Articles about Local News
New Dallas Stars Logo Leaks, Could Cause Starbucks Coffee Craving
The beginning of a beautiful friendship?
Exhibit B
The Dallas Stars are set to reveal new uniforms on June 4, but Yahoo! Sports speculates that the team’s new logo has leaked early, via the wallpaper selections available in its iPhone app.
You can see for yourself, above, that the Stars may be ditching gold in favor of silver, which does (as Yahoo notes) make for a look that could result in a Pavlovian hankering for coffee.
Instead of Tall, Grande, or Venti, just ask for the Stanley?
Collin County Commissioner Quits Boy Scouts Over New Policy Accepting Gay Scouts
Chris Hill is a Collin County commissioner, and a Republican. Until today he was also chairman of the Lone Star District of Dallas’ Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts of America. After yesterday’s vote to allow gay Scouts membership in the organization, Hill has resigned from that post. He issued this statement, according to the DMN:
It was with great disappointment that I received the news today that the national council of the Boy Scouts of America voted to change the membership standards that have guided the organization for over a century. It was my sincere hope that the executive leaders of the BSA would heed the call and the prayers of the scouting family throughout the country, the great majority of whom spoke with clarity and resolve in their opposition to the change. I am grieved and dismayed that the BSA has abandoned the 103-year legacy of its founder to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices.
BSA has its roots in the international Scouting movement, which was founded in Britain by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907. In 1989, biographer Tim Jeal wrote of Baden-Powell’s extremely close friendship with a fellow army officer: “Available evidence points inexorably to the conclusion that Baden-Powell was a repressed homosexual.”
Last year, on the opinion pages of the New York Times, Brooke Allen wrote that this possibility (which has been disputed, since there is no evidence that Baden-Powell’s relationship with this friend was ever physical), shouldn’t necessarily weigh on BSA’s decision regarding the inclusion of homosexuals:
Were Baden-Powell himself to be consulted on the subject, he would no doubt be horrified by any mention of open homosexuality in the Scouting movement. His mother’s training had taught him that sex was dirty, and this was an opinion he did his best to impart to the boys — and girls — who took up scouting. (“A Scout is clean in thought, word, and deed,” after all.)
Still, Baden-Powell’s life is a poignant story that should be known. This man who gave so much to so many suffered from the forces of repression and taboo. It is unfortunate that the American branch of the movement he founded should perpetuate them.
With Hill’s departure, there’s one less member of the organization to carry on that tradition.
The Alamo Plaza Sign and the Need For Nostalgia
photo by Justin Cozart/Flickr
As Oak Cliff People notes, the Alamo Plaza sign that stood on Fort Worth Avenue, and in the way of Sylvan Thirty, will be incorporated into the new development, just not in the form that some proponents of its preservation had hoped.
The sign is going to be broken up into three pieces that will be placed on different portions of the site. Seems like a great solution. The sign can still serve as a creative reminder of a portion of the history of that patch of land, kind of like that “Park” sign at Main Street Garden downtown.
Sure it would’ve been cool for Sylvan Thirty to keep the sign where it is, and incorporate it into their plans there, as the Lucas B&B sign on Oak Lawn has been preserved, but it still seems as though it’ll be an asset for Sylvan Thirty.
Another Look at John Carona’s Mad Business Skillz
Carona continues in his dogged way to press his case to whoever will listen. Like an Old Testament prophet, he’ll spell out the consequences of their mismanagement to his colleagues, even though they flee at the sight of him barreling down the halls of the state capitol. He knows a prophet is not honored in his own country or, in Carona’s case, in his own party. He knows the prophets of old were ridiculed, stoned, cut in half, and thrown into wells.
It doesn’t seem to bother him. Maybe it’s because he also knows those prophets of yore were right.
Contrast that with the Carona story in the current issue of Texas Monthly. Titled “Conflicts and Interests,” the piece by Jay Root (a joint project with the Texas Tribune) takes a fascinating look at how Carona balances his business interests with his duties as a state senator. Carona, you see, is the president and CEO of Associa, the country’s largest manager of homeowners’ associations, with 9,000 HOAs in 31 states. From the story:
But the Dallas millionaire isn’t just the president and CEO of Associa. He’s also a powerful state senator who chairs the Committee on Business and Commerce and who, back in 2001, authored the law that enshrined pro-industry HOA foreclosure practices in statute, ensuring that associations … could continue to aggressively collect fees and dues from homeowners. And if you’re flabbergasted by that fact, well, you don’t know much about Texas politics.
The story goes on to note that “Associa employs 8,800 people and remains the largest and most active business operated by a member of the Legislature” and that Carona employs lobbyists to influence his colleagues. It’s a fine piece of reporting that only — ahem — deepens my appreciation of Carona’s business acumen.
And now I will hand over my office key fob to Wick.
