D-Rated.

Guns and Liquor Reigned Supreme This Week. So Much For Bucking Stereotypes, Dallas.

Welcome to D-Rated, our weekly feature that tries to determine if things are looking up or down for Dallasites by arbitrarily assigning point values to current events.

Reality bites: Congratulations, City of Richardson! That resident of yours who caught the West Nile virus this week is the first reported case in the States this year! Wait, it's not a race? Nevermind, then. Minus 1.

Rocks for jocks: Turns out, in addition to not being all that great at football or basketball, the student-athletes at Southern Methodist University aren't so hot at being students, either. We can still blame this on the Death Penalty, right? Minus 5.

Weapons of choice: This week, a whopping 85 weapons — including sniper rifles and AK-47s — were stolen in Collin County. Unless the people behind this robbery are planning on filming a YouTube video in which they use the guns to recreate scenes from GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64, this probably isn't good news. But if that is the case… Push.

Ride 'em, cowboy: An Oak Cliff livestock owner found a man having rape with his horse this week. … . … . And then the bartender said, “Why the long face?” Minus 2.

We've got spirit, yes we do: Dallas is getting more spirit-friendly! Next week, city council will meet to possibly amend some laws so that Dallas will become a more attractive spot for microbreweries, distilleries and wineries. Let's all get wasted! Plus 10.

Go outside: Travel + Leisure released another list this week, this one focusing on the best outdoor bars in America. Dallas' The Foundry popped up on the list, and, sure, deservedly so, despite the fact that the place is still totally new. Lee Harvey's and the Katy Trail Ice House could not be reached for comment. Plus 1.

Hail to the thief: Remember that hail storm last week? Insurance companies estimate that it may have caused as much $2 billion in damages. Car ports may be ugly by nature, but they sure have a nice case going for them now, huh? Minus 2.

Arts on fire: A new report says the City of Dallas makes $300 million annually because of the arts. Crafts lag way behind. Plus 3.

Last week's total: Plus 4.26.
This week's count: Plus 4.
This week's running total: Plus 8.26.