Articles about Hold On To Your Effin Hat
DISD Schools Closed Friday
Just insane. Wow. DISD has already announced that schools will again be closed tomorrow. They’ve never given in to the weather like this before. That sound you hear is a mashup of teachers, who are wailing because they realize the school year will be extended by four days, and Linus Wright, who is roaring like one of the zombies from I Am Legend as he emerges from his grave to seek out Michael Hinojosa and remind him how the district used to do it back in the day.
Rioting in Highland Park To Commence in 3, 2 …
Forget the turmoil in Egypt. Chaos is coming to a leafy enclave near you. The rolling blackouts are now affecting Highland Park. Via Whole Foods’ Facebook page:
Store closing update: due to hourly blackouts in the Highland Park area, our store there is closed as of 1:30pm. We anticipate opening at 10am tomorrow as scheduled.
“Looks As If GM Moved to Dallas”
That’s a Slate reader commenting on its updated jobs tracking map, which shows unemployment from January, 2007 through August, 2010. Dallas does well, then fades to red in September 2008, and rebounds quickly in January, 2010. In all, the data show Dallas added 22,000 jobs net since August, 2009, the second best record in the nation and outpacing Houston by 10,000.
[And, yes, GM should move to Dallas.]
Naked Man Goes for an Afternoon Run on Lamar
Dang, but my old partying buddy Christopher Wynn tweeted that a naked man was running down Lamar at Ross earlier this afternoon. CW even had a G-rated photo of the in-the-flesh fellow in front of Wine & Spirits.
Will AOL Kill FrontBurner?
We and the FrontBurnervian Nation kinda poked fun at AOL’s latest effort to re-enter Dallas. Mel Taylor, writing over at Business Insider, thinks we’re about to get steamrolled. Or, to be more accurate, he thinks “journalistic purist types” (which certainly doesn’t include us, does it? – I mean, pure?) will get steamrolled. Mike Orren, the indefatigable founder of Pegasus News, was at the Chicago conference that got Mel worked up. Hey, Mike, tell it to us straight — do we stand a chance?
Jason Sheeler Does Fashionista Heidi Dillon
Ran into a group of Dallas boldface types at DFW who were just returning from summering at Pebble Beach. Their iPads had been working overtime pulling up Dallas Morning News‘ Jason Sheeler’s lengthy OMG story on the very eyebrow-raising Heidi Dillon (pictured) and her efforts to get her own reality show. It’s all there, from the suicide attempt to the financials of her nonprofit Fashionistas to many words that are not allowed to be printed here or elsewhere. One society veteran summed it up: “It was fascinating, just like a train wreck.”
Kyle Bass Hits Bullseye with Revised GNP Figure
Last week, Tim pointed out that Dallas hedge fund investor Kyle Bass was bearish on the recovery. In an appearance on CNBC, he said the Commerce Department’s 2.4 percent growth estimate for the 2nd quarter was too optimistic; it would come in, he said, at 1.6 percent. This morning, the Commerce Dept. issued a revision: the 2nd quarter figure was indeed 1.6 percent. To be fair, other economists were also predicting a downward revision. What I found interesting is that Bass nailed the figure precisely. You can read our 2008 profile of Bass here.
Nothing to See Here, Except Maybe a Funnel Cloud?
So, I don’t want to be all alarmist, but I do think that a funnel cloud is typically considered to be Serious Weather. The climb-int0-the-bathtub-with-a-mattress kind of serious weather. Where I’m from, funnel cloud = you might die of weather.
So I was a little perplexed at CBS11’s latest tweet.
Sophie’s Tale
After having bought a little Yorkie from a puppy mill, a couple named her Sophie and noticed the 11-week old pooch didn’t seem very healthy. Taking her to to the vet last week, they were 
notified the puppy (pictured) had Parvo. (For non-dog people, Parvo is a nasty disease that is preventable with vaccination.) The couple asked how much it would cost to treat her versus “put her to sleep.” With home treatment, the vet said it would actually cost more to euthanize her. For whatever reason, they opted to put her down.
Through some mediation by the vet, the owners relinquished Sophie to an animal lover who wanted to give the little pooch a chance. It was agreed that Sophie needed to stay at the vet’s because the situation had taken a turn for the worse. Last Friday Sophie’s temperature spiked uncomfortably into the 102+ area and she was not eating at all. Things were looking grim, but the animal lover and the staff were committed to try. The decision was made to feed her via a tube as a last ditch effort to save her.
Called the clinic yesterday dreading to hear the results. (more…)
Leading Off (5/10/10)
1. Are you, like me, addicted to all news related to Greece’s financial meltdown and the possible global economic meltdown that may ensue because of it? If so, you’ll be interested to hear Dallas has its own potential meldown on its hands: billions of dollars of back pay liability that may be due former police officers and firefighters. Time to stock up on canned food and ammunition.
