Thanks to Nicole Stockdale, copy editor at the Dallas Morning News for giving me my first opportunity to appear in the Sunday paper.  See my civic pride column below. Is anyone proud to live in Dallas? I pondered this question after listening to a weeklong radio field trip that NPR's News and Notes program took to Atlanta. Each day, the show focused on various aspects of the city, with topics that ranged from reducing water flow at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to the success of the Atlanta University System. One thing was constant during each night of programming. Whether it was the mayor or a congressperson, a student or a cab driver, Atlantans spoke of their city with pride and enthusiasm. So I wondered what residents would say about our city if News and Notes host Farai Chideya were to bring her show to Dallas. My thought is that optimism and glad tidings would be in short supply. Many would probably harp on the same tired chords we always hear: Why are they throwing money away on the Cotton Bowl? When will DISD get its act together? What's up with the Trinity River project? I'm not suggesting that the skepticism isn't justified, but we are so accustomed to negativity ...

Thursday evening, the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau launched a new web portal targeting African-Americans. The event was hosted at the African-American Museum in Fair Park. See the new web portal at www.visitblackdallas.com DCVB President and CEO Phillip Jones said that he considers the site part of the new face of Dallas. That face showcases Dallas' diverse citizens all working together. Mr. Jones said that he has targeted three African-American conventions that he hopes lure to Dallas now that the convention center hotel is coming on line: Bishop T.D. Jakes Mega Fest (South Africa '08) NAACP Annual Convention (Cincinnati '08) National Urban League Annual Conference (Orlando '08) Also having words at the event were State Senator Royce West, and Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce President Reginald Gates. Fitzgerald Dodd, Executive Chef at One Arts Plaza's newly opened SCREENDOOR Restaurant ,prepared hors d'oeuvrs for the evenings proceedings. Sederrick Raphiel and the design factory are responsible for much of the visual presentation involved in the project. They produced an excellent booklet, much of which is also present on the website. What I like most about how they presented African-Americans in Dallas is that all shades and colors are represented in the marketing pieces. The ...

Washington, D.C. – (July 9, 2008) Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson today announced that Dallas’s Cedar Valley College, located in the 30th Congressional District of Texas, will receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program. The college will receive $400,056.00 for FY 2009, and an equal amount in the four following fiscal years, for a total of five years. “Cedar Valley College is a community college that truly serves its community,” Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson said. “The faculty and administration work hard to meet the needs of the students, and the students work hard to balance their schoolwork with the other responsibilities in their lives. I am proud that Cedar Valley College is in my District, and I congratulate it on receiving this grant.” Cedar Valley College is a Minority Serving Institution with an enrollment of almost 5,000 students. It will use the grant money to improve both retention of students and student success, with a focus on enhancing instruction and academic services. Grants made by the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program are designed to enable institutions ...

Go back with me to the beginning of the baseball season. Now what would you have guessed the Rangers record to be after 90 games with these names on the roster: Catching - Max Ramierez (Started season at Frisco) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (OK City) Third Base - German Duran(OK City) and Ramon Vasquez (Bench Player) First Base - Chris Davis (Frisco) Outfield - Brandon Boggs (OK City) Pitchers - Scott Feldman (Frisco), Luis Mendoza (Frisco), Eric Hurley (OK City), Frank Francisco (OK City), Warner Madrigal (Frisco) I would have guessed 35-40 wins at best, landing them solidly in last place. I don't know of one - not one- expert prognosticator, sports predictor or pundit who expected the Texas Rangers to have a record of 46-43 as the team prepares to play their 90th game tonight. Especially after a horrific 7-16 start that included an embarrassing 19-6 loss in Detroit to the Tigers. Many around town, in the papers, on the radio, and in the stands, were calling for the firing of Rangers' manager Ron Washington. I have to admit after the Tigers debacle I was ready to add my voice to the chorus. It wasn't just the team's record, ...

Folks are often trying to tell me how the court system usually gets it right and how there is really much racial disparity there these days. Well if justice were blind, wouldn't Dallas County be freeing more white folks by way of DNA evidence?  You know that chick (Justice) is peeking through that blindfold every chance she gets. Today, Partick Waller will become Dallas County's 18th prisoner exonerated since 2001, widening a dubious lead for having the most such releases in the nation. The Dallas Morning News' James Ragland says the exonerations give him "mixed feelings." In a column in today's News, James Ragland credits Dallas County's preservation of DNA evidence -for decades in many cases- equally with current D.A. Craig Watkins' desire for justice as the reason so many are gaining freedom. While the preservation is key and a major factor, I can't give much in the way of kudos to the DA's office. Before I can get to praise, I share the feelings of John Rolater who Ragland quotes in is article. Rolater once worked for former Dallas District Attorney John Vance and oversaw DNA test requests for D.A. Bill Hill. "It's a threefold tragedy because ...

