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A1 07-19-2011 Set: 22:32:36Sent by: [email protected] News CYANMAGENTAYELLOWBLACK
The Dallas Morning News
. . . . . . . .
Dallas, Texas, Tuesday, July 19, 2011Texas’ Leading Newspaper $1.00
Price grand juryto hear witnessesWitnesses have beensummoned to downtownDallas on Tuesday andWednesday to testifybefore a federal grandjury investigating thedealings of Dallas CountyCommissioner John WileyPrice. 1B
Nolan Ryanis hospitalizedRangers president and
CEONolanRyan washospital-ized inHoustonafterexperi-
encing what is believed tobe a recurrence of a heartcondition for which hehas previously been treat-ed. 3C
Also: The rest of the Westhas sunk, so the Rangersand Angels are racing forthe division title. 1C
Progress madein NFL talksLawyers say they aremaking progress on adeal to resolve the NFLlockout. More talks arescheduled today. 1C
Another U.K policeofficial resignsBritain’s phone hackingscandal brought downanother high-profilefigure as John Yates,assistant commissioner ofthe Metropolitan Police inLondon, resigned. 10A
Also: News Corp. execsspent years trying tocover up News of theWorld’s hacking. 10A
Petraeus handsover commandGen. David Petraeushanded over command ofthe Afghan war to MarineGen. John Allen, who willoversee the start of theU.S. withdrawal. 10A
With no offers,Borders to closeBorders, which employsabout 10,700 people, saidMonday it would liquidateafter failing to receive anyoffers to save the book-store chain. 1D
Rock climbing offersworkout for all typesThanks to its mix of clim-bing, strength workoutsand running, rock clim-bing offers workouts fornearly all body types. 1E
INSIDE
Lottery 2ATexas 3ANation 5-8AWorld 10,11AEditorials 14AViewpoints 15AReg. Roundup 2B
Baseball 1,3-6CSports TV 2CMarket Day 6DJumble 9DClassified 9-11DTV 9EComics 9-11E
©2011, The Dallas Morning News
H 100L 82
Metro, back page
Isolated showers
OzoneAlert
WESTLAKE — Forget HighlandPark or University Park. Forget South-lake. When it comes to having moneyor fame in North Texas, Westlake isthe new place to be.
Drive around the sun-drenched,rolling hills of this ritzy enclave andyou almost feel as if you’ve been trans-
ported to Italy or the south of France.BMWs and Mercedes glide downsmall, winding roads and disappearinto gated neighborhoods. Homestopped with clay-tile roofs glisten un-der skies dotted with puffy clouds. Onpatches of ranchland, cattle rest undertrees.
Over the past several years, this ti-ny community situated mainly innortheast Tarrant County has become
WESTLAKE
Tom Fox/Staff Photographer
Top left: An SUV enters the GlenWyck Farms gated community. Top right: The Solana business park is hometo a number of prominent businesses. Center: Gavin Verloop, 9, (left) and brother Sven, 7, of Keller explore theSolana campus. Bottom left: Joe’s Pizza, also at Solana, draws a brisk lunch crowd. Bottom right: MarshallBranch Creek flows through the Circle T Ranch in Westlake.
Star attraction
Tiny, tranquil town draws the rich and famousBy ERIC AASEN
Staff [email protected]
Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer
Glenn Beck, the former Fox News Channel star, will reportedly be occupying thishome (above right). It was originally listed at $5.4 million and offered for lease at$20,000 a month, according to a Dallas real estate blogger.
Westlake
FORTWORTH
DALLAS
SOUTHLAKE
35W
35E
30
20
D/FWAirport
Staff graphic
“It’s a lifestyle. It’s
the best of all
worlds. What’s
nice about living
here is the
freedom. … We
have a country
atmosphere out
here. It’s quiet and
peaceful.”
Brandt Jobe, pro golfer andWestlake resident
a magnet for the rich and famous. Thelist of boldfaced names has included theJonas brothers, the family rock band;professional athletes including Rangersoutfielder Josh Hamilton; and businessleaders, such as the CEO of BurlingtonNorthern Santa Fe, Matthew Rose.
Now Glenn Beck, the former FoxNews Channel star, is joining the town’s
See TRANQUIL Page 12A
WASHINGTON — Courting con-frontation and compromise alike,House Republicans shrugged offPresident Barack Obama’s threat toveto legislation to cut federal spend-ing by trillions of dollars on Mondaywhile simultaneously negotiatingwith him over more modest steps toavert a potential government default.
