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Dallas, TX
After a Giraffe’s Tumble, an ‘Incredibly Difficult Decision’
A 15-year-old male giraffe was euthanized at the Dallas Zoo on Sunday after suffering an accident that hindered his ability to eat. The zoo said the giraffe, Ferrell, had an “unexpected fall in the barn” late on Friday. While examining Ferrell, veterinarians found he had dislocated his jaw “in such a way that surgery could not repair it.” Some 13 years ago, the giraffe had suffered an injury to his jaw that meant he was unable to hold his tongue in his mouth, per the Dallas Morning News. The fall did further damage to his tongue, making it “nearly impossible for him to eat,” the zoo said.
“The nature of this injury meant that Ferrell would face limitations in the use of his jaw and tongue, likely requiring a partial or full amputation of his tongue in the future,” the zoo said in a social media post, per Fox News. It said its team “made the incredibly difficult decision to humanely euthanize” the giraffe on Sunday. “This sudden loss has left us all completely heartbroken,” according to the post. Ferrell “will be dearly missed by all who knew him.” Five other giraffes have died at the zoo in the last decade, including a calf who was euthanized after suffering a leg injury in 2021, per NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. (Read more giraffes stories.)
Dallas, TX
Rep. Jasmine Crockett confirms security team member killed by Dallas police in standoff
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Monday confirmed that a 39-year-old man who was killed in a standoff with Dallas officers last week was a member of her security team who had been using a fraudulent identity.
Diamon Mazairre Robinson lived as “Mike King” for years, during which he operated security businesses that hired off-duty officers, Dallas police said during a Monday press conference. Robinson’s real identity was exposed after Irving police put out a bulletin for a vehicle with stolen government plates, which a Dallas officer had seen while working with Robinson on a security job six months earlier.
Robinson fled Dallas police, who attempted to pull him over on March 11, escaping a brief chase before being located once more in a hospital parking garage, officials said. After an hours-long standoff with negotiators, officers shot and killed Robinson after he stepped out of the vehicle and drew a handgun.
In a statement posted on social media, the Dallas congresswoman confirmed that Robinson had helped provide security for her for years, and said her team had followed U.S. House procedure for contracting security. She also said Robinson, acting as Mike King, had worked with multiple law enforcement agencies, including Capitol Police. A spokesperson with the Capitol Police did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Crockett said that her team was unaware he had been acting under an alias, but that Robinson had always maintained positive community relationships and never gave anyone reason to suspect he had misconstrued his identity.
“What we’re learning about his past doesn’t fit the person we came to know as Mike King,” Crockett said. “ His death evokes a range of emotions. Our hearts grieve the loss of someone we knew and the lost good that could have come from his redemption.”
DPD Deputy Chief William Kenneth said investigators did not discover Robinson’s true identity until after Crockett’s campaign for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race had ended. Crockett, a former public defender, said in her statement that she believed in people’s capacity for redemption and second chances. She also acknowledged Robinson’s prior criminal history and said they did not believe he had been charged with any violent offenses.
Robinson had posed as a federal officer under the “Specialty Dignitary Police,” a nonexistent agency he created identification cards for, officials said. He also had two active felony theft warrants from 2017, a parole violation, two vehicles with stolen government plates and multiple stolen firearms, including the one he produced before being shot, Kenneth said.
Dallas, TX
Mavericks bounce back with 130-120 win over Cavaliers after losing Friday night
Cooper Flagg scored 27 points, Naji Marshall added 25 and the Dallas Mavericks bounced back from a 33-point loss to Cleveland two days ago to defeat the Cavaliers 130-120 on Sunday afternoon.
The Mavericks, who were routed 138-105 on Friday night, pulled away in the second half to snap a seven-game losing streak against the Cavaliers.
P.J. Washington had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Dallas, which won for just the second time in 11 games.
It was the 12th time this season Flagg has scored at least 27 points. The top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft was 10 of 17 from the field and also had 10 assists and six rebounds in 33 minutes.
Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell had 26 points and Max Strus scored 24 points in his season debut. The seventh-year forward missed the first 67 games because of a broken left foot.
Strus suffered a Jones fracture — a break of the bone that connects the little toe to the base of the foot — during offseason training and underwent surgery on Aug. 26.
The Cavaliers committed 16 turnovers, which resulted in 25 Mavericks’ points.
