Courthouse News -- Not Ours

Got a reliable tip that the Collin County courthouse has been locked down by the Texas Rangers for the execution of a search warrant. I don't think I've ever heard of that before. Edit: Four hours later I'm still waiting for confirmation. Edit hour later: Finally, confirmation. They were searching the district clerk's office.

Holy Cow!

From Dallas Observer blog:

A good Friend of Unfair Park, through a friend of a friend of a friend, just shot us this extraordinary video captured early yesterday morning at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Took place at the north toll plaza, which served as a launching ramp for one drunk driver trying to exit the airport in a hurry. DFW spokesman David Magana confirms: "The driver was, as you might guess, suspected of inebriation and investigated for such and arrested for such." We also have fiery post-crash pics after the jump -- because after the driver went all General Lee, she got out and made a call on her cell, at which point the vehicle went boom. Hard to believe the "driver only suffered minor injuries," as Magana puts it. Oh -- and the toll-booth operator wasn't injured at all.

Edit: Mugshot

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• "I'm not supersticious but I am a little sticious." - Michael Scott from The Office.
• Finally had to water my lawn last night, and when I went to turn it off, I worried for a second about snakes. And then I went to be and dreamed about snakes. Big ones.
• The Texas Rangers wore the ugliest caps ever last night.
• Motorcycle death yesterday.
• Just last month I was praising how green it was outside. Now it's as brown as I've ever seen it on June 1st.
• I was remiss in not pointing out that the bagofnothing.com guy and his wife celebrate the birth of their first child over the weekend.
• I felt weird yesterday. Not sick, just jittery.
• I woke up in the middle of the night last night and watched part of a cable movie called "Obsessed" (starred Beyonce) which was about a temp stalking her employer. It was exactly like the 1993 movie "The Temp" (starring Lara Flynn Boyle) which was about a temp stalking her employer.
• They've run out of movie ideas, haven't they?
• The Supreme Court modified Miranda yesterday saying that police no longer need to ask a suspect if he wishes to give up those rights before questioning begins. It was a 5-4 decision, and I'm sure The Right will just consider this to be "interpreting the law" and not "making law."
• But Miranda may also be the misunderstood decision by the public because it seems 50% of my new clients are excited to tell me "they didn't read me my rights!" Answer: They don't have to unless (1) you're in custody, and (2) they wish to question you.
• I've got jury duty next week!
• Every time Tony Romo is interviewed he says "We just need to keep working hard and improving."

And Yet Another Fort Worth Officer

But assuming he had been driving the abandoned vehicle, he was smart enough to avoid a DWI by getting away from the vehicle and, in the words of Homer Simpson, "keeping his fool mouth shut."

Story.

(And for those that think the cops must always see you driving in order to arrest you for DWI, the answer is nope -- as this new case from the state's highest court showed last week.)

Everyone Wants Me To Post This

Story. But how in the world can things go wrong after 40 years?

A Faithful Reader . . .

. . . caught this odd story/ad combo.

Not Sure I Understand This Facebook Page

Link.

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• There was a flood due to a pipe break at the Dallas County Records Building with purportedly lots of "computer damage." Why do I suspect they didn't keep a backup?
• Kids pepper sprayed at Six Flags and a band tries to incite a riot.
• Saw a little first grade girl point a water gun at someone yesterday and said, "Say 'ello to my little frien'."
• I saw The Hangover in the theater and now it's on cable. Funny, funny movie.
• The greatest country on earth can't plug an oil well?
• That was quite a trifecta: Gary Coleman, Art Linkletter, and Dennis Hopper.
• Tara Reid is back to a Hey, Now.
• Ate at the Blue Goose on Greenville on Saturday afternoon. It's right by the four restaurants and bars that were gutted a few months back back by fire, and they remain in the same state they were in right after it happened.
• I don't know why Indy racing isn't more popular than NASCAR.
• Probably the most surprising thing about seeing Wicked at Fair Park was how nice the theater was. And what a well run venue.
• Disturbing yet confusing lead sentence: "Granbury, Texas - A North Texas man allegedly used a sword to kill his niece, but the woman's teenage daughter reportedly escaped through a window."
• According to the Update, the town of Newark is considering abandoning its police force -- a bit of irony for the historically the most outlaw city in the county.

