Patrick Michels

A break in the storm Saturday night drew a crowd of about a dozen gawkers -- Unfair Park among them -- alongside the network TV vans for a look at what remained of the Cowboys' training bubble.

WFAA's Arnold Payne captured this chilling video of the collapse from inside, but by 6 p.m. it looked like the weather had calmed down, and reporting crews made camp by the chain link fence behind the Gold's Gym that borders the training facility. (Bonus video ... from German TV .) For an insider's perspective, DallasCowboys.com's Nick Eatman provides this account of the moment "fear started creeping in."

As folks go to the polls to vote yea or nay on Propositions 1 and 2, we thought it might be instructional to ask folks who might not necessarily deposit comments on blogs how much they know -- and care -- about the issues on the ballot. This week, Patrick Michels and Megan Feldman trolled the West End during lunch hour; next week, they're heading elsewhere -- to points Uptown and far further south. Here's Patrick's video; Megan's account follows after the jump.

In my inbox this morning, I received an e-mail from the Vote No! group, who are packaging Proposition 1 and 2 together. For those needing clarification, Proposition 1 will approve a charter amendment prohibiting the city from "owning, financing, constructing, or operating a hotel or other lodging facility," and Proposition 2 will allow the public to vote on economic incentives of more than $1 million that the city gives to private developers, but only if 500 citizens sign a petition requesting a referendum.

Simply put, Prop. 1 takes the hotel biz outta the government's hands and keeps it in those of the private sector, while Prop. 2 could make developers wary of building in Dallas, fearing they'll have to wait months for a public vote if their project requires more than a million bucks in assistance from the city. The charter amendments are quite different, but since Mayor Tom Leppert and the rest of the business community don't like either one, they're selling them as one big movement that aims to "handcuff" the city, as Leppert has said throughout the campaign.

The e-mail features comments from Leppert, Dallas Citizens Council chairman John Scovell, Enough is Enough chairman Ron Steinhart and even R.I.P. Dallas , along with using The Wall Street Journal to criticize Harlan Crow.

Leppert is yet again quoted as insisting the cost of the hotel will be paid for by hotel users, "not taxpayers," failing to mention that taxpayers will indeed be on the hook if the hotel doesn't book enough guests to pay off its mortgage.

"Dallas taxpayers will be ultimately responsible for the debt," Leppert said at a pro-hotel press conference .

Our favorite parts? Using Wikipedia in an attempt to call the anti-hotel group's slogan of "safer streets, not hotel suites" a non sequitur. And this proclamation:

"The name-calling, finger pointing, millions spent, angry blogs, groundswell of advocacy groups, and misinformation campaigns ... well, they surpass anything we've ever seen in the history of Dallas municipal elections."

Patrick Michels

Last December, we received word that come November '09, the Dallas Convention Center would play host for three days to a mammoth video-game expo -- the Southwest Video Game Expo, to be precise, which promised to fill more than 200,000 square feet of exhibit hall space with all manner of shiny shoot-'em-ups and fancy-pants gewgaws. It was part of a two-fer package, tied to something called Li-Fi , which promised to be "the largest consumer electronics and entertainment show in the Southwest." Alas, it was not meant to be.

Moments ago, Southwest Video Game Expo sent word, via its L.A.-based publicist, that it has canceled its Dallas dates -- November 20-22 -- meaning that for the second time in as many days, the Dallas Convention Center finds itself without guests it was expecting. Not 24 hours after the Food Marketing Institute backed out of next week's scheduled events , citing the swine flu scare as its reason, the SVGE backs out with a more familiar excuse: the economy. Notes Don Jennings, president of Li-Fi, Inc., "A poor economy mixed with a large number of other expos for publishers to attend has meant our show didn't perform the way we had hoped it would. We still hope someday to bring a large event like this to the Southwest, and are determined that it will be worth the wait."

David Tractenberg, the show's publicist, tells Unfair Park that Li-Fi canceled its consumer electronics show at the convention center "about a month and a half ago." But little mention was made because "at the time," he says, "we didn't want it to affect the possible attendance for SVGE." To which he adds, "We like to say it's postponed. It's just a matter of waiting out the economy, but there's never been a video game show there, and that's ridiculous . There's no reason not to do this. We just need to wait till the vendors catch up to our train of thought."

