In some corners of Dallas this week, the future’s so bright, you’re gonna have to wear LED-enabled, solar-powered shades with built-in WiFi. Let’s see how the rest of what happened shakes out.
Winners
The West End
Dallas Innovation Alliance unveiled a vision for bringing such gee-whiz features as intelligent LED light, “smart parking,” digital kiosks, and a solar-powered waste management system to this corner of downtown. The organization seeks to work with a variety of public and private partners to transform the West End from that place that tourists wander over to for lunch after visiting Dealey Plaza into a true “innovation district.” The area is already home to more than 32 tech, media, and innovation companies. +215
Ahmed Mohamed
Given how the story went viral internationally, you’ll no doubt remember the Irving “clock boy,” a young Muslim who last fall ran afoul of his school and police when they were scared of an electronic device he’d brought to class. He returned for a visit to the U.S. after nine months studying in Qatar. He seems to be doing well, according to the abundant media coverage he’s gotten. +1,212
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PHOTOS: Ahmed Mohamed returns to DFW via @dallasnews https://t.co/00meLVPp4k @IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/3jvsyYj8ik
— Smiley Pool (@SmileyPool) June 27, 2016
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Jacquielynn Floyd
How many wives fantasize about publicly schooling their husbands on the front page of the Metro section? The Morning News columnist got to do just that — though, to be fair, Mike Hashimoto’s counterpoint piece on whether Dallas DA Susan Hawk should resign read like something he’d been drafted into doing, it was so halfheartedly argued. Maybe he was just taking a knee in the name of domestic bliss. +B1
Lance Larkin
Congratulations to the Grand Prairie man who claimed a $13 million lottery prize. I have a number of investment opportunities I’d like to discuss with him, if he’d care to give me a call. (Disclosure: They all pretty much involve improvements to my home in the up-and-coming East Dallas real estate market.) +9.8 million
Job Seekers Who Enjoy Managing Data and Sorting Spreadsheets
We have an opening here at D Magazine World Headquarters. +3
Losers
Jill Jordan
The assistant city manager of Dallas continues to defend indefensible decisions, like the slapping down of a signal pole in Oak Cliff that swallows the entirety of a sidewalk. -1,800
Craig Watkins
The former chief investigator of the Dallas County district attorney’s office when Watkins was in charge has pled guilty to bribery. Watkins’ first assistant was involved in the questionable dismissal of the case that led to the bribery. Now there are reports that federal investigators are taking a broader look at how the DA’s office was operated during Watkins’ tenure. -2,013
State Fair of Texas
A new study by Dallas-based urban planning firm Ash + Lime says that the fair is costing itself money with its sprawling layout within Fair Park. -117
Phil Romano
The restaurateur was allegedly caught on camera getting handsy with the back side of an employee and is now facing a million-dollar lawsuit. -275,000
Pete Sessions
The Dallas GOP congressman went on WFAA to call for House Democrats to be investigated for their sit-in that hoped to force a vote on gun control measures. Worse yet, as Zac noted, this is the best Sessions (who wears a suit most work days, one presumes) can tie a tie? -1.5
