National Economy

How Much Money is MoneyGram Getting to Move From Minnesota to 2828 N. Harwood?

​A couple of weeks ago, MoneyGram announced it was moving its HQ from Minnesota to Dallas -- you remember that, right? And at the time, City Hall said the move involved "a public incentive package" that the city council had to approve -- oh, like it wouldn't. Anyway. Some Friends wondered how much ... More >>

Says Mayor, Thanks to UNT Dallas Is Finally About to Become a College Town

Get to know the University of North Texas at Dallas from UNTD Webmaster on Vimeo.That video above was just posted to Vimeo by the University of North Texas at Dallas -- but says here it was sent out a couple of weeks ago to "the Board of Regents, potential donors, the Texas legislature, and elected ... More >>

This Just in From the Office of Ironic Developments at Dallas City Hall ...

​I've been meaning to get to this for hours and was otherwise occupied -- drinking, of course, in anticipation of tomorrow's big day. Schutze's bestest bud, Frank Librio at Dallas City Hall, sent to us media types a press release announcing that the city's Office of Economic Development Web site h ... More >>

More About City's Plans to "Rent" JCPenney at Southwest Center Mall, With Option to Buy

Sam MertenThe vacant JCPenney building at Southwest Center Mall in South Dallas.​Karl Zavitkovsky, head of the city's Office of Economic Development, just called back to explain why the city's moving forward with plans to purchase the JCPenney's space at Southwest Center Mall, which the chain aban ... More >>

No Justice: We've Bailed Out the Banks. When Do We Go After the Crooks Behind Our Financial Collapse?

Getting Educated at the Policy Boot Camp

Photos by Kimberly Thorpe​It doesn't sound like a buzzword or a catch phrase -- at least, not like "Obamacare" or "Socialism." But heading into the next election season, keep an eye out for it: "educated voter." That was the phrase being bandied about Saturday, when Unfair Park headed to Lak ... More >>

If Nothing Else, City Council Members Now Have One More Reason to Travel Abroad

​The city council's Economic Development Committee was first briefed on the subject one year ago: "Attracting Foreign Investment as Part of Dallas' Economic Growth Strategy: The EB-5 Program." Long story short: Per the Immigration Act of 1990, foreign investors who sink at least $1 million into U. ... More >>

When Deloitte Did the Math, It Needed $2 Mil From Dallas, Or Else It Was Going to Irving

​Earlier this year, Deloitte LLP went down to Dallas City Hall and said it was thinking of consolidating its Dallas and Irving operations under one roof ... in Irving. The accounting firm had crunched the numbers, and "there was a multi-million dollar cost advantage to Deloitte LLP if it chose an ... More >>

What's it Worth to Move 200 Hilton Jobs to Dallas From Farmers Branch? Dunno Yet.

​Says this sneak preview of the city council's Economic Development Committee agenda next week, Dallas is considering forking over an economic development grant to Hilton Hotels, which is looking to relocate a regional headquarters to Dallas. Office of Economic Development head Karl Zavitkovsky, a ... More >>

National League of Cities: If You Think Dallas's '09-'10 Budget Looks Bad, Wait Till Next Year

Sam MertenCity Manager Mary Suhm debuting her 2009-'10 budget to the media three weeks ago​On August 10, when the Dallas City Council met to discuss City Manager Mary Suhm's budget proposal that gut services and employees to make room for a $190-million budget shortfall, the city's chief financial ... More >>

The Master Plan: Park and Rec Votes to Spend $2.5 Mil to Turn Parking Lot into Pacific Plaza

​This morning at City Hall, the Park and Recreation Department's Planning and Design Committee authorized the acquisition of the last piece of land the city needs for the long-planned, $9 million Pacific Plaza Park project. Right now, it's just a parking lot west of Live Oak and St. Paul streets ... More >>

Dallas Fed Has OK News About Texas Economy. Son of Dallas Fed Head Has OK American Psycho Homage.

Guess this could go under the "From the RTF Department" category, since Miles Fisher has quite the estimable demo reel -- which includes a snippet from the video in which he parodies Tom Cruise's infamous Scientology promo. Or maybe "Business News for People Who Don't Read Business News," since Mile ... More >>

According to UNT Profs, DART's the "Economic Engine Making Dallas a World-Class City"

Click to expland the image if you actually want to peek at DART's 2030 Transit PlanThis morning at Dallas Area Rapid Transit HQ, president Gary Thomas lauded the rail expansion as "on time and under budget," and presented a new study by professors at the University of North Texas's Center for Econom ... More >>

After City Approves More Than $1 Billion in Bond Funding for South Dallas, Task Force Finds Ways to Spend Another $100 Million

Sam MertenSeveral members of the Mayor's Southern Dallas Task Force packed the city council chambers Tuesday afternoon as they unveiled plans to revitalize 10 areas of South Dallas. The task force, consisting of approximately 250 folks split into 13 groups, recommended the city include a minimum of ... More >>

Food For Thought 5.29.09

"The UPS guy drops things off and he sees my 4-by-8-by-6-foot pile of food and I say, 'What are you doing to prepare, buddy?'" (Jim Wiseman of La Jolla, California--figures--who has taken to survivalist ways in fear that an economic collapse would empty store shelves. Mmm...pile of food. Wiseman's b ... More >>

Yo, Bernanke, I Thought I Told You Not to Come 'Round Here No More

Patrick MichelsJarrod Atkinson, trying not to shout. If you're meeting up with friends later today, Jarrod Atkinson has a joke for you to try. He told his rendition through a megaphone Saturday afternoon, before a crowd outside the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and it went a little like this:"Knoc ... More >>

Dallas Fed Head Richard Fisher Tells Japan: "The Data from the United States are Grim."

