Kay Bailey Hutchison

The City of Dallas Just Renamed its Convention Center After Kay Bailey Hutchison

A couple of speakers showed up at the 1500 Marilla this morning to ask that the City Council to hold off on a fast-moving proposal to rename the Dallas Convention Center after recently retired U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Former councilwoman Sandra Crenshaw called for a public hearing before a ... More >>

Getcher Program Here: An Inside Baseball Report on Maneuvering Behind the Trinity Road

Well thank goodness Friday has finally arrived so we can have a little privacy here on the lawn, without all those damned readers butting in. Normally when they're around I don't like to do inside baseball, because, you know, it just makes them get all anxious and nattery. Then that guy who uses my ... More >>

As Sandy's Tab Comes Due, It's Time to Rethink Flood Insurance Everywhere (Including Dallas)

Two experts from the Monterrey Institute of International Studies have an op-ed piece in The New York Times this morning advocating the abandonment of the National Flood Insurance Program, which is about to stick us taxpayers for $57 billion in rebuilding costs from Hurricane Sandy. If the experts w ... More >>

Looks Like the Tea Party's Gonna Elect Cruz Fair and Square. So, Let's Change the Game.

Texas will elect it's next senator today. Odds are, you won't vote for him. In fact, a good number of you, even if you're registered to vote, can't vote in the truly decisive race going down Tuesday, because you were dumb enough to vote in the Democratic primary in May. Suckers. So, let's all clap ... More >>

Texas Senators Demand EPA Review of Fracking Endangerment Order in Parker County

Six Republican members of the U.S. Senate -- including Texas' Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn -- have requested an investigation of the EPA's decision to accuse a natural gas producer of contaminating a North Texas water well. In a letter sent last week, the senators asked the EPA inspector ge ... More >>

Big Biz Made a Bargain With the GOP's Devils. Here Comes the Bill.

Big business is finally figuring out what Democrats have been saying since the worst days of George W: that the genius idea of Bush's brain, Karl Rove, was a Faustian bargain with that powerful and elusive element of American political landscape -- the ignorati. Now the ignorati are demanding thei ... More >>

Collecting Internet Sales Taxes -- What a Great Damn Idea, Mofo

Well, crap. Look, I'm generally pro-government. You know, down with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who said, "I like to pay taxes. With them I buy civilization." And like any good leftie hippie-type, I just love kitschy Main Street shops that I'd definitely ride my bike to if it weren't so damn ... More >>

Nancy Brinker, Komen Foundation Fell Victim to the Great Texas Echo Chamber

​Wait, wait. We haven't finished the conversation yet about whether Rick Perry has embarrassed Texas so badly we can never again show our faces outside the state. Are you telling me now we've got to have the same conversation already about Nancy Brinker? What if people start connecting the do ... More >>

Craig James Reveals Tax Records, Proves That Even In Bad Years He's Way Overpaid

Quick test: When you think Craig James, what comes to mind? A. SMU and New England Patriots football player and long-time sports announcer. B. Texan, father, husband. C. Who the hell is Craig James? D. Senate candidate and taxpayer. You're right! And today, James took his "plethora of experience" ... More >>

Facing SOPA, Dallas Calmly Tells Reps, "DON'T STOP ADVANCEMENT OF HUMAN RACE"

​As you may have noticed, Wikipedia, the world's leading purveyor of pretty accurate information, was offline yesterday, one of thousands of websites blacked out in protest of Congress' SOPA and the Senate's PIPA anti-piracy bills. Giants such as Facebook, Google and LinkedIn issued letters of ... More >>

Federal Judge Unseals Suit That Asks: Did Dallas Screw HUD Out of Hundreds of Millions?

​On June 10, 2010, I wrote a column for the newspaper about an official complaint brought to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by two Dallas developers alleging a decades-old pattern of racial discrimination and fraud by the city of Dallas, the county and other local entit ... More >>

It's Emmert v. Georgatos in May 17 Election to Determine Next Dallas County GOP Chair

​Wade Emmert's no longer on the fence about attempting to succeed Jonathan Neerman as Dallas County Republican Party chair. After telling us last week that he was interested in the position, he's now committed to running against current vice chair Debbie Georgatos (pronounced Jor-jah-tos). Pre ... More >>

Carol Reed Dodges Tom Leppert's DOMA Tweet, Predicts Runoff Between Leppert and David Dewhurst and Defends John Wiley Price

Photos by Sam MertenCarol Reed​Political consultant Carol Reed answered questions about the battle for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Dallas mayor's race, the 2012 Republican presidential primary and an assortment of local and state issues last night at a meet ... 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 >>

