DMN Cuts has the scoop on a meeting today where management plans for the layoffs were discussed. Among the interesting (and depressing) items:
How many will lose their jobs in the news operation? George refused to give any estimate and said the final number has not been set. But he did say that the number now being reviewed is significant. It is the third “official” number. The first demand from corporate was reduced after evaluation of what it would mean to the content in the newspaper. Then after the unexpectedly bad financial numbers from the first couple of months of this year came in, the number went back up.
Unleashed sounds like a pretty cool concept: 50,000 square feet of indoor off-the-leash dog parkery on Samuell Boulevard just south of I-30. And, as Michael Davis notes, no pits, please. Opens March 28. Joe Bob says check it out and let us know, dog lovers.
I’m here for you, Eric. First, let’s review where we are. Yesterday the Federal Highway Administration gave a thumbs-up to the overall Trinity Project, in a long-awaited revised environment report. It answered objections by the Corps of Engineers to the proposed tollroad “in painstaking detail.” So what we have now is a battle of two bureaucracies, which was not helped by the discovery of sand deposits in the levees themselves that could weaken access roads to the bridges. And, of course, that happens just as the steel finally arrives from Italy to begin construction of the first Calatrava bridge.
Nothing good is easy. But the Corps new objections are not likely to be appeased. After Katrina, they may changed the rules in the middle of the game, but who can blame them?
The FHA is crucial to the overall Trinity project. It was the late Robert Hoffman’s insight in creating The Dallas Plan back in 1992-1994 that transportation dollars were the missing element in solving the problem of the Trinity River as a barrier dividing Dallas. Federal dollars are there to help relieve Stemmons congestion. But the escalation of costs to solve the Corp’s objections is a very big hiccup. Even the FHA says so. So the time may be approaching to go to Plan B, which is Industrial. The problem with Industrial is eminent domain: those warehouses and businesses will not go quietly into the night. So the question is: which of the two is ultimately less expensive, relieves the most traffic in the most efficient manner, and achieves the Corp’s goal of rebuilding and protecting the levees?
At the core, this is an engineering problem, and only then a public policy question. The DMN, Dallas Observer, D Magazine, and everyone else can opine all we like, but it makes no difference until the engineers finally determine the facts and revise the costs. We have a tendency in this town to argue public policy until we’re red in the face, while changing nobody’s mind about anything. For once, let’s step back. It’s frustrating, it’s slow, and it’s bureaucratic, but it is in the design and engineering and inter-agency negotiations that Dallas avoids turning an already massive project into a financial sinkhole like the Big Dig.
So I’m withholding judgment until we finally get all the facts. But if I were City Manager Mary Suhm, I’d have Plan B ready to go and in my back pocket.
suzanne @ March 19th, 2009 at 1:11 pm _
@Eric,
What is the status of Wick’s post regarding D’s editorial stance on the Trinity Tollway? You mentioned it yesterday.
Tap tap, Fearless Leader.
You may have seen this on Channel 8 a few days ago, but it is so odd I thought I’d call more attention to it. Russ Martin, the longtime Dallas DJ who was fired in December, is still with his fiancé, who accused him of assault awhile back. Nothing weird about that, as Martin has long maintained there is more to the story than he is legally able to tell right now. But the Channel 8 story mentions that she is now questioning the Southlake PD. Actually, she has filed a “complaint of malfeasance” (which you can read after the jump) that alleges the Southlake police department coerced her into filing charges against Martin and has basically turned the investigation into a high-profile witch hunt. Oh, and, as the story notes, she was recently arrested (the alledged victim was arrested, remember) for not showing up to a hearing that had already been rescheduled. WTF is going on in Southlake? Developing…
Meant to do this last night/early this morning, but I got tired and fell asleep, so back off. Where was I? Oh, pretty good first day — except for the fact that Wednesdays are now as crowded as Saturdays used to be five or six years ago. But, you know, no big deal. Could be worse. First band I saw was the band I wanted to see the most down here: Wavves. They played at Emo’s. It was good — though live you notice that the drummer could stand to learn a second beat — but I felt a little jet-lagged, even though I drove down. Took a few hours to get back up and running, and after a stop at this place (I’ll make a separate post later), it got going again.
