Marriott International Inc.

Texas Lawmakers Beware: The American Federation of Teachers is Coming for You

Last spring on the steps of the State Capitol, it was possible to buy a highly metaphorical cupcake, one that would cost you just $100 million. The "Billion Dollar Bake Sale" was put together by an outfit called Save Texas Schools, and it was meant to draw attention to the $5.4 billion Texas lawmak ... More >>

A Sister Goes to Meet Her Brother's Killer, and an Inmate Tells of Watching Him Die

Jennifer Ciravolo woke early Wednesday morning, knowing that day she would look into the face of the man accused of killing her brother in a Tarrant County jail. She got her sons dressed and packed for elementary school. Instead of the uniform she wears to her job as a cashier at a Valero gas statio ... More >>

In Capital Murder Trial For Suffocation of Arlington Preacher, An Accounting. For Jonathan Holden's Family, A Time to Speak.

Two deaths will be answered for in a trial only intended to account for one. See also: - Imaginary Monsters Chased Jonny Holden All His Life, Then a Real One Caught Him First, starting Monday, Steven Lawayne Nelson, a deeply troubled 25-year-old, will be tried for the murder of Clinton Dobson, a 2 ... More >>

Imaginary Monsters Chased Jonny Holden All His Life, Then a Real One Caught Him

Refugee Writers Means an Outlet for Refugees and Awareness for the Rest of Us

The other day, Unfair Park chatted with filmmaker Bentley Brown about his film Faisal Goes West, the tale of a Sudanese family moving to America and settling in Dallas' Vickery Meadow neighborhood. Brown mentioned his friend who convinced him to film in Dallas (and acted as script supervisor) starte ... More >>

Three Days at A-Kon 23: J-Pop, Boy Bands, Grown Men with Pacifiers

See also: The fans of A-Kon. I don't really know why I asked to cover A-Kon, the annual anime convention in Dallas, other than I support like-minded people coming together to share a common passion, the exception being those who burn crosses and wear red arm bands. I had no idea what to expect fro ... More >>

Beyond DNA, Difficult Tests for the Justice System

Freeing the wrongfully convicted through science was the easy part. Now what?

Fastest Show on Earth

NASCAR's Ringmaster

A Tourists Guide to a Dozen Dirty Deeds by Dallas Cowboys

Julia Lopez: Smart, Simple Cooking Needs No Translation

La Duni​It's a very cold Monday night when I go to La Duni on Oak Lawn to visit with their corporate chef, 37-year-old Julia Lopez. Horse-drawn carriages roll by outside and almost all of the tables inside are filled with large parties of revelers. 'Tis the season and all. Warm, freshly-made ... More >>

Two Out of Three Owners Ain't Bad

Two sports items with which to begin your Friday, starting with the news that the NBA's looking into comments Mark Cuban made earlier this week to CNNMoney's Poppy Harlow concerning his interest in LeBron James. That's the interview in question above. But, in short: Was the Mavs man tampering by eve ... More >>

News & Notes & Assorted Other Follow-Ups

​Allow me to clean out the been-meaning-to-get-to folder ...This morning I made mention of Jerry Jones walking out of the Marriott Marquis in New York City last night with two Sports Business Journal awards: Sports Exec of the Year and Sports Facility of the Year. Which is relevant to this chitcha ... More >>

Days Gone Bite: Howard Johnson's Fried Clams

​In the '60s and '70s it was almost impossible to travel any distance without spotting a bright orange roof and that Simple Simon weathervane. There were close to 1,000 Howard Johnson's restaurants back then, each of them serving 28 flavors of ice cream and platefuls of fried clams.The clams were ... More >>

With Extract, Mike Judge Goes Back To Work

South-By On A Dime: Saturday

Well, my SXSW trip is over. I didn't manage to survive solely on day-party free food and beer the way I'd hoped to because doing so would have been at the sacrifice of other, better shows. Plus, my experience Thursday taught me not to trust a free-beer or free-food promise. My food expenses were far ... More >>

Mayor Tom Leppert's Campaign Strategy for the Convention Center Hotel? Blame It On Harlan Crow. Then Rinse and Repeat.

