Lynn Flint Shaw Tomorrow’s edition of the Dallas Observer will include a story about a series of e-mails that have been in the Observer’s possession since last summer, depicting Lynn Flint Shaw as the enforcer in a tight-knit group called “The Inner Circle.” The e-mails have been on my desk…
Meet the latest installment in Get to Know a DART Executive Staff Member: Sharon Leary, who’s the vice president of finance. A bit more detail on the big reorganization at Dallas Area Rapid Transit: Save for planning director Doug Allen, the only other person to actually lose a job out…
All of the unmistakable and depressing signs are gathering over my neck of the woods in Old East Dallas. We seem to be in for another spike in crime, and I’m wondering again what I can do about it. The choices run the gamut. Do absolutely nothing—ignore it like a…
Dear Mexican: Why do Mexicans have padrinos for everything? I never understood why, can you help me out? —The Godfather Fan Dear Wab: Many gabachos have long wondered about the galaxy of godparents that surround Mexicans from birth to death, but it’s no misterio. Ostensibly, godparents (padrino is a godfather,…
DART President and Executive Director Gary Thomas Yesterday Dallas Area Rapid Transit CEO Gary Thomas informed his staff of the deal that’s essentially allowing him to keep his job after his billion-dollar budget bobble. Let’s see if Unfair Park can help expose some meaning or significance for you in the…
What a morning. I woke up with a bitter taste in my mouth. But then I brushed my teeth. Wait a minute. Couple months ago, I was excited about seeing Bill back in the White House. Now I’m pissed. Is this a Clinton problem or a personal problem? But I…
Woodrow Wilson High School Oh, man, now I know I’ve taken a dive off the wrong end. Rod Dreher is quoting me in support of his own point of view. Over on the editorialistas’ blog at The Dallas Morning News, Dreher’s writing about the “Choose Woodrow” editorial in today’s paper,…
How much do I know about hip? Extremely little. If I found a dead guy by the side of the road, I might say, “This man is not hip.” That’s how bad it has to be for me to notice. I just came from a luncheon where I saw something…
Why won’t Mexicans vote for a black man? —Hillary Hater Dear Readers: Dozens of ustedes have sent the above question since the Iowa caucuses, forwarded mainstream media reports on this supposed phenomenon and cringed with me when pundits took as gospel Hillary Clinton pollster Sergio Bendixen’s assertion to the New…
I’ve made a mistake. I have been exchanging e-mails with Frank Librio, the director of the city’s Public Information Office, concerning the $1.54 million that has been added to the cost of an environmental impact study of the Trinity River Toll Road. Librio wrote me: “The funds came from the…
This blog item, apparently, will be on the test. On Wednesday I posted two items on Unfair Park about a fairly hefty new sum being charged to the City of Dallas for the design of the Trinity River toll road. You know the story. Mayor Tom Leppert ran for office…
Here is what you need to know about DART, the regional transit agency whose recently resigned chairwoman turned herself over to the cops recently on document-tampering charges: You don’t know nuthin’. And you’re not going to know. For instance, after news broke of the charges against DART chair Lynn Flint…
Dear Mexican: Why do you suppose Mexico has such a hard time getting its act together? It has vast natural resources, good climate, natural ports, super-generous and good-looking neighbors and plenty of laborers who seem to be willing to do all sorts of crappy jobs. But instead of having a…
So, a couple of items down below, I wrote about a story posted on The Dallas Morning News’ Web site, which says the North Texas Tollway Authority is about to bill Dallas an extra $1.54 million for design of the Trinity River toll road. I suggested it might be about…
A little while ago, Dallas Morning News transportation writer Michael Lindenberger posted a story on The News’ Web site that says, “The North Texas Tollway Authority will bill the city of Dallas $1.54 million for higher-than-expected planning and design costs for the Trinity Parkway toll road.” His story says the…
Well, thank goodness, I got a long irate e-mail from a friend this morning, so I know I’m not totally nuts. She started off: “Just when I thought I could no longer be shocked and amazed by the DMN, I read that they are endorsing Huckabee, the nimrod who doesn’t…
The decline and imminent death of daily newspapers is always on my mind, for reasons that should be understandable since I spent the first 25 years of my working life at them. But last week was especially devastating. Sam Zell, the white knight of Tribune Company, announced a very un-white-knightly…
At least this brand-new photo of Lynn Flint Shaw won’t go to waste. Lest we begin feeling too terribly sorry for former Dallas Area Rapid Transit chairman Lynn Flint Shaw, who did the perp walk today at Lew Sterrett calaboose when she turned herself in on forgery charges, we might…
In this world anybody can propose ethics reform. Jeffrey Dahmer can propose ethics reform. I can propose ethics reform. And everybody supports it. Duh. The big stop-the-presses headline for me will be the day somebody comes out publicly against ethics. Being for it is easy. The hard part is doing…
Dear Mexican: My parents were Greeks who legally immigrated to the United States in 1920. When it became harder for Greeks to immigrate, they began to jump ship in New York. My father referred to them as “bananas—fresh off the boat,” but it was mostly an affectionate name. The Greek community took care…
One of the more laughable lawyer moments I have witnessed in my too-long reporting career took place yesterday at the meeting of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors. Bottom line? Apparently it’s O.K. for DART board members to scoot around the corner from each other and collect some…
Tomorrow at 1 p.m. the audit committee of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board is going to hear a 15-minute presentation from DART’s general counsel concerning “DART’s External Financial Auditor’s January 22, 2008 Communication Regarding Independence Matters.” Translation: How come Deloitte Touche, the external auditors for DART, had a $20,000-a-year…
