Dispatches from Dallas – News and opinionating from the Metroplex.

Last fortnight’s news – for the two weeks ending 2025 07 20

Here’s a couple of weeks’ worth of interesting items from the news here in North Texas. No musical accompaniment this time, though we did spend a lot of time today listening to the late, lamented Asylum Street Spankers.

From Dallas:

The Dallas Morning News is selling itself to Hearst. Check out the difference between the headlines across outlets. DMN: DallasNews Corporation agrees to merge with Hearst; KERA: Hearst buys The Dallas Morning News, ending 140 years of local ownership; D Magazine: Morning News sells to Hearst; Dallas Observer: UPDATE: Dallas Morning News Sold to Hearst, Staffers Respond to the Shock. One of these things is not like the others. Also, check out this D Magazine post: A little peek at the DallasNews share price, which explains that the DMN is valued at $14 a share by Hearst and quite a bit less by the stock market.
KERA: Suspect dies in DPD custody after alleged robbery, police say. Not great, but it turns out the suspect had been released from a local hospital for a drug overdose earlier in the same day.
Candy’s Dirt: Dallas Municipal Court Sustains Rain Damage on All Floors. It apparently was closed for about a week, though I can’t find a mention of its reopening. The garage underneath this building is where Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald in 1962.
Somewhat related, in the Dallas Observer: Dallas Flooded Over 100 Years Ago. Here’s Why That’s Not Likely to Happen Again. Dallas had killer floods in 1908 and 1995 and has done some flood control since then.
DMN: Affidavit: Dallas police officer allegedly steals nearly $38,000 worth of Apple products. He was working off-duty overnight security for Apple Stores and the Apple people busted him and his wife for selling the goods on Facebook marketplace.
DMN: Leader of South Dallas nonprofit Bonton Farms steps down. Bonton Farms is a Big Deal name in local food.
Dallas Free Press: Dallas judge weighs: Can the City deny a resident’s right to apply for a public hearing? This is about local activist Janie Cisneros and her ongoing efforts to close the GAF shingle plant in West Dallas. Specifically this case is about the city stalling Cisneros’ effort to close the plant for nonconformance and the cost to the city ($36 to $45 million), which the city absolutely doesn’t want to pay. Related, from KERA: ‘Toxic Twins’: Dallas climate activists campaign for city to close shingle plants. This is the GAF plant and the TOMKO plant near Joppa in South Dallas.
By contrast, here’s a news story impacting North Dallas neighborhoods (including my own, but not me personally). Candy’s Dirt: Plan to Kill Alleyway Trash Pickup for Some Sparks Outcry in Dallas. Also in the Dallas Observer: Trash Service Changes Are Coming to Dallas. People Are Pissed. The Observer guesses there are about 26,000 people with alley trash service. Their houses were built with alleys that are too narrow for large garbage trucks. At the same time, many of those houses aren’t equipped to bring the trash around the house instead of through it. So there’s a legitimate problem, but not on the level of shingle plant pollution.

From Fort Worth:

Fort Worth named former Dallas PD Chief Eddie Garcia a finalist for the Chief’s job in Fort Worth. The most interesting story on the subject is from the Star-Telegram: Fort Worth council member questions late application by ex-Dallas police chief. That’s Chris Nettles, who was also unhappy with the way the city handled the hiring of City Manager Jay Chapa. Also related, in the Star-Telegram: LA deputy police chief pulls application for top job in Fort Worth department. She was one of the four finalists from a long list of 51 and a short list of nine; LAPD promoted her. The remaining finalists are the interim chief in Fort Worth and a former assistant chief from Dallas. One of my takeaways from the two former Dallas cops who applied is that Dallas PD, and probably the entire city administration, is toxic right now.
Fort Worth Report: Here’s how Fort Worth-area officials try to prevent a Central Texas floodlike disaster. Fort Worth’s historic flood was in 1949, and there was another record-breaking flood in Arlington 2008.
In somewhat related news, also in the Fort Worth Report: Texas A&M to open $24.5M emergency management hub in east Fort Worth. It’s part of a statewide plan to have supply distribution and an emergency operations center within three hours of every Texan.
Star-Telegram: Oil spill cleanup could cost Fort Worth $5 million. Who will foot the bill? The leak dropped 2,600 barrels of crude into Lake Arlington back in May. Energy Transfer of Dallas, founded by Kelcy Warren (as in Klyde Warren Park), owns the pipeline.
Fort Worth Report: Trinity Metro On-Demand van rideshare service limited after vehicle recall. Chrysler vans they use are subject to a recall for side airbags.
Fort Worth Report: Catholic Charities Fort Worth reverses course, will lead Texas Refugee Services through 2026. They had originally planned to end working with the feds in October and have extended their work for a year until the current federal contract ends.

From Dallas County:

We have a new execution date for Robert Roberson: October 16. From the Texas Tribune: Judge sets Robert Roberson’s execution date for Oct. 16. Thanks, Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Also note this from D Magazine: Dallas Morning News’ poor word choice highlights an issue in Roberson case. which is about this DMN story: Texas’ Robert Roberson gets new execution date in ‘shaken baby’ case. Specifically, in addition to the bad science around the “shaken baby” issue, Roberson’s affect was an issue for jurors. He’s since been diagnosed with autism, which explains his apparent reaction. Yet another reason Roberson should be retried if not just plain released with an overturned conviction.
KERA: Kansas City Chiefs’ Rashee Rice pleads guilty in 2024 Dallas crash, gets 30 days in jail. This case was from a year ago in the spring when Rice and another former SMU player were drag racing on Central Expressway at 2 AM. They crashed into multiple cars and fled the scene. In addition to the 30 days, Rice got 5 years of probation and restitution. He’s also settled one civil suit and has another still pending. The case is notable to me because State Senator Royce West is his attorney.

From Tarrant County:

Fort Worth Report: Tarrant GOP leaders stand behind Bo French after social media backlash. Lest we forget, he put up a poll about whether Muslims or Jews were the biggest threat to America. Even Dan Patrick wasn’t willing to back him. But we knew when Patrick rebuked French that the next big thing (the Kerr County floods and the special session) would draw everybody’s attention and nobody would be willing to do anything to him. So here we are.
KERA: Tarrant County historical commission gets 5 new members after LGBTQ controversy. Republican commissioner Matt Krause appointed four of them; Democratic commissioner Alisa Simmons appointed the other one. All of the new commissioners are actual party activists or employees or current or former elected officials.
DMN: Texas officials report first West Nile cases of the year, urge mosquito precautions. One of the first two cases this year is in Tarrant County.
Star-Telegram: Tarrant juvenile detention officer fired for improper conduct involving detainees. The officer was stalking and/or helping another detainee stalk a teenage girl detainee.
Star-Telegram: Federal judge dismisses lawsuit alleging ‘drugs run rampant’ in Tarrant jail and the Fort Worth Report: Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over fentanyl death in Tarrant County Jail custody. This is following on the fentanyl overdose death of Trelynn Wormley in 2022 at the Tarrant County Jail. Worth reading the whole thing at the Fort Worth Report if you’re interested in the ongoing saga of jail deaths. There’s a lot of meat about the lack of investigations and the many failures that don’t add up to a pattern the judge thinks the County is liable for.
Star-Telegram: Tarrant County’s bid to revoke tax exemptions for out-of-town housing groups denied. This is a tax scheme where companies buy land in Tarrant County, claim affordable housing tax credits, then lease the land to apartment operators. Worth reading for the analysis of HB 21, which is supposed to close the loophole that these companies are exploiting.

