Back Talk East Dallas

Picking up the garbage

Jeff Siegel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:01:29 GMT

My magazine column next month is about garbage -- the changes that begin March 1 and what they might mean to how residents see the city. Because, as I learned a long time ago, the only thing that really motivates voters is whether their garbage gets picked up.

Turns out this is going to be an even bigger story than I thought. City councilwoman Angela Hunt notes that parts of Lakewood and East Dallas will switch from alley to curb pickup, which should no doubt irritate quite a few people. Including me, since I'm apparently part of the affected group. It was nice of the city to let me know. How long would my garbage have sat in the alley before I figured it out?

You can download this map to see if you're affected (though it's not easy to read -- I think that if your street has a dot, you need to move the cans.) And Hunt's colleague, Lakewood's Sheffie Kadane, is already taking some heat about the change. Turns out some of the alleys in our neighborhoods aren't wide enough for the new trucks the city bought to do once-a-week-pickup.

Tal Morrison fund awards $12,000 to high school runners

Christina Hughes Babb — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:24:20 GMT

Running legend Tal Morrison was at White Rock Lake Saturday hosting the Tal Morrison Classic 15K and 5K. Morrison founded the Cross Country Club of Dallas in 1969. Today it’s called the Dallas Running Club and has 4,000+ members. He also founded the Dallas White Rock Marathon, which still runs through East Dallas and Lake Highlands each December, and The Half, a half-marathon held each November at White Rock Lake.

Funds raised each year at The Half (now called The DRC Half), as well as other Dallas Running Club events and through private donations, go toward the Tal Morrison scholarship fund for DISD students who run high school cross country, running club board member Chris Stratton says.

Saturday, Morrison, 89, presented $12,000 worth of scholarships: $3,000 each to Jonathan Maldonado from Thomas Jefferson High and Andrea Melendez from Hillcrest; $2,000 each to Jose Puentes from North Dallas High and Selene Salina from Samuell High; and $1,000 each to Jesus Estebane from Sunset High and Sharvell Davis from A. Maceo Smith High.

The highlight of my morning (aside from crossing the 15K finish line) was spending a few minutes chatting with Mr. Morrison who told me about his experience running the Boston marathon when he was in his 50s. He says that as he was running, he remembers asking a group of spectators—college kids—how far it was until to the infamous Heartbreak Hill, and “they told me I’d already run over it,” he laughs. He finished that marathon in 3 hours, 15 minutes — not too shabby.

And … this just in: The Dallas Running Club was selected best running club in Texas and the DRC Half Marathon was selected best half marathon in Texas for 2009 by Competitor magazine. Kudos!

Advocate radio: where to get V-day goodies

Christina Hughes Babb — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:55:31 GMT

Valentine's Day is near and that means one thing is on everyone's mind, right? No, not love ... chocolate.

Where in our neighborhood are you likely find the most delicious and creative edible gifts? Advocate editor's dish about it in this week's "What's Up With That?" podcast.

Woodrow debate teams qualify for state tournament

Rick Wamre — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:46:25 GMT

Four Woodrow Wilson High School debaters overwhelmed other District 4A teams this weekend at Townview, qualifying for the UIL State Debate Competition in Austin. Information passed along by Woodrow super-alum Kyle Rains indicates that Magdalena Ramirez, Frances Desmond, Jasmine McEwen and Wesley Bustamante are the state tournament-bound debaters, and the team is led by U.S. history teacher Bob Hearne.

In case you need somewhere to go to lunch

Jeff Siegel — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:14:57 GMT

The news that Potbelly is opening a sandwich shop in Old Town sheds new light on the status of retail development in the neighborhood. Which, if you want sandwich shops, is pretty good.

The Potbelly will be the sixth sandwich shop in a three- or four-block stretch of Greenville, joining a Subway and Baker Bros. in Old Town, a Jersey Mike's and Schlotzky's on the west side of the street, and the Great Outdoors at Greenville and Park Lane. And, if you count the Arby's, there are seven.

Productivity Killer: E-Trade’s talking babies

Marlena Chavira Medford — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:12:08 GMT

OK, so our team didn’t make it to the big game this year, but it’s still shaping up to be a good faceoff — or so I’m told, because I really don’t know anything about football. But hey, at least we still get an excuse to pig out on wings and pizza, and watch all those multi-million dollar commercial bits. This year’s line up has some pretty funny ones, which you can get a sneak peak at here.

