Dallas Progress

RIP Dr. Julian "Bill" Peterson

2012-03-26T12:03:00.001-05:00

RIP Dr. Julian "Bill" Peterson. A great City Plan Commissioner, friend, and community leader. He passed away over the weekend after fighting cancer for some time. It was a pleasure to serve with Bill for over two years. Bill was a funny, practical, and reasonable guy who...

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Columbia Meat Packing Needs to be Sent Packing

2012-03-08T07:10:00.000-06:00

This is a day that I have been eagerly anticipating. On Wednesday, the City Council voted to have a compliance case regarding Columbia Packing Company heard by the Board of Adjustment. This is the same hearing process previously used by Councilman Caraway, myself, and other community...

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Turning the Page

2012-01-05T15:27:00.001-06:00

Recently, I stepped down from my position as Vice Chair of the City Plan Commission. It's been a great four years. I made history as the youngest Vice Chair, made great friends and helped a lot of people. I couldn't have done it without the support of family, friends, neighborhoods and...

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The Bigger Story

2011-10-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

When I first heard about the story surrounding Chief Brown and the reporter from the Morning News, I fully expected her mainstream media colleagues internally and externally to defend her. Reading articles and posts from other sites, I was right. I don't blame Chief Brown one bit...

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The Map

2011-10-10T12:42:00.000-05:00

Here is the 2013 City Council district map as approved by the Dallas City Council. To view the boundaries down to the street-level, an enlarged map image (PDF format) can be found here. A link to the statistics behind the map is here. The districting plan developed in accordance...

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New Dallas City Council Districts are Coming

2011-08-26T08:40:00.000-05:00

Here is the proposed new map and for Dallas City Council districts. The final map will be in effect for the 2013 Dallas City Council elections. From the City's website: At the next City Council meeting, Mayor Rawlings will present the recommended plan to the Council. The City Council has...

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The Quest for a Grocery Store: If They won't Build it, We Should

2011-08-05T12:19:00.007-05:00

Not too long ago, I read a news wire on Dallas South News that talked about the proposed expansion of use of Dallas' McCommas Bluff landfill. That topic has been debated at length and remains a hot issue. In another Dallas South article related to that post, the following...

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"Bums" in Main Street Garden?

2011-07-06T11:11:00.001-05:00

This post is inspired by the following article that I saw on Fox 4's website. "Councilwoman Hunt Decries 'Bums' in Downtown Park" link o_O *confused face* I'm not linking to the tweets or pics, as they can be easily found. As a nearby resident, I don't have much of a problem with the homeless...

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A New Dallas City Council

2011-06-24T15:47:00.004-05:00

Come Monday, we will have a new Mayor and a few new members of the Dallas City Council. I'm willing to give Mayor-elect Mike Rawlings a fair shot. Council should be interesting these next two years, because the makeup of council is different than in years' past. Several people have asked me if...

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A City Hall Fixture has Passed Away

2011-06-22T23:16:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday, frequent City Council speaker Leslie Davis (no relation) was found dead in his residence in Oak Cliff. From the police report, it doesn't look like foul play. As anyone that watched or attended Council meetings would know, Leslie spoke at almost every meeting. He always had a...

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Observations about Parking from a Downtown Resident

2011-06-15T10:54:00.001-05:00

It was encouraging to see a briefing at this week the City Council level entitled, "Downtown Dallas Strategic Parking Plan." It is sorely needed. The parking situation in Downtown continues to be awful. Here are a few observations I have made as a resident: At surface parking lots, the...

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CHAMPS

2011-06-13T10:41:00.000-05:00

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Dallas, maybe?....

2011-06-05T18:17:00.000-05:00

Saggy Pants Banned From Fort Worth Buses from CBS11 News

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A Word with People who Blame Their Local Government

2011-05-16T22:08:00.004-05:00

The election, in pictures (click to enlarge). Voter turnout - November 2008: 62% Voter turnout - May 2011: 11%

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Dallas Seeks Applicants for Gas Drilling Task Force

2011-05-11T00:07:00.000-05:00

The application must be completed by May 23rd. Here are the details.

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Dallas Keeps Cash Found by Honest Teen

2011-05-10T22:57:00.001-05:00

Not a good look by the City (via Channel 8). UPDATE: from Dallas South News (5/11/2011) Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown has directed that the department follow a provision in state law that allows for public notice to be given after thirty days of someone finding money and...

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Could it be? The Start of a DFW-Houston Rail Line?

2011-05-09T22:58:00.001-05:00

We shall see. The federal government gave the Texas $15 million for engineering and environmental work to develop a high-speed rail corridor linking Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. Here are the details on on all the awarded projects.

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How Payday Loans Work and why they're a Problem

2011-04-29T11:41:00.001-05:00

There has been a lot of discussion in the news and blogs about payday loans. This video was sent to me by a friend. It's the best explanation of payday loans that I've seen. One problem is that if you don't pay the entire extra interest and principal by the end of the week the ENTIRE...

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A daily occurrence...

2011-04-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

Dear driver of DART bus #4676: Every weekday around 7:50 you make a right turn on the yellow light off of Main Street and block all four lanes of traffic on Cesar Chavez. The cars at the Elm Street light are already in place, so there is nowhere for you to go. It causes a traffic jam...

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Oak Cliff Elementary School Needs Your Help

2011-04-06T13:40:00.001-05:00

The Students and Fine Arts Department of Clara Oliver Elementary School are raising funds to produce a first-class production of the Broadway classic Annie. The students have worked extremely hard all school year and will be ready to take the stage in May. The obstacle that these...

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Hot-Sheet Motels Officially Closed

2011-04-04T00:09:00.000-05:00

It's been more than a year since we announced the future closing of two motels on Buckner Boulevard in the Piedmont section of Southeast Dallas. The hope was that the motels would quietly close in January. They decided to continue to operate in spite of the legal order. So...

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Jessica Chané Waldron Murder Trial begins on Wednesday

2011-03-08T22:28:00.002-06:00

I received a message today from Chané's Stepfather saying that the murder trial is expected to start tomorrow. He asked that any friends that could attend the trial to do so as a sign of support for Chané and her family. The court is located at Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 North Riverfront...

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A Great Day to be Downtown: Statler Hotel Sold, Cleanup Begins

2011-03-03T07:40:00.002-06:00

As you may know, last week the Statler Hotel was sold to San Antonio-based Ricchi Investments. That company may sound familiar because they previously purchased the LTV Tower at 1600 Pacific with intentions to renovate. The initial plan for Ricchi is to clean the building inside and out and...

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Jessica Chané Waldron Murder Trial begins Next Week

2011-03-01T07:29:00.000-06:00

After almost two years, the trial for the murder of Chané Waldron is now here. I got this note from Chané's Stepfather and I wanted to pass it on. It reads as follows: Friends and Family, The time has finally arrived to see if the system will provide justice for our...

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The Start of Another Major Development in District Four

2011-02-25T07:31:00.001-06:00

This is The Sphinx/Fiji sustainable live/work development across from the 8th & Corinth DART Rail Station. It includes market-rate for-sale townhomes, office space, apartments, retail, and senior housing. The development is located in the 8th & Corinth area of Oak Cliff (map). On a...

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