Dallas City Hall

Winfrey Point Fallout Shows City Hall Still Doesn't Know How to Listen

Dallas City Hall. Enough to drive a sane person crazy on any given day. What is it they don't get -- other than everything? In today's Dallas Morning News, Paul Dyer, the very decent man who is director of the Park Department, gives an absolutely honest and totally infuriating explanation of the wa ... More >>

Justice for Justice, the Burned Puppy, is Now Worth $25,000

There's nothing like the sad death of an adorable puppy to stir up the police, animal services and the media. That's certainly the case with Justice, the 4-month-old lab-terrier mix doused in lighter fluid and burned in a Pleasant Grove apartment complex on April 4. Justice suffered through a week o ... More >>

Owner's Looking to Landmark His House, Designed by the Late, Great Harris Kemp

The "Harris Kemp House" at 2822 Maple Springs Boulevard​I've driven past this house countless times; it's not far from the office, after all, more or less just behind Maple and Motor on Maple Springs Boulevard. But till I saw the agenda for Monday's meeting of the Landmark Commission, I had no ide ... More >>

Reality TV to Hit Dallas City Hall Tomorrow as Khloe Kardashian Holds Toy Drive on Plaza

Via.​You wanna talk about a living Dallas City Hall Plaza, dig this: Several Friends of Unfair Park have dispatched this item from the blog of one Khloe Kardashian, now a Dallas resident courtesy her husband's trade to the Mavericks. And, yes, city officials confirm: Kardashian will indeed be hold ... More >>

City Hall, In Attempt to Clear Up "Confusion" Over Bike Plan, Says: It'll Take 10 Years.

Flickr: Chris ZunigaIn front of Dallas City Hall in October 2010​Went to the city's website to look for something -- oh, what an exciting life it is -- and came across this freshly minted item: "City clarifies Dallas Bike Plan implementation status and outlook." Well, now. Looks like someone (coug ... More >>

When Dallas Decides It's Over Being Occupied, That's When Things Could Get Ugly

Start the countdown. How long will it be before Dallas City Hall decides to evict the Occupy protest campers from Pioneer Plaza? You know it's coming. If the Occupy Dallas anti-corporate-greed protesters continue to camp out in a park just down the block from City Hall, political pressure will buil ... More >>

Memos to the Council: This Week, Filling In a Few Big Blanks on the FY2011-12 Budget

Photo by Harry Wilonsky​Just what you wanted to kick off your Labor Day Weekend -- 16 pages' worth of budget Q's and A's prepared by the City Manager's Office for the city council following the August 8 budget briefing. There are 49 questions, all told, ranging from Big Picture to footnotes that f ... More >>

Through the Looking Glass at OCP HQ

Photos by Justin Terveen​To those who helped made last night's RoboCop-at-OCP HQ event happen -- Downtown Dallas, Inc.; Brent Brown and his staff at the CityDesign Studio; the Dallas Film Society; and, of course, the promotions staff at the Observer -- a mighty "much obliged" this morning. Couldn' ... More >>

On July 1, See RoboCop In Front of Omni Consumer Products HQ, Dallas City Hall

Poster by Alexander Flores​Finally, a dream comes true.For far too long now we've talked about screening RoboCop somewhere in downtown, preferably outside, definitely near one of the myriad landmarks featured in the film set in "Detroit" but shot entirely in Dallas in the summer and early fall of ... More >>

After a Mavs Title, a Parade to Plan and Arrests to Report. And, Man, How That 'Bout Traffic?

Photo by Alex Scott​Only took an hour to get from Oak Cliff to Northwest Dallas tonight. Never shoulda taken Commerce, which, when it reached downtown, was blocked off by Dallas Police, causing an endless stream of brake lights between Commerce and Continental. No matter: The traffic turned into a ... More >>

Dallas City Hall Fights to Keep its Trinity Secrets

What's in the emails we can't see? Lots of bad stuff, no doubt.

In West Dallas, Where William Whyte's Vision of a Living City Hall Plaza Is Finally Coming to Life

Gary Buckner with one of the 10 or so chairs they're making out of old pallets for next week's Living Plaza in front of Dallas City Hall​My copy of William H. Whyte's 1988 book City: Rediscovering the Center arrived today, and right there, on Page 123, The Organization Man writes of his attempt to ... More >>

Mayor Caraway: "It's Time to Move On."

Sam MertenState Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway, Dwaine and Dave Neumann at Dallas City Hall​Below, of course, you can listen to Mayor Dwaine Caraway's account of what happened between him and his wife on the night of January 2, per a recording made by Dallas Police after Chief David Brown sent offic ... More >>

At City Hall, Dr. Kenneth Cooper Declares the Health of Dallas Children a "Disaster"

Kenneth Cooper at Dallas City Hall this morning​For a good hour or so this morning, there was a parade of people to the briefing-room podium at Dallas City Hall to discuss the Mayor's Youth Fitness Initiative, funded with $1 million worth of seed money from Oncor. Among those on hand: Mike Rawling ... More >>

Striking Cabbies Leave Taxis Parked in the Road to Shut Down Traffic into Love Field. Says Mayor: Protest Is "Slap in the Face" to City.

