Articles for February, 2011
News Flash: There’s More than One Candidate in Addison Mayor Race
The Dallas Morning News does much good work, and everybody of course makes mistakes. But if you’re going to go behind a paywall with much-ballyhooed “exclusive” content, you’d better have credible info– or, failing that, you’d better be nimble enough to revise or correct stories quickly. Which is why this weekend’s DMN article (subscription required) on area political campaigns–including the mayor’s race in Addison–was so curious.
The report says that Addison Mayor Joe Chow can’t run again because of term limits and that former city councilman Todd Meier has announced as a candidate to succeed him–period. So, readers of the big-circulation Sunday paper would never know that Addison Mayor Pro Tem Don Daseke resigned as pro tem on Jan. 17 and filed his papers for the mayor’s race the same day. Seems like a pretty substantial omission regarding a prominent Addison businessman/community leader but, so far, no online “update” has been forthcoming.
There Is No Such Thing As “Old East Dallas”
An alert FrontBurnervian sent me a note complaining about the Morning News‘ use of the moniker “Old East Dallas.” There is no such thing, said he. And he was inclined to believe that the paper demonstrates a bias in how it thinks about that part of town.
Meh, I don’t know about any bias. But I do know that when I googled “Old East Dallas” and “Dallas Morning News,” I found the very story my correspondent was complaining about. It’s about an apartment fire. Only now, the headline puts the first in “Far East Dallas.” Look at the URL for the story, though:
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20110213-three-alarm-fire-burns-at-old-east-dallas-apartments.ece
That fire was in Old East Dallas when the headline was written. Seems the Morning News caught its mistake.
Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: Feb. 14
Dear lonely hearts, please don’t take the big, disgusting smoggy cloud hanging over downtown this morning as a sign that today is going to be soul-crushingly awful. It’s just another Monday, even if it is the Lord Voldemort of holidays. Speaking of, thanks for the tulips, Mom.
First things first. Guys, if you have a special someone and you haven’t made dinner reservations, you should probably do that. Right now. I don’t care if she told you not to. Do it anyway. SideDish has helpfully compiled a list of restaurants with special menus for you. Ladies, Raya over at ShopTalk has tons of V-Day spa and shopping specials as well as the best place for lingerie.
Remember this eight-track museum that “opened” in Deep Ellum on Christmas Day? Maybe not — it was a blue light special. But ever since then, owner James “Bucks” Burnett has been searching for a permanent place to house his beloved collection of over 3,000 eight-track cartridges (along with other forgotten music formats like the wax cylinder). He found his niche in the Deep Ellum Foundation building, and the museum is holding an opening reception tonight. Local band The O’s will perform.
Be kind to the people you love, try not to hate the person in your office sprouting what looks like an entire botanical garden on their desk, and find more things to do this evening right here.
Deion Sanders Puts Pads up for Sale, Ctd.
In the comments to that earlier post, Lt. Dan passed along some links to pics that Deion took of really bad water damage at his $21 million Prosper house during Super Bowl weekend. Ouch.
http://twitpic.com/3wih7o
http://twitpic.com/3wccoo
http://twitpic.com/3wccrl
http://twitpic.com/3wih3y
Deion Sanders Puts Pads up for Sale
This might not be news to you. The post went up nearly a week ago. Move.com has pics of the two places Deion has on the market. Looking to live way north of town and price is no object? His Prosper mansion is listed at $21 million. If, however, you want to live near downtown Dallas and you’re on a budget, his Azure condo is listed at $7.5 million.
One is tempted to speculate as to why Deion would be looking to sell at a time when real estate prices aren’t exactly at their peak.
Bobcats Overwhelm Plano!
I am now apparently the clearinghouse for all bobcat sightings. So I must inform you that this cat was spotted in East Plano, near the intersection of Parker Road and Coldwater Creek. Run for your lives!
Get Your Hands Dirty at the Paul Quinn College Farm
Last October, at the Pecha Kucha Night at the Wyly held in conjunction with Idea Week, I got a chance to experience Elizabeth Wattley’s show-and-tell performance about Paul Quinn College’s Farm for Good Farm. Really quick: since eliminating its football program, PQC turned its former football field into a farm run by students, the harvest from which is sold on campus and in local markets, and also distributed in the nearby area, which has traditionally had a low supply of fresh produce. It’s an awesome idea awesomely executed.
Which brings me to this Friday. On Friday, the 18th, from 10-4 they are getting the farm ready for winter planting. You can help them out. You should. All the relevant info is right here.
Leading Off (2/14/11)
Judge May Sue City Over Dismissal. I only know what I read in this Dallas Morning News story about dismissed municipal judge Staci Williams, but I can’t imagine why a judge would need her own armed bodyguard at work. So the word “paranoid” springs to mind, an impression bolstered by the fact that her staunch supporter on the council is Dwayine Caraway.
