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.
Klyde Warren Park, a top attraction in Dallas for more than a decade, is growing. Park and city leaders revealed details about the project on Monday morning, which will expand the park to 7.1 acres.
The park, which opened in 2012, connects Uptown Dallas with the Arts District over a recessed portion of Woodall Rodgers Freeway. The construction will span west to cover the remaining portion of the freeway, totaling 1.7 acres of new park space, according to the plans released Monday.
It will feature the Jacobs Lawn, a 37,000-square-foot green space that can be used for all types of community gatherings, performances and markets. In the winter, the lawn will feature an ice rink. Next to the lawn, the Overlook will give visitors a view of the highway traffic below them.
The expansion will also include a two-story pavilion with 24,000 square feet of climate-controlled event space, plus a rooftop terrace.
“This expansion isn’t simply about adding acreage. It’s an investment in Dallas, an investment in the community and an investment in future generations,” Klyde Warren Park chairman Jody Grant said in a statement.
“The expansion of this Park is exactly the kind of transformative investment we must continue to make throughout Dallas’s urban core. It will add new green space for residents to enjoy while driving continued economic growth, connecting our communities, and enhancing the quality of life that makes Dallas a destination for families, businesses, and visitors from around the world,” Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said in a statement.
Construction firm Archer Western won a competitive bid to work on the project, the same firm that built the first phase of the park.
Construction will begin by the end of the year, and is expected to take two years to complete.
FRISCO, Texas — After 12 seasons in the NFL and the last eight with the Dallas Cowboys, defensive back CJ Goodwin has announced his retirement.
Goodwin, 36, has played in 108 games for the Cowboys since he joined the team in 2018. He was the second longest-tenured Cowboy on the roster behind only Dak Prescott, who preceded Goodwin by two seasons.
Since 2019, Goodwin has been one of Dallas’ key players on special teams, recording 69 tackles with the Cowboys [ninth in Cowboys history] and 87 in his NFL career. In 2021, Goodwin became the first player in franchise history to lead the team in special teams tackles for three consecutive seasons.
After going undrafted in 2014, Goodwin received a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers after Steelers Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount, whose son attended high school with Goodwin and who Goodwin had worked for as a farm hand, urged the team to give him an opportunity. Pittsburgh would sign him as an undrafted free agent afterwards.
Following time with the Steelers, Falcons, Cardinals, Giants, 49ers and Bengals, the Cowboys signed Goodwin off of Cincinnati’s practice squad in October of 2018.
In his eight seasons with Dallas, Goodwin notched 2,211 snaps on special teams. He worked primarily as a gunner on punt coverage and was one of Dallas’ most impactful defenders on kickoff coverage during his career with the team.
Goodwin was named one of the Cowboys’ six captains in 2025, and the second captain on special teams alongside Brandon Aubrey. He finished the year with 18 special teams tackles.
In 2026, the Cowboys will now have to look to fill Goodwin’s shoes on special teams. Some of their offseason signings, like safety P.J. Locke, have a strong history as defenders on special teams and could end up being crucial for special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen in his second season in Dallas.
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