tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark/9 2009-11-07T00:19:13Z The Dallas Observer Blog Movable Type Enterprise 4.21-en tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.260181 2009-11-06 18:19:08 2009-11-06 18:19:13

​ABC News has posted a longer sneak preview of tonight's 20/20 segment about the battle over 4949 Swiss Avenue; the video's here, while the story's here. (Mark McCay and Justin Burgess, to whom Mary Ellen Bendtsen signed over the house...

Robert Wilonsky ​ABC News has posted a longer sneak preview of tonight's 20/20 segment about the battle over 4949 Swiss Avenue; the video's here, while the story's here. (Mark McCay and Justin Burgess, to whom Mary Ellen Bendtsen signed over the house shortly before her death in 2005, declined to speak to ABC.) And, in case you were unaware, the house is currently on the market: for $849,000. tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.260068 2009-11-06 17:06:33 2009-11-06 18:21:13

Something like this Rough Brothers-designed greenhouse is what the State Fair of Texas has in mind.​Earlier this afternoon, I noticed on the Landmark Committee's Fair Park Task Force meeting agenda for Wednesday a most intriguing note: Someone has applied for...

Robert Wilonsky Something like this Rough Brothers-designed greenhouse is what the State Fair of Texas has in mind.​Earlier this afternoon, I noticed on the Landmark Committee's Fair Park Task Force meeting agenda for Wednesday a most intriguing note: Someone has applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness to build a "7,600 square foot Greenhouse and 6,000 square foot growing area" in the Midway at Fair Park. And by someone, I mean Errol McKoy, president of the State Fair of Texas.Took a little bit of digging to find out that much: First I called Willis Winters, assistant director of the Park and Recreation Department, who said he'd only just seen the notice shortly before I called. "We don't know who the applicant is," he said. "We're trying to find out now, because it surprised us." He recommended I call Bob Hilbun, senior vice president of maintenance at the State Fair. He wasn't in, but no matter: A State Fair staffer told Unfair Park that the application had been submitted to the city by Ned Durbin, director of construction and maintenance.I reached Durbin on his cell as he was walking the fairgrounds."I would love for you to be able to talk to Errol," he said "It's his baby. He's been the energy and brains behind our landscaping upgrade. We're in the preliminary stages. I have to talk to Landmark about it, and we'll see what they say, but we don't even have estimates in from the vendor. Because we're on a tight schedule, I wanted to get the ball rolling."McKoy did call a little while ago -- during the four minutes I was away from my computer all day. I've tried several times to get him back on the phone, with no luck. However, that doesn't mean we don't have details. Because we do. You'll have to jump for 'em, but do mind the miles' worth of glass panels. tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.260102 2009-11-06 16:14:58 2009-11-06 17:41:21

Dallas CountyTwo prositutes picked up Wednesday night, as part of Dallas's Prostitute Diversion Initiative off Interstate 20 near Lancaster​While the focus of this week's National Prostitute Diversion Conference was Dallas's collaborative approach to treating prostitutes as victims and diverting them...

Megan Feldman tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.260084 2009-11-06 15:05:42 2009-11-06 17:20:09

Courtesy Southern Methodist UniversityThe mustangs made their bow during halftime of SMU-Navy on October 17.​A couple of weeks back, during halftime of the SMU-Navy game at Ford Stadium, the university debuted two new mustangs donated by the National Wild Horse...

Robert Wilonsky tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259910 2009-11-06 13:54:15 2009-11-06 15:15:08

University of North Texas junior Stephen Michael Benavides​He sounded a little groggy when he spoke to Unfair Park this morning. But University of North Texas junior Stephen Michael Benavides had a long night: The chair of ACLU's student chapter spent...

