1. Did you know that Dallas has more toll roads than any other city in Texas? We do. And guess what? Looks like we’re getting some more! But these are different kinds of toll roads, my friends. Last summer, the Texas Legislature called for an end to comprehensive development agreements, which are 50-year deals with private companies who then collect the tolls. But guess how the Transportation Department plans to expand I-35 to Denton? Pass through financing. What does that mean? A private company builds a state road (with some added tax dollars), and Texas pays back the money over the next 30 years or so based on the number of cars that “pass through” the road. Yup. Sounds totally different.
2. Yesterday was the 46th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination, and many gathered at Dealey Plaza to pay their respects. Luckily, no additional tragedy came out of the mourning. According to the DMN article: “One woman, perhaps overcome with grief or poor judgment, placed an infant in the middle of Elm Street on an ‘X’ taped to the road at the spot where Kennedy was shot for the second time.”
3. People are mad–yet happy–at the Dallas Cowboys for their ugly, last-minute win over the Redskins. I am so ready for football season to be over so we can return to more dignified topics such as jai alai and ant farms. I really miss Mad Men.
