Articles for August 17th, 2012
Heads Up, Rest of Dallas County: The West Nile Planes Are Coming For You Tonight
Tonight’s spraying will finish yesterday’s job, and coat the rest of the city, plus the suburbs that have signed on to the West Nile Emergency as well (Garland, Richardson, Addison, Farmers Branch, Carrollton, Coppell, Grand Prairie). Â Release from the city of Dallas:
Aerial mosquito spraying will continue tonight to include all areas in the City of Dallas not covered last night due to weather conditions. Spraying is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. and will continue until approximately 1a.m., weather permitting. Spraying began last night shortly after 10 p.m. but was halted at midnight because of rain.
A total of 62.8 square miles have now been sprayed in the City of Dallas, leaving 272.6 miles yet to be covered in the city limits. The priority tonight is to spray all areas missed last night, as well as the rest of the City of Dallas. Other cities will be sprayed as well. Areas to be sprayed tonight in the City of Dallas are:
Tux Challenge Day 17: Happiness Is a Warm Tux
To be completely honest, there were two times today when I thought I might pass out. I offer a picture and the promise that I’ll give you a better dispatch on Monday morning, after I’ve had time to recuperate.
Museum Tower in the Wall Street Journal
An alert FBvian points us to this story in the WSJ about luxury high-rise condos around the country. The relevant graph:
Still, it’s difficult to anticipate every consequence of building up. Dallas’s Museum Tower recently came under criticism when a neighboring building, the Nasher Sculpture Center, complained that the building’s glass facade cast a glare harsh enough to ruin some of its artwork and plants. “We are sad we have an issue with that, without a doubt,” says Greg Greene, the co-developer. A local civic leader has been enlisted to mediate between the two parties to come up with a solution. Developers from Museum Tower say one response they’ve come up with is to pay to recalibrate 200,000 rooftop cones on the art gallery, which point at their building, absorbing sunlight. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Nasher said “we believe a system of louvers or external shading for Museum Tower offers the most promise.”
In fact, I have heard that Museum Tower offered the Nasher $2 million to reorient the oculi. Just a rumor, I stress. But “reorient,” in this case, would mean “totally wreck.” It’s what Renzo Piano said he would not do. Hard to see that happening.
Lisa Blue Gets Hammered by the Washington Free Beacon
I don’t think I’ve ever before read a story on the Washington Free Beacon, but based on this piece about Lisa Blue, I’m guessing the publication leans just slightly to the right.
The Effects of Aerial Spraying
Courtesy of a creative FrontBurnervian:
The Next Crisis for the Dallas Morning News
This time it’s the U.S. Postal Service that is kicking the Morning News — and every other American newspaper — square in the jeans. This announcement was made a couple of days ago. The USPS is proposing to cut the rates it charges one of America’s largest direct-marketing companies, Valassis Communications. That would mean more junk mail for you and me, and it would mean a smaller advertising bundle in the Sunday Morning News. The newspaper industry says the move could rob it of $1 billion in annual revenue from Sunday inserts and advertising fliers it sends to non-subscribers.
Time to do some math. Last year, the newspaper industry as a whole did $20.7 billion in revenue. A.H. Belo did $461 million. So Belo accounts for 2.2 percent of the entire industry. And 2.2 percent of $1 billion is, yes, $22 million. That’s nearly 5 percent of Belo’s revenue. Gone.
Sometimes you just can’t catch a break.
An Interview With A Local Mosquito
This morning, we caught up with a local mosquito. He agreed to speak with us on the condition of anonymity. Transcript follows.
The 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas 2012 Voting Starts on Monday
I know you’ve been holding your breath for this, so relax. This year’s 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas competition is finally here. Nearly. Sunday night at midnight you’ll find the first 5 of 20 lovely gals revealed. If you’re planning on being asleep at that hour, you can check them out on Monday morning. It’ll be a beautiful way to start the week.
Don’t let the anticipation kill you over the weekend. Only 58 more hours to go.
If you need something to tide yourself, revisit last year’s winners.
Where Airplanes Doused Dallas With Bug Spray
The scribblings of a madman?
Last night two planes rained down poison upon much of central, east, and northern Dallas, just as the League of Shadows had arranged. They were supposed to get over into areas east of the city as well, but rain prevented them from finishing the job. That’s why only a portion of that zone pictured on the city’s map above (showing where last night’s aerial bombardment was to have covered and where it actually did) has been colored in with purple (or is that pink?)
