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Dallas, TX

Dallas tries to improve trash collection, again

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Dallas tries to improve trash collection, again


Dallas is gearing up to swap its trash collection route maps — now paper — with digital guidance. There’s no reason it can’t work. But route changes ended in disaster last year, and we hope this won’t be a repeat.

Trash collection is one of the most bread and butter tasks any city is responsible for. Residents care a great deal about it and notice immediately when there are issues.

As the city begins using this new service, it’s critical to keep that in mind.

On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved a roughly $840,000, three-year contract with Rubicon Global, a company that produces software-based waste, recycling and fleet operations products, its website says. Trash collectors will start using it as soon as March, city staff said.

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Rolling out any new software generally comes with hiccups, but city staff said collection routes will probably be adjusted only minimally for efficiency, and residents’ collection days will go unaltered. Hopefully that mitigates the risks.

The idea is to provide real-time, turn-by-turn guidance and other features like route adjustment if stops are missed or a truck breaks down, as well as giving collectors the ability to record and photograph service exceptions for prohibited items or improper cart placement.

The latter of those features may help amp up Dallas’ “Take a Peek” program, which allows the city to remove recycling containers if residents continuously include prohibited items.

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There is the possibility of expanding the software’s use in the future to cart delivery and repairs and for brush and bulky item collections, city staff said.

Trash collection shouldn’t be meddled with lightly, though. In 2022 and early 2023, the sanitation department redrew the city’s routes and changed from a four-day to a five-day collection schedule.

Chaos ensued.

At least 56% of customers had to put their trash out on new days. Drivers’ unfamiliarity with the new routes led to missed pickups, and 311 complaints about sanitation grew fourfold, our newsroom reported.

The incident was as bad for city sanitation workers as it was for residents. Some sanitation employees ended up working as many as 13 hours a day, and the new system was implemented without enough input from the workers who would be making it possible.

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City staff said feedback on the new software from sanitation workers was positive. The city did a 90-day pilot program last year to test it. We asked city staff if any sanitation workers could comment about their experience with the new service, but our request was declined.

Trash collection is an often-thankless job, but it’s one that our sanitation workers carry out with admirable dedication. If this new software can help them do that without service delays for residents, we’re all for it.

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

At least 4 injured after vehicle drives into Dallas crowd, driver arrested

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At least 4 injured after vehicle drives into Dallas crowd, driver arrested


At least four people were injured after a vehicle drove into a crowd of people in Dallas on Thursday evening.

Dallas police responded to an “Assist Officer call with an Ambulance” at approximately 7 p.m. in the 300 block of West Davis Street.

Authorities learned that a vehicle drove into a crowd, injuring multiple people. At least four have been taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police said no one was in critical condition.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested at the scene, police said. Authorities are still working to determine if this driver could have been drunk or if this could have been a medical episode.

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According to police, there is no indication that the crash was terrorism related.

The investigation is ongoing.

This story will be updated as we learn more.



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FOX’s Kasper Schmeichel compares England to Dallas Cowboys, so who are their other sports analogs?

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FOX’s Kasper Schmeichel compares England to Dallas Cowboys, so who are their other sports analogs?


FOX Soccer analyst Kasper Schmeichel came prepared for this year’s World Cup on American soil.

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The former Danish goalkeeper may not be from around these parts, but that didn’t stop him from dropping an eerily accurate comparison between two overconfident but long-suffering sports programs.

With England and Croatia warming up inside AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Schmeichel decided he would roast two fanbases with one stone, comparing the Cowboys to the Three Lions with a hilarious one-liner.

Funny, but also painfully true if you’re a supporter of either team.

COWBOYS LEGEND DIGS DEEP INTO THE TEAM’S MISSING ‘FIBER’ THAT’S RESULTED IN SUPER BOWL DROUGHT

I made a comparison last week between the English national team and Notre Dame, but Schmeichel got me thinking, who are the sports analogs to England from the four major North American leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA)?

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Today, I will be doing exactly that, including giving a slightly better NFL comp than the Cowboys (shocking, I know).

Without further ado, let’s piss off our neighbors from across the pond.

FROM 4 STRAIGHT SUPER BOWL LOSSES TO JOSH ALLEN’S PATRICK MAHOMES PROBLEM, BILLS MIGHT BE CURSED

NFL – Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears helmets are displayed before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Sept. 28, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)

While the Dallas Cowboys are a fine comparison for the English national soccer team, I think I can do one better.

