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On Saturday, May 4, 2024, a handful of artists from the City of DeSoto Artist Lab (DAL) Residency Program reported to the Joe Brown DeSoto Fire Training Center on Wintergreen Road at 9:00 am sharp and stayed for several hours. They weren’t there to paint, or to help fire personnel create a Feng Shui environment. The City of DeSoto’s artist-in-residency team members visited the facility so that they could receive the lifesaving training needed to secure their required Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) certifications.

“When our artists exhibit in our City of DeSoto facilities, they engage many visitors who stop to look at their work and ask questions about the individual pieces. Since the artists are often right there as the visitors filter by, we thought it would be a smart idea to require them to be certified in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use just in case a life-threatening emergency were to happen on their watch,” said Rolanda Brigham, Arts, Culture and Heritage Manager for the City of DeSoto.

This is the second consecutive year that the members of the DeSoto Artists Lab (DAL) received this mandatory training. In 2023, 14 persons affiliated with the DAL program received training and certification. On Saturday, five members of DeSoto’s Artists Lab received their training but a sixth member who was trained and certified last year was able to sit this one out.

“Knowing how to save someone’s life is one of the most important abilities there is, and we applaud the members of the DeSoto Artist Lab who came out Saturday to learn these critical life-saving skills,” said DeSoto Fire Chief Bryan Southard who added, “This might sound like an ‘abstract’ concept to some, but training our artists and any other dedicated community member to save lives in an emergency makes DeSoto both safer and stronger.”

To read more about the DeSoto Artist Lab Residency Program visit the DAL webpage at https://www.ci.desoto.tx.us/community/arts_in_desoto/desoto_artists_lab.php. You can view the profiles of this year’s artists in our 2024 DeSoto Artist Lab Book at https://www.ci.desoto.tx.us/community/arts_in_desoto/desoto_artists_lab.php To learn more about the Joe Brown DeSoto Fire Training Center visit its website at https://www.desotofiretrainingcenter.com/

The post DeSoto Fire Gives CPR Training to City In-House Artists Team appeared first on Focus Daily News.

While it’s not a celebration that rivals Christmas or New Year’s, Economic Development Week, which was initiated by the International Economic Development Council in 2016, will be celebrated in cities worldwide and in DeSoto during the Week of May 6th.

On Thursday afternoon, DeSoto Economic Development Director Matt Carlson joined DeSoto: In-Depth host Matt Smith on their Mobile Edition to discuss Economic Development Week and the latest economic development activities in DeSoto. You can view this broadcast on demand on DeSoto’s Facebook Page. (https://fb.watch/rPNvC3_J7G/)

Matt Carlson began Thursday’s conversation with some background about Economic Development Week. He noted, “It’s a nationally celebrated week of highlighting economic development professionals and organizations in their communities. Many people know that we do a lot in terms of programs and best practices that positively impact our communities.”

One of the things that the average person might not understand about economic development is that it is not about bringing your favorite restaurant chain or grocer to your city. Director Carlson is constantly asked why don’t we have a particular business here and he has to remind people of the following.

“Economic development isn’t bringing a specific thing to a specific place at a specific time. Economic Development is a process that we engage in, and we stay in the game all the time, because if you don’t when you want to have an impact, you can’t,” said Carlson who added, “Now the other thing is that we don’t build the business. We don’t build the land. Developers do that. And companies choose to place their products in a particular space and time based on a number of different factors that we don’t necessarily impact. So as much as many people think economic development is, I want a Wendy’s and I want it on this corner, it has very little to do with what we do.”

Host Matt Smith later asked Matt Carlson to discuss the significance of the Hampton Road Redevelopment Project which has been at the forefront of DeSoto’s future development plans. Carlson cited one area of current development in DeSoto as an example and said that the Hampton Road project is much more massive and significant.

Director Carlson observed, “Hampton Road, if you think about what’s going on where Chick-fil-A is, and the THR facility, the new healthcare facility, and the new Starbucks that are right there on Westmoreland and Belt Line. If you think of that on steroids, you’re talking about Hampton Road. You’re creating this co-tenancy that’s super important to businesses. Chick-fil-A doesn’t want to be off by itself. It wants to be where there is lots of other stuff going on. The same thing with Starbucks. The same things with Salata, or any of these franchises that we talk about. That’s not any different really then if you start to talk to developers of housing, they want to be near those same amenities.”

Carlson said that thinking about development on a much broader scale, and not parcel by parcel, is how a city becomes more successful. And he said that is where the Hampton Road Project and its “visionary” character code comes in. “This community has been working on it for 20 years to create this downtown area and to craft this vision and to cast that vision…that it enables us to think way beyond what sits there today.”

You can hear this program in its entirety on DeSoto’s Facebook Page (https://fb.watch/rPNvC3_J7G/) and you can learn more about the Hampton Road Corridor Plan and its Character Code zoning districts by visiting the plan’s website: https://www.envisionhamptonroad.com/

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DESOTO – A former DeSoto Property and Evidence Technician Carl Edmison, 58, who was arrested late last week for the theft of stolen property, including 13 firearms, various power tools, and a compressor that were recovered, was previously investigated in 2023 by the DeSoto Police Department.

Edmison was charged with a felony violation for Theft of a Firearm / Enhanced (13 counts) last week. A bond of $10,000 was set for each of the 13 warrants issued in the case.

According to the DeSoto Police Department Edmison had been disciplined before for violations, which were not elaborated on by a DeSoto PD spokesperson.

According to DeSoto Police Chief Joe Costa, there had been another investigation, but it was “No Billed” by the Grand Jury in 2023.