By now, perhaps you've heard that earlier this week, Addison-based American Community Newspapers --publisher of the Plano Star Courier , the McKinney Courier-Gazette and the Frisco Enterprise among dozens of papers scattered across four states -- filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company said there would be "no change in the company's day to day operating activity," but today, Plano Star Courier sports writer Kevin Hageland notes a significant change : After tomorrow, there will be no Saturday edition of the Plano paper, which, he points out with great candor and courage, "is a huge mistake!" Why?

From a sports perspective I think we are doing a huge disservice to our readers. For the most part, Tuesday and Friday nights serve as game night. We always get our stories and scores out to the public for the next morning's issue, but that will no longer be the case. ...

A couple years ago I was at the Plano Senior pancake breakfast for the boys basketball team on a Saturday morning. This was in the fall, so obviously we were in the middle of football season. I didn't see anyone there with a Dallas Morning News , but I saw several copies of the Plano Star Courier and several people passing it around to look at the sports section.

After this Saturday, that won't be the case anymore and I cringe to think what the public reaction will be come football season. For those hoping for something different, as far as I know this is not a temporary move and we will not be bringing back the Saturday edition of the PSC for football season. Hard to imagine that in Texas, but that's where we are at.

Quite the shocker to pull up Courthouse News and see a big ol' Texas Rangers logo. Then again, when Daddy needs his money , Daddy needs his money, and he'll go to Tarrant County District Court to get it. Because, according to t he complaint filed yesterday ,  Dallas-based Highland Capital Lending owes Texas Rangers Baseball Partners about $60,000 for a suite at Rangers Ballpark. Says the suit, Highland Capital only ponied up $21,843 -- even though it was supposed to pay a little over $81,000 for use of the digs last season and this season. The suit says Highland Capital did cut a second check for around $17,000 in April '08, but that it bounced.

Best. House Energy and Commerce Committee Meeting. Ever. From this morning in D.C.: "The Bowl Championship Series: Money and Other Issues of Fairness for Publicly Financed Universities ." Smokey Joe Barton of Arlington wants to ditch the BCS and go to a college-football playoff system, and he's got the legislation to prove it. Which is why this morning he posted to his YouTube page his appearance on ESPN's Outside the Lines , during which he debated John Swofford, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference and coordinator of the Bowl Championship Series. Barton thinks the BCS is communism . Isn't everything these days?

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott

" Bummer ." That's how Dallas Independent School District board trustee Edwin Flores initially responded yesterday when Unfair Park asked for comment concerning the Texas Attorney General's opinion yesterday that the board "was not authorized to change the length of its members' terms of office" from three to four years last November. Then he said some other stuff, like how maybe there might have to be a special election, but, well, maybe someone will have to sue first for that to happen.

Not as far as trustee Carla Ranger's concerned. Late last night, she posted to her blog her reaction to the opinion , which she had requested in December. All she knows is a special election had best take place in November -- though, as Flores did remind, such elections are six-figures expensive. "Watch carefully!" Ranger warns. She also has this to say:

This was an agenda -- a ruthless political agenda, carried out by a wrongheaded board.

Notice how certain Trustees will continue speaking the language of resistance and refusal to follow the law. Dallas ISD has often refused to follow the law or policy when it mattered most.

Democracy won today. Taxpayers won today. Parents won today. The people of Dallas won today. There is only one honorable thing for the Board to do. Admit the mistake and correct it immediately. ...

Damage has been done to democracy in Dallas. Voting rights have been sacrificed on the alter of political power.

Used to be a time when procuring a real Imperial Pure Cane Sugar Dr Pepper meant hoping that case of bottles you ordered from Dublin arrived mostly intact; though, years ago, my old man bought a few cases of the 12-ounce cans from a guy in a parking lot on 183, seedy. Now, of course, they're available most anywhere for dollars on the penny, still worth it. But for $50,000 to $75,000, courtesy Unfair Park across-the-street neighbor Heritage Auction Galleries, you can own what may be the original recipe book from the Waco drug store in which the Holy Beverage invented. It goes up for auction May 13, with the opening bid set around $30,000.

It's still unclear whether "Dr Pepper Pepsin Bitters" is Charles Alderton's immortal concoction or a derivative offspring (if I read my 1880s pharmacy handwriting correctly, this recipe contains alcohol, even better). But, as a bonus, the 360-page book -- which a guy bought in a Panhandle antique store for $200 -- contains recipes for such things as Dr. Wilkes Dead Shot for Tape Worm, Orange-Flower Skin Food, Bust Developer; Castles Hair Restorer and Stephen's Condition Powder. If nothing else, maybe, the foundations for a second career.