2. I’m still not sure where Riverfront Boulevard is, but it seems the DMN interviewed a bunch of skeptical stakeholders on Industrial Boulevard who have doubts about the city’s plans to rework the street of liquor stores, bail bondsmen, and jails to condos, retail, blah, blah, blah. I would have doubts, too, if the council person leading the effort delivered choice quotes like this one from Dave Neumann: “I’m very much an advocate of property rights, and I respect property rights, but I’m also an advocate of our city moving forward.” Which basically means he doesn’t respect property rights if your property is in the way of the bulldozers. In that case, why squabble about property rights at all?
3. What does Eric Cowan’s victory in the DISD school board race mean? That Cowan is a candidate that transcends racial concerns? That non-hispanic Oak Cliff dwellers are flexing their slowly growing political might? That public schools that are overwhelmingly Hispanic won’t have representation that understands their particular concerns and issues? That racial politics don’t matter when it comes to making good decisions about local schools? Or that Cowan actually cared about winning, and with low-turnout DISD school board elections, that’s what counts?
4. And, finally, Rudy Bush points us to the briefing DART will give to the Dallas City Council today, which basically says that the transportation system is broke. Happy Monday.
D’s Sarah Eveans is Judgmental at Mad Hatters Tea Party
D’s Event Empress Sarah Eveans is checking out everything under the sun or clouds. Here’s a shot of her this morning at the Dallas Arboretum’s Mad Hatters Tea Party with her fellow judges Shirin “Project Runway” Askari and Steve “Dallas Dozen” Kemble. Sarah’s the one in the sedate yellow dress. Shirin is in the one shoulder number. Steve is the one with Cowboys Stadium on his head.
Dallas Auto Sales Up 30%
Is this pent-up demand? Were there big incentives? Or can we start pretending that the Great Recession is over?
Leading Off (3/19/10)
1. Sorry, Mean Green. UNT lost to Kansas State last night, 82-62. And Texas lost to Wake Forest, 81-80, in overtime (this will later be omitted from Texas history textbooks, per Chuck Norris’ instructions). And I’m OK with that, because it goes OK with my brackets. However – Marquette, Georgetown, Richmond? You’ve reduced my brackets to an utter wasteland til the Elite 8. (BTW, congrats to ConocoBeerios for leading so far in the FrontBurner NCAA Bracket Pool.)
2. True story: I am pretty sure I scared WFAA meteorologist Pete Delkus by peppering him with questions about his shirtsleeves LAST winter. He won’t respond on Twitter to my pleas for a shirtsleeves status anymore. Which is a crying shame, because he got slap happy last night and threatened everyone with basketball sized hail. He also said he fired Dale Hansen. Clearly Pete Delkus = God, and should not be mocked. But for the record – suit jacket on means you’re safe; shirtsleeves rolled up below the elbow, gird your loins; tank top – look for the wavy rapture thingies in Wick’s picture.
3. Bad news: If you travel on roads in Texas, you have a good shot at dying. I mean, other states are bad, too, but according to a new Reader’s Digest story, which took into account Federal Highway Administration data, Texas is ranked as having the 29th best roads in the country, the 16th deadliest roads, and the data puts Texas in the top 10 in both Deadliest for DUI and Deadliest for Speeding. After suspending your disbelief that Reader’s Digest is still in print, buckle your seatbelt so we can see you on Monday, k? Maybe some protective headgear. Bubble wrap? I worry about you, FrontBurnervians.
4. So the U.S. Office of Special Counsel was all, “Ummmm, that FAA manager let Southwest fly planes that were unsafe. I’m telllllin’.” And then they told President Obama on that manager. If this plays out like it did when I was a kid, everyone will be sent to their rooms for quiet time because Daddy needs a drink and they’ve made Jesus cry.
5. And finally, this is my first Leading Off. Be gentle. I’m not allowed to drink until 3 p.m.
Leading Off (2/1/10)
1. The City Council’s Economic Development committee will get an update on the Downtown Dallas 360 plan today. Which plan, you ask? I know, it is hard to keep track. This is the one that kicked-off last October and is focused on building connectivity downtown. Though I’m plan-weary, I like the approach of the 360 team. Not so Car Free in Big D. The blog drags out nifty, homespun graphics to prove the tough truth: the real downtown solution, dismantling the highway ring, will never happen.
2. It’s 2010, and we shall all be counted. Except perhaps not all of us. The Washington Post reports that in a number of major U.S. cities, including Dallas, the census’ efforts to reach out to immigrants are inadequate.
3. I ran into an old friend a few weeks ago who is finishing up nursing school. That’s good, I said. I heard nursing is recession-proof. Not so, reports the Star-Telegram. And the tough times trod on.
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