The Accident

I was less than a mile behind this accident today on I-35 north, just south of Illinois in Oak Cliff. It happened around 2 PM. I drove by the scene, and couldn't believe what I saw.

The rear right wheels of the rock hauler were laying on the car's windshield (which was caved in) and part of the hood. The entire cabin was crushed. The EMTs and Dallas Fire-Rescue were trying to extract the driver. The truck was also hanging over the HOV barrier.

I assumed everyone inside the car was dead. Be glad you didn't see it up close. Notice that the truck trailer wasn't covered, which is required.

I bet you the truck was speeding. Reports say the truck just switched lanes and dragged the car for about 50 feet. That makes perfect sense.

On I-35 and US-67 (Marvin D Love), you are risking your life every time you drive. These rock haulers and concrete trucks are always speeding to get to and from the concrete companies in Ellis County. They usually switch lanes and slide the trailer in front of you. If you don't get crushed like these poor teenagers today you better be ready to duck the debris that comes off the back of these uncovered trucks.

If the Sheriffs and Constables want to do something significant on the highways, they should go after these trucks. There should be a crackdown squad just like in Houston, where the laws against trucks are actually enforced. What disgusted me as much as the accident were the people running out of there houses to look at it. What do you want to see, someone dead? I have; you're not missing anything.

It can all be taken away from you in an instant.

Northpark Center Security...A Farce?

I did a dinner and a movie date at Northpark last Saturday night. It was a 6PM showing at AMC Northpark, so by the time the movie let out it was dark outside. We parked under the parking deck next to Neiman Marcus. By the time we got back to the car, it was close to 9PM.

I didn't see one patrol, one cop on foot, or anyone in a cart patrolling the area. I thought security was beefed up after the shooting last year at the valet stand in front of the Kona Grill.

I found myself looking out for a woman who was pushing a baby stroller with another small child in tow; mostly because no one from security was anywhere in sight. This is not the first time this has happened.

There's plenty of security inside (to protect the goods), but almost none outside (to protect us once we purchase the goods).

Did I miss something? Are others having the same experience? Let me know.

Victory Park: They Finally Caught Up

I have seen no less than three articles in the last month killing Victory Park. Funny thing, I was writing the same thing two years ago; so were others. Gary Cohen of PegasusNews and I both wrote pieces on this exact subject in March 2007 (although I wasn't as prescient as Gary to correctly predict the demise of some of the tenants). Cary Darling of the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram had a similar piece in April of that year. Here are a couple of paragraphs from the piece I wrote:

Victory would be smarter to put some reasonably priced choices in that area. Then what you would have (along with the occasional high-rollers) is a consistent client base that would bring a family down to Victory, and then the husband and wife could splurge with a night on the town sans kiddos from time to time. That's a client base.

I could be wrong, and I bet this area continues to flourish in some capacity (read: for someone other than the developers). But it may ensure a quality earnings stream by showing a kind nod to the not-so-rich.

Victory is an easy target, but none of these articles break any new ground compared to what was written in early 2007.

On an up note, there are some good things on the horizon from a City budget standpoint. At the end of 2012, the Sports Arena TIF (the real name for the Victory Park TIF) expires and that tax money will flow into the city's general coffers instead of recirculating in the Victory area. That's big.

The current real estate market is tough, so I doubt that we will see much new construction in the near future. The units at Cirque are a little pricey ($1,600 for 700 SF to $2,800 and up for a penthouse) and the Vista starts at $1,100 for 670 SF. Cirque has some of the hottest looking rental units in the city. If you know anything about real estate development, new units with hot views cost money. You can't live in it for cheap; that's life.

But wouldn't it be cool to get some more moderately-priced housing options in that area? Jefferson at the North End always seems to be pretty leased up ($800 for a 1br to $1,500 for a huge 1,700 SF 2-bedroom). I remember almost moving to the North End when I first got to Dallas, but I couldn't operate a home office and be close to that much ongoing construction (the W was just getting started at the time).

I looked at a unit in the Terrace (the mid-rise, for-sale condo building), and while it had a great view it was pretty straightforward. Still, there's not many new units in the city that you can get for around $200K. The Terrace has several of them.

