1:58 PM on Aug 10, 2024 CDT — Updated 15 minutes ago
Update:
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Dallas police and school district officers were responding Saturday to Wilmer-Hutchins High School in southeast Oak Cliff.
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A Dallas police call log showed at least eight units from the department responded about 12:10 p.m. to the school at5520 Langdon Road, near Interstate 20. An “unknown item” was found in the building that police are working to review, said Dallas ISD spokeswoman Robyn Harris. Authorities blocked off roads adjacent to the school.
“Anytime that there’s an object or item that is unknown … it’s that slow, methodical process to ensure that everything will be safe, remain safe,” Harris told The Dallas Morning News.
A heavy police presence is visible in front of Wilmer-Hutchins High School on Saturday.(Chitose Suzuki/T / The Dallas Morning News)
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She asked people to stay away from the area, adding it will probably take several hours for authorities to ensure “everything is truly checked and cleared.”
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The first day of classes is scheduled for Monday. While students and families were not in the building Saturday, some teachers may have been present for last-minute preparations, Harris said.
Dallas police spokespeople did not respond to requests for information Saturday afternoon. No additional information was immediately available.
With the second wave of free agency underway, it’s just a matter of time before former Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney finds a new home.
Clowney is one of the most high-profile players left on the open market and easily the best free agent out of Dallas. The former No. 1 overall pick is coming off a season in which he tallied 8.5 sacks, which was tops on the Cowboys.
When it comes to possible landing spots for Clowney, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports “some of his former teams” remain interested in Clowney, although he did not say which squads exactly, which means Dallas could be one of them.
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“I gather that some of (Clowney’s) former teams are interested in him, which is pretty easy when you’ve played for as many teams as he’s played for,” Garafolo said. “So, let’s see about Clowney here in the near future.”
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Clowney has played for seven different teams during his career, with the Cowboys, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans all on that list.
Would Cowboys re-sign Jadeveon Clowney?
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Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images
We know Clowney liked his time in Dallas and he would be interested in coming back.
“Oh man, it was great. I enjoyed Dallas, playing on primetime every week. It was a great experience, man, and playing on Thanksgiving and Christmas was special for me. A lot of people watching, a lot of families showing up, and I had a great time playing for Dallas,” Clowney said.
We also know that, despite all the Cowboys’ additions at edge rusher, a team can never have too many. That’s especially true when Dallas has some question marks with their current ones.
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The jury is still out on what a rookie in Malachi Lawrence and a second-year player in Donovan Ezeiruaku will be in 2026, and Rashan Gary is no sure thing, either, after he didn’t sack any quarterbacks in the second half of last season.
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But owner Jerry Jones didn’t seem like he thought a Clowney return was in the cards after the NFL owners meetings.
“It’s real hard when you look at how Clowney came on last year in the snaps he gave us,” he said. “It’s real hard not to have a place there for Clowney, but you can’t have it all. You just can’t have it all. If things go right for us, we’ve already made a signing, we’ve made trades, we think that’s the better way to go. And, of course, we got the draft. It can very easily answer some of that question.”
There also seemed to be an indication that one of the reasons Clowney might not re-sign in Dallas is because he isn’t a good scheme fit in Christian Parker’s defense.
“He led the Cowboys in sacks last season and in January seemed like a prime candidate they would like to retain. But the move to a new scheme with DC Christian Parker seems like the Cowboys will look to other edge players first without completely shutting the door on Clowney’s return,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote.
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The veteran would definitely push back on that notion, though.
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“I walk in every year and play well on every scheme and every team I’ve been on,” Clowney said. “I want to continue to do that going into year 13. Showing people wrong and proving that I can still play at a high level. It don’t matter where I end up, where I play at, just know I’m coming to show you again and prove people wrong again.”
Whatever the case may be, it would appear based on Garafolo’s reporting that there is at least a chance Dallas might be a team interested in bringing Clowney back. We’ll just have to wait and see.
In perfect timing, now-retired Vandoliers member Corey Graves got The Strokes cover band back together.
Dylan Santos Green
The Strokes, the Grammy-winning band whose music dominated rock music in the early and mid-2000s (and likely still dominates your bad Hinge dates’ playlists), announced a world tour to pair with their forthcoming album, Reality Awaits. Strokers, as the band’s cult following calls itself, were disappointed when Texas was left off the map. The closest they’re coming is Manchester, Tennessee, for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival — 725 miles, or a 10-and-a-half-hour drive away, if you contemplated it. But Different Strokes, a local Strokes cover band, is playing a much closer and much more affordable show at Granada Theater on Friday, May 8.
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Different Strokes, comprised of Dallas musicians Cory Graves, Dev Wulf, Hunter Cannon, Eric Nichelson and Colin Beams, is breaking a two-year hiatus, returning to the stage ready to rip “Reptilia.” The band, which formed 10 years ago, was derailed by Graves’ frequent commitments to his full-time gig playing with the Vandoliers. But Graves left the cowpunk band earlier this year, meaning it was time to get the (cover) band back together.
“I called all the guys back, and everyone was really excited,” Graves tells us. He says it took them little time to find a venue to host, but the timing of Granada adding them to the calendar was chismet.
“We booked this Granada show several months ago, and as soon as we posted, the Strokes announced a new album and tour, and we had no idea,” he says. “It’s just really good timing for us. There’s no dates anywhere around here, and all I see is people on [the Strokes] Facebook pages complaining.”
