Best Fort Worth Weekly In Eons Has Me Wanting To Powwow

I think, if I remember right, a time or two I have mentioned that ever since a Beer Hall Putsch removed Gayle Reaves from being the brains behind the quality of Fort Worth Weekly, the quality of that weekly publication has seemed to sink.

I did not get around to reading this week's Weekly til yesterday.

Best issue since that aforementioned Beer Hall Putsch.

The Static column about Barnett Shale driller scams titled Methane High was up to a Reaveseque level of succinct pointedness, with subtle snark.

The Metropolis Third World Child Welfare article about a Fort Worth CEO's  revelations learned from a visit to Cuba was top notch.

And then there is the cover story titled The Way They Were, A once-lost silent film tied to Quanah Parker’s legacy is a bittersweet gem.

The first four paragraphs....

White Eagle has fallen for the Daughter of Dawn.

But the prettiest child of the Kiowa chief has more than one suitor. Black Wolf, despite Red Wing’s love and devotion, can offer plenty of ponies to the beautiful maiden’s father. All that White Eagle can give is himself, his bravery, and his love. The Daughter of Dawn must choose between the two men.

Sounds like a soap opera, but it’s actually a 1920 silent film.

The Daughter of Dawn was thought lost until 2005, when the 83-minute feature was discovered and restored. After screening at colleges all across the country and now becoming available on Netflix, the film written and directed by Norbert A. Myles comes to University of Texas-Arlington in February, prior to the school’s annual Powwow, a celebration of Native American culture.

Most who know me know I am an aficionado of Native American history and culture. The Cynthia Ann Parker Story is a bit of history each new generation of Americans needs to learn, along with the story of Cynthia Ann's son, Quanah, he being the last Comanche chief, and a leader who made the transition to living successfully with the American invaders.

Modern technology has made silent films very watchable, rendering them as they were originally viewed, not the jerky type motion picture that was the result of earlier tape transfer technology.

Who wants to go with me to UT Arlington in February for the Powwow viewing of The Daughter of Dawn?

A Supposed Post Flood Fort Worth Wakeboard Revival

A few minutes ago I saw that which you see here, on Facebook. A few minutes after that I got a text message from Elsie Hotpepper telling me "I see Andy sent you FOD on FB."

Which translated means Andy sent me blogging fodder on Facebook.

The blogging fodder is a link to an article in this week's Fort Worth Weekly titled Wakeboard Revival.

The blurb from the article, which you see in the screen cap says, "The city’s biggest wakeboard park is being resuscitated after it was flooded by Tropical Storm Bill in June. A new owner is rebuilding ramps at the donut-shaped watercourse at the West Fork of the Trinity River downtown and adding several..."

Adding several what? Lucky for me I had acquired this week's Weekly at my neighborhood library. I could not find where I'd put this week's Weekly, then remembered I likely left it in my vehicle. Soon upon retrieving this week's Weekly I found the rest of the paragraph following several... to be "new features, including shaded seating and a place to get food and drinks."

I have several problems with this FW Weekly article. For one,  it reads like a Press Release. I mentioned a couple other problems I had with this article in the comment I made to Andy's Facebook post, before I had actually read the entire article....

Durango Jones: City's biggest wakeboard park? Does that mean there is another one and it is smaller? How could one get any smaller? This being re-opened under new management has been the operating propaganda on the Cowtown Wakepark Facebook page for months. If it is being re-opened, will the problem with it getting flood damaged be fixed? After all, America's Biggest Boondoggle is primarily a flood control project. Sort of ironic that the first project completed by The Boondoggle has been flood damaged twice....

Well, the article answers the question about there being multiple wakeboard parks in Fort Worth...

About a half-dozen are in Texas, and two are in Fort Worth: the full-sized Cowtown WakePark, with its endless loop cable hauling people around in circles, and TXMC Wake Park, which has a smaller, straight-line cable system.

I have no idea where in Fort Worth this TXMC Wake Park is located. I'd never heard of it before today.

Another paragraph was very perplexing to me....

Water levels on the West Fork, according to the USGS National Water Information System, rose by nearly 6-and-a -half feet during the last two weeks of May. These waters normally flow at low levels –– the West Fork is part of a flood control reservoir.

Only a nincompoop would look at the Cowtown Wakepark pond and not realize that whenever the Trinity River goes into flood mode the little pond is going to be flooded. The flood in May was not the first time the little pond has suffered flood damage. What did they think was going to happen when the river next door floods? And what is this about this area of the West Fork of the Trinity being part of a flood control reservoir.

Huh?

Doesn't a reservoir require a dam which holds back water? Thus controlling a flood? Where is this downriver dam creating a reservoir?

