Skimmed is our semi-weekly (read: whenever Will gets around to it) look at current cultural, business and political happenings in Denton that you want to know about. It is designed to be read quickly and we even bolded the important stuff so you can skim it! This week, we discuss valet parking downtown, the new handheld device ban, the loss of a good soup, DISD's new "district of innovation" policies, and a petition for free fortune cookies at a local restaurant. Check it all out below.

On Tuesday, city council approved a new ordinance that would prevent any/all valet parking activity in the downtown Denton area. However, that ordinance is mainly seen as a temporary one until the city is able to conduct a study that takes a greater look at the parking situation downtown. Which makes us wonder - wasn't that the topic that the Leadership Denton group discussed back in 2015? Of course, while this measure will block all valet parking when it goes into effect on January 2nd, we all know that they're only talking about Queenie's and the Gollum-like control they have tried to exert over the few parking spaces in front of their steakhouse on Hickory St. Those in the know (AKA those that read our Secrets of Denton County posts) have already known that they can park in those spaces anyway, though.

Additionally, Denton City Council also passed a ban on the usage of handheld devices while driving. This goes beyond the previous ban on just texting and driving. Violating this new ordinance can cost you a hefty $500. The ordinance goes into effect June 1st, 2017 so you have plenty of time to develop the perfect Spotify playlist between now and then so you won't ever need to touch your iPhone while driving ever again.

Speaking of Queenie's, they recently did away with one of our favorite semi-liquid based dishes in town - their sweet potato and kale soup. We're pretty darn bummed about it. We even reached out to Tony Neglia, chef de cuisine at Queenie's, and he said it was gone for sure. Apparently, there's a new "Bowl of Texas Red" dish there that took its place and is supposed to be good, but we will still miss that sweet potato and kale soup. You can valet park there between now and January 2nd if you'd like to try out that new bowl of Texas red. You can read our thoughts on Queenie's (and that soup) here.

Denton Independent School District (DISD) has recently undergone preparation to become what the state of Texas calls a, "District of Innovation" (DOI). This pronouncement would exempt them from many requirements placed upon local school districts by the state. Assuming that DISD does actually become a DOI, they already have several changes in mind. Earlier this week, the district presented proposals of several key policy changes to the DISD school board. The changes are related to items such as the school start date, CTE (career and technology education) teacher certifications, minimum class attendance, and appraisal processes for teachers. You can find more information about DISD's DOI plans here or watch the video about the new school start date below.

In the always-exciting realm of Denton food news, we ate at Mr. Chopsticks last night. We kinda do that once or twice a month so it wasn't a very big deal except for the fact that we had an idea (read: Gabe had an idea) - Mr. Chopsticks should be giving out free fortune cookies. Think about it. Have you ever dined at Mr. Chopsticks, paid for your food, and then become despondent - if not out-and-out depressed - to find out that your receipt was not accompanied by a handful of fortune cookies? We darn sure have. Well, in the vein of starting useless Change.org petitions, we have created our own petition to ask Mr. Chopsticks owner, Chai Tamprateep, to start giving out free fortune cookies at Mr. Chopsticks instead of keeping them in a jar at the front and asking for money. We don't even care if our egg drop soup (we're on a bit of a soup kick lately if you can't tell) costs a dollar more - just so long as we have the illusion of free fortune cookies. Can one petition made by a blog change a years-long business practice? We're not sure, but we do know one thing: free fortune cookies sure are tasty.

We'll end this week with the best fortune we have ever received in a fortune cookie, "Go for it."

March 26, 2018

EVEN MORE DENTON WOMEN OF DISTINCTION

Women’s History Month is the perfect time to revisit some of the amazing Denton ladies who have been town saviors, trailblazers, hellraisers, social activists, and pioneers. Heck, over at TWU is the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame and the archives for the WWII WASP Archives, so you know there are stories a’plenty to tell. Here are a few more of our local favorites, including a 1920’s newspaper publisher, a tiny songstress with a big voice, and a political crusader.

It's Time For Taste of North Texas

Once a year in Denton, many of our local restaurants and bars get together for a good cause and make their food and drinks available for roughly the price of a single restaurant meal. This year’s event will feature around 35 participants, including a great mix of established Denton institutions (hi, Beth Marie’s!) and places that are new to Denton.