I will say once again what I said two years ago: once more companies office in Victory, and as more moderately-priced food and shopping options come online the area will rebound. Oddly enough, the Chili's at AAC is often packed.

Victory Park is a beautiful district, and the city will need multiple types of districts to thrive in the future. One example is the Design District in which more housing units are being built as we speak on the other side of I-35.

It's also not just about Victory Park being new and built from scratch, compared to an existing neighborhood like Knox-Henderson. That's being shortsighted. It's about creating the events that make people want to hang out when there's nothing else going on. The Nasher Sculpture Center is also considered to be a great piece of modern architecture like Victory and not "organic," but whenever they have movie night during the summer or host their "Target First Saturdays" the place is packed with families.

The area will always hold a special place for me because of the fun I had there a few months back, and from being a season ticket holder for a while. Remember back when you could park at a meter a block from AAC and hit the game? Oh the memories!

I want Victory Park to succeed, and I'm sure many others feel the same way. In terms of long-term viability, Victory Park is far from dead. All things in time.

The Hood: 5 - Motel Slumlords: 0

Today the City Council followed the City Plan Commission recommendation to close the Colonial Motel in South Dallas. The Colonial Motel has been on the chopping block for a little more than a year.

The Colonial Motel owners lost their case in federal court to stay open. They have since closed, and now they will not get a specific use permit. Keep in mind they should've applied for the permit more than ten years ago. Kudos to the parents and administrators of St. Philips School for bringing this issue to City Hall and following through with their goal of shutting this place down.

This piece of garbage can now hit the bricks along with the others:

Motel Three (South Oak Cliff)
Southern Comfort Motel (South Oak Cliff)
Sunset Motel (South Oak Cliff)
American Inn (South Dallas)

Two more motels are on the chopping block. They will be announced in the coming weeks.

More on Downtown Streetcars

I watched the briefing today regarding downtown streetcars, and it triggered a couple of additional thoughts.

When you start looking at the streetcar as a way to increase property values and development, why wouldn't it go into the more undeveloped sections of central Dallas? The parts where most of the maps are drawn in the briefing are getting redeveloped on their own. I didn't see any streetcar lines being considered for Deep Ellum or the Farmers Market.

With respect to DART, I hope that all rail lines are funded for southern Dallas and to DFW Airport before streetcars are funded.

Downtown Streetcars?

A lot has been written regarding the possibility of streetcars, and they are now being discussed by the Transportation Committee at City Council. I'm not the biggest fan of streetcars in downtown Dallas, although my mind is not completely closed on the issue.

I hope that if downtown streetcars are approved that they do not travel down Main or Elm Street.

You can't have parking meters and streetcars in a given direction when you only have two lanes. Add the DART buses, which most times do not pull into the proper lane when making stops, and you've got yourself a traffic disaster. Don't forget about our beloved valet parking services.

Traffic is already bad on Main Street. Drive down Main Street on any weekend or during rush hour and you'll see what I'm talking about. Maybe the parking meters should get the axe before we even consider more streetcar routes.

Congrats to DPD Officers!

As reported on the DMN Crime Blog, multiple Dallas Police Officers received commendations for their hard work and successes in the field. One officer, Tommie Runnels, received two commendations in a span of 5 days!

Great job and congrats to all.

Mark Cuban's Heroes Basketball...in the Cliff!

Last Friday, there was a press conference to celebrate the Mark Cuban Heroes Basketball Center.

I have been excited about this since it came through the City Plan Commission last spring.

The center is in the old YWCA at Bonnie View and Southerland, located in the Cedar Crest neighborhood in Oak Cliff. The intersection is part City Council District Four (Dwaine Caraway) and part District Seven (Carolyn Davis); how that happened is an entire story in itself.

This was a badly deteriorating building, and Cuban stepped up by purchasing the building and investing a huge sum in its renovation and reconstruction.

Heroes Basketball is much larger than a league. The center will provide tutoring, mentorship, and a computer center.

As the FW Star-T mentioned in their article, participants are required to maintain at least a 2.5 grade-point average and also are required as seniors to apply for at least five colleges. Mike Fisher of Dallasbasketball.com did a good write-up as well.

