The holiday will be starting a little early next week at Dallas City Hall.
All scheduled City Council committee meetings are canceled for Monday.
City Hall, meanwhile, will be closed Wednesday for a city furlough day and Thursday and Friday in celebration of Thanksgiving.
[...]On Thursday evening, the city plan commission denied a request to demolish two historic buildings on downtown's east side - the 508 Park Avenue building and an adjacent building at 1900 Young Street.
But the plan commission did not entirely slam the door on Colby Properties when [...]
On Monday, council member Angela Hunt screened a movie for the council's Transportation Committee.
The film, Contested Streets, presents a history of New York's congested avenues where people often have to jockey with cars and buses just to get to the other side.
As the film points out, it's a history [...]
I don't know what the ruling from the federal court in New Orleans will mean, but there are plenty of opinions.
Michael A. Lindenberger quotes CNN's report over on the transportation blog.
And Jim Schutze, who has followed the river for many a turn, weighs' [...]
This afternoon, the city plan commission will consider a permit for downtown's third video billboard.
Under a new ordinance, there are five available permits for the glowing and glittering billboards in downtown.
Some see them as a chic sign of urban growth. Others see [...]
Dallas City Hall very much hopes to build a huge water reservoir in Cherokee and Anderson counties around about the same place the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to create a massive nature preserve.
As you can imagine, you can't have both, and the fight over' [...]
Council member Ron Natinsky has been elected to the National League of Cities board of directors.
Natinsky was elected at last week's meeting in San Antonio and becomes one of 23 board members with the league, an organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of [...]
Dallas wants the World Cup to come back to town, and this morning the City Council will talk about ways to get it here.
Don't hold your breath, though. The earliest Dallas can win the cup is 2018, and it could be' [...]
No, it's not what you think. The budget passed way back in September.
The council will actually be talking about the city's drainage - getting water from your street into the sewers and sumps and on down the Trinity River.
Erosion is a big problem [...]
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price lashed out at a county vendor this morning that he said may have altered the outcome of a recent school board election.
Apparently, a local printing company was supposed to send out notifications from the elections office to [...]
The Dallas Morning News' photo staff has been patching together a time lapse video of the demolition of Reunion Arena.
Watch it stripped to nothing but the roof in just under a minute.
--Rudolph Bush/Reporter' [...]
As noted yesterday, Mayor Tom Leppert and a delegation from City Hall are traveling in South Korea and China this week on a trade delegation aimed at bringing investors and flights to Dallas.
Leppert's' [...]
Beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, the final demolition of Reunion Arena will begin. In a few day's time, all will be dust and rubble.
Alas, it won't explode as many of us had hoped.
According to a city press release: A&R Demolition will bring in Advanced' [...]
It's going to be a long goodbye for Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle.
As I write this, the Dallas council's public safety committee is saying thanks for the memories to a man who isn't retiring from his post until April.
"I've got some golf clubs," said council member [...]
Mayor Tom Leppert and a delegation from City Hall have jetted off to China and South Korea to talk trade.
There are few things on the checklist, including attempting to secure a daily direct flight from mainland China to DFW. There is also hope [...]
Just as suddenly as it began only 48 hours ago, Dallas lawyer David Finn has quit his campaign for district attorney.
In a letter just faxed to me, Finn said he's throwing his support in the GOP primary behind Republican Danny Clancy.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Danny is" [...]
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert said Friday that he would consider running in a special election for Senate.
"If the opportunity comes up, and as was mentioned in your intro, we don't know that that would be the case, then I'll go ahead and look" [...]
DALLAS -- The McFarlin Auditorium at SMU is filling up as folks gather to hear from former President George E. Bush himself about his vision for his future presidential institute here.
First up at 2 pm is Don Evans, then former First Lady Laura Bush. Then the former president will [...]
Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, who heads the city's public safety committee, offered his thoughts this morning on the retirement of police chief David Kunkle and the process to replace him.
Caraway said City Hall should not concern itself with candidates' ethnicity or sex' [...]
Late last night the phone rang and a very angry council member in District 8's Tennell Atkins was on the other end.
Atkins was furious elected officials like himself learned through the grapevine that Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle planned to announce his retirement' [...]
Republicans have their candidate for Dallas County District Attorney.
Former Criminal Court Judge David Finn is running for the GOP nomination for that post in March. When he becomes the Republican nominee, he'll challenge incumbent Democrat Craig Watkins in the general election.
Finn's candidacy emerges after former Assistant District Attorney Toby Shook' [...]
For some time now, it has been clear that UNT was shifting core operations from Denton to Dallas.
Lots of work has been put into the southern Dallas campus and a masterplan around that. Also, the downtown offices on Main Street and the future law school on [...]
A walk through City Hall today is like a tour of the nation's services, with crisp uniforms in navy, olive green, white and tan around every corner.
The ranks are all here too, from the junior R.O.T.C. member to the stars on their shoulders generals.
I had the [...]
Dallas County residents can now subscribe to a free service to protect their homes from criminals who try to take them by filing bogus deeds with the county's clerk's office.
County Clerk John Warren announced the county's fraud alert service this morning during the county commissioners' weekly meeting.
