D-Rated.

A Senseless Tragedy Got Worse, But There Were Actually Some Glimmers Of Hope In Dallas This Week.

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.

Loosen Up My Buttons: Addison soul food outpost Buttons closed abruptly this week. The restaurant and live music venue served up killer chicken and waffles and great tunes. But, as happens far too often with great restaurants, its lease expired (which we all know means the owners jacked up the rent). The original location in Fort Worth is still open, but that's only so much consolation in the face of the fact that Addison lost one of its most distinct dining destinations. Minus 1.

Car-Jack-O-Lantern: Well, that’s one way to stop a crime. A carjacking suspect who intruded into the home of Brian Hackney found himself on the carving board, so to speak. The man reportedly stole a car from a 7-Eleven in Arlington and when he was pursued by police, he abandoned the car and ran into the neighborhood. Inside Hackney's house, though, the homeowner turned from making jack-o-lanterns with his daughter to stabbing the intruder, who was then held down until police arrived. Plus 2.

Rest in Peace: Just when you thought Dave Stevens' senseless murder couldn’t get any worse, his wife Patti took her life earlier this week and left a note for Dallas Morning News reporter Naomi Martin. Martin wrote about her personal connection in all its heartbreaking detail. It's a tragic end to a tragic story, but both are at peace now. It's a punch in the gut for those in the community, but hopefully Patti found her relief. Minus 4

Moody's Blues: Thanks to a lot of uncertainty and years of mismanagement, Moody's Investors Service downgraded the city of Dallas' bond rating. It's the second time in 12 years that this has happened. Dallas will now have to pay more in interest on its bonds, including $227 million that was just approved, which controversially includes $3 million to help a cement plant move out of the newly hip Trinity Groves area. Great job, city council! Minus 2.

Blocking The Suns: Look, I know it was only the first game of the regular season and that they had an abysmal preseason before it, but the Mavericks looked great Wednesday night, lighting up the Phoenix Suns — which features former Mavs center Tyson Chandler — to the tune of a 111-95 victory. There are still many games left, but at least the team got its season off to a start on the right foot. It was a blast to watch, and the team seemed to have its act together. That's more than I've been able to say in a long time. Plus 3.

Wild, Wild Nights So, obviously, this dude's setting a bad example, but you have to admire the chutzpah of this rookie cop. The officer, whose name has not been released, called in sick for his shift earlier this week, but he actually used the time off to party it up at the new Club V Live strip club, where he got into an argument with another customer. The fight kept going at a nearby gas station and the officer ended up getting shot in the leg. Realizing how bad this might look, his buddy took him to an Irving hospital where he gave a fake name. That it didn't really work out for him. But as D's Michael Mooney — no relation, so stop asking, OK? — pointed out, doesn’t this sound like an awesome '80s comedy? Minus 2 for the bad example, but plus 3 for the ridiculousness.

This Week's Total: Minus 1.
Last Week's Running Total: Minus 10.
This Week’s Running Total: Minus 11.