Council Recap: DART

The Richardson City Council met February 23, 2026. Two of the agenda items are worth covering: DART and the Apollo Middle School rezoning. Both went as expected. The council formally approved the proposed amended governance plan for DART. They also authorized the City Manager to execute an agreement with DART to allow for allocation of DART General Mobility Funds to Richardson. The council also approved the rezoning application by the Richardson ISD to transform Apollo Junior High School into Apollo Middle School.

The Rip (2026)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Rip (2026): Crime story and action thriller starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as Miami cops struggling to deal with a huge cache of cash that crooks and corrupt cops all have their eyes on. Even though you never know who is going to die next, somehow your money is never on Damon or Affleck. C+

Netflix

Sentimental Value (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Sentimental Value (2025): A filmmaker, estranged from his family, wants to make a movie in his old house with one of his daughters in the lead. She and her sister aren't ready to reconcile. Good examination of the intersection of art and personal life. Excellent acting all around. A-

Prime

POTD: Stopping on the Street on my Walk to Church

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken on the street on my walk to the Templo de Santa María Tonantzintla in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. This church was small and nice, but I had seen enough churches. A man shoeing a horse on a small, quiet street on my walk to church caught my eye. Man and horse (and tourist) all seemed satisfied.

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"Man and beast are still,
A job well done in the sun,
Church ahead can wait."
— h/t ChatGPT

POTD: The Great Pyramid of Cholula

From 2025 06 01 Puebla

Today's photo-of-the-day was taken at The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies, a Catholic church located atop the Great Pyramid of Cholula, in San Pedro Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. That's the church at the top of the hill. At the base is a partial reconstruction of the Pyramid that used to go all the way to the top of the hill.

Another photo is after the jump.

Town Hall Tag Team: Omar and Corcoran

On February 18, 2026, UT-Dallas Student Government hosted a town hall meeting with Richardson Mayor Amir Omar. At this third town hall, Mayor Omar shared the stage with Council member Joe Corcoran. Anyone who wants to know what's going on in Richardson government really ought to attend these town hall meetings. They are more informative than a year of attending City Council meetings. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but not by much. I thought the questions from UT-Dallas students were as good or better than those asked at many campaign forums.

Ripple (TV 2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Ripple (TV 2025): Lives of four people in NY come together by random events. Their stories are heartwarming and heartbreaking, with lots of tugs at the heart strings. Made for Hallmark+ (it shows), bought by Netflix, good enough to be greenlit for season 2. C+

Netflix

Council Recap: FIFA-Fo-Fum

The February 16, 2025, Richardson City Council meeting started out like a bureaucratic snooze-fest. There were no public speakers lined up to address the city council. The agenda topics were all "review and discuss," with no decisions to be made, things like FIFA World Cup, senior property tax exemption, Safer Streets Richardson, and Eisemann Center operations. In other words, nothing to ignite fireworks.

I found my mind drifting to imagining watching a TV series pilot. You know, where a standalone episode of a television show is produced to test the show's world, key characters, and storylines, in order to determine if a full run of the series should be ordered. Call the TV series, I don't know, maybe "The Non-Consent Agenda." Should this show be green lit for production?

Bugonia (2025)

Rotten Tomatoes

Bugonia (2025): Wacky conspiracy theorist (Jesse Plemons) kidnaps a drug company CEO (Emma Stone), convinced she's an extraterrestrial planning to destory the Earth. Most of the movie is them failing to communicate, as the blood and stakes rise in this black comedy. Oscar nominations are deserved. A-

Peacock

A Look at the Primary Race for TX-32

It's primary time in Texas. First, a brief look at the US Senate. Incumbent Senator John Cornyn (R) is being challenged by impeached and indicted, but never convicted, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). Maybe not surprisingly, polls show GOP voters prefer Paxton. The Democrats have two candidates who are running against each other (James Talarico and Jasmine Crockett). Crockett found fame attacking Trump. Talarico is attacking Crockett. Dems can be their own worst enemies.

Another race to watch is the US Congressional race for Texas District 32, which includes Richardson, although it's weighted to give heavily Republican east Texas a majority. In the Democratic primary is current Richardson City Council member Dan Barrios ("We recommend Barrios...who is running a campaign centered on kitchen-table issues, such as the rising cost of living, housing affordability and opportunities for small businesses." — The Dallas Morning News). Running against him is Anthony Bridges ("Donald Trump and Chuck Schumer are going to HATE me as much as we hate them and their billionaire buddies." — Bridges's campaign website) All I've said before about that race is the effect of Barrios's candidacy on the City Council of Richardson (not their shining hour).

On the Republican side, I have a lot more to say. The pack is circling the seat that was opened up by redistricting. Julie Johnson, the incumbent, was drawn out of her own district. [Correction: District 32 was redrawn to make it harder for any Democrat to win it, not just Julie Johnson.]