When Gary Hardee got laid off by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last June — a day reporters and editors still refer to as “Black Monday” — he took with him more than 25 years of experience in the newspaper business. He had worked as editor and publisher of the paper’s Arlington edition, been a sports and news editor, and, in his last gig, served as managing editor of the paper’s online edition. The ranks of laid-off journalists in North Texas seem to increase each week — more layoffs were announced at The Dallas Morning News last week. Media companies are filing for bankruptcy right and left, and some papers have shut down... (more)

Seven candidates want the Fort Worth City Council seat left vacant by veteran Chuck Silcox’s death, but none have nabbed the two endorsements that could have the most impact. Neither Silcox’s influential widow, Brenda, nor Mayor Mike Moncrief is endorsing anyone for the job of representing southwest Fort Worth. Moncrief has said publicly he hopes all the incumbents on the council will be re-elected. That leaves only the District 3 race ripe for endorsement, and Moncrief thus far has given only an unofficial nod. “In November, he came out and said Eric Fox would be a great candidate,” opponent Matthew Hudson said. The mayor “has... (more)

When the planners at the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival found they needed a program director and coordinator for the 2009 edition of their Fearless Film Festival, which showcases movies of 20 minutes or less, they turned to Melissa Kirkendall. She’d worked on the first two F3s and for years coordinated Dallas’ Deep Ellum Arts Festival. Kirkendall was “the logical choice,” said Diane Wolfe, publicist for the 2009 Main St. festival. “She’s a filmmaker herself, she’s worked on the previous two Fearless Film Festivals, and she has the knowledge and contacts within the local film community to bring the right people on board.” This... (more)

There are two Los Pastores restaurant locations at opposite ends of Pioneer Parkway in Arlington, both owned by the same people and both in areas that are decidedly industrial as opposed to pastoral, so the name –– which means “the shepherds” –– must be some kind of inside joke. Still, if you’re looking for simple, tasty Mexican food, you’d be herded in the right direction no matter which end of the street you flocked to. The West Pioneer Parkway location features a gaudy window painting announcing the various specials and proclaiming “Real Mexican Food,” which is truth in advertising. Sitting in the vividly orange dining room,... (more)

Though he isn’t a punk rocker, singer-songwriter Phil Pritchett is pretty DIY, admittedly an overused phrase. The Americana artist is his own manager, publicist, record label, and producer. At a time when the music industry is hemorrhaging cash, and the death of the CD seems imminent, DIY doesn’t look so bad. Pritchett, a Fort Worth product, came to the do-it-yourself mantra gradually. He had a fairly successful time on the Texas Music merry-go-round in the late 1990s. He self-released three CDs, gigged at the Aardvark and the White Elephant Saloon, and toured Houston, Corpus Christi, and Lubbock. Then-obscure bands like Cross... (more)