News

There was a time, before the lawsuits, the criminal complaints and the machinations of a has-been actress, when the Saabs and the Rhoduses were friends, although what they had in common besides Park Cities addresses is a mystery. Tom and Debbie Rhodus are both attorneys, nearly as intelligent as they…

There are some professions that should be as selective as possible: doctor, teacher, crocodile hunter and, of course, firefighter. But when asked why the brand-new test the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department gives to potential firefighters is so damn easy, Pat Marsolais, who heads up the department’s Civil Service division, didn’t exactly…

From the outside, Paul Westbrook’s house looks pretty normal. White brick, two stories, a few shrubs out front, nothing special. Judging by appearances, it’s a house owned by someone who doesn’t care much about appearances. But the ’70s-era-looking house is hardly normal. Its walls have a Styrofoam core, its roof…

Low standards: Well, apparently if you’re a male and you flunked the fire department’s new physical agility test, you may be in danger of losing a footrace to late actor Chris Farley. In his current state. But as long as we’re on the subject of just how easy it is…

Lost Highway Hunter, then Hyde: All I have to say is…WOW! (“Cruising With the Whore Cop,” by Jesse Hyde, September 7.) Nice journalism. Very graphic. It shows a point of view like no other I’ve been acquainted with. A bit Thompson-esque. Give this man a raise! He deserves it. Rachel…

Deep Ellum Film Festival founder Michael Cain, with Jane Seymour, is merging his baby with the American Film Institute. It’s a big deal–and a bad deal, say some folks who probably wish they’d thought of it first. For months now, it’s been the worst-kept secret in the Dallas film community:…

Bible Girl finds the, well, fundamental problem with Mel White’s argument that every good God-fearin’ Christian is out to get the gay community. In 43 years of attending evangelical churches, one thing I’ve never seen is a decent conspiracy. I have seen really bad Lutheran basement potlucks. I’ve seen quite…

Dear Press Release I received Last Week From Some Girl At Ketchum Communications Concerning The Weight Watchers Account, I don’t think we should see each other any more. I knew our relationship was a sham from the very beginning. I know, at first you were very attracted to me. Or…

The Atlantic has a story (subscription required) this month on how “America’s educated elite is clustering in a few cities—and leaving the rest of the country behind.” Basically, college graduates are increasingly moving to “superstar cities” (places like Seattle, New York and San Francisco) and their surrounding suburbs partly because…

It’s so interesting to see Dallas Mayor Laura Miller pop up on TV now. She was on twice in the last 24 hours–while in Washington lobbying for the Wright Amendment and then touring power plants with Sarah Dodd of Channel 11. I thought, “Oh, yeah! Laura Miller! I was wondering…

The Dallas Morning News has a story today on the $14 million Bexar Street redevelopment project in South Dallas, which Councilman Leo Chaney would like to present to this city as his legacy. Full disclosure: My church, The Body of Christ Assembly, falls squarely within the redevelopment area. In fact,…

A 2,000-word story about the Emily Dowdy case–“Drugged or Drunk?” by Adriana Gardella—appeared on Salon.com August 30 and prompted more than 60 letters to the editor. (My story on Dowdy, “Oklahoma Railroad,” appeared July 21, 2005 in the Observer.) A former architecture student at OU, Dowdy is now serving 40…

For this, you traveled to Africa? So what has ex-Observer music editor Sam Machkovech been up to since he and the paper parted ways? Rafting down the Nile River. Judging by that hand signal he’s throwing, I’d say that Sam may have left the Observer, but some of that Observer…

A guy named Rob is looking for a guy named Bugs, who may be in possession of a map, or may have firsthand knowledge, “as to the grave of two Bigfoot” here in Texas. We just got an e-mail from Rob, who says he hosts something called the X Zone…

Now, I know you’re all thinking that I make the big bucks, but you’re wrong. Those all go to Wilonsky (“Fingers of Fury,” I believe some of you call him). But even if I did, student loans, aka credit card debt incurred when I was a college student, have now…

In another life, DISD trustee Ron Price was probably a studio publicist in the 1930s with an extraordinary knack for garnering headlines for his Hollywood clients. Through luck or calculation, the school board member and possible city council candidate knows how to snag the spotlight. After Price spoke before the…

Gene Street, chairman of Consolidated Restaurant Operations, is getting himself into fighting trim as he prepares to open a new Silver Fox Steakhouse in the Centrum’s Star Canyon space in January 2007. “I quit everything in May,” Street boasts. “Fried foods, potatoes, sugar, and I quit drinking red wine. I…

There was a time, seems like it was about five seconds ago, when I didn’t think it would ever get below 100 degrees in Dallas. My bike rides around White Rock were put on hiatus. Friday nights on the porch with a cold one were moved inside with six fans…