East Lancaster's Central Motel is demolished, the first property to come down under the NET Force crackdown

The owner agreed to raze the 22-room motel at its own cost after the city sued under the state nuisance law; inspectors had logged 123 code violations, and police had documented drug activity, prostitution and assaults there.

The Central Motel on East Lancaster Avenue has been torn down, the first property to be demolished under the city's NET Force program, Fort Worth's Code Compliance Department announced Wednesday.

The demolition took place this week, according to the department's release. It follows a Chapter 125 nuisance abatement lawsuit the city filed against the property this summer.

The owner agreed to demolish the motel at the owner's own expense, and the city dismissed the lawsuit in return, the release says. The owner is not named.

What inspectors and police found

A Code Compliance inspection turned up 123 violations across the motel's three buildings, which held 22 rooms. The city listed brick and siding that was damaged or gone, electrical wiring left exposed, missing doors and windows, and ceilings with sections missing.

Police had documented prostitution, drug activity, assaults and other violent crime at the site, the city said. The release credits the Fort Worth Police Department's East Patrol Division, VICE Unit and Narcotics Division for years of investigative work, and says Officer Jentry Cotten helped open lines of communication with the owner.

What comes next

NET Force pairs code inspectors with police to go after properties with serious code violations and crime. The Central Motel was one of seven properties the team took on Oct. 1, according to a city update released Oct. 20: three lodging properties, a shopping center, an apartment complex and two homes.

Wednesday's release says the team has six more properties lined up for its next phase. Some have structural, electrical or maintenance hazards, and some have documented criminal activity or other public safety concerns, the city said.

The city did not say what will happen to the motel site now that the buildings are gone. Data on the program is posted on a public NET Force dashboard on the city's open data site.

Sources

fortworthtexas.gov

data.fortworthtexas.gov

fortworthtexas.gov

JPS gets $1 million in federal money to grow its forensic nursing team for victims of sexual assault and violence

U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey delivered the earmark Tuesday. JPS plans more full-time forensic nurse examiners so one is always on shift, a bigger on-call team and three more staff nurses.

Sasha EsparzaOctober 28, 20262 min read

Fort Worth

Wedgwood East picked as the next Neighborhood Improvement Program area, with street repairs and lighting among likely projects

The southwest Fort Worth neighborhood of nearly 1,300 homes becomes the 12th in the city's targeted-investment program; residents will be asked how the money should be spent before priorities are set.

Sasha EsparzaOctober 27, 20262 min read

Fort Worth

Fort Worth ISD managers approve $3.3 million for copiers, student-device insurance and campus security patrols

The state-appointed board of managers passed all three contracts 8-0 on its consent agenda this month, led by up to $1.38 million a year for a five-year copier and print services lease with Datamax of Texas.

Sasha EsparzaOctober 27, 20261 min read

Texas Attorney General Proposes Strengthened Rules Restricting Foreign Land Ownership

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has proposed updated enforcement rules for Senate Bill 17, creating a public mapping portal modeled after the state sex-offender registry to track foreign adversary real estate holdings and establishing a dedicated investigative task force.

Sasha EsparzaOctober 10, 20262 min read

Texas

Texas Attorney General Launches Investigation Into UnitedHealth Group Over Patient Coverage Denials

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened a formal investigation into UnitedHealth Group, issuing Civil Investigative Demands under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act over alleged deceptive coverage denials, nursing home delays, and improper prior-authorization revocations.

Jules PenningtonOctober 6, 20262 min read