I tell you, Fort Worth Weekly is getting to be almost as embarrassing as reading Trinity River Vision Boondoggle propaganda. Or a Star-Telegram puff piece.

So, when Cowtown Wakepark reopens it will have a new name, Republic Waterpark DFW. The new owner of the so-called "park" is a Philippine man named Lray Villafuerte who is paying for its reconstruction. Supposedly new parts for the renewed park are being assembled in a Manila warehouse owned by Mr. Villafuerte.

I remember when America's Biggest Boondoggle put up signage along the Trinity Trails pointing out the direction to the various wonders one could find along the trails I opined that etching "Cowtown Wakepark" on the signs seemed a bit of an obvious risk, with it seeming obvious to me that that enterprise would not be in business very long. Will The Boondoggle use whiteout to cover up Cowtown Wakepark and write over the whiteout with Republic Waterpark DFW?

Last summer after I discovered Cowtown Wakepark was closed and saw a sign saying it would open soon under new management, it only took a little Googling to find that Cowtown Wakepark had a Facebook page. On that page there were a lot of comments lamenting its closure and the misinformation as to when it would reopen. There were comments about financial malfeasance, funds being stolen. It wasn't pretty.

Did Fort Worth Weekly not consider it might be worthwhile to dig a little deeper into the Cowtown Wakepark debacle?

Early on, when Cowtown Wakepark opened, J.D.  Granger very much touted this as an accomplishment of his Boondoggle, bragging about how The Boondoggle was bringing this wonderful sport to Fort Worth.

I have asked more than once how much The Boondoggle spent to build the wakeboard pond.

I  remember back in October of 2010, biking along the Trinity Trail and suddenly coming upon a ridiculous amount of signage touting the "TRINITY RIVER VISION UNDERWAY'. In the area that became Cowtown Wakepark I was totally bum puzzled wondering why so much earth was being moved, why a big hole was being dug, why the Trinity Trail was being re-routed.

I took pictures and blogged about it, asking if anyone had a clue. Connie D then sent me a link to page on the Trinity River Vision's website, touting this new thing they were bringing to Fort Worth. It was only an artist's rendering, but I could tell the hole I saw being dug was what is now the wakeboard pond.

How much money did The Boondoggle spend on this ill-fated enterprise? Shouldn't that information be readily available?

Changing the subject slightly.

This week's Fort Worth Weekly is their annual Turkey Awards issue. The prime Turkey Award went to the current extremely embarrassing governor of Texas, Greg Abbott.

I think Fort Worth Weekly should also have given itself a Turkey Award.

A Turkey Award is well deserved for firing Fort Worth Weekly Editor Gayle Reaves. Ever since Fort Worth Weekly lost Gayle Reaves the quality of Fort Worth Weekly has plummeted.

This article about the Cowtown Wakepark debacle is just one more example of that plummet.....

Running Ghost-Free At Village Creek Unable To Find Fort Worth Weekly

Yesterday I got myself no heavy duty aerobicizing of the inducing endorphins sort due to a Euless doctor visit wreaking havoc with my regular schedule.

A cool pool bout just does not do it for me, endorphin-wise. This morning's cool pool bout started before the sun arrived.

Today in the noon time frame I was in Arlington, near where the Indian Ghosts haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area. So, I decided to go jogging.

Well, actually running. Today was run as fast as I can as long as I can and then walk day. Breathe hard. And repeat.

And sweat like a fat pig in a sauna.

Above you are looking at the Village Creek selfie stick which I have shown you before. This is a wider view of the mirror ball. I detected no Indian Ghosts hovering about me when I got the picture off the phone today. Maybe the Indian Ghosts have taken a quick trip to Washington, D.C. to see the Pope. The Indian Ghosts were probably pleased to hear the Pope speak of their ancestors.

Changing the subject to something else.

This week's Fort Worth Weekly is not be found, by me, at any of the usual locations. This is the annual Best of Fort Worth issue.

I have been told by a fairly reliable source, who included photo documentation, that Fort Worth Weekly has given one of its coveted Critic's Choice awards to a popular Fort Worth centric blog, with Fort Worth Weekly saying that that blog is a reminder that watchdogging still has a place.

I did not know we needed a reminder to know watchdogging still has a place.

The online version of Fort Worth Weekly was messed up when I tried to glean the Critic's Choice thing about that watchdogging blog. I'll go check and see if it is still messed up. Be right back.

Still messed up.

Ever since the esteemed, highly regarded Gayle Reaves decided to find a better job than being the editor in chief of FW Weekly, the Weekly has gone downhill like a sled out of control. The website being messed up and the Weekly not being delivered are a couple examples.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Does Not Rip Itself Over America's Biggest Boondoggle

What you are looking at here is a screen cap of a section of last week's Fort Worth Weekly Static column. The section screen capped is titled "Star-Telegram Rips Itself".

