City Manager Mary Suhm, Mayor Tom Leppert and CFO Dave Cook all stressed this morning that the city is facing the same budget challenges as other cities and states. As Cook briefed the city council for the last time before a more detailed budget is presented August 10, he said…
In September 2006, some local cineastes were terrified to learn that Michael Cain was shuttering his mom-and-pop Deep Ellum Film Festival and spending a little less than $1 million to license the Los Angeles-based American Film Institute’s name and consultants. Sell out, they whispered, especially when it was announced that…
So, like I was saying, Friend of Unfair Park PeterK — who scours the eBay for rare photos of Dallas, my kind of guy — sent me this homegrown picture earlier this week, and while not as attention-getting as a downtown Dallas fire, it is intriguing. Looks very, I dunno,…
SMU’s been tapped by the State Energy Conservation Office to study clean, renewable energy sources throughout the state of Texas — and danged if Maria Richards, program coordinator for the SMU Geothermal Laboratory, doesn’t think she’s found one. Today, the university posted a preview of its assessment due to the…
With all the talk this week of the Dallas Municipal Court system’s inefficiency, one can’t help but giggle just a wee bit at this “service alert” just sent out by Frank Librio at Dallas City Hall: The Municipal Building located at 2014 Main Street is closed today because the air…
Haven’t seen much work being done in the former Baby Gap in Preston Royal Shopping Center, where, back in November, the missus espied a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission private-club permit application hanging in the window for something called Taco Mundo. But on the occasion of tonight’s official opening of Carolina’s…
Gonna trek out to Carrollton this morning for some Cowboys’ minicamp, so I’ll leave you with a feel-good story. $13,000 my ass. In the end, getting rid of the furry, friggin’ squirrel tresspassers in my attic and walls cost a whopping $275. That’s $70 for two giant mousetraps, $5 for…
Late yesterday afternoon, I sent Steve Gaither, the special collections librarian in the Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division downtown, a picture whose origins were mysterious; I thought he could help, and, sure enough, he’s spent a good long while late into Tuesday tracking its roots. (I’ll post it later.) But…
The Richards Group gets a shout-out in The New York Times this morning for its Hoagiefest promotion, which takes a big ol’ bite outta the Yellow Submarine in order to sell sandwiches to folks living up north. Turns out, Richards is just ridin’ the peace train with the rest of…
Last night the Brookings Institution released a study tracking recession and recovery in the 100 biggest metro areas in the U.S., and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ranks as one of the so-called “strongest 20 metros.” Indeed, Texas takes several of the top spots: Austin-Round Rock, El Paso, Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land, McAllen-Edinburg-Pharr and San…
But 15 months ago, Icon Partners issued a breathless press release announcing a 3.7-million square foot development to be dropped at the intersection of LBJ Freeway and the Dallas North Tollway. Called Icon Midtown, it was to be a gleaming, crowded city unto itself, a miniature Manhattan featuring five enormous…
Very cool moment last night: The greatest player in Texas Rangers history – now a Houston Astro – smacks a 5th-inning homer and receives a standing ovation. Stay classy, Arlington. On a day when Toby Harrah and Ruben Sierra were elected into the Rangers’ Hall of Fame, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez…
No doubt you’ve heard of the Build America Bond — “the financial crisis equivalent of war bonds,” says this BusinessWeek explainer from last month, if you haven’t. Dallas Area Rapid Transit has certainly heard of ’em, as today it sold $830 million worth of the suckers to expand light rail…
A Friend of Unfair Park who’s thinking of spending the Fourth of July tea-partying out at Southfork Ranch — “but only for Mickey Dolenz,” she writes, and I smell fresh-baked sarcasm — directs our attention to a forthcoming Dallas appearance by Ann Coulter, who’ll be at the Fairmont Hotel on…
I saw this just-moved press release concerning an 11 a.m. press conference at Cowboys Stadium tomorrow, featuring Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Cisco CEO John Chambers, and wondered what more they could cram into the EnormoDome when it comes to the latest and greatest in technology. Which is why…
Andy Beal’s the Dallas banker most (in)famous for having single-handedly taken on the bestest of poker’s best — a so-called syndicate that included the likes of Chip Reese, Howard Lederer, Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harmon — back in 2001 in the Bellagio’s high-stakes poker room. The subtitle of Michael Craig’s…
So I’m gone a week and two major coaching deals? Ron Washington: In. Dave Tippett: Out. How can that be? I’ll get to Wash later this week, but I’m still trying to figure out new Stars’ GM Joe Nieuwendyk’s decision to replace the likeable Tippett with the long ago expired…
Back in April we brought word of the KDGE-FM 20th anniversary shindig that George Gimarc’s been putting together at the Lakewood Theater without a cent from Clear Channel, which ain’t got many pennies left. Well, George called this afternoon to remind us that, yes, the thing’s still on and, according…
When council member Angela Hunt said “we’re cutting muscle, we’re cutting bone” when referring to the FY2009-’10 budget, from which City Manager Mary Suhm’s looking to lose $190 million, this is what she meant: Tomorrow, Suhm will present to the council the most detailed look at proposed budget cuts yet,…
As mentioned yesterday, the Dallas Municipal Court efficiency study’s on the agenda for tomorrow’s council briefing; it actually makes its bow this afternoon at 2 during the Legislative Ad Hoc Committee meeting. And, yes, right at the top of the briefing doc, First Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans is upfront…
A Friend of Unfair Park directs our attention to Uncle Barky’s nice YouTube discovery: WFAA-Channel 8’s analog adios on Friday, a brief retrospective of the ABC affiliate that offers a far fancier farewell than KXAS-Channel 5’s anti-climactic fade-to-static. It’s worth a look-see, especially for longtime locals for whom Pete Delkus’s…
So says the fourth annual In the Driver’s Seat Road Rage Survey, commissioned by AutoVantage and released this morning. After having not even made the ’08 list, Dallas-Fort Worth zooms into the No. 2 spot on the list of Least Courteous Cities, behind only New York City and ahead of…
