Think we're missing something? Clue us in.

A couple of neighborhood residents — from the looks of it, on the east and west sides of Abrams Road — have begun circulating e-mail messages about a con man going door-to-door "selling" books.

He gives a story about working to raise money so he can travel abroad to continue his studies in communications after making the dean's list at UTD. One neighbor called the UTD office and was told the university doesn't have a communications department. The Web site doesn't list a communications department, either.

A school employee also told the neighbor that the university has no book-sales program.

Consider yourself forewarned.

But really, couldn't you just smell scam without calling the school or checking its Web site? Books. Who reads books anymore?

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Steve Crozier, our publisher and chief traffic observer, encounters the oddest things while he's motoring hither and yon.

Today, he called to tell about an erratic driver he spotted headed westbound on Mockingbird Lane near Briar Creek Lane. The driver kind of veered right and hit the curb. Not a huge deal since there were no other cars in her immediate proximity and, besides, most all of us have done that once or twice, albeit it's usually while making a tight turn rather than proceeding straight ahead.

The woman struck the curb again. And yet again, this time hitting a tree or telephone pole … those things evidently look alike to Steve.

Surrounding drivers tried to get her to stop, to no avail. Finally, someone blocked her path enough to prohibit her forward motion, went over to the car, and snatched her keys.

The woman insisted that she was physically OK and just on her way to a discount tire store. Steve left when paramedics arrived.

I'm guessing that woman gets a volume discount at the tire store. Driving like that, she's bound to go through them two at a time.

Photo by Steve Crozier

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It's been a slow, steady move from the newsprint world to the cyber-ink of the Internet. The signs are all there, though, and pundits have foretold the demise of newspapers as readers turn to online sources.

One of the bigger harbingers of pending obsolescence struck me this morning.

In its latest move to save itself, the city's only daily newspaper came out Sunday with a revised format, shifting and merging once standalone sections. And [sigh] they jacked with my beloved comics section, removing 14 panels or strips from the mix. Now, I will never know if Mark Trail saves the wildlife from certain death at the hands of evil corporate minions draining a once-thriving wetlands.

Today, though, I realized that the Classifieds section, once a big cash cow for newspapers, has been relegated to the back few pages of the Business section.

Wow.

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As football and Cowboys fans look wearily to the future for some glimmer of hope following Dallas' embarrassing win last Sunday over the Cincinnati Bengals — I know, Dallas fans are such frontrunners, right? — collegiate football takes center stage this week.

The annual Red River Shootout between the University of Texas Longhorns and some team from out of state takes place Oct. 11 at the Cotton Bowl.

In anticipation of the big game, The Ticket (KTCK 1310-AM) sports radio sets up promotions and remote call-in shop at the Greenville Avenue Whole Foods Market this afternoon from 5-7.

My sporting attention, frankly, is directed elsewhere.

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Dallas Fire-rescue received a call this afternoon at 3:23 that the Whole Foods Market under construction in the neighborhood had caught fire.

Jason Evans, spokesman for the fire department, said the incident was declared "tapped out" at 3:36. Although he had few details, a passerby likely saw smoke from a wielder's torch or some smoldering debris on the roof and called the department, he said.

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