Kimberly Thorpe University of North Texas junior Stephen Michael Benavides​He sounded a little groggy when he spoke to Unfair Park this morning. But University of North Texas junior Stephen Michael Benavides had a long night: The chair of ACLU's student chapter spent Thursday night appealing to the UNT Supreme Court to adopt language of a failed bill and allow same-sex couples to run for homecoming court. The Student Senate had failed to pass an earlier bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to run. Later, the Student Government Association drafted legislation for a student referendum on whether "same-sex and/or gender-neutral couples should be able to run for homecoming court," as it says on the school's Student Government Association Web site, where voting begins November 16. The SGA president, Dakota Carter, helped draft the legislation. "I decided that the people who are voting for those who can win homecoming should be the ones making the rules for who can run," she tells Unfair Park. Benavides, though, doesn't think such a decision should fall to the student body and will appeal to SGA in the coming week to change its plans. "You should never impose majority opinion in place of minority rights," Benavides says. "If you can't get the right or the equality to run as a same-sex couple for homecoming court at a university, and university campuses are liberal compared to the rest of the nation, then we've got a big problem here," said Benavides. "If you can't do it on a university, how are you going to do it on a national stage?" tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.260001 2009-11-06 13:05:04 2009-11-06 13:20:38

​A Friend of Unfair Park sends word: Borders Group is removing from its shelf 200 Waldenbooks locations across the U.S. -- including, as you can tell from the headline, the longstanding Valley View Center location, which opened in October 1999....

Robert Wilonsky ​A Friend of Unfair Park sends word: Borders Group is removing from its shelf 200 Waldenbooks locations across the U.S. -- including, as you can tell from the headline, the longstanding Valley View Center location, which opened in October 1999. Employees there only found out about the closure, scheduled for January, yesterday. Per the list of closings, the Borders Express in Collin Creek Mall will also vanish after the holidays, as will the Waldenbooks in Ridgmar Mall in Fort Worth.The closings are what Borders Group CEO Ron Marshall calls "right-sizing," as in: "Through this right-sizing, we will reduce the number of stores with operating losses, reduce our overall rent expense and lease-adjusted leverage and generate cash flow through sales and working capital reductions." The release does say the list is subject to change, but Borders has been closing Waldenbooks by the dozens in recent years. This leaves 130 Waldenbooks and Borders Express locations after January, none in the DFW.Bonnie Schmick, spokesperson for Borders, says "we're going to make every effort to place employees in open positions within other Waldenbooks and Borders Express, as well the Borders superstores. And those we are not able to place will receive severance." tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259970 2009-11-06 12:20:17 2009-11-06 13:10:54

Friend of Unfair Park Peterk sends word: "Yes, folks, now you can buy Icky Twerp items." And just in time for the holidays. The shop's right here, though be warned, it's not much: two T-shirts, a Slam Bang Theater best-of...

Robert Wilonsky Friend of Unfair Park Peterk sends word: "Yes, folks, now you can buy Icky Twerp items." And just in time for the holidays. The shop's right here, though be warned, it's not much: two T-shirts, a Slam Bang Theater best-of DVD and two video cassettes (!). Says Paul Camfield, son of Icky, the product's left over from the September celebration in Fort Worth. Camfield wants to do more, but needs the partner ... "and the time," he says, "because I'd love to celebrate the show with fans."But the bigger question is: When will Richard Allan Kent's doc about the late, great Bill Camfield, Icky Twerp: The Electronic Babysitter, get a proper release, at least on DVD?"We're talking about it right now," Camfield says. "Thirty, 40 were made to sell at the fest, and Richard says he's gonna turn 'em loose, and I'll sell 'em. But we want ot make those are available too. That's his property, so we're trying to make sure he gets compensated fairly. But it's a great, great, great doc, and the fans would enjou it immensely. It'll happen. Maybe an on-demand thing on the Web. But it's going to happen soon. No doubt about that." tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259905 2009-11-06 10:56:33 2009-11-06 12:29:27

​So, yes, this is a weekly feature now -- your Friday acid flashback, courtesy the copious collection of one George Gimarc, with whom we're awfully proud to partner. A brief recap so far: KNUS news tuned up with sitar, followed...

Robert Wilonsky tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259858 2009-11-06 09:43:43 2009-11-06 12:34:52

​A Friend of Unfair Park forwarded along the link to this shindig scheduled for next week at the Fair Park Music Hall: Elevate Dallas, a "leadership event" that, from the looks of this promotional video, is piggybacking on the Sojourners-sponsored...

