The Fort Worth Fire Department is accepting applications for firefighters.

Applicants must be 18 years old and cannot have reached 36 at the time of the test. Applicants must have a high school diploma, GED or 12 credits from an accredited college or university.

The application process runs through March 10. A Civil Service test will be conducted on April 2. Learn more on the fire recruitment web page or text FWFD to 555888.

FWFD has an authorized strength of 925 Civil Service positions. The department staffs 43 stations and responds to 118,000 calls a year.

Fort Worth’s new flood warning information web page is designed to provide real-time flood warning risk levels to protect people from hazardous flood conditions.

The flood warning information is generated from monitored low-water road crossing flashers at 52 locations throughout the city, which warns drivers in the immediate area of a flood hazard by flashing warning lights. At the same time, text and email alerts to emergency responders are issued when water-level sensors of each flasher system are triggered by rising water.

The new website shows drivers in real time whether the road crossing near their home, workplace, school or any location on their commute, is a flood risk before they even arriving at the location.

The real-time conditions will indicate either:

• No known threat (“NONE”), in green.
• Potential conditions for flooding (“CAUTION”), in yellow.
• Or that the road crossing has overtopped with water (“AVOID”), in red.

A grant from the Texas Water Development Board provided development support for system improvements, and stormwater utility fees funded the project. too.

One of the benefits of the flood warning system is that weather data (mainly rainfall) is collected at 39 existing and 20 new dedicated weather stations, along with stations belonging to regional partners. This real-time weather data helps to better predict the movement and intensity of rainfall coming into Fort Worth, which allows for advance warning as storms head our direction.

To learn more, contact Jennifer Dyke at 817-392-2714.

Though there’s no shortage of hotels in Fort Worth’s cultural district, a Home2 Suites hotel is under construction at the northeast corner of University Drive and West Lancaster Avenue. It will be equidistant from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and Casa Manana.

Home2 Suites is a brand under the Hilton umbrella. The brand is a pet-friendly, extended-stay hotel. There is another Home2 Suites location in Fort Worth, at 5401 SW Loop 820.

The hotel is slated to open to 2020, though dates may shift depending on construction schedules.

Nice weather, free fares and the desire to experience TEXRail combined to set a new weekend ridership total of nearly 20,000 in two days for the new commuter rail line. With 10,477 on Saturday and 9,111 on Sunday, the total ridership of 19,588 eclipsed the previous weekend record of 18,002, which was set during the three-day holiday weekend that included Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“The number of people choosing to ride TEXRail continues to exceed our expectations,” said Trinity Metro President/CEO Paul J Ballard. “We offered complimentary fares in January because we wanted everyone to experience TEXRail, and we are delighted that so many North Texans and tourists are riding.”

Prior to this weekend, MLK Day had the highest daily ridership with 8,287 passengers. Since service began on Jan. 10, the grand total is 82,733.

Beginning Feb. 1, the local fare for TEXRail will be $2.50 one way or $5 for a local day pass, which includes all Trinity Metro bus and rail service in Tarrant County. A regional day pass is $12 and includes all Trinity Metro, Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Denton County Transportation Authority trains and buses.

Trinity Metro is the owner and operator of TEXRail, a 27-mile commuter rail line that runs from downtown Fort Worth to Dalla- Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B.

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Mayor Betsy Price will detail her outlook for 2019 and report on the past year’s advancements at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mayor’s State of the City Address and Luncheon Feb. 19 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, 1201 Houston St.

Registration begins at 11:15 a.m., lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m. and the program begins at 12:30 p.m. Purchase tickets through the Chamber website.

In addition, top Tarrant County businesses have been selected as finalists in competition for the Chamber of Commerce’s 2019 Forte Awards. Winners will be announced at a reception before the State of the City address. The prestigious annual awards salute those that operate with exemplary best practices.

The 26th annual Party in Fort Worth, is an opportunity to celebrate what makes our community a great place to live, work and play. Wear cocktail attire and be ready to dine and dance on Feb. 23 at the Fort Worth Convention Center Ballroom.