There were 11 lead changes and seven ties in the first half before Dallas emerged with a 60-59 advantage at halftime.
The Mavericks scored the first seven points of the third quarter and extended their lead to 78-67 on a 3-pointer by Ryan Nembhard with 7:20 remaining.
The Cavaliers got within seven before the Mavericks countered with a 10-2 run late in the quarter.
Dallas’ John Poulakidas had 10 points in his second NBA game. Poulakidas, a rookie from Yale who signed a two-way contract on March 1, had eight points and two rebounds in the third quarter.
The Mavericks led by 21 in the fourth quarter before the Cavaliers made a late run.
Up next
Up next
Mavericks: At New Orleans on Monday.
Cavaliers: At Milwaukee on Tuesday.
Dallas, TX
Dallas mayor calls City Hall debate ‘silly games,’ defends review of options
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson pushed back Sunday against friction over City Hall’s future as “silly games” meant to “muddy the waters,” saying exploring relocation options is routine due diligence, not a backroom scheme.
In his weekly newsletter, Johnson outlined his most detailed case yet for studying whether Dallas should move City Hall, saying speculation and sensational coverage have distorted the debate.
“Those who are more interested in muddying the waters than dealing in facts are working overtime, trying to make normal stuff sound nefarious,” Johnson said.
The mayor said the core issue is simple: the I.M. Pei-designed City Hall is aging, expensive to maintain and ill-suited for modern government operations.
“Dallas City Hall isn’t in good shape,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t meet the needs of a modern big-city government — or, really, of any modern workplace.”
He said the building’s design anchors a government district that leaves a large stretch of downtown inactive after business hours.
Why now?
Broader changes in Dallas’ urban core make it the right moment to reconsider the city’s headquarters, Johnson said, pointing to:
- Redevelopment of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
- The rise of the city’s financial district, dubbed “Y’all Street.”
- The expected departure of AT&T’s downtown headquarters in the coming years.
“This city is at an inflection point,” Johnson wrote. “It’s the right time to ask what kind of urban core Dallas wants to have in the coming decades and then start building it.”
He said that’s why he sided with the majority of the City Council in a recent 9-6 vote directing city staff to explore options, including repairing the building or relocating City Hall.
Johnson said that is a common step to gather information before any major decision is made.
Consultants estimate fully modernizing the current building could cost more than $1 billion over 20 years. Less expensive repairs alone may not produce a more effective workplace, he said.
“You can’t consider the viability of any one option in a vacuum without knowing what your other options are,” he said.
Downtown boost
As he has before, Johnson said redeveloping the City Hall site could increase the city’s tax base and spur development in a largely quiet part of downtown.
He said Dallas has moved its city government headquarters several times in the past and cited other civic projects, such as Klyde Warren Park and the American Airlines Center, that helped reshape Uptown and Victory Park.
Johnson also took issue with news coverage highlighting “5,000 pages of emails,” saying standard city procedures have been portrayed as suspicious. Instead of “tabloid-style articles about boogeymen,” Johnson wrote, “you deserve straight talk and clarity.”
The Dallas Morning News, after reviewing the internal messages, reported last week that city officials and outside advisers discussed relocation scenarios and took a few council members on site tours that had not been publicly announced.
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Johnson said consultants and city officials involved in evaluating City Hall — including AECOM, CBRE, the Dallas Economic Development Corp. and the city manager’s office — are carrying out the council’s direction to review options.
Criticism of their work reflects political disagreements, he said, not flaws in the process.
Arena speculation
Opponents of a possible City Hall move have said the push is tied to finding a new home for the Dallas Mavericks.
Johnson rejected that. “The team wants a new arena. That has never been a secret,” he wrote.
He said no formal proposal for an arena at the City Hall site has been presented to the council. That echoed what Mavs CEO Rick Welts told The News in a recent interview.
“There’s no basis to characterize an entirely unknown, and as yet hypothetical, deal as a ‘giveaway,’” Johnson said.
He chided some relocation opponents who wanted an outside assessment of City Hall’s condition but are now attacking its findings.
“It is ironic that some of the same voices who most loudly demanded an outside facility condition assessment are now the loudest critics of the result,” Johnson wrote.
He called for a focus on long-term planning. “It’s time to put aside the pettiness,” he said, “and start talking about a real vision for this city’s future.”
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