Let Me Sum Up

Only $150,000 for a semi-private club membership? The line starts here! Plus:Star Trek!

Entry fees at Dallas National run about $150,000-plus, which is what the feeswill be at the proposed Trinity Forest Golf Course.
Avid Golfer
Brendan Higgins is apparently pulling off a cool sneakers-and-suit look thismorning.
mediabistro.com
Dick Armey gets $8 million to resign from FreedomWorks. Insert your own jokehere.
crooksandliars.com
Evan Grant reports the Rangers might trade Michael Young to the Phillies.
Twitter
The Star Trek teaser trailer is out! You can totally watch it in Dallas! That’skinda local.

Nothing new really plucking my cherries this morning, so let’s sum up a couple of news stories we’ve previously summed up here at Let Me Sum Up.

First, the Dallas City Council yesterday did agree to conditionally support allowing the city manager to proceed with negotiations involving the Trinity Forest Golf Course. Recaps can be found by Rudy Bush of the Dallas Morning Newshere and Joe Tone of the Dallas Observerhere. The highlights, in no particular order:

The city confirmed entry fees would be $150,000-plus, which is what I told you yesterday is the about the same amount they pay at Dallas National and would be needed to support the most likely cost structure. As also noted, I’m not sure where that pool of members lives. As a North Dallas former pro tweeted (in a sarcastic font) at me last night: “I’m sure they will line up to pay that for semi-private club.”

Councilwoman Angela Hunt asked some of the same questions found in yesterday’s column, including “Where’s the feasibility study?” (every new course, public or private, conducts one) and “What is the model?” She cited Harbor Shores, asking is that the model, or is it something else? Answers were promised.

At FrontBurner, Bradford Pearson posted the presentation the council saw that promoted the plan. It was as detailed as one of my daughter’s high school PowerPoint presentations. Actually, less so; she would have had to cite her sources. As a commenter said: “Where are the details? The hard facts to support that PowerPoint presentation?” Don’t hold your breath, BenS.

My absolute favorite part was near the end of Bush’s recap:

Assistant City Manager Ryan Evans said he thinks there will be some growth associated with the course. “I can’t help but believe there would be some additional retail development that would go along with all of this,” he said.

He can’t help but believe it! Not “our models suggest” or “the best minds tell us” or even “Santa promised me!” No, he can’t help but believe it because, you know … go development!

LMSU also mentioned the other day that Dick Armey left FreedomWorks in a huff. Last night, he went on Fox Business News to tell his side of the story: that he left in a huff.

I left there because I had serious concerns about the ethical and moral behavior of the senior leadership. I don’t particularly want to discuss that at length.

Armey didn’t get into reports that it was about an unethical book deal the president of the organization had conducted, or his supahsweet $8 million buyout, but he did complain that he was fed up with the way GOP leadership had treated the Tea Party, just as we figured. From Todd J. Gillman’s blog post, we learn that Dick Armey said of the GOP House Speaker John Boehner:

I understand the speaker being annoyed when he has people within his caucus that are so committed to a set of principles that they make it hard for him to make easy deals with the other side, but I would also remind him people are not going to forsake their principles for something that is as insignificant in their life as a committee assignment.

Elsewhere

I’m hesitant to weigh in on this DMN series showing problems with how this Texas cancer-fighting institute gives money to suspect folks, because it’s complicated and gives me tired head. But if you’ve been following along, developments continue to develop.

The Dallas County Medical Society will “pull the plug early next year on its Project Access Dallas, a popular program that matches uninsured county residents with doctors willing to provide them low-cost medical care.” It’s going away because local hospitals couldn’t figure out how to share the Medicaid funding that paid for it, and the hospitals said it’s not like we’re a Christian society, so Jesus won’t care.

The Star Trekteaser trailer is out! You can totally watch it in Dallas! That’s kinda local.

Evan Grant says the Rangers may trade Michael Young? Who will I yell at?

Retweets

Boom. Roasted.

It means she's danced for mediocrity RT @bryandolgin: Zack Greinke's wife is a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader...if that means anything.

— Jeff Wade (@SkinWade) December 6, 2012

Just two high-powered media stars, flirting on Twitter.

@brendancbs11 I love the sneakers you were rocking with the suit during this morning's Wayans Brothers interview. Love that look.

— Hawkeye KSCS DJ (@HawkeyeOnAir) December 6, 2012

unspecified

E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

Unsplash

Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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