Habitual readers of AAN News may experience deja vu upon hearing that erstwhile Observer writer Zac Crain officially announced his candidacy for mayor of Dallas yesterday. Unlike current Dallas mayor -- and former Observer columnist -- Laura Miller, Crain didn't write about politics: He served as the Observer's music editor before joining the staff of American Airlines' American Way magazine. In his announcement speech, Crain said, "We can do this. I know this in my heart and in my head."

Continue ReadingFormer Dallas Observer Writer Running for Mayor

The cartoonist Derf has taken home an RFK award for his comic "The City," which appears in several AAN newspapers. According to a press release (PDF here), the contest judges commented that "Derf aggressively attacks the institutions, ideologies and attitudes that create an environment for the continuing oppression and exploitation of the powerless. His outrage is directed not just at the cynicism and hypocrisy of the powerful but at the complicity of all of us who remain docile and passive subjects." Derf previously won the first place 2005 AltWeekly Award for cartoons that appear in more than five papers.

Continue Reading‘The City’ Wins RFK Journalism Award