Robert Wilonsky ​A Friend of Unfair Park forwarded along the link to this shindig scheduled for next week at the Fair Park Music Hall: Elevate Dallas, a "leadership event" that, from the looks of this promotional video, is piggybacking on the Sojourners-sponsored Justice Revival also on the calendar next week at Dallas Market Hall. At the Justice Revival, Mayor Tom Leppert will join the likes of Jim Wallis, Rev. Zan Holmes and others in calling for "at least 25 congregations [to] establish solid, lasting partnerships with their neighborhood schools," and the creation of "700 additional units of permanent supportive housing by 2014," per the city of Dallas's homeless-assistance wish list.Elevate Dallas, on the other hand, looks more like a get-motivated event; its speakers include "leadership gurus" and self-made millionaires. So yesterday I sent Chris Heinbaugh a note asking how the mayor got involved and what, exactly, he's expecting to talk about. To which the mayor's chief of staff just responded: "They asked him to participate. We told them he could do a quick welcome. He is not one of the keynote speakers." Which means, Sam, you're off the hook. tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259829 2009-11-06 08:49:39 2009-11-06 17:54:42

View Larger MapWe first told you about Randall's plans to expand Simon David on Inwood Road back in August, shortly before the grocer took its case to the City Plan Commission. Randall's says the 25,225 square foot store, which has...

Robert Wilonsky View Larger MapWe first told you about Randall's plans to expand Simon David on Inwood Road back in August, shortly before the grocer took its case to the City Plan Commission. Randall's says the 25,225 square foot store, which has been perched on the property since 1984, is just too small -- needs to be, oh, 42,203 square feet now. And, well, that'll mean realigning Robin Road between Wateka Drive and University Boulevard and demolishing a few houses to make room. To which 12 City Plan Commissioners said, No way, much to the delight of longtime residents of the neighborhood absolutely opposed to its further encroachment on the area.Outgoing plan commissioner Neil Emmons says the CPC denied the motion because it was willing to make other compromises to allow for the Simon David expansion, such as reducing the width of sidewalks behind the property and allowing Randall's to eliminate three rows of parking. But so far, Randall's refuses to budge."No way or no how will they discuss it," he says. "But the site's worthless to them without a grocery store. The neighborhood people are still reeling from what was demolished to make room for the original store in 1961, and they came out solidly against it. The only ones for it were folks in neighborhoods that aren't adjacent, like Greenway Parks. It was not a tough call for the plan commission. Cases like this shouldn't get off the ground. It forces the citizens to fight each other and duke it out."Which is precisely what's on the schedule for Monday: The city council's meeting addendum has just been posted, and added to the agenda is a public hearing concerning Randall's application to super-size Simon David.Update: The item has been pushed off next week's agenda. The council will now hear from the public the second week in December. tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259708 2009-11-05 18:05:17 2009-11-05 18:05:53

​A Mavs season-ticket-holding Friend of Unfair Park wonders: "Weren't the Dallas Mavericks supposed to announce The New Voice of the American Airlines Center yesterday?" We appreciate the reminder -- because, yes, November 4 was indeed supposed to be The Big...

Robert Wilonsky ​A Mavs season-ticket-holding Friend of Unfair Park wonders: "Weren't the Dallas Mavericks supposed to announce The New Voice of the American Airlines Center yesterday?" We appreciate the reminder -- because, yes, November 4 was indeed supposed to be The Big Day, after Michael Taylor sat down at the mic for his final audition on October 27 and Sean Heath took his last shot against the Jazz Tuesday night. Alas, you'll have to hold your breath a little while longer: Matt Miller at the Mavs tells Unfair Park this evening, via e-mail, "We decided to give each finalist an additional five games to audition. We'll have a final decision in mid-December. This week we decided to push it back to allow us more time to evaluate each finalist." No pressure or anything. tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259693 2009-11-05 17:24:46 2009-11-05 20:47:42

Al Armendariz​Al Armendariz, a research associate professor in SMU's Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, was on National Public Radio earlier this week discussing health issues suffered by folks living near the Barnett Shale; said Armendariz of airborne toxins...