Either Tom Leppert's Gearing Up for a U.S. Senate Run or He Just Wasted 75,000 Bucks

Sam MertenTom Leppert​Mayor Tom Leppert hasn't formally announced his candidacy for Kay Bailey Hutchison's gig just yet, but he hired Republican fund-raiser Shelly Carson last year as his finance director and paid her nearly $75,000, according to campaign finance reports. Carson has yet to ret ... More >>

A Month After EPA's Emergency Order Against Barnett Shale Gas Driller, a Federal Suit

​A little more than a month ago -- and before the Environmental Protection Agency assumed control of Texas's greenhouse gas permitting -- the EPA looked to be drawing a line in the sand over water contamination from gas drilling in the Barnett Shale, with an emergency order for Fort Worth-based Ra ... More >>

GOP Leaders Convince Jonathan Neerman to Run For Third Term as Dallas County Chair

Sam MertenJonathan Neerman speaks at a Republican Jewish Coalition meet-and-greet with Kay Bailey Hutchison in September 2009.​The day after the local GOP lost its fourth-straight election cycle to Democrats, Dallas County Republican Party chair Jonathan Neerman told us "it's very unlikely" th ... More >>

Smoke Gets in Her Eyes, Or Here Comes
The Barbecue Judge

Ed Rode, Jack Daniel'sSharon Yarbrough preps an entry for the Jack Daniel's barbecue competition.​This Saturday, I had the luck to serve as a judge at the 22nd Annual Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tennessee. More than 25,000 people descended on the town, ... More >>

Whitt's End: 8.6.10

​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Since you guys salivate over local radio news, here's a zesty taste: Starting August 16 the new program director at 105.3 The Fan will be Bruce Gilbert. Yep, the same Bruce Gilbert who helped buil ... More >>

Belo Corp. Board Member, Convention Center Hotel Folks and Jerry Jones Top List of Mayor Tom Leppert's Fund-Raising Pals

Patrick MichelsThat hotel victory is the gift that keeps on giving.​While his political future remains unclear, Mayor Tom Leppert raised a combined $243,000 in donations in the first half of this year, according to campaign finance reports filed yesterday. Meanwhile, his officeholder account a ... More >>

Eric Foster, Guy Behind the DFW Most Powerful List, Says He's Only Getting Started

So, Eric, do tell: How do three Texas Rangers rank as more powerful than Rangers president and would-be co-owner Nolan Ryan?​Earlier this afternoon I got a call from a phone number beginning with the 903 area code -- and, hey, we were just speaking of first thing this morning. Sure enough, the man ... More >>

Mayor Leppert's Comments on Christian Radio Show Add to Speculation of Senatorial Run

Sam MertenWe'll stop reading into Leppert's comments when he stops giving us good reasons to.​Those not listening to KVTT-1110 AM yesterday around 2:30 p.m. missed Mayor Tom Leppert's appearance on Point of View, a nationally syndicated Christian conservative talk show based in Dallas. We were ... More >>

Social Media Tools: Once Again, Why Did Leppert Hire D.C. Dude to Run Web Site?

Laura Reed Martin, who manages the Issues and Crisis Division at The Reeds, PRC.​As we told you at the end of Monday's item about Mayor Tom Leppert's new Web site, consultant Laura Reed Martin was supposed to get back with us about the decision to hire Washington, D.C.-based Stan Olshefski to ... More >>

Do Primary Voting Numbers Spell a GOP Trend?

Grading on a Curve, or: How Old Do Those State Board of Education Candidates Think the Earth Is, Anyway? Let's Ask!

State Board of Education candidate Thomas Ratliff (and family), who thinks the earth is plenty old​Well, who knew? The eyes of Texas have been focused on the GOP primary race between Governor Rick Perry and challenger Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison as the ultimate throwdown between far right and ... More >>

Debra Medina Brings Momentum to Screeching Halt By Refusing to Take a Position on Who Was Behind the 9/11 Attacks

Just when it looked like Debra Medina could maybe possibly somehow sneak her way past Kay Bailey Hutchison into a runoff with Rick Perry for a chance to grab the Republican nomination in November's gubernatorial election, she melted down during an interview this morning with Glenn Beck, who questio ... More >>

Debra Medina Delivers Potential "Early Shocker" to Guv Rick and Kay Bailey? Yowza!