It Is Memorial Day

Random Monday Morning Thoughts - Abbreviated Edition

• The chances of dying on an area lake seemed to be very high yesterday.
• If you haven't seen the crash on the last lap of the Indy 500 yesterday, go turn on Sports Center and watch it.
• First it was "silly bandz" for kids and now "spanx" for men.
• Robby Knievel and Eddie Gossage were on Fox 4's 30 minute sport show last night. I promise that Knieval was drunk.
• I was channel scanning yesterday and saw Baylor and Texas A&M playing in the Big 12 Championship game in baseball. Then Baylor failed.
• Danica Patrick is quickly catching up with Nancy Grace on my Most Despised List.
• I saw Wicked over the weekend at Fair Park. Review forthcoming.

Giggle

News

and Link.

Rangers Playlist For Their Upcoming "Sing--a-long" Fireworks Show

A grumpy old white man's review:

1) "Hey, Ya" - Starts off strong. But the crowd will never be able to pull of that catchy clap routine. (And I should note that this is the most contemporary song on the list -- and it came out seven years ago.)

2) CCR? OK, let's appease our older demographic for a moment. Although "Centerfield" seems to be a more logical selection.

3) 20 years ago I declared, strongly, that the opening beats of "Margaritaville" made me want to reach for a pistol. And it's only gotten worse.

4) Buttercup - Fun because it reminds me of the ending credits to There's Something About Mary

5) I like Journey, but can we run this song into the ground anymore than we can over the last two years?

6) Twist & Shout: It was fun in Ferris Beuller. Now? Meh.

7) Garth - Shoot me.

8) Eagles? This is building up to their big finish? I've hated that band since "Hotel California"

9) Kiss? That's the big finish? Really. Is everyone in the stadium over 45 and white and have bad taste?

Wreck

The Messenger is reporting a big wreck in front of Bono’s Chophouse and Saloon north of Decatur. That's always a bad sign, because it might mean someone pulled out of the parking lot in front of traffic on 287. Big speculation but not a bad bet.

Edit: Uh, bad bet. It's a one vehicle wreck involving a van.

Dead At 42

Had been on life support all day. Story.

Edit: Diff'rent Strokes alternative creepy beginning.

Here's The Video I Mentioned

Breaking: Five Month Old Found Dead In Rhome This Morning

May not be anything other than natural causes.

Developing . . .

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Fox 4 had a video of a truck crossing the median and crashing on the tollway yesterday. I'm fascinated by the car going in the opposite direction that missed death by a fraction of a second. (Still looking for video on the Internet which makes this bullet point completely useless until I find it.)
• 73 now dead in the Jamaica police-gonna-get-drug-lord fight. That's a book or movie waiting to happen.
• I used to love going to the Colonial golf tournament. Now I'm not sure I'll ever have the desire to go again.
• The remake of the Karate Kid opens today. You know, that first was sappy yet pretty darn good.
• A Mercedes, a cop shooting a gun, a passerby firing his weapon as well, an alley, the Stockyards, drugs, middle of the night? Sheesh, not a bad story.
• Violent crowd fight at baseball game. The big guy with the fro needs to learn how to block a punch.
• Wise County's Newark seems to have its wheels flying off as the city council will meet on a rare Friday night to "deliberat[e] in closed session regarding the city secretary, police chief, city police officer position and court clerk."
• Had a buddy tell me he tried to start his own Random Thoughts but gave up after five days. "I don't know how in the world you do that," he told me. It ain't easy brother.
• The creators of "Words With Friends" (which I've never played) were on The Ticket yesterday. It sounds like they are drowning in cash.
• Weird that the Messenger never gave the name of the lady hit by a car while on her bicycle in Alvord yesterday.
• The Los Angeles Times reporting yesterday that the hole in the gulf had been plugged was horrible journalism.
• Anybody else see Fox 4's Fiona Gorostiza doing a So You Think You Can Dance audition last night on the news? Mercy.