Articles for December, 2008
Bethany Anderson, You Have a Delivery
Wanna know the power of FrontBurner? Even our commenters get holiday gift baskets delivered to the office. Bethany, yours will be waiting for you at the front desk. Assuming it doesn’t get eaten today.
Dustin Hoffman Tells a Dirty Story (That Involves Dallas)
Worth your time:
Eric Celeste Has Lost as Much Weight as Tim Rogers Has Hair
Today’s the last day we will be in the office until the new year. Will we post during the break? I guess you’ll just have to check in and see. But so here’s a fun comparison. One year ago today, we put up this post. I know, I know. It’s weird for us to pull back the curtain like that. Maybe it was the Bloody Marys. Here’s the pic from last year (left), along with today’s update. Some things change. Others remain the same.
Here’s to a safe, happy, relaxing break for all FrontBurnervians. Cheers.
A Christmas Miracle: Wick and Jim Schutze Agree
Leppert wouldn’t carry Dallas if he decided to run for senate. Which he — wink wink, nudge nudge — has no plans to do.
On A Slow News Day, We’re Happy To Help The DMN
At 10:13 a.m., Wick put up a post with Tom Leppert’s non-denial denial regarding his possible run for KBH’s seat. At 12:19 p.m., Rudy Bush put up a story on Dallasnews.com with the same non-denial denial, saying that Leppert was knocking down “rumors.” Gosh, where did those rumors come from? Guys, we’re seven people in a near-deserted office just before the holidays, but please give us credit when you follow us. We give you credit, all 350-plus of you, with plenty of links and nods and hat tips every day.
Erin Wasson Burgled
An alert FBvian points us to news that the D cover girl got taken for some high-fashion goodies.
Who the Heck Is Ellis Short?
Because a FrontBurnervian just pointed me to a story in the Telegraph identifying him as a Dallas-based multimillionaire who is poised to complete his takeover of a Premier League team — and I’ve never heard of the guy. He used to work at the mysterious Lone Star Funds, but says here he’s retired. Also says he owns a rather large castle in Scotland. I did a little digging through public records and couldn’t immediately find a residence for the guy in Dallas. So here’s my question: does Ellis Short really live here? Anyone ever cross paths with him?
Tom Leppert To Run For Senate Seat?
Republican sources have told me that the mayor is seriously interested in Kay Bailey’s seat. So I called him yesterday to confirm. He was clearly not happy about the leak. After he stammered around a bit, I told him to take his time and get back to me with a response. This is it:
I’m flattered that people have suggested me for such an important seat. Clearly, there is a long list of candidates and Senator Hutchison has not even indicated her plans concerning the seat. I’m proud to serve the citizens of and eager to continue working with the City Council on the opportunities and challenges ahead of us.
That is not a no.
I could leave it at that, but I won’t. The mayor’s major initiative in his first year has been the convention hotel. It is an expensive undertaking, and its fast-tracking through the City Council mainly is due to the mayor’s contention that it will not be a drag on the city’s finances. To my mind, it would be irresponsible of Leppert to leave this for others to manage. When Ron Kirk stepped down to run for Senate, his major priorites — the Trinity bond program, the arena — had been accomplished. Leppert has barely begun. If he were to abandon his post now to seek a higher office, I doubt he would even carry Dallas.
An Easy Way to Help the Less Fortunate
Got an extra blanket lying around the house? Then here’s how you can help someone who has neither a blanket nor a house. Details:
Texas Population Up, Home Prices Steady
It’s a weird recession or depression or repression or decession or whatever you want to call it — at least here it is. The great North-South migration continued in 2008, with Texas adding 483,542 more people, undoubtedly the major factor in the small rise in home prices in Texas metro areas. (Meanwhile, I hear that NorthPark total sales are up over last year.)
Leading Off (12/23/08)
1. Police are looking for a man who killed two drivers in Dallas and Garland yesterday and shot at two others. It happened during rush hour, which meant traffic was brought to a standstill as officers scoured closed lanes on 635 to look for bullet casings. The suspect was described as a bald, white man in his 40s. Murmur.
2. Southwest Airlines applied for authority to fly to Canada to meet demands of people who vacation there often, and of Republicans scared of an Obama administration who made angry, drunken threats to move there in early November.
3. Freezing rain advisories were canceled for this morning, as the temperature hovered above freezing. Seems like a solid reason to cancel it, in retrospect.
Angela Michelle Smith Is Not An Excellent Driver
Fort Worth police chased Angela Michelle Smith in her 1991 Oldsmobile after she hopped a curb to run a red light and hit 70 mph in a 40 mph zone. When Smith eventually stopped and an officer approached her, she backed up into the cop’s car and took off again. Then she stopped. Then she backed up again, trying to ram another police car but missing. Surprisingly (by which I mean, “not surprisingly at all”), police discovered Smith has traffic warrants for unpaid tickets. Star-T’s recap trumps DMN’s, thanks to the “What Have I Done?” mugshot. (Oh, and all of the above information is reportedly and allegedly and according to the police spokesperson.)
Holiday Cheer, With Tears
I like to look at pictures of kids crying on Santa’s lap. I can’t explain it; maybe it means I’m a bad person. But the people at the Star-Telegram like crying kids, too, and they put together a cute little slide show. I think my favorite is #16—even Santa looks miserable. (Photo: Sun-Sentinel)
Is Bank of America Out Of Money? Or Is The U.S.?
I don’t want to start a bank run, but this is worth sharing. Normally when I deposit a check in my BofA account, it is funded immediately. But apparently nothing is normal in banking anymore. On December 8, I made a deposit. A few days later, a portion of it showed up in my account. The rest was being “held.” I called to find out why. Mumble, mumble, and finally this: “It’s being held.” Thanks. I knew that. Then yesterday I received a written notice of the hold, giving this reason for it not being credited:
Confidential information indicates that the deposited checks may not be paid.
The check was a tax refund. It was from the U.S. Treasury.
Former Candidate Banned From Serving Non-Profits
How bad do things have to be before you’re banned from working for non-profits? I dunno, but that’s what’s happened in the case of former Congressional candidate Gene Christensen. Christensen agreed to the 10-year ban from working for a charity in Texas as part of a deal with the Texas AG’s office. In June, the AG sued Christensen, alleging that he wasted and misappropriated money from his charity, People Against Drugs, on his NASCAR racing team. On Friday, a judge signed an agreement that requires the former Celine resident to pay the AG’s office $100,000 and bans Christensen from serving on behalf of any Texas non-profit (including People Against Drugs) for the next 10 years. The AG’s office claims the $100,000 will cover the cost of its investigation. (more…)
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