From the suburban cities and towns:

The big news is in Keller, which wants to partner with ICE. Pick your version of the story from the news outlet of your choice. DMN: Keller could soon be largest Texas city to formally partner with ICE, mayor says; Star-Telegram: Tarrant County city considers joining ICE’s immigration enforcement program; KERA: Keller seeks to formalize partnership with ICE through local law enforcement. Apparently Keller is already handing folks they arrest over to ICE; they just want to formalize it and get federal money through the 287(g) program. Also, while advocates for the program like Keller’s mayor claim it only affects criminals, not everyone who goes to jail is a criminal.
KERA: Arlington mayor holds first of 5 town halls, discusses budget challenges and city services. A big part of the problem is that two-year appraisal cycle Tarrant County is currently using.
Fort Worth Report: GM moving production of Cadillac Escalade out of Arlington in 2027. They’re moving production to Orion Township, Michigan, which is about 40 miles from Detroit.
KERA: Denton shelter drops 24/7 services in favor of long-term help and ‘doing better with what we have’. This is the shelter for unhoused people, who will now no longer have a place to go other than in bad weather. Instead the shelter’s beds will generally be reserved for people in its transitional housing program.
DMN: Trial date set for Karmelo Anthony in fatal stabbing at Frisco track meet. His trial for murder will start on June 1, 2026.
D Magazine: City of Garland Accidentally Plows Through Protected Forest. Spring Creek Forest Preserve is one of only two sites in Texas recognized by the Old-Growth Forest Network. Sigh.
KERA: Irving’s spending $2.9M on a domestic violence shelter, but some want it for homeless services. There are points on both sides of this conflict but what I see is the theme that cities don’t have enough money to do everything necessary.
Dallas Observer: Dallas Suburb Named the Best City in the U.S. for Renters. It’s McKinney.
Candy’s Dirt: Controversial McKinney Airport Expansion Breaks Ground. McKinney embargoed the news to avoid protestors.

From the suburban counties:

The biggest story the Alvarado incident, where an officer was shot outside of the Prairieland ICE detention facility on July 4. The early news is best typified by this article from the AP: 10 held in Texas immigration detention center shooting that was ‘planned ambush,’ US attorney says. The most recent news is featured by in this KERA story: FBI captures former marine reservist in connection with Alvarado ICE facility shooting. Benjamin Hanil Song was the 14th person arrested; 12 including Song for the incident, and two additional people for helping Song evade arrest. If you, like me, knew nothing about Prairieland, the Star-Telegram has an explainer: What we know about Prairieland, the ICE detention center in Fort Worth’s backyard. It was opened in 2017, it’s the closest facility to the Metroplex, it had a transgender ward when it opened that no longer operates, and detainees report that it’s overcrowded and unsanitary but it’s still better than other facilities.
The latest news from on the EPIC City development and the associated harassment of the Plano mosque organizing it is from KERA: Abbott says EPIC violated funeral rules. Regulators are still looking for ‘credible information’. The Texas Funeral Service Commission is letting the East Plano Islamic Center conduct various burial rites again after Governor Abbott tried to shut them down. Meanwhile the Dallas Observer has updated their timeline again on July 8: UPDATE: A Timeline of the EPIC City Controversy.
KERA: Divorce between Ken and Angela Paxton will proceed outside public view, reports say. The Collin County state district judge who’s overseeing the divorce has sealed the records.

From throughout the North Texas region:

In DART news, we have two items. In the DMN: Mayors petition Abbott to revive DART funding, governance bills in Texas’ special session. And, locally, in the Dallas Observer: ‘We Are People Too’: DART Riders Oppose Drastic Changes At Six Hour Meeting. Unsurprisingly, nobody at the July 8 meeting spoke in favor of the impending cuts in service. Also in Community Impact: Residents, elected officials voice concerns about proposed DART service cuts.
WFAA: Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer will stay on the tracks a little longer after a year’s worth of funding is approved. I’ve taken this service up to Oklahoma City. It would be a shame to get rid of it instead of improving it.
Fort Worth Report: North Texas experienced 7 days of unhealthy air quality levels since April.
DMN: Homebuilding is slowing in D-FW, even with more buyer incentives. Here’s why. Supply, including speculative housing, is too high, and demand is low. It’s the economy, stupid, and the consumers feel bad about it.
We have two stories on local fixture Dr. Phil. From KERA: Dr. Phil to launch new media network weeks after Merit Street bankruptcy filing. Also in the Hollywood Reporter: Dr. Phil Returns: Launches Envoy Media Co. in Comeback Bid, which says the new network will feature news, entertainment, and citizen journalism. Meanwhile, there’s another lawsuit about the old network per the DMN: Professional Bull Riders hit ‘Dr. Phil’s’ Merit Street Media with $181M debt claim. The bull riders broke with Merit Street last fall because they weren’t getting paid.
In protest news, we have the Good Trouble rallies in the DMN: Group gathers in Dallas to honor civil rights leader John Lewis — and protest Trump; and the Star-Telegram: ‘Good Trouble’ rally in downtown Fort Worth spreads message of justice. And a different protest is in the news at KERA: North Texans protest defense contractor Raytheon amid Israeli strikes, starvation fears in Gaza. I knew the Good Trouble protests were coming, but even though the Raytheon protest was in Richardson, I didn’t hear about it until I read this story.
In things worth protesting, from the Dallas Observer: KERA Set to Lose $2.7M From Federal NPR Funding Slash. That also includes local classical station WRR and Gen X/our household favorite KXT.
Also in the Dallas Observer: What To Know About North Texas Detention Centers. This isn’t just Prairieland in Alvarado, but the other three centers where folks are sent from the Dallas ICE office and how to find out if someone you’re looking for is in one of them (through their A number).

Local editorials and op-eds:

DMN editorial: Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson seems like the mayor of Somewhere Else. This is the Powers That Be in Dallas saying the quiet part out loud: Johnson is already auditioning for a role in the Trump administration or its business subsidiaries when he gets term-limited out of Dallas instead of running the city he’s in office for. More on this with some details from D Magazine: Dallas Morning News calls Eric Johnson ‘the mayor of Somewhere Else’.
Dallas Observer: What The Dallas Morning News Sale Means to a Dallas Times Herald Staffer. Subhead: “Revenge served cold still tastes pretty damned good.” The Morning News bought the Times Herald and shut it down in 1991.
DMN editorial: DART shouldn’t cut service for those who need it most. As this editorial notes, the folks who are going to get hit hardest are folks in Southern Dallas and folks with disabilities.
A related DMN op-ed: Defunding DART will hurt North Texas. Let’s not turn a blind eye. The writer of this one is a DART board member and he talks about things the suburban mayors who want the governor to bring the DART legislation back omitted from their version of the story.
Star-Telegram: Freezing billions in education funding now isn’t efficient. It just wreaks havoc. Per the editorial, of the $7 billion in freezes announced June 30, $667 million was allotted to Texas and $10 million for Fort Worth schools. So six to eight weeks before school is starting, districts with an already tight budget found out they’re losing even more money.
The Star-Telegram’s Bud Kennedy: Greg Abbott has $86 million. Texas Democrats don’t have a candidate. Here’s why. This is a depressing but pretty good analysis of why we’re going to have a hard time unseating Abbott. The money helps, but the part where he can play the sane executive next to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick makes him easy for people to vote for.

