The Majestic Theatre first opened its doors in 1921. It is the last standing theater of “Theatre Row,” Dallas’ historic Elm Street entertainment center. It was designed by John Eberson, one of the foremost designers of theaters in the early 20th Century, and served as the crown jewel of Karl Hoblitzelle’s Interstate Theater Company. The Hoblitzelle Foundation gifted The Majestic Theatre to the City of Dallas in January 1976.
The celebration of the Majestic comes just days after Deep Ellum has been targeted for noise by Code Enforcement.
A house fire occurred last night at 400 N Peak, Dallas, leading to the rescue of a woman from an upstairs bedroom and per an unofficial Dallas Fire Twitter account a criminal investigation.
We are waiting on details of how many citations were issued and fireworks conficscated after watching events like the above in South Oak Cliff last night.
A petition on Change.org states City Council “snuck through a new sound ordinance recently,” but this appears to be new enforcement of current city code, not a new policy.
Deep Ellum Noise Ordinances
Dallas City noise ordinances say “(1) No mechanical loudspeaker or sound amplifier may be operated within 150 feet of the property line of the premises of a residence, except between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and sunset, as designated by publication in a local newspaper of general circulation.”
The next section also says “(2) A mechanical loudspeaker or sound amplifier may not emit loud and disturbing noises so as to interfere with the enjoyment of life or property or to interfere with public peace and comfort.“
Section 51A-6.102 handles noise regulation within the City of Dallas.
City staff say anyone in possession of, or using, fireworks will have them confiscated and a citation will be issued. Fines can be up to $2,000. However in 2020 Dallas Fire Rescue and the Dallas Police Department together confiscated nearly half ton of fireworks (900 pounds) and only issued eleven citations.
It is unclear if Dallas’ 9-1-1 Call Center is fully staffed to handle the increased calls expected over the holiday weekend.
The evidence in the Bazaldua ethics hearing is coming next Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 10:00AM by videoconference.
Adam Bazadula, City Council Member for District 7, is accused by Pamela Grayson that he violated city ethics code by making personal attacks against Grayson on Facebook. He also removed his co-sponsorship of an Earth Day event she was organizing.
Grayson’s complaint says Bazaldua had park rangers and police waiting on vendors who were arriving at the event. The complaint states Bazaldua was overheard saying that he does not come to South Dallas because “the risk outweighs the reward.”
Grayson argued Bazaldua’s actions are in violation of Dallas code of ethics rules stating council members must act with integrity and treat others with respect and must be responsible with taxpayer resources.
Bazaldua Ethics Hearing Comes After Tough Re-election
Bazaldua faced more opponents than any other sitting member of Dallas City Council. Additionally, one of his opponents was endorsed by the sitting US Congresswoman and State Senator for the area.
Dallas trash services will be experiencing delays per Tim Oliver, the City of Dallas Interim Director of Sanitation Services.
The City of Dallas is experiencing a laborer shortage within the Department of Sanitation Services, resulting in intermittent service delays for customers.
Sanitation has adjusted operations to prioritize on-time garbage collection for customers. This means all available staff are assigned to garbage collection routes first. Per a city press release, blue roll cart collection of recyclable materials may be delayed by one or two days in various areas of the city, on a rotating basis, over the next several weeks, until staffing levels stabilize. IT has been reported that recycling has been missed by more than a week in some cases.
The City of Dallas says it is not necessary for customers to report missed recycling collection to 311 unless materials have not been collected after more than forty-eight hours. Areas primarily serviced by automated truck routes will be less affected by this disruption.
Residents can find updates on garbage, recycling, and brush and bulky trash collections on Sanitation’s website, on NextDoor, and the Dallas Sanitation app (App Store / Google Play). Sanitation customers enrolled in the City of Dallas ePay system also receive service advisories directly via email.
Dallas Trash Issues Ongoing
At its last meeting, Dallas City Manager TC Broadnax was given another raise along with the City Secretary despite multiple service issues throughout the city.
Last October, Dallas fell one spot in a national survey of cities by Orkin. It fell on spot to sixteen due to a lower rat population per a national survey though those numbers did not account for changes due to COVID19.
A quick Harry Stone update from the news yesterday that a teacher is reported to have been assaulted on campus by the child of another district employee. A post about the topic in a Harry Stone Montessori Facebook group says Tes Blackburn was not contacted.
