Dallas, TX

Dallas shines light on its pension struggles

Published

2 years ago

January 30, 2024

Dallas shines light on its pension struggles

Dallas has launched an information hub to assist the public in keeping up with and understanding the city’s progress toward funding pensions for city employees, police officers and firefighters.

Ensuring the city’s two pension systems, one for civilian employees and one for police and fire, are adequately funded represents a commitment to taking care of those who serve our city. Offering up-to-date information about the ongoing planning to address funding shortfalls may help alleviate some uncertainty both in the public and for those considering joining the city in public service.

It’s also important to avoid spooking the public, or worse, the police and fire departments with news they aren’t expecting. This hub keeps a record of what’s happening with the pension fund and what the next steps are.

Dallas has invested in projects to improve transparency before, often to good effect. The residential permit and crime dashboards help residents keep up with how the city is performing in responsibilities that shape Dallas.

This pension information hub can have a similar effect. Pension difficulties continue to pose a credibility challenge for the city, and greater transparency surrounding it can only be a good thing.

While many residents may have heard something about the city’s pension problems here and there, it can be difficult to follow and understand. Thankfully, the information hub does more than track progress, it also provides background information and explanations of what the pension systems are and how they work.

The hub explains, for example, that there are two pension funds for the city to deal with. The Dallas Police and Fire Pension System, or DPFP, provides retirement, disability and death benefits for police officers and firefighters based on factors like rank and age. The Employee Retirement Fund, or ERF, does something very similar for other city employees.

If there’s one thing that could be improved, the hub could do with a little less financial jargon. Most people won’t understand the difference between actuarial value and market value relative to the funded portion of each pension, so it would be better to explain those things in simpler English alongside the technical information available.

On the hub, a letter from Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins promises a fiscally responsible plan by this fall. In 2017, the pension fund was at risk of complete collapse. The state stepped in and passed a stopgap measure to prevent that from happening, but stipulated that the city must come up with a 30-year plan to fully fund it within 7 years.

As it stands, it looks like Dallas will be able to meet that deadline, and the information hub will help residents follow its progress as it moves forward.

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

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Dallas, TX

McAllen Welcomes Texas Hockey | Dallas Stars

Published

4 hours ago

May 29, 2026

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McAllen Welcomes Texas Hockey | Dallas Stars

DallasStars.com is the official Web site of DSE Hockey Club, L.P. The Dallas Stars primary logo is a registered trademark and the Stars name and secondary logos are trademarks of the Dallas Stars. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2026 DSE Hockey Club, L.P. and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.

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Dallas, TX

At least three dead after fire destroys Dallas apartment complex

Published

17 hours ago

May 29, 2026

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At least three dead after fire destroys Dallas apartment complex

NewsFeed

A large fire destroyed an apartment complex in Dallas after crews responded to reports of a gas leak. Authorities say at least three people, including a child, were killed. Other residents are unaccounted for.

Published On 29 May 2026

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Dallas, TX

North Texas doughnut shops named among best in U.S.

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2026

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North Texas doughnut shops named among best in U.S.

Jarams will always be top in our hearts.

Lauren Drewes Daniels

Arguments about the best doughnut shops can get heated. We have our own personal top 10 favorites. And we have issues with DoorDash’s list below. So, let’s dive right into this sweet, round confection with a hole in the middle.

For National Donut Day, which is Friday, June 5, for all those who celebrate, DoorDash has a roundup of the top 100-rated small and medium-sized donut shops on DoorDash. The list includes local businesses across 86 cities and 25 states.

To be considered for the Donut Day Dozens list, the bakery must be small or medium-sized, have fewer than 10 stores, and have at least 1,000 reviews. The shops with the highest average consumer ratings from April 2025 to April 2026 were chosen.

Of the 21 donut shops chosen across Texas, 13 are located in North Texas.

North Texas bakeries named best doughnuts

Morning Donuts – Dallas, TX
Baker’s Dozen Donuts – Cross Roads, TX
Busy B’s Bakery – North Richland Hills, TX
Donut House Plano – Plano, TX
Donut King #3 – Fort Worth, TX
Eagle Donuts – Crowley, TX
Earnest Donuts – Lewisville, TX
Four Seasons Donuts – Irving, TX
Jin’s Donuts – Farmers Branch, TX
Master Donut – The Colony, TX
Stacy Donuts – McKinney, TX
TWISTY DONUTS MANSFIELD – Mansfield, TX

A few misses

There are some obvious big misses here. Like La Rue in Trinity Groves, which apparently was left off because it has fewer than 1,000 reviews. We awarded this chef-driven shop Best Doughnuts in 2025 for pushing out top-tier confections every morning and a seasonal menu that will both win you over and break your heart. They’re also using only beef tallow in the fryers now.

And no Jarams? The shop on Preston Road has a 4.7 average rating on DoorDash, and it appears 4.8 was the cutoff. The family-owned Jarams is one of the best shops in Dallas.

As is Detour Donuts in Frisco. This is run by an ambitious young baker who draws long lines for themed doughnuts and a rotating menu.

Beyond North Texas …

The rest of the awarded donut shops were mostly located in Houston, with a sprinkle in San Antonio. Shops were listed in alphabetical order, and not with any sort of numbered ranking system.