And miscellaneous news (including museums and zoos):

Some news that makes more sense of the Marvin Nichols reservoir brangle. In the DMN: Texas water supply storage tops 80% for first time since 2021. Related, in the Fort Worth Report: Above-average rainfall keeps drought at bay, fills lakes as North Texas temperatures rise. The elephant in the room is the statewide rains that brought on the fatal flooding near Kerrville over the July 4th weekend.
19th News: She helped get rid of measles in her county. This is her advice on stopping its spread. She is Katherine Wells, director of the Lubbock Health Department. Definitely worth a read, and I share her concern that we’re going to see measles bounce back once the school year begins.
WFAA: Oak View Group CEO indicted for bid rigging in Texas university arena project, feds say. Oak View is the group that the city of Dallas just kicked out of managing Fair Park. The venue is Moody Center, which replaced Frank Erwin Center as the big basketball and music venue on the UT Austin Campus.
Fort Worth Report: Sen. Phil King predicts legal victory as Texas schools begin displaying Ten Commandments. King (R-Weatherford) is the author of SB 10, which is the subject of lawsuits because it’s prima facie unconstitutional, even though the courts may rule wrongly on it.
KERA: Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson announces run for attorney general. Also in the Dallas Observer: Dallas Sen. Nathan Johnson Becomes First Democrat to Join Attorney General Race. And in the DMN, Texas Sen. Nathan Johnson launches campaign for attorney general, in which Johnson talks to DMN political writer Gromer Jeffers, Jr. I don’t know enough about Joe Jaworski to say whether he’s significantly better than Johnson, who’s currently my state senator, but I do know that Johnson has done a good job in a district that was ugly red until Johnson beat Don Huffines in 2018 right after I moved here. Johnson would make me happier if he were further to the left, but even when I don’t agree with him, I don’t think he’s a hippie-puncher for the sake of punching hippies, as it were. If he’s our nominee, and if he wins, he’ll do a good job.
WFAA: North Texas Republican says Trump’s tax and spending bill isn’t all beautiful. Congressman Keith Self is probably on the MAGA bad list for saying this.
KERA: UNT professor awarded $725,000 in settlement against university. This is an unpleasant story circling around the Journal of Schenkerian Studies, which UNT music theory professor Timothy Jackson edits and publishes for the school. Jackson got into an academic spat with a Black professor in New York who criticized Heinrich Schenker, the music theorist for whom the journal is named, saying Schenker’s politics and personal attitudes reinforce a framing of musical theory that disadvantages BIPOC students. Jackson fired back with some cultural criticism in a special issue of his journal that critics maintain is racist. There was an effort to force Jackson out, Jackson sued, and five years on, this is the result. This case is notable because former Texas Solicitor General Jonathan Mitchell was one of the plaintiff’s lawyers. It’s part of the larger Trumpian effort to force universities to toe the right-wing political line.
WFAA: Some Texans may be suffering from ‘warning fatigue’ amid flooding, Blue Alerts, data shows. I believe this. I was sitting in a restaurant with family when the Blue Alert for the Alvarado ICE shooting suspect went off and nobody paid it any mind. And of course I remember when we got the middle-of-the-night wakeup call because a cop had been shot in Abilene. I’m not surprised 30% of Texans have just turned those alerts off.
Fort Worth Report: Documentary about Fort Worth’s renowned artists Daniel and Dennis Blagg is in the works. They’re landscape painters and co-founded a major art space in Fort Worth.
Dallas Observer: New Law Means Dallas Food Trucks Can Hit the Open Road. They only need one permit to operate statewide starting next summer following the passage of HB 2844.
DMN: Saddle up! The Texas Black Invitational Rodeo is returning to Fair Park in South Dallas. This weekend Fair Park will celebrate the history of Black cowboys.
Some stories about local museums:
DMN: Over 35 years later, African American Museum of Dallas continues Black history classes. Their heritage extends further back than the 1960s but they’re still relevant today, especially with “DEI” being pushed out of Texas public schools.
Bugs and STEM Education at the Perot Museum. This one is about the new Bug Lab exhibit, which spouse and I visited during early members hours just after it opened. It was a lot of fun for me as an adult, but I imagine kids would have had an even better time. Also interesting: the bugs are from Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, and the second language on the exhibit is Maori.
DMN: At the Amon Carter Museum, two exhibitions explore the American West. One is an exhibit of Richard Avedon pictures celebrating the 40th anniversary of his major exhibition at the Carter; the other celebrates Asian-American art and art history. I haven’t been to either exhibit yet but they’re now on my list.
Dallas Observer: 3 Dallas Influencers Make Time’s Top 100 Creators. I’m old; the only one I knew was Keith Lee.
DMN: Some Redditors think Dallas is devoid of culture. Tell us what you think. Our local paper is not above hanging a Reddit link out to generate comments. I read the Reddit post before I saw the DMN version of the story and yes, Dallas was the number one answer to the question about which US city has the least culture. My take is that the city has a lot to offer if you get to know it, but it doesn’t have an overall vibe the way other Texas cities do: Austin is a music town (or a tech bro town, depending on who you talk to); San Antonio is full of Mexican culture; Fort Worth is Cowtown. Things are run by people with money so that’s the vibe people have about it. The same could be said of Houston, but it’s developing a reputation as a foodie town.
Last, but not least in the Star-Telegram: Fort Worth Zoo celebrates hatching of rare ‘amazing animal’ third year in a row. They’re gharial crocodiles and you can see them on the Zoo’s Instagram feed.

Closing my tabs – 2025 07 20

Another handful of things I’ve read in the last couple of weeks.

Eruditorium Press: Four Tiny Essays On SF/F. The one about the counter-Marvel aesthetic hasn’t aged well in the 3 1/2 years since it was written, but Hugboxing vs Scab Picking really spoke to me. Not about queerness, but about other issues relevant to my life, and more for roleplaying games (the pen & pencil kind) than for reading.
Colossal: Get Up Close to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unrealized Buildings with David Romero’s Digital Models. Some of these look very Star Wars to me.
Business Insider: How data centers are deepening the water crisis. I sent this to a friend who lives in Phoenix (the Phoenix area is discussed in the article). She said that people shouldn’t be able to build these things in the West because there’s not enough water. She’s not wrong.
Articles of Interest: This Smells Like Shit. I Love It!. I’m into perfume and I found this interesting because it’s been obvious to me for a while that there’s something about a lot of these aggressive perfumes that are popular with srs bzns perfume people that I just don’t get.
Washington Post: The 39 definitive rules of office fashion. I wish someone had told me this stuff when I started working!
Straight Arrow News : Exclusive: Evidence of cell phone surveillance detected at anti-ICE protest. Not a surprise. Never heard of this outlet but it’s financed by the guy who started Ameritrade as an unbiased straight-down-the-middle news org.
History Blog: Unique 10th c. timber with face carving found in Poland.
NBC: Arizona patient dies in emergency room from plague and Fox 10 Phoenix: 1 person dies of the plague in northern Arizona. As a medievalist by training: YIKES!
Tatler: Remembering Mary Drage: the ballerina who turned down Princess Margaret’s suitor (and a title) to honour her Catholic faith. This was in the 1950s and royal permission was still required for a man in the succession, even distantly, to marry a Catholic woman. And Queen Elizabeth wouldn’t grant it.
NT Times: Yes, Gen Z Is Staring at You. The Question Is Why. I had no idea about the “Gen Z stare” but tbh my immediate response is “whatever”.

School district Saturday – 2025 07 19

This fortnight’s school news you can use, since it took about two weeks to generate this many stories over the summer break.