When Fort Worth Weekly lost its renowned editor, Gayle Reaves, several months ago, the Weekly seemed to rapidly deteriorate. A few weeks columns went missing, such as the Static column.

Well, the past three weeks the Weekly seems to be back firing on all cylinders, with high quality cover articles and with the Static column back also firing on all  cylinders.

For example, two paragraphs from the Static column about the Star-Telegram ripping itself....

The paper also wants to talk to people who have stopped buying the Star-Telegram completely. That conversation is easy to imagine. “I stopped buying the paper because it kisses up to the downtown elite, the Basses, the gas industry, advertisers, and various sacred cows, and it offers mostly superficial, boring articles, mostly about Dallas.”

The Star-Telegram spends way too much time and money on silly consumer surveys. Seems like every other month they’re changing their layout, coverage, paper size, fonts, you name it, based on the latest survey. Here’s some free advice. Write interesting stories. Impact society. Ask tough questions. Take pride in your product. Stop sucking so much. You’re welcome.

___________________________________________

I have long opined that Fort Worth suffers due to not having a real newspaper asking tough questions, conducting what is known as investigative journalism.

That which is known as the Trinity River Uptown Central City Panther Island Vision likely would not have become America's Biggest Boondoggle if Fort Worth had a real newspaper asking questions from the start of the folly, such as asking, way back when the Boondoggle began, why this public works project is not being put to a public vote so as to secure funding like that which is done in other towns with successful public works projects?

Or when Congresswoman Kay Granger's son, with zero project engineering experience, was given the job of being the Boondoggle's executive director, asking by what criteria was J. D. Granger determined to be the best man for the job?

Or asking why it is going to take four years for the Boondoggle to build three simple little bridges over dry land?

Or asking why it is that America's Biggest Boondoggle has been boondoggling along for a lot longer than it took to build the Panama Canal, with so little accomplished in all the years of boondoggling?

If Fort Worth had a real newspaper editorials would have opined that if the Trinity River Vision is such a vital flood control and economic development plan, why is it being implemented in slow motion?

Another editorial might mention that fact that this vital project being built in slow motion is greatly increasing the cost of the project. Just all the extra years of paying the salaries of employees like J. D. Granger, who would long ago be off to the next job his mama found for him, has greatly added to the cost of the project.

If Fort Worth had a real newspaper that newspaper would have jumped all over the ridiculous claim that the Boondoggle's three simple little bridges are being build over dry land so as to save money and make construction easier.

Why would a real newspaper have jumped all over this ridiculous claim?  Because there will be no water under those bridges until the Trinity River is diverted into the ditch dug under the bridges. The ditch could and should be being dug at the same time as the bridges are being built.

If this project were properly engineered and fully funded, that is what would be going on.

The fact that the digging of the ditch will not begin until the three bridges are built just adds to the folly and is yet one more example of why this inept project has become America's Biggest Boondoggle....

Fort Worth Weekly Does Not Know I Am A Foe Of The TWRD

A couple weeks ago when I blogged The Formidable Gayle Reaves Fired From Fort Worth Weekly it did not cross my mind to think that the absence of Fort Worth Weekly's Editor-in-Chief would so quickly cause a noticeable deterioration in the usually impeccable editing in Fort Worth Weekly.

And then I picked up this week's Fort Worth Weekly, looked at the cover and saw that which you see here....

FOES V. TWRD.

I really do not think TWRD would have gotten past the eagle eyes of Ms. Reaves.

It was the other part of the cover article's title which had me more intrigued than the unfortunate typo.

"Has the Tarrant Regional Water District met its match?"

Which of the TWRD's, I mean, TRWD's many foes is this article gonna be talking about, I thought to myself.

Elsie Hotpepper? Mary Kelleher? Layla Caraway? Monty Bennett? Me?

Well, we can rule me out. Only me and two other people know I'm a foe of the TRWD.

I have not yet read the article in its entirety, just enough to get the gist, and to realize it is sort of a myriad of  FOES v. the TRWD.

I was afraid this article was going to be sickening, with Fort Worth Weekly having succumbed to the bizarre TRWD party-line kool-aid that the Star-Telegram drinks and hop on the Kill the Evil Dallas Businessman (before he steals our precious Fort Worth water} Bandwagon.

I would direct you to a link to this week's Fort Worth Weekly cover article, but I have been told that that link does not yet exist. Apparently ever since the departure of Gayle Reaves updating the FW Weekly website has become a bit tardy.

