Dear WFAA:

Now, I realize that Minnesota is not that big a deal, so really, it probably should just be thought of as one big city. I get that. But it's not. Yet. Maybe someone can put that idea out there. But in the meantime, it's not a city. You may now return to your regularly scheduled program.

Uh....

Tonight's 10 p.m. WFAA newscast included something possibly not kosher - when you consider all the published reports of the incidents. Cynthia Izaguirre reads the story of the Allen man who was pinned to his bed after a car drove into the side of his house. The bulk of the story read just like the DMN story online - until she got to the part where she flashes the driver's mugshot on the screen and informs everyone that it was from her DWI arrest last year, and that she just got out of jail the night before. As far as I've found, there's no mention of the driver being drunk anywhere online. I guess the argument could be made that there's no mention that she's not drunk, either. So let's deal in the hypothetical - say maybe she just blacked out, or had some kind of physiological issue and was not drunk at all. What then? It should be noted that the story (to my recollection) did not say the woman was drunk either. Just a "Here's her mugshot, she's driven drunk before....so you know, maybe...." Yeah, not right. Either make it clear that she blew a .80 or something, or the mugshot waits until she's confirmed as having driven drunk.

It Will Haunt Me...

I was watching Boston Legal....and then came this. What will haunt me forever? The image of Dale Hansen and Pete Delkus having a sleepover.

Shame on you, Mansions at McKinney Ranch

I know business is business, and a contract is a contract. But a man is dying of cancer, and his one goal before doing so is to get his family settled with relatives in Utah. I can't imagine having a $9,000 debt hanging over your head, in addition to everything else. So do you think maybe you could cut a guy like Matt Budge a little slack? I'm talking to you, Western Rim Property Services, and you - The Mansions at McKinney Ranch. Such nice humanitarian work as yours has landed you the attentions of CNN as well, who put WFAA's piece on the front page of CNN.com. Nice going. Then this evening comes news that, during Jody Dean's morning show on KLUV, a wealthy woman became so incensed at the news she called in and offered to pay the entire $9,000. But that's really not the point. I know the standard Texas Apartment Association lease - which is what most complexes use - doesn't provide for a hardship arrangement where re-letting fees and such are waived. But it also doesn't say you can't provide it, either. And really, was the now national bad publicity worth the $9,000? Real estate blog Active Rain has more on the problem - including contact information on how to get in touch with Western Rim and management over at The Mansions if you'd like to give them a pat on the back.