Here are the headlines Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe read on-air this weekend:
Spring storms a rolling disaster
This spring’s big weather came with big costs.
State and federal officials named 35 Texas counties disaster areas after super-charged storms rolled through April 26 through June 5. This means Denton area businesses and residents can get help whether they suffered damage from a tornado, straight-line winds or flooding rains.
Nikki Gaskins, a public information officer for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, said nearly 400 county homes and businesses have received an average of $2,000 in assistance as of this week. They are part of the nearly 48,000 Texas residents seeking $98 million in assistance so far.
Gaskins said FEMA can help where insurance comes up short.
Nikki Gaskins: “Your first line of defense is always going to be your homeowners or renters or insurance. By law, FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payment.”
FEMA helps with basic repairs and other needs that get people back inside a safe, clean space.
Nikki Gaskins: “Any assistance that a survivor may receive from FEMA is typically not enough to make you whole. We are generally focused on your short-term recovery. Where we can’t fill in all the gaps, we may refer you to other partners. I always say that FEMA is a piece of a puzzle. We are certainly not the entire piece. It takes the state, it takes the local communities, it takes the nonprofits, your religious organizations like your churches, and even the Small Business Administration—they are a huge federal partner in disaster recovery, not just for businesses.”
The Small Business Administration also helps homeowners, renters and nonprofits with low-cost loans. The financing accrues no interest in the first year and can extend for 30 years.
Public Information Officer Javier Caltenco said the loans help long-term recovery by managing those disaster costs. Then, other SBA loans can boost a survivor’s resilience, such as those for improvements to head off the next disaster.
Javier Caltenco: “It doesn’t have to be for the same disaster that happened. It can be for any natural disaster that can happen in the area. Also, we have refinancing. Therefore, in some instances, if somebody is paying their mortgage currently—and we understand that sometimes they’ll be like ‘ok, I don’t want to get another loan, I don’t want to have two payments.’ We understand that.”
The SBA will also help people who need to relocate.
Javier Caltenco: “In some instances, survivors who’ve lost everything or who had damages, they want to rebuild, they may want to relocate to a different area. So if they live within the city; let’s say, in this case, if they live in Denton, we ask that they relocate in the city of Denton. If they live in an unincorporated area, they can relocate within the county line.”
The nearest disaster recovery center is at Butterfield Elementary School in Sanger, open 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through July 16.
That’s the deadline to file for most disaster assistance. The SBA’s application deadline for help with economic injury other than physical damage is Feb. 18, 2025.
More information at disaster.gov and sba.gov or by calling 800-621-3362.
First lawsuit against citizen-driven decriminalization dismissed
This week, a Travis County district court judge dismissed the state’s lawsuit against a citizen petition which limits local enforcement of marijuana laws in Austin, similar to a citizen petition adopted in Denton. City attorney Mack Reinwand declined to comment whether the dismissal affects a similar lawsuit against Denton. The council met behind closed doors earlier this month to discuss the case.
More information at justice.dentoncounty.com.
Juneteenth in Denton
Denton’s Juneteenth celebration begins this weekend and continues into next week with a business mixer, genealogy workshops, the flag football championship game and a poetry slam. More information at dentonjuneteenth.com.
Government buildings will be closed Wednesday, but the city pools are open. Trash and recycling scheduled for Wednesday collection moves to Thursday; with Thursday’s routes moved to Friday. By the way, yard waste crews shifted to summer hours, beginning routes at 6 a.m. More information at cityofdenton.com.
Music around the world
Friday is World Music Day, a summer solstice tradition now celebrated in 120 countries.
Local News currently airs each Wednesday at 10 a.m. on KUZU 92.9 FM-LP in Denton, Texas, with rebroadcasts airing at 3 p.m. Thursday, and 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday. The Weekend Edition of Local News airs each Saturday at 4 p.m., with rebroadcasts at 9 p.m. and midnight; and 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday.
Send news tips by email to newsonkuzu@protonmail.com or by calling 940-241-7531.
On air since 2017, KUZU is Denton’s only volunteer-run, nonprofit community radio station. You can learn more and listen online at kuzu.fm.
Local News and Weekend Edition scripts are published on Substack. Subscribe for free at peggyheinkelwolfe.substack.com and follow live microblogging of Local News on Mastodon @phwolfe940@denton.social. Peggy is an award-winning, veteran journalist and a Denton County resident since 1993.