If you want to understand how bad things have gotten in certain parts of Dallas City Hall, look no further than a memo filed last week by council member Jesse Moreno on the condition of a city-owned building just steps from City Hall.
What’s known as the old Family Gateway Building at 711 S. St. Paul St. has been vacant for some time and under the care of the city’s real estate team.
What no one at City Hall seemed to know, or if they knew didn’t care enough to act, was that the building was being occupied by unhoused people. The interior was gutted of its water pipes and electrical wires. Unsanitary conditions had taken hold, with human feces and urine throughout.
The building, inside and out, was strewn with trash. The exterior was pocked with graffiti. A door that should have been locked was plainly propped open. The alarm was disarmed. Police found more than 20 people, and animals, living inside.
Moreno, who represents the area, discovered this while he and his small team were trying to do what the city has been too slow to — address an entrenched outdoor encampment along Canton Street and St. Paul that fronted this building.
Here’s a look inside the Old Family Gateway Building
Any city staffer, from the homeless team to real estate to police to code compliance, should have been able to see what Moreno did — that a city-owned building had become an extension of the outdoor camp.
Moreno was measured in his memo to interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. But in an interview with us, he was exasperated at what he saw as a failure of the city to secure the building and protect the safety of area residents and business owners.
It had been a valuable asset, he said. “Instead, now we are dealing with a building that probably needs to be condemned.”
Moreno, who chairs the council’s Housing and Homelessness Solutions committee, has become disenchanted with what he sees as City Hall’s commitment to a “housing first” policy for the homeless. The persistence of the Canton Street encampment likely led to the occupation of the old Family Gateway building, he believes.
But he is also concerned with the way the city is managing its real estate. City officials are considering selling excess property to help manage ballooning pension debt. But if its buildings are destroyed, what is there to sell? Recall that this is a city that moved its building inspectors into a $21 million building that couldn’t pass inspection.
Moreno also wondered what to make of the fact that city staff members told him he couldn’t join in a perimeter review of the building. If it was unsafe for a council member to walk around in daylight, how unsafe was it for people who live and work downtown?
No resident or business owner would be allowed to maintain a building in the condition that the old Family Gateway building is in. They would be slapped with fines.
But for Dallas City Hall, this is the way business is done. It has to stop.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
If Dallas had a city-owned competitive indoor track, thousands of athletes from across the region and neighboring states would compete right here in our hometown.
While there are recreational indoor walking tracks in the Dallas area, there are currently no indoor track facilities that meet competition standards. Many recreation centers have small indoor tracks for walking or casual jogging, but none meet the size, surfacing or layout requirements needed to host high school or college meets.
Coaches from Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of North Texas and Texas Christian University all agree: Without an indoor track, teams must drive hours to compete or train.
As one of SMU’s coaches, Leo Settle put it, “Teams travel to College Station, Houston and Lubbock for indoor competition. There are four NCAA Division I programs in D-FW, and it would be a great facility for hosting home meets.”
Dallas is already funding a major reimagining of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. Its expansion brings more conventions, tourism and year-round downtown activity. That expansion is the perfect opportunity to add an indoor track serving students, clubs and colleges.
Why build it now? Three reasons.
Athletes need it. Indoor season is not a luxury. It helps athletes refine technique, avoid injury in bad weather and remain competitive for outdoor track. UTD’s program — recently the subject of a petition to reinstate their track and cross country program — shows how essential local opportunities can be and how removing them disadvantages emerging athletes.
“An independent track, or one in partnership with a city or county, would be a huge advantage for North Texas,” said Stuart Kantor, executive director of the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association. There will be interest from college conferences, USA Track and Field, Amateur Athletic Union and the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation, he added.
John Joseph-Youssef, a former UTD athlete, agreed, “Indoor track bridges into the outdoor track season. It provides a controlled environment, free from wind and weather.”
The economic benefits are clear. Crowley High School in Fort Worth is building a $150 million indoor and outdoor track complex hosting state and regional meets, tournaments and events. Even at the high school level, indoor competition has taken off. For Dallas, a city of 1.3 million people, the absence of a comparable facility is a missed opportunity. LeTourneau University, in Longview, is also installing a facility, signaling growing interest in other parts of the state.
The timing couldn’t be better. Dallas voters have already supported investments in a new convention center to boost downtown activity. An athletic facility should be considered to turn a civic project into a community asset. Conference offices based in D-FW could bring championships here; high school meets could avoid all-day road trips; colleges could access invitationals they otherwise might miss.