The Dallas Morning News Editorial Board launched their Bridging Dallas' North-South Gap Project in Sunday's paper. They have had a number of articles and columns leading up to eight page spread. I'd suggest that everyone pick up a copy of Sunday's paper to pour through the massive amount of statistics and data that they present. The Bridging the Gap team is lead by deputy editorial page editor Sharon Grigsby. I must say the word "crusade" that the paper used to describe their effort is the only way to characterize what Ms. Grigsby has put into this project over the last year. Sharon has sat down with a number of stakeholders, advocates, and concerned citizens in Southern Dallas, including meeting with me on multiple occasions. The former Pleasant Grove resident is so passionate about this effort, even the most skeptical among us would concede here that her desire for change is genuine. The editorial board has selected five neighborhoods to focus the spotlight on as they advocate for progress in Southern Dallas. This week they will spend a day on each area which includes: West Dallas Gateway Grand South Dallas The Heart of Oak Cliff Red Bird Renewed Pleasant Grove Crossroads One idea the ...

I must have missed this story over the weekend, but apparently a vendor at the Texas GOP convention was showing their true colors by reminding Barack Obama of his. The Dallas Morning News who first wrote a story last weekend on the campaign button to the left reports the vendor has been "cut off" by The Republican Party of Texas. See their report here. The vendor in question is The Republican Market (www.republicanmarket.com). I searched their website for the button in question, but couldn't find it. I did however come across a few other interesting items if you're in the market from some 2008 Election gear. If you would like to reach them, be sure to call their Florida office Toll-Free at (866) 422-BUSH. You really couldn't make this stuff up if you tried. This story will double their business I'm sure.

A new report released by INRIX, the leading provider of real-time traffic information for many popular GPS devices, found Dallas to be the 5th most congested market in the country. According to the INRIX National Traffic Scorecard, traffic congestion across the U.S. increased nearly 2% in 2007 over 2006 and there appears to be no relief in sight in 2008. They do concede that higher fuel prices and the economy are affecting the rate of growth. With many drivers paying over $4 a gallon at the pump and roads clogged with traffic congestion averaging 60 hours a week across the nation’s 100 worst bottlenecks, traffic continues to have a major impact on consumers, businesses and the American economy. The INRIX National Traffic Scorecard is the first to measure the nation’s traffic congestion problem by going beyond the traditional limitations of road sensors and statistical sampling techniques to evaluate real-time traffic on almost every major metropolitan roadway nationwide.  The scorecard takes a micro look at traffic problems all across the country – zooming in on the total hours spent in traffic, worst day of the week for commuting and average speeds for the top 100 ...

I'd like to congratulate Jack Matthews, Jeff West, and Matthews Southwest for being selected to build the Dallas Convention Center Hotel.  Matthews Southwest is responsible for the South Side on Lamar Lofts as well as the soon to open Beat Condos. Dave Levinthal of the Dallas Morning News reports that The Dallas City Council Economic Development Committee unanimously directed the city staff to enter a 60-day negotiation period with Matthews Southwest to build  the hotel.

Karen Brooks of the Dallas Morning News writes a follow up article to her story from a few weeks ago regarding black bloggers and the Democratic National Convention.  Some of you may recall that African-American bloggers were pretty upset when the DNC announced their state blogging pool, the first pass of credentialed websites for Denver. After an additional list of bloggers receiving credentials was released -which included Dallas South- many felt a lot better about the black blogger presence in Denver.  Here are some highlights from the article Ms. Brooks wrote for the News. Click here to contribute to Dallas South's trip to Denver. Minority blogs that felt spurned by the Democratic National Committee got some vindication recently when they were added to the list of blogs invited by party officials to cover their convention in August – but some still say the white blogs got preferential treatment and will get better access. A few weeks later, the Democratic National Committee released their "General Blogger Pool" list, with an additional 69 blogs on them, many of which are minority blogs – including the Dallas South blog, published by Shawn Williams, who had written a letter to U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson expressing his ...