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Hopeful Strokers prayed the band might be announced as a headliner for Austin City Limits, though they topped the bill in 2025. To the dismay of leather jacket-wearing Texans, though, the lineup released this week does not include Julian Casablancas and company (though it does include Dallas’ own Cure for Paranoia). This leaves Different Strokes as the best available option for anybody in the Southwestern United States who wants to feel the rush of those opening chords on “What Ever Happened” live.
Casablancas must have a really severe aversion to good barbecue and a wide-brimmed hat, because the Strokes haven’t played in Dallas since a show at the Globe Life Field in 2022. Before that, it had been two decades since their last show in the region at the now-demolished Bronco Bowl in Oak Cliff in 2002, when the band only had one album out.
Plus, Different Strokes won’t play any of the deep cuts you don’t like, and all the ones you do.
“Their fans are so culty and rabid that we do get a lot of requests for super obscure deep cuts,” Graves says. “You never get that with another band.”
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They certainly won’t skip the 2000s radio hits that’ve been removed from the real Strokes arena tour setlist, either.
“This band already has a fan base, so you show up and everyone’s pleased to hear these things that they already love so much and just maybe don’t get to see all the time,” Graves says. “In the case of The Strokes, if you see [them], they’re going to play a stadium. You’re going to pay hundreds of dollars for a ticket. You’re not going to be able to stand front row with The Strokes probably, but you can come right up to the stage for us.”
Ahead of the show, the cover band has added the latest Strokes’ release to their repertoire, rehearsing Reality Awaits’ lead single, “Going Shopping,” last week in preparation. It was their first rehearsal in years, but the dust brushed away easily, and they’d already played a secret and surprise set at the Seegars Deli opening a week before, with zero preparation.
“We played 50 people or something, just to kind of shake off the nerves,” Graves says. “We didn’t rehearse for that one. We all just showed up and expected each other to know the part. It was good reassurance that we still had it.”
Graves and other members of Different Strokes have had run-ins with real members of the Strokes band, smoking cigarettes with drummer Fabrizio “Fab” Moretti outside a show in Deep Ellum for his side project, Little Joy, in 2008, and chatting with lead guitarist Nicholas Valensi after his solo show at Trees in 2016. The latter Strokes member jokingly recommended the guys of Different Strokes buy wigs to really sell it.
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And though cover bands get a bad rep, Graves, a seasoned, internationally touring musician who contributed to five Vandoliers albums, says they’re undeniably fun to play in.
“Cover bands are kind of divisive. When musicians are young, they take themselves way too seriously,” he says. “You get to a certain point where you’re older, and you don’t care as much about the posturing. Cover bands are just really super fun. There’s no stress, there’s no pressure.”
Different Strokes will play at Granada Theater on May 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. The band will only be playing music by The Strokes, but they will not be wearing wigs.
It’s hard to find much fault at all with the Dallas Cowboys draft class this season.
Dallas shored up three of their biggest holes on defense by selecting safety Caleb Downs, EDGE Malachi Lawrence, and linebacker Jaishawn Barham with their first three picks. They also added another linebacker, bringing in veteran Dee Winters in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
We already dove into which selection was our favorite from the class, which was an easy decision. Downs checks every box and has been called a perfect fit for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
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Least favorite pick has nothing to do with talent
Choosing Downs was easy when it came to a favorite pick, but deciding on which one is the least favorite is far more difficult. Dallas maximized value and filled needs at every position, but if there was one pick that had question marks, it was Devin Moore, the Florida cornerback who was taken at No. 114 in Round 4.
To be upfront, there’s nothing to dislike about Moore as a player. He’s a talented boundary cornerback and he proved himself against some of the elite players in the SEC. The only true concern is his injury history.
While Moore played in 11 games this past season, he never suited up for more than seven in his three previous campaigns. He missed roughly 20 games due to injuries, with shoulder issues ending his 2022 and 2024 campaigns early. Prior to the draft, Dane Brugler said Moore’s injury history is a “major red flag.”
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Devin Moore could prove the doubters wrong
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Devin Moore goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images
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Despite the red flags, Brugler saw a player with “rare height and body length,” making him someone to keep an eye on.
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The Cowboys decided it was worth the roll of the dice, but it’s not an easy gamble to make. Dallas saw multiple cornerbacks battle injuries in 2025, including DaRon Bland. They were unable to turn to 2025 third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. as he was rehabbing a torn ACL.
That’s what makes this the “least favorite” selection, even though Moore has the talent to make the pick look brilliant.
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Cowboys have shaky history when gambling on injury concerns
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. celebrates after a play during the first half against the Minnesota Vikings. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Of course, it’s going to be hard to sell fans on a player with so many injuries in the past.
Dallas hasn’t had a great track record when gambling in this department. They’re still waiting on Revel, but have also struck out with their own players.
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In 2022, Michael Gallup signed a five-year, $62.5 million extension while recovering from a torn ACL. He was never the same player, and was released following the 2023 season.
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They also bet on Terence Steele following a torn ACL suffered in 2022. He signed a new deal ahead of the 2023 season, landing a five-year, $86.8 million extension. While Steele has had more success than Gallup, he hasn’t lived up to that contract and has struggled to regain the form he had before the knee injury.
The good news with Moore is that it’s not a knee issue, and he isn’t on a massive contract. Still, there’s some risk here and it’s at a position where they need less risk.
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