NEWS RELEASES
Fort Worth Weekly
June 29, 2005

Headin’ Uptown

Downtown Fort Worth’s northeast edge wears a kind of shabby charm, but spit and polish are looming. Familiar landmarks such as Leonard’s Farm and Ranch Store and the old gas station (now B&D Muffler) are destined for a date with a ’dozer to make way for a new Tarrant County College campus. Nearby, the Trinity River bluff remains green and a little wild. But last week, VIPs gathered to break ground for Lincoln at Trinity Bluff, the first phase in developer Tom Struhs’ vision of turning historic Samuels Avenue into an uptown urban community with a down-home feel. Mayor Mike Moncrief called the planned luxury residences a “vital link” in the Trinity River vision and talked about how they would be unique to Cowtown. “We do things here the Fort Worth way,” he said.

Uh, well, the builder, Lincoln Property Co., is based in Dallas. Real estate broker Carter Properties is best known for developing the West End in Dallas. Struhs used two Dallas-based architectural firms. Even the public relations flack handling the groundbreaking toted a 214. When Static commented on a classical guitarist providing background music, the flak said, “He’s good; he’s from Dallas!” Looking at Static’s face, the flack quickly backpedaled: “Well, he’s from Rockwall.”

At least Struhs, one of the most thoughtful developers around, is from Fort Worth. We trust he’ll keep reminding the Dallas types that the bluff is pretty much hallowed ground in Fort Worth history. ’Cuz you know, in Dallas, history is just what you pave over to get to the money.

Federal “Logic”

Once upon a time, Static, trying to get information for a story on Texas connections to Middle East terrorism, assumed that evidence entered in a public, high-profile trial would be a matter of public record. But a New York federal prosecutor named Patrick Fitzgerald disagreed — and a New York judge agreed with him. Years later, Static’s low opinion of the prosecutor has been proven to be too generous.

Fitzgerald is investigating the potentially felonious outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame by syndicated columnist Robert Novak in 2003. Has Pat prosecuted any Bush administration official, though it is widely believed that Plame was ID’d by the Bushies as an act of retaliation against Plame’s diplomat husband, for his criticism of Bush on Iraq? No. Or Novak, who apparently has never been ordered to testify? No. Instead, he’s gone after two journalists, Judith Miller of The New York Times and Matthew Cooper of Time magazine, who did not out Plame. Why? Because the two talked about Plame with sources whose names they won’t reveal. The reporters’ lawyers weren’t even allowed to see the evidence against their clients. The two were found in contempt of court, and on Monday their appeal was turned down by the U.S. Supreme Court. They are probably headed for jail — for who knows how long.

It’s a scary day for Miller and Cooper, a sad day for those of us whose business it is to tell people what they need to know about government. And, apparently, a good day for a prosecutor whose actions seem to have little to do with democracy.