Articles about From the Print Product
Decorating for TX/OU
In today’s real estate section, there’s a product page of decorating ideas for this weekend’s big game. Here’s a couple other items that didn’t make the cut:
Available in a 5′4″x7′8″ [$179] and 7′8″x10′9″ [$379] at Home Depot
Are Your Entry Doors Secure?
Anyone who’s ever had their entry door kicked in by a burglar knows the frustration and hassle that goes along with it. Many times, the damages burglars cause to doors can cost more than replacing the items they steal.
In this week’s Real Estate section, which should be hitting PC lawns any moment now, I take a look at three products do-it-yourselfers can install in their doors to make it more difficult for a burglar to kick one in.
Should Real Estate Prices Be Public Information?
In today’s Real Estate section, I look into plans by the city of Dallas to lobby the state legislature to require the public disclosure of real estate transactions.
This would have a huge impact on how DCAD appraisals would work for both commercial and residential properties. While appraisals on homes, particularly those on the high-end of the spectrum, would likely increase, the same would happen with commercial properties, which currently are even more undervalued on the tax rolls than most homes.
In theory, higher valuations means taxing entities could lower their tax rates, something the HP Council couldn’t do this year, and UP Council could only barely muster.
Re: Mr. Monarch
All this talk today about the Million Dollar Monarch has got me thinking about our August 15 story about Oak Wilt. Trees can account for as much as 20 percent of the value of a property, and you can take a huge hit on the selling price of a property with the loss of even one tree.
What’s even more scary is the way diseases like wilt spread. The roots graft together and even by just touching one another, they can contract the disease.
Like a tree STD.
Advice for Wells Fargo-Wachovia Deal
If I might be permitted to make light of the current economic troubles, I have some advice for Wells Fargo, which appears set to purchase Wachovia. If you’re looking to liquefy some assets, to add to your cash on hand once you take on the troubled bank, there’s a property at the corner of Preston Road and Mockingbird Lane in Highland Park that you might consider selling off. It’s prime real estate, almost guaranteed to sell, even in this down market. I happen to think it’d be a perfect location for a gas station.
Wick For Obama
I was out of town last Friday when I received the following message commenting on our newspaper’s endorsement of Barack Obama to become the next president of the United States. It was sent anonymously, so it won’t appear in the print product. Sorry for the delay in sharing:
For the last several years, many of my friends have told me they’ve stopped reading that “rag” called the Park Cities People since Wick Allison took over. I’ve continued my subscription because I like to read about what’s going on in the community. But your editorial today endorsing Obama has caused me to agree with others that your paper no longer is worthy of my money. Like many, you have fallen under the Obama spell & have been swayed by smooth talking language of a socialist, disguised as a statesman. (more…)
Sewers Overflowing in the Park Cities
Today’s Dallas Morning News story about sewer overflows in Highland Park amounts to a one-sentence update: “They’re still working on it” — of the story about the problem that we did, you know, nine months ago, in January.
Monday Mid-Morning F-Bomb Vote Update
Friends of the F-Bomber need to start hitting the polls immediately. F0F-Bs should excuse themselves from class now and make a b-line to the computer lab or utilize their iPhones because 163 Overheardians believe Merritt should forward his e-mail to his parents. On the flip side 30 voters believe Merritt should forgive and forget. Decide amongst yaselves.
Dr. Henry Heimlich Does Not Approve This Message
If the cinematic version (with the same name) comes even close to the literary masterpiece that is Chuck Palahniuk’s Choke, then this movie is definitely worth watching. I haven’t gotten a chance to see it yet (read it years ago), but our fearless publisher Jason Heid did. Read his review here. Then watch the trailer below. If you like the movie, then do yourself one better and read the book. Why? Well, Palahniuk’s protagonists (Fight Club) are always great narrorators and that doesn’t always come through on the silver screen.
I’ll Follow The Rules, But I’ll Also Flip The Bird
Some reader feedback to today’s column. Thank you for the great e-mails!
