Odd little contretemps in recent weeks on the pages of our city’s only daily newspaper: On December 4, education writer Matt Haag had a story in the The Dallas Morning News under the headline, “Dallas ISD teachers left at high rate in Superintendent Mike Miles’ first year,” purporting to show…
It was cute when it started. Looking for a way to differentiate their table settings, restaurateurs began replacing traditional linen dinner napkins with dressy cotton dishtowels. There had already been a gradual relaxing of rigid dining protocols as a result of the recent recession, and laid-back dishtowels were a logical…
Around this time of year, a lot of music websites put up “Holiday Gift Guides.” They’re either earnest, articulate and full of enthusiastic suggestions for interesting items for the music lover in your life, or they’re depressing corporate-sponsored flotsam and stand as a remarkably stark representation of the state of…
The Ethan Couch story is a tough one for me, because you know I always like ragging on rich people. And it seems hard to read District Judge Jean Boyd’s sentence any way other than as a get-out-of-jail-free card for a kid whose parents could afford to put him in…
Tuesday I talked to Mayor Mike Rawlings about the car wash on MLK Boulevard that I have written a lot about lately — well, a lot about over the last eight years, as a matter of fact. It’s the one the city recently threatened to take by eminent domain. We…
Dear Mexican: You mocked and didn’t answer the legitimate questions raised in a letter to you a couple of weeks ago, from the guy who didn’t see a rosy future for a Mexican-led America. The writer correctly referred to serious problems in the Hispanic community, such as poor academic performance…
Segregation. The word itself feels like a tough question on an American history exam. In the year 2013, how in the world could Dallas, the nation’s ninth largest city, have put itself in a picture most Americans probably associate with police dogs snarling at children in black and white newsreels…
Diana Prevenslik has plenty of experience with Dallas culture. She was a member of rockabilly outfit Sawed Off Sick and also a skater — a good skater, at that. In the world of Texas roller derby, she was “Panther City Princess” under the Dallas Derby Devils. Prevenslik also spent time…
Sometimes a lack of tradition can be a tradition unto itself. I think there are people in my life who feel bad about that, but having no obligations during the holidays brings the same wild sense of freedom as having a vacation day while the rest of the world works…
Editor’s Note: Shea Serrano is an award-winning music writer and goofball whose recent exploits include Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book. In his new column, he writes about his life and times. Song: Eminem’s “The Monster,” featuring Rihanna History: Eminem did a freestyle battle. He went up against Papa…
Yesterday I published a post that took a quick look at Grub Burger Bar, which recently opened in Greenville Avenue. The menu touted buns baked on the hour, and while they were certainly much better than stale, old buns, they left a lot to be desired compared to artisan loaves…
Here’s a question about the big initiative to spur development and employment in the city’s heavily poor and minority southern hemisphere. Does it really benefit southern Dallas to redevelop it if before you do so you manage to get all the land out of the hands of the people who…
It’s the holidays! Time for you and your dopey friends from high school to reunite and tear up the town. What’ll it be this evening: pouring manure on your hated gym teacher’s front door step and then urinating on it? Getting trashed and picking a fight with the bully who…
As the full implications gradually become better known, the federal investigative report released late last month accusing Dallas of segregation will shine a bright national light on the city. One housing policy watcher is already calling the case “Westchester on steroids,” a reference to the last big case like this…
Are you a musician? Is your group having issues? Ask Fan Landers! Critic Jessica Hopper has played in and managed bands, toured internationally, booked shows, produced records, worked as a publicist and is the author of The Girls’ Guide to Rocking, a how-to for teen ladies. She is here to…
In its own peculiar way, yesterday’s editorial in the city’s only daily newspaper was the perfect expression of the dilemma Dallas faces in choosing a new bureaucrat to run the city: Most of the people who even talk out loud about the topic are afraid to say out loud what…
Hey, I have a reader challenge for you. I need your take on something. A week ago I told you the city sent a letter to the owner of a car wash on MLK telling him it was planning a project and his property “will be needed for the project.”…
Surfer Blood. Vampire Weekend. Imagine Dragons. Bowling for Soup. Slightly Stoopid. I’ve ignored every single one of these bands for one reason and one reason alone: terrible band names. In this culture, we have so many things competing for our attention at all times that your brain naturally has an…
Earlier this week Justin Timberlake took his immaculately conceived three-hour extravaganza to American Airlines Center. It was the perfect pop show, utterly devoid of commentary — just the larger-than-live presence of a star and his silky-smooth musical meal. Lest we sound disparaging here, it should be said: You can ask…
A scathing federal report on housing policy in Dallas, unveiled this week after two City Council members demanded copies from the city attorney, has stirred local debate about federal desegregation law. But that debate raises two questions. See also: The Feds Say Dallas City Hall Has Promoted Racial Segregation in…
Dear Mexican: I find myself at odds with my peers because I don’t like coffee or coffee drinks. I need to find a substitute beverage that will be tasty yet somehow hip. I’ve heard that Mexicans have magical chocolate drinks called atole, champurrado and chocolate, but I don’t know what…
Last week late one afternoon I had a long chat with Sam Merten, former colleague, now the spokesman for Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, about a letter the city sent to a South Dallas businessman, also a guy I have known for years, threatening to take his business away from him…
