“I am forced to conclude that God made Texas on his day off, for pure
entertainment, just to prove that all that diversity could be crammed into one
section of earth by a really top hand.” Mary Lasswell
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Author Archives: Red from Texas
The Trinity Parkway Proposal is Dead. Or is it?
Residents of central Dallas who celebrated the “death” of the controversial Trinity Parkway with a mock New Orleans style funeral are still wary. The controversial proposed $1.5 billion toll road would have created a major highway between the Trinity River levees running through central Dallas. The toll road had been planned as a 9-mile road which would connect Interstate 45 and State Highway 183. The road was planned as part of the Trinity River Corridor Project, which aims to create a large urban park with lakes, recreational areas and trails in the now largely vacant space between the levees. The road has been approved by Dallas voters twice; first in a 1998 bond package for the larger corridor project and again in a 2007 election that unsuccessfully sought to block its construction.
Opponents have questioned the wisdom of the first ever freeway to be built inside of a river levee as well as the impact on the planned parks and existing wildlife along the banks of the channelized river. And the list of opponents seems to be growing. But Dallas Morning News columnist Steve Blow is arguing for Dallas to keep the toll road on the table. Blow believes that the river can accommodate both recreation and transportation.
“I especially urge anyone wrestling with this question to get down between the levees and get a feel for how vast that space is. I was there a few weeks ago and was struck again by the size. It’s so enormous that you could easily enjoy a soccer game, a picnic or a bike ride on the west side of the river and barely even know that a major roadway was way over on the east side. Above all, let’s do the sensible thing and simply keep our options open. Let’s see what the final plan brings. Let’s hear from anyone with better fixes to our transportation bottleneck.”
Today in Texas History – January 14
From the Annals of the Great War – In 1942, Camp Hood was activated as a temporary camp for training soldiers after America’s entry into World War II. The camp was named for Confederate general John Bell Hood. Called Fort Hood after being made a permanent base in 1950, the fort is reputed to be one of the largest military bases in the world. The Fort is a primary base for the Army’s armored training. Units from Hood have fought in all of the major U.S. military actions since 1942. Fort Hood is the federal government’s second largest land-holding in Texas, trailing only Big Bend National Park.
We’re Number 3, We’re Number 3, We’re Number 3
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Athletics Program at the University of Texas at Austin is the third most valuable program with a value of just under $1 billion. The valuation by Ryan Brewer, an assistant professor of finance at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus takes into account such factors as a program’s revenues and expenses and makes cash-flow adjustments, risk assessments and growth projections for each school to come up with an approximation of what price the teams might fetch if they could be bought and sold like professional teams.
Curiously, at the same time, the Associated Press reports that the UT program was $2.6 million in the red last year largely because of fewer concerts at the Erwin Center and because UT had to buy-out Head Football Coach Charlie Strong’s contract with Louisville.
Dead and Unaccounted for
The already embattled Texas Department of Family and Protective Service faces another challenge after the results of a six-month Austin American-Statesman investigation were published Sunday. The newly-convened Legislature was expected to focus intense scrutiny on the beleaguered agency and the Statesman’s report will add fuel to the legislative fire.
The Statesman discovered 655 child abuse-related fatalities between 2010 and 2014 that weren’t publicly reported apparently because caseworkers decided that mistreatment didn’t directly cause those deaths. Other state and court documents reveal that dozens of state caseworkers have been caught lying to prosecutors or ignoring court orders since at least 2009.
The death reporting is likely to come under intense scrutiny. While the agency boasts that deaths of children under age 17 related to abuse have gone down, the reduction appears to be a result of inconsistent or outright fraudulent reporting of causation by the agency.