February 19, 2018

2018 DENTON MINI MAKER FAIRE

What image pops into your head when someone uses the word “maker”?

The images that tend to appear in the mind—not to mention Google’s image search—involve wires and circuit boards. As important as those skills and the people who enjoy them are, they only represent one type of maker. Many skills can fall under the maker umbrella, whether it’s programming robots to make pancakes or turning a bicycle wheel into a musical instrument. Artists, scientists, crafters, and engineers can all be considered makers. If you can take a set of materials and transform them into something cool, you are welcome in the maker community!

December 1, 2017

DO THE DENTON HOLIDAY LIGHTING FESTIVAL LIKE A PRO

One of our favorite holiday traditions, the Holiday Lighting Festival, is this weekend. The annual free event features music, food, performances, a toy drive, and various other holiday activities. Happening simultaneously to the Holiday Lighting Festival is Wassail Weekend. Dozens of local shops extend their hours and welcome patrons to sample their wassail, a hot cider-like beverage. Wassail Weekend On Friday evening the Downtown Denton square will be shut down to traffic to make way for wassail-guzzling pedestrians to walk around and enjoy all of the festivities. You'll find us circled 'round the tree like the Whos down in Whoville, holding hands and singing with joy. We're not sure who the Grinch is in this situation, though.

If you plan on coming out to sample the wassail and find the joy of the holiday in your cold, black heart, here are our tips and tricks to making sure you get to squeeze as much holiday cheer out of the event as possible.

November 9, 2017

THE MANY FACES OF DENTON'S FINE ARTS THEATER

There’s been a lot of buzz around the recent arrival of the oft-rumored Fine Arts Theater hitting the real estate market, with a hefty pricetag in the ballpark of $1.5 million. Owned by the McBride family since 1983 with high hopes of renovation, there were overtures in 2014 and then renewed interest in 2016 but alas… it has never come to pass. A recent episode of the Politically Denton podcast explored some of the backstory and future possibilities, but I figured it would be a hoot to have a look back at the history of this iconic spot from back in the day.

November 7, 2017

THE BEST THANKSGIVING WE EVER HAD

Ever been to a pop-up dinner? More over, ever heard of a pop-up dinner? The events are normally one-offs in which facilities become restaurants for one night only and feature special food prepared by up and coming chefs. Pop-up dinners are gaining in popularity across the country and you have a chance to check one out in Denton this week! On November 9th at Denton County Brewing Company there will be a pop-up dinner featuring the food of Chef Chad Kelley from Barley and Board that will be paired with beers selected by Seth Morgan of Denton County Brewing Company. Read on to find out more info on this great Denton dining opportunity.

November 1, 2017

DENTON STARTUP WEEKEND 2017

Entrepreneur. It’s kind of a dumb word if you think about it, and to most people (especially students) it carries some buzzwords with it that seem very business-y. When I first heard “entrepreneur," I thought to myself, “That’s for people in the college of business.” It never really struck me as, “I’m an entrepreneur,” even though looking back on my life, I’ve been an entrepreneur since I was a kid. Everything from trading Pokémon cards, making beaded bracelets and necklaces, and burning CDs for friends before we learned we probably shouldn’t were all entrepreneurial endeavors that were abundant in my youth (as they probably were in yours).

That’s the thing, though. Being an entrepreneur isn’t about putting on a suit jacket or making apps. It’s about making a living doing something you love, while making sure other people love it too (that’s what we call customer validation). And this is one of the things I learned going through Startup Weekend.

Click through to read more about the upcoming Startup Weekend taking place in Denton, TX.

October 31, 2017

STOKE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Since opening in August of 2016, Stoke, Denton’s entrepreneur center and co-working space, has provided space for local businesses, entrepreneurs, freelance workers, and remote workers. The center has also hosted a variety of educational, professional networking, and social events. There has been formal and informal mentoring for new entrepreneurs and collaboration between several of the businesses located at Stoke. All of these things have provided great benefit to Denton’s tech and business communities, allowing them to contribute more to the Denton community and economy.

SKIMMED: DECEMBER 15TH 2016

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