Longtime Friends of Unfair Park will recognize the name Steve Houser: He’s the former chair of the Dallas Urban Forest Advisory Committee honored by George W. Bush in ’08 for his volunteer work saving the city’s trees. Reason I mention him today: The arborist sends word that he and other…
I was in the middle of watching the city council briefings on water conservation and the Stage 1 watering restrictions yesterday when I got pulled away — and just when it was getting interesting too. So this morning I started going back to review the tape, beginning just as Sandy…
A little past 11 last night, one of the protesters camped out behind Dallas City Hall was walking from tent to tent, shouting: “Anybody in there? Anybody in there?” From one emerged a groggy, irritated “What?” He was told: “You gotta go, you gotta go. Police are coming.” And they…
Robert’s downtown at the Occupy Dallas camp, where police are breaking up protestors as we speak. He sends along these photos, and this: City has yanked their agreement with Occupy Dallas, and they’re currently giving the camp the boot. Police are stationed at every entrance, and around City Hall. No…
On June 10, 2010, I wrote a column for the newspaper about an official complaint brought to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by two Dallas developers alleging a decades-old pattern of racial discrimination and fraud by the city of Dallas, the county and other local entities…
This morning marked a turning point in the local approach to homeless care. Mayor Mike Rawlings, city and county officials and leaders of local non-profits took turns at the podium in the Flag Room at City Hall in an introduction to the Greater Dallas Homeless Policy Alliance, a public-private partnership…
In the end, the most surprising part of this afternoon’s discussion at City Hall over whether to suspend the rules and allow redistricting brought back to the horseshoe is that there was no discussion at all. Sure, a few speakers came to the mic, among them Roy Williams and Marvin…
When the city-owned Omni Hotel had its grand-opening photo op the other day, everything seemed in place, right down to the giant ribbon and the past-due TV stars. But there’s one little speck of cement that the city’s still fighting over — and its sparring partner isn’t going down easily…
Yesterday we noted that the city council would be briefed today on two minor changes to rules governing public speakers, chief among them a proposal from Acting City Secretary Rosa Rios’s office that trims speakers’ three minutes at the mic to a mere 60 seconds if they’re coming back within…
We first told you back in May that Dealey Plaza is due for a makeover, which involves redoing the north and south plaza pergolas, planting new way-finding and history-of signs, and making the plaza ADA compliant at long last. Then we discovered how the city is going to pay for…
Leslie’s at Dallas City Hall at this very moment, where Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance is announcing the formation of the Greater Dallas Homeless Policy Alliance, a partnership with the city and Dallas County intended to, among other things, find a way to get 1,800 permanent supportive housing units built by…
True to his word, City Hall spokesman Frank Librio just sent a statement from Mayor Mike Rawlings in response to U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle’s ruling this morning, which cleared the way for the city to give Occupy Dallas the heave-ho from the parking lot behind 1500 Marilla if it…
A couple of weeks back we noted that some Dallas Independent School District trustees would love to do away with public speakers at meetings, because, in the words of board president Lew Blackburn, “Occasionally we have people come speak to the board, and it’s more of a three-minute bullying, if…
This morning, U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle denied the request by Occupy Dallas for a temporary restraining order that would have prevented City Hall from evicting the Occupiers based on specific sections of the October agreement. Occupy Dallas Attorney Jonathan Winocour repeatedly called portions of the arrangement with the city…
So much for all that rain we were promised; there it goes, not even close save for last night’s stray raindrops. The not-even-near-miss seems only fitting in advance of tomorrow’s briefing before the Dallas City Council, when City Manager Mary Suhm will recommend going to Stage 1, twice-a-week watering restrictions…
In December 2005, Elizabeth Frizell, then a municipal judge for the city of Dallas for a solid decade, decided it was time for a change, so she filed to run in the Democratic primary for County Criminal Court No. 11. At which point she was told she would have to…
On and off the last few days I’ve spoken with the folks in the Redistricting Office to see if they’ve gotten their hands on Delia Jasso’s amendment to the previously voted-upon map — you know, the whole reason the council will stop down Wednesday to argue over reopening that mighty…
Right now we were supposed to be at the Earle Cabell for a federal hearing over Occupy Dallas’s camp-out behind Dallas City Hall. Alas, that was not meant to be: Friday’s agreement, which said the Occupiers could occupy City Hall’s bathrooms and kept the city from making good on its…
We kicked off the day with yet another look at Public Works’ plans to make over Riverfront Boulevard from Cadiz and Continental, otherwise known as Dallas’s Avenue des Champs-Élysée. Assistant Public Works Director Alan Hendrix just led the council through the PowerPoint; no need to rehash the history. Instead, as…
On the other side is City Auditor Craig Kinton’s just-released look-see at the amount of overtime paid to Dallas-Fire Rescue personnel. And, for the most part, it’s good news: In FY2008, he says, the city forked over $10.7 million in overtime, but just two years later that figure dropped by…
Bob Curry, chair of the city’s Urban Forest Advisory Committee, came to the council’s Quality of Life Committee this morning with a warning: Come spring, we’ll learn how many Dallas’s trees will be lost to devastating summer weather. He said: Look no further than Houston. Down there, he said, there…
Here, as promised Friday, is the PowerPoint presented to the city council moments ago concerning efforts to make it easier for street vendors to set up shop in downtown. No surprise: For the most part the council members on the Quality of Life Committee were all for Interim Assistant City…
