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Dallas City Council closer to finalizing $1.25 billion bond package ahead of May election

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Dallas City Council closer to finalizing .25 billion bond package ahead of May election


The Dallas City Council on Wednesday threw support behind a proposed $1.25 billion bond program that would include dedicating $500 million for road projects, $310 million for parks, $61 million for housing and $75 million in unreserved money divided evenly among the 15 members for their individual discretion.

The 9-6 straw vote for the funding allocations is nonbinding and could change before a Feb. 14 scheduled vote that would send finalized propositions to voters for a May 4 election. The group is next scheduled to meet about the bond on Feb. 7, when it will start narrowing down specific projects and cost.

The $75 million drew split reactions from the City Council, with some saying it was necessary to ensure needed district-specific projects get funded, while others argued it took away from infrastructure needs that impact the city as a whole.

Council member Adam Bazaldua, who was against the scenario, said he believed it sent “a very bad message” to the public. The favored allocations reduced money in a separate scenario Bazaldua was the lead supporter of, such as $100 million for housing, $45 million for economic development, $27.9 million in City Hall upgrades and $20 million for homelessness-related projects.

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The favored allocations set money for economic development at $29.2 million, homelessness projects at $8.5 million and no money for City Hall fixes. Among the repairs planned for City Hall were electrical, fire suppression and HVAC upgrades.

“This amendment, to me, tells the public ‘I’m not concerned with everything that we’ve learned on the needs of our city, but I am more concerned with having the autonomy with millions of dollars,’” Bazaldua said.

Council member Tennell Atkins, who proposed the allocations that got majority approval, said he believed the group could work together to use their discretionary money to boost some categories. He noted a recent community survey showing streets and parks listed among the top concerns of residents.

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Atkins’ scenario had increases in a few areas over Bazaldua’s initial proposal, such as boosting money for parks by $10.5 million, bumping up libraries by $7 million and adding $5 million for city information technology projects.

“We work for the citizens of Dallas,” said Atkins, the council’s mayor pro tem. “They are our boss. They tell us what to do.”

Mayor Eric Johnson and council members Atkins, Jesse Moreno, Zarin Gracey, Carolyn King Arnold, Omar Narvaez, Kathy Stewart, Cara Mendelsohn and Paul Ridley supported the funding allocations.

Wednesday’s decision comes after the City Council in a similar nonbinding vote on Jan. 19 favored increasing the bond total from $1.1 billion to $1.25 billion, which was hoped would allow the city to cover more projects in the upcoming bond program.

Parks, housing and arts have been the top requests for bond funding voiced by the public during three City Council meetings on the bond, including on Wednesday.

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But the tentatively approved scenario falls well short of the $200 million in bond money housing advocates have been requesting to boost the city’s stock of affordable homes.

“If we choose not to significantly invest in housing, we’re only digging ourselves into a deeper hole and putting our residents in more dire straits,” Bryan Tony, an organizer with the Dallas Housing Coalition, told the City Council ahead of its decision.

Council member Jaynie Schultz, before the straw vote, said she didn’t understand the rationale behind the proposed bond money for housing and homelessness when they have been among the top issues the public has voiced to the council that need to be addressed.

“If we’re going to borrow money in order to move this city forward, these items in these bond recommendations ought to be moving our city forward,” Schultz said. “So I would like to see the justification, particularly for the discretionary fund, on how everybody’s discretionary fund is actually going to move this city forward and be worth borrowing the money for.”

Here are the tentative $1.25 billion bond program allocations that received the majority of the Dallas City Council’s support on Wednesday:

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• Streets and transportation: $500 million

• Parks and recreation: $310.5 million

• Public safety: $90 million

• Cultural arts facilities: $75.2 million

• Council discretionary: $75 million

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• Housing: $61 million

• Flood protection and storm drainage: $52.1 million

• Libraries: $43.5 million

• Economic development: $29.2 million

• Homelessness: $8.5 million

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• Information technology: $5 million



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Dallas, TX

Viral East Dallas coffee shop fears major sales drop amid six-week road closure

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Viral East Dallas coffee shop fears major sales drop amid six-week road closure


Construction plans disrupt business in East Dallas. Just a few days ago, the owners of Juju’s Coffee off La Vista Drive in Dallas were informed by Oncor that the street on which their shop is located will be closed.

One of the owners, Nick Rocha, said the closure will last six weeks, but if there are any delays, it could be extended until October.

The coffee shop, which opened in 2023, has recently gained a lot of popularity. One of their drinks, called the “do-si-dos,” has gone viral, and now they have lines out the door on a regular basis.

“It’s a peanut butter milk latte… We probably doubled our sales or more if I had to be honest,” said Rocha.

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Since the drink’s release in April, the flow of customers has been nonstop.