The Party in Fort Worth is an annual event benefiting the Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund. The fund, which is governed by a 13-member board, invests funds to promote Fort Worth before regional, national and international cultural, business, sports and governmental organizations. The Promotion Fund also provides resources for the development of local events, attractions and exhibits that enhance Fort Worth’s ability to recruit business and leisure visitors. The Fort Worth Promotion and Development Fund puts Fort Worth on the map, and recently supported the Fort Worth pavilion at SXSW.

To learn more about the party, contact Linda Fulmer by email or at 817-451-8740.

Mayor Jean-Paul Fournier of Nîmes, France, and a delegation will travel to Fort Worth Feb. 12-17 to sign the official document to become Fort Worth’s ninth sister city.

The official signing will take place between Mayor Betsy Price and Fournier at a ceremony at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and is free and open to the public.

“Fort Worth is excited to formally welcome Nîmes as our ninth sister city. We look forward to fostering business relationships and expanding cultural exchange opportunities through this partnership,” Price said.

Price will lead a delegation to Nîmes (pronounced NEEM) Sept. 25-Oct. 4 to sign the reciprocal agreement there. Residents are encouraged to join the group on the official visit.

Fort Worth Sister Cities International launched a long-range plan to select new sister cities in countries where they can build mutually beneficial relationships through education, exchanges and commerce. In 2017, Sister Cities sent a delegation to explore the potential partnership with Nîmes, France. A delegation reciprocated with a visit in 2018 to Fort Worth and quickly moved to make the partnership official.

“We are already making plans to welcome our new French friends and share our finest Texas culture,” said Sister Cities Chairwoman of the Board Veronica Chavez Law. “Future exchanges may focus on education, economic relations and arts and culture to create understanding and respect of each other’s cultures.”

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Share your input on the city’s active transportation plan that will improve safety and mobility for people who walk, bike and use public transportation in Fort Worth.

Meetings are scheduled for:

• Jan. 24, 6 p.m. at Central Library, 500 West Third.
• Jan. 28, 6 p.m. at Northwest Regional Library, 6228 Crystal Lake Drive.
• Jan. 29, 6:45 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, 5565 Truman Drive.
• Jan. 31, 6 p.m. at Southwest Regional Library, 4001 Library Lane.

The city has partnered with the North Central Texas Council of Governments with support through the Blue Zones Project to create an active transportation plan. Active transportation is transportation powered by human energy (walking and biking). The active transportation plan’s network will include bicycle and pedestrian facilities, as well as connections to the public transportation system, allowing people to get around the city without a car.

Coordinating this plan with public transportation is important because these trips often start or end with walking or biking. These are essential connections for people who walk (including people who use mobility devices) and bike.

This plan will integrate and update previous planning efforts such as the Walk Fort Worth and Bike Fort Worth plans, develop the first Trails Master Plan, and provide coordination with the regional Transit Master Plan. The result will be a unified, citywide transportation network for people who walk and bike, with a coordinated implementation strategy for planning, prioritizing and building improvements.

For those who are unable to attend, an online presentation from the Jan. 24 public meeting will be available for viewing.

To learn more, contact Julia Ryan at 817-392-2593.

The Log Cabin Village, 2100 Log Cabin Village Lane, will be closed for routine maintenance Jan. 21-Feb. 4. When it reopens, hours will be 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; closed Mondays.

To learn more, call 817-392-5881 or visit the Village’s website.

Be a part of history when you attend the unveiling of a new Martin Luther King Jr. Heritage Trails marker at 9 a.m. Jan. 21 in General Worth Square, 900 Main St.

The memorial will commemorate King’s Oct. 22, 1959, visit to Fort Worth. The civil rights leader was invited to Fort Worth by the late Vada Felder, a local activist. Felder befriended King at a church meeting in Nashville and invited him to deliver a sermon in Fort Worth later that year.

The memorial plaque will be installed across from the John F. Kennedy Memorial a block north of the Fort Worth Convention Center. The memorial will be the latest addition to the Heritage Trails collection.

An effort is underway to preserve the Phillips home as a civil rights landmark. “We are praying for a financial miracle to be able to preserve, protect and respect this home for generations to come,” said the Rev. Kyev Tatum, pastor of New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church.

To learn more, contact Rev. Tatum at 817-966-7625.