We told you several weeks ago about 17-year-old Rawlins and his family and friends’ frustrations that the no one was being held accountable for his senseless death.

Yesterday I spoke with Lt. Scott Bratcher in the traffic division at the Dallas Police Department. He said they were very close to making an arrest and, sure enough, police today arrested 18-year-old Soraya Villanueva. They charged her with criminally negligent homicide and are holding her on $125,000 bond.

Bratcher said yesterday that the arrest took so long because they wanted to make sure the proper charges were filed and that everything was in order to do so. That’s good, because no one wants this young woman, who admitted to flying through a yellow light at twice the posted speed limit and driving without a license or insurance, to get off on some technicality.

© Christina Hughes Babb for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

The film (adapted from the book by Susan Hill) resurrects the cliched gothic haunted house movie and stunt-casts a post-Potter Daniel Radcliffe as Arthur Kipps, a young attorney and single father whose wife died in childbirth. As the story opens, he’s dispatched to a coastal village to tidy the affairs of the recently deceased Alice Drablow and pave the way for the sale of her estate, the charmingly named Eel Marsh House.

It doesn’t take him long to get the feeling that something just isn’t right. The eccentric locals make Kipps feel about as welcome as an Ebola outbreak, their children are never seen outdoors, and there’s so many sidewise glances exchanged that it’s obvious either something unsavory is going on, or half the villagers have a flatulence problem and the other half is just too polite to say anything about it.

The house is even less appealing — a stock haunted manor, it’s dank, overgrown with ivy, shrouded in more fog than a Def Leppard video, remotely located in the middle of the marshes, and only accessed via a treacherous road that is submerged when the tide comes in. Kipps makes the dubious decision to spend the night there in order to complete his work. Of course, things start bumping and screeching in the night (and not in a good way), and Kipps is assailed by visions of dead children and the titular spectre. Kipps’ investigations raise a buried mystery that the movie never bothers to fully explain before it concludes with an unsatisfying twist.

Director James Watkins succeeds in establishing an atmosphere of dread at the outset and manages to generate a couple of good scares, but the goings on are quickly deflated by stilted characters, anemic pacing, and repetitive scenes of Radcliffe wandering the same creepy woods, bounding up and down the same staircase, and wandering in and out of the same rooms. It’s great the Hammer tradition of frugality has been applied towards milking the location for all its worth, but couldn’t they have at least found a bigger house?

As for Radcliffe, he’s challenged with a expressing a range of emotion running from depressed to anxious to really anxious, with occasionally flashes of boredom and drowsiness. The talented young actor has so far proven himself to be more than a one-trick pony with talented turns in acclaimed stage productions of Equus and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, in the art house drama December Boys, and via a legendary self-parody guest appearance on Extras. Why is his skill being wasted with lifeless dreck like this?

© Gary Dowell for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: drama, film, ghost, horror, movie, supernatural, thriller

Readers (as did we) noted the whole story was a little wonky.  Police weren’t talking because an investigation was underway, but it turns out said officer, 36-year-old Stormy Mageria, was placed on administrative leave, as police reportedly suspected she filed a false statement.

Earlier this week, Mageria ran into more trouble. According to reports yesterday, she was arrested in Garland on a family violence assault charge and her bond was set at $1500.

A little more background on Sgt. Mageria — and I don’t know what any of this has to do with the carjacking thing, to tell you the truth, but it is fascinating nonetheless — she filed a sexual harassment complaint and a discrimination lawsuit against the city in 2005, five years after she joined the DPD.

Based on this court document, she filed the charge after a fellow officer called her “Darling” and “touched her arm.” Once she filed the suit, she claimed, she was shunned at work and denied certain assignments with the department.

© Christina Hughes Babb for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

The biggest change for us will be playoff pairings. For the past two years, our first round opponent came from the Garland schools. This time, we’ll face the tougher Plano and Allen  teams. With their much larger enrollment, they have a bigger pool of talent to choose from, and it shows in their playoff success rate. (The cutoff for 5A was about 2,090. LHHS currently has 1,663 students and LHFC has 718, for a total of 2,381. Plano East has over 6,000.)

Of course, going head-to-head against the Plano schools is nothing new for LH. We faced them in district play for years and matched up well. Go Cats!

