Texas Has a Missing Judge Problem

Merrick Garland is getting all the attention. President Obama’s nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia seems just as unlikely to receive a confirmation vote as he did the day he was nominated, March 16. Both of Texas’ senators, John Cornyn and…

Mapping Race, Poverty and a Half Century of Change in Dallas

The other day, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, which is really good at this sort of thing, published an interactive collection of online maps tracking how the city has changed over the past four decades. The whole thing is worth exploring; the way the maps distill a messy and complex…

Police and Fire Pension Fund Should Be Ashamed of Going After Kingston

The Dallas Police/Fire Pension Fund, still trying to dig itself out of the billion-dollar financial hole it dug for itself by making stupid investments, is going to meet Friday to consider “censuring” board member Philip Kingston for speaking candidly and intelligently to the public about the pension fund’s problems. And,…

One Rich Dude Now Owns the Two Most Expensive Homes in DFW

Andy Beal, amateur mathematician, noted high-stakes poker player, failed space entrepreneur and Dallas richest human, made a big splash in January when he bought Tom Hicks’ former estate — listed for $100 million, the highest price in Texas history — in Preston Hollow. He wasn’t done shopping. Last week, as…

Grading the Cowboys’ Top 10 Draft Picks

The NFL Draft begins one month from today. As Roger Goodell announces the results of the first round on April 28, the Cowboys, assuming they won’t trade down, pick fourth. That’s the highest they’ve stood in the draft in more than 20 years, thanks to 2015’s abysmal 4-12 record. Considering…

Both Sides Tossed Canadian Guru Under Bus at Trinity Toll Road Hearing

All through last week’s City Council briefing on the city’s ancient and unresolved Trinity toll road controversy, I kept thinking I sniffed the unpleasant scent of burning human hair that you get when someone is being thrown under a bus. Kept looking around the council chamber, sniffing. Couldn’t find it…

Dallas Is Still Losing to Its Suburbs, Census Data Says

Some day, when chronic water shortages cause green lawns to shrivel to dust, or when transportation planners find themselves unable to extend their sprawling highway network any further, or when an unbroken veneer of concrete has finally covered every square inch of land between here and Sherman, North Texas’ exurban…