Back Talk Lake Highlands

Offensive driving - the blame game

While I was driving around town last week, some guy cut me off in traffic. Happens all the time, but he was particularly aggressive, and I felt seriously endangered. After I slammed on my brakes and restarted my heart, I got mad. Very mad. I didn't notice the make or model of the car. I can't even tell you what color it was. But one thing is etched in my memory - the church logo sticker on the back window.

I realize it's irrational to be angry at the church - the church wasn't driving dangerously. But it started me wondering if we have an additional responsibility to behave ourselves when we have an organization represented on our car windows and bumpers. When I irritate drivers on the road, do they hold it against the Lake Highlands Wildcat Boosters or the Solar Soccer Club? Do they curse the University of Missouri or Texas Tech? Something to think about.

Training neighborhood volunteers

This Saturday November 8, from 8:45 am to noon, the City of Dallas will be training volunteers for a new program designed to improve the quality of life in Dallas neighborhoods. "Volunteers in Code," or VIC, volunteers will be coached to assess and report home, apartment, and business owners not managing their properties in a way which keeps them in compliance with city codes. They will report problems anonymously to a city coordinator, who will follow up with the delinquent owner. "What an opportunity to get our community issues addressed," LH Area Improvement Association's Robin Moss Norcross told homeowner associations by email. "These issues are negatively impacting our community, and now we can take action."

Interested LH residents should RSVP TODAY to Bob Curry, Code Compliance Manager, at robert.curry@dallascityhall.com for Saturday's training at the LH North Recreation Center.

Yard sign vandalism

About a week ago, I noticed several big egg splotches on a Sarah Palin sign in my neighborhood. The next day, my next door neighbor called to ask if I saw who took off with her Obama sign (eight went missing from our block in one day, she told me).

I'm not here to talk about national politics, but how sad and disappointing to think Lake Highlands folks would resort to defacing or stealing political signs. I recall, as a child, someone stealing yard signs when my dad ran for city council. My mom walked outside and found a man standing inside our garage, tossing them into his truck. Creepy. I would have bet anything it couldn't happen in LH.  

LHHS Peer Helpers reach out

Today, I got to witness first-hand an innovative program which enables Lake Highlands High School students to interact directly with elementary kids, preaching the message of saying no to drugs and alcohol. The fifth and sixth graders at Aikin Elementary were motionless (no minor feat) and riveted to the action on stage. Casey Boland, AP History teacher and sponsor of the Peer Helpers, guided the high-schoolers, but this was their program. They led it, and they answered kids' questions afterwards about the negative effects of unwise choices made in thoughtless moments. All participants onstage did a great job, including Kate Pumphrey, who was outstanding as the girl who turns to alcohol when her boyfriend breaks up (the kids loved LHHS football star Antoine Harrison as the boyfriend). Trevon Starks was excellent at getting the kids involved, and Jake Vines expertly led them toward the message. Trent Gardner on acoustic guitar got them going, and Amy Bradley was especially strong in the small group breakouts, driving home the takeaway - alcohol and drugs will lead you into a downward spiral.

Cops citing short-cutters at Casa Linda

Avoid the Casa Linda area (Buckner-Garland) at all costs — that is, if you have any designs on reaching your destination on time. It is a mess during early and afternoon drive times and on Saturdays too. And probably all day everyday. Traffic is backed up along Garland and Buckner from all directions. And don't even think about trying to cut through the bank parking lot (if you're coming from Lake Highlands, turning right from Garland onto Buckner, it's very tempting because the right turn lane is blocked off). There are TWO COPS on motorcycles just waiting to make this bad situation even worse for you. There was one out writing tickets yesterday. Today there are two. My advice: if you're in it, you really have no choice but to wait it out. If this intersection is on your regular route, find a new route. This might take a a while.

The Texas Department of Transportation, as I understand it, is responsible for all the road construction, but, for what it's worth, plaza owners AmREIT do a pretty decent job of updating the community on progress. 

Scammers at the gas pump

Gas prices have dropped significantly in the past week-ish, but before you get too giddy at the pump, know this: Identity theft is a "growing threat" at area gas pumps, according to this DMN story. It seem scammers have come up with some ingenious high-tech device that allows them to read numbers from credit and debit cards used at the pump. Actually these devices have been around awhile but have recently become more discreet so that victims wouldn't notice them, even if they knew to look for them.  Anyway, read up, stay aware, be careful out there ... and enjoy the sub-$3 gas prices while they last.

City council priorities: a curfew, a promoter and a trans-fat ban?

DMN city council reporter Dave Levinthal apparently spent some time at the city council's retreat this week, and he highlights a few ideas that council members are considering pushing later this year ... here's a sneak peak at what might come up during the next council term:

• "A daytime curfew for school-aged children in an effort to curb truancy," this idea courtesy of mayor pro tem Elba Garcia.

• Additional crime-monitoring cameras in troubled neighborhoods.

National Night Out

Sorry for the late notice - but it's something you don't want to miss (or at the very least, you'll want to know why all you neighbors are outside partying). Tonight is National Night Out for many Dallas neighborhoods. What is National Night Out, you ask ...  it's a big block party and, officially, "an annual celebration to say 'goodbye' to crime and drugs in the community."

I know the L Streets area is planning a party. Neighbors will meet at the end of the 10400 block of Lanshire for a big block party until dark (at which time mosquitoes will commence to eat you alive). This is a great chance to meet those new neighbors.

I don't know how and if all of the LH hoods are celebrating tonight, so I just mentioned my neighborhood. But please use the comment section here to let us know about your neighborhood's plans. You can also send me your photos and you might wind up in the "Scene & Heard" section of an upcoming issue of Advocate.

 

Marijuana plants found near jogging trail

A city worker found a crop of obviously well-cared-for marijuana plants near the jogging trail that runs from 635 to White Rock Lake, in a spot where dozens, perhaps hundreds, of pedestrians and cyclists pass daily. Talk about overlooking the obvious.

If the cyclists and joggers would stop bickering and the runners (myself included) would lose the headphones and pay attention to their surroundings ... maybe we wouldn't miss the little things — LIKE 27 SEVEN-FOOT-TALL POT PLANTS right in front of us!

Doc's foods hit by smash and grabbers

Would-be robbers left the front of Doc's destroyed  this morning after an attempted smash-and-grab. The thieves busted through the storefront and tried (and failed) to make off with the ATM. Doc's was once my favorite summertime icy cold snow cone stop — I'm not sure if the snow cone guy is still there as it's been more than a year since I've dropped in. But I'm sad for the owners — times are tough enough (are they not?) without having to deal with this sort of thing. Hope they were well insured.