Espree at LHHS

From 2012 01 Musicals

Espree at LHHS: Almost a century of popular music from rock to Disney. Great voices, infectious enthusiasm, fun evening.

Repeat Tweets: Musicals, Basketball and Elections

Repeat tweets from February, 2012:

• 2012 02 01 - NCAA put Nebraska on probation for distributing textbooks to athletes. That's right. Textbooks to athletes is a no-no. https://t.co/A0rHY0Gz
  
• 2012 02 01 - Metroplex. Metroplex. There. Not a fan of the word, but I’m less a fan of prigs who tell me what words I shouldn’t use. https://t.co/8Aj4rRgG
  
• 2012 02 02 - Realignment of District 9-5A: Jesuit, Skyline, Sunset, WT White, Berkner, Richardson, Lake Highlands, Pearce. https://t.co/0iLvhVWz
  
• 2012 02 02 - Headline: "LH’s Adam Meierhofer to run for RISD school board." Is it too early for me to endorse? https://t.co/g7HxabcQ
  
• 2012 02 03 - Prague Cemetery, by Umberto Eco: Spider web of 19th century European conspiracies. Relentlessly depressing novel. C+ http://t.co/2ef40ADj
  
• 2012 02 03 - Headline: "BIG upside surprise: Economy added 243,000 jobs in January. Unemployment down to 8.3 percent." GOP blames Obama.
  
• 2012 02 03 - Headline: "Trump backs Romney but do endorsements even matter?" Romney better hope the answer is no.
  
• 2012 02 04 - Headline: "Indiana election chief guilty of voter fraud." Why voter fraud is issue for GOP. From personal experience. http://t.co/jOGGzPXM
  
• 2012 02 04 - Guys and Dolls at BHS: Celebration of 1940s sexism. Great singing, live orchestra, shoutout to choreography. See it. http://t.co/NUMQVE1k
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Button Pops Off

Yesterday, I predicted that I would support George Clayton over Angie Chen Button in the GOP primary election for Texas House District 112. For reasons, I mentioned her membership on the DART audit committee in 2008 when DART surprised everyone, including the audit committee, with a $900 million budget shortfall that had been building for years. More importantly, I can't support her attitude towards school finance in particular and the state budget in general. She is a safe vote for underfunding schools, health care, roads, water, and other necessities of a modern state.

Now, it's still early and Clayton still has plenty of time to lose my vote, too, but while I wait to hear from him, Button continues to rack up reasons for me not to support her.

After the jump, Button on Voter ID.

Redistricting Musical Chairs

New Texas House district maps were published by the court this week. Maybe, finally, the redistricting fiasco handed Texans by the last Texas legislature is coming to a close.

After the jump, what it means for Richardson.

Raises? What Raises?

Total expenses for fiscal year 2011 increased by approximately $11,374,000 (8.96%) when compared to fiscal year 2010. This increase is predominately due to increases in salaries and employee benefits.

Source: City of Richardson.

Those sentences are from the 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for Richardson. I'm still trying to figure out where the city thought the money for those employee raises was going to come from. But even more, what raises are we even talking about?

After the jump, following the money.

Playoffs: Desoto 64, Berkner 55

The Berkner Rams men's basketball team lost their third-round playoff game Tuesday night to Desoto 64-55 at Grand Prairie High School. The Rams jumped out to a 9 point 1st quarter lead, led by 7 at halftime and still led by 1 after the 3rd quarter. But the Rams seemed to run out of steam in the 4th quarter, with Desoto outscoring Berkner by 10 to make the final result 64-55. Kendal Harris led the Rams in scoring with 20 points. The Jaguars were led by Matt Jones with 29.

With the loss, the Rams' season is over. And what a season it was. The Rams were District 9-5A champions with a 13-1 record. Their overall record was 27-7. Thanks for the great season, Rams.

More About That KPMG Audit

A word of thanks to the Richardson City Council audit committee (Bob Townsend, Laura Maczka, Scott Dunn) for asking the city's auditor, KPMG, if their Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) could be published in spreadsheet format. KPMG insists that it not be, in an effort to make it harder for unscrupulous people to change the data. Of course, that also makes it harder to audit the auditors, so to speak. KPMG have allowed the report to be published in a searchable PDF format. I can attest that this year's CAFR is searchable (thanks).

After the jump, so what?

The Devil Wears Green Eyeshades

Last week, without any training, I played art critic. This week, I get to play accountant, again without any training. Consider this a layman's adventure into the netherworld of municipal accounting, otherwise known as the CAFR. Fun fact: CAFR happens to be the abbreviation of a Latin phrase that means, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here." (Warning: I don't have any training in Latin, either.) Open the door and you'll be lured into a spider's web of terms and numbers that will bring you down and overwhelm you and smother you. Last warning: run away!

After the jump, the descent begins.

Phantom of the Opera at PHS

From 2012 01 Musicals

Phantom of the Opera, at JJ Pearce HS: Great voices. Lavish production. Ambitious. Romantic way to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary.

Playoffs: Berkner 70, Mesquite Horn 61

The Berkner Rams men's basketball team won their second-round playoff game, beating Mesquite Horn 70-61 at South Garland High School. The Rams fought back from a 35-27 halftime deficit, outscoring the Jaguars by eleven points in the 3rd quarter and by six in the 4th. The balanced Ram offense had four players in double figures in scoring, with Kendal Harris leading the scoring with 23 points. The Jaguars were led by Mike King, also with 23.

With the win, the Rams are area champions and advance to the regional quarterfinals, where they will play the winner of Saturday's Desoto/Rowlett area championship game. Date and location are to be determined.

It's a great time to be a Ram!