Chris Bowers

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

Ethics: They're hidden somewhere in City Hall, and it's a tough case to crack.​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. On Rawlings's ... More >>

City Sued Over Council's Refusal to Give Lower Greenville Bowling Alley a Late-Night Permit

Photo by Gloria LevarioAngela Hunt explains the Lower Greenville Planned Development District proposal to property owners and residents at a packed July 2010 town hall.​One month ago, after a lengthy discussion, the Dallas City Council voted not to give a late-night specific use permit to a bowlin ... More >>

Breaking: City of Dallas Boots Occupy Dallas From Their Campsite Behind City Hall

All photos by Robert WilonskyThe scene outside, and around, Dallas City Hall at 12:40 a.m.​Robert's downtown at the Occupy Dallas camp, where police are breaking up protestors as we speak. He sends along these photos, and this: City has yanked their agreement with Occupy Dallas, and they're curre ... More >>

Occupy Dallas Addresses Need to Keep a Clean, Safe Camp Amidst Sexual Assault Allegations

Photo by Anna MerlanOccupy Dallas protestors outside Lew Sterrett yesterday following the arrest of 23 at a downtown Chase bank branch​Several news outlets have reported in recent days that the Dallas Police Department is investigating the possible sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl at the Occup ... More >>

Eight is More Than Enough? Avalon Group Homes Square Off Against Dallas (Again).

An Avalon home in Fort Worth.​As we've mentioned before, Dallas has been grappling for some time with how to regulate the city's nearly 280 group homes, those halfway houses and assisted-living facilities that are protected by federal housing laws. But the operator of 14 North Texas group hom ... More >>

Plaintiffs Say Threat of Fines "Forced" Them to Drop Lawsuit Over Dallas' Sign Ordinance

As we mentioned in February 2010, these posters are very George Lois.​Must be the day for getting rid of lawsuits involving the city of Dallas. The feds already sent their heads-up that the city's going to fork over $2.5 million related to ambulance over-billing, and now the Institute for Justice ... More >>

In Front of Dallas City Hall, Grabbing a Bite on The Living Plaza. "And It Only Took 30 Years."

Council member Jerry Allen tosses a Frisbee to Trinity Trust President Gail Thomas on the City Hall Plaza today at noon.​I'd intended to spend, oh, maybe half an hour in front of Dallas City Hall today, where, decades after William H. Whyte first proposed the idea of making that expanse of concret ... More >>

Man Who Repaired Rundown Fair Park Home Bought From City Sues to Halt Its Demolition

Courtesy of Google Streetview, the before photo of 3820 Atlanta St. alongside a picture we took of the same property yesterday afternoon.​The majority of neighborhoods surrounding Fair Park are riddled with vacant, boarded-up homes and empty lots. Atlanta Street is no exception. Across from t ... More >>

Again, Muni Judge Dismisses the City's Case Against Dealey Plaza Vendor Groden. Next Stop: County Court of Criminal Appeals!

Robert Groden​I certainly hope this doesn't become a daily occurrence; no doubt you feel the same way. But there has been a development today in the city's case against Robert Groden, the JFK conspiracy theorist who's been selling his materials in Dealey Plaza for almost two decades and now finds ... More >>

City, With DA's Assist, Appeals Muni Judge's Decision to Dismiss Case Against Robert Groden

​It's been seven months since we first told you the story of Robert Groden, the Kennedy conspiracy theorist and author and Oliver Stone consultant arrested and detained by Dallas police for peddling his pamphlets in Dealey Plaza. Three weeks ago, it looked as the story might have come to a conclus ... More >>

Attorney Hoping to Overturn Wet-Dry Vote Asks Judge Not to Delay Hearing Set for Monday

​After this morning's post about Keep the Dollars in Dallas's attempt to intervene in the lawsuit contesting the results of the November 2 wet-dry election, several Friends of Unfair Park wondered: When is the judge slated to rule on Andy Siegel's request to halt the presently ongoing permitting p ... More >>

The City's Response to Lawsuit Contesting Citywide Beer and Wine Sales: Nice Try

​Last week, just as city officials were heading out the door for their extended, city manager-ordered vacation, Assistant City Attorney Charles Estee filed The City's Official Response to that suit contesting the vote that paved the way for the off-premise sale of beer and wine citywide. It's brie ... More >>

If It's Friday, That Must Mean Andy Siegel Filed Lawsuit Contesting Citywide Beer, Wine Sales