 2012-14:

• Lake Highlands
• Berkner
• Richardson
• JJ Pearce
• Skyline
• WT White
• Sunset
• Jesuit

 2010-12:

• Lake Highlands
• Berkner
• Richardson
• Skyline
• WT White
• Sunset
• Samuel
• Jesuit

 2008-10:

• Lake Highlands
• Berkner
• Richardson
• Skyline
• WT White
• Sunset
• Carrollton Creekview
• Molina

 2006-08:

• Lake Highlands
• Berkner
• Richardson
• Plano
• Plano East
• Plano West
• Allen
• Wylie

 2004-06:

• Lake Highlands
• Berkner
• Richardson
• JJ Pearce
• Carrollton Creekview
• Newman Smith
• Turner
• Jesuit

 2002-04:

• Lake Highlands
• Berkner
• Plano
• Plano East
• Plano West
• Allen
• Rockwall
• McKinney

 2000-02:

• Lake Highlands
• Berkner
• Richardson
• Plano
• Plano East
• Plano West
• Allen
• Rockwall

© Carol Toler for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: UIL realignment

Meierhofer is best known for his recent LH home run: he envisioned and chaired Oktoberfest for the LH Exchange Club with buddy Tate Gorman, an event that brought more than 5,000 people to the LH Town Center site and raised thousands of dollars for Exchange Club outreach and programming. (They were all-Clooney-and-Pitt when they were here to podcast about the upcoming event, charming everyone in the Advocate offices and heckling each other about who had the best ideas.)

Adam served on the District Education Committee, appointed by State Rep. Kenneth Sheets, and the Texas Leadership Summit for Young Professionals, appointed by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. He and his wife Brandy are active in the Moss Haven Elementary PTA, and Adam currently serves on the PTA board.

When I asked how he felt about being seen as a “young, up-and-comer” in the community, Adam said that, when approached to run by people he respects, he was honored and humbled. “I thought – I said aloud, ‘aren’t there others wiser and more mature than I to do this?’ Of course there are, and they are on the board.” But having two young children gives him a unique perspective – Kris Oliver is the only trustee with kids still attending RISD, and his youngest is a junior at Richardson High School – and “real skin in the game.” Adds Adam, “and with my youngest not quite 2, that’s real skin!”

Adam coaches Ava Grace’s soccer team (she’s a second grader) and leads her princess tribe (formerly Indian Princesses, if you’re old like me). He carves out time for daddy-dates with 4-year-old Elizabeth Kay, who’ll start kindergarten next year, and says her all-time favorite was the recent LHHS performance of Putnam County Spelling Bee. He describes not-quite-2 William Slade as “one ball of energy” who loves being chased and only slows down to pop Disney’s Cars into the DVD player.

“In running my small business, I’ve learned to wear many hats,” said Adam. “This will be an asset to me in serving as a member of the Board of Trustees, but my biggest asset to this Board are the three children I am blessed to come home to every evening.  Having them grow up in the RichardsonSchool District is motivation for Brandy and I to sacrifice our time to ensure that RISD continues to be a leading school district inTexas.”

“Luke and Paula Davis have been a major source of inspiration for Brandy and I,” he added, “and I am not running to replace him.  He cannot be replaced.  I want to continue to ensure the policies and programs that have made RISD great continue and I want to provide insight from a parent/resident different from the current members.”

You can learn more on Adam’s website here.

© Carol Toler for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: adam meierhofer, exchange club, luke davis, oktoberfest, richardson independent school district

Sweet Tomatoes, if you’ve never been, is a salad and soup oriented all-you-can-eat place. I’ve been to the Addison location, and both times I’ve been impressed with the food quality and offerings. The salad bar is long, and there are 6-8 different soups available daily, along with some breakfast/brunch offerings. It’s probably a good match to be located next to Another Broken Egg (which also has a Casa Linda store), because both will probably draw a similar crowd, making the spot a good destination breakfast/brunch location without knowing exactly which place you’re intending to visit until you get there.

© Rick Wamre for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

A representative from Winston Capital, an investment and real estate development firm, has applied for a zoning change to property at the northwest corner of Northwest Highway and Lawther Road.

The site currently is zoned for retail and single family uses.

The developers are requesting to rezone the space for planned development with multi-family uses.

The proposed “planned development district” would allow the redevelopment of the site with multifamily uses and some retail.  The site is 20 feet below the existing rail line. The proposed complex would have direct access to the rail platform at the same level as the existing station, according to paperwork filed Jan. 6 with the Dallas Department of Development.

The complex would consist of a maximum 350 units in buildings of varying heights getting shorter as they move away from the intersection. The closest multifamily building would be about 150 feet from the nearest property with a single-family home.

A tentative plan commission hearing is set for March 1.

Some retail plus a 350-unit complex is proposed at Northwest and Lawther.

© Christina Hughes Babb for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | 40 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

LHHS' Murphy Short, Mason Miller and Reagan Dunk

This morning, ten athletes from Lake Highlands High School signed letters of intent to play college sports next year, and ten sets of parents breathed big sighs of relief.