First, from the Dallas Morning News: Texas can release 2024 A-F grades for schools, court rules. Also in the Star-Telegram: Texas can release 2024 A-F grades for schools, court rules. The Star-Telegram notes that Fort Worth ISD was not part of the 2024 lawsuit, and had already released accountability data for that year. The decision on whether the state will take over Fort Worth ISD is on hold until the 2025 data arrives in August.
Dallas Observer: Texas Schools Add Attack Drones To Protect Students. Apart from the expense, which is always an issue, the folks trying to get this project off the ground are aware of and actively working against the possibility of hacking. The CEO of the company behind this project started his career in cybersecurity.
Star-Telegram: Federal judge sides with Aledo ISD in disability rights case. I don’t understand all the intricacies of the ADA and schools, but I admit that on the one hand the school probably ought to have some way to assess kids to determine their needs, and that on the other hand the IQ test Aledo ISD wants to give a four-year-old isn’t the best assessment of her abilities.
DMN: Dallas ISD left with $22 million gap after Trump education funding freeze. This is what our tax dollars aren’t doing. They’re going to billionaire and corporate tax cuts instead.
DMN: Joyce Foreman has one donor: Ruel Hamilton. Foreman represents part of South Dallas on the DISD board (District 6); Hamilton is a developer of apartment complexes. He was convicted in 2021 of bribing two (by then former) Dallas City Council members to support projects he was developing in southern Dallas. Click through for details that make it sound even worse.
Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD closing Charles E. Nash Elementary, named for hardware store owner. One more school profile of a school that demographics and finances are killing in FWISD.
Star-Telegram: Federal education funding freeze leaves millions in limbo for Fort Worth schools and in the Fort Worth Report: FWISD mentoring, college readiness programs at risk after feds delay $6.8B. More of the things our tax dollars are not buying so billionaires can have tax cuts.
Fort Worth Report: Mansfield ISD adopts largest budget deficit in 10 years as it navigates new funding laws. It’s $13 million on a $400+ million general fund budget.
Star-Telegram: Former Millsap ISD educators indicted in abuse of autistic student: prosecutor. Apparently there was viral video of the teacher yelling at the child, throwing things at him, and attempting to slap his face. According to earlier stories on the same topic, the child, who is nonverbal and autistic, was aged 10. I’m not clear on who hit the child but the failure to report charges are mostly misdemeanors (one is a felony).

Weekly media report – 2025 07 16

Books
Stone and Sky, by Ben Aaronovitch. Most recent of the Rivers of London books, in which the gang goes to Aberdeen to find out what’s up with a mysterious sheep-eating cat, and ends up involved with merfolk, selkies, North Sea oil, and Scottish independence. I’ve actually been to Aberdeen once and it felt right to me. I really enjoyed the Abigail/foxes subplot more than usual, and I was fascinated by Beverly and the babies. Also, kudos to Ben for getting around Brexit.
Last Call at the Nightingale and The Last Drop of Hemlock. First two books in a 1920s set mystery series centering on a jazz bar in New York. Our heroine is an Irish orphan who stumbles into two mysteries. The supporting cast is diverse and the mysteries are interesting: the first one involves a body found outside the club and gets into whiskey runners and gangsters; the second involves the demise of our heroine’s (Black) best friend’s uncle and has some great twists. There are 2 or 3 more in the series and I’m definitely down for the lot of them.
Picks & Shovels by Cory Doctorow. I’m glad he writes from the perspective of a (sometimes really dumb even though he’s really smart) man, because the story he’s telling in this one would be unbearable if he were trying to write from a woman’s POV. Third in the Martin Hench series, this one tells a story about Marty’s arrival in San Francisco in the 1980s and his involvement in the quarrel between a religious computer company and the women who left them and tried to take them down. I like these books a lot; I just don’t like the protagonist very much even when he’s theoretically doing the right thing. Also, the overall ending was strong, even the parts I didn’t like.
Death by Misadventure, by Tasha Alexander. 18th in the Lady Emily series. Lady Emily and her husband do a locked room mystery in the Bavarian Alps. I correctly predicted the killer but not the reasoning, which was well-done. This series has the annoying past-history interspersions but this time I figured out the significance about halfway through the book and thought it was much more interesting than the previous books: it explained a lot more about the current mystery than the interspersed stories have in the past.
The Lily of Ludgate Hill and The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews. Third and fourth in the four-hander Regency romances in the Belles of London series, in which four horse-riding friends get paired off. Book three involves one of the girls calling in a favor from an old flame. Timewise this is interspersed with events from the previous books in a very clever way. Book four involves the aftermath of those events and ties in with them the same way. This time the clergyman’s sister has to forsake her home to get her independence and her man, who’s a disabled artist (he can’t walk after a bout of scarlet fever). The way the series ties the books together is really clever.
Miss Caroline Bingley: Private Detective, by Sharmini Kumar & Kelly Gardiner. Inspired by the side characters in Pride & Prejudice, this one uses a Regency mystery as a jumping-off point to get into the history of the East India Company and subcontinental Indians in Regency London. By the end of the book we have Caroline set up with an Anglo-Indian lady friend, a possible romance/foil in the Company, friends and allies and enemies, so I expect there to be another one.
A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murders, by Dianne Freeman. 8th in the Countess of Harleigh series. This time Frances and her husband are in 1900-ish Paris, at Longchamps and dealing with a mystery in which the Divine Sarah (Bernhardt) is a suspect. I like the expansion of the family in the B-plot and the resolutions with Frances’ mother and personal friends, and while I did see one of the twists coming, there was one that surprised me, so that was good.

Movies & TV
Murderbot, Episode 10. I’ve really enjoyed this series even if most of the finale was predictable (they weren’t going to destroy the protagonist!) I liked the ending and look forward to S2.

Music
Apple Essentials: Wet Leg and Wet Leg, Moisturizer. None of the other stuff is as droll as Chaise Longue but I do like me a little female fronted rock music. Of the new stuff I think I like CPR (the new single) best.

Weekly media report – 2025 07 09

Books
Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD (3rd edition), by Susan C. Pinsky. I don’t have ADHD but chronic illness has given me some of the same management issues, and I’m pretty sure spouse has his share as well. This is the third edition; I’d previously read the second edition, and there’s some additional useful information in it. Specifically there’s more up-to-date suggestions for keeping your online life organized. I think I’m feeling the desire for what this book calls a Brutal Purge, because I’m thinking about rereading another, similar book next.

Short Stories
Death and Liquidity Under the New Moon, by Vajra Chandrasekera. Post-mortem military service by the author of The Saint of the Bright Doors. Nuff said.

Movies & TV
Murderbot, episodes 7-9. We get to the climax and find out what’s going on, finally, and everything blows up in everyone’s faces. Next week: the payoff. Then I’m going to read the books. I continue to enjoy this series and especially Alexander Skarsgard’s deadpan as he deals with his clients/cow orkers.

Music
Neave Trio, La mer: French Piano Trios & A Room of Her Own. Two albums of chamber music that I’m mostly not familiar with but definitely enjoyed. I picked this album because the trio has two women, putting them squarely in my “listen to more women in 2025” project, and because their newest album (the first) got a nice review in the Guardian.
Apple Essentials: Tangerine Dream. Pretty sure the answer here is still I really like the late Virgin era and am not so crazy about anything else.

Last week’s news – week ending 2025 07 06

Mondays are the day I usually set aside to write these posts, but I was distracted yesterday by the news out of Kerrville. This week’s post was brought to you by the music of Tangerine Dream.

