Thousands of Syrians gathered in Damascus’ main square and a historic mosque for the first Muslim Friday prayers since former President Bashar Assad was overthrown , a major symbolic moment for the country’s dramatic change of power. The rebels are now working to establish security and start a political transition after seizing the capital on Sunday. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Friday, pressing ahead with efforts to unify Middle East nations in support of a peaceful political transition in Syria. It’s part of Blinken’s 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year in Gaza but his first after Assad was ousted. The U.S. is also making a renewed push for an ceasefire in Gaza, where the war has plunged more than 2 million Palestinians into a severe humanitarian crisis. Israel’s war against Hamas has killed over 44,800 Palestinians in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The October 2023 attack by Hamas in southern Israel that sparked the war killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and around 250 others were taken hostage. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Here's the latest: WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has transported out of Syria an American who disappeared seven months ago into former President Bashar Assad’s notorious prison system and was among the thousands released this week by rebels, a U.S. official said Friday. Travis Timmerman was flown out of Syria on a U.S. military helicopter, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation. Timmerman, 29, told The Associated Press he had gone to Syria on a Christian pilgrimage and was not ill-treated while in Palestine Branch, a notorious detention facility operated by Syrian intelligence. He said he was freed by “the liberators who came into the prison and knocked the door down (of his cell) with a hammer.” Timmerman said he was released Monday morning alongside a young Syrian man and 70 female prisoners, some of whom had their children with them. He had been held separately from Syrian and other Arab prisoners and said he didn’t know of any other Americans held in the facility. — By Lolita C. Baldor THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch court on Friday rejected a bid from human rights groups to block weapons exports to Israel and trading with the occupied territories, after finding there were sufficient checks already in place to comply with international law. The ten organizations told The Hague District Court last month that they thought the Netherlands was in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention, drawn up following World War II, by continuing to sell weapons to Israel more than a year into the conflict in Gaza. “The government uses my own tax money, that I pay, to kill my own family. I’ve lost 18 members of my own family,” Ahmed Abofoul, a legal adviser for the pro-Palestinian organization Al-Haq, one of the groups involved in the lawsuit, told the court during a hearing in November . The court ruling said that “it is not up to the interim relief judge to order the state to reconsider government policy. That is primarily a political responsibility.” Lawyers for the government argued it wasn’t up to a judge to decide foreign policy for the Netherlands. The activist groups pointed to several emergency orders from another court, the International Court of Justice, as confirming the obligation to stop weapons sales. In January, the top U.N. court said it was plausible Palestinians were being deprived of some rights protected under the Genocide Convention. The coalition said it will review the court’s ruling and is considering an appeal. CAIRO — Israeli attacks in and around a hospital in northern Gaza wounded three medical staff overnight into Friday and caused damage to the isolated medical facility, according to its director. Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said Israeli quadcopter drones carrying explosives deliberately targeted the emergency and reception area of Kamal Adwan Hospital, where one doctor was wounded for a third time. Abu Safiya said “relentless” drone and artillery strikes throughout the night exploded “alarmingly close” to the hospital, heavily damaging nearby buildings and destroying most of the water tanks on the hospital’s roof and blowing out doors and windows. Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahiya has been hit multiple times over the past two months since Israel launched a fierce military operation against Hamas in northern Gaza. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the strikes. “We demand international protection for the hospital and its staff,” Abu Safiya said in a statement released via the U.K.-based aid group Medical Aid for Palestinians, “as well as the entry of delegations with surgical expertise, medical supplies, and essential medications to ensure we can adequately serve the people we are treating.” Abu Safiya said there were 72 wounded patients at the hospital, one of the few medical facilities left in northern Gaza. He said he expected Israeli forces would allow a World Health Organization aid convoy to bring supplies to the hospital on Friday or Saturday, as well as a team of doctors from Indonesia. Israel has allowed almost no humanitarian or medical aid to enter the three besieged communities in northern Gaza — Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and the urban Jabaliya refugee camp — and ordered tens of thousands to flee to nearby Gaza City. Israeli officials have said the three communities are mostly deserted, but the United Nations humanitarian office said Tuesday it believes around 65,000 to 75,000 people are still there, with little access to food, water, electricity or health care. Experts have warned that the north may be experiencing famine . BAGHDAD — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced stop in Iraq on Friday on his latest visit to the Middle East aimed at stabilizing the situation in Syria to prevent further regional turmoil. Blinken met in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani as part of the hastily arranged trip, his 12th to the region since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but his first since the weekend ouster of Syrian strongman Bashar Assad. Blinken has already been to Jordan and Turkey on his current tour and will return to the Jordanian city of Aqaba for meetings on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers, Turkey’s foreign minister and the United Nations special envoy for Syria, the U.N. said. Blinken will try to unify support for an inclusive post-Assad transition that does not allow the Islamic State group to take advantage of the political vacuum in Syria and secures suspected chemical weapons stocks. In Baghdad, Blinken underscored “U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership and to Iraq’s security, stability, and sovereignty,” the State Department said. “He will also discuss regional security opportunities and challenges, as well as enduring U.S. support for engagement with all communities in Syria to establish an inclusive transition,” it said in a statement. His trip comes as the Biden administration winds down with just over a month left before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has been highly critical of Biden’s approach to the Middle East and skeptical of the U.S. military presence in both Iraq and Syria. The U.S. and Iraq agreed in September to wrap up U.S.