Oh, no — is that the time? Okay, I’ll just list the bands I saw and some brief commentary: Ladyhawke (sort of a Kiwi cross between Fleetwood Mac and Blondie, but better than that sounds), the Temper Trap (like Smokey Robinson fronting one of the subjects of Michael Azerrad’s This Band Could be Your Life), former Husker Du drummer Grant Hart playing solo (delivered exactly what you’d expect; I expected solid), the Decemberists (should have skipped this — kind of a snoozer, at least the part I saw), the Gay Blades (like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, for better or worse, with Judas Priest/Iron Maiden screeches thrown in), and finally, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head (a bunch of kids from Seattle with synthesizers, a ton of enthusiasm, and a few good songs). So not bad. I realize I kind of glossed over pretty much everything. I’ll wrap up everything much better when it’s all said and done. Probably.
Jim Schutze has a heckuva column in the new Observer, examining how Dallas is being hawked to prospective conventioneers not as a business-friendly town where you can let your hair down, but as a “tourism destination.” And why that strategy doesn’t seem to be cutting the mustard. Schutze’s piece echoes some of the points made in our cover story in the current issue of D CEO, which looks at the effectiveness of Phillip Jones, the tourism-oriented chief of the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau.
We’ve got 500 teams, which is apparently all Yahoo can handle.
Given the huge number of participants, I’m going to see if we can get some more prizes for 2nd and 3rd place. Maybe a gag gift for last place. Hold, please.
1. For the second consecutive year, Dallas-Fort Worth gained more residents than any other metro area in the country. The nearly 150,000 newcomers to the area (from July 2007 to July 2008) reflected slower growth than the previous 12 months. No mention of whether the Census Bureau counted Sean Avery (now in New York, proving Brett Hull and FrontBurner right) among those who came and went.
2. DISD records show that some in charge at South Oak Cliff High School made fighting students settle their battles in an area of a locker room known as “the cage.” This is deplorable, but not surprising. There is a sub-culture in poor neighborhoods that condones such Darwinian practices. At my high school, poor and white, teachers (usually coaches) merely held others back while students fought. I didn’t like it, especially when they were watching Dave Millea beat the living hell out of me because I punched Lance Stewart over Tina Vail, but it happened.
3. And, George Bush is writing a book about the decisions he made while in office. He says he didn’t keep a diary, but he did jot down an occasional note. Have I given commenters enough to work with today in Leading Off? Yes, I think I have.
You’ve still got a chance to jump into the pool for a chance to win a $200 gift certificate to M Crowd restaurants (Mi Cocina, Mercury, Taco Diner, etc.).
Grand Duke of the the D Pool, Eric Celeste has demanded 800 entrants. We are at 468 as of 8:52 p.m. CDT Wednesday. You only have until tipoff of the first game Thursday (about 11 a.m.) to enter. We’ll try and give full scouting reports on the D Empire brackets once they become available.
Update: Make that 495 entries as of 8:55. C’mon FBvians, a magazine empire looks to you.
A.H. Belo filed its 10K with a breakout of revenue results. The good news: in 2008 circulation price increases brought in nearly $10M more in revenues to $81M, which tells me someone wants a printed newspaper and is willing to pay for it. The bad news you can read for yourself after the jump:
Mega car dealer Carl Sewell may be reeling with his GM, Saab and Hummer brands, but it looks like he’s getting set to punch back–hard. According to Virgil Skinner, executive manager at Southwest Infiniti in Houston, Sewell is snapping up the North Houston Infiniti dealership there, marking the Dallasite’s first foray into H-Town. North Houston’s been owned by Fernando Somoza, Skinner says, and is traditionally a close second in Houston Infiniti sales, behind Southwest. Says Skinner: “No one wants competition, but if I have to have it, I’d certainly like it to come from Carl Sewell.” Neither Sewell nor the North Houston manager were available to talk when we called.
Two, in fact. I think Texas Monthly can win in its circulation category for “leisure pursuits,” but there’s no way it wins for “general excellence.” I mean, it’s up against Backpacker.
Not to go all monster.com on you, but…
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