News from Dallas:

KERA: Dallas to review diversity, equity, inclusion programs to comply with executive orders. You’ll also see a similar report about Fort Worth below. This is happening everywhere.
WFAA: City of Dallas will take over Fair Park operations, terminates contract with private manager. Finally. Also in the Dallas Morning News: Dallas terminates contract with Fair Park First, Oak View Group but the nonprofit may stay and the Dallas Free Press: Fair Park faces major overhaul as city terminates contract with Fair Park First. What is Fair Park First doing while the city figures out if they’re going to survive this debacle? Working on a long-promised park in south Dallas: Amid fight for survival, Fair Park nonprofit announces new funding for community park. Also at KERA: Fair Park secures $3M in state funding for planned Community Park.
DMN: Dallas judge dismisses AG Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against State Fair of Texas’ gun ban. Not the only harassment effort that you’ll see dismissed in this post. Related, also in the DMN: State Fair gunman pleads guilty to aggravated assaults on eve of testimony in Dallas trial. He bargained for 12 years.
KERA: Dallas agrees to block marijuana decriminalization ordinance after appeals court ruling. We all knew this was coming. Also in the Dallas Observer: Dallas Recriminalizes Small Amounts of Weed, Gets Chummy With Ken Paxton. I voted for Prop R, I wanted Prop R, and I knew with this state government and this party-switching Republican mayor setting policy for the city, it was a futile gesture.
Candy’s Dirt: Dallas Takes Its First Swing at Zoning Reform in Almost 40 Years. There’s a link to the proposals in this post. I really wish we were getting to work on this with a different mayor.
Dallas Free Press: New DPD chief meets with oversight board, but policy questions are shut down. Specifically they don’t want to talk about cooperation with ICE, which folks are asking about. My personal theory is that Comeaux was hired over the interim chief, who retired, because Comeaux will work with ICE and Igo, the interim chief, wouldn’t.
Related, at KERA and the DMN: Dallas police recruits will need three years of consecutive work experience to be hired & Want to become a Dallas police officer? No college required. This is about how Dallas PD has to lower its requirements to get to the 4,000 officer goal set in Prop U. In theory I’m OK with dropping the bachelor’s degree requirement because I’m against credentialism, but on the other hand, my hairstylist has to have more training to get her license from the state than cops have to have to get their license. I’d rather see more specific training, and some particular kinds of training like de-escalation. I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen.
DMN: Two longtime Dallas City Council member departures mark change for much of southern Dallas. About the changes with Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins and Carolyn King Arnold being term-limited out.
DMN: Dallas survey finds residents want improved roads, policing, social services. Unsurprisingly, this is not how city officials want to spend our money.
Candy’s Dirt: ‘Greener Dallas Greater Dallas’ Initiative to Build More Parks, Convert Vacant Lots to Green Space. They want to have a park within 10 minutes’ walk everywhere in Dallas, which is a laudable goal.
Dallas Observer: Gentle Gentrification Eases Its Way Into Southern Dallas. A local developer is trying to build some nice houses in Brentwood.
KERA and the Dallas Observer: Dallas USPS worker dies while working, union officials say & Dallas USPS Worker Dies Two Years After Eugene Gates Jr. Death, OSHA Fine. Tragic. No cause of death has been announced but the weather was only (only!) in the mid-90s. I hope it turns out that the lessons of the last case like this were absorbed and the cause of death wasn’t trivially preventable.
KERA: Dallas renames lakes along the Trinity River to honor Native American tribes.They’re now NʉmʉNahmi Lake (Comanche Nahmi Lake), Wichita ita:iʔh (pronounced ih-dahts-ih) Lake, and Lipan Apache Mbátí Lake.
And a few items of super-local news:
- DMN: This Dallas woman’s home was hit twice by oncoming traffic. What does it take to get help? This is on a bend on Abrams Road, which I drive regularly to get down to Deep Ellum. I hope the city can help the owner of this house. I understand the impulse to put the pedal to the metal on this part of the road, but not to 100 mph!
- D Magazine: Lakewood’s Linda England, known for her window statements, died Saturday. (June 21) She was well known in the neighborhood and throughout the city for her window messages. I didn’t know her, but I’ll miss her signs.
- DMN: Why won’t you find liquor stores in Oak Cliff? Curious Texas answers. “A unique mix of local laws, historical votes and zoning rules that continue to shape how alcohol is sold in this neighborhood” per the article. Oak Cliff, like the Heights in Houston, was a 19th-century suburb swallowed by its neighboring city, and stayed dry even when the surrounding areas allowed alcohol sales. Most of it is now wet but a lot of the area is too close to schools or churches for alcohol licensing.
- DMN: Dallas will end some alley trash service in 2026. These neighborhoods will be impacted. We don’t have an alley so no alley pickup for us, but our neighbors will lose alley pickup in January. The last time the city tried this, the protests resulted in the city dropping the plan. We’ll see if they can make it stick this time. While I agree people are being precious, the houses in my neighborhood are designed to have trash in the alley and if people don’t want to drag their city cans through the house, they’re going to have to make some adjustments. If they have a gate between the backyard and the front, that’s one thing, but where folks who don’t have a gate are going to put their trash is a good question.

News from Fort Worth:

Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth council debates DEI programs, delays vote. This is the same discussion happening in Dallas. Fort Worth stands to lose $277 million and change, per the article.
Dallas Observer: ‘This was Preventable’: Report Reveals Failures in Fort Worth CrossFit Death. This is about the drowning death last August. Apparently it took 20 minutes to call emergency responders.

News from Dallas County:

KERA: Family of man who died of water intoxication in Dallas County jail files civil rights lawsuit. Spencer Swearnger died in 2023 after drinking an excess of water from his cell toilet. He had mental health problems and might have been suicidal. But, also, his was the third water intoxication death at the jail since 2020. Just because the Dallas County Jail isn’t as awful as the Tarrant County Jail doesn’t mean it’s good.
DMN: People are being held in Dallas County jail weeks beyond sentences amid systemic failures. This is a consequence of the problems with the county’s case management system, which was installed back in 2023. I appreciate that the Sherriff can’t release people without the proper paperwork, but the jail either needs to get on the same system as the court or to get an API connected so they can get orders in a timely fashion. This is not acceptable and I’m unhappy that my tax dollars are paying both to keep people in jail beyond their time and for the settlements that are coming because former inmates are quite properly suing over being held in the jail too long.
KERA: State commission sanctions Dallas judge Amber Givens. She was sanctioned for allowing her coordinator to impersonate her back in 2019 and admonished over actions she took in cases she’d been recused from, which gets into a rabbit hole about local court scheduling and overloaded dockets. This is not the first time I’ve seen Givens’ name attached to headlines about problems in her court. She’s probably due to be primaried.

