The thing that you need to know about where we are in the Convention Center Hotel process: it ain't over. The city has spent about $500,000 to "tie up" an 8.34-acre tract of land on Young Street between Market and Lamar that is a privately owned parking lot. This was the subject of a Dallas Morning News article last weekend (Did anyone else notice the WFAA sign that was prominently featured in the picture of that site?) Dave Levinthal and Rudolph Bush report that the city has until Sept. 30 to decide whether to purchase the land from Cincinnati-based CP-Dallas L & Y LP at a fixed price just under $40 million. If they don't, the $500,000 goes down the drain. Now let's revisit the South Side Convention Center option. First let me make something clear.  Unlike what has been reported and assumed, the south side option is not on the opposite side of I-30 from the center. The proposed site is where Eddie Deans Ranch is currently located, including the huge parking lot behind it. To be more specific, the hotel would be bordered by Memorial Drive, Griffin, Street, Canton Street, and South Lamar. The firm who owns this property is ...

This is a column that I wrote which appeared in the Dallas Morning News on Thursday.  Dallas South readers saw most of this last week.  There are however a couple of points that I didn't make in last week's post. Plans for a Dallas Convention Center hotel are moving forward, and Mayor Tom Leppert would like to see it built before the Super Bowl comes to town in 2011. While the city looks into financing the project, the discussion will soon move to where the hotel should be located. For those who have dared to dream of a hotel constructed near the convention center, the vision usually includes a structure on the "front," or downtown side, of the building. I've always thought the same thing. But over the weeks since I wrote my first Viewpoints column on the hotel, another potential site has emerged. Imagine, if you will, a hotel erected on the southern side of the convention center. Use Eddie Deen's Ranch as a reference point. In that initial Viewpoints column, I made the following argument: Convention visitors judge a host city by what goes on each day after the meetings are over. Where do we eat? Is there ...

According to Reuters , A federal judge on Thursday allowed Nevada Democrats to hold presidential voting in casino hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, potentially helping Sen. Barack Obama in the next round of the campaign on Saturday. "The Democrats can set up their own rules just as the Republicans can," the judge is quoted as saying by Reuters. "It is not up to some federal judge to come along and say,'I don't like that.'" Adam Tanner who authored the story figures that a large turnout of casino workers could boost Obama in his race against Hillary Clinton.  He is backed by by an endorsement from the Culinary Workers Union No. 226, the state's most influential labor group representing some 60,000 hotel service workers. The Clinton campaign expressed disappointment with the judge's ruling. Obama also gained the endorsement of the Service Employees International Union of Nevada.  The "overwhelming participation" of voters in the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary showed that "Americans are ready for change," SEIU Executive Vice President Shauna Hamel told CNN.  These are the types of organizations that have supported the Clinton's in the past. Thanks to Elizabeth who left the following comment ...

I finally have an accurate tenant list for Wheatland Town Crossing that's going up just north of I-20 in Southern Dallas.  Here are the current tenants scheduled to open in the shopping center.                               In addition to these businesses, there are 12 retail sites still available for more tenants.  This is positive news in the way of economic development for Southern Dallas.  Target is scheduled to open this March.

Plans for a Dallas Convention Center hotel are moving forward, and mayor Tom Leppert would like to see it built before the Super Bowl comes to town in 2011. While the city looks into financing the project, the discussion will soon move to where the hotel should be located. For those who have dared to dream of a hotel constructed near the convention center, the vision usually includes a structure on the "front" or downtown side of the building. In my mind, I've always thought the same thing. But over the weeks that have passed since I wrote a Dallas Morning News article on this subject, another potential site has emerged. Imagine if you will a hotel erected on the southern side of the convention center. For the sake of this post, use Eddie Deen's Ranch as a reference point. In the Viewpoints column that I wrote for The News, I made the following argument: Convention visitors judge a host city by what goes on each day after the meetings are over. Where do we eat? Is there anywhere to shop? How long does it take to get to the hottest night spot? ...consider (San Diego's) Gaslamp Quarter, within ...

Due to the fact that Dallas Cowboys news will dominate everything else on Monday, I'm going to hold off on my convention center hotel post until Tuesday.

Since my Dallas Morning News Viewpoints article advocating a convention center hotel, I've had the chance to examine the issue a little closer.  On Monday, I will launch a campaign regarding the proposed hotel that is consistent with the mission of this site.   Please check back Monday morning (or Sunday night) for the news.

Chalk this one up to the infinite list of things I didn't know. Thanks to Rose for the heads up. The Higher Education of the Nation's Top African-American Restaurateur Each week tens of thousands of diners eat at an Olive Garden or Red Lobster restaurant. Few of these diners know that the CEO heading these large restaurant chains is a black man. Clarence Otis Jr. is the CEO of Darden Restaurants Inc., the largest casual dining operator in the nation. The firm operates nearly 1,400 company-owned restaurants coast to coast serving 300 million meals annually. Darden employs 150,000 workers and has annual revenues of $6 billion. Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, Otis moved to Los Angeles when he was 6 years old. His father was a high school dropout who worked as a janitor. The family lived in Watts at the time of the 1965 riots. In the post-Watts period, Otis recalls being stopped and questioned by police several times a year because of the color of his skin. A high school guidance counselor recommended him for a scholarship at Williams College, the highly selective liberal arts institution in Massachusetts. Otis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams and went on to earn ...

Having a young child, it's not often that my wife and I are able to get out and enjoy the city.  Over a 24 hour stretch on Saturday and Sunday, we were able to hit 4 Dallas locations near downtown and just outside the loop. I'd like to recommend all four to anyone looking for new spots to try or places to take friends and family. Texas Caribbean Food @ Southside on Lamar I ran across Texas Caribbean Food two weeks ago just before Christmas.  While there I met the own of the restaurant Ms. Jan Gore, a resident of Oak Cliff,  who made me feel right at home.  Ms. Gore said her theme for 2008 is "share the experience." My first time (and 2nd time) there I had the Jerk Chicken Wings.  When I met my wife there for lunch on Saturday I chose the wings again.  Served with brown rice, the flavorful wings are Texas Caribbean Food's signature dish. Texas Caribbean Food is a great spot for lunch and dinner that has free Wi Fi for laptop users.  Make sure to ask for your green punch card which makes every 5th meal free. 1409 ...

Larry James and Central Dallas Ministries hosted their first Urban Engagement Book Club meeting of 2008.  The discussion was held at Highland Park United Methodist Church. This month, the group discussed two books:  The Foundation: A Great American Secret —How Private Money is Changing the World by Joel Fleishman The Revolutions Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex by Incite! Women of Color Against Violence Most of the folks at the meeting (including yours truly) had not read the books.  Fortunately for us, Randy Mayeux had, and he gave participants a recap of each book. There was quite a bit of contrast between the two books.  Foundation was about philanthropic organizations and how they distribute their money.  The book was very supportive of foundations while challenging them to create better oversight and ease restrictions on groups that they fund.  Revolutions was pretty much anti-foundation, suggesting that movements are compromised when they begin to accept money from these types of groups.  One of the quotes to that effect: Foundations have been directly involved in squelching revolutionary movements in the Third World.  The Ford Foundaions was actively involved through its various programs in diverting the anti-apartheid movement ...