-led military operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq next year, although Assad’s ouster and the potential for the group taking advantage of a political vacuum in Syria could complicate the timing of the withdrawal, according to American officials. DAMASCUS — The kingdom of Bahrain sent a message Friday to Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It said Bahrain is “fully prepared to consult with you continuously and to provide support in regional and international organizations to achieve what is in the interest of the brotherly Syrian people.” It added, “We look forward to Syria regaining its authentic role in the Arab League.” Bahrain is the current head of the Arab summit. Syria was readmitted to the Arab League last year after 12 years of ostracization. It is still unclear how the international community will deal officially with the new interim government in Syria. JERUSALEM - Israel’s defense minister told troops to prepare to remain through the winter months on the peak of Mount Hermon, Syria’s highest point, located in a swath of southern Syria that Israeli troops moved into after the fall of Damascus to insurgents. The comments by Defense Minister Israel Katz signaled that the military will extend its occupation of the zone along the border, which Israel says it seized to create a buffer zone. In a statement Friday, Katz said that holding the peak was of major importance for Israel’s security and that it would be necessary to build facilities there to sustain troops through the winter. The summit of Mount Hermon, the highest peak on the eastern Mediterranean coast at 2,814 meters (9,232 feet), gives a commanding view over the plains of southern Syria. It also positions Israeli troops about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the center of Damascus. The mount is divided between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Lebanon and Syria. Only the United States recognizes Israel’s control of the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israeli troops would remain in the zone until another force across the border in Syria could guarantee security. Israeli troops moved into the zone -– set as a demilitarized area inside Syrian territory under truce deals that ended the 1973 Mideast war -- after the regime of Bashar al-Assad fell last weekend. ANKARA, Turkey -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday there was “broad agreement” between Turkey and the United States on what they would like to see in Syria following the ouster of President Bashar Assad. “There’s broad agreement on what we would like to see going forward, starting with the interim government in Syria, one that is inclusive and non-sectarian and one that protects the rights of minorities and women” and does not “pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors,” Blinken said in joint statements with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The insurgent groups that toppled Assad in Syria have not made clear their policy or stance on Israel, whose military in recent days has bombed sites all over the country, saying it is trying to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. Blinken also said it was crucial to keep the Islamic State group under control. “We also discussed the imperative of continuing the efforts to keep ISIS down. Our countries worked very hard and gave a lot over many years to ensure the elimination of the territorial caliphate of ISIS to ensure that that threat doesn’t rear its head again,” Blinken said. The Turkish foreign minister said the two discussed ways of establishing prosperity in Syria and ending terrorism in the country. “Our priority is establishing stability in Syria as soon as possible, preventing terrorism from gaining ground, and ensuring that IS and the PKK aren’t dominant,” Fidan said, in a reference to the banned Kurdistan Workers Party. Blinken said: “We’re very focused on Syria, very focused on the opportunity that now is before us and before the Syrian people to move from out from under the shackles of Bashar al-Assad to a different and better future for the Syrian people, one that the Syrian people decide for themselves.” Blinken and Fidan said they had also discussed a ceasefire for Gaza. “We’ve seen in the last couple of weeks more encouraging signs that (a ceasefire) is possible,” Blinken said. Blinken, who is making his 12th trip to the Mideast since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last year but first since the weekend ouster of Assad, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late Thursday. The outgoing Biden administration is particularly concerned that a power vacuum in Syria could exacerbate already heightened tensions in the region, which is already wracked by multiple conflicts, and create conditions for the Islamic State group to regain territory and influence. Later Friday, Blinken is to return to Jordan for meetings on Saturday with Arab foreign ministers and senior officials from the European Union, the Arab League and the United Nations. ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey has appointed a temporary charge d’affaires to reopen its embassy in Syria, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported. The Turkish Embassy in Damascus had suspended operations in 2012 due to the escalating security problems during the Syrian civil war and embassy staff and their families were recalled to Turkey. The Anadolu Agency said late Thursday that Turkey appointed Burhan Koroglu, its ambassador in Mauritania, to the post. UNITED NATIONS- – Two U.N. aid convoys were violently attacked in Gaza, making it virtually impossible for humanitarian agencies to operate without putting staff and civilians at risk, the U.N. food agency says. On Wednesday, a 70-truck convoy from Kerem Shalom was waiting for personnel to safeguard the food and other aid destined for central Gaza when there were reported attacks by Israeli forces in the nearby humanitarian zone, the U.N. World Food Program said Thursday. More than 50 people are now estimated to have died in the attacks, including civilians and local security personnel who had been expected to ensure the convoy’s safety, WFP said. The Rome-based agency said the convoy was forced to proceed from Kerem Shalom to central Gaza without any security arrangements, using the Philadelphi corridor, an Israeli-controlled route that had been recently approved and successfully utilized twice. On the way, WFP said, conflict and insecurity led to a loss of communication with the convoy for more than 12 hours. ”Eventually, the trucks were found but all food and aid supplies were looted,” the U.N. agency said. In a second incident, Israeli soldiers approached a WFP convoy moving out of the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza, fired warning shots, conducted extensive security checks, and temporarily detained drivers and staff, the agency said. “As the trucks were delayed, four out of the five trucks were lost to violent armed looting,” WFP said. UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations chief has a message for Israel: Stop the attacks on Syria. Secretary-General António Guterres is particularly concerned about several hundred Israeli airstrikes on several Syrian locations and stresses “the urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts throughout the country," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday. The Israeli military said Tuesday it carried out more than 350 strikes in Syria over the previous 48 hours, hitting “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles” in the country to stop them from falling into the hands of extremists. Israel also acknowledged pushing into a buffer zone inside Syria following last week’s overthrow of President Bashar Assad. The buffer zone was established after Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1973 war. Dujarric said Guterres condemns all actions violating the 1974 ceasefire agreement between the two countries that remain in force. And the U.N. chief calls on the parties to uphold the agreement and end “all unauthorized presence in the area of separation” and refrain from any action undermining the ceasefire and stability in the Golan Heights, the spokesman said.Pakistan, EU show concern on HR situation in IIOJK Pakistan and EU stress need to find peaceful solutions to conflicts, in full respect of principles of international law ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, at the 14th Pakistan-European Union (EU) Joint Commission meeting in Islamabad, underlined its deep concern on the human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and also called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the occupied Arab territories. Both Pakistan and the EU also stressed the need to find peaceful solutions to all conflicts, in full respect of the principles of international law and the UN Charter. According to the joint press release issued by the Foreign Office, the EU reiterated its call for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza; the unconditional release of all hostages; and the urgent and unimpeded humanitarian access and distribution at scale of humanitarian assistance; as well as an enduring end to hostilities in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2735. The EU further restated its position concerning Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine (at a time when Pakistan has chosen to remain neutral and not take sides in the Ukraine war). The joint press release noted that discussions between the two sides took stock of recent political developments, including electoral processes in both Pakistan (parliamentary elections of February 8) and the EU (elections to the European Parliament of June 6-9 and the ongoing formation of the new College of Commissioners). “Pakistan and the EU recognised the importance of their cooperation and sustained engagement, particularly in areas such as trade, migration, human rights, political, economic and development cooperation with a focus on the Global Gateway strategy. The sides agreed to continue cooperation on emerging challenges of food, energy security, and climate change,” added the joint statement. The Joint Commission was preceded by the Pakistan-EU Sub-Group meeting on Democracy, Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights. While reviewing the post-elections political developments in Pakistan and the EU, both sides agreed on the need for continued efforts to strengthen the electoral process. “The EU reiterated the importance of political pluralism, democratic values, independent media, vibrant civil society, judicial independence, and international human rights standards, which are key for democratic elections,” noted the joint press release. Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to the protection of all human rights, including women and children’s rights, labour and migrant rights, as well as fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression and opinion, including growing problem of disinformation. Views were also exchanged on freedom of religion or belief and the rights of persons belonging to minorities and vulnerable groups and concerns about anti-Muslim hatred. Both sides reiterated the importance of continued dialogue on these shared concerns. The EU, as in the past, also reiterated its position on the abolishment of death penalty and emphasised the need to pursue the reform process of the mercy petition. At the meeting of the Pakistan-EU Sub-group on Trade it was pointed out that the EU is Pakistan’s second-largest trading partner, with the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) arrangement contributing significantly to the growth of bilateral trade. “The EU remains committed to providing information on its upcoming legislative developments to facilitate Pakistan’s compliance with EU’s regulatory framework. Pakistan and the EU reiterated the importance of continued collaboration to promote sustainable growth and trade development,” said the joint press release.
