Archive for the ‘BSW’ Category

DeSoto Talks Public Transportation

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Public transportation is never very far from the forefront of debates about the area’s future. The city is asking questions about the topic at its blog. Also, the city will host a town hall meeting Jan. 30 at 9 a.m. in the City Council Chambers, 211 E. Pleasant Run Rd.

Public transportation will also be discussed at the Feb. 27 DeSoto Dining and Dialogue event Feb. 27. The city blog, town hall meeting and DeSoto Dining and Dialogue give you multiple chances to have a say on this important issue. I urge you to take advantage of as many as you can.

This is a pretty huge decision and you don’t want your leaders making it without your input.

BSW Citizen, Now With Fewer 406 Errors

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

As I mentioned on a comment thread, I did a number of things to the site including upgrading to Wordpress 2.9. I am unsure which, if any, allowed us to be able to post comments again.

With computers, I’m sure another issue will crop up soon enough. But I’ll focus on the right now. Right now, we’re going to look back at some of the stories that captivated us over the past year. I wanted to be sure folks could comment on those “Year in Review” stories before I posted them.

The timing isn’t what I had hoped for, as I am out of town on business starting tomorrow morning. Through the magic of pre-arranged posts I will still have some goodies for you, but I won’t be able to put out any 406 error fires that may erupt while I’m gone.

Other than that, enjoy yourselves. Homer’s in charge while I’m away.

Court Date Set In County Jail Death

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

The Victoria Advocate reports on the case of Charles Ray Sempe, killed in Dallas County jail after his Lancaster arrest on a misdemeanor drug charge.

In the 1990 incident, Sempe could not afford $200 bond and was placed in a holding tank with 46 other men. The holding tank’s capacity was 24 men. One of the other inmates fatally struck Sempe after he changed TV channels.

That inmate, Darrell Keith Hartfield was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He served only a year and a half of that sentence before his release, then returned to prison for violating parole conditions.

Sempe’s sons, Chris and Carl, filed a lawsuit against the county in 2000 and will get a February court date. Some twenty years later, the county jail is still plagued with concerns ranging from overcrowding to medical care. Inmate Craig Morris died of pneumonia in the jail Aug. 2, not even 24 hours after being booked into the jail. Construction of a $48 million jail infirmary is scheduled for 2010.

Duncanville’s Debra Carlson Runs for Dallas County Judge

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

We have another local candidate for Dallas County Judge, former Duncanville city employee Debra Carlson. She would be considered a long shot at this point, but then the same was true of current Dallas County Judge Jim Foster.

Foster, however, rode a Democratic party surge into office as did current Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. Carlson is running as a Libertarian, which will make things more difficult.

Cedar Hill City Councilman Wade Emmert is running for the Republican County Judge nomination,and former Cedar Hill School Board member Ken Mayfield has a battle for his District 4 county commission seat on his hands.

Lend a Hand This Holiday Season

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

It is great to give thanks for all that we have, but it is even better to give back. Especially in today’s trying times, if you have a roof over your head, food to eat and your lights are turned on there are many who are not as fortunate.

There are a lot of dedicated Best Southwest Citizens already helping, and they can always use a little assistance.

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Elba Garcia Campaign Site Live

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Let me begin by saying this is not an endorsement. I’m just letting my readers know who’s in the race and giving them an opportunity to do their own research. This is straight from the candidate’s PR folks and I’ll run releases from her opponents as well.

Dr. Elba Garcia’s campaign for District 4 on the Dallas County Commissioner’s Court is in full swing, and her website is now live.

From here you can find out about her stances on the issues, who’s endorsing her and what her priorities in office will be. The Democratic primary is March 2, 2010 but the race is on now.

Beer And Wine Sales Approved for DeSoto

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

In a huge turn of voter support from two years ago, beer and wine sales passed in DeSoto by a wide margin Nov.3.  Sixty-two percent of the nearly 5,000 voters that weighed in were in favor of packaged beer and wine sales. Those sales failed by nearly 400 votes in 2007.

Duncanville’s passage of packaged beer and wine sales in 2003 wasn’t enough to move DeSoto voters in favor of the measure. But when Glenn Heights approved beer and wine in 2008, it appears to have dramatically changed the political climate in DeSoto.

Nearby Lancaster has brought the issue to a vote on more than one occasion but  measures to bring beer and wine have failed.  Lancaster Mayor Marcus Knight, during his 2008 campaign, said he stands by what the community has done and would not bring the issue forth again.

Swine Flu Vaccine Production Going Slowly

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Dallas County received 700 doses of H1N1 vaccines this week, with officials not saying exactly how they plan to distribute them. The first shipment of 700 vaccines went quickly as it got distributed to health care workers, who are at greater risk because of their jobs. Other high-risk groups being prioritized are pregnant women, those in contact with infants, people between the ages of 6 months and 24 years, and anyone ages 25 to 64 with existing health problems.

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The 72nd Country Day on the Hill is Here

Friday, October 9th, 2009

One of the best festivals in the whole area, Country Day on the Hill, is on tap for Saturday Oct. 10. Entertainment includes The 8 Tracks, a band playing the smooth sounds from the 70s. Other entertainers include Teresa Marie Cattaneo, a Country Day and local venue favorite. The Joe Jonas Band will bring the R &B flavor and lovers of faith based music will want to hear the Darrell May Band.

That is all awesome, but I know you want to know where the tasty food is. That’s why we get along, readers, that’s why we get along. There’s a complete vendor map here at the Country Day on the Hill website.

The city on the hill is famous for its eating and shopping destinations, and there is no better time than Country Day to sample them. I am making myself hungry just typing this stuff.

Country Day is definitely the “main event” this week, but not the only thing going on in the Best Southwest.  The DeSoto Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Wheels Auto and Motorcycle Show from 10 a.m – 5 p.m. at the corner of Polk and Pleasant Run roads. It’s going to include, of course, lots of auto based vendors.

In Lancaster, you can enjoy the beauty of Bear Creek Nature Park with the “Traveling the Bear Creek Trails” presentation from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday starting at the Bear Creek Pavilion.  It’s $3 for adults; $2 for ages 6 to 12; free for 5 and younger.

As you can see, it is another jam packed weekend full of lots of fun, family friendly activities in the Best Southwest. I’ll be out and about and definitely run into some friends, readers as well as the friends and readers I haven’t met yet.

Please excuse me if I’m stuffing Chick-Fil-A into my face when I see you. Sort of a perpetual Cedar Hill event condition I have.


So, Who’s Tweeting Around Here?

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

It’s really easy to offend someone while discussing today’s social media. I have already learned that “So, are you a twit?” and “Have you twittered your spouse today?” are not the proper ways to ask that question.

It seems that every day there is a new, hip, supercool site that everyone has to join and Twitter’s one of the big ones. The cities of DeSoto and Lancaster are already on Twitter, as am I. Dang it, now that I’ve made a big deal out of that, I’m going to have to make it more interesting.

But it’s yet another way to keep in touch and let everybody know what you and your friends are up to. If you’re tweeting, feel free to let us know and we’ll follow you. See, that almost sounded stalkerish. Social media is hard.