Email Author ANNA MERLAN

2012 Stories by ANNA MERLAN

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  FEATURED STORY

  Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison Leads Republicans In Calling For An "Alternative" Violence Against Women Act

  published Apr 27, 2012

  On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate began debating the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which is largely backed by Senate Democrats, and discussing its Republican alternative, authored by Chuck ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Arrest Made In This Morning's Sexual Assault and Stabbing Of a 17-Year-Old Near Love Field

  published Apr 25, 2012

  Update, 5:20 p.m.: Police have identified the suspect as Tommy Robinson. He's been booked into Lew Sterrett on charges of aggravated sexual assault. Police are asking the media not to release his book... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Report: Anti-Government "Patriot" Groups Are Multiplying, and Texas is Leading the Way

  published Apr 24, 2012

  The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate and extremist groups in the United States, has found "stunning" growth in what they call the "anti-government patriot movement," conspiracy groups ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Your Guide To Susan G. Komen's Newest PR Headache, Which Involves The Daughter of an Uzbek Dictator

  published Apr 20, 2012

  Islam Karimov is the president of Uzbekistan; he's also widely known as a brutal dictator accused of the systematic use of torture. His regime is charged with things like boiling political dissidents... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  IHOP Sued For Employment Discrimination By Fired Muslim Managers

  published Apr 19, 2012

  In pancake-related news that's already gone national, four Muslim men of Arab descent are suing IHOP, claiming they were all fired from their managerial positions at DFW-area locations because of thei... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  "Tragically Mainstream" Dallas Ranks Last in Highly Scientific List of Hipster-Friendly Cities

  published Apr 18, 2012

  You will either be saddened, confused or hugely indifferent to the fact that Travel + Leisure magazine has ranked Dallas last in a list of 35 hipster-friendly cities. I'll give you a moment to collect... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Jesus Ventura, the Dallas Firefighter Accused of Robbing a Bank, Has Been Fired

  published Apr 17, 2012

  In less-than-surprising news, Dallas firefighter and paramedic Jesus Ventura, who in recent weeks has been accused of both bank robbery and waving a gun around in a firehouse, has been fired. Dallas-F... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Robert Jeffress: Romney's Not A Christian, But Go Ahead And Vote For Him Anyway

  published Apr 17, 2012

  Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com Seems like only six months ago (because it was) that First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress was still casually referring to Mormonism as a "cult." Bac... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  City Says Regulating Boarding Homes Could Cost More Than $1 Million A Year

  published Apr 16, 2012

  For years, Dallas has struggled to regulate the city's boarding houses, the places that many low-income mentally ill, disabled and elderly people call home. As we discussed in a recent cover story, r... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  R.I.P. Megan Margolies, AKA Patsy Grind, the Hairdressing Burlesque Queen of Deep Ellum

  published Apr 13, 2012

  Megan Margolies, a local burlesque performer, hairdresser at Halo Salon, and beloved member of the Deep Ellum music and art scene, died on Tuesday in a traffic collision, when a scooter she was test-d... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Rep. Bill Zedler Wants To Hear About Your Abortion, Despite What the Legislature Says

  published Apr 13, 2012

  In this last legislative session, the one that turned out to be pretty terrible for both abortion providers and family planning clinics, Arlington state Representative Bill Zedler had a dream. That dr... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Even with a New Rape Crisis Center, Dallas is Way Behind in Caring for Rape Victims

  published Apr 12, 2012

  When she was 15, Courtney Underwood was raped by her pastor. She'd grown up in Highland Park, attended a religious private school and had no idea how to talk about what had happened to her or ask for ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Manager Mike Precker Was Fired From the Lodge, And Other Changes That Have The Strippers Worried

  published Apr 10, 2012

  Yesterday, Frontburner broke a bit of news: Mike Precker, who famously went from being a veteran Dallas Morning News reporter to the day manager and PR guy for uber-classy strip club The Lodge, has be... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Anti-Abortion Prayer, Politics and Tornadoes from God Raise Spirits at Pastor Lou Engle's Rally

  published Apr 09, 2012

  By 7:15 on Thursday night, women were already crying. By 7:30, a few were speaking in tongues, their arms raised heavenward, or kneeling in the chilly concrete aisles of the Dallas Convention Center'... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Dallas Woman Takes Home International Ms. Leather 2012

  published Apr 06, 2012

  Think of it this way: it's like Synn Evans just won Miss America, if Miss America contestants wore leather pants as formal wear and were required to describe a detailed sexual fantasy for a panel of ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Whoops: Because Of Our Blog Post, Now the Angelika in Plano Won't Run Atheist Ads Either

  published Apr 06, 2012

  Movie theaters of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, do you never cease toying with the affections of local atheistsr First it was Movie Tavern that backed out of showing the Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Strange Tale of Tucker Max and His Failed $500,000 Planned Parenthood Donation

  published Apr 05, 2012

  For the past few days, several corners of the Internet have been all a-flutter over a recent piece on Forbes.com by a man named Ryan Holiday, who describes himself as a "strategist for big authors and... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  "It's an Easter Miracle": Dallas Atheists' New Pre-Movie Ad Will Run at the Plano Angelika

  published Apr 04, 2012

  Last week, the Dallas-Fort Worth Coalition of Reason really wanted to run some ads about atheism . They put up some billboards along Interstate 30, but a planned advertisement at the Arlington locatio... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Tornado Tally: No Deaths and Few Injuries, but Plenty of Wreckage Left Behind

  published Apr 04, 2012

  The storms have moved on, but chaos is hanging around for another day: According to Oncor, some 4,000 people are still without power across the 'plex. NBCDFW reports that about 300 homes were damaged ... More >>

• Cat Lafitte, Police Officer Fired for Brawling and Bragging About It, Refused Help, Cops Say

  published Apr 03, 2012

  Last week we told you about Cat Lafitte, the police officer fired for getting into a brawl with a Plano hospital orderly and bragging about it on Facebook. Lafitte filed a complaint with the city's Et... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Dallas Police Adding Bait Houses and Businesses To Their Thief-Catching Technology

  published Apr 02, 2012

  The City Council's getting briefed this week on "community policing," the Dallas Police Department's ongoing effort to get residents involved in preventing crime in their neighborhoods. This last ca... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The President of the American Atheists Seems Pretty Mad At Movie Tavern For Refusing To Run Atheist Ads

  published Mar 30, 2012

  Last week we told you about the Dallas Fort-Worth Coalition of Reason's tiff with Movie Tavern. Once more, briefly: DFWCoR signed a contract to pay Movie Tavern three grand to show a pro-atheism ad a... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  DISD (And A Whole Lot of Other School Districts) Not Buying Cheating Allegations From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  published Mar 30, 2012

  On Monday, we told you the Atlanta Journal-Constitution had published a broad investigation concluding that hundreds of school districts, including Dallas Independent School District, displayed "troub... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Defunding of Women's Health Care in Texas May Force Rural Clinics to Close

  published Mar 29, 2012

  We keep hammering away at this same general point, but really: It's been a terrible year for family planning providers in Texas. First the Legislature moved $73.6 million out of the state family-plann... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Cop Fired For Posting About Her "Jerry Springer-Style" Brawl On Facebook Files An Ethics Complaint Against DPD

  published Mar 28, 2012

  "That's right," Cat Lafitte wrote in an email to the Observer about a month ago. "I'm the idiot Facebook cop." If you don't remember Cat Lafitte's name, you may remember her actions: She was one of t... More >>