More hiking and biking

Trinity Trails expand near buzzy new Fort Worth dining-shopping center

Trinity Trails Fort Worth, jogger, fall foliage, Waterside

The extension will get a proper dedication on November 14.

Fort Worth's Trinity Trails are going the extra mile. A one-mile extension of the beloved hike and bike path has opened at Waterside, a bustling dining and shopping complex. And a new car, bike, and pedestrian-friendly bridge connects Bellaire Drive to Watercourse Drive on the city's Southwest side, linking more than 40 miles of trails around Fort Worth.

According to a news release, Waterside’s developer, Fort Worth-based Trademark Property Company, worked with the Tarrant Regional Water District to build the $1.5 million bridge, which is a part of more than $3.5 million of public amenities on site.

Trademark also collaborated with nonprofit Streams & Valleys on enhancements to the trail extension, including new signage for joggers and cyclists and a large public art piece by Texas artist Bob "Daddy-O Wade" made from repurposed equipment from the original Lockheed Martin Recreation Association playgrounds.

Waterside offers direct access to Trinity Trails, which meander alongside the Trinity River.

“Five years ago, Trademark made a promise to work with TRWD and Streams & Valleys to help make this trail extension at Waterside a reality,” says Terry Montesi, CEO of Trademark, in the release. “We are proud of delivering on this commitment and all Waterside has done to add value to southwest Fort Worth.”

Waterside, which opened in 2016, is a 63-acre mixed-use development at Bryant Irvin Road and Arborlawn Drive. Phase one includes retail such as Whole Foods Market and REI, as well as chef Marcus Paslay's highly acclaimed Piattello Italian restaurant and eateries Taco Diner, Steel City Pops, and Tricky Fish.

The shopping, dining, and leisure destination is built around The Grove, a park-like oasis with access to the Trinity Trails that's tucked away in the center. Lush greenery surrounds locally made furniture and planters, with bocce ball and cornhole courts; public restrooms; free Wi-Fi; and a water cistern that collects rain water from the roof of Whole Foods Market.

At full build out, Waterside will be a walkable district with 200,000 square feet of retail space and riverside restaurants, 800 multi-family residential units, hotels, office buildings, and potential for additional high density single family housing — much of which will be situated along the Trinity River, the developer says.

“Trademark has long been a fantastic partner of Streams & Valleys, sharing our same passion to celebrate the Trinity River and Trinity Trails,” says Stacey Pierce, executive director of Streams & Valleys, in the release. “Their commitment to build this bridge at Waterside and extend the trails in this area has been something we have wanted to see happen for nearly 20 years.”

The new trail extension and bridge have opened but will be dedicated in a public ceremony with Mayor Betsy Price and Councilman Brian Byrd at 10:30 am November 14.

shopping fitness

Death Penalty

Tarrant County man gets death for murder of convenience store owner

Tarrant County Sheriff's Office

Christopher Turner

A man received the death penalty for his 2020 cold-blooded execution of a convenience store owner.

According to a release from the office of Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Phil Sorrells, a Tarrant County jury sentenced Christopher Karon Turner, 48, to death on November 20 for executing convenience store owner Anwar Ali during a robbery. Tarrant County Assistant District Attorneys Charles Boulware and Allenna Bangs represented the state.

On March 27, 2020, at around 6:15 am, Turner, a convicted felon, wore a surgical mask and a glove and entered the Super Big Country Mart in an unincorporated area of Tarrant County south of Fort Worth. There, he held a gun to the back of Anwar Ali, the 62-year-old store owner, and walked him through the store.

Ali did everything Turner demanded, including opening the cash register to give him money. And yet Turner forced Ali into the bathroom and onto his knees, and shot him in the neck. Ali was discovered, dead in the bathroom, about an hour later.

Turner fled the store in Ali's Toyota minivan with the money from the register and Ali's wallet. In the van, he found more than $50,000 cash in a black bag. Over the next few days, Turner went on a shopping spree, buying cars, jewelry, drugs, clothes, and more. He and others used cash and a credit card that belonged to Ali.

Turner fled to Colorado where U.S. Marshals arrested him. On his body they found a firearm which was determined to be the murder weapon.

"This was a premeditated, cold-blooded murder," Boulware told the jury. "From the moment he was charged with this crime, he has tried to escape responsibility."

Bangs noted that before this trial began, Turner obtained the names of jurors and their telephone numbers, and gave them to an inmate charged with murder. At the trial on November 20, as Bangs addressed the jury, Turner tried to hold up a sign to the jury but was handcuffed by Sheriff's deputies who removed him from the courtroom, while he yelled out "she lied."

Ali came to the United States from Pakistan decades ago to pursue the American dream. Ali's son, Hussein, spoke in the courtroom after the death penalty was announced. "Thank you for giving us justice," Ali said. "I hope there are no more devils like this person."