Between 9 a.m. and noon on May 15, a burglar broke into a house in the 1800 block of West Illinois Avenue and stole two 23-inch flat-screen TVs with a combined value of $1,600, $1,000 worth of jewelry, a $600 Playstation 360, a $500 laptop, a $400 Playstation 2, a $350 Smith & Wesson pistol, and 10 CDs with a combined value of $200.

At around 11:40 p.m. on May 15, the manager of an apartment complex in the 500 block of North Marsalis Avenue saw a miscreant hammering on a Pepsi machine in the complex’s courtyard. When the miscreant realized he was being watched, he grabbed a black-and-blue duffle bag before fleeing in a red 1996 Chevy coupe. Upon closer inspection, the manager discovered that the machine had been cut with a torch, with $2,500 worth of damage caused.

Keep reading for more crimes.

At 1 p.m. on May 16, a representative of Oncor reported that a resident of the 400 block of South Rosemont Avenue stole $1,500 worth of power from the company.

At 7:45 p.m. on May 19, police found a ne’er-do-well drinking beer at Founders Park. They also discovered a syringe containing an unknown liquid in the dirt directly behind the ne’er-do-well, but he denied knowledge of its existence.

At 9:30 p.m. on May 19, a woman was sitting in the lobby of an apartment building in the 2400 block of Fort Worth Avenue with her purse in her lap. A thief walked up to her, reached inside the purse, and grabbed her $12 wallet containing $50 cash before fleeing.

Between 8:15 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. on May 20, a burglar kicked in the back door of a home in the 2700 block of West 12th Street and stole a $3,200 55-inch Plasma TV, two 42-inch flat-screen TVs with a combined value of $936, a $600 Acer laptop, a $500 Acer laptop, two Xbox consoles with a combined value of $500, two pairs of Beats headphones with a combined value of $400, a $300 iPod, $350 cash, a $250 Playstation, and a jewelry box containing bullets.

The Mayor’s Summer Reading Club will last for eight weeks (June 15 – August 10) and aims to get the whole family involved (that’s right, there’s a section for adults too).  You can register online or at any Dallas Library location. Instead of selecting a specific book for kiddos to enjoy, this reading club wants participant to log their hours spent reading – and receive prizes as a reward (free Pizza Hut, perhaps?). Click here to find out more information.

“The new changes are good,” said Jenni Stolarski, who’s property borders the development area. “Kings Highway, since the beginning, has been most interested in how we integrate these new neighbors.”

Look for more in the May 31 issue of Oak Cliff People, following the City Council vote.

As the charter organization of Boy Scouts Troop 5 and Venturing Crew 5, Kessler Park United Methodist Church wishes to take a clear stance in anticipation of the National Meeting of the Boy Scouts of America on May 23: The BSA’s 1,400 voting delegates should adopt the resolution eliminating heterosexuality as a requirement for a youth’s participation in scouting. In the wake of that vote, BSA’s leadership should proceed apace to draft a subsequent resolution eliminating heterosexuality as a requirement for an adult’s participation as a volunteer in scouting.

As the single digit implies, Troop 5 is one of the oldest scout troops in Dallas; and Oak Cliff, the community in which KPUMC operates, was one of Dallas’ first neighborhoods to benefit from racial desegregation and openly gay residents. Our church, we would assert, has long experience attempting to reconcile diversity, security, and godliness. We believe that Christ’s teachings, as well as the Scout Oath and Law which flow from Christ’s words, call us to welcome all persons of good will in the training of children to become wholesome adults. As a practical matter, we witness on a daily basis the contributions that gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and trans-gendered individuals make to our community. Oak Cliff would be measurably less without them; our church would be measurably less without them.

The members of Kessler Park United Methodist Church entrust our pastor David Carr to respond to any questions on this matter from the press, the BSA, or concerned parents. Rev. Carr can be reached at (214) 942-0098 or dpcarrs@gmail.com. Please note that KPUMC, not Troop 5 or Crew 5, has issued this statement.

This is not entirely surprising, as I know the Rev. Carr has a much more liberal stance toward homosexuality than his church’s governing body. Given the demographics of his church’s neighborhood, that’s not surprising either.

Ace Ley, Isaiah Calderon, and Marlowe Martenson. (Staff Photo: Allison Slomowitz)

In case you still haven’t read this week’s paper (shameful!), a group of Rosemont students are en route to Tennessee today for the final round of Destination Imagination, a global competition that allows children to showcase their critical thinking and creative prowess in arts and science. Thanks to the school’s Facebook page, we got a glimpse these little geniuses up before dawn, ready to get scootin’ south.

Show some love for these awesome kids representing Dallas and Oak Cliff.

