Industries

Coal Is Making a Comeback, and Nobody Burns it Like Texas

For a time, coal was moribund, on life support. We thought perhaps the country was permanently shrugging off its dependence on the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. Coal-fired power plants were being mothballed en masse. The share of electricity generated by them fell 25 percent between 2005 and 2012. ... More >>

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. Hosts Third Annual Brew-B-Que This Sunday

Deep Ellum Brewing Co. will host its Third Annual Brew-B-Que this Sunday, an event that was a launch party of sorts back in 2011. It will a chance to pack the brewery and courtyard with hopheads, sip local beer and have Pecan Lodge barbecue, all while listening to tunes of Cody Foote (who hopefully ... More >>

Texas Lawmakers Vote to Lift Restrictions on Craft Breweries

On Friday afternoon, at 4:07 p.m., a round of applause and cheers wafted down from the balcony seats in House of Representatives as a five-pack of craft beer bills were passed with five thick slams of the gavel. It was technically the second vote of three, and the third, as a matter of formality, sh ... More >>

Cheese-maker Dave Eagle: It Takes Passion to Make it in the Cheese World

Dave Eagle of Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese in Granbury speaks with a strong Texas swagger and often in a very direct, to-the-point manner. Before becoming a cheese maker, he practiced law. And I suspect that if you were involved in some type of litigation, you'd want him on your side of the table ... More >>

Could Craft Cider Join The Craft Beer Movement In Dallas?

It's already started. Joel Malone is well on his way to open up a cidery right in the heart of the Bishop Arts District. His brewing operations and storefront, which he expects to open in May, will be right next to Cretia's on Bishop Street behind Lockhart Smokehouse. Malone tells me he's working t ... More >>

Okay, Illegal Downloads Probably Are Hurting The Music Industry

This would have surprised me no matter who had turned it up, but there was a special irony in learning that illegal music downloads "aren't hurting the music industry" from a beleaguered print magazine's free-news arm: Illegal downloads aren't hurting the music industry, new study claims | ti.me/10 ... More >>

Arlington PD Answers All Your Questions About Its "Aviation Unit," Which Consists Entirely of Two Drones

The Arlington Police Department recently got permission from the FAA to use the two small, battery-operated drones they purchased last year using grant money from Homeland Security. Presumably, the drones will mostly be used to hover over Jerry Jones while he's at work, clipping him in the head with ... More >>

Arlington Police Now Have FAA Approval to Use Those Drones They Bought

Last month, we told you that the Arlington Police Department submitted an application to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2012, asking to please be allowed to use the two small remote control drones they bought. The drones were purchased for a little over $200,000 from Leptron Industrial Robo ... More >>

State Senator John Carona is Walking Back His Support for Craft Brewers

Dallas Republican state Senator John Carona wormed his way into beer lovers' good graces two weeks ago when he cosponsored a quartet of bills aimed at making things easier on craft brewers in Texas. The legislation, which has the support of both an impressive roster of lawmakers from both sides of ... More >>

Sen. John Carona Responds to Backlash; Didn't Bring Up Craft Beer Issue to Craft Beer Group

On Friday, when we wrote about a bill introduced by Dallas state Senator John Carona that would prohibit breweries from earning money by selling distribution rights to wholesalers -- undercutting an important source of revenue for the state's fledgling craft breweries -- his office jumped into our c ... More >>

Judge Punts on Landowner's Keystone Pipeline Challenge

The Nacogdoches judge who granted a Douglass landowner's request for a temporary restraining order against the Keystone pipeline back in November now is telling him to take his case to another court. County Court at Law Judge Jack Sinz ruled last week that he could not hear Mike Bishop's fraud case ... More >>

U.S. Electricity Grid Watchdog to ERCOT: You Aren't Doing Enough to Keep Lights on in Texas

Gerry Cauley, the chief executive of the North American Electric Reliability Council, the national, industry-funded grid-integrity watchdog, is pretty worried about Texas. Power-reserve margins here have slipped below the levels recommended to meet peak demand, and future projections show it will on ... More >>

How a Former Employee Bled a Credit Union Dry and Spent the Cash on Jewelry, Houses, and a Timeshare in Cabo

This past October, the Women's Southwest Federal Credit Union closed its doors. It was tiny, with just 743 members and $2 million in assets, but more important was its balance sheet. The National Credit Union Administration determined WSFCE was insolvent and had to liquidate. That's when federal re ... More >>

Judge Halts Dallas' Flow Control Plan, Basically Calls City Hall a Bunch of Liars

A federal judge has ruled that the City of Dallas pretty much lied about every single aspect of its so-called "flow-control" trash program. Judge Reed O'Connor granted a permanent injunction against a new city ordinance that would have forced commercial haulers to take all their trash to the city- ... More >>

There's a New Push to Legalize Gambling In Texas. It Too Will Fail.

