It’s another of the too-frequent “oops” moments at Dallas City Hall — shorthand for “Oops, we forgot to ask those pesky taxpayers for their point of view.” This time the culprit is the public works department, which is trying to fast-track fancy digital kiosks onto our sidewalks.
Digging into this mess gave me whiplash back to 2006. That was the year buyer’s remorse flooded the City Council for its purchase of what then the latest and greatest in oversized public kiosks.
“I think we’ve created something we didn’t mean to create,” then-Mayor Laura Miller said after listening to angry residents and business owners. “You don’t want a giant spaceship in the middle of your public sidewalk.”
She was talking about the 100 barrel-shaped advertising kiosks approved the year before by council members high on the revenue they supposedly would generate for the city.
Miller and the council members who joined her in opposing the plan had warned of unintended consequences. They were right. The barrels should never have been installed. Quickly outdated and often vandalized, they became little more than sidewalk clutter the city is stuck with until the contract expires in 2026.
What did Dallas learn from this unforced error? Nothing. Public works staff apparently fell in love with the latest iteration of information kiosks and felt the several letters of concern they received about their plan amounted to sufficient community engagement.
At the last minute, several council members told staff to hit the brakes and, before any vote takes place, schedule public meetings. The one-hour sessions will be April 22 and 29. (You’ll find more details of the meetings at the end of this column.)
I’m not convinced City Hall isn’t just going through the motions. Far more meetings than this took place over regulating neighborhood book-sharing boxes.
The proposed interactive digital kiosks would provide directions, emergency assistance, Wi-Fi and information about city attractions and events. That could make them useful for visitors — folks in town for a convention or the 2026 World Cup. Wouldn’t you figure those guests to our city have a smartphone and data plan?
At 8-and-a-half feet tall, 3-feet wide and 1-foot deep, they take up less sidewalk space than the barrel kiosks. Like the old ones, they cost the city nothing. The vendor’s profit comes from advertising, with Dallas getting a cut.
City Hall needs innovative revenue streams — but not at a cost to residents. With so many efforts underway to make our city more walkable and to address growing concerns about pedestrian safety, installing kiosks requires more serious vetting.
Given how narrow and poorly maintained so many of our sidewalks are, including in downtown and Uptown, I’d just as soon public works focus on those problems.
In recent months, IKE (Interactive Kiosk Experience) Smart City, which has installed the devices from Berkeley to Baltimore, has shown its wares to several large stakeholders, including Downtown Dallas Inc.
IKE recommends deploying up to 150 kiosks, 25 at a time, throughout the city. It pledges to install 20% of them in zip codes with the highest economic and social inequality.
The selected vendor would pick locations based on what’s best for advertiser dollars. The city would have final say. Unsurprisingly, its stated priority, like the vendor’s, is to make the most money possible.
The IKE presentation I reviewed noted its desire to locate the kiosks in densely populated intersections and neighborhoods, the city’s most commercial streets and near cultural institutions, parks and event venues. IKE says its kiosks are ADA-compliant and will maintain a 4-foot unobstructed walkway.
At a recent council committee meeting, Ali Hatefi, director of the public works department, couldn’t provide an estimate of potential city revenue from the digital kiosks. Nor could he say how much money the current ones have generated.
I followed up to request answers to those two questions and to get an interview with Hatefi. A City Hall communications staffer said Hatefi was unavailable, and she was unable to get the revenue questions answered.
The Real Estate Council of Dallas is one of many stakeholders newly awakened to what the city is up to on its sidewalks — and troubled it didn’t already take the proper steps to gauge community feedback.
Linda McMahon, the group’s president and CEO, detailed concerns in a letter to council members: “We believe that the initial proposal was not in the best interests of our community,” she wrote, “and would have had negative impacts on our city’s sidewalks, safety, right of way and overall urban environment.”
Jamee Jolly, the head of Uptown Dallas Inc., told me she’s baffled this plan was kept under the radar for so long, given sidewalks are the lifeblood of neighborhoods, especially the one she represents. “This is going against everything we’ve worked so hard to create in a pedestrian-friendly environment,” Jolly said.
She worries not just about the additional obstacles the kiosks would create but the potential distraction they would cause for drivers. “This would only further endanger pedestrians,” she said.
Jennifer Scripps, who leads Downtown Dallas Inc., said her group has tried to listen with an open mind, but increasingly she’s come to the realization “the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”
Scripps believes a high bar must be set before approving anything that creates more sidewalk clutter. “Who is clamoring for what might just turn into another graffiti attractor?” she asked. “We felt this was rammed down our throats a little bit.”
Maybe the upside of digital kiosks will win the day, but putting out a formal request for proposals before a robust public discussion is a bad look. Sidewalks are a critical quality-of-life asset, not a mundane commodity to be put up for sale.
The public right of way belongs not to Dallas City Hall or its elected officials but to all of us. As citywide conversations begin, let’s think hard before doing something that might not be in the best interest of the people who actually live and work here.
— 6-7 p.m. April 22, Webex virtual meeting. Register and attend through dal.city/Kiosks
— 6-7 p.m. April 29 at Dallas City Hall, Room L1 FN Auditorium, 1500 Marilla St.
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.
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