E-Trade’s commercials with the talking baby have become especially popular, though honestly, I find them kind of creepy. Equally creepy yet more amusing is their create-your-own talking baby on the company’s website. You pick your baby, pick your voice, and then record a message. You can record your voice via your computer mic, or by calling a number and leaving a voice mail. Once you’re done, you can email it to your friends, so they can enjoy.

Retailer We Are 1976 offers workshops

Rachel Stone — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:53:10 GMT

We Are 1976, the new store on North Henderson that specializes in unusual gift items and handmade objects from Dallas and around the world, is now offering occasional workshops on topics such as bookbinding, calligraphy and how to make a zine.

The next workshop is Feb. 10 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Calligraphers Marcy Feldmand and Emily Kieta from Ink Pen Inc. will offer a lesson. The workshop is $90, and more information is available here.

Restaurant Talk: Zaguan

Marlena Chavira Medford — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:52:07 GMT

It’s hard to find good South American food in Dallas, mostly because there aren’t many options. If you’re on the hunt for authentic Venezuelan, Colombian and Argentine food, look no further than Zaguan. This small café is half bakery, half restaurant, and all delicious.

The real draw here, in my opinion, are the cachapas. These sweet corn turnovers are stuffed with your choice of meat and cheese. I recommend something hearty, like the shredded beef and cheese—but you can go for prosciutto or tuna with avocado if you’re feeling adventurous. What arrives is a crispy, sweet crust filled with a savory, ooey-gooey inside. Also, order a side of the plantain chips, which are made in house.

The empanadas are also a signature item here. They offer two varieties: Agrentine, which are made with wheat flour, and Venezuelan, which are made with corn flour. Breakfast is served all day, there’s a coffee bar that offers all sorts of coffee drinks (including some hard-to-find Latin varieties, like Mexican hot coco, and a cortado), and there’s a juice bar where you can all sorts of fresh-squeezed goodness.

But it just wouldn’t be right if you left this place without trying the alfajores, a cookie sandwich that’s made with vanilla cookies bathed in powdered sugar — and filled with your pick of dulce de leche, chocolate, or guava paste. These things are melt in your mouth good, and you can buy packages of them take home, which you’ll want to do. There’s also all sort of cakes, pastries, fresh breads, cookies, and muffins.

Woodrow JV basektball team loses to Hillcrest

Rick Wamre — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:17:31 GMT

The game was close but the result was a four-point loss to Hillcrest, 55-51, for the Woodrow JV boys team. Woodrow teacher Russ Kelemen attended the game and shot these photos of the players and crowd.

This weekend: Tal Morrison Classic

Christina Hughes Babb — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:42:43 GMT

Saturday, Feb. 6 — The Tal Morrison Classic 5K and 15K raises funds for scholarships for high school seniors, and you can sign up race day beginning at 7 a.m. at Winfrey Point at White Rock Lake. It's only $10 (and free if you belong to the Dallas Running Club).

'The Holy Family' returns to St. Matthew's Cathedral

Rick Wamre — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:23:34 GMT

"The Holy Family", a massive six-by-eight-foot copy of Bartolome Murillo's original work, will be returned to its place in St. Matthew's Cathedral sanctuary Feb. 21 after 18 months of restoration. The painting, also known as "The Virgin of Seville", was purchased in 1873 by Mary Adams Bulkley, a New York resident visiting Europe when she bought the piece. When she died in 1900, she bequeathed the painting to Bishop Alexander Garrett of Dallas, and it hung in a drawing room of St. Mary's College for Girls, which was formerly on the cathedral's current property. When the cathedral moved to its spot on Ross Avenue in 1929, the painting moved along with the congregation. Murillo's original painting hangs in the Louvre in Paris. The restored piece will be unveiled at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 21, during the cathedral's service.

OCarnivale tickets are gone

Rachel Stone — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:26:13 GMT

Our OCarnivale tickets were snapped up pronto, but we'll give away two more pairs of tickets tomorrow. Otherwise, you can buy tickets here. Thanks to everyone who responded!

Email us for free tickets to OCarnivale Saturday night

Rachel Stone — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:56:11 GMT

Want a couple of tickets to OCarnivale masquerade ball in the Bishop Arts District Saturday night? The first two people to email me at rstone@advocatemag.com will win two free tickets.

