All this hubbub over those feisty Minnesota Twins and those dramatic Detroit Tigers and the dawn of the baseball playoffs slapped me sober this morning. Ponder this, Rangers fans: Texas’ 87 wins would’ve been enough to win the American League Central Division. As I detail in this week’s column in your friendly Dallas Observer print…
Larry and Ted Hamilton took control of the four-building Atmos Complex, situated almost directly behind the Statler Hilton, a little more than a year ago, after Forest City got tired of paying penalties to the city (about $250,000) for having done next to nada. The Hamiltons, who just got done…
It’s not the most surprising press release to ever arrive in the Unfair Park in-box — especially given the fact that City Manager Mary Suhm’s FY2009-2010 budget cut its funding ($246,000 for last fiscal year, about a third of its annual operating budget). But there it is: Dallas iMedia Network,…
I know Rowdy is gone and we haven’t lifted a sports championship trophy this millennium, but it could’ve been much, much worse. As in, we almost had a sleezeball for a mayor and – more ominous – we were almost all blown to smithereens. While we were busy diagramming a…
On October 28, the Dallas City Council will vote to renew its contract with the lobbyists who do the city’s bidding in Austin and D.C. Right about now, the city spends $502,000 with the likes of CapitalEdge (which also lobbies on behalf of Arlington; Denton, Reno, Nevada; and Huntsville, Alabama),…
Unfair Park was among those at the Dallas Contemporary this morning getting an early look at this year’s Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, and among the gems inside: this high-performance, Burning Man-tested cupcake car, yours for the low, low price of $25,000 (Santa not included).Other highlights on display this morning include…
Thanks to this video shot by our good friend Larry Rodriguez over at Fox4, we have to question not only Tony Romo’s play late in the game at Denver – but also his mind-set. You tell me, did Romo think it was third down? Was he telling the refs he had…
The suspense is over. (See what I did there?) Following up its September 24 announcement concerning $10 mil going toward turning the Continental Avenue Bridge into a pedestrian pathway-n-park, the Trinity Trust this morning trekked to Dallas City Hall to highlight yet another donation: $5 million, courtesy Rusty and Deedie…
Your Dallas Cowboys will someday get a new quarterback and will sooner rather than later be gifted with a different head coach, but Jerry Jones is and always will be the franchise’s general manager. Not surprising at all – he’s said it before, repeatedly – but today it just got punctuated. With…
So, yes, that 1978 made-at-SMU Dennis Quaid sex romp does indeed appear to be available; order yours today. But much thanks to Gordon K. Smith for sending Unfair Park this clip from The Seniors, which, as we mentioned a couple of weeks back, will be included in the locally made…
Struggling to remain viable since losing its Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation this summer, Paul Quinn College yesterday announced a major fund-raising milestone. The historic black college has raised more than $1 million since July, when the Texas Legislative Black Caucus rallied behind the foundering 137-year-old institution. School…
At least, that’s the assessment from the brain trust behind Tina Brown’s The Daily Beast, which has posted its list of America’s Smartest Cities and put Dallas-Fort Worth at No. 48 … out of 55. Commenters have taken issue with how the list was assembled (using such things as the…
Something’s up with the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Tony Romo’s not the frolicking, free-wheeling player we fell in love with back in 2006 and ’07. These days he stays in the pocket. He sulks on the sideline. Most importantly, he sucks in the game. It’s different. And it ain’t better. It’s like…
Late last week, word came down that the Dallas City Council was close to settling with the family of Cole Berardi, the 10-year-old boy who was killed one year ago after he was struck by a Dallas police car. No doubt you recall the incident, which was captured by the…
At approximately 10:40 this morning, a packed courtroom on the 15th floor of the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse filled with friends and family of the co-defendants, members of the media and lawyers sits abuzz with anticipation. This is it. Finally. U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn enters and announces…
Moments ago, U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Ramirez ruled that there’s probable cause to try 19-year-old Jordanian Hosam Maher Smadi for allegedly trying to blow up Fountain Place in downtown Dallas almost two weeks ago. Smadi, slight and impassive in his orange jumpsuit, was solemn as he listened to an Arabic…
Here’s the latest report from Craig Kinton’s office: Audit Report on Inappropriate Tax Exemptions and Delinquent Property Taxes, which the mayor and the Dallas City Council were given on Friday. But the short version: The City Auditor’s Office went through the Dallas Central Appraisal District records and discovered that 35…
So, judging by this sneak peak at the Dallas Independent School District board of trustees’ briefing agenda this week, Ron Price has decided to save the district $18,000-plus: He’s now recommending giving DISD Chief Academic Officer Robin Ryan a $10,000 raise. Because, as you may recall, Price and superintendent Michael…
Some news that will surely soften Broncos 17, Cowboys 10. Would you believe: R.I.P., Rowdy. Well, the obnoxious, foam, giant-noggin’ed Cowboys’ mascot isn’t exactly dead. But I heard over the weekend that at least we won’t be subjected to his stupid shenanigans any longer at Cowboys Stadium. I guess we were…
I just noticed this on the city of Dallas’s Web site: “A Message from the City Manager to Residents & Business Owners.” It’s Mary Suhm’s way of explaining why come the city’s hiked water, wastewater and stormwater rates, which took effect last week per the FY2009-2010 budget. It’s also intended…
Got a buddy who is Cowboys’ season-ticket holder. One of the privileges is getting first dibs at all the events – not just NFL games – at the sparking, billion-dollar joint. So he buys four tickets on the 50 to last month’s Oklahoma-BYU game. Cost him $1,200, and he sells them…
Sam’s on his way to the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse, where, at around 10:30 a.m., we’ll find out what says the jury in the Dallas City Hall federal corruption trial. Which means those of you who selected “October 1 through October 7” in our contest are one step…