State Legislature Looks to Cut Crime Victim Services. If someone in your family were murdered, or if you had been sexually assaulted, I imagine you would be interested in the status of the perpetrators’ jail sentence. That’s why the state offers a variety of services that help crime victims obtain peace of mind, including a hotline that allows you to find out just that. Most of these services, however, are likely to be cut as the Legislature looks to trim its $27 billion shortfall.
Looking For Cash, State Turns to Gas Guzzlers. Texas is considering levying a $100 surcharge on vehicles that don’t meet federal fuel efficiency standards. It’s all part of the state’s ongoing efforts to find money under the floorboards and in the mattresses. Another likely more popular proposal: allow liquor sales on Sundays.
NYT: Seat Debacle in Jerry’s Lap
Let’s call a spade a spade. Setting weather troubles aside, Super Bowl XLV organizers said it was the big game at Cowboys Stadium that would “carry the day” for North Texas and its attractiveness for future Super Bowls. We know now that–thanks to logistical disorganization, plus the famous seating fiasco, among other things–the stadium did not “carry the day” in the end.
What’s more, it appears that the seat flap can be traced directly to Jerry’s vow to break the game’s all-time attendance record. You read about his quest first on FrontBurner back in early January; the New York Times, with help from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has the smoking-gun reporting on the debacle here.
I appreciate the owner’s wanting to be the biggest and baddest and best at whatever he does, but the Times says Jerry’s saddled now with another ”superlative” he surely didn’t want: colossal failure.
J.C. Penney Gets Smacked Down by Google for Cheating
Take 15 minutes to read this great story by David Segal in the New York Times about how Plano-based J.C. Penney used “black hat” techniques to cheat in the search-engine optimization game. The company did a rather brisk online business during the holiday season, and now we know why. We also know that you will no longer find Penney as a top result in many searches because Google has, essentially, punished the company for not playing by the rules. The really fun part of the story? Google, too, profited from Penney’s cheating.
A Sunday Post About Cistercian Soccer
Condolences to the lads at St. Mark’s, who lost the SPC Division I soccer title in a shootout. But you will notice that this story about the match buries the lead. I draw your attention to the following: “Briefly: Cistercian won the Division II boys soccer title, beating Fort Worth Trinity Valley, 1-0.”
Gimme an “H”! Gimme an “O”! Gimme an “X”! What’s that spell?
Hawks!!
New Science Project to Frighten D Magazine Staffers
Every so often we have a rock band or a musician up to the office on Friday afternoon for some beer and a brief performance. Today’s act is New Science Project. Here’s how Peter Simek described NSP in an e-mail that went out to the company earlier today:
Our in office music series is going to pick up again today at 4 p.m. with a performance by New Science Projects. Feel free to join us in the lobby on the 21st floor, but fair warning: New Science Projects is as much a theatrical performance as a music act. He (the band is really just one guy) screams, he spits, he yells in people’s faces, and he has been known to spit blood. It is something to see, for sure, but be careful — you might become part of the performance. You can read more about NSP here.
The girls from sales are gonna love that.
Construction Update: First Baptist Church
Nicole Holland Pearce brings us this week’s update.
Craig Wood and Joe Dodson, members of a fire protection service, repaire a valve today in the Mary C. and Truett buildings' fire system.
Just as many Dallasites were homebound last week due to the Arctic-like temperatures that blew through North Texas, local construction crews also felt the sharp sting of Old Man Winter.
Over on Saint Paul at First Baptist Church of Dallas, progress slowed to a crawl as the frigid temperatures and resulting precipitation made work difficult. The crew still works to clear the debris from the basement of the old Cotton Exchange Building. “Excavation could have been finished last week, but you can’t put down dirt with ice and snow,” said Anthony Lohden of the Dallas Demolition Company.
Sometimes, weather isn’t the only thing that stands in the way. Hand-dismantling of the Mary C. and Truett buildings has been put on hold until crews can access the sidewalk. City code only allows one side of a street’s sidewalk to be shut down at a time, and since the eastbound sidewalk is closed for the basement’s excavation, the crew must complete that project before city code allows them to close the westbound walkway.
In the meantime, fire protection services work to repair valves of the Mary C. and Truett building’s fire system, so that the crew may continue to dismantle the structures once they are allowed access through the westbound walkway. —Nicole Holland Pearce
Miller Likes Two Candidates in Dallas Mayor’s Race
Former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller likes more than one horse in the Dallas mayoral race. Asked at D World Headquarters yesterday for her take on the campaign–whose announced candidates so far are Dallas City Council member Ron Natinsky, former Dallas police chief David Kunkle, and Dallas Park Board president Mike Rawlings–Miller replied, “I like Kunkle or Rawlings. Either one would be a good mayor.” Which is interesting mainly because Miller’s husband, Dallas attorney Steve Wolens, is serving as Kunkle’s campaign treasurer.
Home |
Masthead |
News from D |
About Us |
Contact Us |
Subscribe |
Advertise |
Privacy Policy |
Customer Service |
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index
Awards | Archives | Reprints | d custom | Jobs | Advertiser's Index