The Dallas Stars are at the center of an escalating tug‑of‑war over their future home, after Dallas City Council Member Chad West revealed that Plano has formally pitched the NHL franchise on relocating to Collin County.

In an interview with CBS News Texas, West said Plano has delivered a letter of intent outlining its offer, even as the Stars continue negotiating with Dallas on a plan that could keep the team at American Airlines Center beyond its 2031 lease expiration.

“The Stars are the popular kid getting asked to the dance right now,” West said. “Everybody in the region knows their contract is expiring in 2031, and they are interested in bringing the Stars to their city. Why wouldn’t they be? They’re a fantastic team. Stanley Cup champions. So bring it on. Healthy competition is a good thing.

“The City of Dallas is going to bring our best offer to the table. And, you know, the Stars have ‘Dallas’ in front of their name for a reason, and we owe it to them. We owe it to the fans to give them the best offer we can to keep them in the City of Dallas.”  

The Stars have not signed the Plano document, and the team declined to comment on the proposal.

“Thank you for reaching out,” said Joe Calvillo, a spokesman for the Stars. “We’re going to decline to comment on this matter.”

Plano officials stay quiet on negotiations

Plano officials would not confirm whether a letter was sent, but said the city routinely attracts interest from major companies and does not publicly discuss economic development negotiations until they reach the council.

“Plano is known to be attractive to national and international corporations, and we are home to numerous iconic brands,” the City of Plano said in a statement. “Due to the strong interest in Plano and competition within the region, we do not publicly comment on speculation or economic development projects until they are brought to Council for formal adoption.”

Plano’s economic‑development posture has drawn heightened attention in recent months as the city prepares to become the future home of AT&T’s global headquarters, a relocation that will consolidate thousands of employees on a new corporate campus.

That move, combined with Plano’s ongoing pursuit of major employers and marquee brands, has intensified regional competition for high‑profile projects – including the Stars’ long‑term arena plans.

Dallas pushes to keep the team

West said Dallas remains in active talks with the franchise about staying at American Airlines Center, including discussions about converting the building into a hockey‑specific venue. He emphasized that the Stars are still negotiating with the city and have not committed to any outside proposal.

“I think that we, as the City of Dallas, need to take it very seriously that there is at least one city talking to the Stars,” West said. “I highly believe there’s probably others who are as well. I’ve heard Arlington — haven’t confirmed it — but I’ve heard Arlington is very interested. I’m friends with the mayor out there. I know he would love to have more sports teams with ‘Dallas’ name in front of them in their city. But you know what? Bring on the competition.”

The Stars’ arena search is unfolding at the same time the Dallas Mavericks pursue plans for a new home of their own, signaling that the two longtime co‑tenants may eventually separate. The Mavericks are evaluating possible sites downtown and in North Dallas at the former Valley View Mall.

Both teams’ leases at American Airlines Center run through 2031.

AUSTIN – In her first public statements since being accused of allowing a staff member to stand in for her during a criminal court proceeding nearly five years ago, former Dallas County District Judge Amber Givens denied the allegations while testifying Wednesday before a three-judge panel.

Givens’ testimony came on the second and final day of her judicial misconduct trial held at the state Supreme Court in Austin. Her statements to the panel contradicted previous testimony from two prosecutors and two probation officers who witnessed the hearing at the center of the case.

The former felony court judge received a public reprimand and an admonition from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct last year after it determined she had allowed her court coordinator to stand in for her during an August 2021 bond hearing.

The commission also ruled that Givens had treated attorneys poorly in her courtroom on three specific occasions, and had taken action in two criminal cases after she had been recused from them. Givens appealed the findings, which then voided them and led to this week’s trial.

The trial was presided over by a Special Court of Review, whose members are three justices from various appellate courts in the state. Two prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office presented the case against Givens. The panel didn’t issue a ruling, and it could be weeks before a decision is released.

Among the options the justices have is to reinstate some or all of the sanctions issued by the judicial misconduct commission, or to dismiss them. If they uphold the public reprimand – the harshest sanction available – Givens would not be able to serve as a visiting judge, which many former judges choose to do after they leave the bench.

