Ever wonder what happened to some of Dallas' old squad cars--like the 1992 Chevy Caprice for instance?

We bet "party car" would be toward the last of your list of guesses!

If you ever find you ever find yourself in Amsterdam needing a cool ride to a party, you can rent the real thing complete with a driver in a Dallas Police Uniform.

Depending on how much you want to spend, we're told these guys will even handcuff you, throw you in the back seat and drive you to your gig with lights and siren blaring!

The firm advertises the experience as a "flashy, deafening, unforgettable experience" in the style of a big U.S. police department.

The cars are billed as "tough, stylish, individual, crazy, big, striking" and, of course, "American!"

So maybe it wasn't exactly what the city had in mind when they sold 'em, but the Dutch sure seem to like them!

We're told that more information will be available soon!

Are DISD officials doing enough to ensure the schools are safe?

For several weeks, we've been getting emails with teasers like "fights are a daily routine at James Madison High School," etc. We've generally responded with: "where is the proof?"

A student was kind enough to capture footage of a fight which occurred yesterday morning at Madison High School right in front of the Youth Action Center.

The person providing the video claims that the individual seen standing on the staircase, in the background, looking on is an assistant principal. The District disputes those claims (see official statement below).

[Ed Note: This shows me that there are some people, out there, who do it right. The right reason. No hype. Because that's the kind of guy he is. I wonder if our next Sup will do this?]

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Some people give back to their community. Then there's Fresno County School Superintendent Larry Powell, who's really giving back. As in $800,000 — what would have been his compensation for the next three years.

Until his term expires in 2015, Powell will run 325 schools and 35 school districts with 195,000 students, all for less than a starting California teacher earns.

"How much do we need to keep accumulating?" asks Powell, 63. "There's no reason for me to keep stockpiling money."

Read the rest of the story

Blogs and other sources are reporting that Hinojosa will be named as a superintendent finalist in Georgia tonight. Hinojosa admits he will probably be the finalist. What happened to "I will never leave Dallas and I will not seek other employment." I'm sure they are not lies because he has never lied. It will be interesting to see how this pans out; however, it is probably time to leave since he has all of his cronies in their new high paying positions now.

I worked for DISD for over 30 years as a teacher, specialist and campus administrator. I am worried, very worried about the children of Dallas and my friends and former colleagues still employed by DISD. I have seen it all, the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good don't get very much attention. Every now and then, a positive report makes the evening news. Parents know when they have a good school and a good teacher. Things run smoothly without much drama.

The BAD-the bad get caught or noticed and their drama often plays out on this site. Some of the things done by this group are obviously wrong. Sometimes, their action upsets a certain group. Maybe the teacher or administrator has good intentions but makes a mistake. That mistake can really get blown out of proportion and the individual will have supporters and others working diligently to get them removed from their position.

However, I am worried about the most about the UGLY.

Related: The Resume of Principal Susan Walker

For a number of years parents and Bryan Adams students have felt like the red headed step-child of the District, and they are getting really sick and tired of it. Principals have rotated in and out. Recently, one of the Chicken Little parents who has done nothing but cause trouble at every school her children have ever attended, including their exemplary and recognized Elementary School, began bragging (at Student Teacher Conferences no less!) that she had gotten Bryan Adams Principal Susan Walker fired.

Well, we're really doing it. Dallas.Org is getting a makeover and moving to a new platform. A bit of news: you will need to re-register for an account on the new system if you want to post comments or have your own blog.

What's different: we're going to try host an alternate news source with links to things you're interested in--while occasionally doing our own thing with some investigative features.

Why: there are quite a number of interesting happenings around the area that are covered by multiple news sources. But unless you want to surf a bunch of websites, you'd never know it. Our daily newspaper has excellent coverage of many things but some things just aren't available without a subscription (sounds like something your doctor might say, eh!).

So hang in there while we get the archives ported and the new site skinned. We hope it will be well worth the wait.

Oh, and yes, we're looking for people to help with the content. If you're interested, find the "Contact Us" button at the top of this page and click on it.

As a proud graduate with honors of the Talented and Gifted Magnet high school at Townview, I was deeply appalled at Superintendent Hinojosa's recent announcement to combine the six nationally prestigious high schools of DISD's crowned jewel into two. Not only has this move been presented with absolutely no definitive plan whatsoever, but it's been apparent for weeks in Hinojosa's television and newspaper interviews that he, and quite possibly many other people on the school board have no idea how Townview is structured, or why the schools within achieve the critically-acclaimed levels of unparalleled success they do every year.