For a dozen years, John Montford was a powerful force in the Texas Senate. He subsequently did a stint as chancellor of the Texas Tech University System before moving on to the private sector, where he served as an executive at AT&T and GM. Now, he's found himself a new role as the public face of th ... More >>

City Council Dismisses Concerns About Burning Garbage, Adopts Long-Term Plan

Many people were not happy when the city unveiled its long-term solid waste management plan. It's goal of achieving zero waste by 2040 was admirable enough, but the plan pushed consideration of such measures as a plastic bag ban, mandatory recycling and increased composting efforts out a decade or m ... More >>

Meatless Mondays at USDA Out-and-Out "Treason," Ag Commish Staples Says

Imbroglios don't get more prosaic than this: A USDA newsletter suggests its employees practice "Meatless Mondays," thereby shrinking their ecological footprint. Skip the Salisbury steak at the cafeteria and eat a plant instead. Take into account the ever-swelling asses of the American public and th ... More >>

Because Summertime Ain't for Thinkin'

In August, the Price Cap on Electricity in Texas Will Jump 50 Percent

Texas electricity regulators voted today to raise the price cap on wholesale electricity from $3,000 to $4,500 per megawatt hour -- the equivalent of powering roughly 330 homes for one hour -- by Aug. 1. It's only June and already the electrical grid is being tested by record peak demand, prompting ... More >>

Why Does TXU Want Texas to Raise the Price Cap on the Electricity it Buys?

Here's a question for all you MBAs in Unfair Park Land: Why would an independent retailer operating in a free, deregulated market want the state to take steps to suddenly raise the retailer's costs? For example, say you own a mom-and-pop store that sells tomatoes. The government suddenly wants to i ... More >>

Record Store Day Roundup: How and Where To Celebrate Music's Greatest National Holiday

Good RecordsIt's hard to beat Good Records' yearly Record Store Day celebration. They always manage to put a solid lineup together, but this one trumps any from years past. Thanks to Sunday's Edgefest, Good's Chris Penn was able to procure performance slots for Ting Tings, Civil Twilight and Switchf ... More >>

To Keep the Lights On, Texas Utility Regulators May Triple the Electricity Price Cap

The Texas Public Utility Commission is finally spitballing dollar figures for just how high they're willing to let wholesale electricity prices spiral when weather extremes send us to our thermostats. For the moment, we're sitting at $3,000 per megawatt-hour. To keep the lights from going out (ERCO ... More >>

The Market Speaks: Texas Coal-Fired Power Officially Unprofitable in January

Coal-fired power plants generated some 30 percent less electricity in January than they did during the same month in 2011 -- a huge drop for a a workhorse fleet that has historically fed this state's sprawling transmission system with a steady supply of baseload power since pretty much forever. Pro ... More >>

Train Museum CEO Says Rolling Stock Will Leave Fair Park For Frisco in Late April

Via.LaPrelle says the Big Boy's move in April has prompted calls from all over the world.​Got a call this morning from Bob LaPrelle, president and CEO of the Museum of the American Railroad, which, as you're well aware by now, is due to roll out of Fair Park to its new digs in Frisco. I'd left him ... More >>

Record Store Day Comes Early This Year as Record Stores Celebrate Black Friday

​If you're reading this blog, it's likely you frequent a record store, and there are several good ones in the area to choose from.  But, if you didn't realize that purchasing music online is a mild sin, and if your record store of choice is the iTunes store or Amazon.com, you might be out of ... More >>

University of Texas Fracking Study: No Evidence That It Contaminates Groundwater

​The University of Texas released the preliminary results today of that comprehensive study on the controversial natural gas producing process known as hydraulic fracturing (or fracking), drawing no link between it and claims of groundwater contamination. "While there have been casing/cement ... More >>

The State of Pecan Pie in Texas: It Ain't That Good

​Texas Pecan trees have taken a punch. The USDA predicts our state's trees will collectively produce 40 millions pounds of pecans this year, which is 30 million pounds less than the 2010 crop. The Sunnyvale Pecan orchard east of Dallas is closed for the season. And today I spoke with Red Gra ... More >>

Here's How Dallas is Celebrating American Cheese Month

Most food holidays start with "National." National Tequila Day and National Rum Day have both been marked on City of Ate in recent months. Tomorrow is National Taco Day, and if you're inclined you can refer to this calendar, which demonstrates nearly every day of the year is devoted to a specific fo ... More >>

Calais Winery Launches Recycling Program. Not Convinced? It Involves Free Wine.

​On Saturday, Calais Winery will launch its new wine-bottle recycling program with the first rendition of what will become semi-annual event. From its rustic little shop on Commerce, the winery will accept empty bottles from any Texas winery. In exchange, generous winos will receive free tas ... More >>

Fun With Audio, Part 2: EBJ and JWP Talk About the Inland Port, Kathy Nealy, Ross Jr. (and Me)

​This weekend I have been sitting around ruminating on the last three years of reporting I have done on the Inland Port story, which now seems to an element in the FBI corruption probe of Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price. By the way, I happen to know the FBI has been hearing about this ... More >>

Some SALT to Season Those Subpoenas

​So, the feds want Pettis Norman and Jon Edmonds to appear before a grand jury on July 20 -- can't imagine why. Oh, wait. My bad. And speaking of the Inland Port, for those who knocked off early for the Christmas holidays in '08, after the jump is a doc you might want to read (or re-read) this mor ... More >>

