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President Joe Biden signed on Monday a bipartisan invoice — championed by U.S. Reps. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, and Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie — that can direct greater than $442 million in upgrades to Veteran Affairs well being care services in Dallas and El Paso.
Each Allred and Ellzey are members of the Home Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The enhancements the invoice can pay for embody a 30-bed long-term care facility for spinal twine accidents in Dallas and a wholly new well being care facility in El Paso.
The Dallas challenge is estimated to value $293 million. The El Paso facility will value about $150 million.
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“Investing in VA medical services in Texas and throughout the nation is a common sense factor we will do to make sure our veterans get the highest quality well being care of their group whereas strengthening native economies,” Allred stated in an announcement.
The cash allotted to the Dallas VA facility will primarily change the medical heart from a short-term inpatient to a long-term spinal twine harm remedy heart. A typical inpatient spinal twine harm affected person’s remedy lasts roughly 4 to 6 weeks.
The VA at present gives spinal twine harm remedy to roughly 27,000 veterans by 25 remedy facilities throughout the U.S. The Dallas heart will assist deal with the inhabitants of Texas veterans.
Practically 1.4 million veterans reside in Texas, the biggest state veteran inhabitants within the nation.
In El Paso, veterans make up 8.2% of the native inhabitants. Of the 15 energetic responsibility navy installations within the state, El Paso hosts one of many largest with the Military base Fort Bliss.
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Whereas the realm already has a VA clinic, the brand new facility will increase the providers out there to the group.
The enlargement of the VA providers in Texas bucks what has been a nationwide pattern. Earlier this yr, the VA introduced that 35 services would shut or want restructuring. No VA services in Texas had been affected.
Correction, Oct. 11, 2022: An earlier model of this story incorrectly acknowledged {that a} new regulation channeling funds to veterans’ services in Texas was signed by President Joe Biden on Tuesday. He signed it on Monday.
Former Pinkston guard Dink Pate is signing with the NBA G League’s Mexico City Capitanes after the shutdown of G League Ignite’s program, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Friday.
Just over a year ago, Pate announced his decision to forgo college and sign with the G League Ignite. Pate was the youngest player to sign with the G League ever, and the first from Dallas-Fort Worth to do so.
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A 6-8 guard, Pate was the No. 21 player in 247Sports.com’s national class of 2024 rankings and the second-ranked player in Texas. He was The News’ newcomer of the year in 2021 at Pinkston and split his sophomore season between Prolific Prep (Calif.) and Lancaster. He returned to Pinkston as a junior and averaged 20.3 points per game. He was named the District 13-4A MVP in 2022.
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In 31 games with G League Ignite last season, Pate averaged 8.0 points and 3.8 assists. He’s projected to be a first-round pick in next year’s draft.
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Staff writer Shawn McFarland contributed to this post.
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Despite claims they would be “all-in,” the Dallas Cowboys have been all quiet this offseason. They did have a solid draft and added veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks in free agency, but outside of that, they didn’t do much to improve their roster.
With training camp set to begin later in July, there’s still time for the Cowboys to add some much-needed talent.
They’ve had some success in the past when it comes to trades, including moves to add Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore in 2023.
That’s why it wouldn’t be a bad idea for them to look for veteran help once again.
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Here we identify three players who could be available that would help improve the Cowboys’ chances of repeating in the NFC East.
Houston Texans, Khalil Davis / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans were strong against the run in 2023 and should be once again in 2024. They not only return the majority of their stars, but also signed Tim Settle to a two-year deal worth $6 million. His arrival means Khalil Davis will be pushed down the depth chart and might not see the field nearly as often.
A journeyman who has already played for three teams in three years, Davis appeared in 15 games with one start for Houston. He recorded 32 tackles and two sacks, while playing in 41 percent of their defensive snaps, earning a respectable 60.7 in run defense according to PFF.
MORE: DeMarcus Lawrence could be in final year as a Cowboy; he’s been one of the best
That might not be the run-stuffer this defense needs, but the 6-foot-2, 310-pounder from Nebraska boasted a better grade than every defensive tackle on Dallas outside of Osa Odighiziwa. With Mazi Smith as an unquestioned starter yet still a question mark, an emergency backup plan isn’t a bad idea.
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Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns / Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Elijah Moore was the No. 34 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. While he’s put up some decent numbers, he has yet to live up to his potential.
In two seasons with the New York Jets, he had 80 receptions for 984 yards with six touchdowns. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns in 2023, along with the No. 74 pick in the draft, for the No. 42 overall selection.
MORE: Should the Dallas Cowboys consider trading CeeDee Lamb?
With the Browns, he improved his receptions and yardage, going for 640 yards on 59 catches, but had just two touchdowns. Ironically enough, he’s potentially sliding down the depth chart due to the promise being shown by Cedric Tillman, who the Browns selected with the No. 74 pick from New York.
Cleveland also added Jerry Jeudy this offseason and signed him to a three-year extension. Moore is a free agent in 2025 and rather than watching him leave for nothing, the Browns might be willing to take a pick from Dallas and give more snaps to Tillman.
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Chicago Bears, Khalil Herbert / Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
This offseason, the Chicago Bears signed D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $24 million to be the feature back. With him taking over, that means Khalil Herbert will slide down the depth chart, but his slide might not end at No. 2.
As good as Herbert has been, the Bears also have Roschon Johnson, a fourth-round pick from 2023. Johnson, a 225-pound bruiser from Texas, had 352 yards on the ground and 209 through the air as a rookie. His potential might be enough for Chicago to decide to trade Herbert, who is in the final year of his rookie deal.
In three seasons, Herbert has 1,775 yards rushing with an average of 4.9 yards per attempt. The problem is he’s only 5-foot-9 and 212 pounds, and has struggled with durability. After playing in 17 games as a rookie, he missed four in 2022 and five in 2023.
Dallas currently has an unimpressive stable of running backs led by Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle. Adding Herbert to the committee could be the shot in the arm they need to go from abysmal to average.
With a decent passing attack, an average ground game could be enough to keep the offense on task.
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