Percentages: FG 39.726, FT .588. 3-Point Goals: 9-21, .429 (Lacey 3-6, McMiller 3-5, Petticord 2-6, Thompson 1-3, Perkins 0-1) Blocked Shots: 3 (Adams 1, McMiller 1, Perkins 1) Turnovers: 9 (McMiller 4, Thompson 2, Lacey 1, Perkins 1, Walker 1) Steals: 8 (Adams 6, Lacey 1, McMiller 1) Technical Fouls: None Percentages: FG 39.394, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 4-21, .190 (Mays-Prince 3-5, Jackson 1-6, Gaines 0-1, Gwynn 0-3, Akinsola 0-1, Eddings 0-5) Blocked Shots: 5 (Johnson 2, Jackson 1, Green 1, Akinsola 1) Turnovers: 16 (Gaines 4, Gwynn 4, Mays-Prince 3, Jackson 2, Johnson 1, Green 1, Akinsola 1) Steals: 5 (Gwynn 2, Eddings 2, Green 1) Technical Fouls: None A_0 Officials_Erika Herriman, Kenya Kirkland, Angelica SuffrenDaylight Saving Time To End Soon? Trump Calls It 'Inconvenient And Costly For Nation'
Common sense is back in America. Donald Trump is right: Not only is the Republican Party the “party of common sense,” but he has a clear mandate to bring common-sense policies back to America after years of radical leftist failure. Trump’s 2024 victory was a win for normality and a crushing loss for left-wing Democrats who insist on selling wokeness to American voters who refused to buy it. The left’s meltdown post-Election Day has been a testament to the craziness of today’s liberals, who are now pivoting (again) to “resistance” mode. We have heard liberals complain about racism, sexism, misogyny, xenophobia, fascism, and everything else under the sun to vilify Trump and his voters. ADVERTISEMENT The reality is the people who claim Trump is Adolf Hitler probably shouldn’t be taken seriously. The left is so mindlessly committed to its radical, anti-American orthodoxy that it is missing an opportunity to self-diagnose the failures of the agenda of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Over the years, the left has utterly lost its mind, and yet Democrats refuse to see the light. We cannot overlook the insanity of expecting a different outcome for the “woke” agenda than a historic defeat. The 2024 election brought one of the most significant red waves in history, with the supposed fascists winning the Electoral College and the popular vote — and easily. Should this even be surprising? Today’s Democrats believe feelings matter more than facts and that there are more than two genders. They openly embrace the same socialism and communism that has brutally failed everywhere in the world and killed more than 100 million people . They believe Israelis are terrorists and not Hamas. They believe in open borders, supporting tens of millions of undocumented immigrants — even if they are criminals — over law-abiding U.S. citizens, who voted for safety and security by voting for Trump. The Democratic Party pretends inflation doesn’t exist (it does), that the Inflation Reduction Act actually reduced inflation (it didn’t), and Bidenomics makes our lives better (it doesn’t). Democrats pretend the Afghanistan withdrawal wasn’t an unmitigated disaster. The world is a better place in their feeble, feckless hands, despite proof to the contrary in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and the South China Sea and everywhere else. The world is on fire because of Democrats. Democrats can’t even secure our own borders, let alone peace abroad, and American voters were not in the business of pretending any longer. Failure after failure, it is no shock that Democrats lost about 20 million votes between 2020 and 2024 — a 25% drop. The only surprise is that tens of millions of Americans continue to vote for Democrats. The years ahead will expose the foolishness of stubbornly loyal Democrats. Returning to common sense means enacting common-sense policies that any good-faith American — even a Trump critic — can accept. No one wants a weak economy. No one wants lawlessness. No one wants transgenderism in elementary schools. No one wants illegal immigration unless you’re a left-wing nut who wants undocumented immigrants to become loyal Democrats one day but hilariously refuses to house them in their homes . Trump’s win was a rejection of nonsense. It will result in a strong economy, mass deportation, toughness on crime, old-school American education, and a reversal of the wokeness that parents and students despise. It will strengthen allies like Israel and weaken enemies like Hamas or China. Come January, America will have a president who believes in traditional values and isn’t afraid to say it. We will have a president who actually wants to enforce the law. ADVERTISEMENT Unless you’re a left-wing radical, you will support the mass deportation of criminals who are here illegally. Most Americans are fed up with the free ride given to undocumented immigrants at our expense — more generous than our struggling countrymen, including veterans. People want to address inflation, and most Americans are sick of the high cost of living under the Biden-Harris administration. People believe in bringing peace back to the world, and most Americans don’t want their sons and daughters dying for ineffectual militarism. And people accept that there are only two genders — because most Americans put facts over feelings and want to get the mentally ill the help they so desperately need. If you’re a radical leftist, the next four years will be intolerable. For left-wing crazies, the Trump administration will be a struggle, but it is a great victory for sanity. It is morning in America again. Dan Backer is a veteran GOP campaign counsel. He practices law as a member of Chalmers, Adams, Backer & Kaufman LLC in Atlanta.