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Schmeichel mentioned that England “won it once and have never stopped talking about it,” and although the second part of that statement applies to both, the Cowboys are five-time Super Bowl champions, having won it most recently in January 1996, a good three decades after England.

If you really want a team that more accurately mirrors the hard luck of the English, it would have to be the Chicago Bears.

3 HISTORIC NFL FRANCHISES FIND THEMSELVES IN SAME BOAT SINCE TURN OF THE CENTURY

They have one Super Bowl win to their name, which came 40 years ago, and really don’t have much else to show for it.

Also, having lived in the DFW area for the better part of a decade, I can confidently say Cowboys fans are a little too arrogant and cocky to be compared to the English.

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Sure, England will say things like “it’s coming home,” but they are far more self-deprecating and aware of their faults, even nihilistic in some cases.

The Bears hang onto their history because they know things will inevitably go bad for them on the biggest stage.

Speaking of which…

NHL – Toronto Maple Leafs

Spencer Carbery, assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, looks on from the bench during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ont., on April 14, 2022. (Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs actually line up with England more closely than either fanbase would like to admit.

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While the Leafs have a litany of Stanley Cups to their name, their most recent win was back in 1967, less than a full year after England won their first and only World Cup.

As far as expectations go, both constantly go into their respective tournaments with the weight of the world on their shoulders, only to come crashing down in the most horrific ways imaginable.

For the Leafs, it comes in the form of blowing big leads in the playoffs, while English fans and players alike can’t even hear the words “penalty kicks” without having a mental breakdown.

England and Toronto are both long-suffering cities, but their fans keep showing up expecting a different outcome.

Insanity? No, just sports fandom.

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NBA – New York Knicks

Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates a three-point basket with Karl-Anthony Towns during Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 5, 2026. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)

This one would have been an even better comparison if the New York Knicks hadn’t gone and won the whole damn thing this year, but these two sports teams are still eerily similar.

WHY THE KNICKS, DISRESPECTED BUT CLAWING BACK, TOUCHED A RAW NERVE IN NEW YORK CITY AND ULTIMATELY THE COUNTRY

Think of the Knicks’ 2026 NBA Championship run as a window into what it would look like if England captured a World Cup (on American soil, no less).

Before this year, the Knicks famously had not won a Larry O’Brien trophy in over 50 years, yet they were still considered one of the “blue bloods” of the NBA.

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Decades of heartache didn’t change that; it only made their fans more insufferable, but their triumph earlier this month in the NBA Finals exorcised all those demons.

THE ATHLETIC BEWILDERINGLY CELEBRATES ‘ZOHRAN MAMDANI SPORTS SUMMER’ AFTER NEW YORK KNICKS WIN NBA FINALS

A win in the World Cup Finals would probably do the same for England fans, as you could probably feel that sigh of relief from the other side of the Atlantic.

MLB – New York Mets

New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto reacts after scoring a run on an RBI double by infielder Bo Bichette against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on April 2, 2026. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)

Hello again, New York.

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The Big Apple certainly has its fair share of winners, but it also has plenty of franchises that are aching to make a trip back down the Canyon of Heroes, none more so than the Mets.

Year after year, the Mets are near the top of MLB in terms of spending, with little to show for their efforts.

WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE

They won a World Series back in 1986 and have been chasing that high ever since.

The common thread between England and the Mets (along with all the other teams on this list) is expectations relative to results, and it seems like the Mets are sort of a Schrödinger’s baseball franchise in that regard, expected to both compete for a World Series with their high-priced talent and flame out in spectacular fashion all the same.

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FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP VIEWING EXPERIENCE

England always has flashy players heading into World Cup play, but the results haven’t been there, and they’ve often been sent home in brutal fashion, offering a great parallel to the Mets’ clockwork-like midsummer swoons and late-season meltdowns.



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Dallas, TX

Dallas Police Seize Glock Switch in Deep Ellum

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Dallas Police Seize Glock Switch in Deep Ellum


Guerrocastillo was taken into custody without incident and charged with Prohibited Weapon, a third-degree felony; Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, a class A misdemeanor; Possession of Marijuana under two ounces, a class B misdemeanor; and Public Intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.

“Foot patrols are a foundational part of policing, and our Deep Ellum Task Force officers are making great arrests and providing increased security by walking a beat,” said Deputy Chief Devon Palk, who is commander of the Central Patrol Group. “Having our officers on foot, on horseback, and in our new Polaris utility vehicle puts officers exactly where we need them during peak hours in the area.”





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