Hinojosa repeatedly refers to Townview as a "school", when in fact it's just a building. There are six schools within Townview. And although budget cuts and lay-offs are occurring in school districts throughout the state, there are no other schools that are being flat-out shut down or amalgamated with other schools. Which is why it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever DISD would start with the magnets at Townview.

Responding to an overwhelming number of complaints, the Texas House of Representatives is holding a hearing March 22 regarding HB 1937.

The bill criminalizes touching the "anus, sexual organs or breasts" of a person seeking to enter a public building or use public transportation and is aimed at curtailing the invasive pat-downs performed by the TSA.

A violation of the new law would be both a felony and a sex crime.

This latest bill is one in a string of bills aimed at curtailing new security procedures that have been labeled "invasive" and "ineffective."

"Groping some random person's genitals does nothing to improve air safety," said one house staffer on the condition of anonymity. "There has to be a better way."

[DEVELOPING]

The saga of Dallas City Council member Dave Neumann's former bookkeeper has ended, for now, at a Texas Prison.

Shannon Demerse has been assigned to the Plane-Henley complex Northeast of Houston. According to the Texas Department of Corrections, Demerse is eligible for parole in June, 2012, but not expected to be released until July, 2016.

Demerse pleaded guilty to felony theft, last year, and accepted 12 years in prison after stealing millions from Neumann's ex-wife's company, Ivy Jane, over the course of several years.

The thefts went un-noticed by Neumann.

Normally we don't post rumors, but we received this today:

Could you please also inform us on why Police and Security Services no longer reports to Mr. Rawly Sanchez Duputy Chief of Staff?

He thought he was doing such a great job handling that department. Word around DISD town is that his drinking got him in trouble. Is this true?

We keep hearing this.

We've heard: "Rawly Sanchez was arrested in Austin for disorderly conduct", "Rawly Sanchez DUI's got him in trouble" -- (insert your rumor here).

We spent hours researching all of these claims and none of them have turned out to be true. As best we can tell, everything can be traced back to a single DISD board member.

The Dallas Morning News reports today that it is going to start charging for much of its electronic online content.

The move is apparently trying to mimic business trends of several other national and metro papers.

Maybe we should start a "local news clearinghouse" section on Dallas.Org. I've been looking for a reason to re-tool the website. What do you think?

Reorganization of Central Staff

Effective today, Jan. 3, central staff will have a revised reporting structure. This reorganization will not impact all departments.

The major changes include changing the name of Human Resources Department to the Division of Human Capital. Claudia Rodriguez has been reclassified as the Chief Human Capital Officer and will report directly to the superintendent.

Jacqueline Landry, executive director – Professional Development, and the Professional Development Department now will report to the Chief Human Capital Officer.

John Blackburn, Chief of Police – Police and Security Services, and the Police Department also will report to the Division of Human Capital.

UPDATE: ADELMAN REPRESENTED BY VINSON AND ELKINS!

READ: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Announcement

Avi Adelman is no stranger to controversy when it comes to bars on Lower Greenville Avenue. One of his recent targets has been the Lost Society Bar at 2008 Greenville.

Adelman's wife was surprised, Sunday, to answer the door to find Lost Society owner Fernando Rosales, who is currently under indictment for a felony (click "Search by Case Number"), standing on her doorstep delivering a letter for her husband.

Attached to the letter was a handwritten Post-It note reading: "8:30 AM, 12/13/10, Merry Christmas."

Rosales was arrested in June for making false statements on government documents. He was jailed again in September after missing a court hearing.

Rosales is upset with how the bar has been portrayed on Adelman's website.

Rosales has also filed a lawsuit against Adelman alleging libel and defamation.

Lost Society hit Adelman's radar in June after two of the bar's patrons became involved in a fight at a nearby restaurant. One of the men produced a gun and fired multiple shots at the other. The victim died later at Baylor Hospital.

City hall scandal convicts Brian and Cheryl Potashnik are scheduled to be sentenced on December 17? They should be joining their fellow felons early next year.

But where are the rest of the kingpin convicts and what are they doing these days?

Here's a list! Just click on a name to be taken to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons website.

As soon as the Potashnik's join them, we'll update the list.