This morning Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings called for a criminal investigation of the past administrators of the Dallas Police & Fire Pension System. He announced the move on Facebook. “I recently spoke with Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven C. McCraw to request that the Rangers conduct a criminal investigation…
It can be painful to look two ways at once, unless you’re a gecko. But as we say goodbye to 2016 and embrace 2017 it’s a good time to examine those who’ve left, those who are leaving and those who’ll arrive in Dallas. Arrived or Arriving Dak Prescott — When…
If the relationship between Dallas City Hall and HUD isn’t against the law, it ought to be.
Thursday afternoon, the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System voted to allow members of the fund’s controversial Deferred Retirement Option Program to make limited, monthly withdrawals from their accounts. Thus ended a moratorium on withdrawals that began earlier this month. Members with DROP accounts will still not be allowed to make…
Newspapers in the 21st century are a funny business. Not so long ago, with the exception of letters to the editor and phone calls from sources, the public’s reaction to individual articles was always a little opaque. But with a pervasive internet, newspaper people now have to deal with a new phenomenon:…
U.S. Army veteran Ernesto Rodriguez started walking on Veteran’s Day. He was recently medically discharged out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the 101st Airborne, after four tours of duty including time served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’d moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, a border town a few miles away…
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller will cap off an eventful 2016 with a trip to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Miller will interview with White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and Trump strategist Steve Bannon in hopes of becoming the secretary of agriculture, according to a statement released by…
City Hall’s Approach on Whitewater Fiasco Is To Defend Its Own Castle
Storytelling comes in many forms, and we try to engage in them all. (OK, maybe not iambic pentameter.) This year, the Dallas Observer has produced excellent videos, both as standalone products or as accessories to articles. They include behind-the-scenes glimpses of events, exclusive performances by musicians and unique views of Dallas…
North Texas’ latest viral disease is as familiar as it is unwelcome: mumps. Yesterday, Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) confirmed the 10th case in the Dallas County. Even though mumps is highly contagious, each case reported so far has been related to travel. Health authorities are urging vigilance. “The increased…
Violence marred Dallas’ 2016. The city saw 163 murders through Dec. 19, up 30 percent from the 125 murders Dallas suffered by the same day last year. While the city has come a long way since Dallas’ body count peaked at 500 in 1991, the murder numbers, combined with a…
Just before the holiday, Dallas City Hall learned it is being accused and maybe criminally investigated in federal housing matters.
It’s been a big, dramatic year for Dallas. The staff and writers of the Dallas Observer have done our best to keep pace with the intense news cycle, bringing you perspective and reporting that you won’t find elsewhere. We did a lot of good work this year; here’s a sample…
We know you’re busy, so here’s a more festive than usual roundup of this week’s news from the Dallas Observer. Elliott’s Kettle Jump Touchdown Celebration Spurs Spike in Salvation Army Donations Since the Dallas Cowboy star leapt into that inflatable kettle, the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign has raised approximately…
David and Jenny Williams had just settled down for a long winter’s nap when they were awoken by Denton firefighters battling a blaze in their driveway at 3 a.m. on Dec. 12. Someone had set the engine of David Williams’ pickup ablaze and spray-painted “Nigger lovers” on their garage door,…
This much is clear from a viral video of a Wednesday arrest in Fort Worth: A Fort Worth police officer arrested two women, Jacqueline Craig and Brea Hymond. While making the arrest, the officer put a stun gun to Craig’s back, who is now, along with Hymond, in Mansfield’s jail, facing…
Texas Governor Greg Abbott is not done with the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Late Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks ruled that the organization’s lawsuit against Abbott, filed last December after the governor had the FFRF’s secular nativity removed from the capitol, can proceed to trial. In his ruling, Sparks said…
Randy Gregory is practicing with the Cowboys this week, and that might the weirdest story out of Frisco in a season full of them. Gregory is beyond question is a fantastic pass rusher. Coming out of Nebraska, Gregory might have been the best pure pass rusher in the 2015 NFL…
Dallas author Kurt Eichenwald says Trump supporters sent him an image on Twitter that caused an epileptic seizure.
The families of the officers shot and killed by Micah Johnson during a July 7 ambush following a downtown protest against police brutality are getting about $10 million from the Assist the Officer Foundation and The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings announced Tuesday. Dallas police Sgt. Michael Smith, Senior Cpl. Lorne…
Early Tuesday morning’s fatal shooting at the Library Bar in the heart of Fry Street marks the end of a violent 2016 for the street, where locals and University of North Texas students could enjoy some drinks or a night out. Denton police caught the suspect less than 24 hours later
Between Sunday night, when Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott deposited himself in the big red kettle by At&T Stadium’s east end zone, and Tuesday evening, the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign has raised approximately $850,000 in online donations, with thousands more in cash donations still being counted, according to Lt. Col. Ron Busroe, national community relations and development secretary.
