Articles for January 3rd, 2013
Longtime WBAP Host Dick Siegel Has Died
Note to family: make me one of these when I die. Source: WBAP
One half of the legendary “Hal and Dick” team on WBAP has passed away. Earlier today he suffered a heart attack and died.
Recently Dick had been hosting a morning oldies show on KLDE 104.9FM in Eldorado, TX.
Dick Siegel was Hal Jay’s on-air partner from 1981 until 2003. While providing traffic information from his helicopter, Dick was part of the popular “Sam From Sales” comedy bits that aired for many years on the station.
‘Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks’ Lets Users Into the Bank Accounts of Their Neighbors
Source: Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks
Okay, that’s a little sensational, but it’s not far off. Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks lets users zoom in on any city in America and look at the median household income, per census tract. It’s pretty basic information, and the Dallas map (right) doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know. It is startling to see, however, how one of the city’s most affluent tracts (17.01, in the Arts District, with a median household income of $107,500) sits only one tract away from one of its poorest tracts (203, in and around Fair Park, where the median is $14,060). Peek around a bit.
You Can’t Put Your ‘Gun Show Down The Block’ Messages on Texas Highway Signs Anymore
You’re driving down the highway, looking for a gun show. This Saturday. Thousands of guns. Buy, BUY, BUY! The only problem: you don’t know where it is. Time was, you might look up at one of those flashing signs usually reserved for accidents or amber alerts and you’d see a message that read something like “Guns N Ammo Show, exit 12″ or “For parking lot full of responsible gun owners, USE STEMMONS FREEWAY.” Now, that’s a thing of the past. According to the Chronicle:
Texas Department of Transportation officials in Houston are suspending the use of freeway message signs for firearms-related events, citing concerns about their use days after the Newtown. Conn., school shooting.
“We had several people say ‘Hey, this is bad timing,’” said Stuart Corder, director of transportation operations for TxDOT’s Houston district. “We understand there is a wide a range of opinions and we’ve got to be sensitive to people’s concerns.”
It’s unclear whether the signs – which will still be used for other event-related traffic – will ever host directions for firearms-related events again.
Joe Biden Just Made Ted Cruz’s Baby Cry
And other Onion headlines that are actually real:
Joe Biden to Ted Cruz’s baby daughter, who cried when he held her: “It’s a Democrat, I know.”
— Elise Foley (@elisefoley) January 3, 2013
Kurt Eichenwald: ‘Repeal the Second Amendment’
Kurt Eichenwald is a Commie-loving liberal, no good son of a French biscuit-eating surrender monkey, Obama-loving Kenyan sympathizer who probably favors subsidizing public transportation and puppy murder. Only way to explain his post on the Vanity Fair blog VF Daily. The lead:
As news of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary played out around the country, the mantra from the gun-rights folks was fairly consistent: now is not the time to discuss how the government should deal with controls on firearms. It’s politicizing tragedy to talk about it, they whine.
O.K., I’ll agree. Let’s not talk about policy when it comes to Sandy Hook.
Instead, let’s consider the San Ysidro McDonald’s massacre in 1984. Following the shooting of 40 people at that time, gunnies also said it was too soon to discuss new firearms laws; it would politicize the shooting at a moment that should only be about remembrance, you see. So let’s do it now — 28 years is long enough to wait.
Dallas Mom and Writer Pamela Gwyn Kripke Defends Single Motherhood
Following an article it ran last summer about the dangers of being raised by a single mother, Slate invited its readers to defend  fatherless households. Sometime D Magazine contributor and Park Cities resident Pamela Gwyn Kripke, who is likely still eagerly counting the days until she can escape having to live in Dallas, is herself a mom raising two daughters solo.
 We are surrounded by huge homes and the other accouterments of wealth. Kids here, and in similar bubbles of affluence, find gift-wrapped cars in the driveway when they turn 16, as well as one of the greatest predictors of success: support. In the recently published How Children Succeed, author Paul Tough argues that rich kids get the encouragement and poor ones get the grit, and he claims that one without the other gets no one very far. It is hard to spot the millionaire’s kid who mows the lawn or the middle-schooler on a free-lunch program who sees his parents before nine at night. I would maintain that children with a single parent get the winning combination.
Myself raised by a single mother who worked a full-time job and handled three children while attending college in the evenings to complete the degree that my unexpected birth had long prevented her from finishing, I concur that I’ve learned a thing or two about grit.
Reality Steve Sued By Bachelor Producers
Reality Steve, aka Steve Carbone aka The Guy Who Regularly Spoils The Bachelor For Millions, has been sued by producers of the show for doing just that. According to The Hollywood Reporter:
On December 12, Carbone posted spoilers for the first five episodes of The Bachelor, which this season, will feature Sean Lowe. Included in his post were the full names of the women eliminated from the competition.