Today on D Television (5/24/13)
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Leading Off (5/24/13)
Dallas ISD Board Votes to Fire 2 Principals. At Thursday night’s meeting, district trustees (by a v0te of 7-2) approved the dismissal of the principals of Madison and Roosevelt high schools. District data show that last year only 2 percent of Madison seniors attained “college ready” scores on the ACT, and at Roosevelt no seniors at all did that. Superintendent Mike Miles’ plans to get rid of educators who haven’t met performance standards have been the subject of contentious debate for months. Some feel Miles is taking a bold stand to reform under-performing schools that have been allowed to languish for too long. Others believe he’s pushing too hard, too fast. For better or worse, there’s no doubt that Miles is transforming DISD. In recent weeks, at least nine other district principals have accepted demotions after learning they had been targeted for dismissal. And 730 educators voluntarily left the district between last July (when Miles became superintendent) and February, compared to only 430 during the same time frame the previous year.
Man Killed in Southlake Town Square Was Drug Cartel Lawyer. The murder that shocked this safe, affluent suburban community appears to be related to Mexican drug trafficking. The victim has been identified as Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa, a native of Mexico who was a longtime attorney for the Gulf cartel and its leader, Osiel Cardenas (who’s serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S.).
Boy Scouts of America to Allow Openly Gay Scouts. Sixty-one percent of delegates to the organization’s National Council voted yesterday in Grapevine to permit boys to participate regardless of sexual orientation. The ban on homosexual leaders wasn’t lifted. The Onion reports that at least one gay Texas teenager is thrilled by the new opportunities afforded him by the policy change: “It’s perfect because I’ve been looking for a second thing to get mocked for, and Boy Scouts seems like a great fit. I think it’ll really open me up to a whole new batch of cutting insults.”
Neiman Marcus, Saks Could Merge
The national business press has reported the possibility that private equity firm KKR might invest in Saks Inc. in order to have it merge with fellow luxury retailer Neiman Marcus. Bloomberg says:
Neiman Marcusis working with Credit Suisse Group AG on exploring an initial public offering or sale, according to people familiar with the matter. Its owners may seek about $8 billion for the company, which has about 40 namesake department stores and owns Bergdorf Goodman’s two stores in New York, the people said. TPG Capital and Warburg Pincus LLC bought Neiman Marcus in 2005 for about $5 billion, data compiled by Bloomberg show…
Saks generated revenue of $3.15 billion in the year ended Feb. 2. That compares with $4.35 billion in Neiman Marcus’s latest fiscal year, which ended in July. Luxury retailers fared better during the economic recovery than some of their lower-end counterparts as surging stock markets gave the wealthy the confidence to shop.
A Neiman Marcus and Saks combination could benefit from closing some duplicate stores in the same malls, consolidating distribution centers as well as achieving efficiencies in advertising, Mortimer Singer, president of New York retail consulting firm Marvin Traub Associates, said in a telephone interview yesterday.
Combining the chains under one name “would be a very tough decision,” Singer said. “They are both such wonderful brands. They are very iconic nameplates.”
Neiman Saks Fifth Avenue? Saks Fifth Avenue Marcus? Neiman “Saks” Marcus? Fifth Avenue Neiman? Neiman Saks Marcus Fifth Avenue? NMSaks? Gimbels?
Calling B.S. on Guy Sorman’s Story About Dallas Donors
On Sunday, the Dallas Morning News published a story written by a fellow named Guy Sorman. Not sure how the print headline read, but here’s the online version: “How Dallas’ Super-Rich Donors Are Transforming the City.” The premise of the story is undeniably true. There is a lot of money flowing through Dallas, and the people who have the most are giving away loads of it. But there are a couple of details in Sorman’s story that give me bitter beer face. From the third paragraph:
A decade ago, [Kelcy] Warren joined a project with the ambitious goal of connecting Dallas’ separated halves by covering the freeway with a park, which would include recreational space, open-air restaurants and an auditorium for outdoor concerts. He donated $10 million of his own; $40 million more came from the very wealthy families at the heart of Dallas’ philanthropic community — the Thousand Families, as they’re sometimes referred to locally.
I’ve lived in Dallas since 1976, and I’ve never heard that term, “the Thousand Families.” Maybe I don’t run in the right circles. I asked our society columnist, Jeanne Prejean, about it. Jeanne knows a thing or two about a thing or two. If you name someone who has given at least $5 million to charity in the last decade, Jeanne has probably hugged the person and can tell you a personal detail about him or her that shouldn’t be published. Guess what. Jeanne had never heard the term either. Please, FrontBurnervians, if one of you has heard this term used locally, tell us about it in the comments.
Dr. Constantine ‘Connie’ Konstans, R.I.P.
Dr. Constantine “Connie” Konstans/Photo by Elizabeth Lavin
The business and academic worlds lost a pioneer with the passing this week of Dr. Constantine Konstans, a professor of accounting and information management at the University of Texas at Dallas. “Connie” died suddenly on Monday, a day shy of his 78th birthday.
Funny and blunt and a deep thinker about business, Konstans foresaw the rising importance of corporate governance and created classes on the topic a decade ago. He also founded and served for years as executive director of UTD’s Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance. Later he created more classes in risk management and compliance, sensing the growing importance of those topics as well.
A month ago today, Konstans stood at a podium in downtown Dallas, accepting a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from D CEO magazine. If the audience was expecting him to be a little gruff, like he looked, his very brief talk was a pleasant surprise. He said he wasn’t going to thank anyone, because the people who needed to be thanked already knew who they were. He joked that he was only getting the award because he was old.