Trump team signs agreement to allow Justice to conduct background checks on nominees, staff
DONALD Trump has vowed to ban daylight saving time after a years-long battle to end the annoying tradition. Americans could finally have a permanent standard time once Trump takes office in January. The president-elect promised to try his best to make the change on Truth Social on Friday. "The Republican party will use its best efforts to eliminate daylight saving time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. "Daylight saving time is inconvenient, and very costly to our nation." The twice-yearly changing of the clocks has been controversial for decades, even prompting 45 states to try to ban the event in the past 10 years. DST, which started in 1918, begins on the second Sunday in March each year when clocks jump ahead by one hour. Clocks then fall back on the first Sunday in November. This isn't Trump's first time bringing up the issue - he also showed his support for a more consistent nationwide schedule five years ago. "Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is OK with me!" Trump tweeted during his presidency on March 11, 2019, one day after Americans lost their hour of sleep. A permanent time change would mean the US stays on summer hours all year long. Some states, including Arizona and Hawaii, already go by those rules. The majority of America observes the annual change, which was first implemented to save energy. Only Congress can change the DST observance. Trump joins states like Florida and Tennessee, which have already passed bills calling for a permanent time year-round. The US Senate also tried to fix the unpopular rule by unanimously passing the Sunshine Protection Act in March 2022, but the changes were stalled. The history of daylight saving time can be traced back to 1918. However, some states and territories do not observe the practice, including: State lawmakers aren't the only ones to call for the change. Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, who were both tapped to lead Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency, showed their support for banning DST just last month. "Looks like the people want to abolish the annoying time changes!" Musk wrote on X, which he owns. Ramaswamy responded , "It’s inefficient & easy to change." Donald Trump Jr. chimed in , saying, "Leave it daylight savings time always." Banning the clock change would come as great news to over two-thirds of Americans who want to ban DST, according to a YouGov poll . People dread DST because the change disrupts sleep and productivity, according to a recent survey of 2,000 Americans conducted by Talker Research. Survey results exposed that 40% of people start to feel a sense of dread, which some call the daylight saving scaries, about 11 days before the clocks move forward or fall back. The tense feeling reportedly doesn't leave people until about 13 days after the change. Only about a third of respondents said the sleep trade-off is worth it, which could be because 77% of people said they feel more energized when the sun is out.