Some Mavericks practices will be held here, as well as various other events designed to engage the youth of southern Dallas.

Thanks to Mark Cuban, Donnie Nelson, Charles and everyone else involved with Heroes Basketball for making this possible. As I told Mark and Donnie, it's fun when something that you've seen on paper for months starts to come together.

I am really looking forward to the All-Star game next year when all of the NBA folks come down to talk with the youth. Despite nearly a dozen TV cameras at the event, coverage was non-existent save for CW33 news. But all of the stations made time for a couple of random perp-walks during their 9 and 10 o'clock segments. Such is life.

Since it's warming up, the painting can begin and the basketball floor can be placed. The center is scheduled to open in March.

44

Good job!



Now the work begins.
Full text of the inaugural address.

I'm glad I got to talk to my 82-year old Grandfather this morning. This is for him and my deceased Grandmother as much as it is for me and my future children.

It's Here

Where To Watch (courtesy of TechCrunch)

There will be plenty of livestreams of the Inauguration at all the media sites mentioned above. Some of the sites offering livestreams include:

—Hulu: Will be streaming live, Fox.com will also be using Hulu’s stream.

—C-Span: Washington D.C.’s video standby will have four live feeds to choose from.

—CNN.com: Partnering with Facebook so you can see your friends’ status updates while watching.

—Current TV : Will add a Twitterstream to its coverage.

—Ustream.tv: This stream will also be available on your iPhone, great for those along the parade route too far away to see the main stage.

—Starbucks and movie theaters: For those who cannot make it to Washington, MSNBC is hosting screenings of the inauguration in movie theaters and Starbucks across the country (although it looks as though these are already sold out).

— Joost is also broadcasting the inauguration live.

Where To Share—Twitter: Just search for “inauguration” or “Obama”. The chatter has already started.

—Users can get Twitter, Flickr, Change.gov, and YouTube updates to follow only the most interesting pictures, video, posts, and tweets about the election through Dipity.

—NPR Inauguration Report: Run by NPR’s social media desk, it will be collecting dispatches from spectators via Twitter, Flicr, YouTube, and text message. All Tweets or text messages that start with “#inaug09″ or “#dctrip09″ will be included in NPR’s feed, as well as Flickr photos and YouTube videos tagged “inaug09″ or “dctrip09.” There are also an accompanying iPhone and Android apps called IR09, Inauguration Report 2009 (more details here).

—CNN/Microsoft 3D Photosynth: People at the inauguration can upload their photos and Microosft will combine them into a 3D panoramic Photosynth (more details here).

—Citizen’s Briefing Book: Got a policy suggestion for the transition team? Submit one or vote for the best ones at Change.gov

—Where Were You?: A video contest sponsored by Memelabs that will let people share where they were on this historic day.

iPhone Apps and Follow-up

—Ustream.tv: Stream the inauguration to your iPhone (see above).

—Inauguration Report 2009: Submit your own report to NPR with text, photos, or audio. Reports post straight to NPR’s Inauguration feed (see above).

—PointAbout 2009 Presidential Inauguration Guide: Free app with a countdown to the inauguration, distance to the inauguration steps, and lets you navigate Washington, D.C. with maps of public transport, parking, free WiFi zones, and a Zagat’s restaurant guide for the city.

—CrashTheInauguration (same as above, but on your iPhone).

Looking Forward to Tomorrow

Photos from the MLK Parade

These pics are from the MLK Parade on Saturday. Many of the City Councilmembers, City Manager Mary Suhm, and others showed up. Dwaine had a float, and afterwards then we went on the platforms and Dwaine emceed part of the parade. It felt good to get love directly from the people we are working hard to help.

A Ticket to History

This is as close as I will get to the inauguration . I did receive one ticket, and I am grateful for it.

This ticket is going to be framed and maybe I'll show it to the kiddies one day.

Here's the schedule of events.

Martin Luther King Jr - The Dream Lives On

We all know that January 15th is his actual birthday, but many use the following Monday as a day to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

As a fellow alumnus of Morehouse, his ideals have always been a constant presence in my life. I think a lot of what I said on the fortieth anniversary of his death still applies.

