One should be cautious, very cautious, when embarking on the journey upon which we are about to embark. There are few conclusions, legitimate or otherwise, worth drawing from early voting, much less two days’ worth of it. But the data is there, providing as close a facsimile as exists for…
Nearly half of America’s college students don’t have a safe, affordable and consistent place to live, and nearly 4 in 10 don’t have reliable access to food. Perhaps most troubling, 17% of the nation’s college students were homeless at some point in the past year. Those are the conclusions of…
Late last year, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, never one to be mistaken for a moderate, struck perhaps the most conciliatory note of his political career when he said he supported closing the so-called “gun show loophole” and mandating background checks for all gun sales between strangers. Wednesday, a coalition…
“Reform Dallas,” a Facebook group I’m still trying to figure out, lit up for a while this week with a provocative post that started out, “I see a lot of people who despise and rally against gentrification.” The post went on: “My question is how do we organize and improve…
In the next three months plus, Dallas and the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance plan to reduce the city’s count of homeless veterans by 25%. They plan to take the most direct route possible to achieving that goal — getting housing for at least 100 of the city’s estimated 400 former…
A little before noon Wednesday, a Twitter account with fewer than 50 followers caught a viral wave and sent Cowboys fans into a panic. Amari Cooper, the team’s star free-agent wide receiver had been, according to @TOffseason, shot “in a parking garage in the Dallas area.” The tweet was bullshit…
Dallas and Fort Worth students’ performance on national standardized tests looks much better when you take demographics into account, according to a new report released by the Urban Institute. Dallas jumped to No. 5 in the ranking of 27 large school districts across the country. The analysis was based on…
A half-decade ago, Dallas County came this close to signing off on a contract that could’ve banned in-person visits at its county jail. Tuesday, by a unanimous vote, the Dallas County Commissioners Court approved a plan that will see county jail inmates charged just $.01 per minute for phone calls…
Show me a silver lining, I will find you a cloud. From 2014 to last year, the Dallas public school system became a state leader and role model for its ability to turn around failing schools. That’s the silver lining. The cloud is what happened next. As soon as the…
Airbnb, Vrbo and the rest of their short-term rental brethren appear set to head down the same road traveled by Uber and Lyft five years ago. The Dallas City Council wants a task force, one that will make sure the city gets its cut and will respond to concerned neighbors…
Dallas is nowhere close to fulfilling an ambitious plan to create a citywide network of bicycle lanes. In 2011, the City Council adopted a plan to create 1,300 miles of bike routes, including bikes lanes, street markings and multipurpose trails, that would promote “wide-spread use of bicycles” in the car-centric…
The city is proposing implementing new restrictions and raising fees to address safety concerns about its “Dockless Mobility Program.” The program allows five companies — Bird, Jump, Lime, Ojo and Wheels — to blanket the city in scooters that can be picked up, rented by the minute and then dropped…
If it seems like just yesterday that the Iowa Democratic Party was making a mockery of their caucus’ treasured first-in-the-nation status thanks to their inability to count votes or name a winner — it isn’t. But it’s close. Things are just getting started and, already, Texans are about to get…
A little over a year ago, The Dallas Morning News hired a new editorial page editor, Brendan Miniter, from the (George W.) Bush Presidential Center (Library) in Dallas. Ever since, the page has been embarrassing. And I guess it would be fair to wonder who is embarrassed. Clearly not the…
A crowd of more than 5,000 people roared as Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders stepped out from behind a curtain Friday night and made his way to the lectern at Mesquite Arena. “You know, I was thinking, I have never been to a rodeo in my life, but I do…
Dallas’ housing authority’s efforts to redevelop a slew of public housing projects hit a snag this week after residents protested that they weren’t adequately notified. On Monday, DHA’s board considered adopting changes to a long-term planning document formalizing details about the plan. But after hearing complaints from angry residents who…
First Baptist Dallas Pastor Robert Jeffress is not a stooge. In fact, if one even raises the idea that he’s totally in the tank for President Donald Trump, providing evangelical cover for keeping kids in cages, hush money payments to porn stars and absolutely anything else Trump decides to during…
David Brown, the former Dallas police chief, is one of a handful of candidates being seriously considered to be Chicago’s next top cop, the Tribune reported on Thursday. The Chicago Police Board is reviewing candidates and will select three to forward to the mayor. Other top prospects include a deputy…
A former Dallas Police Department officer was found not guilty Thursday of charges related to a 2017 shooting in which he killed a woman at an Old East Dallas apartment complex. After deliberating for two days, a Dallas County jury acquitted Christopher Hess, 42, of a single count of aggravated…
Nationwide, instances of white supremacist groups handing out leaflets and posting flyers in public places more than doubled last year, and Texas is one of a handful of states leading the pack. Those are among the conclusions included in an Anti-Defamation League report on white supremacist propaganda released this week…
Never let it be said that Dallas isn’t doing its best to make things easier on you, dear residents. Later this month, thanks to the city’s largess, you’ll be able to experience all the fun of a municipal court proceeding, right in your own backyard. That’s right, everyone in Dallas…
Sometimes somebody just rings the damn bell. Two young guys who are smart, one an analyst at the Manhattan Institute in New York and another an urban developer here in Dallas, co-wrote an op-ed piece recently that rang the bell loud and clear on DART, our regional transit agency. The…
