No. Absolutely not.
But there have been some scary emails circulated claiming something like that, and one about a violent incident at the mall last week appears to have some bit of truth to it. Park Cities People has more details.
We told you about Jay Gray’s legal woes awhile back. The former NBC Channel 5 reporter got nabbed for DUI after leaving the house of Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer. The lab results show his BAC was .182%. Deadspin has more.
Oh, hey. I’ve returned from the land of decadent, extremely long vacations. I’m sure you’ve missed my morning missives. And what a day to return. I didn’t actually use my time off for any sort New Year, New Me introspection, but I have emerged determined not to dwell on things like the fact that it’s raining and also that I could not find my monthly parking garage pass even though I left it in my cup holder. And if you believe that, well. We don’t actually know each other, after all.
Since I’ve been out of town, I’m ready to get back to my normal Monday evening routine. Which could alternately mean dinner at Lakewood Landing or visiting the Amsterdam for some jazz. That’s generally my kind of relaxation. Another kind that might fit better with some New Year’s resolutions is the free introductory course in meditation and yoga that starts tonight at the Dallas location of the Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center. And when I say Dallas, I mean Farmers Branch. But did I mention that it’s free? And the course lasts through Thursday, so get ready for some serious mental housekeeping.
I had the chance to catch up with my theater friends this past week, and one of the topics of discussion was NBC’s new, soon-to-premiere TV show, Smash. It concerns the weird world of Broadway backstage and behind the scenes, and it’s written by Theresa Rebeck, a playwright I quite enjoy. I’ll watch for that reason alone (and okay, because the cast is chock full of Broadway veterans, and because I like theater so much), but I’m worried about how fantastical the whole thing is going to get. I hate Glee and its egregious depiction of musical drama with a passion I usually reserve for math and aging, ponytailed Lower East Side bagel dudes who have the nerve to ask me where I’m from. Anyway. My point is, it’s worth a shot. And you can see the pilot tonight before the series premiere at the Studio Movie Grill, which is still not my favorite place to see anything. But that’s also beside the point. Go here and use code SPOTCO0FMYÂ to reserve a seat. Show up early, because that reservation doesn’t actually guarantee you’ll get in.
For more to do in our fair city tonight, go here.
If you believe his now-removed Tweets, West sleeps in his car (or the gym) because he can’t get an apartment (on account of his gun charge), he is still very angry about what certain reporters said about him when he was in Cleveland, he has had some tough issues with money, and he enjoys chicken. (UPDATE: West is also apparently not banned from the White House.)
The Mavericks’ visit to the White House will be right here, live, starting at 11 a.m.
(One note: I swear on all things I hold sacred that if you jump into the comments of this post with generic Obama hatred, I will delete every comment you ever post on this blog henceforth. I almost never sleep and always am near a computer or my phone, and I come from a family of world-class grudge holders. This is about the Mavericks getting their due as NBA champions, so see if you can bother holding off for just this once. I’m asking as your pal. I pretty much never delete comments unless they have curse words or something like that, so don’t make me spend my day doing that. Let me enjoy this moment for the Mavericks. OK? OK.)
I know there’s wildlife along Katy Trail. It’s not a new thing. I saw a fox there the other day. But last night was definitely a first for me.
My husband and I like to take our dog for late-night walks on Katy. He enjoys the smells and chasing the occasional squirrel (the dog that is, not my husband). But I was a little on edge when we went for our walk around 9:30 last night. I’d heard about a coyote sighting. And Miko, our very fluffy Samoyed, looks like an easy target for a hungry coyote. So I kept looking behind us as we walked. We got to just a little more than a quarter mile north of the American Airlines Center, when I turned around and saw him. He was very close, and he was obviously stalking us. He wasn’t bothered when we turned around to look at him, but he did stop, look at us, look at our dog who hadn’t turned around and had no idea what was going on, and then sauntered into the wooded area next to him. The only way back to the car was to pass by where he was. So we carefully made our way and then turned around. We saw him cross the trail and go to the other side. Then he sat and watched us for a while before taking off.
So be careful out there. Keep your dogs close. And surround yourself with people slower than you.
There was plenty of talk at the end of last week about a summit of social conservatives, gathering in Brenham, Texas to try to come to some sort of consensus on which Presidential candidate to support. The idea, it was said, was to avoid what happened to Mike Huckabee in 2008, when he won the Iowa caucuses but didn’t carry enough momentum to take the nomination. They worry a disparate Evangelical vote means Mitt Romney will get the Republican nomination. Some of the names associated with this meeting have included Gary Bauer, president of the conservative group American Values (a frothy supporter of Rick Santorum); James Dobson, the evangelical Christian leader who founded the Focus on the Family activist group; and Southern Baptist leader Richard Land.
Before the meeting, I asked Dallas’ own conservative leader, First Baptist’s Robert Jeffress, an early endorser of Rick Perry and the subject of this month’s D Magazine cover story, what he thought of the planned meeting. His answer may surprise you. (more…)
City Manager: ‘Time To Deal With Flood Control’: This one is behind the paywall, but in short, City Manager Mary Suhm is preaching to the council about how Dallas is desperately in need of a major flood control overhaul. The central project proposed is a $302 million drainage tunnel. But the pump stations on the Trinity River levees also need to be reconstructed, and there are additional repairs and improvements that have been left undone for years. In all, Suhm estimates the total bill for flood control measures will be around $1 billion, and 40 percent of this year’s bond program may be allocated toward flood control projects.
Deported Dallas Teen Back With Family: The Oak Cliff teen who was mistakenly deported to Colombia was back with her mother and grandmother late Friday night and spent all day Saturday with them at an undisclosed location. Reports indicate that the girl, Jakadrien Turner, 15, was adjusting well to life in Colombia, finding a boyfriend, friends, and allegedly coming home pregnant.
Texas Drought Has Killed Estimated 500 Million Trees: That via The Texas Forest Service which believes that after the driest year on record and the second hottest, 10 percent of the state’s trees have died.