While we had Angela Hunt and council member-elect Ann Margolin on the phone yesterday, Unfair Park asked for their evaluations of the city’s $190 million budget deficit. Hunt says right now it’s hard to pinpoint the cut resulting in the biggest impact to residents because it’s early in the process,…
In April, public ire rose when Texas Industries scored a 10-year air permit renewal — no public comment period required — for its notoriously toxic Midlothian cement operation. The renewal came with one condition: TXI’s cement kilns, the only ones in North Texas authorized to burn hazardous waste, couldn’t increase…
Elm Street-based Marshmallow Fun Co. has in its sights China-based rival Enertec Enterprises and its New Jersey-living marketing man. So says this six-page complaint filed in Dallas federal court yesterday, in which Marshmallow Fun Co. (sounds like a member of the Elephant Six Collective) claims that Enertec stole the patented…
This morning’s Wall Street Journal investigates the cause of the 18 earthquakes that have rattled the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2008 — from just east of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport down to Cleburne most recently — and concludes, well, ya know, not really sure. Because on the one hand, you’ve…
Not many people relish having to wear contacts or glasses, but for Adam Williamson, poor eyesight was more than a headache. The 25-year-old from Garland was paralyzed in a dirt bike accident three years ago, and his worsening vision made for yet another roadblock in his daily life. His morning…
A Friend of Unfair Park sends us this link to Tony Romo’s Facebook page. Had no idea he was such a Glitter fan. Ahem. Redskins fans…
A short time ago, an ad-side co-worker found this video taken yesterday in Flower Mound, where jogging turned to storm-chasing…
Observer contributing photographer Brandon Thibodeaux landed himself quite the gig: shooting local strip joints for today’s Wall Street Journal story about how gentlemen’s clubs are “striping down” (hawhawhaw) their upscale offerings to lure in customers afeared of dropping major coin in a down economy. All the usual suspects are there,…
After a special June 19 city council meeting popped up on Wednesday’s addendum, we reached out to City Secretary Deborah Watkins and Danielle McClelland, assistant director of the city’s Public Information Office, for an explanation. Neither had an answer as both cited the lack of an agenda for the special…
This was the scene at the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge construction site not too long ago, shot right in the thick of the last big downpour before the morning’s storm cleared out.The Trinity River looked as mighty as ever, submerging the trunks of trees in the floodway — and the…
View Larger MapThis morning I took a peek at the City Plan Commission’s agenda for today in the hopes of getting better grasp on the current state of the University of North Texas Dallas Area Plan, at least as presented during the morning briefing by Peer Chacko in Long Range…
Several Friends of Unfair Park have asked: Why is the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge Construction cam still showing a photo from 9:36 a.m. … yesterday? Says Frank Librio at Dallas City Hall, via e-mail, “The link is down due to to wx,” by which I assume he means … weather?…
Several 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 $100 million in the…
It was ’round midnight this morning when power was restored in our Northwest Dallas neighborhood, which had been illuminated throughout the stormy night by Dallas police cruiser spotlights; congregated neighbors said the officers were poking around for a possible prowler attempting to make the most of the blackout. On the…
Brian Stump, the Albritton Professor of Geological Sciences in SMU’s Dedman College and part of the team set to study the recent Cleburne quakes, wants you to calm the eff down. Seriously. It’s all right. Nothing to worry about. It’s nature, for God’s sakes. Right, Prof. Stump?The recent earthquakes that…
Last night, as the storm was turning out lights across town, Jeff Liles and Barry Kooda went down to the Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff. Jeff brought his video camera; Barry, his acoustic guitar and Loco Gringos’ “Texas Ranger Man.” Not quite sure who brought the thunder…
“taking it to the streets,” by kimberly thorpe, June 4 Surrender Living downtown would be much more attractive if the 65 percent to 80 percent of mixmaster traffic could be eliminated that originates from outside Dallas for destinations the other side of Dallas. Such traffic should use the loops around…
Back in March came word that the the Woodall Rodgers Deck Park was going to receive $16.7 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dough-re-mi, making the $43-million project by far the largest recipient of transportation stimulus money in Dallas County (where, all in, we’re getting about $35.5 million). Today,…
Just stumbled upon quite the shindig planned for July 4 out at Southfork Ranch — something called America’s Tea Party, which is being put on by the Dallas Tea Party folks (nawww) but features a cross-country list of speakers tentatively scheduled to rally the troops. Here’s the roll call thus…
Yet again, Clint Barlow went down to City Hall all dressed up, only to find out that, well, it wasn’t really necessary. That’s because it took “all of three minutes” for the Dallas City Council to approve the specific use permit for Trees, which the City Plan Commission unanimously OK’d…
Four years ago, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice guest by the name of George Morgan filed for a habeas corpus proceeding, which the state asked the court to dismiss. Morgan didn’t take kindly to that, and in response to the state of Texas’s request, Morgan sent to Assistant Attorney…
My old pal Jamey Newberg just sent an out an e-mail with the craziest subject heading: “Texas drafts Ruben Sierra.” As in: “6th round: Ruben Sierra, CF-L, San Juan, Puerto Rico.” As in: “Yeah, that’s Ruben Sierra’s son.” And word is, he can play:Sierra is a super athletic baseball player…
