Fort Worth’s biggest stories of 2022: What will you remember most about this year?

What will you remember most about 2022?

There certainly were many big headlines in the news, from the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the death of Queen Elizabeth. We staggered through economic turmoil, surging inflation, record-high gas prices and supply-chain snags that made life difficult for most Americans. And the entire nation mourned with the small Texas city of Uvalde when unspeakable violence claimed 21 lives at Robb Elementary School.

But there were many happy moments, too, from the glory of the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February to the spectacle of the World Cup in Qatar a few weeks ago.

We were awed by the images from deep in the universe captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, and grateful that the threat of COVID has waned just enough for life to seem closer to normal. It was the year of Wordle, Bad Bunny, the Oscar slap and the “girl explaining” meme.

For us in Fort Worth, here are some of the top local stories covered by the Star-Telegram. There were many other big headlines in 2022 — too many to recount. But these are among the stories that we will remember most.

11 hours of terror in Colleyville

On the morning of Jan. 15, a stranger walked into the Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, where Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three members of his congregation prepared to livestream services. It turned into a terrifying, 11-hour ordeal that the world watched unfold in horror.

The stranger was a Brit who had traveled thousands of miles to take this North Texas congregation hostage, unleashing his long-simmering anger related to 9/11. FBI negotiators surrounded the synagogue along with roughly 200 other law enforcement officers. But it was the rabbi, along with three others trapped inside, whose calming words, courage and smart thinking perhaps contributed most of all to their escapes without injury around 9:30 p.m.

“Prayers answered,” Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted as the news broke.

The ordeal reverberated across the country, another act of violence against a Jewish community, starting off a year that would be marred by increasing acts of anti-Semitism. But as the year closed, the rabbi put the attack into the context of the resilience of Jewish people when speaking during the White House Hanukkah celebration.

“Despite all the difficulties and all the struggle, we are here today to celebrate because, against all odds, Judaism endured, and Judaism has thrived,” Cytron-Walker said.

— Matt Leclercq

A TCU football season to remember

The Horned Frogs pulled the biggest surprise of the college football season when they stormed to a perfect 12-0 regular-season record, before falling in overtime in the Big 12 championship game to Kansas State.

Their terrific season was rewarded with a berth in the national championship semifinals, where they faced Michigan on Saturday in the Fiesta Bowl.

The incredible season produced national accolades for head coach Sonny Dykes, quarterback Max Duggan and many of his teammates.

Dykes was named the national coach of the year by the Associated Press as well as by many other national media outlets and organizations.

Duggan was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and won numerous other national awards, including the Davy O’Brien and Johnny Unitas awards as the top quarterback in the country.

– Dave Ammenheuser

Aaron Dean sentenced for manslaughter

On Dec. 20, a Tarrant County jury sentenced former Fort Worth police officer Aaron Dean to 11 years, 10 months and 12 days in prison for shooting Atatiana Jefferson to death in her own home.

After hearing five days of testimony in the case, the jurors had chosen to convict Dean of manslaughter instead of murder. The maximum possible sentence was 20 years. The defense had urged the jury to consider probation.

Members of Jefferson’s family took the witness stand to read statements after the punishment verdict was announced.

“My sister did not do anything wrong,” Ashley Carr said. “She was in her home, which should have been the safest place for her to be and yet turned out to be the most dangerous. She was murdered. And as her big sister, I live every day with the pain that I could not do my job and protect her.”

Dean, who is white, shot Jefferson, a 28-year-old Black woman, through a window at the back of her home on East Allen Avenue on Oct. 12, 2019. Dean and another officer responded when a neighbor called police around 2 a.m. after noticing doors open at the house.

The defense argued that Dean thought a burglary might be in progress and that he saw Jefferson point a gun at him through the window. Prosecutors argued that Jefferson had a right to defend herself and her 8-year-old nephew against strangers in their back yard. They said Dean did not identify himself as an officer and never said he saw a gun until he found the weapon after shooting her.

Dean, 38, will have to serve at least half of the sentence before he becomes eligible for parole. His attorneys have filed notice that they will appeal the decision.

— Amy McDaniel

At long last, H-E-B is coming to Fort Worth

After years of speculation and pleas from loyal shoppers, Texas-based grocery giant H-E-B confirmed its first Fort Worth grocery store in October. H-E-B broke ground in Alliance in mid-November and expects to open the store by January or February of 2024. Construction on a second Tarrant County location in Mansfield also will begin soon.

The Fort Worth H-E-B will employ 750 people and include a primary care clinic and pharmacy. The store will also feature a True Texas BBQ restaurant, sushi bar, bakery, fan-favorite tortillas and a variety of product offerings tailored to the North Texas community. Taste of DFW, a new variety of H-E-B’s private-label coffee brand, will be present for Fort Worth customers to enjoy. San Antonio and Houston are the only other Texas cities with coffee flavors named after them.

