John Carona

John Carona's Payday Lending Reform Crashed into a Wall of Lobbyists Today

If you want an idea of the near stranglehold payday lenders have on the Texas Legislature, the Senate floor was the place to be today. That's where Senator John Carona watched as his payday lending bill was picked apart by colleagues, many of whom were taking calls from industry lobbyists as he spok ... More >>

Legislators and Lawmakers Have Killed Meaningful Payday Lending Reform

There remains a pressing need for meaningful, statewide regulation of payday lending in Texas, since the industry has shown a willingness and ability to skirt restrictions passed by Dallas, Austin, and other cities. Those reforms look like they are still at least a couple of years off. Despite high ... More >>

North Texas Senators Beg TxDOT Not to Screw Up This High-Speed Rail Thing

Texas Central Railway's plan, announced almost a year ago now, to build a high-speed rail line linking Houston and North Texas has hit a not altogether unexpected complication: inter-city squabbling over where the bullet train will stop. In Mobility 2035, its long-term vision for transportation in ... More >>

Craft Beer Bills On Their Way to Senate Floor, The Good and The Bad

Craft brewers had one week to reach a compromise with the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas (WBDT) regarding five pieces of legislation recently introduced through Senate Committee on Business and Commerce. Senate bills 515, 516, 517 and 518 were a set of bills carefully crafted after a year of w ... More >>

Senator John Carona's Bill Could Raise Cost of Beer Across State

On Tuesday morning the Business and Commerce Committee convened at the capitol in Austin to discuss, among other things, the future of beer in the state of Texas. In the front of the room, some of Texas' most powerful state senators sat behind their nameplates at a long curved table. Facing them in ... More >>

Public Hearing Set for Craft Beer Legislation, Plus a Brief Recap on Legislative Processes

Five bills have recently been introduced in the Legislature that would affect the business of craft beer in the state of Texas. Four are good for the business of craft brewing. One is not-so-good. This coming Tuesday, March 5, the Business and Commerce Committee will meet at 8 a.m. to discuss all ... 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 >>

A Republican State Senator is Pushing For an Increase in the Texas' Gas Tax

Texas' 20-cent-per-gallon gas tax hasn't changed since 1991. That's despite the erosion of the tax's purchasing power -- the Wall Street Journal estimates that the gas tax buys half as much concrete, steel, and other materials as they did 20 years ago -- and a glaring need -- the state comptroller's ... More >>

Dallas' City Plan Commission Just Got a Very Special Workshop on How Safe Gas Drilling Is

When we last left the beleaguered members of the City Plan Commission, they were opting to once again delay a vote on energy company Trinity East's application to drill for natural gas in the floodplain along the Trinity River. This morning, the CPC was subjected to a four-hour workshop on gas drill ... More >>

State Sen. John Carona Urges Dallas to Reject Plans to Frack City Parkland

It's T-minus three hours until all hell breaks loose at City Hall, as the Plan Commission meets to decide whether to let Trinity East Energy drill for natural gas in Dallas parkland, and things are already starting to simmer. Case in point is a letter sent this week to Mayor Mike Rawlings by state ... More >>

Texas AG Announces "Choose Life Advisory Committee" to Distribute Money Raised by Those Anti-Abortion License Plates

In May of 2011, in the midst of various other anti-abortion measures, Texas lawmakers approved SB 257, authored by Representative Larry Phillips, a Republican from Sherman, and Senator John Carona, a Republican from Dallas. The bill allowed for the sale of state-issued specialty "Choose Life" licens ... More >>

Payday Lenders Have Found a Big Loophole in State and Local Regulation

A few weeks ago, the Texas Observer's Forrest Wilder went on a journalistic mission to a Cash Store outlet near his home in Austin. His aim, as he describes it, was to see what it was like to take out a payday loan in Texas, particularly in the wake of stronger regulations that Austin recently put i ... More >>

State Senator John Carona is Backpedaling Wildly on His Support for Gay Rights

Republican state senator John Carona got himself into a bit of hot water with fellow conservatives last week, after he told Dallas Voice senior editor John Wright that he would support several LGBT rights bills during the upcoming legislative session. Those bills would ban employment discrimination ... More >>

Dallas Senator John Carona Declares Support for Gay Rights, Gets Pilloried By GOP

If you were to put money on which Republican politician in Texas would publicly express support for gay rights, John Carona, the state senator from Dallas, would be a good bet. He's always been about as pragmatic as Texas Republican come. But it was still a surprise when, earlier this week, he told ... More >>

Illegally Occupy DART's HOV Lanes, and Prepare to Pay. But Fare Evaders Catch a Break.