The Republican bill demandsdeep spending reductions and con-gressional approval of a balancedbudget amendment to the Constitu-tion in exchange for raising the na-tion’s debt limit. But Obama will vetoit if it reaches his desk, the WhiteHouse said, asserting the legislationwould “lead to severe cuts in Medi-
GOP on dualtrack
DEBT SHOWDOWN
House leaders shrug offObama’s veto threat butcontinue negotiating
FROM WIRE REPORTS
See CLASHES Page 13A
AUSTIN — The days of being sentto the principal or getting a notehome have given way to a disciplinarysystem in which almost 60 percent ofmiddle and high school students aresuspended or expelled at some point,a comprehensive review of Texas stu-dents shows.
The new study by the Council ofState Governments alarms state lead-ers, who question whether so manyteens should be swept into the disci-plinary system, whether for hours ordays.
Almost60% bootedfrom class
TEXAS EDUCATION
Analysis doesn’t back upzero-tolerance policies inmiddle and high schools
By CHRISTY HOPPEAustin Bureau
See ALMOST Page 4A
It’s no secret that NorthDallas’ LBJ Freeway corridorhas fallen on hard times.
The freeway, also known asInterstate 635, is undergoingfive years of road constructionto double-deck a stretch andadd six toll lanes. That will cre-ate a window in which the area
can either deteriorate furtheror be transformed to competewith northern suburbs for cor-porate relocations and otherdevelopment.
About 20 North Dallaslandowners, developers, retail-ers, city officials, architects andreal estate brokers have beenmeeting in recent months tocome up with a master plan.
That plan includes demol-ishing 38-year-old Valley ViewCenter, which has been for salefor some time.
LBJ neighbors aim to revitalize corridor
NORTH DALLAS
Aging Valley View malldue for demolition aspart of long-term plan
See RAZING Page 4A
By MARIA HALKIASStaff Writer
AUSTIN — When abouttwo dozen national Republi-can donors gather here Tues-day to discuss Rick Perry’s po-litical future, they’ll have onething on the agenda: Can heraise enough money to runfor president?
It could cost $100 millionto win the GOP nomination.And while Perry has a deep fi-nancial base in Texas, hewould need a network of well-heeled contributors acrossthe country capable of tap-ping big money in a short time— not just their own, but theirfriends’ and colleagues’, too.
“He’s positioned very wellfor that because he’s going tobe seen as the most credibleconservative in the race — themost credible person to speakto the evangelicals and the
most credi-ble to talk tothe anti-gov-ernmentside,” saidMatthewDowd, for-mer strate-gist for
George W. Bush’s re-electioncampaign.
Perry has raised millions inhis decades as a state candi-date, but he’s never had to do
Can Perry rise to challengeof presidential fundraising?
ELECTIONS ’12
GOP donors gatherin Austin to assessgovernor’s chances
By WAYNE SLATERSenior Political Writer
See DONORS Page 2A
MATTHEWDOWD
METRO
SPORTSDAY
WORLD
BUSINESS
ARTS & LIFE
VIEWPOINTS: GOP has turned awinning hand into a losing one.Ross Douthat, 15A
VIEWPOINTS: Senators wantleaders to act. 15A
A12 07-19-2011 Set: 22:35:04Sent by: [email protected] News CYANMAGENTAYELLOWBLACK
12A Tuesday, July 19, 2011 dallasnews.com The Dallas Morning NewsFROM THE FRONT PAGE
exclusive ranks — in a home original-ly listed at $5.4 million and offeredfor lease at $20,000 a month, ac-cording to Candy Evans, a Dallas realestate blogger.
In January, Forbes named thetown of 1,000 the most affluentneighborhood in the country, with amedian household income of$250,000. The average home valueis $1.2 million.
What is it about this town that’sattracting those with money, powerand fame?
“It’s a lifestyle,” said Brandt Jobe, apro golfer who lives in Westlake’s Va-quero, known for its celebrated golfcourse. “It’s the best of all worlds.What’s nice about living here is thefreedom. … We have a country atmo-sphere out here. It’s quiet and peace-ful.”
Many cite the community’s prox-imity to Dallas/Fort Worth Interna-tional Airport. And pro athletes andother celebrities move to Westlakepartly because of the gated homesand other security measures, whichare necessary for famous people whotravel frequently, Jobe said.
“In this day and age, unfortunate-ly, for your kids’ security, that’s what’snice,” he said. “It gives you peace ofmind.”
