Debate It, Then Rate It

In case you couldn’t make it to the East Dallas Christian Church last night for the Dallas Homeowners League-sponsored debate over the $1.2-billion Trinity River toll road, our Friend (and yours — admit it) Avi Adelman has posted the opening statements from TrinityVote’s Angela Hunt and Trinity Commons Foundation’s Craig…

If You Need Laura Bush Saturday…

…she’ll be at SMU — specifically at the Meadows Museum, at 5900 Bishop Boulevard. She’ll be there at noon, if you wanna stop by and ask her about her husband’s museum and think tank or just tell her, ya know, “S’up, Laura.” And just why will she stopping by her…

Phone Tag

Dallas Observer reporter Matt Pulle has asked his editors to give you the following information: He has no opinion about the size of former Dallas County Deputy Constable Jim Gilliand’s behind, no interest in procuring sexual partners for Constable Mike Dupree and nothing to do with anonymous phone calls to…

Looking on the Bright Side

Nine days after Farmers Branch voters overwhelmingly approved an ordinance that would ban apartments from renting to illegal immigrants, a federal judge on Monday issued a restraining order blocking the law from taking effect on May 22. Since last August, the suburb has been consumed by protests, counter-protests, shouting matches…

Doctoring Dirk

Come in, come in. Have a seat, Dirk. Better yet, lie down on the couch. That’s right, you and your NBA Most Valuable Player trophy get comfy. Or at least try. Because that’s it, really, the reason I’ve summoned you here. To convince Dirk Nowitzki once and for all that…

Hipster Jr.

Ennis’ Wooden Nickel bar is the only place in town that serves alcohol after midnight. Tonight is the bartender’s birthday, and the deeply tanned distributor of drinks has opted to celebrate by not wearing much underwear. It’s her birthday; she’ll wear a thong if she wants to. Unfortunately, her denim…

Going for Broke

“I’m living my dream, man,” he says, sitting in the office of his garage, a man of 41 who looks a decade younger, hiding behind Buddy Holly specs and beneath a collage of tattoos. On his right forearm is a tattoo of General George Patton. It was etched there by…

Woe Is They

Woe is they: So if the best-educated minds in the country get together and agree on one particular point of view, what would you think? Would you say, “These guys are all pretty smart and well-trained, so that’s probably a pretty good point of view.” Or would you think that…

Democracy in Action | Mook-free Zone | Phooey | Fashion Disaster

Democracy in Action Goon patrol: Last Saturday I walked up to see a petition-gatherer and a blocker engaged in some degree of verbal static (“Laura’s Goons,” by Jim Schutze, May 17). I had to interrupt them to tell the petition-gatherer, “Come here, man, I wanna sign that sumbitch.” The volunteer…

Is That Gas or Indigestion at Exxon?

Greenpeace USA Five days ago, Greenpeace USA and ExxonSecrets issued a report that says Irving-based ExxonMobil spent $2.1 million last year on 41 groups “who are leading the climate skeptic industry.” This, despite Exxon’s claiming it don’t do that no more — and that it never did since, ya know,…

Nurture My Pig. Do It Now.

So, my rock cred’s been called into question; fair enough. Perhaps this just-posted-to-YouTube clip of late local heroes, Loco Gringos, performing 20 years ago at Fry Street Fair, will satisfy those doubters. If not, here’s some vintage Reverend Horton Heat from that very same afternoon. –Robert Wilonsky…

Random Sports — and “Sports” — News

This picture of Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Martin might be the most confusing photo ever taken. Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Keyshawn Johnson retired today, to join ESPN as a sportscaster. Not that Johnson thinks he was ready to give up the game. “Although I am currently able to play at…

Where You Will Find Schutze Tonight

Why, at the East Dallas Christian Church (629 N. Peak St.), naturally; dude’s big on prayer. Aw, c’mon, it’s just business: Tonight at 7, the Dallas Homeowners League is hosting a debate concerning the $1.2 Trinity toll road, pitting TrinityVote’s Angela Hunt against Trinity Commons Foundation’s Craig Holcomb, with Martin…

It’s an Honor Just to Be Nominated…

A scene from the Student Academy Award-nominated Left in Baghdad by HP grad Peter Jordan Last week we got word that Highland Park grad Peter Jordan got nominated for a Student Academy Award, which, in the student film world, is about a big a deal as a real Oscar is…

Bush Library, Meet Sports Think Tank

Jim Morris, who looks nothing like Dennis Quaid, is in town this week for a sports thingy over at SMU. Tomorrow: The Super Bowl. Today: Summit On Sports. In 2011 North Texas will give the world a grandiose, decadent event filled with parties and excess. But for the next two…

Roky Erickson’s Coming to Town — This Time, For Real

Roky Erickson, no longer walking with the zombies, will make his first Dallas appearance in forever in July at the Granada Theater. Our old pal Mike Schoder just called with some Big Breaking Rock and Roll News: The Granada Theater has booked Roky Erickson for a July 14 show –…

Whirlpool’s Going to Clean Up Frazier Courts

A couple of years back, home appliance maker Whirlpool started working with Habitat for Humanity, promising by 2011 to put either money or, say, a washing machine in every house HfH built — around the world, no kiddin’. Till then it’s sponsoring, through a project called Building Blocks, Habitat construction…

Why the PGA Screwed Texas

Used to be the pros came to town to pay their respects to Byron Nelson. Now, the PGA and its players don’t much care about his namesake tournament. Even us non-golfers knew when the Byron Nelson and Colonial were happening — and happenin’, come to think of it. Used to…

Got That Mojo Workin’

So, how do you take a candidate who has lived only a short time in a city, who has never held elected office there and is virtually unknown and get him to the top of the pack in the first round of voting for mayor? That’s what I wanted to…

The Super Bowl: Or, What’s In It For Me?

We’re big fans of Craig Depken’s from way back, when, last June, we pushed his paper Mega-Events: Is the Texas-Baylor game to Waco what the Super Bowl is to Houston?, which the University of Texas at Arlington sports economics prof penned with his University of Baltimore associate Dennis Coates. Another…

It’s Hard to be a St. in the City

On Friday we sent you elsewhere to view St. Vincent’s “Your Lips Are Red” video, shot and recorded live at Atlantic Sound and Union Hall in Brooklyn. Well, in case you missed yer shot, Beggars Banquet — which is releasing Annie Clark’s debut Marry Me on July 10 — is…