Georgetown

Texas Country's Greek Row King Josh Abbott Is Cool with Not Being Cool

Earlier this week, Texas country singer-songwriter Josh Abbott wasn't feeling as well as he wanted to be during an interview. To be fair, the Texas Tech graduate-turned-festival headliner underwent a root canal the day before we spoke, a pain that many other artists would gladly accept before being ... More >>

Oncor's "Phantom Tax" Windfall May Become Permanent as Bill Hits Texas House Floor

Oncor, the Dallas-based sticks-and-wires utility, has collected half a billion dollars from ratepayers since 2007 for federal income taxes. But according to a report, the IRS hasn't received a dime. In fact, most of that cash has gone to its struggling parent, Energy Future Holdings, which is march ... More >>

Riding the Beer Trail for a Taste of Shiner, with Stops for BBQ

We're living in the golden age of Texas beer. Seriously, we are -- there are craft breweries popping up all around the state, our major cities are seeing growler-filling shops opening up and giving us the chance to take home brews that aren't available in bottle or cans, and we're being graced by mu ... More >>

Chris Wright, the Mavs' New Point Guard, is the First NBA Player with Multiple Sclerosis

Chris Wright, whom the Mavericks just signed to a 10-day contract in hopes of patching their depleted backcourt, first felt something go wrong in March 2012. The point guard was playing professional ball in Turkey after going undrafted out of Georgetown the year before. He was running sprints during ... More >>

Dallas Millionaire Upset Georgetown Didn't Name Gym after Him, Wants His $7.5 Mil Back

Curiously absent from the otherwise thorough Wikipedia page on Scott K. Ginsburg, the Dallas-based digital media entrepreneur and founder of Boardwalk Auto Group, is any mention of insider trading judgment the SEC won against him in 2002 for illegally passing non-public information on EZ Communicati ... More >>

A North Texas Lawmaker Wants to Exempt "Made in Texas" Guns From Federal Law

According to statistics kept by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, there are several dozen licensed gun manufacturers in the state of Texas. Most of those are small-scale operations, individuals or mom-and-pop-style shops that produce one or two pistols or rifles in a year. A ... More >>

Fellow Republicans: A Five-Point Plan to Stop Our Asses From Getting Kicked

To: Lovers of America From: The Republican National Committee RE: Emergency platform changes Dear Patriots: It seems that 47 percent was somewhat larger than we anticipated in last week's election. Henceforth, we urge all Republicans to adopt these immediate policy changes. Our new platform on ba ... More >>

DMN's Wayne Slater Says Poll Worker Illegally Demanded Photo ID. She Says Slater Was a Dick.

Just in case you've forgotten, you don't need a photo ID to vote in Texas. Republicans did push a measure through the Legislature last year requiring exactly that, but the law was challenged and ultimately put on hold in August by a federal court, which concluded the rule would effectively disenfran ... More >>

John Cornyn Seeks to Fend Off Latest Threat to Texas Economy: Salamanders

I suppose it was only a matter of time before Texas politicians, still on a high from their glorious victory over the evil, job-killing dunes sagebrush lizard, turned their attention to similarly insidious threats to our economic well-being. This time, the threat comes from four species of salamand ... More >>

Rockwall Rep. Ralph Hall Would Really Rather That No One Pays For Your Contraception

If you've been hiding under an especially sturdy and soundproof rock for the past month, perhaps you missed out on the increasingly bitter national debate over contraception coverage. Lucky for you, U.S. Representative Ralph Hall has taken a break from doubting global warming and talking about how i ... More >>

It's Going to Get Expensive as City Fends Off Former Municipal Judge's Retaliation Suit

​Back in February we noted that former municipal judge Staci Williams -- a Hockaday graduate with a Georgetown law degree -- had filed a federal suit against the city of Dallas over her dismissal in June 2010, when the city council's Ad-Hoc Legislative Committee refused to reappoint her to that po ... More >>

Whitt's End: 8.19.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End:Talked to the family of Shannon Stone for next week's Observer column. Wait until you hear their other sad story involving a souvenir ball from a Rangers' game. Sorry, you have to wait.Not ... More >>

"Raising Hell Till Heaven Comes": At Sunday's Fund-Raising Rally For John Wiley Price

​Yesterday's "Justice for John" event at the St. Luke "Community" United Methodist Church was all kinds of things: a rally in support of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who entered to chants of "John! John! John!" before taking his seat near the back; a fund-raiser for his legal defen ... More >>

Rangers: Nolan Ryan Taken to Hospital Sunday For "Discomfort"; He'll Undergo Tests Today

Photo by Sam Merten​Nolan Ryan has been hospitalized for chest pains in the past: In 2000, he underwent emergency double-bypass surgery, then returned to the hospital in October of that year following another scare. This, say the Texas Rangers in a statement just sent to media, is what may have la ... More >>

Nolan Ryan Hospitalized in Houston with Heart Problems. Yikes.

