Company Activities and Information

Colleagues of Rick Halperin, SMU Human Rights Professor, Don't Buy Nazi Accusations

A former student of Rick Halperin says she isn't buying accusations outlined in a federal lawsuit that he slept with students or secretly loved Hitler. SMU student Moumita Rahman, who graduated in 2004 and now runs her own law practice in New York focusing on immigration and political asylum, had Ha ... More >>

Viva la W

Revising and Re-imaging History

Pilgrim's Pride Shuttering Massive Dallas Processing Plant, Affecting 1,000 Jobs

​Shortly after Pilgrim's Pride announced that its second-quarter results were dismal (as in, "a net loss of $128.1 million"), the chicken-seller delivered some very bad news: It's closing its mammoth Dallas processing plant by September. The plant, on Ferris just south of downtown, employs 1,000 h ... More >>

Suze's Jeffery Hobbs: Making Something New from the Familiar

Robert BostickSuze's Jeffery Hobbs.​Like many chefs, Jeffery Hobbs fell in love with the kitchen because both his grandmother and his mother were in it. Born in Indianapolis, the 40-year-old Hobbs spent much of his time as a kid in the kitchen peeling carrots and potatoes or in the family gard ... More >>

Mike Rawlings Says Dallas Mayor Must Use "Bully Pulpit" to Address Issues at Dallas ISD

Two days ago we looked at Mike Rawlings's Education Plan, which calls for forming partnerships between the city of Dallas and the Dallas Independent School District. He follows up with the video you see above, in which the city's former homeless czar insists that the mayor must take an active role i ... More >>

DISD Board Will Consider Using $10 Mil From General Fund to Pay Teachers to Leave Early

​When last I looked at the Dallas Independent School District board's meeting agenda for Thursday, there was no item offering to pay some 1,000 teachers up to $10,000 to take early retirement under the so-called "new reality." But, sure enough, it's there now, as Tawnell Hobbs noted this morning: ... More >>

Downtown-Based Blockbuster to Go on Auction Block. The Opening Bid? A Whole $290 Million.

​Blockbuster, which went into voluntary Chapter 11 in September, said in a statement released moments ago that it has agreed to sell to a group of noteholders -- one of whom happened to be named Monarch Alternative Capital, the very same creditors to whom Tom Hicks owed all those hundreds of milli ... More >>

TGI Friday's: No More In NorthPark; Yes More in the Middle East

​T.G.I. Friday's, a place known for its red-and-white stripes and flair for shrugging off the work-week, may be feeling the crunch just like everyone else -- or it may just be changing its game. Within the last week, the location at NorthPark Center shuttered its doors amidst numerous T.G.I. ... More >>

Blockbuster Bankruptcy Suit Asks: What Did Carl Icahn Know and When Did He Know It?

​Blockbuster's slouching toward bankruptcy was easily one of the biggest local business stories of the year; from giant to joke, how the mighty had fallen. But since its Chapter 11 filing early on the morning of September 23, there'd been little to report during its reorganization, save for a noti ... More >>

It's Official: Blockbuster Goes Chapter 11. Leader of Shareholders Demands CEO Resign.

​Woke up this morning to find an in-box full of Blockbuster releases, chief among them the downtown-based video-rentalist's announcement that, sure enough, this morning it filed for bankruptcy in a federal court in New York. Says the company, the voluntary, "prepackaged" Chapter 11 filing is the r ... More >>

After Shuttering of Angelika's Houston Location, CEO Says the Dallas, Plano Locations Are "Fine"

​Below, two Friends of Unfair Park wonder if the shuttering of the Angelika Film Center in Houston yesterday is a sneak preview of bad news heading for the Dallas and Plano locations. Good question. So I asked Ellen Cotter, Angelika's Manhattan-based chief operating officer -- who's in Houston at ... More >>

Now, About the Sale of those Dallas Stars

​After 15 months of delays, disputes and despair, the Texas Rangers emerged from bankruptcy. The goal now is to keep the Dallas Stars from going down the same pot-holed path. While he further dissolves his once-mighty sports empire by selling Liverpool Football Club in England, Tom Hicks is a ... More >>

It Would Appear Rangers, Stars Bound Together Even After Tom Hicks is Out of the Picture

​Well, well, well -- the Texas Rangers Baseball Partners have filed a "revised" Chapter 11 plan, and Maury Brown, so far, seems to be the one guy who thinks this might could maybe be the redo that gets this sale over the hump. Or not. Which may not be the most interesting development in a case I h ... More >>

An Interview With the Shareholder Who Will Fight to Save Blockbuster, an "American Icon"

Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes at one of the prototype extreme makeovers debuted in Dallas in 2008​Had a long talk with Greg Meyer last night. He's the guy who owns 645,000 shares of Blockbuster -- more than any exec at Blockbuster, save for CEO Jim Keyes, whose stock comes with the title, and more tha ... More >>

Weeks After West Dallas School Reform Announcement, DISD Board's Ready for Details

DISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa​Superintendent Michael Hinojosa drew a roomful of huzzahs two weeks ago when he announced that DISD was getting involved in a new effort for school reform in West Dallas. A handful of DISD trustees were among the cheering crowd, including Lew Blackburn and boar ... More >>

The Joneses

The Inland Port Files For Chapter 11 -- But, Look, "It's a Balance Sheet Problem," K?

​Speaking of financial obligations ...Schutze will be along shortly to explain what this means, exactly -- after all, he's the expert when it comes to all things related to Richard Allen, the man behind the Inland Port, and he just got off the phone with Allen. The reason: The breaking news that D ... More >>

Fairfield Residential LLC, Owner of Six DFW Apartment Complexes, Files For Chapter 11

Vista at Victory​A Friend of Unfair Park sends word that Fairfield Residential LLC -- which has offices in San Diego and Grand Prairie -- filed for Chapter 11 reorganization yesterday in the District of Delaware, with the first hearing scheduled for tomorrow. Says the notice posted today on Fairfi ... More >>

1600 Pacific Avenue May Still Get Do-Over

The old LTV Tower on 1600 Pacific Avenue, still in need of a do-over​When last we heard, plans to redo the old LTV Tower at 1600 Pacific Avenue were indefinitely put on hold when developer Curtis Lockey filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection a few months ago. But City Hall was determined not t ... More >>

Despite Bankruptcy Filing, Proposed LTV Tower Redo Too "Important" For City to Let Go

The LTV Tower, as presented in redo plans dating back to '07We've written a couple of times in recent months about developer Curtis Lockey's plans to redevelop the old LTV Tower on Pacific Avenue, but, truth is, the city's been working on making this a go project since at least 2007. And it hasn't b ... More >>

Tom Hicks Will Drink Your Water. Drink It Up!

As mentioned Monday, KERA-FM (90.1) is running throughout this week a series of stories about where Dallas gets its water and how we use it. Which brings us to today's contribution from B.J. Austin concerning water consumption. Says the story, the average Dallas homeowner is billed for 100,000 gallo ... More >>

Belo Will "Continue to Focus on Expense Reductions and Operational Realignment"

Weeks after completing its latest round of penny-saving layoffs, which were preceded by pay cuts and benefits trims, A.H. Belo this morning reported its first-quarter '09 results -- and they are significant. The publisher of The Dallas Morning News reports a first quarter net loss of $103.1 millio ... More >>

No More Friday Night Lights, as Plano Newspaper Paper Ditches Its Saturday Edition

By now, perhaps you've heard that earlier this week, Addison-based American Community Newspapers --publisher of the Plano Star Courier, the McKinney Courier-Gazette and the Frisco Enterprise among dozens of papers scattered across four states -- filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The compa ... More >>

The Fall Blockbuster

Former Cowboys' Band Leader Named Super Bowl XLV President and CEO

Craziness Continued ...

Slow Train Coming, And DART Doesn't Care

Why is the DART board nonchalant about a billion-dollar shortfall?

Belo Earnings: Could Be Better, Could Be Worse

Belo to Get New Life?

Don Hill's Faith-Based Plan For...Crime-Fighting?

Sam Coats' Concrete Problem

Heaven Sent

Smith celebrates J.C. and co.

Follywood

A B-actress, computer mayhem and families feudin'! Making a movie with your rich friends is just courting disaster.

Hard times

This too shall pass--like a kidney stone

A Kick in the ACS

A Blue Note

Is Radio Shack a Best Buy?

Losing Faith in Faith-Based Prison

Movin' On Up

TV on the Radio, Celebration

Sunday, April 23, at the Gypsy Tea Room

The Chopping Block

Is legendary music venue Trees taking the phrase "out with the old" literally at the start of 2006?

Show Him the Money

Steel Restaurant operator facing lawsuit from partner

Ring Toss

Royce Ring anxious to cut ties with Triple R

Best DVD Store, But Only For Purchase

Movie Trading Company

Best Bookstore (New)

Barnes & Noble SMU Bookstore

Hash Over

Helping themselves

Ministers hope to do something Dallas developers won't -- build homes in South Oak Cliff

Conflict? What conflict?

When D/FW Airport hired the partner of one of its board members, something didn't add up

True crime story

Forget the usual tales of rape and pillage--consider the sins of corporate America