The long wait for dredging White Rock Lake has been a source of frustration for Dallas residents. It should have been done years ago, but the city has been putting this task on the back burner.

Historically, removing sediment and other materials from the lake has been done about every two decades. But the last time was in 1998.

A full dredging of the lake, however, is a cost-prohibitive process in today’s dollars, estimated at between $53 million and $80 million, according to a 2020 feasibility study.

The sediment buildup is harmful to the overall health of the lake. Shallow waters make it unsafe for recreation, boating and sailing. White Rock Lake literally breathes life into Dallas; it is a vital community resource for our city. We need to get this dredging done.

The good news is that the city is rethinking its approach. Instead of taking on the entire lake all at once, it is moving forward with a targeted dredging strategy recommended by the project’s engineering consultant. This program would focus on specific areas with high sedimentation, and it will be scaled to the available budget. This is a pragmatic approach that could work.

Dallas has a pattern of delaying maintenance and operations, with its own City Hall as Exhibit A. It has been nearly three decades since sediment buildup was removed from the lake. The idea of making this a permanent program with phased dredging every five to seven years is something we can get behind. It would create a badly needed maintenance process.

The City Council recently approved a supplemental agreement expanding its engineering services contract with Freese and Nichols, the firm that has been providing design and engineering work on White Rock Lake since 2022. It will be tasked with identifying and prioritizing dredge areas based on available funding. But actual dredging would not begin before December 2028, when this design phase is completed.

The city has $2 million in federal funding for the design phase and voters approved up to $20 million as part of the 2024 bond package. Still, funding is insufficient for a full dredging of the lake.

Council member Paula Blackmon, who represents District 9, where White Rock Lake is located, told us she tried looking into federal and state funding to dredge the lake, but those efforts were unsuccessful. The reason is that White Rock Lake is a recreational lake. It is difficult to compete for funding with lakes that provide drinking water to communities struggling with drought, she told us.

Blackmon said this targeted dredging approach was ultimately forced by economics, but it makes sense in the long term. It is a sustainable method guided by data that will lead to improved maintenance.

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The Dallas Cowboys sent a clear message to start the NFL offseason when they fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and hired Philadelphia Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker to take over the unit.

Dallas filled the defensive staff with young, up-and-coming coaches around the league and let everyone know that an overhaul of the roster and a new scheme is coming to Big D.

With free agency around the corner and draft season heating up with the start of the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, there is no question what the front office plans to do to spark a bounce-back season in 2026.

MORE: Dallas Cowboys’ Stephen Jones Confirms Major George Pickens News

When discussing how Dallas will approach the offseason and improve the roster through free agency and the NFL draft, Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones confirmed that the team has one main focus.

“We want to fix this defense,” Jones told reporters. “And we feel really good about the offensive side of the ball, now that we got Javonte (Williams) done, and we know that we’ll have George (Pickens) back.

“So we feel really good about that side of the ball. I think this is obvious, we’ve spent a lot of time on it already in the offseason, revamping the defensive coaching staff, and now we’ll take the next steps, which are to improve the personnel on that side of the ball.”

If the Cowboys are serious about improving on defense, it will be exciting to see what improvements the team decides to make.

After the disastrous 2025 campaign, it is clear that the team is in desperate need of the focus that the front office is committing to. Let’s just hope that it pays off.

MORE: Stephen Jones Discusses Cowboys Plans to ‘Bust the Budget’ in Offseason

Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 defensive rankings

Total Defense: The Dallas Cowboys ranked No. 30 in the league in total defense, allowing 377 total yards per game, including what is, unfortunately, a league-high 60 touchdowns.

Pass Defense: The Dallas Cowboys ranked dead last in the NFL in passing defense, No. 32, allowing 251.5 yards per game and 35 passing touchdowns, ranking as the second-most behind the New York Jets, who failed to get an interception in 2025.

Rush Defense: The Dallas Cowboys ranked No. 23 in the league, allowing 125.5 yards per game and a league-high 24 rushing touchdowns.

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For the first time since 1980, the United States secured an Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey on Sunday.

Throughout the 2026 Olympic tournament, the U.S. was propelled by brothers Jack and Quinn Hughes. Quinn provided a game-winning overtime goal as the U.S. defeated Sweden in the quarterfinals, while Jack provided the winning goal in the U.S.-Canada gold medal matchup.

As the Hughes brothers earned praise, several hockey fans pointed out how their mother has connections to North Texas. Ellen Weinberg-Hughes grew up in Dallas, forming part of the legendary 1984 Dallas Sting Soccer Club.

Here are five things to know about Weinberg-Hughes:

She was a multi-sport star growing up in Dallas

Weinberg-Hughes played hockey and soccer throughout her childhood in Dallas. In 1981, 12-year-old Weinberg-Hughes was featured in a news story from KXAS-TV (NBC5) as she suited up for her Dallas youth hockey team.

One of her hockey team’s coaches was her father, Dr. Warren A. Weinberg. In the interview, Weinberg-Hughes shared her goal to play hockey at the professional level.

“It’s just a goal I want to reach,” Weinberg-Hughes said.

She was also a standout at soccer. More on that below…

She made history with the Dallas Sting Soccer Club

Weinberg-Hughes played for the Dallas Sting Soccer Club in the 1980s. She was part of the team that captured worldwide attention in 1984 when it won the first FIFA-sanctioned world women’s tournament in Xi’an, China.

That tournament played a key role in the development of the first women’s World Cup, which took place in 1991. Weinberg-Hughes can be seen in the Sting team photo below.

Weinberg-Hughes told NBC earlier this year that her best friend on the Sting Soccer Club was Carla Overbeck.

(Read more about the historic Sting Soccer Club here.)

Hockey has been a constant in her life

Weinberg-Hughes continued to play multiple sports when she suited up at the University of New Hampshire from 1988-91. She ultimately played for the United States’ women hockey team, earning a silver medal at the 1992 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland.

Her husband, Jim, was also a hockey player who previously held a front-office role with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

She celebrated multiple gold medals this winter

Weinberg-Hughes was pretty busy throughout the Milan Cortina Olympic Games. According to NBC, she served as a player development consultant for the U.S. women’s hockey team this winter.

That means Weinberg-Hughes got to celebrate the U.S. women’s gold medal a few days before her sons Jack and Quinn led the U.S. men’s team to victory.

The U.S. women defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime Thursday, while the U.S. men defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime Sunday.

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.