“We were like, ‘We’ll go viral and then we’ll die out.’ Then we’re like, ‘Well, when is it going to be over, because we’re just getting slammed?’ We were both doing like 60- to 70-hour weeks… And it just kept going, and it turned from like, ‘Okay, we’re scared of it,’ to, ‘Okay, we can do this,’” said Rojas.

Rojas says that just as they were adjusting to the new normal, the notice from Oncor came.

“They were just like, ‘Yeah, so we’re going to close the street, sorry.’ That was tough… because we’re in the middle of dreaming and vision casting for what’s coming and what’s next,” said Rojas.

Starting July 20, La Vista Drive will be closed, sidewalk accessibility will be difficult, and street visibility will be too. Rojas believes the impact could drop their sales by about 50%. He says they’ve had meetings with the city and Oncor, but says there’s nothing they can do, and now their only plea is to their customers.

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“Anybody that comes in and supports, it’s a genuine gratitude from us,” said Rojas.



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3 unanswered questions before training camp: Dallas Cowboys edition

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3 unanswered questions before training camp: Dallas Cowboys edition


For the Dallas Cowboys and their owner, Jerry Jones, the hope is always that the changes made will improve the product on the field. Every team heading into training camp will have questions to answer, and the Dallas Cowboys are first on our list with 3 of the biggest ones. This will be an ongoing series for the next couple of weeks until camp starts, and answers start to reveal themselves in real time.

Another season of change for the Dallas Cowboys. Will it make a difference this time around to end the drought? Jerry Jones sure hopes so. Dallas hasn’t had a title in 30 years, and Jerry Jones promised to look in the mirror and make much-needed dramatic changes. The 34-year-old Christian Parker, who has no defensive coordinator experience, must embody the change upfront. Veterans were added, and Dak Prescott is back and healthy, running a new scheme. We shall see.

I wouldn’t worry about whether CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens can coexist long-term. I’m more concerned about whether you can keep them happy with the culture and get them to commit long-term. They declined to negotiate with Pickens and instead slapped him with the franchise tag. If Dak Prescott continues to spread the ball around, he should be able to keep them happy, but it comes at a cost: winning in the playoffs or a Super Bowl title.

Tight end Jake Ferguson’s role could diminish during the upcoming season. Even after signing a four-year, $52 million extension, former undrafted free agent Brevyn Spann-Ford is a better blocker and could have a major impact on the Cowboys’ offense in 2026.

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Dallas weather: Widespread thunderstorms bring flash flood risks and brief heat relief

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Dallas weather: Widespread thunderstorms bring flash flood risks and brief heat relief


A wave of scattered thunderstorms is expected to bring heavy rain, localized flooding risks, and brief relief from the July heat to North Texas and the Texoma region starting Sunday afternoon.

Severe weather risk

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The Storm Prediction Center has placed the entire region under a low-level risk for severe weather. Forecasters warn that while widespread severe conditions are unlikely, any strong storm cells that develop could produce localized flooding, small hail, frequent lightning, and damaging wind gusts between 50 and 60 mph.

We have a lot of moisture on hand. The atmosphere is primed for highly efficient rainfall. This is where the isolated flash flood threat starts to come in. If these areas get another round of rain through the overnight hours, of course, then that threat starts to elevate.

Timeline:

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The weather system began moving through Sunday morning with an initial cluster of storms focused heavily near Sherman in Grayson County, alongside isolated pop-up showers stretching east toward Delta and Red River counties. The broader Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex remained largely dry early in the day, with temperatures hovering in the late 70s to low 80s.

However, conditions are expected to shift rapidly as daytime heating pushes temperatures into the mid-90s.

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Sunday Afternoon (3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.): Storm coverage will become more scattered and widespread across North Texas.

Sunday Evening & Overnight: Pockets of heavy, intense rainfall are projected to stall over parts of the region.

Monday Morning Commute: Lingering showers and light rain are expected to persist through sunrise, threatening to create slick roadways and slow down the Monday morning rush hour.

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Temperature Outlook and Drought Relief

Despite the storm threat, the rain will be welcomed. The rainfall is expected to help alleviate the onset of the typical mid-summer drought conditions North Texas experiences this time of year.

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The accompanying cloud cover and rain will provide a temporary break from intense summer heat. While Sunday’s forecast high of 95 degrees sits exactly at the mid-July average, temperatures will dip slightly below average to 93 degrees on Monday and Tuesday.

A gradual drying and warming trend will begin mid-week as the low-pressure system slowly slides out of the area. Rain chances drop to 30% by Tuesday and will continue to taper off through Thursday. By Friday and next weekend, the typical July weather pattern is expected to return, bringing hot and dry conditions back to the region.

7-Day Forecast

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The Source: Information in this article is from the FOX 4 weather team.

WeatherSevere WeatherDallasFort Worth



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