W Hotel in Victory Park has a new boss and more Dallas news

UPDATE 11-20-2019: Interabang Books has re-opened. A release from the store says, "We are open for business at our new spot as of Wednesday afternoon, one month to the day after the October 20 tornado. To be very clear, this is the bookstore's NEW LOCATION in the Pavilion on Lovers Lane: 5600 W. Lovers Ln., between Inwood and the Dallas North Tollway, near Chico's and Eatzi's." The email says that the store's banner won't go up until Thursday morning, so customers should look for "the bright blue door" near the end of the shopping center close to the Tollway. "Shipments of books and gifts are still arriving, but the significance of the one-month milestone and our desire to see friends' faces like yours again was too strong to wait any longer. Interabang will be open from 10 am to 8 pm daily through December. We look forward to seeing you today, tomorrow, this weekend, and from now on!"

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A popular bookstore is recovering from the tornado, we're getting more scooters, and there's a pilot program for a new high-tech crime-fighting initiative by the DPD. Also, a luxury hotel in Victory Park has a new owner.

Here's what happened in Dallas this week:

Bookstore prevails
Interabang Books, the beloved bookstore that was among the businesses destroyed by a tornado on October 20, has found a new location: The store will re-open at The Pavilion on Lovers Lane, the shopping center near the intersection of the Dallas North Tollway, where it will move into the space near Eatzi's vacated by Capezio.

A spokesperson says that they'll do a light renovation of the space and hope to re-open by Thanksgiving.

Their original location was at the Preston Royal shopping center, which was decimated in the storm, and is still in flux.

More than 900 homes and businesses were damaged by the tornado, including 106 that were destroyed and 287 that were seriously damaged; 87 commercial structures sustained damages.

More scooters
Ojo Electric Corp. has expanded its electric rideshare scooter service in Dallas, increasing its fleet from 100 to 500 seated electric scooters.

The scooters can go up to 20 mph, the top speed for bike lanes, and, on a full charge, can go as far as 50 miles. The scooters also have GPS, and allow geo-fencing and automated speed throttling. In Dallas, Ojo has partnered with Shift Transit which oversees scooter deployment, balancing, service and repair, and 24/7 telephone customer service.

Bill bought the W
The W Dallas Victory Hotel has new owners: HN Capital Partners and Dunhill Partners, the company owned by Bill Hutchinson, who announced the purchase via an Instagram post, along with the news that they'll undertake a $21 million renovation. Dunhill is also a partner in the new Virgin Hotels Dallas, set to open in the Design District in December.

Starlight pilot
The Dallas Police Department have a new crime-fighting initiative that uses technology called Starlight. The program uses a state-of-the-art software and camera system to prevent crimes at stores, gas stations, and convenience stores. The equipment shows what's happening in real time, providing what they call a "virtual patrol." Each store is equipped with cameras, signage, and a blue light, to indicate that the store is being monitored by the DPD.

This is a pilot program being implemented in partnership with Safer Dallas and Motorola, and is launching at three locations that receive a high volume of calls for police services, including the 7-Eleven at 2911 E. Ledbetter Rd.; the 7-Eleven at 2503 Lemmon Ave.; and perhaps most significantly, the Ferguson Food Mart and Texaco Gas Station, the same gas station that the city filed a lawsuit against in July.