But, I have to say, ever since the departure of Gayle Reaves, FW Weekly has been showing up by noon on Wednesday at my regular Albertsons source, rather than a day late.

I have no idea if there is any connection between timely FW Weekly arrivals and the Reaves departure. I suspect not....

UPDATE: I have now read the Fort Worth Weekly FOES V. TWRD article. Simply put, I do not think this article would have made it to print under Gayle Reaves' editorial eye without extensive editing.

The Formidable Gayle Reaves Fired From Fort Worth Weekly

That is Gayle Reaves you are looking at here, with her arms crossed.

This morning I got a text message telling me that Gayle Reaves had been fired from Fort Worth Weekly.

Soon thereafter I shared this information with another FW Weekly reader who asked me "How could she get fired, I thought she was the publisher."

No, it was the publisher who fired her, Gayle Reaves was like the Perry White of FW Weekly, the editor-in-chief.

I have never met Gayle Reaves. However I have been in her presence. At a forum type deal at which she was one of a panel of journalists asking questions of some players in the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

Except for J.D. Granger. He chickened out, after agreeing to appear. I suspect he chickened out due to fear of being asked probing questions by Gayle Reaves.

It did not take me long observing Gayle Reaves to ascertain that she was a bit formidable. She sort of came across to me as a tall version of Hettie from NCIS: Los Angeles, combined with Meryl Streep from The Devil Wears Prada, with maybe a little bit of Hillary Clinton mixed in.

Upon my arrival in Texas, and soon thereafter figuring out something was not quite right with the cheerleading, distorting, chamber of commerce propaganda, lackey way the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covered much of what happens locally, I quickly learned that it was Fort Worth Weekly which covered issues and stories which needed to be told, for the most part, which the Star-Telegram ignored.

I imagine being the real newspaper of record for Fort Worth is a bit challenging for Fort Worth Weekly, wanting to expose wrongdoing and dirty deeds, but at the same time having to be careful not to annoy advertisers.

Anyway, I suspect Gayle Reaves will be moving on to a greener pasture somewhere soon.

We probably should have some sort of city-wide Goodbye & Thank You Party. Maybe this upcoming Friday. Somewhere on the imaginary Panther Island perhaps.

Or maybe in that classy Panther Island Pavilion Shack where the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle holds beer parties....

My Favorite Ex-Wife's Touchdown Tossing Cousin Dylan With Cheers From Ms. Sheffield & Comments About The Weasel J.D. Granger

Dylan Sheffield Catching Or Throwing A Football

I heard from my favorite ex-wife this morning, again, telling me, again, about the football exploits of her cousin, Dylan Sheffield, quarterback for the Wichita Falls Coyotes, who has an amazing knack for throwing an awful lot of touchdown passes.

A couple weeks ago my favorite ex-wife called to tell me that Dylan had broken the Texas State Record for most yards passed in a Texas High School Football Game.

Yesterday, Friday, which is the state sanctioned day for high school football games in Texas, Dylan made, I think, 7 touchdown passes.

I do not know if 7 touchdown passes is another Texas State Record. 7 seems like a lot of touchdown passes to me. But, I must admit, I am not much of a football aficionado.

In a totally un-related note, someone with the same last name as Dylan made a non-football related Cheer today in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Cheers & Jeers section.

Cheers: To Layla Caraway, Bob Lukeman and TRIP for winning the Conservation Award at the Glen Rose Film Festival! If you are concerned about out-of-control spending by your government or what's happening with your water, watch Up a Creek. Together, we can make a difference.
-- Debbie L. Sheffield, North Richland Hills

What a world of coincidences I live in. The Layla Caraway, whom Ms. Sheffield references, is the lady I mentioned when I blogged about Wednesday's TRIP Trinity River Vision Discussion Forum as the "star of Up a Creek" who informed me that J.D. Granger had weaseled out of being on the forum.

Since J.D.'s Wednesday Weaseling I have learned he previously weaseled out of a Fort Worth Republican Women's Club meeting at the Colonial Country Club and he weaseled out of a League of Women's Voters taping at the Fort Worth Intermodal Center.

Clearly the pattern, prior to J.D.'s Wednesday Weaseling, is that J.D. weasels when the event has the word "Women" in the event's name.

The only woman J.D. might have had reason to be scared of, who was part of Wednesday's Forum, was the formidable Gayle Reaves of Fort Worth Weekly, who was the only woman on the stage, being one of the 3 Society of Professional Journalists asking the questions.

If I were J.D. Granger I would have weaseled. I wouldn't want Gayle Reaves asking me any questions. Like I said, she is formidable. So is Layla Caraway. But she was not on the forum. However, like I said, she also is formidable. And I would not want her asking me questions either.