Latest news with #CodeofOrdinances
CBS News
24-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Grand Prairie residents react strongly to alleged assault video of councilman Mike Del Bosque: "I think it's despicable."
Gand Prairie residents are reacting strongly to watching the video that allegedly shows councilman Mike Del Bosque assaulting a real estate agent in a parking lot. CBS News Texas obtained the exclusive video that recorded Del Bosque allegedly punching the 60-year-old man and breaking his phone during what his accuser calls an unprovoked attack. "I think it's despicable," said Jackie Johnson, a Grand Prairie resident who's lived in the city for 40 years. "If he's in a fight, you know, it's just not right," said Alex Rivery, another Grand Prairie resident. Larry Maifeld, who's lived in Grand Prairie for close to 25 years, said he was disappointed. "Any councilman, you think they'd have more restraint than to do something like," said Maifeld. "It's not right for anybody nationwide to be violent and in a public office," said Rivery. There was a much stronger reaction than from Del Bosque's colleagues at City Hall. CBS News Texas reached out to every member of the council on Thursday, but not one responded to the request for comment. We asked the city if Del Bosque should be reprimanded or kicked off the council, and they sent us the following statement: "The case is still under review by the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney's Office; therefore, the City is not able to comment on the specifics at this time. The City follows its Standards of Conduct for Officers and Employees (Code of Ordinances, Chapter 2, Article IV), which addresses any dishonest or criminal behavior or any behavior that could discredit the City. The City Council may consider a formal reprimand in accordance with these Standards. However, action in relation to criminal behavior is not generally taken until the criminal case has been disposed of through the court under the City's Charter (Article VI Recall and Referendum), only voters, not the City Council, may remove a council member from office through a petition process and recall election, if needed." That would not happen until after criminal court cases have been resolved. That's something residents interviewed agreed with. "You're innocent until you've been found guilty," said Johnson. "I think they need to do a little background and find out what caused the fight to start with," said Maifeld. However, they were skeptical about voting for someone like Del Bosque after seeing the video. "No, I don't vote for him," said Rivery. And they hope for more civility moving forward. "I pray that they do better," said Johnson.
Chicago Tribune
23-07-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Animals running loose continue to be a challenge in Winfield
The town of Winfield continues to be dogged by complaints of animals running at large and attacking people or pets. Winfield Town Marshal Robert Byrd at the Winfield Town Council meeting said because of the continued complaints, the town is stepping up its enforcement and fines, including putting an animal down upon a third complaint. First-time offenders, when a complaint is filed through the town's code enforcement, will receive a written warning, then be issued a $250 fine if a second warning is issued. The dog could be euthanized, according to town code enforcement, if the owner is issued a third warning. 'In other words, the third strike and they are out,' Byrd said. Byrd last month reported dangerous dog bite complaints have been on the rise in town, including one in which a bitten dog died. Most recently, a resident who was out jogging was attacked by a German Shepherd, he said. 'The guy would have been mauled if he didn't have pepper spray, which he used against the dog,' he said. Another resident who was chased by a dog had to jump into a lake to avoid being attacked. Other reports have been of pit bulls attacking other pit bulls. 'We're trying to get the message out that animal owners have to maintain their dogs so that residents, including children, don't get bitten,' he said. Complaints that will be investigated include dogs knowingly or negligently running at large; in the event of further offenses, chasing persons or vehicles, barking, howling, yelping or making noise which disturbs the peace and quiet of a neighborhood, according to the Town of Winfield Code of Ordinances, Chapter 92. In other business, Byrd said the newly relocated Winfield Police Station, at 10688 Randolph St., across from the Government Center, maintains a Safe Exchange Zone. Byrd said the police parking lot is equipped with a videotaping system and police phone number so officials can provide a secure setting. Those who might use the Safe Exchange Zone would include those with child custody situations or even residents who want to meet someone with items to sell or exchange on such computer sites such as eBay.
