Tales From the Crypt

One Texan keeps it weird with macabre Goodwill donation

One Austinite is keeping things weird with a bizarre charitable donation. On August 27, the Austin Police Department issued a statement asking for the public's assistance in locating a person who donated a human skull to a Goodwill on North Lamar Boulevard.

Detective Derek Israel of the homicide unit stated during a press conference that the skull was discovered by Goodwill employees on July 16. The charity then contacted APD, who turned over the skull to the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office.

"The medical examiner here in Travis County has a responsibility to try to identify the identity of any human remains and the circumstances under which the person died," said Israel. "So they requested the assistance of the police department in trying to find out who the person is that made this donation."

The skull and its container could have been donated at any time this year. And because items can simply be dropped of at Goodwill, there is no paperwork or receipt to help identify the person who donated the skull. It was handled by several employees, so it would be difficult to identify anyone through fingerprints.

The medical examiner's office hasn't released a report on the skull, but Israel said it belonged to an adult. At this time, it is not believed to be involved in any crime or foul play; it's more likely that the skull was part of a private collection or an anatomical model.

"I'm sure that person's going to remember having donated that," said Israel.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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