Visitation/memorial services will be held for Connie tonight at 7:30 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Hillcrest Road. The funeral will also be there, tomorrow morning at 10.
What Do You Do When You’re Acquitted on Rape Charges? Drink at the Ritz and Joke About It
This (paywall) story is about yesterday’s verdict in the case of the alleged rape at an SMU dorm in 2012. Donald Cuba, a former junior at the school, was acquitted. The only juror who spoke to reporters said there just wasn’t enough evidence for a conviction. “There was a lot of emotion involved in this,” said the juror, who did not give her name. “We know all the kids on both sides went through a lot this year.”
One thing in the reporting stuck out to me though. The reactions to the verdict:
“In the courtroom Wednesday, the jury’s verdict prompted shouts of jubilation and applause from Cuba’s friends and family. Cuba’s mother hugged others and cried.
Doe and her family were not in the courtroom for the verdict.
In the hallway, Cuba and his friends cheered, high-fived and made plans to go to the Ritz-Carlton to drink. ‘Now we can make the jokes,’ one friend told Cuba.”
The Cuba family did not comment for the story.
BREAKING NEWS: Population of Texas, Dallas Continues to Grow and Grow and Grow
In new U.S. Census Data released today, Dallas (23,341) and Fort Worth (16,328) both ranked among the top 10 cities in the nation in terms of the number of people by which their populations increased between July 2011 and July 2012. However, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin all gained even more residents. Texas had eight of the 15-fastest growing cities.
Looking at the biggest population increases during that period in terms of percentage growth, McKinney (3.95 percent) ranked No. 11 and Frisco (3.92 percent) ranked No. 12 nationwide.
Dallas is the 9th-most-populous city in the United States (with 1,241,162 residents), and the third-largest in Texas (trailing Houston and San Antonio). Fort Worth (777,992) is 16th-biggest in the nation.
But we all know that the borders of cities are artificial constructs, anyway, right? And that there’s hardly any empty space at all between Dallas and Fort Worth and Denton and McKinney and Rockwall anyway? So what really matters is that we live in the Dallas-Fort Worth Megalopolis, the country’s 4th-largest metropolitan statistical area, with a population of 6.7 million people.
Which is why we’re building all these monstrous roads.
Leading Off (5/23/13)
Man Shot and Killed At Southlake Town Square. The 43-year-old Southlake man was in the passenger seat of his car at 6:45 when a SUV with two men inside pulled up. A gunman got out and opened fire, shooting at least five times. Police believe it was a targeted killing.
Dallas Elementary School Teacher Whose Daughter Died In A Hot Car Believed She Left Her at Day Care. The 1-year-old girl was in the backseat from 7:45 am until almost 1:30; her mother, Vibha Marks, faces second degree felony charges. I saw Observer editor Joe Tone tweet this out last night, adding that he could see it being the truth. Honestly, so can I. The first year or so of a kid’s life is a constant fight to make it to the next day. So I can imagine it happening. I can’t imagine dealing with the aftermath. Or don’t want to.
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Accuses ATF of Blocking Its Investigation Into West Explosion. I’m sure this won’t lead to tons of tweets with the #falseflag hashtag.
Here Is Something Not Serious At All To Start Your Day On a Better Note. A very pregnant Alice Laussade, aka the Cheap Bastard, throwing a pie at Uncle Nancy, who is dressed in a pig costume.
D Magazine Goes to Beastly Lengths to Conceal Identity of Dining Editor Nancy Nichols
As Liz mentioned, we’re hosting a party tonight to celebrate the big reveal of our 100 Best Restaurants in Dallas in the June issue.
Dining editor Nancy Nichols went on D: The Broadcast this morning to promote the event and the list. This posed a problem, since we try to keep Nancy’s face out of the public eye so that she can dine anonymously in the city’s restaurants while preparing her reviews.
And that’s why she went on TV dressed as a pig.
J.C. Penney is More Valuable as a Real Estate Investment Than as a Retail Operation
Today J.C. Penney Corporation finalized a five-year, $2.25 billion loan that will be used to as working capital for the struggling Plano-based retailer. The company is guaranteeing the loan via its vast real estate holdings — stores, distribution centers, and corporate headquarters.
The Wall Street Journal wrote that the move encourages the view of J.C. Penney as a real estate play.
It also raises questions as to whether the company ultimately will move to further tap the property portfolio through sales or other scenarios. “The entire value of this company is in its real estate,” said Cathy Hershcopf, a partner in the bankruptcy and restructuring practice at Cooley LLP in New York. “There is no doubt in my mind that it is in the forefront of every decision the board is making.”
An appraisal pegged the value of Penney’s owned and ground-leased stores, as well as its owned distribution centers and headquarters, at about $4.1 billion. That is a little more than the company’s market capitalization, which stands at about $3.9 billion.
See the Demonic New Face of State Fair’s Big Tex
After watching this look at the design of the face of the new Big Tex, best of luck sleeping through the night without waking suddenly from the nightmares it will induce.
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