Chicago Tribune
25-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Dangerous dog bites raising concerns in Winfield, including death of bitten dog
The dog days of summer have had new meaning in the town of Winfield during recent weeks. Dangerous dog bite complaints have been on the rise in town, including one in which a bitten dog died, Winfield Town Marshal Robert Byrd reported on Tuesday at the Town Council meeting. 'We have to make a clear statement to control your animal,' Byrd said. Byrd said there have been three dog bite attacks and one dog charging complaint, resulting in two adults and two dogs being bitten, with one dog losing its life due to the injuries received. Another incident involved a resident who was just walking down the street when a dog, which had gotten away from its owner, charged and challenged the person. The Winfield Police Department and Code Enforcement Officer investigate all dog complaints, and when a dog bite has occurred, a fine of $250 is imposed for the first offense, with the fine amount increasing in the event of further offenses, he said. The dog bite incidents can also lead to additional costs to the owner if individuals take civil action, he said. Complaints that will be investigated include dogs knowingly or negligently running at large, in the event of further offenses, chasing persons or vehicles, barking, howling, yelping or making noise which disturbs the peace and quiet of a neighborhood, according to the Town of Winfield Code of Ordinances, Chapter 92. In other business, the Town Council directed Byrd to work with and address complaints voiced by residents living north of 109th Avenue, on Park Street. Denis Dmitriev, one of several residents who came to the Town Council meeting to voice complaints, said the business plaza located just off 109th Avenue has not been a good neighbor. The business complex allows cars of customers and others to park along the west side of Park Street, which causes problems for homeowners. Those problems include blocking the street so that garbage trucks and emergency vehicles can't get through. 'We worry about safety. It's not a wide road,' Dmitriev said. The issue affects some 16 homeowners, Dmitriev said. Homeowner Sandra Murphy said she has even had her garbage container blocked when someone at the business plaza parked his car in front of it. 'I put my container out on Monday and he parks in front of it,' Murphy said.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Yahoo
St. John the Baptist Parish youth curfew back in effect for the summer
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. (WGNO) — The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office is reminding residents of the annual youth curfew. In a post to Facebook, deputies said with students on summer break, teenagers are only allowed to be out during a certain time of day. West Nile virus detected in Orleans Parish mosquitoes Minors under the age of 17 must be off the street between the hours of 10 p.m.-5 a.m., unless supervised by a parent or legal guardian, as established by the St. John Parish's Code of Ordinances Section 28-1. 'This curfew has been in place for years, it's not new,' said Sheriff Mike Tregre. He added that during the summer, property crimes, including vandalism and burglaries, tend to increase. 'We are not trying to ruin anyone's summer, but we will enforce the law,' Sheriff Tregre said. 'Parents, please know where your minor children are and make sure they are abiding by the curfew.' Told he'd never talk, New Orleans 6-year-old now starts conversations at Xavier University Any teen in violation of the curfew 'will be dealt with in accordance with juvenile court law and procedures.' Parents in violation of the curfew rules will face a fine of up to $100, imprisonment of up to 10 days or both as decided by the Awnings Justin Baldoni countersuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds dismissed Louisiana Public Broadcasting to honor six students across the state as young heroes NeuroJust – BioJust St. John the Baptist Parish youth curfew back in effect for the summer Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Animal Services task force offers recommendations
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Months after being established amid mounting community concerns, the City of San Angelo's Animal Services & Control Task Force has presented recommendations to the City Council to remedy pet overpopulation. The formation of the nine-person force was announced by City Manager Daniel Valenzuela on Jan. 21. The group was tasked with addressing 'critical issues related to animal services and control,' with specified objectives including 'reducing the free-roaming dog population, increasing spay/neuter rates, managing shelter capacity, and creating or updating policies and ordinances.' RELATED: Nine people selected for animal services, control task force The task force presented several recommendations to the City Council during the council's May 6 meeting. Judge Allen Gilbert, chairman of the task force, stated that the committee's findings came after over 370 collective hours of research into San Angelo's pet population, the City's Animal Services Department and local and state laws. 'We reviewed City ordinances. We didn't go chapter by chapter, we went sentence by sentence,' Gilbert said. 'We reviewed the state law. Once again, we didn't go chapter by chapter, we went sentence by sentence. Because they wanted to know and they wanted to learn, and they said they couldn't make decisions without this.' Presented during the meeting was a 110-page packet containing photos of dogs found within San Angelo in the span of a singular week, with some pages depicting multiple dogs. Gilbert said the task force found that, 'at any given time in the city of San Angelo, there's over 500 dogs running loose.' Gilbert said that, left uncontrolled for two years, this number can add up to 'over 10,000 dogs.' 