News from Tarrant County:

Fort Worth Report: Tarrant County approves $250K contract with law firm to fight racial gerrymandering lawsuit. It’s the same conservative law firm that County Judge Tim O’Hare picked to lead the gerrymandering effort in the first place.
Dallas Observer: Tarrant County Officials Block Fort Worth’s LGBTQ Historical Marker. Also at KERA: Tarrant officials clash over canceled LGBTQ historical marker after abandoned briefing. O’Hare says it’s about procedural problems with the application. Democratic Commissioners think he just hates queer history.
Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French got himself in some hot water. The most recent item on this matter is at the Fort Worth Report: Tarrant GOP chair Bo French holds firm despite calls for his ouster. This DMN story (Dan Patrick tells local GOP chair to resign for posting online poll on Jews, Muslims) sums up what he’s standing firm against: he posted a poll about whether Muslims or Jews were a bigger threat to America and a number of state and local Republican leaders, the most prominent of which was Patrick, called for his resignation for antisemitism. Nobody on the Republican side seemed to care about his Islamophobia, though. In any case, as the Fort Worth Report discusses, neither the state nor the local party seem to be interested in doing the actual work of removing French, but with Dan Patrick having turned on French, French may be vulnerable in his next election.
Somewhat related, in the Star-Telegram: ‘Obscene’ image glued to Tarrant GOP office door in early June: police report. The obscene image was a screenshot of a nasty social media post from French’s encouraging the shooting of anti-ICE protestors with the additional caption: “Read the First Amendment, you fascist [expletive].”
Star-Telegram: New Tarrant County Democratic Party chair aims to make it ‘a million dollar party’. After the previous chair resigned, former chair Allison Campolo won her old job back by a landslide. Good luck to her.
With the regular Lege session over, there’s a lot of news about changes in the Tarrant County delegation:
- Fort Worth Report: How Kelly Hancock went from Fort Worth’s state senator to Texas comptroller. He replaces Glenn Hegar, who’s leaving to run the A&M system. Hancock will be facing Christi Craddick and Don Huffines in the Republican primary in the spring.
- DMN: Gov. Greg Abbott sets date for special election in North Texas Senate seat. It’ll be on November 4, with the general election.
- Texas Tribune: State Rep. Nate Schatzline drops Texas Senate bid, endorses conservative activist Leigh Wambsganss. This is good news because Schatzline is awful enough in the House, but bad news because Wambsganss, the Patriot Mobile PAC leader, could be worse. She has Dan Patrick’s endorsement.
- And in a different retirement and race, from the Fort Worth Report: As Birdwell plans retirement from Senate, Cook launches campaign to be his successor. Brian Birdwell is the State Senator from Granbury; David Cook is the State Representative from Mansfield.
KERA: Tarrant County adopts new software to clean voter rolls, stay ahead of registration challenges. They’re spending $46K on skip-tracing software so they’ll have less trouble with True the Vote catching people who moved and haven’t dropped their registration in Tarrant County.
KERA: Judge dismisses lawsuit against doctor in case of woman who gave birth alone in Tarrant County Jail. This case is about Chasity Congious, whose newborn died in 2020. The medical director of the jail was dismissed from the suit because he was off duty when he received a relevant email on a Sunday.

News from the suburbs:

Fort Worth Report: Arlington GM plant sees no production impact from tariffs. Data point, so far.
Fort Worth Report: Arlington mayor on payment plan with IRS for $174K in back taxes, council peers say work unaffected. Mayor Jim Ross gets paid $250 a month and the IRS is garnishing it. The mayorship of Arlington is in theory a part-time job but apparently it’s eating up Ross’ time and his finances are in an uproar. The original source of this story? The Dallas Express.
Fort Worth Report: Arlington considers raising property taxes as last resort to close final part of $25M budget gap.
DMN: Why doesn’t Arlington have mass transit? Curious Texas finds out. They’re too spread out, so it doesn’t make sense. They have rideshare instead. This may bite them during the World Cup next year, assuming it comes off.
KERA: ‘It’s not a pretty picture’: Denton will need to cut next year’s budget by nearly $14.5M. Ouch.
Texas Monthly: The Big Temple That Divided a Small Town. An overview of the fight between Fairview and the Latter-Day Saints over their proposed temple, which locals say is too big for the small town.
Dallas Observer: UPDATED: A Timeline Of The Frisco Track Meet Stabbing. Another overview. The most recent news is that Karmelo Anthony has been indicted on one count of murder in Collin County in late June.
KERA: City of Irving to review ethics policy following campaign finance complaint. The complaint was that a losing council candidate received too much money from the Texas Conservative Project PAC.
KERA: Irving has a plan to address homelessness, but critics say it’s not enough. Anti-homeless architecture and hassling by the police usually isn’t helpful to unhoused folks.
BBC: No criminal charges over British woman shot in US. She was visiting her father in Prosper and was shot and killed in January. The shooter was no-billed and no details have come out. On Reddit, folks were speculating that a child may have shot her accidentally and that’s why no information is being released. I wish the families involved peace, especially the poor Brits, who have no idea of what to make of our gun laws.

News from the suburban counties:

We have a few items on the EPIC City/Plano mosque ongoing business up in Collin County:
- KERA: New Texas property law targets EPIC City development, takes effect ‘immediately’ This is about HB 4211, which “requires business entities entering into a residential arrangement to disclose to anyone buying a piece of land that they are investing into the interest of the business rather than the property.” I’m not sure how this cracks down on EPIC City.
- KERA: U.S. Department of Justice ends federal probe into EPIC City. With much less fanfare than when John Cornyn pushed them to investigate.
- KERA: EPIC sues to resume funeral services after cease-and-desist letter from Texas funeral authority. As part of the harassment campaign over EPIC City, the Funeral Services Commission sent a cease-and-desist letter to the mosque to keep them from performing funeral services. You may not know this but Islamic funeral rites are supposed to be conducted quickly, ideally within 24 hours of death, so requiring outside funeral homes to work with the mosque creates a problem. My opinion all along has been that the state is throwing everything at EPIC in the hopes that something will stick legally (as opposed to the Islamophobia, which will stick with the MAGA types), so I hope EPIC cleans house in this suit.
  - - KERA: Status of Collin County Sheriff’s controversial training in Israel remains uncertain as ceasefire begins. Wait what? The sheriff wanted to take five deputies to Israel for counterrorism training. The slight matter of a war is interfering.
  - - DMN: Plan to roll out hand-marked ballots gets preview in Collin County. Also at KERA: Voting rights activists warn Collin County move to hand-marked ballots will cause issues. This is following up on an executive order, which doesn’t have the force of law. The Texas Civil Rights Project and the League of Women Voters are against it, which would tell me it was a bad idea even if I didn’t already know why hand-marked ballots aren’t a great idea.
  - - KERA: Homelessness climbs 33% in Denton County since 2024, according to local United Way data. Yikes.

In other regional news:

DMN: What to know about Las Vegas Sands, the casino giant betting big on North Texas. I learned from this article that the Sands empire doesn’t currently have any casinos in the US.
KERA: Texas water board declares a ‘conflict’ over controversial Marvin Nichols reservoir. This is not a surprise. Region C (North Texas, which wants the water) and Region D (Northeast Texas, where the reservoir would be located) have been at odds for a long time. Now they go to mediation, which should be scheduled by mid-month.
Texas Tribune: Robert Nichols, the most senior Texas Senate Republican, won’t run for reelection. Not a surprise. Nichols has been voting his conscience rather than the party line for the last couple of years, most notably in the Paxton impeachment trial. My father-in-law is from Jacksonville and acquainted with Mr Nichols and had suggested this was about to happen. State Rep. Trent Ashby, from Rusk, is looking to fill Nichols’ rather large shoes.
DMN: Spanish backer of Dallas-Houston bullet train folds U.S. operations, report says. The report, in a Spanish business publication, also says they lost more than $5 million, or their entire investment. The bullet train is not going to happen.
Dallas Observer: ‘Poisonous’ and a ‘Clown Show’: Community Responds To Proposed DART Cuts. Clickbait title notwithstanding, the story tells you all about why Plano doesn’t want everybody in the Dallas Area Rapid Transit service area to have nice things.
Dallas Observer: Trans People Are Fleeing North Texas, What Happens Next? This article made me sad, but it doesn’t surprise me. I have trans and GNC friends and they just don’t want to live in Texas because it’s so awful here for them.
Mediaite: Dr. Phil’s Anti-Woke Television Network Files For Bankruptcy, Sues Christian Trinity Broadcasting Network. Couldn’t happen to a nicer. For a local take, try the Fort Worth Report: Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media files bankruptcy, sues Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Some editorials in local outlets:

DMN: Paxton’s insistence on Robert Roberson’s execution is indefensible. DMN editorial from mid-June. Paxton’s bloodthirstiness is in tune with Texas’ awful history with the death penalty, but we should do better.
Star-Telegram: Change candidates can learn from Zohran Mamdani’s NY mayor upset. I am really learning to like Bradford William Davis as a columnist. I hope nobody runs him out of town.
Star-Telegram: Trump didn’t view Iran strike like typical politician — and it worked. This is by Congressman Roger Williams, and I note it because it’s always interesting to see who the papers give opinion space to.
Star-Telegram: To beat China on AI, we must block mishmash of state rules on development. Similarly, this one about the state rules on AI development, dropped from the recent “Big Beautiful Bill”, is by George P. Bush.
Star-Telegram: How Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill delivers for Texas on economy, border. And for the hat trick, here’s Congressman Craig Goldman.
And a back-and-forth from two of our local papers: First from the DMN: Should Dallas fly Pride flag? which is an opinion piece by a local businessman who seems to get those pieces published in the DMN every so often. (He concludes: no.) The Dallas Observer answers the question the other ways: The Dallas Morning News’ City Pride Flag Criticism Is Flat Out Wrong. I’m with the Observer here; the DMN opinion piece seems like the usual “white dude is uncomfortable when it’s not about him” internet complaint. Those don’t look any less silly when they’re in an actual newspaper. Maybe next time whoever it is on the DMN editorial board who accepts op-eds from this guy will keep him from embarrassing himself.

Miscellaneous news:

DMN: Democrats trying to field candidate slate to win first statewide race in 32 years. This is Gromer Jeffers, Jr., the DMN’s political analyst. Local angles: Colin Allred for Senate and Nathan Johnson probably for Attorney General.
DMN: The Dallas Morning News picks 28-year veteran journalist as its next newsroom leader. Colleen McCain Nelson was most recently at the Sacramento Bee, but had spent twelve years at the DMN and was part of a team awarded a Pulitzer here. Welcome back aboard!
Star-Telegram: UNT selects interim presidents of Dallas, Health Science Center campuses as sole finalists. Warren von Eschenbach, UNT Dallas Interim President, and Dr. Kirk Calhoun, UNTHSC Interim President will be the permanent leaders of their respective institutions.
KERA: Methodist Church can sue SMU over control of the school, Texas Supreme Court rules. This is about whether the church can sue for breach of contract over changes to the school’s articles of incorporation back in 2019. The actual suit is yet to be resolved.
DMN: After 8 years leading McKinney, ‘rock ‘n’ roll mayor’ George Fuller is on to his next gig. Profile of a very interesting politician and person.
KERA: It’s official: Denton is the Halloween Capital of Texas. Apparently we’ll have to check out their Halloween-themed fun this year.
Star-Telegram: Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders get massive pay raise in wake of Netflix show. Since they were making about what you’d make at Chik-Fil-A, good.
Related, in the DMN: Dallas Cowboys cheerleader sparks outcry with pompom TikTok video. Apparently they have to “fluff” their own pompoms. I had no idea they needed fluffing or what that even is.
DMN: Man arrested after break-in at Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas police say. This was July 2; we were down there during early member hours on July 6 and everything was fine.
DMN: African American Museum of Dallas announces new president and CEO. Lisa Brown Ross, the new CEO, is taking over from founder Harry Robinson Jr.
DMN: Designers of New York’s High Line join Dallas Museum of Art expansion project. Mark Lamster, the DMN’s architecture critic, has some news and some opinions about the Dallas Museum of Art’s upcoming renovation. I hadn’t realized it had been almost a year since the DMA lost its director and that they didn’t have a new one in mind, which is not a great sign for the process.
Last, but not least, it’s time to talk about State Fair food. Eater Dallas: Dubai Chocolate Is Already the Big Winner at the State Fair of Texas and the Dallas Observer: 30 State Fair Fried-Food Semifinalists: 6-Word Reviews for Each have the news about the semifinalists. I’m down with the Bacon Jam Cannoli and the Brisket and Brew Stuffed Pretzels, but more of the Coconut Quadruple and the Pop Rocks Margarita for you.

School district Saturday – 2025 07 05

This week in news from our schools:

Dallas Morning News: Texas’ attempts to improve students’ math skills aren’t adding up post-COVID. According to the STAAR test results, the percentage of kids reading at grade level has returned to pre-COVID levels, but math skills, even for kids who weren’t in school yet in 2020-2022, haven’t. Click through to see the numbers, which aren’t great even with the bounce-back.
There’s a bunch of news about lawsuits against the new and plainly unconstitutional state law (SB 10) requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in all K-12 classrooms. Note that the wording required, as described by the Star-Telegram, is the King James version, so a sectarian version of the Commandments.
- KERA: North Texas activist group sues to block Ten Commandments in classrooms law. This suit was filed in Dallas and spearheaded by the Next Generation Action Network Legal Advocacy Fund. Also in the Star-Telegram: North Texas reverends file suit to stop Ten Commandments displays in classrooms.
- Texas Tribune: More parents sue to stop Texas’ Ten Commandments requirement in public schools. This is the ACLU lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of 16 parents of different faiths.
- D Magazine: The Faith Leaders Filing Lawsuits to Stop Texas’ Ten Commandments Requirement in Public Schools. This one covers both of the lawsuits.
The Fort Worth Report has two stories about Arlington ISD that should be paired: Arlington ISD teachers, staff will receive a raise. Here’s how much; and Arlington ISD’s expected $13M budget deficit likely won’t stick, trustees say. Here’s why. It’s because nobody knows what school funding is going to look like for 2025-2026 after the changes in the last legislative session. Reading the article, I think the Arlington board is too optimistic, but I’m not one of their voters.
Star-Telegram: Carroll ISD is considering a tax ratification election over projected $5M deficit. They need to do some financial shenanigans because the Lege only increased the per-student allotment by $55 and because of Robin Hood financing, Southlake Carroll sends about a third of its tax revenue to Austin for distribution.
KERA: Parents sue Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD over school closures. It’s about Open Meetings Act violations. A lot of districts struggle with the Open Meetings Act.
DMN: Parents, teachers ask Dallas ISD to bar ICE from any school property. ICE agents were photographed in the parking lot of a couple of schools near Love Field, which set off alarms for parents. Given that the new Chief over at DPD seems to be cooperating with ICE and the Mayor is in the President’s back pocket, I doubt Dallas ISD is going to be able to stand up to ICE. I still hope they try.
As usual, we have a number of stories about Fort Worth ISD. I wish the DMN covered Dallas ISD as thoroughly as the Star-Telegram and the Fort Worth Report do with FWISD.
- Star-Telegram: FWISD approves non-religious phonics program from Bluebonnet. Why was it chosen? Also in the Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth ISD adopts Bluebonnet phonics program as Molinar urges literacy urgency. The program is bilingual and doesn’t include the components that use religious stories.
- Star-Telegram: Fort Worth ISD shares test results, approves programs for dyslexia and phonics. This article covers the STAAR results, with graphics, and the ongoing threat of a state takeover of FWISD
- Two from the Star-Telegram on school closures: More kids live in this Fort Worth ZIP code. So why are public schools shrinking? and Fort Worth ISD is closing Kirkpatrick schools. They’re named for Black educator. There really is a demographic decline and at the same time, it’s not surprising that the neighborhoods that are losing schools are Black and Spanish-speaking.
- Fort Worth Report: State board approves new Fort Worth charter school despite concerns over recent closures. This is Fort Worth STEAM Academy, a middle school that will be opening in the 2026-2027 school year.
Star-Telegram editorial: You’re paying the legal bill in Keller ISD split, but you can’t see it. The legal bills for the Keller ISD board and their plan to split the district are billed in six-minute increments, adding up to $172K, but even the current board and superintendent can’t see what they’re paying for. The bills are redacted. Related, in the Fort Worth Report: Parent sues Keller ISD over alleged voter disenfranchisement. Where the case stands. This is one of the Brewer Storefront cases where they’re suing to get rid of the all at-large school boards. It’s still in its early stages.
Fort Worth Report: Documenters: Lake Worth ISD to raise teacher pay after Legislature passes bill. The Fort Worth Report sends people to document board meetings and posts the resulting notes. This is one from Lake Worth ISD. The Dallas Free Press also does this with some governmental meetings in Dallas, though usually not for Dallas ISD. More like this, please.