“This is the day I’ve been waiting for,” said Noel Walling, as she alternated between hugging her husband, Craig, and taking photos of her son, Chase. The Wildcat offensive line standout will play for the SMU Mustangs in the fall. He admits his decision was a tough one; he also liked UNT.

The normally perky Brinkley Field was a little droopy for her big day. “I was up late last night after the [Wildcat soccer] game doing homework,” she told me. “Brinks” as she’s known to the LH senior class, will play soccer for the University of Texas.

Mark Powell, Matalee Reed, Chase Walling, Maggie Olvera, Brinkley Field and Madison Vessel

“I’m really relieved and excited to start this new chapter of my life,” said Mason Miller, who’ll play soccer at the University of Central Florida. “It’s far from home, so that might be hard at first, but I’ll get to experience some new things and meet some new people.” Miller, the youngest of four, says he looked at four schools before deciding on UCF. “I loved it because they have a good football program and I’ll get to experience regular college life in addition to being a college athlete.”

Congratulations to these LHHS students, who’ve made us proud and will play college sports in 2012-13:

• Matalee Reed, Pepperdine, volleyball
• Chase Walling, SMU, football
• Mark Powell, University of Mary Hardin Baylor, football
• Brinkley Field, UT, soccer
• Maggie Olvera, Trinity University, soccer
• Madison Vessel, University of Montana, soccer
• Murphy Short, SMU, soccer
• Reagan Dunk, University of Denver, soccer
• Mason Miller, University of Central Florida, soccer
• Glory Williams, Notre Dame, soccer.

© Carol Toler for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: brinkley field, chase walling, glory williams, madison vessel, maggie olvera, mark powell, Mason Miller, Matalee Reed, Murphy Short, national signing day, reagan dunk, wildcat club, wildcats

Jean Smith of United Commercial Realty says that yes, Sprouts is still interested, but that’s all he was willing to say this week.

We have a call in to Tom Thumb and are waiting to hear back about its plans.

The most recent rumblings we’re hearing, all off the record, are that HEB has examined the Town Center as a potential site. Other than its Central Market stores, including the ninth and newest opening at Preston and Royal in a couple of weeks, HEB doesn’t have a presence in DFW. However, real estate types say that the Texas company has been circling the wagons, and it’s only a matter of time.

In last February’s cover story about the possibility of coveted companies such as HEB opening in Lake Highlands, neighborhood resident David Shelton of UCR Urban said that if HEB decides to expand into Dallas, Lake Highlands won’t be first on their lists, but “would be on their radar and be in their market at some point in time.” In general, real estate types agree that HEB would roll out a number of DFW stores at once because that would be optimal in terms of distribution and marketing.

An Austin American-Statesman article this week states that the company operates more than 335 stores in Texas and Northern Mexico, and is in the midst of a statewide expansion. COO Craig Boyan is quoted as saying that “business continues to be strong, and so this year, we’re making some huge investments in Texas.” The investments mentioned in the story, however, are focused in Central Texas, and a couple of years ago, Boyan said in a different Austin American-Statesman article that the company’s expansion around DFW into places such as Burleson and Waxahachie was not indicative of expansion into Dallas: “It really is to serve Central Texas better. If you were going to go into Dallas, you’d put a warehouse in Dallas.”

I called Leslie Sweet, HEB North Texas spokeswoman, and she echoed that “the company is not actively looking at going inside the DFW metroplex.”

Perhaps the rumblings are just rumblings, or perhaps we’ll see HEB or another off-the-radar grocer emerge as the Town Center anchor.

© Keri Mitchell for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

White wines from France’s Rhone region aren’t particularly well known and, at least in this country, don’t get all that much respect. You don’t see many of them on store shelves or restaurant wine lists, and you don’t see many of them reviewed, for that matter.

Which is a shame, given that white Rhones are usually different and interesting, and that’s something I’m always looking for. The Belleruche ($12, purchased, available at Spec’s), from one of the Rhone’s largest producers, has always been one of my favorite wines for just that reason. When I can find it, of course.

This is a previous vintage, and the extra year of bottle age has given the wine, a blend of grenache blanc, clairette and bourboulenc, a little more character. There is lots of white pepper, some oiliness and just a hint of a green fruit, like lime or apple. This is a not a white wine for people who need something fruit forward, like sauvignon blanc or chardonnay, but it’s not supposed to be.

And don’t worry that you haven’t heard of the grapes used to make it — almost no one who isn’t in the wine business has heard of them, either. Which is another reason why the wine is so interesting, and that’s three more grapes for your Wine Century Club effort. Chill this and drink it on its own or with something like goat cheese; roast pork with apples would be terrific, too.

© Jeff Siegel for Advocate Magazine, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Chapoutier, French wine, Rhone wines, white wine, wine of the week, wine reviews