By Steve Brown / The Dallas Morning News

The outlook for Dallas home prices was brighter in two indexes released Tuesday.

They were down 2.2 percent in June from a year earlier but rose 2.7 percent from May to June to the highest level since last September, according to the closely watched Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Index. It was the fourth consecutive month of gains in the Dallas index price, S&P said Tuesday.

And the Federal Housing Finance Agency said that Dallas-area prices were up slightly in the second quarter.

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WFAA.com
August 22, 2009

Highland Park trustees toured the ongoing school construction at several campuses Friday. The extensive renovations and building projects throughout the district will remain in progress as students arrive for the first day of school on Monday. Most of the projects – at four elementary schools, a middle school campus and Highland Park High School – are scheduled to be completed during the school year, with the last of the work at the Highland Park Middle/McCulloch Intermediate School campus to be completed by the end of next summer. The renovations and building projects are paid for by a voter-approved $75.4 million school bond. Highland Park trustees toured the ongoing school construction at several campuses Friday.

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By Eric Nicholson / Preston Hollow People
August 21, 2009

A transplant from the heart of Austin is moving north Monday when the University of Texas Co-op opens its first store in Dallas.

The store will occupy 6,000 square feet next to Barnes & Noble on Northwest Highway, across the street from NorthPark Center. It will be filled wall-to-wall with Longhorn merchandise and memorabilia, from burnt orange T-shirts and letter jackets for dogs to pepper grinders and evening wear.

Brian Jewell, director of marketing for the Co-op, said the goal is to recreate the unique feel of the original store.

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By Jason Sheeler / The Dallas Morning News
August 6, 2009

In another context, the name Vince might evoke a well-built Italian-American longshoreman you spent a stormy summer weekend with, sharing too much Dewar’s and information. This VINCE is another affair altogether – fashion shorthand for sturdy, sexy, contemporary sportswear from a seven-year-old LA-based label opening its first North Texas store in Highland Park Village this month.

Kate Hudson and Jennifer Aniston are fans of the bordering-on-designer separates, as are Katie Holmes, Kate Moss and Jennifer Garner. The tabloid mainstays, who get major paparazzi snaps for their off-duty style, are particularly fond of Vince knitwear. But the label is comprehensive – from swimwear to pleated khakis.

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Highland Park High School is listed this month among the top high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine. Newsweek includes HPHS, ranked number 23, for its students’ participation on Advanced Placement exams.

This is the sixth year Highland Park High School has made Newsweek’s “Top 100″ listing.  HPHS is the highest ranked comprehensive high school in Texas, outscored only by magnet and charter campuses.

Newsweek’s article, “America’s Best High Schools,” compiled a listing of 1,500 high schools, with public schools ranked according to a ratio that divides the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests taken schoolwide by the number of graduating seniors in the school.

Using that ratio, Highland Park High School scored a 6.108, up from 6.035 in 2008, and 5.727 in 2007.

“We are excited to be named to Newsweek’s list of the best high schools in America once again,” said HPHS Principal Patrick Cates. “This recognition validates the work our students and teachers do every year in our Advanced Placement program.  Our program is one of the largest in the country, and we believe that it prepares students for success in any college or university anywhere.  This ranking brings honor to our school, our school district, and our communities.”

Click HERE to read the article.

By Sarah Scott

Ray Washburne wants Park Cities residents to know that the new Highland Park Village is going to look a lot like the old one.

The real estate investor and restaurateur said he wrapped up negotiations to buy the Village this week. As this article went to press Wednesday, Washburne said he was hammering out final details at a title company.

Washburne had a lot to say about the future of the Dallas’ oldest and most valuable shopping center. Its taxable value has been reported as being $80 million.

Washburne — who bought the center along with his wife, Heather; her sister, Elise Summers; and her husband, Stephen — emphasized that all four are lifelong residents of Highland Park and graduates of Highland Park High School.

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May 18, 2009 DallasNews.com
What would “Cheesus” do?

A Preston Hollow couple driving home from Houston was snacking on a bag of Cheetos when Sara Bell had a religious experience.

“Jesus appeared,” she told the Preston Hollow People newspaper last week.

Or more exactly – a Cheeto in the shape of what appears to be a two-inch tall figurine with extended arms.

Bell had bought a bag of Cheetos in Jersey Village, about 20 miles northwest of Houston, and was eating the cheese-flavored snack when she made the discovery, the newspaper reported.

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A deal to sell the venerable Highland Park Village is scheduled to close Wednesday, despite a last-minute challenge from one of the center’s high-profile tenants.

The first time we visited Dallasite Matthew Earnest’s store, SARTEL , there wasn’t a piece of the label’s clothing in sight – save for the crisp, navy organza blouse worn by his co-designer, Lily Atherton Hanbury. But chic things come to those who wait. The Shops at Highland Park boutique now holds a small, tightly edited collection of the duo’s highly refined wardrobe staples.

By SOPHIA DEMBLING / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Luxury? In this economic climate? Are we nuts?

No, really. Everyday luxury is a thing of the past for most of us, but even so, if you have a special occasion warranting a luxury break, now is a great time because luxury hotels are feeling the pinch, too, and they want you.

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