Recent restaurants – 2025 07 03

Gathering up some thoughts about places we ate recently:

Hugo’s is the hot new seafood place in Bishop Arts. It has 28 seats and for the most part doesn’t take reservations, so it’s exactly the sort of place I wouldn’t have tried without Tasting Collective. We had five courses: three seafood, one braised short rib, and a mango key lime pie. The scallop starter was nice; the lobster bisque was fantastic, and the red fish fillet was lovely. The braised short rib was also really nice but was the kind of thing my foodie friends said they could make easily at home. I was a bit worried about the key lime pie because mangos and I don’t always get along, but the mango was mostly on top and the pie itself was quite nice, with a good citrus tang. If we could get reservations or had a chance to drop in when we were already down there, I’d love to try Hugo’s regular menu.

Liberty Burger is a local chain that serves really good burgers. My father-in-law introduced it to us a while back and it’s become one of our favorite places, along with Rodeo Goat, when the burger cravings hit. In addition to a really nice beef mix in their regular patty, they also serve bison, lamb, turkey, tuna, and house-made veggie patties. This time I had their western bacon cheeseburger, with lovely bacon and a nice BBQ sauce. This month’s specialty burger, which I noticed when I was reminding myself what was on the menu, has brisket on top of the patty. Clearly I’ll have to check that out.

We went to Gemma for the first time last year with a visiting friend, who’s a duck person, because they have duck frites on their regular menu. She ended up having another duck dish and I went with the duck frites. This time the duck frites was still delicious, crispy, capery, and fat, as were the duck fat tater tots, which are more like croquettes in my opinion. Spouse had the moules frites, which I didn’t like quite as well: they were only very good. Bonus: Gemma makes mocktails of everything on their cocktail menu. The atmosphere on Tuesday night was perfect: quiet and not too crowded. We definitely need to put Gemma in our regular nice-restaurant rotation so we can try something besides the duck.

Weekly media report – 2025 07 02

I’m going to start putting my mini-reviews here as well as longer reviews for books that I think merit it.

Books
The Starving Saints, by Caitlin Starling. Medieval fantastic horror in which three women (a knight, a heretical nun, and the daughter of an executed noble) are locked in a besieged castle with supernatural forces that come as the face of their goddess and her saints. Really good with vibes and twists. I only picked this up because of the medieval connection; I don’t normally read horror.
The Case of the Missing Maid, by Rob Osler. Series starter with a novice woman private detective in Progressive era Chicago; she has to find a missing woman in the Polish community in a case that hinges on, among other things, exploration of her lesbianism. The second book isn’t out yet but I’ll be interested in seeing where this series goes.

Short Stories
Why We Sing, by C.C. Finlay. Paywalled. The story of how mermaids came to be, with a twist.
Welcome 2 the Freedom Galaxy, by Maurice Broaddus. Paywalled. Interstellar funk wars. I love the Prince-inflected musician our protagonist follows.
Banded Iron, by T. K. Rex. Paywalled. What happens when it’s your turn to go back to Earth to fight the interstellar kaiju?
The Green Glass Paperweight, by Sarah Monette. (Reprint from 2004) Hard to talk about this one without breaking the twist but it’s worth it. What does the hated godson select as his bequest?
All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt, by Marissa Lingen. The gift shop manager convention on a space station takes an unlikely turn.

Music
MARINA, Princess of Power. We listened to this in the car and my husband thinks it’s a post-divorce album. It’s retro disco-pop in a fun way, really girl power, and I’m going to be listening to it again and again. I never really got into her last two albums as much as the first three, but this one hit the sweet spot again.

Closing my tabs – 2025 07 01

After some time off for medical and personal stuff, I’m back on the blogging horse and closing my tabs again.

Far Out: The songs Steely Dan and Eagles wrote about each other: “I think it drove him nuts”. A friend on bsky was talking about songs musicians wrote about other musicians. This isn’t exactly that, but it was my contribution to the thread.
Catalan News: Supreme Court forces Catalan National Museum to return Medieval Romanesque paintings. They were removed from the Sixena monastery in Aragon during the Spanish Civil War.
AP: George W. Bush’s latest paintings showcase scenes from his presidential library in Dallas. One minute video about the latest exhibit at the library in Dallas, which I have never been to. My late mother-in-law was a docent and we didn’t get to it before COVID hit. She was never able to return, unfortunately. I may go see this show before it leaves for her.
Flytrap: The Quiet Provocation of Flying the Mexican Flag. The author is in North Carolina, so it’s a little different than it would be in Texas, even in North Texas.
Getty: Getty Exhibition Explores the Splendors of Mycenaean Greece. This is the first exhibit at the Getty Villa Museum since the Palisades fire. I would love to go.
Youtube: Home Free – Lose Control. A cappella Teddy Swims cover. I didn’t know the original (though I am familiar with the artist) but this is gorgeous. Although as is often the case with love songs written from the dude perspective, I side-eye the protagonist’s life choices.
Math Equals Love: Geometric Coloring Pages. Because sometimes you just have to do things with your hands.
Vulture: In Diego Luna’s Orbit. All about his work on Andor, which I am more and more convinced I need to stop dithering and watch.
ABC News (Australia): Private Health insurer Bupa repays millions over incorrectly rejected claims. It’s not just here.
Variety: ‘Sinners’ on Max Will Include a Black American Sign Language Version. That’s awesome.
Where’s Your Ed At: Make Fun Of Them. Ed Zitron’s suggestion for how to deal with AI prophets who talk in a way they think is over your head but is actually incomprehensible babble.
Reactor: Nautilus Premiere Is Engaging, But Can It Do Justice to Captain Nemo?. Also going on my list.
The Guardian: ‘Lidar is lame’: why Elon Musk’s vision for a self-driving Tesla taxi faltered. I sent this to my husband, who participated in an early DARPA self-driving challenge as part of a project at a former workplace.
BBC: ‘It was the peak of the flower power era’: The story of the first ever Glastonbury Festival in 1970.