University of Texas System

Hey, Rick Perry, Listen. Is That a Fat Lady You Hear Singing?

Is it too soon and maybe even bad luck to say this out loud? Is it even possible that Governor Oops could be over? I'm knocking on wood, tossing salt over my shoulder, making the sign of the cross with my index fingers and looking for garlic in the kitchen as I speak, I promise. But yesterday cons ... More >>

Aerial Spraying Against West Nile Needs Debate

We're getting only half the story about the risks and dangers of pesticides.

Scoremore Brings Your Favorite Rapper's Favorite Rapper to Town

Scoremore Brings Your Favorite Rapper's Favorite Rapper To Town

The Smoker's Club Tour hit Dallas last month, and it was a busy night, like so many Thursdays in our town. I sit in my car on Elm Street, trying to get around a sudden surge of traffic. I hear sirens. Four blocks away from Trees, I can smell the marijuana, mixed with the smell of burnt rubber. I can ... More >>

Treaty Oak Distillery: A Texan You All Need to Know

Daniel Barnes is a really nice Texas boy. He referred to me as 'mam at least 20 times during our conversation. Part of me wanted to beg him to stop, but the other part could just tell that was how he was raised. Barnes is from the small town of Menard, on the Edwards Plateau in South Texas where h ... More >>

Parkland Hospital's Land Grab

Dallas County's public hospital is using eminent domain to buy up real estate in hopes of flipping it for a profit. But one homeowner is holding out.

What You Don't Know About Prosecutorial Oversight: Our Chat with Attorney Betty Blackwell

Michael Morton, free after 25 years of wrongful imprisonment for his wife's murder, spoke about his experience yesterday during a panel discussion on prosecutorial oversight at the University of Texas. Morton's case has become a focal point of any story or discussion about prosecutorial misconduct, ... More >>

Vickery Meadow: An Oral History

Not long after I wrote a story about Vickery Meadow last month, Jerry Holley, an antiques auctioneer who grew up in the area, sent me a polite email that made me curious as to what I hadn't written. "Enjoyed your article on Vickery Meadow, but you missed the real history of the area," he wrote. My ... More >>

Five Decades Into His Career, Gary P. Nunn Talks The Past and Present of Texas Music

Singer-songwriter Gary P. Nunn has been making music for nearly half a century. In that time, Nunn has played with a Who's Who of Texas country musicians. Best known for writing "London Homesick Blues," the theme song for Austin City Limits, Nunn has worked with, among others, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mi ... More >>

Drug Trafficking, the Missing Piece in The Dallas Morning News's Texas Jobs Puzzle

Piles of cash and nowhere to launder it? That's what Texas is for, hombre.​In Sunday's Dallas Morning News, reporter Brendan Case took a stab at explaining what, besides the state's generally business-friendly policies, has helped Texas produce such a relative bounty of jobs of late. The state ... More >>

Flame Retardant in Butter? Then Why Does it
Always Scorch in the Pan?

Oh sure, you say you don't want flame retardant in your butter, but would this make you happy?​"Here's what I was thinking for the Observer," researcher Arnold Schecter says when I reach him by phone to discuss his latest findings. "You could say: Do you want flame retardant in your Christmas ... More >>

At Least Nigella Lawson Loves Big D

Houston gets Anthony Bourdain, and Dallas gets Nigella Lawson. Roughly half the City of Ate crew says, "Go, Dallas!" Guess which half.​Big-name food stars, like most sane travelers, have pretty much steered clear of Dallas this summer: While Houston hosted Anthony Bourdain, and the University ... More >>

It's Official: KERA's All-Music Station, KXT, Will Make Noise Starting November 9

​At last: KERA just sent word that its announced-in-June all-music radio station, now known as KKXT-FM (91.7), will officially makes its bow November 9 at 7 a.m. Also announced this morning were the nationally syndicated programs KXT, as it'll be known, will air: Acoustic Café, American Routes, M ... More >>

Breach of Faith Redux: Is the Army Corps of Engineers Learning From Past Mistakes?

Jim SchutzeThe Trinity River in June 2007On February 11, I wrote a piece for the paper version of Unfair Park in which I said officials in New Orleans shared blame for the levee failures during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Specifically, I wrote, "The locals had pushed and pulled for a century to get t ... More >>

So, The State Will Have an Integrity Unit. Which Will Do What, Exactly?

UT Southwestern VP Serves Local Media Some Whine and "Poppycock"

Family Shattered After Oscar Sanchez's Murder

Sanchez's family thought they'd left the lawlessness of Mexico behind. But somehow it caught up with them.

Darrell Jordan Says Cotton Bowl's Moving Because of City's "Failure of Leadership and Vision"

One More Bit of Dallas' History About to Bite the Dust

Premature Evacuation

Caution: Knee jerks hopping off Mavs' bandwagon

Steppin' Out

Girl leaves the grind behind for a li'l two-stepping where the dry turns wet

Don't Be a Fool. Stay in School. Or Not.

The Allure of Azure

Harwood builds a fancy condo tower without a nickel in handouts from City Hall

Helluva Swing

Game 6 redeems Michael Keaton after he almost fouled out

Yee-haw, Y'all!

Tex-cess

Everything's bigger in our state, especially the fan fakery

Right Thinking

Young conservatives put their professors on notice--they're being watched

Screwing the Man

Electronic Robin Hoods claim music file-swapping is an act of civil disobedience

History Teacher

Elmer Kelton is likely the best Texas author you've never heard of

Bass Fishing

Drums & Tuba make rock out of nothing at all

Big Tex

Cowboys icon Schramm left his mark on his team and those who knew him

Some Like It Not

Tony Curtis commits felonious acting at DSM; Plano Rep rips into an old play about jail

Desperate Measures

Welcome (again) to the Arena League, where Desperados are kind, giants are invisible and rock concerts turn into football games

Selling Ron

A pro-business black Democrat who appeals to white voters, Ron Kirk is the sport utility vehicle of Senate candidates. But will voters buy him?

That's the Ticket

Miller, Dunning take to the airwaves

Letters

High Hopes, Ugly Americans

Amazing but True

Three photographers choose Spain and Latin America as their subjects, with breathtaking results

Lost and found

Poor, brown, and inner-city. These Adamson High School kids weren't supposed to make it. They did anyway.

Lost legends

Tary Owens helped rescue the early roots of Texas music. Then those songs saved Owens from himself.

Grandma goes electric

Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander wants to take the state into the 21st century -- and herself into higher office -- with her vision of "e-Texas"

Put up a fight

With bands like these, who needs Austin anyway?

Lights,Camera, No Action

Austin is now the undisputed movie capital of Texas, but Dallas filmmakers insist there's no reason to panic

Perfect game

When Reid Ryan wanted Round Rock voters to build a stadium for his minor-league baseball team, he turned to the one pitchman no good Texan could refuse -- his dad, Nolan

Pay attention

Meredith Miller decides to say folk it and goes rock

Dream a little dream

During South by Southwest, the harsh reality is always a free drink away

Not as dome as you think

Dallas attorney Darrell Jordan wants to cover the Cotton Bowl--anyone got $150 million to spare?

Events for the week

Events for the week

To be or not to bop

Texan Jazz unveils the Lone Star contribution to jazz

Buzz