NY23 and TX32: Can Lightning Strike Here?

On Tuesday, the conservatives took down the establishment GOP candidate in New York's 23rd District. Conservatives, usually reliable backers of the GOP candidate, swung their support to the Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman. This split was enough to allow the Democratic candidate Bill Owens to win the special election, the first time a Democrat will represent this New York district since the Civil War.

Can the same thing happen in Texas' 32nd District, represented by Pete Sessions? Sessions, after all, is the chairman of the Republican National Congressional Committee (RNCC), whose endorsement of Dede Scozzafava was rejected by the conservatives. That makes Sessions himself suspect to the conservatives and perhaps a target in his own primary campaign in Texas.

UIL Football Playoff Tiebreaker Craziness

If you found this page with a search looking for Texas high school football playoff tie-breaker rules, well, the short answer is that you probably won't find them on the Internet. The UIL doesn't set the rules. Each district sets their own rules. Your best bet is to call your school's athletic director and ask him or her. Now, on with the story.

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The Dallas Morning News' Matt Wixon identifies a wild playoff scenario in District 3-5A that involves a potential three way tie and an incentive for a coach to lose by a lot in order to have his team make the playoffs. That's not a typo. Lose by a little and you're out. Lose by a lot and you're in. Stupid, right? I don't use the word lightly. It doesn't have to be this way. In fact, most districts don't do it this way. Unwisely, the UIL allows each district's athletic directors to devise their own playoff tie-breaker rules.

The Hispanic Elephant in the Room

What the HOA presidents showed

The Richardson City Council held a work session Monday night attended by the council, city staff, three homeowner association presidents and at least two elephants, one ignored and the other unnoticed (more on them later). The three HOA presidents talked about their vision of excellence for southwest Richardson. Their presentation was full of both "big ideas" and small. It had photos of potholes contrasted with photos of urban villages and lakes. It had calls for cracking down on rundown homes, apartments and commercial properties. It had suggestions that density along Spring Valley Rd needs to be lessened, maybe by replacing apartments with town homes or just green space. It had warnings that the Whole Foods store on Coit Rd might close if urban blight is allowed to worsen.

Politics of Complaint: Development Moratorium

Richardson commercial property

The work session of the Richardson City Council spent two hours Monday night listening to the presidents of three homeowners' associations in southwest Richardson present what they call the "Heights 2009 Plan for Excellence." It was a good presentation, if by excellence you mean repaved streets, alleys, and sidewalks, more parks, fewer apartments, better maintained commercial properties, and a redevelopment moratorium while we wait for a developer to come in and build urban villages with lakes along Spring Valley, 75, and Belt Line. Or, if not urban villages, then some other "big idea" of redevelopment that no one seemed to be able to specify.

Richardson Eagles Near First Playoffs Since 1992

Richardson Golden Eagle Band

From 2009 Football

For photos of all the action on the field and in the stands, including performances by the drill teams and marching bands of both Richardson and Berkner, look here.

The Richardson Eagles beat the Berkner Rams 14-11 Friday night in a defensive struggle, putting the Eagles in great position to make the playoffs for the first time since 1992. The key play of the game was a fourth quarter interception and 65-yard return for a touchdown by defensive lineman A.K. Akindumila, which gave the Eagles a 14-3 lead. Berkner responded with a late touchdown and two-point conversion to close the lead to 14-11, but their comeback fell short.

Richardson closes the regular season next weekend against Carrollton Creekview while Berkner plays W.T. White. Both games have playoff implications. Skyline and Lake Highlands have already locked up two of the four playoff spots in District 9-5A. The last two spots are still up for grabs.

• Richardson will make the playoffs if they beat Creekview or if they lose by 8 or fewer points or if Berkner loses to W.T. White.
  
• Berkner will make the playoffs if they beat W.T. White or if Berkner loses to W.T. White by 13 or fewer points while Richardson beats Creekview.
  
• Creekview will make the playoffs if they beat Richardson by 9 or more points or if they beat Richardson while Berkner loses.

Wanted: Superintendent, Practically Perfect in Every Way

The Richardson school district (RISD) is seeking a new superintendent. Everybody has an opinion. Expectations and demands are as high as those set by the George Banks family in Edwardian England when advertising for a nanny.

"If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition.
Rosy cheeks, no warts. Play games, all sorts.
You must be kind, you must be witty, very sweet, and fairly pretty.
Take us on outings, give us treats, sing songs, bring sweets.
Never be cross or cruel. Never give us castor oil or gruel.
Love us as a son and daughter, and never smell of barley water.
Hurry, Nanny! Many thanks!
Sincerely,
Jane and Michael Banks!"

Assuming that someone with Mary Poppins' qualifications isn't available, what criteria should be used to identify the RISD's next superintendent?

Everybody's After the Chamber of Commerce

What's more American than the Chamber of Commerce? Main Street and apple pie. Local accountants and insurance agents. Ribbon cuttings, golf tournaments, Christmas parades. What's not to like? Well, the Chamber of Commerce has run into a streak of bad luck lately with seemingly everybody finding something not to like, including conservatives right here in Richardson, Texas.

Politics of Complaint: Trash and Blight

It's Monday and that means Open Mike Night at the Richardson City Council. This week's show lacked the passion of some previous shows, perhaps because it lacked any novelty as well. The topics were trash (Lookout Transfer Station) and blight (Richardson Heights area).

Autumn In The Steger Garden (2009)

From Flowers

Ride DART to Fair Park. Still.

Fair Park Station ... on a good day

From 200910 State Fair

A lot has been made of DART's failure to deliver thousands of fans to the Cotton Bowl in time for kickoff of the Texas-OU game last Saturday. Some of the criticism is valid. Some, not so much.