​From the Rangers: Nolan Ryan was hospitalized in Houston after experiencing discomfort early Sunday morning at his home in Georgetown, Texas. Mr. Ryan will undergo tests on Monday for what is believed to be a recurrence of the heart condition which he has previously experienced. Mr. Ryan is ... More >>

Rob Allyn Used to Run Local Politics. Now He's Making Movies in Indonesia.

Rob Allyn​Longtime observers of the local political landscape probably hear the name Rob Allyn and think of the Trinity River Corridor Project (Schutze insists it was Allyn who came up with those solar-powered water taxis), myriad mayoral campaigns, those Dubya ads attacking John McCain's environm ... More >>

Former Muni Judge Brings Federal Lawsuit Against City; Claims Harassment, Retaliation

Via.​On February 13, Steve Thompson wrote that ex-municipal judge Staci Williams -- a Hockaday grad with a Georgetown law degree dismissed by the Dallas City Council last June -- might sue the city. The reason: Williams claimed repeatedly that she was sexually harassed by Administrative Judge C. V ... More >>

Dallas Independent School District's CFO, Larry Throm, Is Heading Home to Austin

Texas School BusinessLarry Throm​On November 20, 2008, only weeks after it came to light the Dallas Independent School District had come up with a sudden shortfall of $64 million, the district hired Austin ISD's chief financial officer, Larry Throm, as its new moneyman in charge. Said DISD superin ... More >>

The Top 10 Reasons Austin is Better Than Dallas

Different vibe in Austin, sayeth this T-shirt for sale on South Congress. Born in Oak Cliff. Raised in Duncanville. Citizen of Dallas.​ But every time I go to Austin - like this past weekend when I skeedaddled from Cowboys' Camp in San Antonio for a quick getaway - I feel like I belong ther ... More >>

Matt Bauer Moves Islands In Storms. Also, A Giveaway!

Intolerable Cruelty

Remarkably consistent, the Coens make another mockery with Burn After Reading

Lists of Local Cities Better Than Dallas

Can Nolan Ryan Save the Texas Rangers? Again?

Say, “Cheeeeeeeese”!

No, Really -- Now Meet Preservation Dallas' New Executive Director

No Doubt the First Lawsuit of Many

Surge This

Breaking out of the pack of Iraq war docs, No End in Sight devastates

Girls Gone Mild

Wasserstein's American Daughter soft-pedals feminism; interruptions cut short visit to A Small Planet

RIght Cross

Is George W. Bush a conservative? Author Bruce Bartlett doesn't think so,

and saying that cost him his job.

The Thing That Ate Downtown

Downtown�s real estate barons are terrified that Perot-Hicks� slick Victory project could wreak havoc on their own tax-funded plans to fix the city�s core

Shoe Business

Perhaps bastardization is the sincerest form of flattery

Dead Wrong

How consummate con artist Henry Lee Lucas resurrected the dead and went looking for a sucker. He almost found one.

Love & Rockets

Andrew Beal spent $200 million trying to launch rockets without Uncle Sam's help. His dream went down in flames

:cueless

Buzz hacks through the past in search of the cool cats and fools of the year that was

Innocence Lost

Railroaded onto death row, Kerry Max Cook endures rapes, beatings, and suicide attempts while waiting for justice

Bad Wrap

Sandella's Caf�'s sandwiches are as flat as the bread

Perfect game

When Reid Ryan wanted Round Rock voters to build a stadium for his minor-league baseball team, he turned to the one pitchman no good Texan could refuse -- his dad, Nolan

The war over Gulf War Syndrome

Dallas doctors believe they've solved the mystery of sick veterans, but find themselves in "a bloody scientific war" where they are branded charlatans

Stained glass

Nerds of a Feather

In the competitive world of pigeon racers, it takes one fast bird to deliver the coo de grace