For the full story see http://projects.statesman.com/news/cps-missed-signs/undercounting.html
No Whataburger Franchise for Mia Khalifa
Lebanese-American porn star and University of Texas at El Paso graduate Mia Khalifa apparently wants her own Whataburger franchise. If you have ever been to a Whataburger in a small Texas town, you probably noted the photos on the wall reflecting the local population and history. One can only wonder at what might be adorning the walls at a Khalifa-owned burger shop. At any rate, the company appears disinterested in fulfilling Khalifa’s dream. The Houston Chronicle reports:
“Mia Khalifa . . . has skyrocketed to fame in the last few weeks, earning news stories in national media outlets like Newsweek creating an international firestorm that drew death threats and rising to the top of her profession. But it seems there is one thing the 21-year-old Khalifa — listed as the most popular porn star on Pornhub, which is the 71st most popular website in the world (in front of the websites for the New York Times and CNN) — wants that she can’t have: her own Whataburger franchise.
According to the actress’ Instagram and Twitter profile, which is totally NSFW, she is a ‘future Whataburger franchise owner.’ A statement released to the San Antonio Express-News by Whataburger’s Corporate Communications office Thursday regarding the actress’ desire for ownership suggests otherwise. ‘We are not adding any new franchisees in any of our existing or new markets,’ a representative said in an email.”
Today in Texas History – January 13
From the Annals of LBJ – In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Robert C. Weaver as head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Weaver became the first African- American cabinet member in U.S. history. Johnson’s move was an attempt to improve troubled race relations and eliminate urban blight. At the time many major inner-city urban areas were blighted and populated largely by African Americans.
Weaver had broad experience in social and economic issues concerning urban African Americans. He had previously served in FDR’s administration as an advisor to the Secretary of the Interior and a special assistant with the Housing Authority. Later as a member of the National Defense Advisory Commission he worked to mobilize black workers to support the war effort. He was also a rent commissioner for the New York and head of the Housing and Home Finance Agency under JFK. At HUD, Weaver expanded affordable housing programs and worked to pass the Fair Housing Act, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, family status or national origin in the sale or rental of a dwelling, or in the provision of housing services or facilities.
Go Home Cowboys
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Even a die-hard Cowboys hater like Red thinks the Cowboys got screwed. But even so, the Packers had plenty of time to still win the game if the call isn’t overturned. Look for Jerry to push for what will be known as the “Dez Bryant Rule.”
Bats in the Bleachers
The Bryan-College Station Eagle reports that Texas A&M officials have taken measures to rid Kyle Field of an estimated 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats that have roosted in the structure for more than a decade.
“The 12th Man has had to share its Kyle Field home with an estimated 250,000 bats in recent years, but a Texas A&M University official and bat experts say it is unlikely fans will see much of the winged residents in the stadium by the time the $485 million renovation project is complete. The combination of thorough exclusion efforts made by Texas A&M to rid the 87-year-old stadium of Mexican free-tailed bats and the timing of the west side implosion will force a majority the state’s official flying mammal to roost elsewhere when they return to their renovated home from wintering in Mexico. The push to rid the stadium of bats could save the university thousands of dollars every year by not having to clean their droppings, but could increase human-bat contact in the area for a short time, one of the very things the exclusion effort was intended to reduce.”
For the full story see http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/experts-work-to-make-kyle-field-bat-free-after-renovation/article_0e40dc7c-1300-5f18-89b2-1c18af22435f.html
Today in Texas History – January 12
From the Annals of Francophobia – In 1841, The Texas House passed the Franco-Texian bill which authorized the formation of a French-based immigration company. The bill was proposed by Jean Pierre Hippolyte Basterrèche and Pierre François de Lassaulx, two Frenchmen who sought a massive immigration of French citizens to Texas. The bill called for the introduction of 8,000 immigrant families to occupy three million acres of the Republic of Texas. In addition, the managing company was to establish twenty forts in twenty years and develop mines in its territory. The bill was never presented to the Senate because of a threatened veto by acting president David G. Burnet.
Photo of the French Legation in Austin from http://www.frenchlegationmuseum.org
Paradise in Hell 
