A krav maga studio has opened in the White Rock area, and this is a big deal, according to the Advocate reader who told me about it. Clay Hollis says the discipline, which is the official self-defense system of the Israeli army, changed his life.

“I was so out of shape before that I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs, he says. “The first day of class, I couldn’t make it through a warm up, but now it’s a night and day difference. I have more energy, am in better shape and have more confidence.”

Though Hollis lives near White Rock, he was driving to Addison to attend krav maga classes because that’s the closest place he could find them — until now, that is. Krav Maga DFW recently opened on Buckner at Northcliff near Green Spot, an area  — with Green Spot, the local market, Gold’s Gym, etc. — that Hollis and I agree is becoming  a hub of health and fitness. (Hello White Rock Bar and Grill. We know you’re there too.) Krav Maga DFW offers a free introductory class if you want to try it out.

There’s a little something for everyone in this collection of amateur videos put together by individual Ebby Halliday offices in the Dallas area as they celebrate the company’s 65th anniversary. For example, there’s electric ukelele action. There are loads of rappers. There are cheerleaders. There’s a mysterious appearance by White Rock Lake legend “lady of the lake”. Actor Tom Selleck drops by (OK, it’s only his photo). There’s a pink flamingo dressed for the occasion. There’s even a spirited, multi-office, indoor rendition of sporting-event favorite “the wave”. It’s all in good fun, and if you choose to vote for the neighborhood Ebby office’s submission, they’ll be grateful because the winning office video receives a prize. And if you look carefully (lower left-hand corner of the voting page), you can enter to win luxury suite tickets to the Nov. 21 Cowboys game, too.

Via Ready Brew: packs a punch and it's a good value

It’s official. Starbucks is getting more expensive. I was in the Casa Linda location yesterday morning, when a smiling barista told me, “Yep, prices went up!” He seemed so happy about it. “The new prices were implemented today,” he explained. Ah … but I had him outsmarted. I was purchasing 12-pack of Via Ready Brew, SBUX instant coffee to which I am hopelessly addicted. Did this go up? No, he says. Ha! It’s $9.95 for 12 cups. I’m bad at math, but that’s a relatively sweet deal these days.

The hardest hit by the price increases, blamed on rising coffee and dairy prices, will be those who order super complicated concoctions (they kind-a deserve it, no?). So if you order the grande extra hot soy with extra foam, extra espresso shot with a squirt of sugar-free vanilla and a squirt of sugar-free cinnamon, a half packet of Splenda, oh and put that in a venti cup and fill up the extra room whipped cream with caramel and chocolate sauce drizzled on top, not only will you have the most artificially sweet drink known to man, you will also pay about 30 percent more for soy, syrups, extra espresso, and sauces than you did last week. (Though it might be a fun way to wipe the smirk off the barista’s face.)

We’ll be looking at about 30 cents extra for most specialty drinks. A small tall regular cup of joe will still run you $1.50, which still makes my Via Extra Bold a good deal.

There’s a new biz in Lake Highlands where you can work on your fitness. It’s CrossFit Lake Highlands at the Southeast corner of Walnut Hill and Audelia, founded by Lake Highlands’ residents Mark and Kristen Barnett and Chris and Lisa Schmiedeke who say this is a new concept for our neighborhood.

“What makes CrossFit unique is that you can achieve better results in a shorter time than at other gyms,” said coach Chris Schmiedeke. “We’re going to change the way our friends and neighbors think about fitness.”

CrossFit trainers individualize training programs and hold small-sized classes in an effort to help clients get the most out of each workout. You can try it out free Saturdays at 9 a.m. Regular classes are Mon.-Fri. at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Everything else you need to know is here at crossfitlakehighlands.com.

Update: Via Facebook, BS confirms closing.

A regular blog reader has just informed me that Burger Spot in Lake Highlands, which only opened a year or so ago, is closed, with locks on the doors. I’ve asked the owner to get back with me regarding the situation. I adore their black bean burgers and the mural art. Maybe this is just a temporary thing? We can hope.

Like watching “An Inconvenient Truth” or “Food Inc.”, I really don’t want to look at Dallas restaurant inspection scores. I’m afraid that — while I know I’ll learn something valuable — it will be disturbing. Recently, though, I came across this site that, among other things, lists poor and failing restaurants in one neat list. It’s updated monthly and I can’t resist visiting it regularly. As feared, a few places in or near our neighborhood have recently made the ick list: Chili’s Casa Linda scored a 73, which is passing, but is pretty low and requires a follow-up inspection; White Rock Sports Bar on Buckner scored a 70, which is one point above failing; and Vina Tofu, one of those little Asian places at Walnut and Audelia, got such a low score a few months ago, that they had to close, but their most recent inspection garnered an 80, which is acceptable. Sol’s Nieto on Mockingbird, a place many of my LH friends and I visit often, recently scored a 76, which isn’t that bad, but considering that they failed just months before, you’d think they would try to do just a little better than ‘passing’.

The city’s web site allows you to search for restaurant scores by zip code.

Even as the city council was approving the higher effective tax rate Wednesday, Mayor Tom Leppert was still complaining that the council was approving one of the largest tax increases ever even as councilman Angela Hunt was maintaining the city actually could be taking in less tax money despite raising the effective rate. They can’t both be right, of course, and the Dallas Observer’s Jim Schutze offers an informative take on who is correct. Here’s a hint: It’s not Leppert. And just in case you don’t feel like reading Schutze’s explanation, here’s the short version: The increased tax rate won’t compensate for the overall drop in the city’s property values, meaning the city will probably receive about the same revenue, or a little less, than it did last year.

Yesterday I wrote about local pastors’ fight against fast-cash lenders, after which District 10 Councilman Jerry Allen pointed out to me that the city recently launched an initiative that gives families who don’t have bank accounts an alternative to check cashing businesses and payday lenders (which often cohabitate). According to Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (by way of City of Dallas news release):

—about 20 percent of households in Dallas don’t use a bank

—members of these households may pay up to $40,000 over a lifetime simply to cash checks many entities who provide check cashing services also aggressively market pay day loans, title loans and refund-anticipation loans at a high cost.

The result: short term credit that equals long term debt with high interest rate/fees.

The city’s program, dubbed Bank on Dallas could be good for all residents in certain parts of Lake Highlands, even those of us who do have bank accounts — if families and individuals without bank accounts started using this service instead of the gaudy check cashing services, not only would they be better off financially, but also, their (everybody’s) neighborhood landscape would be much more aesthetically pleasing.

The Bank on Dallas web site offers a list of participating banks, and staffers at the participating banks can walk interested parties through the entire process. You can also call 214.671.BANK to learn more.