​There are several items of interest and note on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board's agenda for today, but let's focus on two for now -- the ones on the Operations Committee's to-do list that'll impact drivers of cars and riders of mass transit ... well, the naughty ones, anyway. First up: HOV f ... More >>

Dr Pepper Thefts Are Probably a Local Job, Says One Cargo Theft Expert

​If police have any new leads in that statewide run of Dr Pepper truck thefts, they're not saying much -- days of phone messages left with Fort Worth PD spokesmen and detectives have gone unanswered. (As if they've got more important things to do.)I was, however, able to reach Sherman Police spoke ... 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 >>

DISD Super Testifying in Austin This Morning

​At this very moment, the state Senate Committee on Education -- which includes chair Florence Shapiro, John Carona and Royce West -- is hearing testimony related to these seven Senate bills, most of which would let school districts increase class size and give teachers furlough days and further f ... More >>

Before Mayoral Candidates Make Issue Out of Political Affiliations, a Look at Who's What

During the 2007 mayoral campaign, former city council member Ed Oakley sent out mailers depicting himself and convicted felon Don Hill as Democrats and Tom Leppert and former Mayor Pro Tem Max Wells as Republicans. Oakley also accepted the endorsement of the Dallas County Democratic Party and printe ... More >>

Flanked by Cowboys Legend Roger Staubach, Mike Rawlings Kicks Off Mayoral Campaign

Photos by Sam MertenMike Rawlings and Roger Staubach​Mike Rawlings formally announced his candidacy for mayor this morning to a group of approximately 150 supporters in front of Dallas City Hall, claiming he'll utilize public-private partnerships to protect both the city's infrastructure and i ... More >>

Bullet Train With Butterfly Wings: More on Plans for Dallas-to-Houston High-Speed Rail

​On Tuesday we got our sneak peek at Central Japan Railway Company's presentation to Houston transportation officials intended to get 'em revved up about high-speed rail linking Dallas and Houston (and points in between). This morning, Culturemap Houston provides this lengthy follow-up: interviews ... More >>

Catching Up With Our Favorite George W. Bush Soundalike at the GOP Convention

Sam MertenWe tried to grab Senator Cornyn after this radio interview, but he scampered off to the VIP area before we could snag him.​As Representative Dan Branch told us yesterday afternoon shortly after addressing the delegation from John Carona's senate district, what a difference two years ... More >>

News & Notes: Carona on the Gas Tax, the Best Movie Theaters in Dallas (?) and ...

​A few odds and sods with which to end your soon-to-be-stormy Wednesday ...State Sen. John Carona was down in Austin today speaking to the chamber of commerce about the state of Texas transportation, which, for those not following along, ain't good. As in: a $50-to-$100-billion-shortfall not good. ... More >>

Internet Strategist From Washington With Senate Experience Takes Over Leppert's Web Site and We're Supposed to Believe the Mayor's Future is Still "Up in the Air?"

​On Tuesday, we opined that Mayor Tom Leppert's U.S. Senate campaign was moving full steam ahead regardless of whether Kay Bailey Hutchison resigns before her term expires at the end of 2012. Why? The donations to his mayoral campaign completely dried up in the last half of 2009; his annual fu ... More >>

Mayor Leppert's Contributions Dry Up and Then His Big Fund-Raiser Becomes a Charity Event -- What Gives?

Mayor Leppert at last year's "Giraffes, Monkeys and Lepperts" fund-raiser.​For the past two years, Mayor Tom Leppert's annual "Giraffes, Monkeys and Lepperts" event at the Dallas Zoo has served as a birthday bash for the mayor and fund-raiser for Friends of Tom Leppert, a committee formed to p ... More >>

Consultant to Tom Leppert and John Carona Says it's Going to Be "a Long, Painful Process" Waiting for Senator Hutchison's Next Move

John Carona​On Tuesday, state Senator John Carona said he'd "give consideration" to a mayoral run should Tom Leppert vacate office early in pursuit of Kay Bailey Hutchison's U.S. Senate seat. A top Republican in the state and one of several names included among Leppert's potential would-be suc ... More >>

Railing On Transportation

This Morning at DISD HQ, the Debut of the Dallas Friends of Public Education PAC

​Late Monday, Brooks Love and I had a brief chat about Dallas Friends of Public Education, the political action committee set to make its bow this morning with a 10:30 press conference at Dallas Independent School District HQ. (DFPE's Web site made its debut yesterday.) You know Love, right? Forme ... More >>

John Carona, a TxDOT Director and DART Spar Over Size and Safety of DFW's HOV Lanes