Sam MertenDebra Medina in Dallas two weeks ago, after the final GOP debate​Hard to say how seriously to take the results of today's Public Policy Polling press release that says Debra Medina's becoming quite the player in the GOP gubernatorial race; after all, this is the same company that asked A ... More >>

Whitt's End: 1.15.10

​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Haven't gotten a chance to ask him about it yet, but did I miss something or is Babe Laufenberg leaving CBS 11? Maybe he was buying CBS 11. Did I get that wrong? UPDATE: Says Laufenberg in a text ... More >>

Defense Department Gives SMU Millions More to Finish Developing Military's Tiny Camera

Southern Methodist UniversitySMU's creating a camera that'll allow soldiers to shoot, as it were, inside "dark places, like caves and urban areas."​Back in June, Wired directed our attention to SMU's efforts to create a powerful paper-thin camera that uses low-resolution sensors to create a hi-res ... More >>

Homeless Czar Urges City Plan Commission to Increase Permanent Supportive Housing, Addresses Rumors of Possible Mayoral Run

Sam MertenMike Rawlings​Mike Rawlings and Mike Faenza of the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance briefed the City Plan Commission this morning regarding the city's goal of diverting those living in homeless shelters into 700 new units of permanent supportive housing. Their appearance was timely af ... More >>

Mayor Leppert Says Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge "Will Be Finished as Promised" As Corps of Engineers OKs Construction on Approaches

Photos by Sam MertenKevin Craig of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mayor Tom Leppert and council member Dave Neumann this afternoon at the Trinity Trust.​Supporters of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge breathed a collective sigh of relief this afternoon at the Trinity Trust as Mayor Tom Leppert ... More >>

Far as Mayor and DART Prez Are Concerned, the Green Line's All About Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Kimberly Thorpe​Mayor Tom Leppert and other city officials got their first ride on the much-anticipated Dallas Area Rapid Transit Green Line this morning. The first four stops on the $1.8 billion, 20-station, 28-mile line will officially open Monday -- following tomorrow's Super Saturday spectacul ... More >>

Veterans Affairs Kills UT Southwestern's Gulf War Syndrome Research Contract

Dr. Robert Haley​A little more than one month after a report by Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General accused epidemiologist and longtime Gulf War Syndrome researcher Robert Haley and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center of wasting millions and failing to live up to ... More >>

Hutchison's Press Secretary on Perry's $9 Billion "Rainy Day" Claim: "It's Hypocrisy at Its Finest and Clearly Politically Motivated."

Sam Merten​As mentioned earlier, Governor Rick Perry gave us the Heisman when we tried to get a response to his boasts this afternoon about balancing the state's budget and tucking away $9 billion for a "rainy day," conveniently leaving out that nearly all of that $9 billion and the dough used ... More >>

Mo Money Mo Problems: Leppert's Got Some "Good News" for the Council About Trinity

Sam Merten In February, Mayor Tom Leppert and Kevin Craig of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- and tomorrow, they're holding a repeat performance Earlier tonight, a few of us local media members found in our respective in-boxes a draft of remarks Mayor Tom Leppert is expected to deliver Mo ... More >>

Jim Moroney's Clearly No Edgar Winter Fan

Oooooh, can't wait: We're about 15 minutes away from the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet "Future of Journalism" hearing, where, as we noted yesterday, Dallas Morning News publisher and CEO Jim Moroney will testify alongside The Wire creator David Simon and Arianna ... More >>

Why Mayor Tom Wouldn't Admit to Running for Senate Even If He Were

Wick Allison committed an act of journalism today by calling Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and asking him if he's going to run for Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat. Leppert gave him an answer that was not "No," which, in the language of politics, means "Yes." Only, he didn't say yes.The reason for Leppert not ... More >>

Pauken Says New Leadership And Strategy Needed For GOP Progress In Dallas County

In last week's paper version of Unfair Park, we took a look at the local GOP through the eyes of Dallas County Republican Party chair Jonathan Neerman. One of Neerman's critics, Texas Workforce Commission chair (and my former boss) Tom Pauken, says Barack Obama was an important reason why the Democ ... More >>

Dallas' Political Designing Woman

When Dallas' political elite need a win, Carol Reed cheers them on and calls the plays

Meet Dallas' New Federal Judge, More Than Likely

Gary Griffith Opens the Books. Has To, Really.

No Fooling

The city's tearing down gates at Love Field--and that's no joke

The Opposite of True

How The Dallas Morning News spins the Trinity River project

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Why wait?; Real world

Not easy being Green

Ralph Nader's running for real this time

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The (W)right to Fly

How little Legend Airlines beat mammoth American at its own game

The week of living dangerously

Sky Callahan went to Guatemala to shoot a documentary on human-rights abuses. He didn't know he'd be a victim.

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Letters