Latino Vote Is No Slam Dunk for Hillary Clinton, Not in Texas

UTA prof and activist José Angel Gutiérrez, no fan of the Clintons Wonks, reporters and pundits have spent the past week speculating about the role Texas’ Latinos will play in the March 4 Democratic primary, and while most signs point to strong Hispanic support for Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama’s camp…

An Unfair Park Programming Note

For those who actually have to work today and can’t attend Barack Obama or Chelsea Clinton’s appearances around town today, fret not: We’ll have folks at both Clinton’s speech this morning at the University of Texas at Dallas and Obama’s Reunion Arena rally. They’ll file throughout the course of the…

Lavon, From Boom to Bust?

I know the town of Lavon well enough — used to drive through it nearly every day on my way to and from our old downtown Dallas office, way back when I flirted with the idea of bein’ a Collin County country boy, like that was gonna work out. Driving…

Border Residents Feeling Kicked in the Hunt Over That Danged Fence

Bet you didn’t know Ray Hunt owned a bunch of land down in South Texas — like, oh, 6,000 acres known as the Sharyland Plantation development, where Hunt’s touting “gentle gulf breezes … swaying palm fronds … the delicate scent of hibiscus and bougainvillea flowers.” It’s a massive multi-use development:…

Kidd-Napped

This old Jason Kidd poster can be yours right now, for the low, low price of $15. I’m at American Airlines Center witnessing something I thought I’d never see — no, not this guy in concert, but, of course, Jason Kidd back in a Dallas Mavericks tank top. After the…

Clinton’s Coming to Town. Not That One.

HillaryClinton.com No way we were going to let NBC’s David Shuster near this cutline. Bill Clinton’s stumping for his missus throughout the state this week: He’s in Galveston, Beaumont, Victoria, and Houston tomorrow, then in Midland/Odessa, Victoria and Houston again on Thursday. Which makes it twice in two weeks the…

Needle Point in Allen?

Today’s Boston Globe carries a lengthy profile of former Allen High School cheerleader, gymnast and class vice-president Dionne Passacantando, who, in 2003, started taking anabolic steroids when she was 17 because “she just wanted six-pack abs.” Passacantando, who now lives in Bruce Springsteen’s New Jersey hometown, says she used to…

Done Deal: Kidd’s a Mav. Again.

No more Hope-ing: Jason Kidd’s back in a Mavs uni as of seconds ago. Ready or not, Jason Kidd is a Dallas Maverick. After a week of machinations and maneuvers that took the deal from imminent to insane, the NBA just minutes ago finally stamped its approval. I’ll have more…

Dead-End For HBO’s Set-in-Dallas 12 Miles of Bad Road?

Lily Tomlin as, ahem, Dallas real estate giant Amelia Shakespeare In case you’ve forgotten, as the initial announcement came down nearly two years ago, HBO was all set to launch a new series titled 12 Miles of Bad Road, in which Lily Tomlin stars as a Dallas real estate agent…

You Will Never Have This Many Star Wars Action Figures. Ever.

This morning, Gizmodo offers this “exclusive”: The Biggest Star Wars Collection in the Galaxy. And, no, I don’t note this just to appeal to the 4-year-old who lives in my house — turns out, the estimable collection (documented with 134 photos, good God) belongs to a local named Rob Foster,…

What Does Channel 11 Have Against John McCain, Anyway?

The Dallas Police Department’s Web site isn’t up at the moment, and they dunno when it’ll be operational again. KTVT-Channel 11 knows why: Because the site was hacked yesterday with anti-gummint sloganeering and artwork courtesy hackers identifying themselves as “s2rangers from Russia,” which was also an underrated early-1980s ABC sitcom…

Counting Down to Craig Watkins and The “Missing” JFK Loot

During his nightly Countdown, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann yesterday had as his chart-topper Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins’ “discovery” of docs and doodads related to the assassination of John Kennedy. Said the sports anchor-turned-Mini-Murrow, Watkins presented the materials yesterday “with a dose of provocation, whether intentional or not,” then brought…

Monster Jam at Reunion Arena, Followed by Barack Obama

Barack Obama’s campaign has, at long last, announced the time and place for his Wednesday shindig in downtown Dallas: It’ll take place at 11:30 a.m. at Reunion Arena, with doors opening at 10:30 a.m. Seems his local folks’ wishes were granted: Told you this morning they were hoping for a…

Well, This is What the Old Carnival Would Have Looked Like

What could have been but won’t be, not anymore. Just returned to the office to find a missive in the in-box from Marc Andres — who, with his brother Roger, wants to take the abandoned Carnival on Henderson Avenue and turn it into a multi-use residential-retail development. Pardon — they…

No Honeymoon Suite For These Two at Convention Center Hotel

Mitchell Rasansky’s “extremely upset” over the mayor’s plans to rush through this convention center hotel. Earlier this morning, Unfair Park mentioned that during tomorrow’s Economic Development Committee meeting, council members will discuss spending $41.3 million of taxpayers’ money to acquire land upon which Mayor Tom Leppert wants to build a…

Home, Sweet, Foreclosed Home

Associated Press story out of Cleveland says the homeless are taking advantage of the foreclosure crisis by moving into the hastily abandoned houses in residential areas — which is better than your average empty home, since many of them still have electricity and running water. Says one ex-con-turned-squatter quoted in…

Dirk on Dirk Ad: “It’s Definitely Good.”

Till I can find a better version of the NBA’s “Where Amazing Happens” ad featuring Dirk Nowitzki, which debuted last night during the NBA All-Star Game, this shot-off-a-TV version will have to do. One significant note: It’s the first player-produced ad — which is why Dirk told the Fort Worth…

Hillary’s Other Big Secret: How Texas’ Primary System Works

No word yet on when and where Barack Obama will be appearing Wednesday — not even his local campaign operatives know anything. And, yes, they too have heard all the rumors that have the Illinois senator appearing mid-morning at a local church, Fair Park or even the American Airlines Center…

Deal or No Deal?

NBA.com Keith Van Horn, now more useful than ever All this dramatic transaction has been missing is Howie Mandel, 25 suitcases and a stage full of models. But now — maybe, just maybe — it’s over. With the NBA’s league office pondering the Mavericks’ reconfigured trade for Jason Kidd at…