This information came via a post by her husband Lew Blackburn Jr.
However, his wife seems to not check her email.
We understand that not everyone wants to answer questions about incidents and issues in areas they have oversight, but we are developing information on a series of incidents at Harry Stone Montessori going back a decade.
Other Harry Stone Update Information
Lew Blackburn Jr. also states he is an alumni of Skyline High School, not Townview. A former parent had told us they thought he was connected to Townview, but we will take Lew Blackburn Jr’s word for it. Apparently we got the spelling of his wife’s name incorrect also.
We are disappointed though that he has been removing content from the Facebook group repeatedly rather than deal with the underlying issues.
Ruel Hamilton was convicted Tuesday of three of four counts of conspiracy and bribing two former Dallas City Council members, the late Carolyn Davis and Dwaine Caraway. Caraway is serving a nearly five-year prison sentence for accepting bribes and kickbacks.
A federal jury convicted Hamilton, the president of AmeriSouth Realty Group, of one count of conspiracy and two counts of bribery of an agent of a local government receiving federal funds.
Ruel Hamilton Case
From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Hamilton paid tens of thousands of dollars in bribes to Carolyn Davis, who was then serving as chair of the city’s Housing Committee.
Ms. Davis supported Hamilton’s Royal Crest housing project, voting to authorize a real estate development loan in a quid pro quo situation, despite the project not meeting the city’s housing priorities for multifamily units.
“The people of Dallas deserve true public servants, not those bought and paid for by the city’s elite. By using money to bend elected officials to his will, Mr. Hamilton betrayed the communities he purports to hold dear,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah.
He continued, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will not allow a kickback culture to fester at City Hall. To anyone considering this sort of unscrupulous behavior: Think twice. Our prosecutors are tenacious, and we are determined to root out corruption wherever we find it.”
Dwaine Caraway’s conviction was also connected to the Dallas County Schools scandal. Carolyn Davis was killed in a DWI auto accident in 2019.
Since we reported on the Harry Stone Zoom meeting last week we have learned that some of the staff changes occurred because of an assault against a staff member.
Additionally, we have learned that the student involved is a family member of another Dallas ISD employee in a district leadership position.
Harry Stone Zoom – DISD Quick Fix or Real Response
We are waiting for more information, but now have multiple reports of an assault against a staff member. Additionally, one former staff member has told us that teachers are afraid of the principal, Ms. Jones.
They describe an inquisition style investigation about who is leaking details including why another district staff member is not being protected.
Another party to events states “Ms. Jones is running staff off to fill her school staff slots with unqualified personal friends.”
Harry Stone Zoom Information
Other Side Dallas will always take anonymous tips via our Contact page. Additionally, we are awaiting comment back from District 5 Trustee Maxie Johnson, Principal Nikki Jones, or the Harry Stone PTA leadership including Tess Blackburn, spouse to Lew Blackburn Jr..
Blackburn Jr. is the son of former Dallas ISD Trustee Lew Blackburn and a former candidate for the post Johnson holds now. He was a student in the Townview Magnet complex.
Parents at Harry Stone Montessori Academy (HSMA) held a Zoom last week with Dallas ISD staff to discuss significant changes to school staff over the past two years.
As Dallas ISD prepares for the 2021-2022 school year eleven staff members are not returning to Harry Stone, including two moving to Eduardo Mata Montessori, and the entire foreign language department.
This follows on ten staff members who did not return for the 2020-2021 school year.
Stone has previously been described as a hidden gem, but current parents are not sure that is the case with the rash of departures the past two years.
One parent who requested anonymity said, “if this was just teachers leaving because of COVID19 that would be one thing, but these are wholesale changes and the campus has lost it’s meager credibility with no Montessori trained teachers.”
Harry Stone Background
Harry Stone Montessori sits off Ledbetter Drive in South Dallas between Whitney M. Young Elementary and Sarah Zumwalt Middle School. The school website says “as a top school in Dallas, we prepare students for lifelong learning through the Montessori and International Baccalaureate philosophies.”
Students throughout Dallas ISD have had difficulty in the pandemic year, but it is unclear how the pandemic or other issues are effecting staff morale on campus.
Other Side Dallas is hoping to hear from teachers about these issues.
