Before Vice President Mike Pence hit the stage Wednesday for the second day of the Southern Baptist Convention in Dallas, the congregation of thousands sang a few worship songs. In one, this lyric stood out: “Yes, I shall see him, see him face to face / and tell the story…
The 2018 annual meeting, as the denomination’s yearly shindig is called, probably could’ve come at a better time for the Southern Baptist Convention. This week’s events at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center downtown come fresh on the heels of a series of scandals centering on Paige Patterson, the former…
The Trinity Trust Foundation, now calling itself the Trinity Park Conservancy, has posted a job notice (see below) for a construction manager, citing among the club’s previous accomplishments the construction of the Margaret McDermott Bridge that carries Interstate 30 across the Trinity River downtown. I thought they might want to…
After a number of high-profile dog attacks, including the summer 2016 mauling death of Antoinette Brown in South Dallas and an April attack near Fair Park, Dallas is prepared to strengthen its dangerous-dog ordinance and establish criminal penalties for owners whose dogs attack. Under a proposal from Dallas Animal Services,…
When Dallas City Attorney Larry Casto walked into his new, seventh-floor office at Dallas City Hall in October 2016, a pair of swords dangled over his head. Dallas faced two existential threats, both with roots going back decades. Either could have bankrupted the city. Less than two years later, thanks…
Dallas City Council meetings, long a haven for politicians, lawyers, journalists and others who can’t find honest jobs, could be getting a little more open, pending a Wednesday council vote. Like many big cities, all four of Dallas’ council meetings are held in the morning. Beginning at 9 a.m. on…
For nearly a year, West Dallas state Rep. Eric Johnson has tilted at a 50-something-year-old windmill, hoping state leaders would finally take down a plaque emblazoned with the “Children of the Confederacy Creed” that sits in Austin’s Capitol building. This week, his campaign received a boost from outgoing Texas House…
“Keep America American,” says the bold-face red font on the flyers dropped in an Arlington neighborhood this week. Some were also found in San Antonio late last month. Police in Arlington do not know who distributed the flyers — which call immigrants criminals and encourage people to report them to…
It looks like Dallas’ bike-share regulations are going to get in just under the wire before the City Council’s July recess. The council agreed Wednesday to a June 27 vote on the rules the city will impose on the bike companies that have been operating in the city without regulation…
It’s a common refrain, one you’ll hear often if you’re unfortunate enough to attend many Dallas City Council meetings. When one of the council members wants to talk at length about something with city staff, he or she will often request to do so “offline.” That means the council member…
Again Monday morning, President Donald Trump made it clear that he’s willing to use one of the few absolute powers belonging to him as president in ways that benefit him as he fights special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into his campaign and administration. Trump has pardoned political lackeys who kept…
Despite the best efforts of the city of Dallas and the Citizens Homeless Commission, the city’s homeless population is up almost 10 percent from 2017-18, with the number of unsheltered homeless in the city increasing even more, by 23 percent, over the same period. In order to quickly address the…
This could come as a shock from the newspaper that offended so many snowflakes with its claim that Globe Life Park and the Rangers are North Texas’ safe space for conservatives, but the Observer sincerely believes that you should stick with the Dallas Cowboys this season. Despite controversies that have…
The mayor and non-profits despise him, but he’s the one keeping people in their homes.
The Mexican-American Legislative Caucus and Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus are adamant that Texas residents should not have to answer questions about their immigration status when census takers come to their doors in 2020. The groups, which comprise the majority of Latino and Latina representatives in the Legislature, sued the Department…
After the twin highs of primary victories and better-than-expected poll numbers carried them through the last couple of months, Democratic electoral hopefuls Lupe Valdez and Beto O’Rourke got a reality check Wednesday afternoon. According to a new poll from Quinnipiac University, both candidates face double-digit deficits in their bids to…
Two days after wrapping up the Democratic nomination for governor, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez faced her first bit of general election adversity Thursday as information emerged that she is delinquent on 2017 taxes for seven properties in Dallas and Ellis counties. According to information first reported by the…
Some of the most vulnerable people in Texas could be facing a health care crisis if a new rule proposed by the Trump administration goes into effect. Rolled out in full late Tuesday, the proposed change to the Department of Health and Human Services Title X family planning program would…
At around 8 p.m. Tuesday, just five votes separated Lupe Valdez and Andrew White in the runoff for the Democratic primary for Texas governor. By 10 p.m., White, speaking from his home in Houston, was congratulating Valdez for her win while Valdez supporters packed a banquet room inside Ellen’s in…
Five-and-a-half months from now, on another Tuesday night and after another watch party, Colin Allred and his merry band of supporters will know if all the hope they felt as they gathered in North Dallas on primary runoff night was real. They’ll know whether or not longtime incumbent Congressman Pete…
Under the old rules at City Hall, the term “economic development” meant “friends of City Council members looking for money.” Dallas pursued an economic development strategy based on heavily subsidizing grocery stores, funding race car museum startups and making large grants to chicken joints, even though similar concepts had not…
In dribs and drabs over the first part of the year, numbers from Dallas’ cite-and-release pilot program have come out, painting a portrait of marijuana enforcement in the city. Over the first five months that the program, which allows those busted with pot to receive a citation to come to…