The Mansfield location will likely not open until the spring of 2024 at the earliest because construction of a new H-E-B site typically takes 15 months. The company has not confirmed an opening date. H-E-B has owned about 28 acres at the Mansfield site since 2016 on the corner of U.S. 287 and Broad Street. Zoning changes in 2018 indicated a Mansfield H-E-B would be nearly 107,000 square feet with its own restaurant, including a drive-thru and outdoor patio, but the company has not confirmed these details yet.

— Jenny Rudolph

The questionable death of Robert Miller

A Star-Telegram investigation into the death of Tarrant County jail inmate Robert Miller prompted county leaders to reexamine his 2019 autopsy.

Miller, who was homeless and suffered from mental health problems, was pepper-sprayed multiple times during his booking at the jail. He was found unresponsive in his cell a short time later and died at JPS Hospital. The autopsy, released nearly a year later, deemed his death from was natural causes due to sickle cell crisis.

A Star-Telegram review of hundreds of pages of investigative and medical records, and interviews with outside experts in pathology and sickle cell anemia, found evidence that Miller, 38, almost certainly didn’t have the hereditary blood disease. A more likely explanation of his death was his treatment in jail.

In December, Tarrant County commissioners hired a forensic pathologist from Illinois to review Miller’s autopsy. He is expected to present his findings in early 2023.

— Matt Leclercq

Former Cowboys player Marion Barber dies

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III died of heat stroke in June.

Barber, 38, was found dead inside his Frisco apartment on June 1 by police who were making a welfare check.

According to the autopsy report, a bathtub faucet in Barber’s apartment was running when officers arrived and the unit’s thermostat was set to 91 degrees with the heat set to “on.” Barber “was known to exercise in sauna-like conditions,” the coroner wrote in his report.

Family members had not heard from Barber for six days prior to the date his body was found.

Barber played seven years in the NFL, including six for the Cowboys, between 2005 and 2011. He also played for the Chicago Bears. He was a Pro Bowler in 2007 after rushing for 975 yards and 10 touchdowns in a season that he didn’t start a game for Dallas, splitting time with Julius Jones. Barber finished his career with 4,780 rushing yards and 53 rushing touchdowns. He retired from the NFL before the start of the 2012 season.

– Clarence Hill

Schools become front lines in culture wars

The May elections cemented a political shift to the right on school boards across North Texas. Debates over books and critical race theory filled public meetings.

In November, the Keller school board added “gender fluidity” to a list of topics that are off-limits in library books and instructional materials. Its content guideline list for book reviews, adopted in August, includes topics such as profanity, horror, drug use and explicit sex. In December, the board voted to allow some highly trained employees to carry guns on campus.

In the Southlake Carroll school district, board members voted to remove any student protection from discrimination over religion from the student code of conduct.

In Grapevine-Colleyville, the school board adopted policies that will provide more oversight of library materials, limit discussion of gender identity and prohibit the teaching of critical race theory.

In a Facebook post, board member Shannon Braun wrote the polices would end the “social, cultural, and political agendas that have plagued our district classrooms.”

— Liz Campbell

A shakeup at the Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers made several organizational moves in the midst of a sixth straight losing season, the longest losing stretch since the team relocated from Washington, D.C., to Arlington in 1972.

Manager Chris Woodward was fired Aug. 15, followed by long-time executive Jon Daniels two days later. Daniels, who had been with the team since 2002, spent the past 17 years running the baseball operations, including as general manager in 2005 and team president in 2013.

“The bottom line is we are not good,” Rangers owner Ray Davis said after firing Daniels. “And we haven’t been good for six years. And the bottom line is, to be competitive going forward, is that I think we needed to make a change.“

Chris Young was promoted to vice president and head of operations. His first offseason in the new role has been a busy one, hiring three-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy as manager, then signing free agent pitchers Jacob DeGroom and Matt Heaney to bolster a pitching staff that struggled last season.

– Dave Ammenheuser

Republicans keep a grip on Tarrant County

Republicans held onto their statewide offices and kept control in Tarrant County, setting up an opportunity for the party to continue to push conservative priorities. Gov. Greg Abbott easily defeated Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, who hammered Abbott on guns, abortion and the state’s power grid. Abbott campaigned on the economy, border security and public safety.

In the Texas Senate, Republicans picked up District 10 in North Texas, which was redrawn so it favors Republicans. Rep. Phil King of Weatherford will replace Sen. Beverly Powell, a Burleson Democrat.

“What I saw in Texas was a very, very strong affirmation that people want us to keep doing what we’ve been trying to do,” said King, who has served in the House since 1999.

What can we expect when the Legislature convenes Jan. 10? Most everyone agrees property tax relief is needed. But how to get there? That’s a different story.

Tarrant County will have a new county judge for the first time in 16 years. Republican Tim O’Hare, a 52-year-old lawyer from Southlake, replaces Glen Whitley, who did not seek reelection. O’Hare promised to cut property taxes, support law enforcement and seek to add an “election integrity officer.”

