Leading Off (3/27/12)

Alice Walton Endorses Craig James. Never mind that Alice Walton’s record isn’t spotless. The lady has some money. As in, only nine other Americans have more of it than she does. And she’s giving some to Craig James. No word yet whether Walton is worried about the fact that Craig James did not kill five hookers at SMU.

Suspicious Test Scores Found at 17 North Texas ISDs. Computer analysis of test scores suggests that more than a dozen school districts in our area, including DISD, are cheating. Thing is, the analysis was done by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The paper was looking at test scores across the nation and just happened to catch us in its net. The TEA says the study was flawed, and it doesn’t plan to investigate. The AJC did a study just like this one a few years back and found suspicious scores in Atlanta. When an investigation was launched, it was discovered that more than 180 principals were involved in widespread test-tampering. But that’s Atlanta, right? The paper’s methodology will only work there. Don’t mess with Texas.

Dallas Streets To Go Unrepaired. You might have heard that money is a little tight. Without a tax increase, the city of Dallas can scrape together about $500 million in a bond package. City managers say about $300 million of that should go toward flood control and drainage projects, meaning much of the $4 billion worth of needed work on streets and alleys will go undone. That prompted City Council member Ann Margolin (sub. req.), whose northwest Dallas district is ranked last in the percentage of satisfactory streets, to say: “I’m just not sure that we’ve got our priorities right, looking at $300 million on flood control.” Let’s see. Hitting a pothole or drowning. Hmm. That’s a tough one. Can I get back to you on that?