Leading Off (4/21/09)

1. Normally a bad economy means an increase in crime, but that’s not true for Dallas in the first quarter of 2009, as crime dropped nearly 20 percent overall in Dallas through March compared to last year. It’s down 11 percent downtown, and many attribute that to the success of using surveillance cameras, even though there still isn’t enough money to properly staff the surveillance centers. I’ll be onboard with these things when they finally help Pamela Lundy catch this guy.

2. A new Dallas convention hotel feasibility study on whether the city should own such a hotel is being worked on but won’t be released before the May 9 vote, much to the dismay of its chief critic, hotel owner Harlan Crow. Assistant City Manager A.C. Gonzalez says the new hotel study shouldn’t be “released half-baked.” I agree, but I’ve also seen the cover image on its front page, which suggests the tenor of the report.

3. The Texas Senate easily passed new legislation aimed at eliminating minimum grade requirements in many school districts across the state, ensuring that, no matter how bad the outlook for print journalism, I ain’t goin’ back to school.