Former Rangers executive ChuckGreenberg, who still lives in West-lake, said the recent publicity for thearea comes with the territory.
“Success and popularity breedsmore success and popularity,” Green-berg said, “and the more who move tothis area, the more likely others are tobe attracted as well.”
Westlake has the “USDA stamp ofapproval for celebrities,” said RandyWhite, who sells homes in Westlakeand is owner of a Southlake-basedreal estate firm.
“If a celebrity sees a celebrity livethere, it’s going to raise their eye-brows,” he said. “They’re going tothink: ‘If it meets their scrutiny, it’ssomething I need to look into.’ ”
Residents give celebrities theirspace, said Trish Biddle, an artistwho lives in Westlake.
“Local people in our town wel-come them with open arms and allowthem privacy, even when we see themaround town,” Biddle said.
Publicity surrounding a high-pro-file move into Westlake tends to diedown after a few weeks, said LauraWheat, the town’s mayor.
“And then those individuals, luckyfor them, are able to just lead normallives within our community,” shesaid.
Westlake is also home to more or-dinary residents, including retirees,doctors, lawyers and business lead-ers, many with young families.
Homebuyers are attracted by thetown’s location, between Dallas andFort Worth, White said. The schoolsare excellent. There’s virtually nocrime, he said.
“You feel like you’re remote butyou’re in the middle of everything,”White said. “That’s very hard toachieve.”
The green, rolling hills and oldoak trees remind Biddle of Tuscany.
“As an artist, I like the serenityand the people here, as well as the ce-lebrity,” said Biddle, whose paintingshave been used by actress Eva Lon-goria for her fundraisers. Biddle hasalso been invited to create art for theWestminster Kennel Club Dog Showand the Kentucky Derby.
“Some of my inspiration definitelycomes from the lifestyle of the wom-en here,” Biddle said. “They travel alot … but they also are raising theirfamilies.”
The Biddles moved to Westlakeprimarily for Westlake Academy, acharter school run by the town. Theschool sits on top of a hill, offering asweeping view of Westlake.
Residents are active in school andcity affairs, said Biddle’s husband,Bryan, an infrastructure architect.Town Council meetings are packedwith residents.
“Everybody’s engaged,” he said.“There’s a potential for a bigger im-
pact with a small town.”Westlake has come a long way
since the 1840s, when it was settledby a small group of families.
Recently, the town has attractedmore residents — and corporate of-fices, including Fidelity Investments,Chrysler Financial Services and De-loitte.
But the recession has hit evenWestlake. Sales tax revenue has beenstagnant, forcing the Town Councillast year to adopt Westlake’s first-ev-er city property tax. At 16 cents per$100 of assessed valuation, it’s one ofthe lowest around.
Some asking prices for homeshave been reduced.
But one brand-new beauty, on the16th fairway at Vaquero, seems reces-sion-proof. It’s for sale for $9 million.It has 15,000 square feet, with fivebedrooms, eight bathrooms, a five-car garage and a second kitchen forcatering.
A listing for a $3.4 million homepromises that you’ll “feel the essenceof Italy” with its Murano glass chan-deliers and Mediterranean mosaics.
Many of the listings promoteWestlake’s seclusion, which Wheat,the mayor, found appealing when shemoved there in 2005 from HighlandPark. She says she loved her time inthe Park Cities but was looking toraise her children in a different place.
In Westlake, she has more “roomto breathe” and sees longhorns, bi-son, hawks and coyotes.
“I honestly did not realize I didnot see the sunset and did not see thesunrise until we moved out here,”Wheat said. “I’m floored by that. Ijust pinch myself that we found this.”
Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer
The town has become a magnet for the rich and famous, includingBurlington Northern Santa Fe CEO Matthew Rose.
Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer
Former Rangers executive Chuck Greenberg, who lives in this Westlakehome, says the publicity for the area comes with the territory.
Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer
The Jonas Brothers moved to Westlake when they were soaring asteenage pop idols a few years ago. Their mother, Denise, owns thishome, according to county records.
Louis DeLuca/Staff Photographer
Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is another well-known resi-dent. The town has the “USDA stamp of approval for celebrities,” saidRandy White, who sells homes in there.
Tranquil towndraws well-to-do
Continued from Page 1A
G.J. McCarthy/Staff Photographer
Homes in Westlake cluster around the Vaquero golf course, one of the amenities that draw affluent homeowners to the town of fewer than 1,000 residents.
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