Jesse Hughey​You knew it was coming. And now, it's here: the lawsuit against the city of Dallas that Andy Siegel vowed to file by week's end in which he asks the court to void the results of last week's vote to allow the off-premise sale of wine and beer citywide. It was filed today in Dallas Coun ... More >>

Nineteen Years After His Escape From Iraq, Army Translator Files Suit Claiming He Was Beaten By Dallas Police Officers

Sgt. Mark S. RickertLateef Al-Saraji, his wife Teresa and her daughter, Sgt. Kristin L. Cruikshank, were profiled in an Army magazine in 2003.​An Iraq-born U.S. Army translator and his wife have filed suit against the Dallas Police Department and a local nightclub, alleging that the husband was be ... More >>

City Attorney Tom Perkins Responds to Beer, Wine Referendum Foes' Writ: "The Courts Should Not Intervene in an Ongoing Election."

Patrick MichelsDallas City Attorney Tom Perkins​A couple of weeks back we mentioned that Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals Justice Elizabeth Lang-Miers ordered the city of Dallas to respond by no later than July 19 to attorney Andy Siegel's writ of mandamus in which he claims, among other thi ... More >>

The Friend of Samuell Farm Takes Issue With Park and Rec Head's Comments

One of several pieces of equipment Hugh Brooks says his Friends of the Farm purchaed for Samuell Farm using privately donated funds​Welcome to Day Three of our continuing coverage of Park and Rec's proposal to sell, among others, Samuell Farm and Samuell New Hope Park, which will be taken up by th ... More >>

Texas AG's Office Tells City Attorney and Park Board: Just Try to "Unlawfully" Sell Samuell Properties, And You Will "Face Legal Action"

Flickr user: Jay Gunn​When W.W. Samuell left the city of Dallas thousands of acres of park land upon his death in 1937, he left very explicit instructions: "Real estate to the City of Dallas Park Board for park purposes - not to be sold." Yesterday we broke the news that the Park and Rec board wil ... More >>

W.W. Samuell Told Dallas It Could Never Sell His Farm. How, Then, Did It Come to This?

Photos courtesy the Friends of the FarmOne of the foot bridges on Samuell Farm​I just spoke with Willis Winters, assistant director of Park and Rec, about the potential sale of Samuell Farm and how it landed on the board's agenda this Thursday in the first place. Says Winters, it actually came up ... More >>

Irony Alert: Tow Company Owner's Car Towed Off After DWI Wreck Saturday

Courtesy Barking Dogs​Now I know why I heard all those sirens early Saturday morning, then found a puddle of smashed glass at the Marsh and Merrill intersection not far from the house: DWI arrest! And, according to an excitable Avi Adelman, not just any DWI arrest but one apparently involving the ... More >>

A "Tentative Agreement" Between City, Railroad Museum Could Derail Lawsuit

​Looks like the city of Dallas and the Museum of the American Railroad may not lay track to a trial after all, as both parties appear to have agreed that, sure, fine, OK all ready, the museum can move to Frisco by August 1, 2011. Guess it was that second round of mediation that did the trick.Maybe ... More >>

"How We Value our Art and History is a Glimpse Into the Soul of Our Community."

Barry KoodaSome Nervebreaker: Our favorite local punk rock icon got in the building a few years ago. Here's his photo album, which includes this ancient graffiti beneath the front stairs.​One can't tell the story of the old Dallas High School, or Crozier Tech, without talking to Veletta Lill. Afte ... More >>

Free Fair Park!

​I swear -- swearswearswear -- this is our last item about Fair Park. At least, for today -- I'm headed over to the George Allen, so. But, seriously, I highly recommend attending Park and Rec board meetings, mostly because Park and Rec's the only city entity I'm aware of that uses the Texas Discov ... More >>

If This Goes On Any Longer, Maybe Dallas's Historic Structures Will Just Raze Themselves

Sam MertenKatherine Seale speaking to ZOAC last monthRepresentatives from Preservation Dallas and the Landmark Commission met yesterday morning with the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee and first assistant city attorney Chris Bowers to hammer out the details of a proposed ordinance aimed at expe ... More >>

Razing Hell: City, Preservationists Still Arguing Over How to Tear Down Dallas's History

​We've written extensively about the yearlong battle between city attorneys and preservationists over a proposed ordinance that would expedite the demolition of historic structures, both residential and commercial. Last time we got to this was a whole two weeks ago, when the Landmark Commission ra ... More >>

Oak Cliff Businessman Says the City Reneged on Zoning Rules

Up the Crick

To Deep Ellum's problems, add this: an underground raging river of poop