Sam MertenThere's this "one individual" Leppert tossed under the bus. Then he threw it in reverse and ran him over a few times for good measure. Mayor Tom Leppert and Anne Raymond of Crow Holdings and Citizens Against the Taxpayer-Owned Hotel made another campaign stop at the Bachman Recreation Cen ... More >>

Guantanamo's Final Days

America prepares to shutter the infamous prison camp, and jihad looms

When Al Lipscomb's the Voice of Reason About the Convention Center Hotel, We're All Screwed

Sam MertenLeppert was too focused on the hotel votes to enjoy today's performance by the Dallas Black Dance Theatre.In separate 10-2 votes, the Dallas City Council approved developer and operator agreements with Matthews Southwest and Omni Hotels for the convention center hotel, leaving the $525 mil ... More >>

Crappy Bond Market Could Make Convention Center Hotel Referendum Relevant

Patrick MichelsEven though Mayor Tom is committed to building the hotel before the May 9 vote, Assistant City Manager A.C. Gonzalez says it won't happen until the bond market turns around.While the city council continues to face delays regarding the selection of an operator for the convention cente ... More >>

City Council's Not Quite Ready to Give the Convention Center Hotel to Omni

Sam MertenWhat the convention center hotel's supposed to look like, more or less, except it won't be so, ya know, small.Item No. 3 on the Dallas City Council's briefing agenda for today reads as follows:Approve the execution of the Hotel Operating Agreement between Omni Hotels Management Corporation ... More >>

Bill Marriott Makes Last-Ditch Effort to Operate City's Convention Center Hotel

Nickelodeon Resorts by MarriottMarriott International chairman and CEO Bill Marriott manages to crack a smile after Mayor Leppert threw a bowl of guacamole at him in response to a letter he sent asking to operate the city hotel.With three intriguing items on the city council docket, I was originall ... More >>

Come Thursday, We'll Know Who's Gonna Operate Our Hotel

This morning, the City Secretary's Office posted the agenda to a Special Called Economic Development Committee for Thursday morning. At the top of the to-do list: Convention Center Hotel Operator Selection. In other words, we'll know whether the city's chosen to go with Omni Hotels or if it pref ... More >>

These Are Grim Times for the Hotel Business. But, Shhh, Say Nothing.

Polygamy and Me

Seven months have passed since the polygamist raid in Eldorado, but for one mainstream Mormon, the effects linger

Never a Dull Moment on the City's Economic Development Agenda

Just Checkin' In: Council's Gonna Begin Writing Those Big Hotel Checks Today

A Peek Inside the Ugly Convention Center Hotel Bidding Process

A Vote Could Be the Secret Weapon to Slow Down the Convention Center Hotel Plans

Kiss Me, Katie

Fairy tales can come true. Why, they can even win you an award from Dallas' less-than-vigilant press club.

The Super Bowl: Or, What's In It For Me?

No More Love for Love Field Antique Mall, Damn It

Take Another Hit

Do You Have What It Takes To Take...I Mean Make A Hit?

How the Dallas Cowboys Changed Jerry Ford's Life

Latino Pupae

Latin food without the lard? It's better than you think.

Parcells Guys

Can has-beens from a coach's glory years change the cowboys from mediocrites to monsters?

Hope Sinks

Between optimism and despair, there's comic (and author) Richard Lewis

Scene, Heard

A flood of inaugural party invites hits our mailbox

Flying Right

Robert Crews throws the book at the DFW board and gets what he wants

Tom Waits for no one

Or: Looking for the heart of South by Southwest

They Came From Plano

For Dallas' wackiest speaking gig, Cheyenne Turner brings in UFO inventors, alien abductees, and millennial prophets. But she has to keep her antennae up. These days, E.T. could be a neo-Nazi.

To Tell the Truth

A lawsuit closes in on allegations that Southwestern Bell has strict billing policies targeting poor, predominantly minority neighborhoods

Perotnoia

The great mystery of Perot's 1992 presidential bid was his sudden decision to quit the race. Biographer Gerald Posner found that Perot was a victim of a shadowy soldier of fortune-- and his own delusions.

Quarterback sneak

How Ron Kirk secretly pulled the strings in city's Big 12 deal