Givens resigned from her position presiding over the 282nd District Court in December to run for Dallas County district attorney. She’s taking on incumbent John Creuzot, who was among the witnesses called to testify during this week’s trial. Both are Democrats and will face off in the March 3 primary. Since no Republican candidates filed for the position, the primary winner likely will get the job after the November general election.

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During testimony Wednesday, Givens told the panel that on the day of the Aug. 3, 2021 bond hearing, she was having issues with her car and was working remotely, which was allowed during the COVID pandemic. When she tried to log into the virtual gathering for her court’s proceedings that day, she was unable to get in, she said.

Givens said she instructed her court coordinator, Arceola Warfield, how to log in to Zoom for her from Warfield’s computer so they could move on with the court’s business that day, which she described as minor.

When they got to the bond hearing, Givens said she called Warfield and told her to hold her phone up to the computer’s speaker so that the attorneys could hear her.

She said she told them she was approving the bond amount the two sides had agreed on and would require the defendant to wear an ankle monitor, which he repeatedly argued against. Givens said she also informed the participants that Warfield would read the bond conditions to them. Her lead attorney, Chip Babcock, then presented the justices with phone records that he said backed up her claims.

A former bailiff from Givens’ court said during a videotaped deposition played for the panel that he heard her voice over the phone. Warfield was not called as a witness during the trial. The prosecutors for the Attorney General’s Office said they repeatedly tried to subpoena her but were unable to locate her.

The testimony provided by Givens and the bailiff was at odds with that provided by the prosecutors and probation officers. They told the panel they never heard Givens’ voice during the hearing. All four said they were so concerned about what had taken place that they reported the incident to supervisors.

When leaders of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association found out about it, they filed a complaint with the judicial conduct commission.

The lawyers’ group also complained to the commission about the disrespectful way they believed Givens had treated attorneys appearing before her, and submitted videos of three court hearings to back up their claims. A criminal investigation was opened by Texas Rangers and a special prosecutor was appointed, but no charges were ever filed.

On Wednesday, Givens described the allegations accusing her of allowing a staff member to impersonate her during a court hearing as disturbing.

“I would have never asked (Warfield) to pretend to be me,” Givens testified. “I’m going to put my degree on the line? My license on the line? For a bond hearing? No.”

Givens also denied being disrespectful to attorneys in her court, and said well-known issues with the rollout of a new court computer system prevented her from knowing she’d been recused from the two cases she took action on after she had been removed from

In other testimony Wednesday, Amanda Branan, a former president of the Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, described Givens as acting like a “queen” when she was on the bench.

“It’s almost like she wants to be famous rather than be a judge and serve justice,” Branan said. “(Her) behavior was so bad and it just kept getting worse.”

Creuzot was called to testify about an email he received from Givens after she learned about the bond hearing allegations. In the message, she accused a prosecutor in Creuzot’s office of spreading lies about her and said she planned to file a bar complaint against her, which never happened, Creuzot said. She also asked Creuzot to reassign the prosecutor to another court, which he said he did.

Dallas City Council greenlit Fair Park’s long-awaited community park on Wednesday, delighting South Dallas community leaders and giving an embattled nonprofit permission to build the multimillion-dollar project.

“I just can’t thank you all enough for unifying, for fighting, for advocating, for not accepting ‘No,’” said council member Adam Bazaldua, who represents Fair Park’s district, to neighborhood leaders.

The nonprofit Fair Park First has been awaiting a development agreement from the city as millions in grant funding neared a March deadline. The group has already raised more than $30 million for the park. Over the past several months, city and community leaders have been evaluating whether the nonprofit was ready to deliver the 10-acre park at the city-owned fairgrounds.

On Wednesday, council members voted unanimously in favor of a contract, even though some have expressed concerns. The nonprofit has faced scrutiny since 2024, after nearly $6 million in misspent donor funds were disclosed. Last year, the city cut ties with the nonprofit and Oak View Group, Fair Park’s venue manager. The community project’s future was left undecided.