This isn’t about elite programs. Coaches across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arkansas note that Division II and III teams often struggle to enter invitationals hosted by larger programs. An accessible indoor track would serve local athletes and competitors from across the region. That was the central message of the petition to save UTD’s programs: These sports expand access to higher education for students from diverse backgrounds.
City leaders are choosing what kind of Dallas to build. If the convention center expansion is supposed to increase activity, then let it be a place that supports our local athletes, provides a safe place to compete, and pays for itself. Choose the kind of city that keeps athletes in town and brings thousands of visitors here to compete and spend.
Dallas has the chance to lead and flourish. Include a portable indoor track in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center expansion during the indoor season — or build a permanent facility — and prioritize access for high schools, clubs and colleges.
Keely Aguilar is a Dallas high school student and competitive distance runner.
DALLAS – Get ready for a weather whiplash… After Monday’s record-tying heat, the Metroplex faces a week of summery temperatures mixed with rounds of rain and storms.
What we know:
The unseasonable warmth continues Tuesday, with another potential record-breaking day. The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures near 87 degrees, which would likely tie or break the current record of 83 degrees for the date at DFW. We have a 95% chance of achieving this.
Tuesday will begin with more clouds and a stronger breeze, but remain rain-free. Isolated to scattered showers will be possible, mainly west of I-35. More widespread showers and storms are expected to develop initially to the west Tuesday evening, according to the NWS. A few storms could become strong to severe, bringing locally heavy rainfall.
Rain chances on Wednesday afternoon will be about 20%, particularly south and west of DFW. A few light showers and rumbles are also possible early Wednesday and overnight into Thursday. Wednesday night rain chances will increase to 50%. While flood concerns are relatively low Wednesday, they will ramp up Thursday with a slight potential for flash flooding.
More rain and gusty thunderstorms are expected on Thursday with the potential for heavy rainfall, which could increase flood concerns. 80% of the area is expected to see showers and storms. Commuters should be aware of potential hazards during the Thursday morning commute.
Rain totals through Friday will likely range between one and two inches.
Once the weather system moves out, the area will briefly dry out and see sunshine and cooler conditions Friday, though temperatures will still be in the mid-70s. Rain chances will return this weekend, finally bringing temperatures that feel a little more like November.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Weather Service.
Five men were arrested this month in connection to a $1 million cargo theft operation where tires, rims, more than $32,000, appliances and other merchandise was recovered, Dallas police said.
The five men, who were arrested Nov. 1, are accused of taking part in at least 10 cargo thefts across the Dallas-Fort Worth area that date back to 2022, Dallas police said in a news release this week.
Officers discovered the theft ring after being alerted Nov. 1 of a stolen trailer being pulled by a semi-truck into a repair shop in the 5200 block of University Hills Boulevard, police said.
Officers confirmed the trailer was the one reported stolen by the Benbrook Police Department, then detained the semi-truck driver and two other suspects, police said.
While speaking with the suspects, it was determined that the repair shop owner and manager, who were both there, were also involved in the theft operation, police said.
Further investigation revealed that the repair shop was being used to store stolen cargo, police said. Under a search warrant, police said they seized $32,553 and recovered approximately $1 million in stolen items, including:
Dallas police recovered tires, rims, $32,000, appliances, motor oil and other merchandise during a cargo theft operation bust, where five men were arrested at a repair shop in the 5200 block of University Hills Boulevard on November 1, 2025.
Dallas Police Department / Dallas Police Department
The five men arrested all face felony charges, according to police.
Johnny Veail, 39, faces an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle charge.
Abdullah Majeed, 39, Mohammad Husainy, 37, and Anthony Walker, 54, all face a theft of property greater than or equal to $300,000 charge.
Justin Kenney, 37, faces a theft of property greater than or equal to $300,000 and a Benbrook Police Department warrant hold for theft of property less than $150,000.
Northern Lights to dazzle skies across these US states tonight – from Washington to Vermont to Maine | Today News
Police investigate car collision, shooting in Orange, New Jersey
Search for coal miner trapped in flooded West Virginia mine continues for third day
Soundgarden Enlist Jim Carrey and Seattle All-Stars for Rock Hall 2025 Ceremony
Developer plans to add a hotel and hundreds of residences to L.A. Live
The deadly car explosion in New Delhi is being investigated under an anti-terrorism law
Fire survivors can use this new portal to rebuild faster and save money
Barack Obama surprises veterans on honor flight to DC ahead of Veterans Day
