Dallas, TX
Dallas church stands firm with rainbow steps art win
A hearing room at Dallas City Hall was packed with an overflow crowd. Supporters of Oak Lawn United Methodist Church were ready for a fight, but that fight was one-sided.
“Rainbow steps shouldn’t be controversial,” one supporter said during his 3 minutes at the public comment microphone. “It’s just paint, y’all!”
The church came to the Dallas Landmark Commission to get permission for the rainbow steps painted last month in response to Governor Greg Abbott’s order to paint over crosswalks with political or ideological references, like the rainbow crosswalk outside Oak Lawn United Methodist.
“”These rainbow steps that I’m sitting on are an art installation,” Oak Lawn United Methodist Church Senior Pastor Reverend Rachel Griffin-Allison said. “We feel that it is urgent to make a statement, make a bold statement, and a visible statement, to say that who you are is queer, and beloved, and belongs here.”
As NBC 5 spoke with the pastor, someone yelled homophobic insults from a passing car.
“This is important to have because that kind of heckling happens all the time,” Griffin-Allison said somberly.
The church, a Gothic revival building, is a designated historic landmark, which is why it needed the Dallas Landmark Commission’s approval.
“They are not considered part of the historic preservation building; they are just steps,” one speaker said during public comments.
Several speakers pointed out that the steps had been painted a “gaudy blood red” in the past, and then a shade of gray with no comments or approval.
“When I see the stairs, I see love, support, inclusion, and kindness,” a woman wearing sequin rainbow sneakers said. “They bring a smile to my face and my heart.”
“If you don’t like rainbow steps on your church, then go to one of the 500 churches that don’t have them,” a young man said to the commissioners. “We have one street that represents this culture, and we have one church with rainbow steps!”
Not a single speaker spoke out against the rainbow steps art installation, and it was apparent there was no fight with the commissioners either, as they unanimously voted to allow the rainbow steps to stay up for 3 years.
Jeff Kolb and Sam Gannon welcome Cowboys insiders Clarence Hill (All City Dallas) and Calvin Watkins (Dallas Morning News) for a hilarious breakdown of the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Giving insight, arguments, and plenty of laughs as two of the best Dallas Cowboys writers in the business go head-to-head on what Dallas should do next.
Dallas, TX
New video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
The search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
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