By the end of last month, Bachelor producers had gone to California federal court to lodge a new complaint. The plaintiffs say they believe that Carbone continues “to seek confidential information from participants, cast, crew and other employees of The Bachelor Series and, in the course of doing so, continue to solicit and induce participants and employees of The Bachelor Series to breach their contractual obligations to Plaintiffs.”
This is the second time the producers have sued Dallas-based Carbone; the first suit was settled. Our Laura Kostelny profiled Carbone in 2011.
Another Great Mavs Video: Super Marion Brothers
I love the Dallas Mavericks’ game presentation crew, if only for these videos. And I love this video, if only for its delightful inclusion of Shawn Marion’s “That’s what’s up” catchphrase.
Things To Do In Dallas Tonight: Jan. 3
It’s a black and white world for not-quite-detective Harry Hunsacker.
This is putting me smack in the middle of Bad Mood City. Actually it makes me furious, but why get specific when I can use it as a lead in for this post, and tonight’s Thing To Do, which is luckily a comedy even if someone does die in the first act.
The Pegasus Theatre does some fun stuff, such as something they call “Living Black & White.” This basically translates the happy magic of old black and white films to the stage (it’s a “trade secret” combination of make up, lights, costumes, and sets). And it really is cool-looking–very fitting for the theater’s end-of-the-year campy B murder mysteries. This particular one, XSR: Die! (XSR is an abbreviation for cross stage right), concerns the backstage drama of a Broadway theater, a subject that is occasionally irresistible. It’s the opening night of a new play by a well-known playwright, and the director wants to fiddle with the climactic scene. Meanwhile, erstwhile wannabe actor turned wannabe detective Harry Hunsacker finds himself at the wrong playhouse for an audition just in time to stumble on a murder.
You can still get tickets online for tonight’s performance at the Eisemann Center in Richardson. There’s also a whole host of restaurants nearby, if you’re so inclined. Still, I think I’d go a little bit further and try Urban Rio in Plano, one of our best new restaurants in 2012. The quesadilla Nancy describes in her review (Oaxacan, panela, Chihuahuan cheese and avocado scented with ground Mexican oregano and smoked paprika) reminds me of my regular late-night order at my beloved La Esquina.
Gene and Julie Start Cooking, KKDA Lost Soul and Ron Chapman Goes Strokin’
Ron Chapman
Dallas radio started 2013 with changes to the neighborhood. KVIL’s morning team, Gene and Julie, are off the air and putting their noggins together for a new restaurant (Nancy will no doubt have deets in the days ahead).
KKDA’s R&B sound and Willis Johnson have been replaced by a Korean-format, thanks to the sale of the station. Soul 730 is more Seoul-oriented.
And former KVIL godfather-of-morning-drive Ron Chapman admitted that he stroked his way into the holidays in a hospital bed. It evidently didn’t affect his sense of humor at all.
Tree Blockade Temporarily Halts Keystone Construction in East Texas
Free live streaming by Ustream
The Observer‘s cover story this week, written by the unbelievably handsome, tall, and single Brantley Hargrove, is about the Keystone XL pipeline, the stuck craw of, well, just about everyone. A few fellas in East Texas have now climbed into a tree in an attempt to peacefully stop the pipeline’s construction; the video above is a live feed. For more info, head to Tar Sands Blockade.
Four of the Country’s Most Toxic Power Plants Are Owned by Dallas-based Luminant
Luminant CEO Mac McFarland
The largest source of power plant mercury emissions nationwide is owned by Dallas-based Luminant Generation, and three of the company’s other plants rank in the top 10, according to a report released today by the Environmental Integrity Project. The No. 1 polluter –Â Martin Lake Steam Electric Station & Lignite Mine in Rusk County – allegedly pumps out 1,501 pounds of mercury emissions each year. The other three Luminant-owned plants are located in Freestone, Titus, and Milam counties, respectively. A plant in Harrison County – but owned by Columbus, Ohio-based American Electric Power – also made the top 10.
“Nationwide, equipment has been installed over the years to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and particulate matter,” said EIP attorney Ilan Levin, in a statement. “That has helped cut down on the release of mercury, toxic metals and acid gases from power plants over the last ten years. However, that progress is uneven, and the dirtiest plants continue to churn out thousands of pounds of toxins that can be hazardous to human health even in small concentrations. For example, emissions of mercury from coal-fired power plants have actually increased in the last decade in the state of Texas.”
Luminant began 2013 with a new CEO, Mac McFarland. Emails have been sent to Luminant reps; we’ll update accordingly.
