Saints Coach Rumored To Be Looking at Westlake Pad

Westlake, which was recently named by Forbes as the most affluent neighborhood in the country, is already home to lots of famous and rich people, including Josh Hamilton, Chuck Greenberg, Mark Teixeira, potential Warren Buffett successor Matthew Rose and at least half a dozen (give or take) assorted Jonai.

Now comes speculation that New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton is also purchasing a second home there. This, of course, has fed speculation on that speculation that Payton is purposely moving himself into the orbit of Jerry Jones and a coaching position with the Cowboys, which seems a little premature given newly appointed head cheese Jason Garrett has barely moved his wheely chair into his office.  More likely? He just wanted a home that was still a quick and easy plane ride to NOLA.

Leading Off (2/8/11)

The Nation Hates Arlington. The Morning News brings us a roundup of reaction from writers across the nation who were in town for the Super Bowl. Thank goodness everyone realizes the game was in Arlington. That’s where Cowboys Stadium was built. So they won’t have any negative feelings toward Dallas.

Michael Vick’s Key to City of Dallas Is a Gift to Columnists. Jacquielynn Floyd knows a good topic when she sees it. Seriously, Dwaine Caraway is the councilman who just keeps on giving.

Michael Young Is Not a Happy Camper. First we were told that the Rangers third-basemen-turned-DH wanted to be traded. Young says not so much. As in: “The suggestion that I’ve simply had a change of heart and asked for a trade is a manipulation of the truth. I want to be traded because I’ve been misled and manipulated, and I’m sick of it.” He’s not offering any specifics, though. (Side note: the new DMN site, oddly, doesn’t have bylines with some of its stories. No idea whom to credit for that scoop.)

DART Explains Its Failings. The president of the agency will today explain why it had such a hard time with the snow and ice last week. Perfect timing. Because we’re getting ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

Law Man Walking: Nature Treks With Bill Holston

Another in an occasional series. This time, our perambulating attorney went for a stroll on Friday through the snow.

Walking in the Woods on a Snowy Morning.
By Bill Holston

When I realized it was going to be another snow day, I went up to the place I most frequently hike, the Spring Creek Nature Area in Richardson. It’s a surprisingly historical area.

Campbell, Routh, and Coit. These names are very familiar to anyone driving the streets of Dallas and Richardson. They happen to be the names of some of the very earliest settlers of this area. This land was settled by Jacob Routh in the 1850s. Jacob Routh and his brother Joseph immigrated to this area from Tennessee in 1851. Routh Street in Dallas was named by his son-in-law, the first commercial nursery owner in Dallas. They planted the magnolia trees along Ross. Both Routh brothers fell in love with daughters of fellow traveler Robert Fleming Campbell. They married the young women and both settled the area. I’ve read that the Rouths were a Quaker family that immigrated from England to Pennsylvania with their cousin William Penn. Jacob later became an ordained Baptist pastor. He built a home here as well as a church, which eventually became First Baptist Church of Plano. He also started a school and a store on this land, which was on a stagecoach route.

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