D-Rated.

Potatoes Become Big Business, Plano's Got Some Cheaters and Dallas Loses An Icon.

Welcome to D-Rated, in which we try to determine if the quality of life in Dallas and its surrounding areas is moving up or down by arbitrarily awarding and subtracting point values to our living situation based on current events.

For Whom The Blue Bell Tolls: The day has come! Just, uh, not for us. Well, not yet. Blue Bell recently announced that its beloved ice cream will return to shelves August 31. Unfortunately, the closest it'll come to being in Dallas that day will still be a good two hours away, as Dallas County wasn't selected to be a part of the first phase of the brand's re-rollout. Still, it's progress! Plus 2.

Your Cheatin' Heart: Last month, a group of hackers called Impact Team stole data from the dating site AshleyMadison.com that's specifically designed for those looking to cheat. On Wednesday, the hackers dumped all the email addresses they'd found onto the public, and at least two Plano city employees were found to have used their official city email addresses to sign up for profiles. Those employees, whose names (and genders for that matter) were not revealed, are currently under investigation. I’m gonna go ahead and guess that using your work computer for hook-ups is fire-able offense. I mean… right? Minus 1.

You Say Potato, I Say Goldmine: Plano's Alex Craig has developed a new delivery service. And, sure, it's dumb, but so was the pet rock. Anyway, here's what Craig does: For a price, he’ll send a potato with a custom inscription on it to anyone you want (threats excepted). Craig claims he fills up to 100 orders a day and sometimes earns $10,000 a month. Yeah, that’s pretty ridiculous. But you gotta give the guy some points for creativity. Plus 1.

They Came In Like A Wrecking Ball: Way to go, Dallas! This week, crews removed the Di Suvero sculpture in front of the Meyerson Symphony Hall. What’s going in its place? You guessed it: An office building! The only way this could be more Rich Douchebag Dallas is if a high-rise condo was being built instead. Minus 1.

Gunnin' For That No. 1 Spot: Despite coming up three strokes shy of winning the PGA Championship, Dallas' own Jordan Spieth is now the No. 1 golfer in the world. He passed Rory McIlroy thanks to his awesome, season-long, record-setting run. Pretty damn impressive for a guy who’s only 22. I mean, he made golf interesting for a whole group of people who would've rather watched paint dry, a group that definitely includes me. Plus 2.

Rest In Peace, Batgirl: Dallas’s own Yvonne Craig, who starred in the campy Adam West version of Batman as the sidekick Batgirl, died on Monday of cancer. She had a lengthy list of movie and TV credits, including a notable stint on Star Trek, in which she played the green-skinned love interest of Captain Kirk. She was 78. Minus 1.

Deep-Fried In The Heart Of Texas: It's that time of year again! Yup, it's the time when we salivate over the expensive but often disappointing new foods we’ll get to scarf down at the State Fair of Texas. The finalists for this year's Big Tex Choice Awards include fried lobster, fried alligator and fried buffalo. But for those looking for something a little different, there's a carrot cake sweet roll (with cream cheese and nutmeg) and, my personal favorite, the pretzel-crusted pollo queso, which combines, chicken, bacon, cheese and Sriracha. Winners will be selected on August 30. Plus 1.

This Week's Count: Plus 3.
Last Week's Total: Minus 5.
This Week's Running Total: Minus 2.