Justin Cozart​Late yesterday, the Texas Senate issued a summary of sorts of the Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security's public hearing in Arlington on Thursday, during which everything from drought to driving was on the agenda. Of course, Rosemary Miramontes's testimony, concerning he ... More >>

John Carona, Miles Away from Ordinary

Must be love this morning, as two Friends of Unfair Park who more often than not vote "D" sent along this link to the new issue of The Texas Observer (unrelated), in which the staff ranks "The People's Friends and Foes" coming out of the 81st Legislature. And topping the list of Friends is a Dallas ... More >>

Time's Running Out for State Legislature to Allow "No-Refusal" DWI Blood Drawa

Dallas Police VideoA woman arrested for DWI during a so-called No-Refusal Weekend has her blood drawn inside Lew Sterrett. In her left hand? A search warrant that orders her to give up her blood.The Texas Senate yesterday refused to send to Governor Rick Perry a bill that included an amendment that ... More >>

After Years of Trying, Mother Can Sue State Over Son's Abuse at Denton State School

Mark GrahamBefore Haseeb Chishty was released from the Denton State School last year, his mother Farhat visited him nearly every day.Last year, Jesse Hyde wrote several stories for the Dallas Observer and Unfair Park about Farhat Chishty's quest for justice for her son Haseeb, who, till last fall, h ... More >>

Wade Emmert Emerges as Party Favorite in GOP Effort to Take Back County Judge Seat

flickr member: cedarhillchurchofchristEmmert is charged with helping the local Republican Party rebound by jumping from a council member in Cedar Hill to Dallas County Judge.At the Dallas County Republican Party's annual Reagan Day Dinner in February, we described Cedar Hill City Council member Wade ... More >>

Buzzkill: Senate Keeps Burleson Sex-Toy Crusader Off Pardons and Paroles Board

Guess this will be the last time we run this photo of Shanda Perkins.Scott Henson at Grits for Breakfast sent Unfair Park a note to point out this "amazing" development from yesterday: Burleson's Shanda Perkins bid to become a member of the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles was killed dead in the ... More >>

State Senate Gives New "Pole Tax" a Whirl

Courtesy The LodgeThe Austin American-Statesman reports this afternoon that the state Senate has given its unanimous OK to new-and-improved legislation that revamps the contentious "pole tax" imposed upon, ya know, gentleman's establishments a couple of years back. The original legislation, which im ... More >>

Plenty of Folks Are Starting to Place, and Hedge, Their Bets on Casinos in Texas

One week ago today, state Sen. John Carona introduced proposed legislation, S.J.R. No. 31, that would allow for at least 12 casinos scattered throughout the state -- seven "in different urban areas," two "located on islands in the Gulf of Mexico that are tourist destinations with at least 1,000 gue ... More >>

Keynote Speaker at GOP Fund-Raiser Says Party is Facing "Gut-Check Point." Ya Think?

Sam MertenU.S. Congressmen Jeb Hensarling (left) and Kenny Marchant (right) and State Senator John Carona (top right corner)The Dallas County Republican Party continued to pick up the pieces from another rough election cycle as it celebrated its largest annual fund-raiser last night at the Westin P ... More >>

If North Texas Really Wants to Ride the Rail, a Tax Hike's Coming Down the Road

You may wanna spend a few minutes this morning boning up on the Rail North Texas plan, which calls for 215 miles of new commuter rail track that would connect much of North Texas -- from McKinney to Midlothian, Cleburne to Carrollton, Burleson to beyond. Only, who'll pay for it? Because it ain't che ... More >>

Ann Margolin Leads the Pack As City's Finance Report Deadline Looms

As we mentioned a while back, District 13 city council candidate Ann Margolin appeared to be the heir apparent to Mitchell Rasansky with a long list of notable supporters and a strong résumé. And as the 5 p.m. deadline approaches for candidates and committees to file their finance reports, Margol ... More >>

With Hope Dwindling, Republicans Compete For Next Caption Contest

GOP Kisses Sheriff’s Race Goodbye

TEA, Legislators Meet with Hinojosa to Discuss DISD's Direction, We Suppose

For District Judge Anne Ashby, What Happened in Vegas Didn't Stay in Vegas

Lions, Tigers and a Mayor Tom Fund-Raiser -- Oh, My!

Mirror, Mirror

To see who's behind the bridge collapse, just take a look

The Unholy Trinity: Kirk, Miller and Leppert

Have a Carona on David Dean

Jerry-rigged

Jones' stadium tax is in for one rough fight

Best Political Gaffe

Dallas state Senator John Carona