On the eve of one of America's most historic events, a lot of progress has been made but a lot of work is still undone.

District Four Scoop

For some time, the usual band of haters have been trying to find someone to run against District Four Councilman and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway.

They can't find anyone. Citizens in District Four know that we basically work 24/7 for the District and see the District is on the rise. The most disappointing part is that some of the people that are making the most noise are people that Dwaine has helped since he has been in office. That's life.

Of course, the word would get back to me. We're out in the streets daily.

Not even the promise of major campaign money from people that don't like the progress that is being made in District Four is enough of an enticement for any potential opponent.

Good luck with that.

Before I forget...two more motels are coming soon to the shut down list. We're 4-0 so far, so rent those rooms while you can!

New Apartment Safety Ordinance Approved

I have been writing about needs to increase apartment safety since I started Dallas Progress. This ordinance has been worked on for months.

Thanks to Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Elba Garcia, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Caraway, and the rest of the Public Safety Committee for making sure this ordinance got to Council.

I also thank Deputy Chief Brian Harvey and Lt. Keith Allen for their hard work, creativity, and leadership. I thank them for using some of my ideas in crafting the program. Among other things, the ordinance calls for required security, monitoring, lawsuits, and shutting down apartment complexes.

I also thought some of the editorials written in the last week or so targeting certain complexes were ill-targeted. Before Dwaine got to Council, little or nothing was said about apartment complex safety in southern Dallas. Dwaine has been pounding the table about apartments at every public safety meeting and almost every week at the horseshoe, down to asking about specific complexes. The result is this ordinance.

Most of the things that have called for in last week's newspaper editorials are already on the way, as mentioned above.

Again, thanks to all that are responsible for this ordinance coming to pass. Now the City has more tools to rid our city of slumlords that ignore major issues on their properties.

False "Facts" by the Anti-Hotel Crowd

I just listened to the radio debate on KHVN radio by the anti-hotel crowd that claims to be representing the community. There were too many lies to refute, so I'll just focus on the most obvious.

FALSE: The hotel will cost $550 million.
FACT: The hotel's guaranteed maximum price was set at $356 million in December (link).

FALSE: The new Fort Worth Hotel was completed without city support.
FACT: Omni Fort Worth was given $89 million for tax abatements, and was also given other financial support to make the deal happen.

FALSE: The hotel in Fort Worth is comparable to the proposed hotel in Dallas.
FACTS: Omni Fort Worth has 614 rooms. Dallas' will have 1,000. The Omni FW has 68,000 square feet of meeting space. Dallas' will have 100,000 square feet. That means the opportunity to host bigger conventions that bring in more dollars for the city.

FALSE: Claiming that the Build the Hotel group didn't show up to a public forum.
FACT: The anti-hotel group knew in advance that the pro-hotel group wouldn't participate in debates until February, so they staged a "debate" in Oak Cliff replete with name tags in an attempt to embarrass city officials that they knew were not attending.

FALSE: Hotels only have low-paying jobs.
FACT: Hotels have multiple opportunities for employment. There are management, supervisory, food management, booking agents, concierge, and other jobs which do not pay minimum wage. In this economy, in which people are taking out billboards and wearing sandwich boards in an effort to find work, is any job a bad job?

FALSE: Deputy Mayor Dwaine Caraway has not been on the radio discussing the hotel.
FACT: It was noted multiple times on the same KHVN show by its host that Caraway has been on the show several times discussing the hotel and taking pro & con calls from callers. He's also been on other shows discussing the same issue. What was said, as is widely known, is the the debates would not start until February.

If anyone thinks we aren't out talking to citizens about the hotel in southern Dallas, you're kidding yourselves. I haven't lost any campaign in which I participated in years; we just don't need a big check and a big show to help out.

It was also said that Houston's successful hotel costs less than Dallas' hotel. Of course it does; it was completed in 2003 and the Houston hotel terms were settled in 2001.

NOT MENTIONED:

• Hotels closer in proximity to our proposed hotel are in support of it, which include the operators of the Hyatt Regency, Adolphus, and Sheraton.
  