Jay Norvell, CSU Rams add baker's dozen from high school ranks
Freshly fried kartoffelpuffer next to southern barbecued ribs. Hand-carved nutcrackers neighboring kitchen utensils made from bullets. A snow machine spouting flurries in the shade of Choctaw Stadium. The blending of Bavarian and Arlington culture at the Texas Christkindl Market brings a smile to Sheri Capehart’s face. Get Arlington news that matters. Sign up for local stories in your inbox every Thursday. Every Christmas for the past 14 years, the Texas Christkindl Market has given Arlington a taste of its German sister city, Bad Königshofen . The bazaar draws inspiration from traditional Christmas markets across Europe, putting vendors from around the world behind holly-decorated wooden stalls. The market is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day from Nov. 29 to Dec. 23. Each afternoon features a new form of entertainment on the market’s main stage, with performances from local school choirs, North Texas bands and dance groups. The market is a passion project for Capehart, who served on Arlington City Council for 16 years before retiring in 2020. She serves as director of Arlington Sister Cities and now sits on Sister Cities International’s board of directors. Her idea for the festival sprouted during an official winter visit to Bad Königshofen, where she was visiting to honor the retirement of the town’s burgomeister, effectively its mayor. Arlington’s relationship with Königshofen dates back to 1951, when a relationship formed between the German town’s city manager and 23-year-old Arlington mayor Tom Vandergriff. At the time, the cities were similar in size with populations of about 7,000. Bad Königshofen, located a few miles west of the East German border, was overwhelmed by an influx in refugees from the east in the post-World War II political climate, and it needed help supplying food and clothing. Arlington residents, excited to form healing relationships with Germans, started donating supplies to help Bad Königshofen. The relationship has continued since, now evolving into a cultural exchange between Germany and North Texas. In fall 2024, Arlington also became an official friendship city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, another German city. Capehart knew the German markets would appeal to Texans. When she returned to Arlington, she set to work to win the city’s support, eventually debuting the market in 2011. The market started small, only operating for four days in its first year, but it drew crowds from across North Texas and quickly sold out of German chocolate and crafts. Eric and Kathryn Escutia stumbled upon the market on its 2024 opening day on their way to the Texas Live! entertainment venue. It was a pleasant surprise to find the cozy pocket of Europe among the stadiums, they said. They’ve lived in Arlington for over five years, but this was the first time they heard about the market or the city’s German ties. As Christkindl grew in its early years, Capehart set her eyes on getting on the radar of Käthe Wohlfahrt , a renowned German boutique craft-making brand, to set up shop in Arlington. The company is picky where it shows face, Capehart said, with 10 seasonal locations in North America including the Texas Christkindl Market. Käthe Wohlfahrt would only agree to come to Arlington if the market was open for four weeks — long enough to justify importing products from Germany. Capehart was happy to oblige. Around 20 vendors come from across the world, with most returning each year, said Henry Lewczyk, who manages the market. Vendors sell clothing weavings from Peru, ornaments from Egypt and German concessions from Montana. Robb Pocklington spends his time at the market sitting behind a table of polished gemstones, custom jewelry and geodes. He’s the face of Doc Pock’s Harmonious Rocks and has been a vendor since its first year. Often surrounded by visitors gawking at his geode cracking and polished stone jewelry, he’s watched the market grow, change locations and attract new vendors. “It keeps me busy,” he said. Lewczyk has managed the market since it first opened. Year-round, he keeps in touch with vendors, city officials and stadium managers to ensure Christkindl can open smoothly for the holiday season. Lewczyk’s favorite parts of the job are admittedly cliche, he said. He loves watching children grow up taking photos each year with the market’s Santa Claus, whose face hasn’t changed since 2011. He loves showering families with synthetic snow each night — some of whom have never experienced a flurry. Most of all, Lewczyk loves seeing people smile. So, at a place as jolly as the Christkindl Market, he feels he’s in the right line of work. Drew Shaw is a reporting fellow for the Arlington Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601 . At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here . Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Drew Shaw, Arlington Report December 3, 2024What Jameis Winston’s record-setting night means for the 2025 Browns; Darius Garland’s big challenge: Terry’s Talkin’ podcast
A proposal to ban a transgender Montana lawmaker from using the women’s bathroom in the state's capitol building failed on Tuesday. The proposed amendment, introduced by Republican Rep. Jerry Schillinger of Circle, would have required state legislators to use restrooms based on their biological sex at birth. The amendment needed to receive a majority from House members and Senate members on the joint rules committee to advance. It got enough votes to pass on the Senate side, but not the House. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, D-Missoula, was Montana’s first openly transgender female lawmaker. Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, was the first nonbinary lawmaker. Both were first elected in 2022 and reelected this year. RELATED STORY | Montana transgender lawmaker on Capitol Hill's bathroom ban: 'Do not cede ground' On social media, Zephyr thanked her colleagues — particularly her republican colleagues — who she said “recognized this as a distraction from the work we were elected to do.” Rep. David Bedey, R-Hamilton, one of four Republicans to vote against the proposal, said, “This particular action will have the effect of making people famous in the national news and will not contribute to the effective conduct of our business." This comes after some intense moments last month in Washington after a Republican representative from South Carolina proposed a similar ban on Capitol Hill ahead of the first openly transgender member of Congress, Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Delaware, taking office next year. RELATED STORY | Justices seemingly unmoved to overturn transgender health care ban for minors"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.
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