MIS carpool is a scary place. I have only done it once, and will never go back. Last year was my oldest child’s first day of fifth grade. As we drove up smiling with first day nerves, this dad pulls through the main section of High School honking his horn, veins literally bulging from his neck, with children still in the car!!! Nobody could figure out what they were doing wrong. I’m pretty sure our mere existence was the problem. I was seriously scared of him. He was driving an SUV, the sports car must have been in for a service. (more…)
Have a Laugh For Life
Staff photographer Christina Barany took this gem of a photo portrait this week for a story about a comedy fundraiser at the Lakewood Theatre to raise money for cancer research in the name of a young University Park boy. (The event is at 8 p.m. Wednesday, for those interested.)
Of course, this story from last year (third photo down the page) still contains my favorite photo I’ve ever seen Christina take for us. Outstanding.
F-Bomb Dropping Scot Sends Me a Love Letter
Do you guys think this reader liked my column? Be honest.
Friday, September 12, 2008 6:14 PMSubject: F*** YouAlright a. If you buy the most expensive sunglasses you can buy take very good care of them, you dont leave them in a zip lock bag. B. The scots game is a tradition for many high school students and fellow younger students so if we like to socialize and have a good time I sincerely apologize if It gets in the way . C. Highland park is known
for its students that excel and progress gracefully through life. Point is if you lighten up and realize that at the scots game you are among the people that will one day lead this country have some respect.
Dear F-Bomb Dropper,
A) I know your parents, bet you didn’t know that.
B) Read carefully, the glasses were in the case inside my chic, non-zipping bag. Not a ziplock.
C) Are you trying to say you’re graceful? I beg to differ, I’m just sayin’.
D) If you’re planning on running our country one day, you’ve got to make it through an election first and if that happens, I’m so pulling out this e-mail and sending it straight to the major news networks, Oprah and maybe Jerry Springer.
E) Did you say have some respect? I lost that with the subject line.
F) Who needs to lighten up?
G) I’m rubber, you’re glue, bounced off me and stuck on you.
Love,
Merritt
Appliance Burglar Unmasked?
Sorry I didn’t share this info as soon as we got it from the cops yesterday morning:
Timothy Lewis Garza was arrested for the alleged burglary of
a home in the 3200 block of Villanova. Garza attempted to remove
kitchen appliances from the location but fled the scene before police
arrived. Garza was later identified and arrested for the burglary. Garza
is a suspect in other burglaries in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
We’d previously covered the uptick in thefts at vacant homes/homes under construction. Police haven’t said yet exactly which other burglaries they think Garza, and another suspect for which a warrant has been issue but identity has not yet been released, were responsible for.
Team Spirit
Great column this week, Merritt. Those of us with older kids who’ve already been introduced to the team concept know what a wonderful thing it is. It makes the transition from our sweet little elementary schools to the big middle school so much easier.
I’ve had a Chief, a Superstar, two Think Tankers, a Hotshot and a Trailblazer and they’ve all been great teams with great teachers.
Metro Diner Has Cheap Food Today
As noted in our article about the closing of Metro Diner in Preston Center, the restaurant is rolling back its prices to 1963 levels today and tomorrow. It officially closes on Friday.
Someone gave me a sheet with the prices, but I seem to have misplaced it. All I remember is hamburgers going for like 50 cents.
Is This Ad Too Racy to Appear in Our Paper?
Subscribers to the Print Product will see a story about Equinox Fitness‘ unusual ad campaign when the papers begin to hit lawns tomorrow afternoon. We had three examples of the ad that we could have chosen to run with the story. Two of them I considered entirely unsuitable for a family newspaper.
I’m placing one of them — the one without the naked backside of a man prominently featured — after the jump. You tell me, was I being too conservative in keeping it out?
Vegas Bets Big on Sessions
How is the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms like the right of the American people to throw away as much money as they wish on online poker games? Our Park Cities congressman, Pete Sessions, tells you how, in our story explaining why he’s spent time raising money from the Poker Players Alliance in Las Vegas lately, and why he’s committed to “mapping out a strategy” to legalize online gambling.
