Arlington, TX

I hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day weekend. News has been a little slow this week…until today.

Remember Joshua Thorne, the toddler who died on July 11 after falling from the top of a stairwell. His mom treated his head injury with a popsicle. Well the Tarrant County medical examiner says Joshua had traces of cocaine in his system. They say he was in the environment of the illegal substance but did not ingest the drug. Joshua’s mother, Ebony Thorne, was indicted in August on a charge of injury to a child. She remains in jail with bail set at $20,000.

The Arlington Inn at 1195 N. Watson Road, considered a haven for drugs, prostitution and other crimes, has closed and is likely to be demolished. The city will ask a municipal judge next week to declare the motel dangerous and order the owner to either demolish the building or bring it up to code. Officials say bringing it up to code would be far too expensive, and the owner, Deepak B. Patel of Irving, has indicated to the city that he will demolish the motel. The Texas attorney general has suits pending against Arlington Inn. Police noted 20 narcotics violations, one aggravated assault, two robberies and eight cases of prostitution at the Arlington Inn between July 2006 and March, when the suit against the motel was filed.

The former Fantasy Ranch topless club at 701 106th Street, which closed earlier this year, is set to reopen on Friday as a sports bar. The Ranch Bar & Grille promises to offer a family-friendly environment but will target clientele in their 20s and 30s. They hope to draw a happy hour and sports crowd. Hours will be 4:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 6 p.m.-2 a.m. on Saturday. The club has been remodeled and a dancefloor has been added.

Arlington, Arlington TX, Joshua Thorne, Ebony Thorne, Arlington Inn, Deepak B. Patel, Fantasy Ranch, Ranch Bar & Grille, Topless Club