Fair Park project faces urgency

The city’s Park Board president assembled a task force in December to review Fair Park First’s readiness. In January, the City Council took oversight of the contract consideration from the Park Board as tensions grew over delays in the process. South Dallas leaders urged progress.

“Our community does not need another committee or more delays,” said Diane Ragsdale, a former council member and South Dallas advocate. “We need action. We deserve equitable public investment, strong health protections and a high quality of life for each resident. To abandon this project now would represent yet another clear breach of public trust.”

Ragsdale said the park was thoughtfully planned by people in South Dallas, noting numerous meetings. The park is part of a decadeslong effort to repair damage after the city razed homes to build parking lots at Fair Park, and would replace parking spaces at the fairgrounds, serving nearby neighborhoods.

Bazaldua said Black residents experienced displacement “at the hands of the very institution meant to protect them.”

“There were homes there. There were front porches. There were neighbors who knew each other’s names,” Bazaldua said at a news conference after the vote.

The park will offer restoration, Bazaldua said, a vibrant space for people who “have waited far too long for equitable investment.” The park, planned near Exposition and South Fitzhugh avenues, is expected to include a host of amenities, with an estimated projected cost of just over $40 million.

The new contract is expected to come with a number of guardrails and the city would own improvements made at the fairgrounds. With the agreement, Fair Park first would:

• Be held to a set of deadlines
• Be responsible for all permits
• Give briefings to City Council
• Allow a city audit
• Allow for a city-appointed, nonvoting board member for financial oversight

City oversight

At Wednesday’s City Council meeting, council member Cara Mendelsohn asked deputy park director Ryan O’Connor about an audit of the funding. He said the city had received a preliminary audit, as a draft, which the department planned to share with the council in the coming months.

Mendelsohn said she was hesitant to support the project without the audit findings, but she would be in favor because of the park’s importance.

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“I don’t think there’s anybody on this council that doesn’t want the park to happen, including me,” Mendelsohn said. “I’m concerned about the timing and that we really should be waiting for this forensic audit.”

Bazaldua said Fair Park First has undergone several audits. City leaders have also questioned Fair Park First’s ability to meet its goals.

“I don’t think you’re gonna hit your timeline,” Mendelsohn said. “I think it’s overly aggressive, probably unnecessarily overly aggressive.”

Jason Brown, Fair Park First’s board chair, said more context is needed around the project and its progress, which has completed its design and development phase.

“We didn’t just start working on this six months ago,” he said.

‘Stronger sense of connection’

City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert thanked the council and community leaders in a statement, adding that the park will transform underused space into a vibrant, welcoming destination for South Dallas.

“The investment will honor the historic Fair Park neighborhoods while delivering new green space to play and gather, and a stronger sense of connection for the residents who have advocated for this project for so many years,” she said.

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South Dallas community leaders rejoiced after the vote. Some had questioned the city’s attention to the park, pointing to other projects across the city, including Halperin Park, a deck park in southern Dallas that is nearing completion.

The new agreement represents trust and the city honoring commitments to people who live near Fair Park, welcoming visitors and hosting major events, said Norma Shaw with theFair Park Estates Neighborhood Association.

Too often, she said, Fair Park’s benefits have not flowed back into nearby neighborhoods. “For decades, our community has supported Fair Park as a regional and national destination,” Shaw said. “A community park is not a luxury. It is a basic infrastructure. It is a safe place for children to play, for seniors to walk, for families to gather and for neighbors to build relationships.”

What’s next

Fair Park First leaders are taking aim at a groundbreaking as early as August, with a goal of completion in late 2027. The nonprofit has about a $7.5 million funding gap to close within six months of the agreement to reach its goal of about $40.7 million.

Brown said the agreement gives the nonprofit more authority to fundraise for the project and he was grateful city leaders were able to work toward a common goal and come up with a solution to the delay.

“It gives us confidence to know that we can start making these expenses, start paying things to move the project further along,” Brown said.

This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.