Cosmic Cup Founder, RIP

Dallas actor, yogi and restaurateur Kumar Pallana dies at 94

Dallas actor, restaurateur and yogi Kumar Pallana, who opened the Indian vegetarian restaurant Cosmic Cup (now Cosmic Cafe), died on October 10 at age 94.

Pallana was a discovery of director Wes Anderson, who gave him roles in Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited. He also appeared in the 2011 film Another Earth, The Terminal and 2010's Anjaana Anjaani.

Pallana had an irrepressible, whimsical side that manifested itself in traits like his lifelong fondness for juggling. According to a lengthy memorial by the AV Club, Kumar was an entertainer dating to the 1950s, who went by the stage name of Kumar of India and did magic feats such as spinning plates, balancing, swordplay and juggling.

Friends appreciated him for his "rascally wisdom."

"Kumar was a lot of things to a lot of people," said Jeff Farrell, of Park Cities Yoga, who considered Kumar a teacher.

A Facebook page dedicated to his memory has been created, and his memory will be celebrated at a USA Film Festival screening of Bottle Rocket, slated for November 7 at the Texas Theater.

"As we were going to press with this program, the news of Kumar Pallana's passing reached us – yet again, he steals the show," said USA Film Festival managing director Ann Alexander. "Although Kumar will not be with us in the physical world for this program, we know that his spirit joins us as his many friends and fans celebrate his screen debut performance and a man who enriched the lives of so many."

A film clip compilation tribute honoring Kumar Pallana will precede the program.

unspecified

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.

politics