He defeated former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price in the primary, attacking Price’s record during her 10 years in office, most notably claiming that Price supported Black Lives Matter protesters. In November, he defeated Deborah Peoples, the former Tarrant County Democratic Party chair who twice ran for Fort Worth mayor.

Candidates backed by conservative political action committees were also successful in the suburban school districts, where debates flared over library books and critical race theory. In May, they won seats on the Carroll, Keller, Grapevine-Colleyville and Mansfield school boards.

— Tom Johanningmeier

Fort Worth’s white-hot housing market cools

Homebuyers couldn’t get a break in 2022.

Bidding wars fueled by low interest rates pushed home ownership out of reach for many as the median price in Fort Worth hit $367,000 in May, a 48% increase from August 2020. Then interest rate increases stopped the frenzy in its tracks.

Listings piled up, sellers no longer saw multiple offers and prices began to drop.

But many homebuyers couldn’t take advantage because higher interest rates inflated mortgage payments.

By October, a $400,000 mortgage cost $975 more a month than it would have in January.

“The surprising thing to me is how quickly it changed. It seems to have decelerated very abruptly,” Shelby Kimball, a Realtor and former president of the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors, said in September.

By November, the median price of a home in Fort Worth had fallen to $333,009. In a good sign for buyers, mortgage rates began to fall in November, with the average rate around 6%. Still, that rate made payments too expensive for many.

So what can we expect in 2023? Modest price increases and high interest rates, according to Realtor.com.

The Fort Worth Realtors association’s November report had this assessment from Danielle Hale, Realtor.com’s chief economist: “Compared to the wild ride of the past two years, 2023 will be a slower-paced housing market, which means drastic shifts like price declines may not happen as quickly as some have anticipated. It will be a challenging year for both buyers and sellers — but an important one in setting the stage for home sales to return to a sustainable pace over the next two to three years.”

—Tom Johanningmeier

Carswell women’s prison plagued by sexual abuse

A months-long Star-Telegram investigation published Aug. 26 shed light on misconduct at Federal Medical Center Carswell.

The nation’s only medical prison for women, FMC Carswell in Fort Worth had the highest rate and number of sexual assault allegations against staff at any federal women’s prison from 2014 to 2018, the Star-Telegram found. In that period, 35 women at Carswell reported they were sexually assaulted by a staff member.

Women incarcerated or formerly incarcerated at the prison described a culture in which staff members abuse or harass women with impunity and reports of sexual assault result in retaliation.

“Not one person that had that authority over me helped me or tried to help me, even after what had happened,” said Chantel Dudley, who was released from prison in 2018, about a year after a case manager pleaded guilty to sexually abusing her. “After that, I was scared for women who are incarcerated. Because you have no say-so. You don’t have any rights.”

Despite the concerning reports, the federal Bureau of Prisons has continued to evade the Star-Telegram’s questions regarding the allegations of systemic abuse. Administrators have declined interview requests, given blanket statements in answer to questions and failed to provide detailed plans about how the Bureau of Prisons intends to address the problems.

— Kaley Johnson

Surging prices and supply chain woes

The rising costs for everything from a gallon of gas to a box of cereal have given Texans heartburn all year.

It has been quite the ride for families in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area. Texas gas prices hit a new record in June of nearly $4.70 a gallon. Overall consumer prices surged 9.2% over the last year, according to the September Consumer Price Index. Food prices (groceries and restaurants) rose 14.2%, with fruits and vegetables up by 21.9% and other groceries up by 20.8%.

And energy prices rose 21.7%, largely because of an increase in electricity prices. Prices for everything else are up 7.2%, the largest increase since the index was published in 1983.

Supply chain problems made it harder to shop for cars, find baby formula or replace your dishwasher.

There has been some good news, though. The average price of gas in Fort Worth has trended downward — drivers have been paying around $2.73 a gallon in recent days, about 18 cents less than a year ago. The chip shortage may be nearing an end. And some analysts are predicting a steep drop in inflation in 2023.

— David Montesino

A new leader for Fort Worth schools

Fort Worth schools had a leadership shakeup this year, with long-time superintendent Kent Scribner announcing in January that he would be leaving his position, adding in March that he would do so years before his contract term was set to expire in 2024.

Scribner was part of an exodus of school leaders in North Texas amid intense criticism from vocal groups of parents regarding issues ranging from mask mandates and COVID-19 policies, to curricula and the content of books in libraries.

After a four-month search, the Fort Worth school board unanimously voted to hire Angélica Ramsey, who was most recently the superintendent of Midland schools after serving in leadership roles in El Paso and Santa Clara County in California.

Ramsey spent the first several weeks on the job visiting schools and talking with teachers. She said that despite improvements in accountability scores this year, there are still systemic issues that stand in the way of the district reaching its full potential.

“So far, I’m kind of hearing a lot of the same themes,” Ramsey said. “Really great people, and I mean, an entire community that loves kids, cares about education. But the system not working well together.”

— Isaac Windes