I live with people who spend most of the year working on their Halloween costumes. They conceptualize, design and create as much as possible from scratch, repurposing random things from the garage or hardware store. And so, they’re quite jazzed to show off their concepts and artwork come the last…
“I have all very yummy days,” is one of the first things Donna Collins told me about herself on the phone recently. It’s not a bad introduction. Collins is the jelly queen, even though she says there are many, all of whom she’s worked or cooked with over the years. It…
As a chill blanketed North Texas early Tuesday morning, thousands of Dallas County voters woke up and made their way to the polls, the first day of early voting in Texas for the 2020 general election. The doors were officially unlocked at 7 a.m., but voters began lining up at…
Sam Damask didn’t have a Plan B when he resigned from Dallas ISD. Tuesday night, the first-year middle school math teacher quit because of coronavirus. Students poured back into school buildings Monday as part of the district’s hybrid learning model. With kids back in class, Damask said he soon realized…
The commissioners court oversees the Dallas County Elections Department, which determines all the precise details of our elections. It is spearheaded by Toni Pippins-Poole, who is retiring at the end of November. And after comments in the meeting, we’re guessing that Boys II Men’s “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye…
Note: Early voting begins Oct. 13 in Texas. The Dallas County Elections Department, which oversees many aspects of our local elections, held a registration drive right up until the midnight deadline Monday. For most of the day cars snaked through the parking lot and into the street as drivers waited…
Through an initiative with the city of Dallas and the CARES Act, Dallas City Council members have been providing some local restaurants with personal protective equipment. “I love our local restaurants,” District 6 City Council member Omar Narvaez says. “But even seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, some people still…
Dallas ISD schools welcomed more students back to class Monday while COVID-19 cases across the county are trending up. According to Dallas County, last week there was an average of 350 new daily cases versus 292 the week before. Other districts around North Texas and the state have already opened…
The Dallas County Elections Department has received more than $15 million in a grant from the Center for Technology and Civic Life (CTCL) to help with critical resources in the upcoming general election. The CTCL is a nonprofit that provides funding to local election offices across the country. Before the pandemic,…
Every day is a good day for a proper sandwich. No matter how complicated and soul-killing life can get, a sandwich … well, let’s just say sandwiches are super nice. Terry Duncan and Jonathan “Jono” Merrill are the duo behind The Colossal Sandwich Shop in Bedford. They were classmates at…
The word “identity” carries a lot of weight in Molly Sydnor’s life; at the moment, that means a weight of 15 books and a few hundred pounds of yarn. The Dallas-based multidisciplinary artist grew up in Milwaukee, where she spent a good chunk of her early years playing sports. She…
Six months deep into this pandemic, there’s no question about it: In terms of economic fallout, bars have been among the hardest-hit businesses. Dive bars, specifically, are sorely missed because of their ability to offer the best boozy versions of ourselves. These gems all come with their own form of…
Tuesday was the first day of fall, and we’re wildly enthusiastic about each and every turn of the page this year. These cooler temperatures also tickle a deep desire to pull out sweaters and boots, but we’ll wait … because wouldn’t it be so 2020 for summer to pull that…
The dads’ club of Bishop Dunne Catholic School has tapped into its alumni resources to help their own during these hard and unpredictable times. Michael Alfers is the assistant director of middle school at the private school in Oak Cliff and coordinates with the dads’ club. In mid-March when restaurants,…
A new and used record store, Growl, is blossoming in downtown Arlington along Abrams Street. This retail space has cycled through different phases over the last few years, trying to figure out what it wants to really be when it grows up. With low ceilings, a cement floor, bars on…
So you never thought you’d be a teacher, but here you are. And you’re doing great, and we’re honestly proud of all of you. Gold stars for you. In full admiration and respect to all public school guardians who are managing virtual learning right now, we’ve come up with some…
Shannon Neffendorf found his love for European coffee culture through Blockbuster. No, not through whimsical movies with stars sipping cups of coffee at street cafes in Italy, but rather through his work with the company. After graduating from Texas Tech, Neffendorf got a job working as an accountant at the…
State-supported efforts to suppress voting have a long, ugly history across the nation, particularly in Texas, and they’re still alive today. Tougher voter ID laws, early voting barriers, mail-in ballot restrictions and the recent elimination of straight-ticket voting are all part of what critics say is a surgical strike on…
Carlos de la Fuente initially opened a produce stand and small grocery store at an old gas station and garage in North Oak Cliff in 1989. In 2005, he hired Alex Segreto to make piñatas at the store on West Davis Street. Soon, the craft business overtook the grocery options. …
Students in both Mansfield and Lewisville school districts returned to in-person class Tuesday with backpacks and face masks ready. That same day, parents were notified of positive cases of COVID-19 on campuses in both districts. Mansfield has an enrollment of more than 35,000 students and 4,542 staff spread across 46…
Profound Foods has announced a major expansion that will significantly increase its capacity to serve as a food hub and farm-based kitchen for North Texas. Profound Foods was founded by husband and wife Jeff and Lee Bednar, farmers themselves, in 2018. Late last week, they announced they’ve acquired a 13,000-square-foot…
Good to Go is a column in which our food writers explore Dallas’ restaurant scene through takeout orders, delivery boxes and reheated leftovers. Tracy German grew up in Augusta, Georgia, watching her mother bake cakes from scratch, tweaking the recipes along the way to her own liking. German inherited her…
