Race the Sun

ABC News reminds us this morning of the North American Solar Challenge that revs up on July 13 — a sort of 10-day solar-powered Cannonball Run that will find 25 collegiate teams racing from Plano to Calgary, which measures some 2,400 miles. Notes the story: What began as a modest…

Dousing the Olympic Flame

Could you take this dude? Do you even care? At the risk of getting my ass kicked by a 106-pound 19-year-old, Luis Yanez should shut his pie-hole and follow the rules. That is, if like he says, his dream is to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. Duncanville’s Yanez,…

Valdez “Shocked” and “Confused” Over Discovery Channel Uproar

Sam Merten Sheriff Lupe Valdez and District Attorney Craig Watkins, trying to put the commissioners’ threat of a lawsuit out of commission. As you may know by now, the Dallas County commissioners voted unanimously this morning to seek a court order stopping the Discovery Channel from filming a documentary inside…

Wait, You Mean I’m Not Getting My Own Personal Starbucks Location?

So much for there being a Starbucks on every corner. Because today the company announced it’s shuttering “approximately 600 underperforming company-operated stores” in the U.S. — only, it hasn’t announced where, not yet. That may come in a few minutes: At 4:30, Pete Bocian, the coffee seller’s chief financial officer,…

Hey, Ladies, the Watters is Fine

Trademark Property Company Oddly, we have this same painting hanging over the bed. For those bored by today’s news, how about something from tomorrow’s New York Times. Like, oh, this business story about how Fort Worth-based Trademark Property Company developed the 52-acres Watters Creek Shopping Center up in Allen –…

The Mavs and the Mav-Nots

Deja Diop? DeSagana Diop? Matt Barnes? Shan Foster? Be still my bouncy basketball heart. Because the Dallas Mavericks are apparently going to next year look a lot like they did last year. Or, come to think of it, a lot like they did in 2006. NBA free agency started with…

Bloke on the Tracks

From Australian public television, host Richard Snashall rides the Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail. Looks like he had a g’day, mate! –Robert Wilonsky…

Your Rangers Officially Don’t Suck

Two games over .500! Where’s Laura Miller when we need her?! When Ian Kinsler snagged a pop-up for last night’s final out, Texas Rangers’ TV voice Josh Lewin screamed “Got it! Got it! Got it! The Rangers beat the Yankees!” This morning on The Ticket, co-host Craig Miller made a…

Jesus, Lisa Garza, Just Win This Goddamned Thing Already

From next week’s episode, when Lisa Garza asks a Girl Scout, “Do you like steak?” No more avoiding the — yawn — inevitable: Your Weekly Next Food Network Star update, starring Suze’s Lisa Garza. Though what’s to say about last night’s episode, when Garza was nearly done in by the…

Damn, That Was One Expensive Balloon

Jeff Koons Well, looks like Howard and Cindy Rachofsky done got ’em a little extra spending cash, as they finally parted with their beloved Jeff Koons sculpture, “Balloon Flower (Magenta),” for $25,648,698 — or, about $1.5 million more than experts initially guesstimated. No wonder, then, that Christie’s is heralding the…

Human Rain Delay: Part Deux

If this ball went foul, we’d be waiting another three minutes for a pitch. I see your Texas Rangers continued to hover around .500 in my absence. Which is a good, amazing, frustrating thing. Tonight they try (again) to get two games above .500 for the first time in the…