Of all the marijuana bills flitting about the state capitol in Austin this year, Representative David Simpson’s is the most radical. Simpson somewhat famously wants to regulate weed like any other crop because, in his words, “God doesn’t make mistakes.” It was shrewd gambit by Simpson, appealing to his Tea…
Normally, the Cowboys helping fill out their roster with the post-draft signing of an undrafted free agent would barely be news. With some notable exceptions, rookies not taken in the draft end up being scout team or training camp fodder. Dallas’ signing of LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins is anything…
Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven McCraw does not have a sense of whimsy. Emails obtained by an attorney representing a state trooper reprimanded for taking a photo with Snoop Dogg at South by Southwest show that McCraw was both hellbent on finding the trooper and has a really…
Amid what’s been a massive bummer of a Texas legislative session, the search for silver linings has been difficult. Over the past week, though, a solid contender has developed: the chance for meaningful criminal justice reform. Specifically, a pair of efforts that would make it easier for ex-offenders to secure…
Barring a miracle, turnout for the 2015 Dallas city election is going to be absolutely miserable. Six or 7 percent. Based on past evidence, that’s it. Despite the vitriol. Despite the six open seats on the council created by term limits. Despite Scott Griggs, one of the most popular people…
One would have hoped, if one were exceedingly naive, that Governor Greg Abbott might have backed off after finally realizing how absurd it is to send the Texas State Guard to monitor the U.S. military training exercises known colorfully as Jade Helm 15. One might have thought Abbott would have…
A Deep Ellum beat cop, backed by his community and fellow officers but fired by the Dallas Police Department, will not face criminal charges after an arrest of an aggressive panhandler resulted in a claim he used excessive force. See also: Fired Deep Ellum Cop Jesus Martinez Gets Outpouring of…
As Amy Silverstein warned us might happen last week, the Texas Senate has moved forward with banning insurance providers from covering the nearly all abortions sought by Texas women. See also: Texas Lawmakers Want to Make Insurance More Expensive for Women Getting Abortions Larry Taylor, a Republican from Friendswood, stressed…
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the terror attack that ended with a security guard getting shot in the ankle and two gunman with assault rifles being taken out by a Garland cop’s service pistol, according to media reports. “We tell America that what is coming will be even bigger and…
Five of the 10 best high schools in North Texas are in Dallas ISD, Children at Risk, a Houston-based nonprofit says. So are five of the 10 worst. Three of the 10 best middle schools in North Texas are in Dallas ISD. So are seven of the 10 worst. The…
Dallas Assistant City Manager Jill Jordan, who’s been involved with the city’s Trinity River project since I was in middle school, isn’t anymore. City Manager A.C. Gonzalez announced today that another of his top assistants, Mark McDaniel, will be taking over the city staff role in getting the park, and…
The investigation into whether Scott Griggs criminally intimidated a member of the Dallas City Secretary’s Office is going to a disaster for someone. After Saturday’s developments, it seems, it’s not going to be Griggs. After an introduction that included ringing endorsements from City Council member Philip Kingston and former City…
Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles will live to fight another day. During a more than lenthy session of the Dallas ISD board of trustees late Friday, no action was taken with regard to his employment. The board did adopt a “letter of concern” about Miles’ performance, but the details of…
Dallas City Councilman Scott Griggs is accused of using his position to influence the actions of a member of the Dallas City Secretary’s Office, the Dallas police announced late today. In a short press release, the Dallas Police Department said it had submitted the results of its investigation into Griggs…
The problem, as we wrote the day after Dallas’ new plastic bag ordinance went into effect, is that the ordinance doesn’t ban bags, and now the city of Dallas could pay for it. A group of single-use plastic bag manufacturers has sued the city, claiming that the Dwaine Caraway-shepherded bag…
Christopher Omigie, according to federal investigators, was perceived to be someone who had mystical powers in the tribal tradition of his native Nigeria. He was a witch doctor, feds say, viewed as being capable of divining people’s futures and, if necessary, warding off law enforcement. It’s only natural then that…
Whether we like or not, Obamacare has led to many more Texans being insured than were before the Affordable Care Act. According to a new survey from Rice University’s Baker Institute and the Episcopal Health Foundation, Texas had a 24.6 percent uninsured rate among residents 18-64 in September 2013, the…
Jerry Jones, it seems, is headed back to court. The Cowboys owner, who in the last year has successfully fought suits claiming that he sexually assaulted a woman and defrauded ticket buyers at Super Bowl XLV who ended up without seats, is accused this time of failing to properly maintain…
A veteran Dallas cop has been fired by the department after, the department says, he responded to an ex-girlfriend’s spurning his repeated text messages by intimidating the woman and her new boyfriend with a gun. Aaron Tolerton confronted his ex-girlfriend in March, according to media reports. When he pulled the…
There’s probably not enough time — about five weeks, give or take — left in 2015’s session of the Texas Legislature to get anything done with regard to Dallas state Representative Rafael Anchia’s dual Trinity toll road-killing bills. Wednesday, though, they did get a hearing at the state capitol, and…
Give former Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Justin Moore credit, the man sure knows how to make an exit. Cops pulled him over after he was seen weaving in and out of traffic at more than 100 mph near Ledbetter Drive and Highway 67 in Dallas in January. Moore refused…
The conspiracy theory that sprung up around Jade Helm 15 is almost too stupid to dignify. From July 15 to September 15, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command has scheduled the military training exercise — with a name perfect for the next Avengers movie — for the southwestern United States…