And if you like, listen to him explain it himself.
Highland Park Joins the 21st Century
I’ve complained about the town of Highland Park’s website several times before. So it’s only fair that I praise them for the spanking new website they launched yesterday. It’s far more functional.
Though there are no council agendas up yet, there certainly promises to be.
Get caught speeding in HP? Who hasn’t? Pay your fine here.
Didn’t know that the history of Highland Park began with a “savage Indian battle?”
Want to find out the latest on the Mockingbird Lane redo? Well, that feature doesn’t seem to work yet, so keep going here.
Anyway, it’s a nice start for the town. Let us hope it is as well-maintained as it is attractive.
Water-Wise Gardening
I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from readers who enjoyed last week’s real estate story on water-wise gardening. Different versions of the story ran in some of our other papers, including our East Dallas editions, Lake Highlands People and Lakewood People. At least one reader was less than impressed: (more…)
Your Chance to Remember July 4
I hope everyone has had a chance to see the wonderful special section of July 4 photos our photographers and designers were able to put together this year for the latest edition of our print product.
The picture of the baby on the front is awesome. If you’d like to have a copy of it, or any other picture that appears anywhere in our paper anytime, you can visit our site here and order prints, mug, T-shirts — just about anything you could want with the image on there. I recommend putting your favorite shot on a ceramic tile mural.
Don’t Let the Park Cities Become Frisco
Our award-winning editorial board just this week received a response to a recent editorial. Unfortunately, because the writer did not provide a name, it can’t be printed in our newspaper. So I provide it here:
Thank you for your May 23rd article on “Tearing Down Our History.”
We all know change is inevitable and that some is beneficial and some is detrimental. It would seem that it would behoover us to carefully examine change initiatives and if we determine that we are note resisting change because we are just reactionary, we should try to deter detrimental change. (more…)
Are You Lazy if You Don’t Walk the Escalator?
In his review of Wall-E in Friday’s paper, senior editor Glenn Arbery took aim at able-bodied people (without strollers) who don’t walk up escalators. By my rough count, I’d say this is — oh — 99 percent of everyone. Anyway, we thought he might get some response to his complaints, but we had no idea passions ran so deep, as they apparently do for this reader:
Speaking of pet peeves:
The purpose of an escalator is NOT “to speed up the normal ascent of people climbing a stairway”. That is to say, getting any one person from point A to point B faster is not the goal. The goal is to move a group of people from point A to point B as efficiently as possible, without compromising safety. Speed of individual ascent (even average speed of individual ascent) and efficiency aren’t the same thing.
The most common accident that occurs on an escalator is tripping. Same as on stairs. In my experience, people walking escalators typically appear awkward and uncertain. (more…)
We’re the Best in Texas
Some readers have inquired as to why we use the slogan “the best weekly newspaper in Texas” on our masthead. It is , of course, because we know we work at the best weekly newspaper in Texas. But it is nice to periodically get an outside opinion that confirms our status.
I’ve just returned from the Texas Press Association convention, and I’m pleased to announce that Park Cities People has won the sweepstakes prize as the best large weekly in the state for the 14th time in the just over 20 years that we’ve been eligible for the annual Better Newspaper Contest.
Congratulations to the entire staff of Park Cities People, which proved again this year that we are the best that Texas has to offer.
To see the prizes we earned in individual categories, and what the judges had to say about us, (more…)
And Now It’s Time for Your Thursday Real Estate Tease
I know Overheadians worldwide can’t wait to read the Real Estate section in tomorrow’s editions of Park Cities People and Preston Hollow People, and online at www.peoplenewspapers.com so I’ll give you a little tease for what you can expect.
Later this year, both of the Park Cities will require residential sprinkler systems in all new homes. But how do these systems work? Are they effective? How much do they cost? How are builders reacting to the change?
The answers to all of this and more in tomorrow’s Real Estate section, available only in Park Cities People and Preston Hollow People.