In a press conference Friday, U.S. Rep. Anne Northup criticized her opponent John Yarmuth, founder of the Louisville Eccentric Observer, for the "goofy" ideas in his columns, The Courier-Journal reports. Northup pointed to specific issues, such as legalizing marijuana and eliminating Social Security, but she also cited a 2004 column in which Yarmuth laid out a "damage control playbook for embarrassing statements." Northup suggested he would follow his own advice and either ignore the claims or say they were taken out of context. Her campaign has created a Web site, theyarmuthrecord.com, specifically to post the most controversial statements from Yarmuth's columns and speeches.

Continue ReadingLEO Founder’s Opponent Uses Columns Against Him

The Dallas Observer blog "Unfair Park" has hosted a feisty debate between Jim Schutze and Laura Miller over the past few days. Schutze, the weekly's city columnist, wrote a cover story for the Aug. 31 issue criticizing Dallas' plan to build new bridges. Mayor Laura Miller, who wrote the city column for the Observer in her days before holding office, sent a letter to the weekly disputing Schutze's economic analysis, which the paper then posted on its blog. "The Dallas City Council took a mediocre project and made it great -- all in the bright light of day -- and I resent, as a former reporter for this newspaper, Schutze's gross distortion of the facts," Miller wrote. Schutze's response, posted a few hours later, briefly covers Miller's assertions before saying that he hopes to publish a better analysis in the Observer: "Blogs are O.K., but blogs have their limitations too; they are not the place for a comprehensive review of this very complex story," he says. "I look forward to working with the mayor and her staff on a search for these very important answers. Notice that I did not accuse the mayor of 'gross distortion.'"

Continue ReadingDallas Observer City Columnists, Past and Present, Face Off

Dallas Observer Editor Julie Lyons revealed last week in her new "Bible Girl" blog that she is against gay marriage: "In my profession and in my sphere -- the alternative press -- gay marriage is pretty much a non-issue. Anyone who opposes it -- in other words, someone who holds an alternative view -- is considered a bigot, a hater and a homophobe," Lyons wrote. This week, she divulges in another column-length post that in earlier years she had an "almost overwhelming attraction for other girls" that "had nothing to do with sex," but she has now been happily married to a man for 16 years. "Love her or hate her for it, it's fearless stuff," blogs Dallas Morning News section editor Rod Dreher. "And considering how conformist media circles are, even as they congratulate themselves on their freethinking ways, admirably courageous."

Continue ReadingDallas Observer Editor Speaks Out on Evangelical Beliefs

John Yarmuth, founder of the Louisville Eccentric Observer and Democratic candidate for the 3rd District seat in the House of Representatives, has accused his opponent of "mudslinging," The Courier-Journal reports. Ads for Republican incumbent Anne Northup compare statements Yarmuth has made on the campaign trail to those he made in his LEO column, which ran until Yarmuth declared his candidacy in January. Yarmuth says the quotes were taken from old columns, and circumstances have changed since their publication. Northup "talk[s] about something her opponent may have done 15 years ago" instead of discussing her own record, Yarmuth says.

Continue ReadingLEO Founder Accused of Contradicting His Columns

Many residents of predominantly black South Dallas are glad that Mayor Laura Miller is not seeking another term, according to an article by Thomas Korosec in today's Houston Chronicle. "The mayor's troubles in South Dallas began with her work as an acid-penned columnist for the Dallas Observer, a weekly tabloid," former Observer staff writer Korosec asserts, citing specific examples where Miller "skewered" local black leaders. "Rightly or wrongly there was a perception that she was racist," Miller appointee Tom Dunning says.

Continue ReadingHouston Chron: Laura Miller’s Troubles With Race Began at Dallas Observer