Robert Wilonsky Al Armendariz​Al Armendariz, a research associate professor in SMU's Department of Environmental and Civil Engineering, was on National Public Radio earlier this week discussing health issues suffered by folks living near the Barnett Shale; said Armendariz of airborne toxins discovered by researchers, "the oil and gas production industry around Fort Worth is a major contributor to both local and global air pollution problems." Around the same time, the engineering professor was posting to his personal Web site a note addressing rumors that he was about to be tapped as the Environmental Protection Agency's new regional administrator over Texas: "I am honored to have the endorsement of several area Democrats for a federal appointment within EPA. If selected, it would be a privilege to serve the country in this capacity."He has been selected, of course, and Downwinders at Risk are tickled by the appointment, according to a statement received by Unfair Park:"Dr. Armendariz is exactly the kind of person you'd want to have this job, but seemingly never gets it. Because of what's at stake and the fact that Texas is the belly of the polluter beast, this may be one of the most important, far-reaching appointments the Obama Administration makes. Downwinders at Risk is proud to have been the group that first utilized Dr. Armendariz's expertise in 2005 for our cause of cleaning up the Midlothian cement kilns. That work led directly to his becoming the premier 'citizen's scientist' in Texas on air pollution, and paved the way for his much larger influence on the state scene. Congratulations to both Dr. Armendariz and the EPA." tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259669 2009-11-05 16:39:13 2009-11-05 17:35:44

Patrick MichelsTimothy Busfield, ex of thirtysomething and The West Wing, is in town to direct the fourth episode of The Deep End starring, of course, Billy Zane. He also did the second show.​Tales of Billy Zane sightings are not hard...

Robert Wilonsky tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259631 2009-11-05 15:31:07 2009-11-06 13:16:04

As promised earlier, here's the full 75-page report from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission concerning use of force during the Rainbow Lounge raid in Fort Worth in June. Per the agency's Open Records Coordinator, driver's license information and vehicle license...

Robert Wilonsky As promised earlier, here's the full 75-page report from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission concerning use of force during the Rainbow Lounge raid in Fort Worth in June. Per the agency's Open Records Coordinator, driver's license information and vehicle license plate numbers have been redacted from the documents; hence, the occasional black marks.c09-012 Report Uof Redacted_joe tag:blogs.dallasobserver.com,2009:/unfairpark//9.259478 2009-11-05 14:00:00 2009-11-05 16:45:58

Robert GreesonHubertus Winnubst, left, and Bucks Burnett​Good ol' Bucks Burnett, ex of 14 Records and The Volares and currently of Eight-Track Museuming, stopped by this week bearing gifts -- specifically, the double-disc debut Colorbl nd (and, yes, that is the...

Robert Wilonsky Robert GreesonHubertus Winnubst, left, and Bucks Burnett​Good ol' Bucks Burnett, ex of 14 Records and The Volares and currently of Eight-Track Museuming, stopped by this week bearing gifts -- specifically, the double-disc debut Colorbl nd (and, yes, that is the correct spelling) by his latest rock-and-roll combo, Rachel Bazooka, which consists of Burnett and the most wonderfully monikerd Hubertus Winnubst. Also guesting on the sprawling record, which Bucks himself says would have made a great single-platter release, are the likes of Salim Nourallah and Paul Averitt, among other notables. He's only been working on it for four years -- hence, this made-in-2007 video for "Chrissie Hynde."Bucks has given Pete and I the okee-doke to stream a few cuts both here and on DC9 at Night; I'll go first, since I've known Big Bucks since Pete was in diapers. (I'm so old.) And, besides, Bucks sent Unfair Park a most wonderful little essay -- which I've not edited, meaning "capitalized or punctuated" -- to accompany the release, which he also likes to say is "Dallas's version of The White Album." His off-the-cuff liner notes are after the jump, but do watch out for the psychedelics. Here, then, from Disc One, is "Carry Me Down." It's the debut of "The Dallas Sound," so Bucks says.