The Anti-Mary Remember when sleazy politicians and unscrupulous businessmen–not to mention Dallas Cowpersons–quaked when Marty was near? (That’s Marty Griffin for readers out there who have already forgotten last year’s journalistic outrage, and its star.) To refresh your memories: After scooping the rest of the media with the now-infamous Cowboy…
Our pleasure Thanks for the mention in your “Buzz” column [April 17]. I must confess to not being a regular reader of the Dallas Observer, save those occasions when a friend points out a rare item of casual or passing interest (as was the case with this brief piece). So…
Twelve bleary-eyed jurors filed into Judge Hal Gaither’s courtroom on the afternoon of April 14 and dutifully took their assigned seats. The seven women and five men had met for the first time two weeks earlier, plucked from a jury pool of more than 60 to serve in Dallas County’s…
Ron Price readily admits that he has some learning to do. “I’m a rookie at this,” says the 30-year-old South Dallas youth organizer. He is making his first run for elected office this year, seeking a seat on the Dallas Independent School District Board. Perhaps it takes youthful naivete to…
A sudden burst of democratic fervor appears to have gripped the homeless population of Dallas, some of whom felt an urge this past weekend to rush to the polls and cast ballots in the contentious District 2 city council race between businesswoman Brenda Reyes and Dallas lawyer John Loza. Most…
Alcorn’s ignorance I recently read your article by Ann Zimmerman, “It’s Our Turn To Be Heard” [April 17]. I extol the efforts of the Mexican-American community. I applaud the stand that Yvonne Gonzalez, Alfred Carrizales, Adelfa Callejo, and their colleagues have taken. The aggressive position they have seized to represent…
They’re raiments an Aztec priest would envy, a bit faded with age but still arresting in their brilliance.MOne suit is blood red; with black patterns that race up and down its sleeves, it almost seems to breathe as country music legend Hank Thompson drapes it across the barstool in his…
When Aurelio Castillo was elected constable, it was like dressing a little kid in a grown man’s uniform. At 34, Castillo was energetic, proud, and completely unqualified for the post granted him by the voters of Precinct 6. As elected officials with full law-enforcement powers, constables answer to virtually no…
With the myriad species of thug life that hung out there, the fast food shop at the corner of Commerce and Griffin streets developed a nickname all its own: CrackDonald’s. This very urban Mickey D’s was Exhibit A in the average person’s case against ever setting foot in downtown again–ground…
Free the weasel Hey, the Dallas Observer really called that Paul Fielding thing right, huh? If you’ll remember, and we’re sure you do, columnist Laura Miller, in a lengthy investigation into former councilman Paul’s business dealings, found him to be unethical and basically a weasel, but innocent of any real…
Cheers for Larry Now that you have printed Holly Mullen’s article [“Feeling the burn,” April 3], allow me to tell you about the real Larry North. She interviewed him for a few hours. I have known him for 15 years. In July of 1995, I was struck by a devastating…
Yvonne Gonzalez’s eyes were brimming with tears. To the small group assembled at her office conference table, it was clear that she was moved; it was clear she was sharing a lot of pain. Which, considering Gonzalez’s typically tough-as-nails reputation as the newly appointed superintendent of the eighth largest school…
Dukes of de Kooning In the eternal grudge match between Dallas and every other city in the ‘Plex, the little guys came out swinging this spring with a one-two punch that sent Big D sprawling. Wham! Tarrant County’s magnificent Texas Motor Speedway opened in all its NASCAR glory. And, bam!,…
Just as the sun was setting, about 20 members of the Mill Creek Homeowners Association gathered two weeks ago in Laura Carr’s merlot-colored living room, which was aglow from the subtle flickers of three white candles on the dining room table. Three Dallas city council hopefuls had come to Swiss…
Betty in charge I read with absolute delight the aptly entitled article “Betty’s in charge” [March 27]. Frankly, I got a kick out of “hearing” Betty again. You see, I was once one of her trusted mid-level managers until I ran afoul of Betty and found myself on the outside…
Katherine Andrews wasn’t certain what she heard or what it meant. At the front of the Denton courtroom where Andrews had spent the previous three weeks, the judge pronounced the verdict in legal code: “Question No. 1 is answered ‘Yes.’ Question No. 3 is answered ‘Yes.’ Question No 4…” Andrews…
Dallas businessman William Oates–“Sonny,” as he is known to friends and associates–says he is gravely concerned about all the old paperwork crumbling and decaying in county courthouses across Texas. Binders full of old deeds, land records, tax liens, and other documents faithfully recording the important business transactions of Texas citizens…
Three Dallas Observer staff writers have been honored by the Texas State Teachers Association for excellence in education reporting, and a fourth writer has been named as a finalist for one of the most prestigious national awards given to young reporters. Rose Farley, 28, who joined the Observer staff last…
On Wednesday, April 16, shortly after the Dallas City Council begins its weekly meeting, Mayor Ron Kirk will smile for the cameras and accept a Tree City, USA award honoring Dallas’ efforts on behalf of tree preservation. Sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation, the award consists of a plaque,…
News over-revs What’s better than the World Series, the United Nations, and Club Med rolled into one? A race day at Texas Motor Speedway, of course. Buzz learned that by taking a trip through the rose-colored looking glass of The Dallas Morning News. The first races at the track north…
One for Larry Holly Mullen is right that in the past Larry North has trusted people to the point of naivete [“Feeling the burn,” April 3]. He is also one of the most honest and genuinely nice people I have ever known. I met Larry seven years ago when our…
For 50 years, he had counted on silence–and fear, and the distance that separated people who possessed pieces of the truth. The Rev. Harvey Wesley Cutting had built his life around deceptions. But he was adept at pretending, and put on the constructs of his imagination like a cowl. To…
