Articles for March 16th, 2009
Local Restaurateur Puts 63 McDonald’s Up For Sale
Some people are blessed with good timing, and Dallas restaurateur Ed Bailey seems to be among them. One of the nation’s biggest McDonald’s owners/operators–he’s got 63 stores in Dallas-Fort Worth–Bailey nonetheless took the fast-food giant to court, fighting for his right to open up some “white-tablecloth” restaurants on the side. The parties quietly settled that suit in November–”I’m extremely happy,” Bailey says of the outcome–and now he’s put all 63 DFW McDonald’s on the market, aiming to focus on his Patrizio and Bailey’s Prime Plus Steakhouse concepts.
Caption Contest: Former OU QB Rhett Bomar at St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Earlier today, these photos (of Rhett Bomar, the source is certain, but I should add “allegedly”) appeared in my neglected inbox. Sorry I’m just getting to them, but I’m hip-deep in print product duties (read: online Scrabble). Go for it in the comments, and keep it clean. Ish.
And no, these are not the work of Avi Adelman.
Dallas Woman Almost Falls For Oldest Trick in the Book
Someone called and told her she had won $1,000 concert tickets (to what? the second coming of Christ?) and all they need was her Social Security number to pay the taxes on her winnings. It says here this is a new scam, but pretty much only the surface details have changed.
I’ll go on record and say this: if you give your SS# to someone over the phone, you deserve whatever disaster awaits.
New Blog Covers DMN Changes
This is the third blog covering the layoffs and newsroom changes at the Dallas Morning News. Why another one? Because whoever ran the past two decided not to do it anymore, and, to quote the site’s anonymous author:
If this cut is like the last ones there will be no other place where we can all exchange what we know or what we fear. Or where we will be able to find a list of those who will be leaving. Or where they can easily post a farewell.
Already there is an interesting post about editor Bob Mong’s notice in the paper that, in response to reader feedback, “we will assign specific teams to our communities—including reporters who specialize in schools, government and community affairs, and investigative reporting.” Which prompts this point:
That could mean a substantial redeployment of the Local news operation that will somehow happen in addition to the layoffs. Will this change of assignment affect how the layoffs will be done?
A Push To Expand The Convention Center–Again?
Spending for a new convention-center hotel not enough for you? Then you’ll love another upcoming push by the visitor/convention bureau: expanding the convention center itself–again–by another 300,000 square feet. That tidbit’s revealed in D CEO magazine’s April cover story, a hard look at how effective head honcho Phillip J. Jones has been luring business meetings for the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. Jones supporters like to say the DCVB’s on the right track, with hundreds of millions of dollars in projected future “room nights” stretching out to 2017–if we’ll just build that convention-center hotel. But skeptics including restaurateur Al Biernat say Jones is a “tourism” man lacking the inclination or the skill to curry large-scale convention biz. One fact they point to: hotel stays by Dallas conventioneers fell 25 percent between 2002 and 2008. The April D CEO hits Borders and Barnes & Noble newsstands later this week.
King Tut Draws 430,000 to DMA
In case you were wondering if people were still buying tickets to see Tut in this bad economy, KERA’s Art & Seek Blog links to this article from the LA Times that says the King Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of Pharaohs exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art has brought in over 430,000 people so far. Yep, this makes it the most-visited exhibition in DMA history. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’ve got until May 17. And don’t forget to pick up a Tutti Bear on your way out.
Evan On The Ticket: Listen With Your Ears
Head over to InsideCorner to hear The Ticket’s Mark Elfenbein talk to our sports star. I said now.
Monday Morning Dr’s Advice
See here. You’ll thank us later.
Leading Off (3/16/09)
1. Donald Ray Williams, wanted for his role in a September 2007 armored car robbery outside a Compass Bank on Abrams, was arrested yesterday in Rosebud. Maybe the authorities should have been keeping an eye on Williams since he pretty much pulled the exact same crime in 1988. Oh, and since he told FBI agents back then that, whenever he got out of prison, he was going to rob another armored car. I’m not a professional, but I’ve found that when criminals call their shots like that, they’re usually not bluffing.
2. If you want to know the political persuasion of the candidates for City Council, this may help.
3. In “you think so, doctor?” news: Dallas is noticing a dip in sales tax revenue. But it should be okay. Donald Ray Williams promised that the next time he robs an armored car, he’ll spend at least half of the proceeds within our city limits, following an appropriate “laying low” period.
Bonus Item: Pour one out for actor Ron Silver, who died yesterday after fighting esophageal cancer for two years. Dallas connection? He was in Semi-Tough, filmed right here, and based on Dan Jenkins’ novel. I’m pretty sure if you pay extremely close attention, you’ll see him in here somewhere:
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