Email Author Leslie Minora

2011 Stories by Leslie Minora

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  FEATURED STORY

  Tarrant County to Publicly Shame Drunk Drivers. Dallas Isn't Ready to Go That Far.

  published Dec 30, 2011

  If your New Year's weekend plans include a destination in Tarrant County and you have a nasty and terribly irresponsible habit of driving drunk, your boozebaggery and bad decisions can make you famous... More >>

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  COVER STORY

  Beyond DNA, Difficult Tests for the Justice System

  published December 29, 2011

  The scene this mid-November night felt more like a clip from Leave It To Beaver than Law and Order. More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Craig Watkins Explains How He Got So Broke

  published Dec 28, 2011

  On Christmas, The Dallas Morning News gifted Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins with a big fat lump of coal in article form, detailing a lawsuit filed against him by Citibank that alleges h... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  In Dallas and Across Texas, More and More It's Life Over the Death Penalty

  published Dec 27, 2011

  In the death penalty debate, Texas has a long-standing reputation for abiding by one guiding principal: an eye for an eye. But the state has increasingly chosen to holster its lethal-injection needles... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Ethics Reform: You've Got to Know What Needs Changing Before You Can Change It

  published Dec 17, 2011

  Since becoming Mayor, Mike Rawlings has been consistently passionate about a few key things: South Dallas, DISD, pizza, economic development, Halloween, ethics reform -- not necessarily in that order.... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Cityplace Trolley Turntable Takes Its First Spin. It's Adorable. Even With Lasers.

  published Dec 16, 2011

  Back in June, the plot of land near the Cityplace DART station at Haskell and N. Central Expressway was a vacant lot with a big hole and a big plan. It would be the future site of a trolley turntable,... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Top Chef Texas Highlights: That Heather Lady is a Real Bitch, Ain't Sher

  published Dec 15, 2011

  Lounging on the couch, still rumpled and disheveled from last week's steak dinner competition, Edward coined the gang of chefs the "dirty dozen." "Ooohh, dirty dozen," they laughed in unison in a per... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Griggs and Hunt: Why Weren't We Told Bike Plan Would Be Hard, Expensive to Carry Outr

  published Dec 12, 2011

  Turns out, the city's new bike plan, unanimously approved by council in June, is far more complex than drawing lines along the street in patterns deemed good ideas by city consultants. Before we get i... More >>

• Top Chef Texas: Dean Fearing, Lousy Steaks and the Emergence of a Bitchy Villian-Type

  published Dec 08, 2011

  This week's Top Chef didn't overly Dallas-ize Dallas like last week's -- for that, we are thankful. Dean Fearing, the original chef at Mansion on Turtle Creek and the man behind Fearing's at the Ritz-... More >>

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  Drilling Task Force Nails Down Set-Backs, Narrowly Votes Against Injection Wells

  published Dec 07, 2011

  At yesterday's meeting, the council-appointed drilling task force grappled with some of the more divisive issues in front of them -- and actually nailed down what they'll recommend the council do abou... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Deep Ellum's Traveling Man Gets Pumped Up Kicks

  published Dec 06, 2011

  Look who's got some brand spankin' new shoes. Like the rest of us, the Deep Ellum "Traveling Man" sculpture's been a little chilly this week. And being made of metal, can you imagine how much worse th... More >>

• For Iraqis, in Grand Prairie, a Little Blood to Honor a Martyr (and Help Carter BloodCare)

  published Dec 06, 2011

  About 100 Iraqi men gathered at the Imam Ali Islamic Center in Grand Prairie yesterday. Some crowded beneath a big white party tent, grilling meat and eating, or relaxed inside the mosque; others were... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Top Chef: Texas Does Dallas at a Fancy Schmancy Highland Park Dinner Party

  published Dec 01, 2011

  Socioeconomically speaking, Dallas has a pretty damn diverse food scene. The Big D is chock-full of $1 taco stands (if you're of the financial status to seek them rather than pass with blinders), $2 ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Dallas Development Fund Looks at Sylvan Thirty, Will Consider Funding It In New Year

  published Nov 30, 2011

  Sylvan Thirty, the planned mixed-use development for Fort Worth Avenue in West Dallas, has received more attention than any development project in recent memory -- especially given the fact it's nothi... More >>

• Gas Drilling Task Force Mulls Over Possibility of Injection Wells For Frack Water Disposal

  published Nov 30, 2011

  Injection wells, like most aspects of gas drilling, elicit conflicting opinions, contradictory data and the frequent, familiar demand: "Not in my backyard!". While the wells used for the disposal of p... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  UTD Criminologist's Pre-Trial Release Study Could Help Trim the Fat of a Bulky System

  published Nov 23, 2011

  According to a New York Times piece published earlier this week, the population behind bars has more than doubled in the past 15 years. Best guess at present: 2.3 million Americans will celebrate Than... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  After 48 Years, DPD Honors Clerk Who Alerted Them to Lee Harvey Oswald's Whereabouts

  published Nov 22, 2011

  After John Kennedy was shot in downtown Dallas on November 22, 1963, Johnny Calvin Brewer was listening to the radio while working behind the cash register at Hardy's Shoe Store on West Jefferson Aven... More >>

• As City's Gas Drilling Task Force Crawls to Finish Line, a Q&A With the Woman in Charge

  published Nov 22, 2011

  The most recent Dallas gas drilling task force meeting ended with mutterings of how to speed up the process of drafting drilling ordinance recommendations. Several task force members voiced concerns t... More >>

• Top Chef Texas Episode 3: Pre-Cooked Shrimp A Few Tears, and a Quinceanera

  published Nov 17, 2011

  Each week, we move a little closer to the best episodes of Top Chef, the ones where you know the characters' styles, tastes, personalities and Achilles' heels. This week, the third episode of the seas... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The End of the Occupation: Scenes From Dallas Police's Raid on Occupy Dallas's Encampment

  published Nov 17, 2011

  A little past 11 last night, one of the protesters camped out behind Dallas City Hall was walking from tent to tent, shouting: "Anybody in therer Anybody in therer" From one emerged a groggy, irritate... More >>

• As Agencies Split, Everyone Agrees: To Fight Homelessness, Dallas Need More Housing

  published Nov 16, 2011

  This morning marked a turning point in the local approach to homeless care. Mayor Mike Rawlings, city and county officials and leaders of local non-profits took turns at the podium in the Flag Room at... More >>

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  Federal Judge Denies Occupy Dallas's Motion for TRO. So, What Will City Hall Do Now ...r

  published Nov 15, 2011

  This morning, U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle denied the request by Occupy Dallas for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented City Hall from evicting the Occupiers based on specific sec... More >>

• Will Occupy Dallas Stay at City Hallr Will Its Case Be Heard in Federal Courtr Who Knows!

  published Nov 14, 2011

  Right now we were supposed to be at the Earle Cabell for a federal hearing over Occupy Dallas's camp-out behind Dallas City Hall. Alas, that was not meant to be: Friday's agreement, which said the Occ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Art Conspiracy 7: Walls of Art, Big Turn-Out, and a "Pianoctopus"

  published Nov 14, 2011

  On Saturday night, the inside perimeter of a sweeping gray West Dallas warehouse building at 511 West Commerce Street was temporary tiled with rows of square works of art -- all the same size (18x18 i... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Occupy Dallas Can Stay Put, Temporarily and Conditionally, Pending a Hearing on Monday

  published Nov 11, 2011

  This afternoon, U.S. District Judge David Godbey helped City Hall and Occupy Dallas come to a verbal agreement that protestors can not only keep camping outside City Hall, but can also use City Hall r... More >>