You' [...]
Gary Fitzsimmons, the usually mild-mannered district clerk, went ballistic today after county commissioners voted 3-2 to dissolve an information technology steering committee.
He and County Clerk John Warren have millions of dollars of IT projects in the works and told the commissioners they need the committee to help [...]
Texas politicians in attendance for today's memorial at Fort Hood had nothing but praise for President Barack Obama's speech at the event.
Gov. Rick Perry, who has had no problem criticizing Obama's policies since he took office, said, "I thought it was spot on," according to pool reports.
US Rep. John Carter, R- Round [...]
The plaza in front of Dallas City Hall is being prepared today for the annual Veterans Day Parade tomorrow.
The flowers and flags frame a stage lined with the names of the men and women killed at [...]
The Dallas Voice's John Wright has a follow-up to his item last week charging Mayor Tom Leppert had slapped the gay community in the face by joining First Baptist of Dallas.
This has been John's story from the start, so I'll just point you to his' [...]
Dallas wants the World Cup to come back to town a few years from now, say 2018 or 2022, and Mayor Tom Leppert says he needs some help.
The clock is already ticking on the selection process and public support is an important [...]
Way back in summer '08, the Dallas City Council passed a tough new ordinance restricting "junk" signs they said clutter store windows and bring down the appearance and safety of whole neighborhoods.
Of course, the writing was on the wall even then that this wouldn't stand [...]
After helping push the bill through the Texas Legislature earlier this year, State Rep. Chris Turner and State Sen. Chris Harris bought two of the first scratch-off lottery tickets for veterans Monday morning.
Turner, a Democrat, and Harris, a Republican, were two of [...]
Last week, we reported that copper thieves caused light outages along the southern end of the Katy Trail.
Now comes word the lights are back on.
Work Thursday and Friday got the lights shining again after the thieves damaged electric wiring plates on light poles.
City spokesman Frank Librio says [...]
Sarah Palin will be in North Texas on Dec. 4 for a book signing at Legacy Books in Plano, according to the independent bookseller.
The former Alaska Governor's memoir, Going Rogue: An American Life, comes out later this month.
The release of Palin's memoir is [...]
With a handful of opposing votes, the Dallas City Council has passed its most sweeping package of ethics reforms since 2000.
In four separate votes, the council passed ordinances requiring lobbyists to register, limiting campaign contributions from developers, diluting individual council members' power over zoning and requiring annual disclosure of gifts' [...]
The Dallas City Council is set to vote this morning on a series of new ordinances intended to increase transparency at City Hall and diminish individual council members' power over zoning.
The reforms come in the wake' [...]
Plans to shut down all lanes of I-35E, scheduled for Sunday and Monday nights, have been postponed. Details over at the Dallas Transportation Blog.
--Michael Lindenberger/Reporter [...]Thursday’s shooting on a Texas military base has revived the debate on whether the current gun control rules on military bases make sense and both advocates and critics see the tragedy as supporting their side.
Army Chief of Staff George W. Casey Jr. ordered a review of all force protection policies [...]
The U.S. Senate today passed a resolution, (S. Res 344) authored by U.S. Texas Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn honoring the Fort Hood victims and their families.
"As the families and victims begin their long and difficult recovery from this shocking and saddening tragedy, we offer our prayers and support in this [...]
President Obama issued this proclamation today:
"Our nation's thoughts and prayers are with the service members, civilians, and families affected by the tragic events at Fort Hood, Texas. The brave victims, who risked their lives to protect their fellow countrymen, serve as a constant source of [...]
During an often emotional House debate on a resolution honoring the victims and families of the Fort Hood shootings, Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, said,"in the days ahead, Ft. Hood will become known to the world as a place of unspeakable tragedy, but I know it as a place of great" [...]
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, will ask the U.S. House today to pass a resolution honoring Fort Hood soldiers and their families, after Thursday's deadly shooting.
"In the days ahead, Fort Hood will become known to the world as a place of unspeakable tragedy, but I [...]
Nine lights along the southern end of the Katy Trail should be back on by Friday night, city officials said Thursday.
The lights were knocked out when one or more thieves attempted to break open a wiring plate to steal copper.
Copper theft had [...]
Neil Emmons has served 8 years on the powerful Dallas plan commission, twice as long as any sitting member.
In that time, he made lots of friends and more than a few enemies as he pushed for restricting development - particularly in residential areas - with historic [...]
Come next weekend, Mayor Tom Leppert will be the keynote speaker at a pricey motivational seminar- or "leadership summit" if you prefer - at Fair Park called Elevate Dallas '09.
The event from Keith Craft Leadership Shapers promises to elevate "the way people think so they'" [...]
In today's paper, I wrote about Wednesday's council discussion on creating a single-family rental property registration program.
Dallas City Hall spends millions of dollars a year trying to clean up properties owned by absentee landlords who let the weeds grow wild and the paint peel away.
Now, the Dallas City Council [...]
Perhaps you recall a little tussle some months back over what to rename Industrial Boulevard.
After all was said and done, Cesar Chavez got the stiff arm and the City Council's preference of Riverfront Boulevard was ushered in.
According to City Hall, today's the day the change [...]
