City News Roundup
Dallas district attorney gets back to business and more sagas in this week's city news
Dallas district attorney Susan Hawk is back, and so is the sexist language that surrounds just about any female in the public eye. The Delta-vs.-Southwest struggle has yet to be resolved. And the annual National Night Out has arrived.
Here are the highlights of what happened in Dallas city news this week:
Delta at Love
The struggle between Delta Airlines and Southwest over two gates at Love Field is now under consideration by a judge. The airlines presented their arguments in a courtroom filled with lawyers from Southwest, Delta, United, American, Virgin America, the federal government, and the City of Dallas. There has to be a "how many lawyers" joke in there somewhere.
A ruling hasn't been made, but in the interim, Delta continues to fly out of Love Field.
Hawk back
Dallas DA Susan Hawk is back on the job, following a two-month absence during which time she received treatment for depression. Hawk held a brief press conference, saying that the past nine weeks had been tough but that she was stronger and healthier than ever. The Dallas Morning Newsnoted, among other things, that "her hair had grown noticeably longer," although it really only looks like it's an inch or two longer? Is that what you would call "noticeable"? But, sadly, no description of her dress, earrings, or shoes.
D Magazineto the rescue, with all sorts of completely fair and totally-nonsexist descriptions of her various outfits and ensembles. (To wit: "Hawk looks more like a Barbie doll, with silk tops and dangling earrings.") D's story coincidentally follows a recent post on Texas Observer that wondered, regardless of Hawk's status or performance, whether the media has written about her in a sexist manner — a suggestion D really disliked.
Let's Transect
The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture is offering a three-week series on New Urbanism. Patrick Kennedy and Monte Anderson will offer an in-depth explanation of New Urbanism's core principles and how Dallas can best utilize key concepts.
You'll learn about exciting concepts such as "the Transect," "building to the human scale," "organic growth/adaptive re-use." Impress your friends with phrases such as "complete streets." We've already missed the freebie first session, but you can still sign up for the remaining two, on October 26 and November 23, $35 a pop, at DallasInstitute.org.
National Night Out
National Night Out is the annual event where residents are encouraged to celebrate their community. It's usually held on the same night throughout the country, and it brings together families, schools, crime watch groups, homeowners associations, and other community organizations.
This year, National Night Out is Tuesday, October 6. But good luck finding out where to go. If you go to natw.org, you're hit with a warning that the site is not secure. The Dallas Police Department website says to "check the Dallas Police Calendar for NNO events near you," but finding said Dallas Police Calendar is a challenge.
Some city council members such as Carolyn Arnold and Erik Wilson have sent out alerts, as has DART and some homeowners groups; but unless you're already connected, it's hard to find.