. The event will feature outdoor activities, live music, lawn games, face painting, immersive experiences and activities based on Medal of Honor characteristics: freedom, patriotism, courage, integrity and community. “July 4 being probably the most patriotic day in the calendar of our country, we certainly wanted to do something appropriate for the day,” said Chris Cassidy, National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation president and CEO. The museum opened earlier this year and tells the stories of 3,500 military personnel who demonstrated acts of valor throughout history, according to previous Shorthorn reporting. The museum offers a journey through the stories of ordinary people in history who did something extraordinary in service to others. “This is our way to showcase ourselves for Arlington and the DFW metroplex,” Cassidy said. Museum tickets for Friday are 50% off for Arlington residents, and 25% off coupons will be available at the Arlington Independence Day Parade at 9 a.m. that day. The museum is offering discounted admission to veterans and free admission to active duty military personnel who present a valid military ID. Summertime foods such as brisket sandwiches, hamburgers and hot dogs can be purchased on-site. The hope is that attendees walk away knowing the museum is a great place to bring family, Cassidy said. “Arlington is an amazingly patriotic community, and FreedomFest is just an extension of that,” he said. news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

With Fourth of July festivities kicking off soon, Parking and Transportation Services has provided updates on which lots will be available. The Dallas Wings are hosting a game at 7 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center. Parking will be available for $30 in all campus lots and garages near the arena. Free parking will remain available throughout downtown for the Light Up Arlington fireworks show from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday in downtown Arlington. Free parade parking will be available at open lots on campus, but the following lots will be temporarily restricted around the time of the parade Friday, according to a list provided by Parking and Transportation Services: F10F11F13 Retail 39 Lot 38 College Park garages Maverick Parking Garage KC North and KC SouthLots 49-52 @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Dallas-Fort Worth area residents can expect more hot and dry weather this week, with minimal chances of rain. David Bonnette, National Weather Service science and operations officer, said temperatures will stay in the upper 90s through the week, with heat index values reaching the low 100s. Bonnette said there is a 20% chance of storms Monday night and Tuesday morning, but no severe weather is expected. Later in the week, temperatures are expected to rise, possibly approaching 100 degrees over the weekend. Bonnette said the area will stay hot, with slightly lower humidity and above-normal temperatures. “It’s just a typical summer in Texas,” he said. @samip.parajuli.54 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

More than one in five Texas children face food insecurity, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture. For many of these children, summer can be a time of hardship as access to school-provided meals disappears. To help address this issue, the Texas Department of Agriculture provides free meals to children through its Summer Meals Program. The program provides lunches Monday through Friday until Aug 5. at multiple locations in Arlington, including the George W. Hawkes Downtown Library and the East Library and Recreation Center. David Lewis, Arlington Independent School District executive director of food and nutrition services, said the program is available to all children 18 and under, as well as students with disabilities up to 21 years old. He said children do not need to be enrolled in the school district to participate, and the program offers allergy-friendly options. Lewis said the program is funded through the United States Department of Agriculture and then funneled through the Texas Department of Agriculture, and with that comes regulations in the meals served. For many of the locations, the meals are cooked on-site, so food waste is not an issue, he said. With locations like libraries and YMCAs, they have a good idea of the number of children expected to use the service, and any prepackaged food is saved and used later. In the instance of inclement weather or location closures, updates will be posted on the Arlington Independent School District website, and residents can visit the Texas Department of Agriculture website for an interactive map of locations serving meals each day. While the local program remains fully funded and operational, a separate initiative aimed at expanding food access in the future has hit a political roadblock. Gov. Greg Abbott recently vetoed $60 million in funding for the proposed Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer program, which would have provided grocery assistance to eligible families during the summer months starting in fiscal year 2027. Lewis said Arlington’s nutrition services team serves about 8.5 million meals during the school year, and in just the month of June, the Summer Meals Program delivered 111,000 meals to children across the city. “What’s the most important meal? It’s the one going to the student in front of you,” he said. @tay._.sansom news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