'Our dog bites are up, our dog attacks are up,' Gilbert said. One task force member stressed later in the meeting that citizens are feeling the effects of an unregulated pet population. 'We can't continue to ask the public to play animal control or take in every single animal that's been dumped or allowed to roam. People are tired and tapped out,' the member said. 'City ordinances have been ignored the past few years, we've dealt with closed animal intakes, limited code enforcement and a 'let them roam' policy. Now we're forced into having to talk about things rather than ignore them.' The recommendations During the task force's presentation, it was shown that its recommendations were given based on three goals: Community safety, animal welfare and governmental organization. Among its recommendations were several updates to the City's Code of Ordinances. Suggested changes included updating Section 3.01.001 — a section dedicated to providing definitions for terms used in the 'Animal Control' chapter of the code — to expand the period of time required for an individual to be considered a pet's owner from a minimum of three days to a minimum of 10 and to remove a specification outlined in the 'ear tipping' definition. Amending City ordinances and improving efforts to enforce ordinances and state laws related to dangerous animals, strays, facility intake and spaying and neutering were also recommended. 'Discussions were focused on making small but considerable changes that have a lasting effect on enforcement,' Adam Scott, assistant police chief of the San Angelo Police Department and task force member, said. 'Making enforcement of ordinances more streamlined as well and making recidivism in the shelter less likely.' Over $4M raised through San Angelo Gives 2025 The task force recommended doubling Animal Services' officers from four to eight to better address the community's needs. 'We recommend that four be increased to eight, basically doubling that number, putting a force multiplier in the street to readily increase enforcement for not only microchipping, spay and neuter, but also more importantly, for dangerous and vicious dogs that are on the streets,' Scott said. Scott outlined several other recommendations on behalf of the task force, including: More readily enforcing animal microchipping ordinances Improving enforcement for spay and neuter ordinances Reviving the registration tag system Requiring veterinary clinics to report unchipped animals and/or chip them before they leave Maintaining the City-managed database for registered and microchipped animals Increasing cooperation with Concho Valley PAWS and other local animal organizations for pet rehoming Leaving animal intake fully open at the San Angelo Animal Shelter Increasing cooperation with local law enforcement and utilizing the technology offered by local law enforcement Improving professional development for Animal Services officers Dr. Catie Morris, a veterinarian, owner of the Prickly Pear Veterinary Hospital and task force member, stressed that enforcing spay and neuter ordinances 'is a foundation to solving San Angelo's pet overpopulation crisis.' She recommended changes to said ordinances, such as extending the deadline that puppies and kittens need to be spayed or neutered by, to better ensure compliance from citizens. 'It has been proven time and time again that you can't kill or adopt your way out of overpopulation,' Morris said. 'Prevention is the key, and without strict changes in enforcement of the spay and neuter ordinances, San Angelo will never get ahead of the problems.' Returning to the podium later on, Gilbert stated that the task force would like to see Animal Services realigned to report directly to the City manager. 'We do believe that this is such a big issue within our community that the City manager having control of this would help us to speed up our ability to get control of this,' Gilbert said. 58K bass stocked in O.C. Fisher amid repopulation efforts One member recommended hiring a 'qualified Animal Services director' to facilitate a variety of goals, including ordinance enforcement, the management of public and animal welfare, the development and implementation of education programs and the establishment of public volunteer programs. 'This person should have strong leadership, communication and organizational skills along with a deep understanding of animal care, community management and regulatory compliance,' the member said. Task force member Mary Golder recommended that the San Angelo Animal Shelter resume adoption responsibilities, taking steps to provide and facilitate improved adoption services, hire an adoption coordinator and develop a foster program. Several other recommendations were given during the meeting. To hear all of the task force's recommendations, watch the City Council's livestream recording for its May 6 meeting. What's next? Gilbert said the task force believes that, if the City were to implement its recommendations, a decrease in San Angelo's burgeoning pet population would be observable 'within three to five years.' Valenzulea urged the City Council to consider analyzing the cost of implementing the task force's recommendations during its upcoming budget workshop. 'I have a great interest in implementing and making sure that we look at what does this do once we implement it, what changes does that make for the animal shelter,' Valenzuela said. 'I think there's going to be some pretty positive ones.' Councilmembers agreed to gather their questions to present to the task force at a later date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