World Beer Company Bottle Shop Pub and Store Soft-Opens Saturday, and More Local Beer News

No word on whether Obama beer is among the 500 available at World Beer Company Bottle Shop.​A hat tip, along with a couple of corrections, to UrbanDaddy, which scooped us on this beer bar and package store, but must have spent a little too much time coming up with a trademark story-ending zinger t ... More >>

The Word on John Wiley Price: Judas

​Southern Dallas, especially the ministerial leadership, seems to be pretty locked up behind mayoral candidate Mike Rawlings. In explaining that to myself, I do allow for Rawlings's charismatic personality and his track record on community issues. He's got things going for him. (Well, maybe no ... More >>

What Would Happen if the Proposed Beer Legislation Becomes Law?

​Three bills bouncing around the Texas Legislature are being trumpeted as game-changers for the state's beer industry. In quick review: HB 660 would permit brewpubs to sell directly to wholesalers and distributors; HB 2436 would allow small breweries to sell their product for on- or off-site c ... More >>

Mayor Dwaine Caraway Refers to Mike Rawlings As "Payday Loan King" in New Radio Ad

Photo by Sam MertenCaraway and Natinsky at the candidate's endorsement press conference last month​Moments ago, during Robert Ashley's show on KHVN-AM, an ad ran attacking mayoral candidate Mike Rawlings and his ties to Ace Cash Express -- though it never mentions Rawlings by name. The speaker: no ... More >>

Texas Wine Industry Considers Identifying Best of the Bunch

​Texas wine enthusiasts seeking a better way to convey to consumers which local wines deserve their attentions are broaching the possibility of creating a wine quality program. Russ Kane, a wine writer who's moderating a panel on wine quality at this week's Texas Wine and Grape Growers Associ ... More >>

The Battle Between Parkland and Dallas News Rages On In Missive From Hospital CEO

Ron Anderson​Last week, Dallas Morning News Deputy Managing Editor Maud Beelman penned a piece for Harvard's Nieman Watchdog in which she explained the paper's yearlong investigation into the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Memorial Hospital -- two heretofore "sacred c ... More >>

Get Epically Stoned Tonight At The Common Table, Meet Jim Koch Friday At Ginger Man

​Paul Hightower at Dallas Craft Beer Examiner has a good round-up of the month's beer events on his January Craft Beer Calendar, and Brian Brown of Plano Craft Beer Examiner has a more thorough run-down of the week's area beer events. Both of them mention something I've had penciled on my calendar ... More >>

The "Pallet Wars" Rage On with Butter the Battlefield

​The recent announcement that scientists found flame retardant in butter sold at Dallas groceries has fed a firestorm in the pallet industry. A plastic pallet manufacturer this week filed a lawsuit against the U.S. National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA), accusing the trade g ... More >>

Operation Streamline costs taxpayers millions, tramples on the Constitution, treats immigrants like cattle and doesn't work. So why are the feds so committed to it?

Dallas' Play-N-Skillz Are Getting An MTV Reality Show--And Want You Be On It, Maybe!

Steve VisneauP-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-play-N-Skillz!​I was lucky enough to spend some QT with Dallas hip-hop super-producers (not to mention two-time Grammy winners) Play-N-Skillz last week on the set of Tum Tum's new music video for his Salinas brothers-produced track "Smoke Something" off his excellent n ... More >>

Bad Day at Blackstone For Tom Hicks

​In the past few hours, stories from the U.K. began surfacing: Tom Hicks isn't leaving Liverpool after all, but has instead asked a Blackstone Group subsidiary to help him refinance his debt. Which suggested to some that Hicks's has no intention of getting Yanks-out after -- hence this weekend's p ... More >>

The DARPA Initiative: SMU, DOD Partner Again, This Time on Prosthetics That Feel

​SMU and the Department of Defense are already partners on that paper-thin camera straight outta 1984 by way of Minority Report. Now the Hilltop sends word of its latest DOD partnership -- a $5.6-mil Neurophotonics Research Center that'll be run by Marc Christensen, electrical engineering chair in ... More >>

Llano Estacado Vintner's Selection Signature Red Meritage

​Meritage or Claret? What's the difference? Typically, both terms refer to Bordeaux-style blends, heavy on the Cabernet Sauvignon and/or Merlot, with one or more of the regions classic blending grapes added for body, spice and completeness. Most fans of Argentinian reds would be surprised to l ... More >>

Big Tex Will Go All Texas With Wines
At State Fair

​Kroger has pulled out as a wine garden sponsor at the State Fair of Texas, taking its West Coast wines with it. With the Texas Department of Agriculture left as sole sponsor of the wine tasting and teaching space, all of this year's featured wines will come from Texas. Jeff Siegel, who will ... More >>

All Aboard

Oyster Lovers Unite

Now may be your best chance for a little raw love

In Small Doses

The Modern hosts some splendid shorts

Lotus Blossoms

There's a flurry of curry in the metroplex

Seeds of Discontent

Can growing protests stem the tide of genetically engineered crops?