Articles for July, 2009

Clay Jenkins Makes Money Muscle Move In Dallas County Judge’s Race

Todd Hill over at the Burnt Orange Report says attorney Clay Jenkins’ announcement that he has raised $250,000 to challenge County Judge Jim Foster in next year’s Democratic primary may clear the field.  Hill surmises that the surprisingly large amount should scare off other challengers such as State Rep. Helen Giddings and former airline exec Sam Coates. I did get a chuckle at one line in the report:

“Since winning the judgeship on the coattails of the dramatic Democratic sweep of 2006, Jim Foster has performed well below expectations…”

What expectations? Foster was a fluke. Hill goes on to wonder whether he’ll read the handwriting on the wall and not even run for re-election. Why shouldn’t he? A fluke once means there’s always a chance at twice.

UPDATE: Several journos have reminded me that Sam Coates has already dropped out of the race. Sorry ’bout that, Sam.

posted by Wick Allison | July 16th, 2009 1:47pm | filed under Politics |

Russ Martin Talks About When He Might Return to the Air

As Zac pointed out this morning in Leading Off, WFAA’s Janet St. James aired an interview with former 105.3 talkmeister Russ Martin last night. An exclusive!

I talked to Martin yesterday for a story that will run in September’s “print product.” But you’re anxious. You can’t wait that long. You want free content. In fact, you demand it. And then you want to comment on it. I can’t help you with that last part. But here’s a few minutes of yrs trly and Russ Martin flapping our gums about when he might return to the airwaves.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

posted by Tim Rogers | July 16th, 2009 1:29pm | filed under Media |

T. Boone Pickens Charged With Vandalism

Ego in action is a wonderful thing to behold:

As a youngster, Texas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens scratched his name in wet concrete in the driveway of his grandmother’s Oklahoma house.

Now the man who owns the century-old home is pursuing theft and vandalism charges against the 81-year-old billionaire, saying workers for Pickens came to the house recently without permission and removed the concrete slab with the well-known name.

posted by Wick Allison | July 16th, 2009 1:16pm | filed under Crime |

Rangers’ C.J. Wilson Running a Twitter Gossip Column?

At least that’s what it looked like last night, as the Texas Rangers reliever was tweeting all sorts of semi-salacious (and since deleted) items from the ESPY Awards. (Deadspin wonders why he was even there, as do we. Evan?)

posted by Zac Crain | July 16th, 2009 1:00pm | filed under Sports, www. |

Martellus Bennett Plays With Stereotypes; Jean-Jacques-Come-Lately Is Outraged

So, where’s the love for the irrepressible Martellus Bennett after he pushed the envelope a little? The bluenose scolds–this morning it’s Jean-Jacques Taylor channeling Jason Whitlock–sure haven’t cut the guy any slack. The Cowboy tight end’s always been politically incorrect–we found that out in Plano last year–but he’s got a big edge on his critics. He’s cool (in a goofy way) and actually funny and seems to know one important thing: The way to confront stupid stereotypes is to have some fun with them.

posted by Glenn Hunter | July 16th, 2009 12:18pm | filed under Celebrity, Local News, Sports |

North Texas Tollway Authority Authorizes Rate Increase

In related news, here is a list of roads I absolutely will not be using anymore: President George Bush Turnpike, State Highway 121, and the Dallas North Tollway.

I already tended to avoid those roads whenever possible, thanks to the fact traffic wasn’t much faster, I always ended up paying more because of some tollbooth problem, and, you know, there is the increasing chance that a wrong-way driver could kill me. But now that there is a 32-percent increase in tolls? And an automatic 6-percent hike every two years, that doesn’t even have to be voted on by the board? Not bloody likely.

It goes into effect September 1, by the way.

posted by Zac Crain | July 16th, 2009 12:14pm | filed under Transportation |

“Why Nobody Robs A 7-Eleven In Israel”

why-nobody-robs-a-7-11

(Copyright 2004, Rachel Papo)

posted by Wick Allison | July 16th, 2009 12:00pm | filed under Crime |

Grapevine, Get Ready: QuakeCon 2009 is Almost Here

Full details after the jump. I could pretend I know something about this, but I’m on deadline.

(more…)

posted by Zac Crain | July 16th, 2009 11:07am | filed under Events, Games |

Duncanville Tops Money’s “25 Most Affordable Towns” List

s-duncanville-largeWith a median family income of $72,243, the little southern Dallas suburb carries an average home price of only $99,648. The Money blurb also notes:

“With a warm climate, the town is also becoming a popular spot for retirees.”

Yes, the climate is warm. Nice and warm. A little toasty even. Sometimes even a little like burnt toast.

posted by Wick Allison | July 16th, 2009 8:52am | filed under Real Estate |

Leading Off (7/16/09)

1. Amber Augustin, who had her Keller home gussied up by the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition crew last December, warns disabled Dallas police officer Carlton Marshall what to expect after he and his family get their new home from the show. Higher property taxes, crazy utility bills, rivers of molten lava flowing freely through your property. I may have been looking at something else for a moment there.

2. Russ Martin talks about his recent legal troubles. Question: how long until he’s back on local radio?

3. The new Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, the source of a fair amount of chest puffing and so on, has had its first setback. Nothing major, just 100,000 gallons of water where it shouldn’t be.

posted by Zac Crain | July 16th, 2009 8:16am | filed under Local News |

7-Eleven (With Cigarettes) Launches Major Expansion

A crash in commercial real estate is a good opportunity to grab some desirable retail locations. The NYTimes today tells exactly how and where 7-Eleven is doing just that.

posted by Wick Allison | July 15th, 2009 6:41pm | filed under Real Estate |

Irving to Get New City Council, Courtesy of a Federal Judge

Yesterday, a federal judge ordered Irving to adopt a single-member system and to redraw district lines. This will make Manuel Benavidez happy, since he filed suit claiming the city was in violation of the Voting Rights Act and boxing out the Hispanic community.

Based on the issues involved, and the fact that the federal judge is named Jorge Solis, I’m sure the resulting dialogue will be nothing but productive.

posted by Zac Crain | July 15th, 2009 5:13pm | filed under Politics |

7-Eleven Thieves Don’t Know Cigarettes Are Bad For You

The tag-team action at the Oak Lawn store starts at about the 1:40 mark.

posted by Wick Allison | July 15th, 2009 1:54pm | filed under Local News |

Dallas Dogged in Wall Street Journal, Ctd.

Rod Davis wrote in to remind me that he’d reported in his story for us that Dallas, in fact, is not a water hog. From the story:

Nobody quarrels with the need to conserve. And nobody honest would dispute that North Texans have little sense of the worth of their water. But to be fair, Dallas is wrongly tagged as a water hog. The city’s use of 198 gallons per capita daily (gpcd) is down from 260 gpcd in 1998. If residential is separated from commercial use, it’s only about 100 gcpd, according to DWU estimates. Dallas thus compares increasingly favorably to San Antonio’s 132 gcpd and El Paso’s 140—both dramatically lowered in recent years, too. El Paso most dramatically lowered its usage after major public education initiatives from the city water utility and giveaways such as low-flow shower heads and toilets.

It’s an important clarification.

posted by Tim Rogers | July 15th, 2009 1:44pm | filed under Nature, Politics |
« Recent Entries
Past Entries »