Back Talk Lake Highlands

Want to know which neighbors had their house forclosed upon?

The Morning News has a great package today, both in print and online, that shows foreclosures through the entire Dallas-Fort Worth area. But the most interesting thing about the package is an interactive map that allows us to type in a zip code and then watch in awe as all of the foreclosures in the immediate area pop up on a map. And then, if you click on each dot on the map, a specific address pops up identifying the foreclosed property. It's a great way to see how your neighborborhood is faring in the "mortgage crisis" we keep hearing so much about, and it's also a great way to start sleuthing for a new home at a potentially reduced price, if you're into that kind of thing.

Is Daniel Miller SMU's next starting QB?

The Lake Highlands grad was named in this morning's DMN article, which announced the suspension of SMU quarterback Justin Willis, allegedly because of academics and missing team functions. SMU's new coach June Jones didn't say Willis and another suspended player would be permanently cut from the Mustangs' roster, but he did say that the team's four or five other quarterbacks — Miller among them — would have a chance to get better. Willis won't be practicing with the team this spring because of the suspension.

Daniel Miller (son of Alison and Kevin) redshirted his freshman season at SMU. According to the university's athletic website, Miller threw for almost 4,500 yards over his final two seasons as a Lake Highlands Wildcat. He was a first-team All-District 9-5A selection as a junior and a second-team All-District 10-5A pick as a senior — plus an Academic All-State selection.

More on Star_PortalTM

According to RISD Board of Trustees President Luke Davis, on March 3rd all the schools in the district will join LHE, Westwood and Pearce and be set up with the Parent Portal. Heads up kids! Mom and dad can now find out what your REAL test score was!

Mr. Davis says it's been beta tested for about six weeks and he's hopeful all goes well. He says he's also excited that it's up and running, wants to make sure it works well for parents, and welcomes comments. RISD board main page

40,000 Guiness-guzzling revelers, Hillary Clinton on fair grounds this weekend

Top o’ the mornin’ to ya Lake Highlanders!
Yes, I am aware from some of my Ireland-frequenting friends that people in Ireland don’t actually say that. (They should though—it’s so cheery.) But I digress. I’m trying to tell you that the North Texas Irish Festival—a weekend-long party that gets bigger and better with each passing year—starts today at Fair Park.

And the winner is...

Texans have voted and a new state license plate has been deemed the winner. There were five candidates in the running, but ultimately the Lone Star Texas design took the cake with more than 455,000 online votes.

These new plates also have a six digit combination on them. That's because our population is growing so rapidly that by the end of this year, the department will be out of the alpha-numeric combos we currently use. This week members of the Texas Transportation Commission will approve the design, but you won't start spotting these new plates on the roadways until January 2009.

Southern fried Hillary

I stopped at the intersection of Lovers Lane and Greenville this afternoon, and immediately noticed people standing on each corner (and on a couple of the medians) holding Hillary Clinton signs. Another thing immediately apparent, especially because of the race and gender issues in this presidential election, was that each person holding a sign was black.

I rolled down the window to ask one of the men what group the sign-holders belonged to, and he told me Southern Fried Marketing. I asked if they supported Hillary Clinton for president, and he replied: "Paid for."

It struck me as interesting, and I wondered why the Clinton campaign had chosen that intersection as opposed to others I had driven through (though I guess there could have been Hillary signs all over Dallas today). I don't know how long they were there because a couple of hours later when I drove through again, construction crews were tearing up the left turn lanes from Greenville onto Lovers, with no sign holders in sight. I'll be glad when those new double left turn lanes and right-hand turn lanes are finished.

RISD Star_Portal website

For those who've tried to access the RISD Star_PortalTM link, try this.

https://portal0.risd.org

And if this doesn't work, try risd.org!

Housing redevelopment along White Rock Trail: never ending surprises

I have been wondering why, for the longest time, that the newly poured slab at the corner of White Rock Trail and Deer Trail had sat there, empty, for weeks and weeks.  Well, it turns out there was a dispute between the builder, Elizabeth Newman Custom Homes, and the authorities in charge of the power lines which run down that side of White Rock Trail on poles. The two story home would have been way to close to the lines at the second level, and rights-of-way and encroachment to the property line were the issues. I'm not sure if said authorites are the City, Oncor, or a combination of them and cable and telephone. Whatever...

Now I'm hearing that the dispute has been resolved and the lines are going to be buried in the ditch along that stretch. Since the ditch is also the main rainwater floodway for all the water that courses through here when it pours rain, it will be interesting to see how deep they have to bury the lines for power, cable, etc.  It will also be interesting to see how they accomodate traffic while they do it.  And finally, I wonder what it will be like having the back end of your new home so very close (~2-3 feet) to a drainage ditch that becomes a mini-river every time it rains hard around here?

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It's true, mom does have eyes in the back of her head

Even though there's no school tomorrow for RISD kids, if your student goes to Lake Highlands Elementary, Westwood Junior High or Pearce High School, you can still check on their progress.

RISD is debuting a new program called Star_PortalTM at the above three schools. The program provides round the clock gradebook, attendance and demographics on line. While the information is designed as a convenience for students and their parents or guardians, RISD expects teachers to post assignment scores within five (5) school days of the assignment due date. (Some projects and assignments may take longer to complete and grade and, therefore, may not be updated as quickly as other assignments). Teachers are encouraged to communicate regularly with parents, guardians and students in these instances with this new cyber tool available to them.

If you're a parent or student at LHE, Westwood or Pearce and want to sign up, Click here:

I've signed up and been approved. I haven't yet checked it out (not that I am anticipating anything I don't already know from verbally communicating with my 4th grader's teachers), but I'm looking forward to seeing how it works.

Wine review: Les Jamelles Sauvignon Blanc 2006

The French, who once supplied the world with quality cheap wine, have been mostly supplanted by the Australians and the Chileans over the past decade. This has caused not just consternation within the French wine industry, but serious financial difficulty.

Some producers, realizing the crisis, have made significant changes to their products. They use better quality grapes, have upgraded their production techniques, and have adjusted their pricing to compete with $7 bottles of Yellow Tail. They understand that consumers will not pay a 10 or 20 percent premium because the wine label has some French on it.

Case in point is the Les Jamelles, one of the finest $10 sauvignon blancs -- one of the finest sauvignon blancs at any price -- that I have tasted in a long while. This is French sauvignon blanc the way it used to be -- cheap, tasty and complete. There's hardly any citrus, because Les Jamelles understands that French wine is not supposed to taste like New Zealand wine. It does have some tropical flavor,  mostly pineapple, as well as the minerality that French sauvignon blancs are supposed to have. A tip of the hat to Glenn Verk at Central Market for telling me about this.

Drink this, chilled, on its own, or with seafood, salads or grilled chicken.