Bike Friendly Knox-Henderson gaining momentum

Rachel Stone — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:44:05 GMT

The guys behind Bike Friendly Knox-Henderson have nifty new stickers with their logo and a plan to create some peace between cars and bikes in East Dallas and Uptown.

They're seeking businesses along Henderson and Knox that will offer perks to anyone who arrives by bicycle — for example, a free basket of fries or 10 percent off of a purchase.

"It saves on parking, and it saves on emissions," says Boris Palchik, one of the group's founders. "And it's a draw for the businesses. If you see a bike rack full of bikes outside, you're going to think it's hip and local and green."

Armed robber hits Lakewood bank

Christina Hughes Babb — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:29:45 GMT

Yesterday afternoon an armed robber hit the Compass Bank at 1824 Abrams at LaVista (right near the Advocate offices, that is). The black male, who police say appears to be about 30 years old and 200 pounds, brandished a Blue Steel revolver and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. You know anything? See anything? Call 972.559.5000

High school and junior high rowers wanted for competitive team

Carol Toler — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:23:23 GMT

Recruiting is on for 7-12th graders to take up rowing with the White Rock Boathouse Juniors, a competitive team based at White Rock Lake. The Juniors Team is looking for athletes to join them as they travel all over Texas and Oklahoma competing with other clubs and bringing home medals.

The group was founded in 2007, but in their short time they’ve helped boys and girls learn the sport and received a bid to national competition. Half their 2009 graduating class are continuing the sport in college, and scholarship opportunities abound for girls interested in competing at the college level (men’s rowing is not a scholarshiped sport).

No experience is required, and scholarships to join the team are available. Email Head Coach A. Ryan White if “flying on water” interests your junior high or high school student.

Gina Campisi reportedly dies at East Dallas home

Christina Hughes Babb — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:30:50 GMT

East Dallas' Gina Campisi, owner of Fedora Restaurant, was reportedly found dead in her home today. We heard the rumor at about 3 p.m., just before Nancy Nichols, over at D's Side Dish, reported that a family friend has confirmed Campisi's death.

Now that's a sermon!

Christina Hughes Babb — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:20:35 GMT

This story made my morning — last Sunday, the pastor at Ridgewood Park United Methodist Church truly embraced the adage, “actions speak louder than words,” when he spent just three minutes on a sermon before sending his flock to the grocery store, asking them to help restock the Wilkinson Center food pantry.

“There is a list of their needs on your chair,” Rob Spencer told his congregation. “Please go to an area grocery store now and do what you can. You have 30 minutes, now go.” Half an hour later, the members returned with more than 2,000 pounds of food.

Woodrow choice forms due Feb. 26

Rick Wamre — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:39:14 GMT

If you're the parents of an 8th grader shopping for a DISD high school this fall, you have until Feb. 26 to apply to Woodrow Wilson's newly redesigned college prep academies. We're written extensively about the offerings here at Back Talk, so rather than cover that ground again, click here to reach our online summary page for more information about what Woodrow will be offering.

What you might need to know, though, is that you can click here to obtain a "parental public school choice application". If you're already in the Woodrow attendance zone, you don't need to do anything — your student will be automatically enrolled at Woodrow. Still to be determined: How many students from outside Woodrow's attendance zone will wind up enrolling this fall. The school expects to be able to service about 1,500 students when everything is up and running, and the current attendance is somewhere around 1,400, meaning that even if every eligible student shows up again next year (substituting 9th graders for graduating seniors), there could still be spots available for newcomers outside the attendance zone.

If you happen to live outside DISD's attendance boundaries, you can click here for the application form needed to apply to Woodrow or any other DISD school. Although DISD once charged out-of-district students a nominal tuition to attend school in Dallas, that's no longer the case — out-of-district students can attend DISD schools without charge, provided they are accepted into the program and approved by DISD.

Walgreen's on Mockingbird at Matilda forced to dump booze

Rick Wamre — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:24:16 GMT

Most people probably didn't know Walgreen's at Mockingbird and Matilda was selling beer and wine. No worries now, because the coolers are going to eventually be emptied, thanks to the realization that Walgreen's is within 300 feet of Stonewall Jackson Elementary — a big no-no when it comes to legally selling alcohol that close to a school. The DMN story that details the problem indicates that when the city measured the distance, the inspector measured from door to door instead of from property line to property line, resulting in the city's errant decision to allow Walgreen's to apply for a liquor license. The problem apparently came to light when a single complaint was made, but no problem have been reported due to liquor sales at the drugstore.