This is a crime wrap-up from June 16 to 27. Disorderly conduct and threaten another with imminent bodily harm On June 17, officers responded to a report of a disturbance, UTA Police Capt. Mike McCord said in an email. An unaffiliated male and unaffiliated female were issued citations for disorderly conduct. Disorderly conduct is a class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of no more than $500. Theft under $100 and criminal trespass On June 19, a female student reported the theft of her bicycle, McCord said. Theft under $100 is classified as a class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of no more than $500. If the offender has not been previously convicted of trespassing on higher education property, the offense is a class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,000, confinement in jail for up to 180 days or both. If the offender has been previously convicted, the offense is a class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding $4,000, up to one year in jail or both. The case is still active. Motor vehicle theft On June 16, officers investigated the theft of an electronic bicycle, McCord said. Theft of items valued between $100 and $750 is a class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,000, confinement in jail for up to 180 days or both. Possession of controlled substance in penalty group 2 On June 21, an officer stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation, McCord said. The driver, an unaffiliated male, was arrested for multiple outstanding warrants. He was taken to the Arlington Police Department jail. Possession of a controlled substance in penalty group 2 is a state jail felony if the amount of the controlled substance possessed is less than one gram. The case is still active. Theft of property On June 22, a male student reported the theft of his bicycle, McCord said. Theft of property valued between $100 and $750 is a class B misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $2,000, confinement in jail for up to 180 days or both. The case is still active. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

With summer weather in full swing, the heat can feel almost unbearable. Luckily, Arlington and the Dallas-Fort Worth area have plenty of pools and water parks for people to keep cool and have some fun. Randol Mill Family Aquatic Center The Aquatic Center is a recreational area in Arlington for all ages. The space includes a shallow water play structure, vortex pools, a current channel, a water slide and leisure areas. The center also offers shade pavilions, shower facilities, deck furniture and concessions. The park is open until Sept. 1 with varying hours and closed on Wednesdays. Tickets cost $8 for attendees under 48 inches and $9 for attendees 48 inches or taller. Children 12 months and under enter for free. Six Flags Hurricane Harbour Located off Interstate 30, Hurricane Harbour includes water slides, lazy rivers and family-friendly play areas. A new addition to the park this year is Splash Island. The area includes an interactive play structure, a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket and water slides. Regular park hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays. The park will be closed for certain periods, and the full schedule is available online. Single-day ticket prices vary by day online and cost $60 at the gate. East Library and Recreation Center Located in East Arlington, the East Library and Recreation Center features a 25-yard four-lane pool. Available year-round, the pool offers open and lap swimming, swim lessons, water aerobics, leisure play and private rentals. The pool ranges from 3.5 feet to 10 feet deep. The center is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $8 for a day pass. S.J. Stovall Park The Bad Königshofen Family Aquatic Center is located in S.J. Stovall Park in South Arlington. It features a shallow water play pool, a lap pool, a diving area, two water slides and an interactive spray pad. Swimming lessons are offered from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday. The facility hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday and Thursday through Saturday, 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Aquatic Center is open until Sept. 1 and is closed on Tuesdays. The center will be closed for certain periods, and the full schedule is available online. Tickets cost $8 for attendees under 48 inches and $9 for attendees 48 inches or taller. Children 12 months and under enter for free. NRH20 Family Water Park NRH20 is a water park located in North Richland Hills featuring multiple pools and water slide attractions. The park is split into multiple areas with an section for kids, a wave pool, multiple water slides and a 200-foot mat slide among other attractions. The park is open throughout June, July and the first week of August, and will go to weekends only until the end of September. General online admission is $22.99 for attendees under 48 inches $28.99 for attendees taller than 48 inches. North Richland HIlls residents, veterans and senior citizens have discounted pricing. @wall035203 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu