A crisp and dusty breeze sweeps off McCommas Bluff and into Dallas’ new “Citizen’s Convenience and Recycling Center” where about two dozen city workers and officials sit at cafeteria tables covered with red and white checkered cloths. At a podium set up in the open-air structure, officials proudly announce the…
Staff writer Mark Donald scored a Dallas Observer first in the recent Press Club of Dallas Foundation Katie Awards, winning three individual honors and earning finalist status in two other categories. The Katies recognize outstanding journalistic work in a five-state area. Donald’s performance capped a successful showing for the Observer,…
For those of you not from these parts, the preceding phrase–yippie etc.–is cowboy talk for “Hooray!” At least we think it is. It could very well mean something else, like, “Hey, honey, show me them there panties you’re wearin’.” Or it could be the sound a plaintiff’s lawyer makes when…
It was the day after Nick Van Exel went down with a knee injury. Avery Johnson–who became the team’s pro tem backup point guard when Van Exel bit it–stood by a set of black metal stairs that lead to the American Airlines Center practice-facility lockers. He talked about how his…
Vicious Circle of Crap Local-music black hole: I must admit–for once in my life, Zac–I agree with you. Your article “Mechanic Needed” (October 24) about the state of the Dallas music scene was right on the money. In my opinion, there are two things majorly wrong with the Dallas music…
It took a two-week trip to Lebanon last spring for Sarah Logan to understand what she was getting into. Among the bullet-ridden buildings in the northern city of Tripoli, the 46-year-old Dallas accountant heard her Baptist missionary hosts describe armed attacks on Christian churches by a faction of Islamic fundamentalists…
Digging through somebody’s trash is one of those reporting tactics that we at the Dallas Observer try to avoid, but this time the temptation was too great. The Tony Sanchez gubernatorial campaign brought its trash to us. The Observer’s offices are located in downtown Dallas, across the street from a…
Being Ray Liotta Ray Liotta’s list of characters has run the gamut, from tarnished baseball immortal Shoeless Joe Jackson to mobster-in-hiding Henry Hill to, well, whoever he was in Operation Dumbo Drop (didn’t see it, sorry). He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in Jonathan Demme’s Something…
So is David Spence, who resigned this month from his seat on Dallas’ plan and zoning commission after being reprimanded by the city’s ethics panel, a bad guy or a good guy done wrong? Seeing how Dallas Observer staffer Rose Farley broke the story of his alleged ethical lapse, which…
The RapistWithering under denial: What an interesting contrast that Carlton Stowers painted between Gina Cotroneo and her rapist, Gary Faison (“Likely Suspect,” October 31). It seems a classic case study in how one’s actions exhibit one’s character, and how people choose the lives they lead based upon the circumstances they’ve…
The season hasn’t yet started, but I think Don Nelson is drunk. Donnie Nelson might be, too; who can tell? Half the Mavs fans in this room are loaded and twisted, and the other half are well on their way. It’s early, but I have no idea what time it…
The husband called first, in a tizzy. While cleaning out a waste bin full of dirty Q-Tips, his wife had come across a used condom. She freaked. Confronted with the desiccated, slightly bloody evidence, he told her he was certain it wasn’t his. And keep the condom, he said. I’m…
Inspired by a randomly received instructional package from the Women’s Institute of Learning (based in Fort Worth), two “random” staffers (we’ll call them Bella and Kittie) decided to embark on a striptease adventure. Bella and Kittie began by contacting Paulette Belmore, president of the Women’s Institute of Learning, who explained…
What are the Dallas Mavericks’ chances of making it to the NBA Finals this year? The following is the opinion of a Western Conference scout: On the Mavs: “I think [the Mavs] will be in the mix this year. They’ll be in that 3-to-5 category [for playoff position] if they…
Your regular Buzz correspondent is back from a week’s vacation, rested and ready to tackle weighty issues, provide pithy commen…OH, DEAR GOD, WILL SOMEONE PLEASE SHUT THAT KID UP! So sorry. It’s Election Day, four days after deadline–when Buzz usually starts writing–and half a block down the street, outside Ron…
Stepnoski’s StandGet your buzz on: So, according to Mark Stepnoski (“Steppin’ Out,” October 31), we should grab us a couple of joints and enjoy it in the comfort of our homes, and whether we have a family or are in a car full of kids, just light up. Maybe your…
He knows it won’t be easy–coming out of the “smoky closet,” as one marijuana advocate puts it. After all, he has been a professional football player for 13 years, a five-time Pro-Bowler, a two-time Super Bowl champ, a Dallas Cowboy. He can almost hear the voices of those who would…
Scott Savage, until recently the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Renaissance Radio, didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He didn’t want to rehash how the new talk-radio station he’d overseen, “The Cafe” KCAF-AM (990), went belly-up last week after three days. Didn’t want to tick off…
“The only time I want to talk to a woman when I’m naked is if I’m on top of her or she’s on top of me.” –Former Tigers pitcher Jack Morris, on female sportswriters A few weeks ago all this gender stuff started rattling around the empty space in my…
Nowhere to Go but UpNoose around our necks: If there is such a thing as grace and such things as blessings, I hope they are yours in reward for such a thing as caring to write this story (“The View From the Bottom,” October 24). Paging Dr. Keynes…our economy is…
What Makes Him Tick Brian Jacob Smith, 21, stars as 15-year-old Alex the Droog in the extravagantly violent but deeply affecting stage version of A Clockwork Orange, which moves from Plano’s Quad C Theatre to the University of Texas at Dallas for another two-week run starting October 31. Reviews for…
Buzz has never really wanted to look too deeply into the brain of Robert Decherd, boss-boy and out-front man for the ownership clan at Belo Corp. and The Dallas Morning News. Buzz has an irrational fear of bottomless gray. But sometimes Buzz does have to polish off the old mail-order…