Look at those relatively astronomical numbers for Precinct 4079, also known as Scott Griggs’ home precinct. (The link will bring up a map.) Those figures represent a quarter of the total turnout for both races. More than 85 percent of the voters in Kessler Park and Stevens Park preferred Griggs to fellow incumbent Delia Jasso, whose Precinct 4078 was one of the three that tied for 10th place. And 86 percent of them chose DISD Trustee Eric Cowan over his two challengers.

The dropoff to Precinct 4074 is significant, but that precinct, which serves Winnetka Heights, still had 120 more voters in each race than the third-place precinct.

Surprisingly, Cowan’s home precinct, Precinct 4077, didn’t even crack the top 10 in his contest. The 87 votes registered there were good enough for only 16th place. His two challengers — Rafael Narvaez III and Arturo “Art” Sierra — live in Precinct 4113 and Precinct 4068, respectively.

From 8:30 a.m. to noon, the Friends of Oak Cliff Parks will be completing the restoration of the butterfly garden at Founders Park, which already has some visible progress thanks to the efforts of 38 athletes from Adamson and Sunset High Schools. Volunteers will get snacks and a mountain of gratitude. The group will meet at Memorial Plaza. If you have spading forks, shovels, clippers, loppers, or wheelbarrows, bring them. If you don’t, contact Barbara Barbee at brbrb303@aol.com or Steve Williams at swilliams51@ymail.com, and they’ll find some use for your elbow grease.

Also, Sunset High School‘s Purple Marching Machine has organized a car wash from 8 a.m. until noon at the parking lot of CVS, 2427 W. Jefferson Blvd. The group notes it takes 14 cases of water to keep the band hydrated at events, so donations in the form of bottled water will gladly be accepted in lieu of cash.

A mariachi trio, courtesy of Oak Cliff Bike Company and Oak Cliff Bike Cargo (Photo: Jonathan Braddick)

Today is National Bike to Work Day, and the folks at Bike Friendly Oak Cliff promised a huge surprise this morning at the group’s “energizer station” at the Jefferson Viaduct. And, boy, did they deliver. In addition to KIND and Cliff bars and a swag assortment from DART, a mariachi trio was among the surprises today.

“I love the idea of just tapping into the different aspects of Oak Cliff culture,” said Jonathan Braddick, a board member of BFOC. “It was worth the money we spent to get them out there.”

After setting up camp at 6:30 a.m, the bike traffic was off to a slow start. “We realized people don’t ride to work that early,” Braddick said. But almost 50 bicyclists passed through the station before 9 a.m.

“It was awesome. More people did the bike to work than ever,” Braddick said. “Some of them didn’t even stop. They went right through our tent. But most people came and hung out for a bit.”

So, how does BFOC top this morning’s act? Braddick’s already thinking. ”Next year, we might do a marching band or something,” he said.

The organization is also rallying support for a benefit ride before next week’s fundraiser for Jason Roberts at The Kessler.

Joan Osborne (Photo: Brian Blauser)

 Texas Theatre is showing Star Trek Into Darkness at both 7:45 and 9 p.m. tonight.

Glen Farris and Ryan Thomas Becker will take the stage at Bar Belmont tonight at 8 p.m.

Blues singer Joan Osborne, she of the voice the New York Times dubbed “angelic ecstasy and sexual abandon,” will perform at the Kessler tonight at 8 p.m. Sara Hickman opens.

Keep reading for more weekend fun!

At 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff is hosting a community yard sale.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, local Stanford alumni will be at the Oak Cliff Boys and Girls Club offering a job-skills workshop. Interested in participating? Know of any summer jobs for teens? Click here for more info.

If you’re interested in taking a peek into the studios and homes of some of Oak Cliff’s diverse artists, Saturday’s your chance. Beginning at noon on Saturday, the Oak Cliff Studio Art Tour let’s you experience the process and lives behind some seriously talented artists. For a full list of participants, click here.

Wondering what to do with your kids for the summer? Bishop Arts Theatre Center is hosting a summer-camp open house from noon-2 p.m. on Saturday. Come check out their programs and find more about the camps they’ll offer, including those that focus on the visual arts, dance, and music.

On Saturday, the Winnetka Heights Neighborhood Association will join Team  Better Block’s urban designers to temporarily install some of the key elements of the proposed design for the new Rosemont Plaza. Join them at 1 p.m. at the intersection of Rosemont and Davis if you’d like to help temporarily transform a public street into a community-centered plaza.

If you still haven’t had a chance to see Star Trek Into Darkness yet, Texas Theatre has plenty of times for you to do so. They’re showing it at 2:15, 5, 7:45, and 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 2:15, 5, and 7:45 p.m. on Sunday.

On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Wynnewood North Neighborhood Association is hosting another “movies on the lawn” event.

Soulful Grammy-winner Marc Cohn will be at the Kessler at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Special guest Madison King opens.

Claire Criss contributed to this post.

Casper's human family members are Steve and Wendy Reiner. (Photo: Alana Harrison)

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