Dallas Fed president Richard FisherRichard Fisher, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, just delivered a speech to the Japan Center for Economic Research in Tokyo, where he didn't quote Bob Dylan or compare the economy to the contraptions of Rube Goldberg -- t ... More >>

Red Bird Singing in the Dead of Night, Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly

View Larger MapSpeaking, as we were late last week, of deserted area malls, today comes word that the city council's trying to figure out what to do with the Shopping Center Formerly Known as Red Bird. Otherwise called Southwest Center Mall, the joint was once a jam-packed jewel upon its grand openi ... More >>

As City Council Tries to Build a "Walkable" City, a Side Trip Down the Sidewalk

Every so often in city council committee briefings, you'll see the words "Forward Dallas!," which kinda rings a bell? Anyway, there's that phrase again this morning -- this time in the Economic Development Committee's briefing package labeled Streetscape Licenses. As "walkability" is the new buzz wo ... More >>

What Remains of Federal Funds Intended for Motorsports Museum Will Now Go Toward MLK Boulevard "Revitalization Program"

View Larger MapBeen a loooong time since we've written about Derrick Mitchem and his proposed Motorsports Museum across from Fair Park, in the old Bama Pie building. Been no reason to: Last I looked, oh, three weeks ago, the place looked just as it has for years and as you see above -- more or less ... More >>

Dallas Fed Head Says of "Buy American" Clause, It's "The Crack Cocaine of Economics"

Dallas Federal Reserve president and CEO Richard FisherDallas Federal Reserve president and CEO Richard Fisher was on C-SPAN's Washington Journal this morning warning that the "Buy American" provision in the House's stimulus bill is bad, bad news. European officials said over the weekend they're ter ... More >>

All Ale Cheese!

Pair up brews and bites

The Deep End: Dallas Fed's Bleak Texas Manufacturing Survey

Moments ago, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas released its latest Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey -- a snapshot look at what folks are making, ordering and selling -- and it's not looking good, not surprisingly. As in:Texas factory activity deteriorated further in December, according to busine ... More >>

Fed Up, or: Yet Another Weekend Protest in Downtown Dallas

Over the weekend, A Scanner Darkly star (well ...) Alex Jones made the trip up to Dallas to take on the Federal Reserve -- though, really, how many folks are in the building on a Saturday? Those folks who ditched out on Dealey Plaza brought their bullhorns and placards to 2200 N. Pearl Street, where ... More >>

Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down, Even if Dallas Fed Survey Does

Dallas Fed prez Richard Fisher This morning, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas -- those bloodsuckers! -- released the latest Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. In a word: Oy. In two: "Plunged sharply." Or, as the Associated Press puts it: "Texas manufacturers are painti ... More >>

Dallas Fed's Richard Fisher Hails From "The Strongest Economic Region Within the United States"

Bob Dylan Is My Banker

Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher Is, Seriously, a Shanghai Surprise

When Money Meant for Mexico Stays in U.S., Well, That's a Bad Sign

Dallas Fed's Richard Fisher Predicts a "Frightful Storm" Is A-Brewin'

Dallas Loves its Apartments

Why the Dallas Fed Prez Voted Against the Interest Rate Cut. Something About Tequila, Punch and Whisky.

The Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs of Dallas Fed Head Richard Fisher

Dallas to Lose $4 Billion in 2008? Man, That Sounds Bad.

Uncle Milty Gets Down with Dallas Fed

Dick Armey's Local Think Tank Says Music Piracy is Killing America

The China Syndrome

Don Hill Asks Tom Leppert: What, Exactly, Are You Spreading?

Mayoral Candidates Love South Dallas and the Arts. And You. They Love You.

Don Hill's Faith-Based Plan For...Crime-Fighting?

Beige Book Filled With Gray

Fed Feeding Mexico's Addiction?

No Knock on the Maquiladora

A Brimful for ASHA

Swim in the Indian Ocean

Forest City to Own Entire Metroplex

Dressy Bessy, the Carlsonics

September 4

Choking on Asbestos

Letters from October 3, 2002

Déjà Vu

The new Farrakhan sounds a lot like the old -- anti-Semitic

Unhappy New Year

SMU's resident Cassandra says the economic end is near -- again

Paper chase

William Morgan says he's just an innocent document dealer snared in a campaign finance scandal. And if you believe that, he has some old railroad bonds he wants to sell you.