Patrick MichelsA tow truck operator loads one of seven stranded cabs hauled away from Love Field earlier tonight.When a crowd of independent cabbies kicked off their Super Bowl week boycott last week -- upset by the city's preferential treatment for CNG-powered cabs and frustrated their past strike ... More >>

Press Release o' the Day: Councilman Salazar to Present KISS's Gene Simmons With Key to Dallas

​No doubt you're aware that KISS's Gene Simmons and Shannon Tweed (who I wouldn't Google Image search from the office too hard, if I were you) are among the myriad celebs hosting Super Bowl shindigs next week. Theirs is the Aces & Angels Salute to the Troops at Fair Park, which will lick it up ... More >>

City Hall Wants You to Know: It's Got that Whole Cabbie Strike Thing Covered Tonight

Patrick MichelsFrom the September 15 cabbie protest in front of Dallas City Hall​Not sure how much longer I'm here today -- still need to head out and stock up on celebratory shotgun shells and kegs of Natural Ice, and I'm guessing most of you are in the same solar-powered water taxi. Still, there ... More >>

Seven Council Members Tell Suhm: Find Some Way to Allow Free Public Parking at City Hall

Patrick Michels​Seven council members have signed a memo to Dallas City Manager Mary Suhm telling her to figure out some way not to bar the public from parking in the garage underneath Dallas City Hall (well, the fountain, actually). Unfair Park was told that more members would have signed it, but ... More >>

Tomorrow, City Hall to Look at How to Park Food Trucks Downtown (and Elsewhere!)

Perhaps it's but a matter of time before the city finally lets one of America's most-favorite food trucks park downtown.​Nancy Nichols did a bang-up piece in the August issue of D chronicling the myriad reasons mobile restaurateurs have had issues parking their burgeoning parade of food trucks in ... More >>

News & Notes: DPD Sends a Warning, Groups Win City Grants and a Ticket Ticker Tryout

Click to embiggen to see where cars have been broken into in DPD Beat 142 during the last month​Whilst I await some call-backs, some loose ends, odds and sods and other desiderata with which to end the work day:The Dallas Police Department sends word: Car break-ins are up -- way up -- in Beat 142, ... More >>

Meet the Man Who Gets Hip-Deep Every Morning to Clean Up City Hall's Reflecting Pool

Photos by Patrick MichelsJose Peña, standing between Marta Pan's Floating Sculpture in front of Dallas City Hall Monday morning.​A couple of days ago I happened to find myself, during the waking hours of business, standing in front of Dallas City Hall, where the only person in sight was the one h ... More >>

Everything You Wanted to Know About Love Field Concession Bids and Terminal Updates But Were Afraid to Ask

Click to embiggen the current proposal for Love Field's new food and beverage layout upon completion of the Love Field Modernization Program​Late last night, Dallas City Hall finally posted the briefing docs for tomorrow afternoon's debut performance of the Love Field Concession Committee, formed ... More >>

The Missing LINC: City Says Texas Trib's Payroll Database Has At Least One Oopsie

Dallas City Hall Archives​I've been pestering Frank Librio in Dallas City Hall's Public Information Office for The Official Word on Harold Nogle, who, according to Texas Tribune's city payroll database, is the fourth-highest-paid city official. And, while he was at it, maybe he had some more info ... More >>

Financial Times on the Good, the Bad and the "Omnivorous" Dallas Architecture

Justin TerveenDallas City Hall​Woke up this morning all prepared to direct your attention to Monday's Transportation and Environment Committee briefing involving neighborhood farmers markets, in which the key city-staff recommendation reads, "Neighborhood Farmers Markets may operate 24 non-consecu ... More >>

News & Notes: Immigration Reform, César Chávez, Garland Road & Gay Jesus

​Some news and notes on this light-commenting Thursday:Domingo Garcia's got himself a whole new immigration-reform MegaMarch to promote -- this one, a May 1 parade that'll start at the Santuario de Guadalupe on Ross Ave. and end at Dallas City Hall. Says Garcia on the Web site, "Our immigrant comm ... More >>

When It Comes To Community Gardens, City Hall And Its Crazy Procedures Are Like Agent Orange

Mid-Century Modern Problems: Sorting Out What's Worth Designating Historic

​There's not a lot going on at Dallas City Hall this week and next and next, while the council goes spring breaking. But there is something of interest on the Landmark Commission's Designation Committee, which is meeting today: a vague agenda item that only says, "Discussion of Post War residentia ... More >>

Look, Mary Suhm Knows What We Want in a Top Cop. So Why's She Pretending to Ask?