FDN obtained further information from the Midlothian Police Department after filing an Open Records Request regarding Edmison’s employment with that department after resigning from DeSoto PD in May 2022.

In an email dated October 11, 2022, from Chief Costa to Midlothian Assistant Police Chief Scott Brown, it was indicated that drug evidence from the property and evidence room in DeSoto had been discovered missing on Edmison’s last day of employment with DeSoto PD.

“Since discovering this evidence was missing, our staff conducted several audits of the of the evidence room as well as an audit of RMS and telephone records. As a result, we learned that two detectives and Carl processed, packaged, and labeled the evidence the night it was seized,” Costa wrote.

Reportedly, Edmison placed 10 packages of drug evidence into a temporary locker at that time. Three days later, an RMS audit revealed that Edmison moved the evidence, electronically, via computer, and not physically, to a case in Duncanville unrelated to the DeSoto case related to a Capital Murder in 2022.

“That same day, the drugs were physically moved by Carl from the temporary locker to the Evidence Drug Room, where it remained until May 5, 2022,” Costa explained in the email.

“On that date, the evidence was checked, and five out of the total 10 packages of drugs were discovered to be missing.”

The email went on to advise that after several complete audits of the Evidence Room to present, the drugs are still missing. Edmison was interviewed about the missing drugs but could not explain when or how the drugs went missing. He also could not explain why the drugs were electronically transferred to the Duncanville case and then back to DeSoto and assigned under a different DeSoto case number.

Chief Costa said he told Edmison he did not believe him and that he planned to meet with the DA’s office in Dallas to discuss the case and seek an indictment for tampering with evidence.

Regarding the 13 stolen items Edmison was arrested for last week, Costa said it was done in a manner that “Items were there as evidence or legally seized by officers [in the evidence room], and once the case was disposed of, and in accordance with Texas Law, these items were designated to be destroyed. However, instead of destroying the articles and guns we found, Edmison took them for his personal gain.”

Edmison was arrested last week after the DeSoto PD acted on a tip from a member of the public and executed a search warrant on April 18 at his Frost, Texas, home.

A DeSoto PD press release indicated that police received the tip approximately two weeks ago, alleging Edmison was in possession of the 13 stolen items from the DeSoto Police Property and Evidence Room and that they had been stolen over an extended period.

Detectives then began the investigation and secured the warrant that was successfully executed last Thursday.

Edmison was hired by the DeSoto Police Department as a jailer in 2009. In 2016, he was chosen to be the Property and Evidence Technician.

After his resignation, he was hired by the Midlothian Police Department.

Midlothia

The DeSoto Independent School District plans to introduce a Talented and Gifted Academy at Ruby Young starting in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Ruby Young will take applications for incoming Kindergarten through sixth-grade students. Residents within the district will be given priority in the application process. Students that apply MUST meet eligibility, however, all current 2023-24 students have the option to remain for the 2024-25 school year.

A maximum of 44 seats are available for scholars in first through fourth grade per grade level availability.

The Ruby Young Talented and Gifted Academy will serve students in kindergarten through 8th grade, focusing on fostering growth and critical thinking through individualized, impactful experiences and immersive learning experiences. These experiences are slated to include capstone projects, project-based learning experiences, learning beyond the classroom, and in-depth exploration of concepts and curriculum.

As presented to the Board, the program will focus on TAG-centered education and advanced academics to prepare scholars for optimal personal and educational outcomes by:

• guiding and developing scholars’ internal and external emotional intelligence;
• allowing scholars to explore their interests and the relationships of those interests to society;
• supporting scholars’ development of learning outputs that reflect those explorations;
• creating platforms for scholars’ presentations of learning and discovery designed to challenge conventions; and deepening scholars’ sense of belongingness and community to support pride in academic achievement in a more rigorous environment.
  CogAT Testing Registration

Before applying, please note that you will need the following:

Currently enrolled DeSoto ISD students need their student TSDS Unique ID number.

All students applying need:

• CogAT Assessment Result or Register for CogAT Testing Date
• Copies of your Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 report cards
• MAP Scores
• STAAR Scores
• Disciplinary report
• Attendance record
• Recommendation Letter – Teacher
• Talented and Gifted Documentation (if applicable)
• Testing Dates April 27th, May 4th, or May 18th
• Ruby Young TAG Academy
• 8:30 am – 12:00 noon
• Testing fee in-district students -FREE
• Testing fee out-of-district – $25
• If you do not have a CogAT Score you must register to test

To support this level of rigor and instruction, scholars will learn from teachers who have completed Gifted and Talented-training requirements and received immersive training in project-based learning.

If you need assistance or more information, contact Ruby Young Principal Monica Smith at Monica.Smith@DeSotoISD.org or DeSoto ISD Director of Advanced Academics Robin Johnson Ford at Robin.JohnsonFord@DeSotoISD.org.

The post DeSoto ISD Opens Talented And Gifted Academy at Ruby Young in 2024-25 appeared first on Focus Daily News.

May 12 is Mother’s Day, so it’s not too soon to start making reservations to celebrate her special Sunday. We’ve gathered a few ideas ranging from fine dining to relaxation therapies in North Texas. Join Outback Steakhouse this Mother’s Day for an Aussie-style culinary adventure. Their new limited-time-only menu has been specially crafted for Moms and features innovations such as a Filet topped with Roasted Garlic Shrimp, a filet with Aussie Cab Onion and Seasoning Butter, and a new Mum’s Peach Bellini. The special Mother’s Day offers are available at all participating Outback locations, including those in Cedar Hills and DeSoto, from May 8 to May 12.

Source: The Focus Daily News
Published: April 15, 2024
Author: Jo Ann Holt
Photograph: Courtesy of Outback Steak House