UPDATE: From Luminant spokeswoman Ashley Barrie, “Luminant stands by its strong track record of exemplary compliance in meeting or outperforming all state and federal environmental laws, rules and regulations. Our voluntary installation of activated carbon injection systems on all of our coal-fueled power plant units demonstrates our commitment to protect air quality and the environment well in advance of state or federal mandates. This equipment has resulted in the reduction of fleet-wide mercury emissions by more than 20 percent since 2005, despite the addition of 2,200 MW of coal-fueled units. In addition, we’ve continued to make investments including $300 million in emission control equipment across our fleet – $80 million at Martin Lake Power Plant — which will further reduce mercury and SO2.”
Glenn Beck Tried to Buy Current TV, But Was Rejected By Its ‘Progressive Owners’
Before Al-Jazeera bought Current TV, TheBlaze looked into buying it but we were rejected by progressive owners.glennbeck.com/2013/01/02/did… WG
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) January 3, 2013
Everyone’s favorite Westlake resident/gold huckster Glenn Beck is back at it, this time with a sales pitch for America: let me back into your homes. Seems earlier this week, before Al Jazeera purchased Al Gore’s little-watched but oft-lauded Current TV, Beck made an offer. According to the Wall Street Journal:
[Current TV CEO Joel] Hyatt said they agreed to sell to Al Jazeera in part because “Al Jazeera was founded with the same goals we had for Current,” including “to give voice to those whose voices are not typically heard” and “to speak truth to power.” Other suitors who didn’t share Current’s ideology were rebuffed. Glenn Beck’s The Blaze approached Current about buying the channel last year, but was told that “the legacy of who the network goes to is important to us and we are sensitive to networks not aligned with our point of view,” according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
Beck’s response: RT a bunch of people who agree with him.
So Current TV was okay with Al Qaeda’s favorite news network buying it, but not Glenn Beck? glennbeck.com/2013/01/02/did… Wow.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) January 3, 2013
Al Gore hates oil/gas but loves the oil money: Gore Pockets $100M on TV Sale to Oil-Backed Al Jazeera bit.ly/VCrN4K #tcot
— Joseph Kerry (@josephkerry) January 3, 2013
At Least 30 People Have Been Shot and Killed in Texas Since Newtown, Including Two 13-Year-Olds
Source: Slate
There are bleak jobs: coroner, executioner, middle-school janitor. Then there is the work being done by the person who runs the Twitter handle @gundeaths, which attempts to chronicle and archive every gun death in America. An anonymous soul, @gundeaths scours the news wires, then posts articles about each death. The handle’s mantra: “Tweeting every gun death in North America regardless of cause and without comment. Help us tell the story behind the statistics.”
In similar fashion:
Since Dec. 14, the day of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, at least 440 people have been killed by guns in the United States, through Jan. 1. Of those, 30 were killed in the state of Texas, and six in the city of Dallas. Of those killed in Texas, one was a 13-year-old in Houston, and another was a 13-year-old in Lamar County. The Houston girl – Dekalah Jones – was shot by her mother’s ex-boyfriend, while the Lamar County boy was killed by a 9-year-old, who tripped and fell while hunting, discharging his .22 rifle.
You can pull the raw data from @gundeaths here. Oh, and Dallas’ murder rate ticked back up in 2012.
Leading Off (1/3/13)
Fort Worth Police Officer Arrested On Suspected DWI. His name is Nicolas Ramirez. He works in traffic, blew twice the legal limit, and, among other things, severely let down his chief, Jeff Halstead:
In the Fort Worth Police Officer’s Association quarterly magazine, called Signal 50, Halstead wrote, “I am going to buy myself a small ‘white board’ and place it in a prominent place in the chief’s office. I will update the board every day in 2013 with the focus statement of: ‘____ days since our last off duty arrest.’ My goal is that on December 31st, 2013 the number on this board is 365!!”
Craig Hall Finally Starting Construction On High Rises In Arts District. But first, Hall is ordering studies to make sure the buildings — a 16-story office building, and a 30-story condo tower — don’t reflect light like Museum Tower, and also so the web editor at WFAA could use this headline: “Arts District developer aims to avoid the glare of Nasher, Museum Tower controversy.” Fun fact: Hall’s buildings will be located on top of a “long-abandoned parking garage” where, unless I’m really confused here, I park my car every day.
Mavericks Take Heat To Overtime, But Can’t Finish. That’s the bad news. The good news: Dirk Nowitzki sent the game to OT with one of his trademark shots and looked more like the guy who makes me scream-tweet I SEE YOU BIG GERMAN than he has since coming back from knee surgery. So, there’s that.
Columbia Packing Company Owners Facing 18-Count Indictment. This happened right after Christmas, but we’re still having to sort of play catch up here. Yes, it’s the pig blood people. Sorry. Should have put that in the headline there.
Here’s a Story About a Giant Bowler Hat. Right here.
I Assume 1/3/13 Is Some Sort Of Special Day, Like Happy Jason Voorhees Day Or Something, But I Didn’t Bother To Look. If so, go nuts.
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