Kimberly Thorpe​Public meetings often take on the tone of the most disgruntled citizen present, and last night was no exception. However, City Manager Mary Suhm tried to pretend she was genuinely interested in hearing from the 25 folks who showed up at Dallas City Hall last night to participate in ... More >>

From the City Auditor, Our First List of 2010

If nothing else, we're pretty sure the city owns Dallas City Hall. Then again, who really knows?​Dallas City Auditor Craig D. Kinton just published his department's audit of maintenance of city-owned buildings, which makes for some mildly amusing reading this morning. It's after the jump, but what ... More >>

Top 10 Schutze Columns of '09

​I know what you're thinking: The year is almost over, and I need more Schutze! More Schutze you say? Me too, which is why I took a look back at his columns from '09 and picked my 10 faves for your reconsideration and, well, appreciation. For those who don't remember the drill from last yea ... More >>

U.S. District Judge Denies Two of Sheila Hill's Dismissal Motions. But She'll Now Interview the Juror Who Spoke to the Dallas Observer.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn​Last week, as you no doubt recall, Sheila Hill's attorney, Victor Vital, requested a new trial or evidentiary hearing based upon possible jury misconduct preceding all those guilty verdicts in the Dallas City Hall federal corruption trial. Now we know how U.S. Dist ... More >>

Today's Sign of the Times: Where You Can Park for the Red River Shootout on Saturday

​Meranda Cohn at Dallas City Hall sends word for those heading to the Red River Shootout on Saturday: Take the Green Line or at least park on Fair Park property, where spots are $10. But if you insist on parking off-site, in one of the privately owned lots where spots run upwards of $15, just one ... More >>

The Jury that Found the Defendants Guilty in the Federal Corruption Trial Was Also Indicting City Hall

You Say You Want Some Downtown Dallas Progress Reports? Well, Then, You Got 'Em.

Justin TerveenOur old pal, The Urban Fabric, grabbed this shot of downtown just last night, matter of fact.​I had Karl Zavitkovsky, head of the city's Office of Economic Development, on the phone this afternoon, so I asked him for a couple of updates per several Friends of Unfair Park's requests p ... More >>

Latest Lesson from the City Hall Corruption Trial: When You Ask the City Attorney for an Ethics Opinion, Check With the FBI Too

Design for (Free) Living

​Earlier this year, the Dallas City Council said it wanted no part in plans to turn a former hotel at 1011 S. Akard Street into a home for the homeless. Perhaps you recall said brouhaha, the result of which will be 250 low-income apartment units once developers Ted and Larry Hamilton can give thei ... More >>

The New Dallas Zoo Revue Will Be Coming Right at You By No Later Than October 1

​If the discussion at Dallas City Hall today is any indication, that outta-nowhere proposal to privatize the Dallas Zoo and the Aquarium at Fair Park is all but a done deal. Expect the city to turn over the keys to the Dallas Zoological Society by October 1 following a vote next week by the city c ... More >>

Don Hill’s Legal Defense May Be Less About the Facts and More About Martyrdom

Ooooh, Shiny: There Won't Be a Trinity Toll Road For a While, So a Photo Contest Instead!

Patrick MichelsOne of our submissions for the Trinity River Project photo contest. Pay up, city.Meant to get to this yesterday, when Dallas City Hall first sent word, but was otherwise distracted -- the whole point, perhaps, of this city-sponsored Trinity River photo contest for which we'd like to s ... More >>

If Nothing Else, This Is Our Last Item About Parking Lots Till August, So There's That

Seconds ago, literally, Angela Hunt posted to her blog an explanation concerning what went down at Dallas City Hall this morning, when she and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Pauline Medrano convinced the council to yank from today's meeting agenda a vote on the proposed parking boot ordinance. As Sam mentione ... More >>

Swallowing a Cup of Tea

Daniel DaughertyIn front of Dallas City Hall, radio host and Dallas Tea Party co-planner Mark Davis poured the first cup of tea with a joke: "Those who oppose big government actually have jobs." To which the crowd of guestimated thousands responded with chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A." The scene at ... More >>

Running Down That Hill: Yet Another Person Pleads Guilty in City Hall Corruption Case

Hey, Don Hill, how many more folks pleaded guilty today in that City Hall corruption case?And then there were three -- which is to say, three folks who have pleaded guilty in the Dallas City Hall corruption case, scheduled to go to trial in June. Taking his cue from Andrea Spencer and Allen McGill, ... More >>

Let's Talk Trash For a Second

Last night, the missus wondered why we received a postcard from the city's Sanitation Services Department inviting us to a "community meeting" with our city council member this Saturday to discuss garbage collection. "Um," I told her, "probably because they want to tell us that starting in February, ... More >>

OK, Now This Is Schadenfreude: Towing Company Gets Its License Revoked

News Adds City Hall Blog, Eyeballs

The Other Three Indictments

Zzzzz...Huh? Oh Yeah. That Mayor Thingy.

Cut It In

The Big Stick

Ray Hunt gets one end of it; guess which end is reserved for the rest of us

The Juice

If you got it, you can get what you want from City Hall