The sculptor’s fortress rises above a South Dallas neighborhood that has long since gone decrepit. His home is an island, surrounded by a sea of busy streets. It is walled off on three sides by an 8-foot, black metal fence, jagged at the top, and on its fourth side by…
Alasan Mansaray sees opportunity everywhere, be it in shopping malls or at gas stations. Wherever he sees people, Mansaray approaches. “Hello,” he says, his manner friendly. “My name is Alasan, and I’m very happy today.” When the person asks why, he tells them. “I’ve just published my book,” he says…
KFC: Korrupted Football Coaches? In these dark days of cynicism and profiteering, we always figured that if there was one thing that couldn’t be bought–a moral constant, if you will–it was former Dallas Cowboys coach-deity Tom Landry. (Oh sure, he’s been in a couple of ads, but those were for…
Cracking the door Thank you for publishing Ann Zimmerman’s piece [“Mesquite grilled,” September 5]. For the first time in many moons, I see an actual case of [Mesquite’s] finest and Dallas’ wonderful [District Attorney’s] Office at work. You see, so many times what would be a shocking story like yours…
It was clearly Nicole Lott’s first time at Dallas City Hall. This was obvious from the look in her eyes–that unmistakable deer-in-the-headlights look–that I detected when I walked up to her, reporter notebook flipped to an empty page, pen at the ready. “Excuse me, but could I get your name?”…
Editor’s note: When Ross Perot first announced his candidacy for president in 1992, his eccentric populism generated a tidal wave of popular support. But many outside of Texas did not know just how eccentric the Dallas billionaire could be. The country got its first clear look at Perot’s combative, sometimes…
Make that 1,000 lap dances Those North Texas Toyota Dealers sure know how to protect their image. When Michael Irvin stepped out of line with drugs and topless-dancer hootchie-kootchie, wham–the dealers dumped him as their shill and, worse, took his Landcruiser away. They shrewdly replaced the Cowboys’ fallen star with…
Gary Lewellyn, the founder, chairman, and chief executive of Dallas-based Performance Nutrition Inc., was ousted last week by the company’s shareholders, and the company now is reviewing financial records from a portion of Lewellyn’s tenure. “The actions were taken following the publication of an article indicating that Mr. Lewellyn had…
Chris Bryant went to see the Beach Boys perform at the Starplex Amphitheatre several years ago, but the California-happy music did not make up for his rude experience. A paraplegic who lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident when he was 21, Bryant had purchased a general…
Leslie was better Thanks for the article about Sam Phillips [“Born again,” September 5]. I met her in Sherman in 1983 when she opened for Petra. Even then, she had a passion I’d never seen before. (Bono comes closest.) The song I remember most was “Bring Me Through.” I became…
Ray Nasher was not wearing silk pajamas. This much I can tell you. But beyond that, people aren’t saying a whole lot about the unusual meeting held one afternoon last winter at Ray Nasher’s home on lushly wooded Miron Drive in North Dallas. The meeting was held at 3 p.m…
Dale Lane was seething. Just the other day, a friend had called the 27-year-old Dallas rapper–better known by his stage name, Goldfinger–long-distance from Florida. “Man, did you see your new album?” the friend asked. “Man, it’s all over the place down here.” At first, Lane had no idea what his…
On this particular Monday afternoon, Phil Thomas is clean-shaven and neatly dressed. At least by his standards.His short-sleeved shirt appears to have been recently pressed; its blue-and-white squares widen slightly as they descend over his belly toward a pair of oil-spotted polyester pants. An intractable row of long black hairs…
Anyone for a Bathos chip? Buzz is getting that woozy feeling that we’ve heard enough already about the personal lives of presidential candidates. We’ve not only been regaled with tales of Bill’s philandering and and his tragically unsuccessful attempt to ingest marijuana, but more recently Chelsea’s tonsillectomy. Then there’s Bob…
Helen Washington was in a hurry. A big hurry. And anyone with a shred of humanity would understand why. A home health aide, Washington had been at her job of five years–caring for an elderly woman in Garland–when she received a heart-stopping phone call from her neighbor, Minnie. Minnie said…
Arruuuggghaaa I was pleased to see that there may be some hope yet for retribution on behalf of former employees of the Resolution Trust Corporation [“To catch a thief,” August 22]. I sympathize with [John] Battaglia’s quest for justice in the face of blatant abuse by government contractors with respect…
Richard Williams saw himself as the pie-and-cookie mogul of Dallas. He envisioned a huge plant churning out thousands of his cheese cakes and pecan pies, a fleet of his trucks delivering them to bake shops and restaurants across Texas–maybe even the country. It was a dream Williams and his wife,…
It’s Saturday night at Billy Bob’s Texas, and the cavernous honky-tonk is alive with ritual: girls in tight jeans eyeing guys in starched Western shirts; couples on the town; pool shooters with their cues at big-buckle level; and solitary drinkers. Billy Bob’s has a number of stages–even a small rodeo…
Truth is stranger than Crusty When Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey circus was in town recently, you might have noticed that the major attraction touted on billboards and obligingly covered in The Dallas Morning News was Uberclown David Larible. “I am a clown on a mission,” Larible says in the…
A former female employee who sued Sky Chefs Inc. in 1994 claiming that company supervisors failed to prevent male co-workers from sexually harassing and assaulting her on the job settled her case earlier this month. Tonjua Benge worked as a truck driver for the Arlington-based airline food company. Her allegations…
District Court Judge Mike Keasler was not pleased. On August 23, Scott Fernandes, a 27-year-old youth soccer coach, stood before the judge and pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one of his female players several times in 1994. A popular coach for two competitive soccer clubs and Jesuit College Preparatory School,…
It was one of those classic DISD moments. The Dallas Independent School District board was poised to adopt a $772-million annual budget. In it, the district’s teachers weren’t going to get an across-the-board raise, but the administrators who had made that decision had enjoyed whopping raises of up to 24…
