Destiny DeLaRosa brings us a review of two of the local's "favoritist" burger joints in Richardson. This is the first installment of a new series called Echo Picks. In the future we hope to have more residents tell us their Echo Picks.

A few weeks back three presidents of various Heights neighborhood associations in Richardson had the privilege of presenting a plan for strengthening and renewing the Heights area. I was amongst those being the President of Richardson Heights Neighborhood Association. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive and that reaction included support of corners of Richardson far from Heights. There was some reasonable skepticism of parts of the plan and a small amount of negative reaction. I think it is worth responding to some of that reaction.

Richardson High School held their 50th annual Homecoming Parade last Friday. We have pictures, pictures, pictures.

Most neighborhood and homeowners associations have a Yard of the Month award given to a property that beautifies their respective neighborhoods. Most people pay little attention to these choices. Cottonwood Heights Neighborhood Association selection for August turned heads on Belt Line Road.

On Friday, July 24 about 9:00 AM 15 year old Luke Dillier went to his family’s van while at his brother’s music lesson just South of Dobie Primary School in North Dallas. He did not return and has not been seen since.

If you found yourself around the geographic heart of Cottonwood Heights on the evening of May 21st, you likely noticed the Texas size celebration. That celebration was officials, alumni, parents and hundreds of very proud K-6th Grade students honoring the fifty years that Dover Elementary has been educating Richardson children. There was a formal ceremony complete with student performances and nostalgic remarks and commendations by RISD Assistant Superintendent Bob DeVoll, Richardson City Council Member and neighbor Steve Mitchell, and Dover Principal Fernando Medina.

iPhone, iPod, iTacos. Can you tell that the folks behind this new taco place on Coit Road in Richardson have a techie background? Owner Tom Radecki, 36, was a big gamer back in the day -- so much so that he opened Shadow Lan, a sophisticated gaming spot on Coit, five years ago. But Radecki is also an entrepreneurial sort; and so, when the Quizno's next door to Shadow Lan shut down, he opened the kind of restaurant he himself would frequent.

Deconstruction of the Heights Space Age playground happened on Monday. Many people were on hand with many learning of it from stories on the Echo, the Dallas Observer's Unfair Park blog, and a Dallas Morning News story. Many people arrived hearing of its demise only that day.

It has been widely reported that an investor bought Promenade Shopping Center. Reports of this appeared in the Dallas Morning news, and the Dallas Business Journal. Actually that claim is slightly inaccurate.

There have been four residential burglaries reported within the Arapaho and Reservation Homeowner Association areas between November 15 and 16. Read the full article to get a description and get prevention tips.

On the sixth of October at the Texas Tech Homecoming game against Iowa State, this writer, an ex-Richardson High School Cheerleader, most likely performed as the oldest cheerleader on the football fields of Texas, maybe even America! Tech hosted a reunion of all ex-cheerleaders complete with reception, recognition, Texas Tech tee-shirts and a full two quarters cheering opportunity on the field.

We have gotten a great response since we unofficially launched a few weeks ago. In this article, we will tell you about our plans for the next few weeks.

Heights Park in west Richardson was created in the 1960s and a time when Richardson was about to explode. The Parks Department is currently reworking the master plan for the park. One thing that might not be included is the four special pieces playground equipment: The Rocket, The Radar, The Planet and the Submarine. Although it looks like the Rocket will survive, the other pieces might be in jeopardy. Although legal issues make it likely that they will have to be removed from service as actual playground pieces, I want to argue that their symbolic content says a great deal about what Richardson is and where is has come from. I further argue that we should keep the pieces in some from as artistic reminders of how far our city has come, where we came from and where we are going. There has also been some outside press coverage of the issue which we will review here.