Thursday, March 28, 2024 Mar 28, 2024
55° F Dallas, TX
Advertisement
Publications

Street TALK

By D Magazine |

Buttoned Up

On GEORGE BUSH’S pre-election stop in Dallas in late September, several City Council members stood behind the president as he lauded the reclaiming of the Mohawk Apartments in East Dallas from druggies and hookers. CHRIS LUNA, a staunch Democrat who now represents the area, was one of them. Luna said he didn’t mind attending the rally but told organizers he wanted to wear his Clinton-Gore button. No go, he was told. “They said it was non-partisan,” said the bemused Luna. “Now that sucks. “Course, if you print that in D, you’ll probably have to write ’s-blank-blank-blank-s.’”



One of a Kind

After 23 years, PAT PERINI is leaving KERA-TV. The programming whiz, known for landmarks such as the series “The West of the Imagination,” moved to California’s Napa Valley a few years ago to be with her husband, owner of Long Vineyards. Although she’d relinquished her title of senior vice president, Perini continued to produce national PBS shows for Dallas by phone and fax. Things went fine until KERA purse strings got tight and the station demanded what amounted to a major pay cut. Perini said no thanks and left recently to form her own company, Perini Productions. Although she is completing a few KERA projects, including a child-safety program called “Street , Smarts” to air in December, she also is working on her own shows targeted at PBS as well as other outlets.



Stem Advice

Shock-jock HOWARD STERN’S September debut on KEGL prompted a predictable deluge of calls to the sta- , tion. One man was especially vociferous in denouncing Stern as a racist and a sexist. Who hired Stem, asked the man. When told it was a woman, general manager DONNA FADAL, the man huffed. “It figures.”



Family Values

Here’s another sign that the ’80s may be returning. A couple who lives in the posh Glen Lakes neighborhood recently made a bid on a nearby house that was for sale. They low-balled the price and didn’t get the house. But they didn’t plan to live there. They wanted to use it as a gym for their 5-year-old son and as a dwelling for the boy’s nanny.



Co-conspirators

JEAN HILL, a Dallas teacher, arguably was the closest witness to the JFK assassination. Since publishing her book- JFK: The Last Dissenting Witness-earlier this year, she’s developed an unusual following. Among her fans is ROGER CLEMENS of the Boston Red Sox, who had a representative set up a meeting with Hill when he was in town. Hill had no idea who he was. but after being told that Clemens was, next to NOLAN RYAN, the most famous pitcher in baseball, she met him at Dealey Plaza for a private tour. In return, Clemens comped her eight tickets to a Red Sox/ Rangers game pitting Clemens against Ryan. He also gave her an autographed baseball and has invited her to Boston in November for a tour of Fenway Park and the JFK Library and Museum.



News to You

If The Dallas Weekly, the city’s largest black publication, has taken on a newsier edge lately, it’s thanks to the innovations of the editor SHARON EGIEBOR, who took the helm last June. A veteran of the Times Herald’s editorial board and city desk, Egiebor has other publishing ventures in mind as well. She’s starting up her own quarterly newsletter on African-American women’s health issues.



Rinse and Spit

City Councilman DOMINGO GARCIA is not the only one in his family to wield the tools of power. Wife MARIA ELBA GARCIA works a high-speed drill as a private-practice dentist in Oak Cliff and serves as treasurer of the Mexican-American Association of Business and Professional Women. After her husband was elected to the council, Dr, Garcia discontinued her practice at the public Dental Health Program in Oak Cliff, which receives some city funding. Although she keeps her professional and private lives separate, she does blur the line occasionally: She makes sure Domingo brushes and flosses nightly, and she states proudly that he has no cavities.



Viva Las Vegas

The Nicolas Cage comedy Honeymoon in Vegas had special significance for TORI PETTY, a client relations specialist with a local oil and gas firm. The movie portrays the perils of a young couple who elope to Vegas during a convention of ELVIS impersonators. Tori herself once was whisked off to Las Vegas almost 20 years ago-by the King himself. Tori, then a senior at Ole Miss, had been set up on a date with Elvis. On the spur of the moment he decided they should fly to the desert Babylon. Tori still treasures a ruby and diamond ring Elvis gave her.



True Detective

A burglar was arrested recently because an alert Lake Highlands resident locked the break-in artist out of his own getaway car. The hero, who prefers to remain anonymous, heard the sound of breaking glass at a neighbor’s house. Peering over a hedge, he saw a man remove a window screen and crawl into the house. The good Samaritan then noticed a late-model car with its engine running parked in the driveway; the back seat was filled with loot. He removed the keys, locked the car, went home and called 911. ’”Within five minutes (police) arrived, and they arrested the guy.” Apparently the robber had been on a spree, the car was stolen and the cops were already looking for him.

Related Articles

Image
Arts & Entertainment

The Best Places to See a Drive-In or Outdoor Movie in North Texas

Whether you’re solo or with a group, there are some great places to see movies under the stars in DFW.
By Bethany Erickson and Natalie Gempel
Image
Nursing

UNTHSC’s New Nursing Degrees to Focus on Entrepreneurship and Leadership 

The Fort Worth health center added two new degree programs last month after a Board of Regents vote to address the nursing shortage. 
Local News

Leading Off (3/28/24)

It's a beautiful day for some baseball.
Advertisement