Tonight four planes will be on the job to finish this block and expand into a much bigger chunk of Dallas County. The mayor and the county judge are supposed to be having a press conference about tonight’s spraying, right about right now. Find the details that the city has released here.
Things To Do In Dallas This Weekend: Aug. 17-19
Tracy Shayne as Roxie Hart.
I’ll spare you more penguin videos and bring you instead this carrier pigeon from FrontRow. We’ve started a bit of a new thing—weekend guides for theater, movies, and visual art, in addition to the music one Christopher Mosley puts together each week. Without further ado, I present the week’s new movie releases, with reviews, trailers, ratings, and parties (The Hunger Games is out on DVD today); the weekend’s concerts, including word on a band’s final performance and a little-known group that it is time you heard about; the week in visual art, with reviews, previews, thoughts on a flap over whippersnappers, a new-ish art collective, two museum closings you can’t miss, and all the gallery openings this weekend. And here’s what’s on stage, with reviews of the tremendous tour of Chicago, plus two worthy farces at local theaters. All these things can help your plan your weekend.
Friday
Got a press release yesterday telling me that Mayor Mike is hitting up tonight’s performance of Chicago at the Winspear. His date for the evening is Fort Worth mayor Betsy Price, who he apparently invited “to highlight the growing depth and diversity of arts programming in North Texas.” One wonders if Citizen Mike can support the arts without sending a press release about it. Regardless, Lindsey Wilson says this is one of the best productions of the Kander and Ebb musical she’s ever seen, which includes numerous touring productions, Broadway, and London.
Woman Sues Dallas Cowboys Over Hot Seat
How do you not realize you’re suffering third-degree burns?
Jennelle Carrillo, who lives in Cleburne, is suing the Cowboys and team owner Jerry Jones over third-degree burns she suffered on her buttocks after sitting on a black marble bench at Cowboys Stadium two years ago while waiting for the debut Blue & Silver scrimmage.
Carrillo was hospitalized and had to have skin grafts, according to a lawsuit filed in a Tarrant County civil court late last week.
“It was hot enough to produce third-degree burns through her clothing that day,” said Mike Wash, the Austin attorney representing Carrillo. “She did not stay for the scrimmage. I’m surprised there aren’t more reports of burn injuries from sitting on those dark black benches.”Rich Dalrymple, a spokesman for the Dallas Cowboys, said it is policy not to comment on litigation.
The high temperature was 101 degrees that day. A reminder of what third-degree burns mean:
Third-degree burns go through the dermis and affect deeper tissues. They result in white or blackened, charred skin that may be numb.
Best of Big D Giveaway: Tickets to Frozen Planet Concert with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Today’s prize in the Best of Big D Giveaway series is two tickets to Frozen Planet in concert with Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Meyerson Symphony Center, the editors’ choice winner for Best Performing Arts Venue.
Leading Off (8/17/12)
Dallas Would Like an Olympics, Please. A summer one, in 2024. Because the North Texas area is so very nice and comfortable in August, right Tim? Also, I need a mock-up of what a Dallas Opening Ceremonies would look like, pronto.
Rockwall PD Disposes of Grenade at Nursing Home. So, I’m by no means an expert, but here’s a tip anyway: If you see a grenade in a box, you should not pull the pin out. I saw this on the TV several times, and at least twice in a movie, so I know what I’m talking about.
Scammers Flattening Tires in Duncanville. So if you notice your tire is flat, and then someone comes up and offers to help you out with that, you might want to think twice. Which is a shame, because there are genuinely nice people out there. But these guys? They aren’t them.
Remarkably Polite Would-Be Robber Hits Two Dallas Banks. Guy walks into the Chase Bank on Hillcrest in University Park, hands a teller a note, she tells him no, so he politely leaves and heads to a second location, and tries again. No word so far on how that one went down.
Clean Out Your Stupid Pools. OK, everyone everywhere has said their opinion about this whole Duet raining down from the sky thing. So I’m just going to point you to two things, and then let my head spin around off my shoulders. For one, is it merely a coincidence that some of the hardest hit areas of the county are also where people who are known to overwater with impunity? And second, if you are going to move out or can’t take care of your pool, drain it and clean it, instead of setting up a perfect incubator for mosquitoes to breed and then spread disease. And Dallas, can we please come up with a better reason for not doing what Carrollton is doing, other than (and this is a summarization), “sorry, we’re busy planning our aerial assault?”
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