Council Recap: Development Priorities

The Richardson City Council met Monday, February 2, 2026. There was one agenda item that I particularly wanted to witness. That was: "9. PRESENT AND DISCUSS THE CITY COUNCIL’S CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES." I'll get to it in a minute, but let's dispense with the other agenda items first, or at least the one I have something to say about.

The Worst Places to Eat in Richardson Last Month

Graphic by City of Richardson.

The City of Richardson is rightly regarded as having some of the best and most diverse dining options in north Texas ("Eat & Drink"). But that doesn't mean every restaurant in Richardson exceeds in every measure. Here is a list of the worst places to eat in Richardson last month, based on the City of Richardson's Health Department Restaurant Scores from inspections last month. Not all Richardson restaurants are inspected each and every month. Only those inspected last month are ranked here. Only the lowest scores are shown.

Random Thoughts: Championing Richardson's Marwan Marouf

2025-10-06: Public speakers were out in force today at the Richardson Texas City Council meeting to speak on behalf of Marwan Marouf, a community leader from Richardson, TX, who was detained by ICE on Sep 22, 2025, while dropping his son at school. His detention coincided with the denial of his green card application, which cites decade-old accusations of providing "material support" to the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) through his volunteer work and nominal donations in the 1990s.

POTD: Puebla's Calle de los Dulces

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken in Puebla, Mexico, along a (mostly) pedestrian avenue known for its wealth of candy stores. It's Calle de los Dulces.

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"Footsteps slow themselves
when sweetness fills the senses.
Commerce yields to joy."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Bike Lanes in the Sky

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on the road into Puebla, Mexico. Above us was an elevated lane dedicated to bicycles. Really. I can't say what the usage is or the economics of doing it this way, but it sure looks cool. According to PedalPowerTouring.com, "Puebla definitely outdoes itself by adding a bike-path and propping it up high in the sky, about one or two stories over the car traffick. Not only do we get to enjoy stress-free riding, we also get a great view!"

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"Stress-free bike riding,
a phrase rare as quiet streets,
made literal here."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: Real del Barro

From 2025 05 30 Mexico City

Today's photo-of-the-day was from Real del Barro, a restaurant in Mexico City. It's where we were served an appetizer of ground up grassphoppers on a small, flat taco shell. That's all I remember.

Bonus photos are after the jump.

POTD: Mexico City Street Food

From 2025 05 30 Mexico City

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on a street in Mexico City. Whether it's called tacos al pastor, or shawarma, or döner kebab, it's delicious.

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"Spinning spit of pork,
thin slices fall like petals,
tortillas wait warm."
— h/t ChatGPT

A House of Dynamite (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

A House of Dynamite (2025): A single ICBM is headed towards the US. 18 minutes until impact. Tension mounts as the entire government — military, diplomatic, political — tries to determine who is behind it and how to counter it. A thriller without resolution. B+

Netflix

Roofman (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Roofman (2025): Channing Tatum plays a smart but struggling army vet who takes to burglarizing small stores by entering them through their roofs after hours. He takes to hiding out in a Toys-R-Us. Eventually he falls for a single mother working there. Keeping his secret leads to complications. Movie is a charming true story. B-

On airplane

Nobody 2 (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Nobody 2 (2025): Bob Odenkirk plays a working stiff whose undercover job happens to be assassin. In this sequel, he just wants to take his family on vacation to an aging theme park in Wisconsin, where he runs into all kinds of bad guys, which he dispatches in clever ways. Think of this as a violent "Home Alone" for grownups. C+

On airplane