• The phony argument that building the hotel results in streets not being safe or potholes being filled. You can't fund getting more police officers or getting city services in the same fashion that you can assist in building the hotel.
  

• With the referendum's proposed language, the city will not be able to assist in the construction of any other hotel. That means that the city will not be able to help with any hotel in the Lancaster-Kiest Corridor, the Trinity River Corridor, the Inland Port (Dallas Logistics Hub), and other areas. These are needs that have been indicated and supported by the residents in various neighborhoods in southern Dallas.
  

• Tourism dollars give added benefit to the city because visitors don't require year-round city services.
  

• In fact, just yesterday on the FrontBurner blog , it was announced that the Dallas Safari Club Convention and Hunting Expo at Dallas Market Hall is moving to the Dallas Convention Center to accommodate its steady growth. This Expo attracts more than 22,000 attendees. The Safari Club's host hotel is also switching from the Anatole to the Hyatt Regency. What this means is that this will be another convention that we will lose soon if we don't have enough hotel and meeting space.
  

• Each year, Dallas misses out on about $800 million in direct spending — and an additional $2.6 billion in economic impact by not having a convention center hotel.
  

• Multiple conventions have announced that they will come to Dallas now that we are moving forward with our convention center hotel. They include the American Heart Association whom have stated they will bring 33,000 cardiologists and a projected $86 million economic impact to Dallas in 2013 and 2017. If they are bringing 33,000 attendees, surely other hotels will benefit.
  

• The only hotel that may lost footing is the Anatole, since it is not in the core
  

• The sordid history behind Pioneer Plaza, and how that caused us to miss an early opportunity to build a convention center hotel.
  

• That the true funder of the hotel referendum refuses to publicly debate the issue. It has already been said that the Mayor, who has been in southern Dallas on a weekly basis long before this issue arose, is willing to debate Harlan Crow.
  

Check out more facts about the hotel.

Some people on the radio were also complaining about contracts going to "specific groups." I guess they had no problem with it when they were the ones getting the contracts for the last 20 years. There have been multiple briefings on expanding the current M/WBE terms at City Council. What they are asking for is already happening, and new people are getting opportunities that were not previously. It has already been stated that the hotel project will exceed any M/WBE goals that are set by City Council.

It's a new day, and a new way. We can either think and act like a small-town, or like the world-class city Dallas strives to become.

R.I.P. - Senior Corporal Norm Smith

Thank you for your dedication to the streets and service to the City of Dallas. You have set a high standard and left a legacy that won't soon be forgotten.



Watch this video, learn the measure of a man.

Events in Honor of Senior Corporal Norm Smith

Candlelight vigil: Thursday, 7PM at DPD Headquarters

Funeral: Friday at 11AM at the Potter's House. He will be buried in the Garden of Honor at Restland Cemetery.

Sr. Cpl. Smith's car is parked in front of the DPD HQ for anyone that wants to place a memorial.

For those that want to make a financial contribution, the Norman S. Smith Memorial Fund has been set up at the City Credit Union.

DPD Officer Killed

The DPD officer did not make it. He was shot and killed. Sr. Corporal Norman Smith died one day short of his "18" on the force (18th anniversary).

Norman Smith died protecting you, the citizens of Dallas. As a member of the Gang Unit, "Norm" died trying to get a thug off of the streets.

I am grateful to the officers of the Dallas Police Department that put their lives on the line so that we can be safe.

Out of respect to Sr. Corporal Smith, DPD, and his family, I will not be making any posts for a while unless it's pertaining to this incident.

DPD Officer Shot

Please pray as a Dallas Police officer has been shot and is in grave condition at Baylor Hospital. The name has not been officially released at this time but it is a gang unit officer. It happened at the Oakwood Apartments on Ledbetter near I-45.

An Open Letter to ONCOR Electric

Thank you for our $563.00 December electric bill for one month's power in our humble abode.

Please fix the lights on Red Bird Lane south of the airport which have been out for months, and fix the light pole next to them before it falls into the street. These are the same ones that were reported to Oncor weeks ago.

By the way, the light fixture that I reported as dangling from the socket (shown below) did in fact fall into the street and median. Fortunately no one was hurt.