Dallas, TX

Dallas’ voters should pass Props D and L for charter amendments

Published

3 months ago

October 16, 2024

Dallas’ voters should pass Props D and L for charter amendments

Voters in Dallas may not have been paying attention to the 17 proposed charter amendments lurking at the end of the November ballot, even though many of these amendments would have an impact — some positive and others not so good — on our daily lives as residents. Some voters may not even be aware these propositions are on the ballot.

In the last several weeks, the discourse on amendments has ramped up, particularly as it relates to Propositions R, S, T and U. These are all proposed amendments that were added to the ballot using state law procedure to obtain 20,000 signatures for charter measures, rather than the Charter Commission and City Council review process. In response, a “Vote No Dallas” campaign directed at certain amendments has emerged, and, as a result, you may find yourself confused when you reach the end of your ballot.

It’s refreshing to see the charter review amendments — which are frustratingly at the end of a lengthy ballot following federal, state, and county partisan races — getting much-needed attention after languishing in obscurity for many months. This allows us to have conversations about each individually proposed amendment, instead of solely focusing on partisan races.

The first 13 amendments on the ballot went through a rigorous review process starting with a Charter Review Commission and then the City Council. The Charter Review Commission received extensive public comment and input before ultimately determining what amendments to recommend to the City Council. The City Council then made the final call on what proposed amendments to place on the ballot. While this process didn’t result in a perfect slate of amendments, it has allowed all of us to make informed decisions about which amendments we would like to see implemented.

After getting through the federal, state and county partisan elections, you might be tempted to reflexively vote for or against all proposed amendments or possibly leave these items blank. But each amendment is worthy of careful review and an up or down vote, and we have the chance to impact meaningfully and positively by passing some things. And if we pass one of the proposed amendments, by state law the City Charter can’t be amended for two more years.

For example, Proposition D would allow the city of Dallas to begin the process of moving municipal elections from May of odd-numbered years to November of odd-numbered years. This is expected to increase our voter turnout and save the city over $400,000 and has received overwhelmingly positive support from both civic organizations and individual residents during the Charter Review Commission and City Council review.

If Proposition D fails, the very earliest we’d be able to implement this meaningful and positive change would be in 2029, and that assumes something like Proposition D even makes it onto a future ballot. This is our best chance to start the process of increasing dismal voter turnout by procedural means.

Another positive amendment is Proposition L, which creates an independent office of the inspector general at City Hall. If enacted, this would maximize the inspector general’s independence and help create a true deterrent for misconduct and ethical violations.

These are just two of several carefully considered amendments that we should approve to help save costs and maximize efficiency at City Hall. There are others that are certainly worthy of debate, as evidenced by the robust discussion our Chamber board leadership had on some of these before finalizing our recommendations. Simply rejecting all amendments, however, would cause us to miss out on enacting some much-needed charter modifications. Worse, it would entirely dismiss the extensive work of the volunteer Charter Review Commission, plus the many members of the public who participated in this process.

While there may be amendments that voters should reject — and no doubt you’ve by now seen a profusion of mailers on some of the amendments — let’s also make sure to pass some good amendments like Proposition D and Proposition L.

Jeff Kitner is chief operating officer at the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

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Dallas, TX

Thomas Harley scores in OT to give Stars win over Utah

Published

1 hour ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Thomas Harley scores in OT to give Stars win over Utah

Defenseman Thomas Harley scored on a rebound at 3:01 of overtime and the Dallas Stars beat the Utah Hockey Club 3-2 on Saturday night.

Jamie Benn and Oskar Bäck also scored for the Stars, who have won four straight for the first time since opening the season with four wins. Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston each had two assists, and Jake Oettinger made 33 saves.

Matias Maccelli scored twice and Karel Vejmelka stopped 26 shots as Utah lost for the sixth time in seven games (1-4-2).

In overtime, Harley lifted the puck into the net after Vejmelka stopped a shot by Matt Duchene at the crease. It was Harley’s 21st career goal — fourth in overtime — 155 games.

Maccelli tied it 1-1 just 1:14 after Benn put the Stars ahead 16 seconds into the second period. Bäck put the Stars ahead 2-1 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining in the second, and Maccelli tied it again 3:07 later with his second two-goal game and fifth goal of the season.

Maccelli scored for the first time since Nov. 7, going 23 games without a goal. Bäck scored for the first time since Nov. 14, going 22 games without a goal.

Takeaways

Utah: An 11-shot third period with the score tied kept them in the game.

Stars: The Stars are 23-2-1 in their past 26 games combined against Utah and its predecessors, the Arizona Coyotes.

Key moment

Oettinger stretched for a glove save on Lawson Crouse about two minutes into overtime.

Key stat

Dallas killed the game’s only penalty. The Stars have the best home penalty kill in the league and have allowed one power-play goal in 26 chances over the last 12 games.

Up Next

Stars play at the New York Rangers on Tuesday to open a five-game trip, and Utah hosts Florida on Wednesday to start a season-high seven-game homestand.

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Dallas, TX

Cowboys doghouse: 2024 RB plan in Dallas was doomed from the start

Published

13 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Cowboys doghouse: 2024 RB plan in Dallas was doomed from the start

The Dallas Cowboys had a ton of issues heading into last offseason. One that was at the forefront was the running back position and what their plan was going forward. Tony Pollard was set to be a free agent, and the 2024 NFL Draft had quite the selection of players at running back that Dallas could have chosen from. When free agency came, the Cowboys let Pollard walk and sign with the Tennessee Titans. They also went through the entire draft without selecting a running back and signed Nathaniel Peat as an undrafted rookie free agent.

They brought in veteran Royce Freeman to compete, and signed former first-round pick Ezekiel Elliott for his second stint with the organization. Lastly, back in August, the Cowboys signed veteran Dalvin Cook to their practice squad. By the time the regular season came around, Peat and Freeman were no longer on the roster. This left the Cowboys with Elliott and Cook, two veterans that had seen better days. Deuce Vaughn, who hadn’t consistently shown anything yet, was also on the roster. Then, there was Rico Dowdle, who hadn’t proven that he could consistently stay healthy. That wasn’t exactly an ideal situation at the running back spot.

What made this situation so frustrating is that it was completely avoidable. Although the Cowboys didn’t have a fourth-round selection, there was plenty of running back talent on the board in the first three rounds, and not getting one was a total lack of evaluating the room as a whole. However, that was the way Dallas wanted to move, which would once again put more responsibility on quarterback Dak Prescott and the passing game.

Elliott got the start in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns, and to his credit, he looked pretty decent running for 40 yards on 10 carries. Over the next four games, though, Elliott averaged less than three yards per carry in three of them. Meanwhile, Dowdle put up over four yards per carry in each, which included an 87-yard performance in a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is around the time that Elliott voiced his frustration with his role with the team. As a result, although he averaged five yards per carry against the Detroit Lions the next week, Dowdle only got five attempts while Elliott got eight. Mind you, he only amassed two yards per attempt. The Cowboys offense was already limited with a lack of talent and no real plan when it came to running the ball, but to purposely not use your most effective runner didn’t make any sense.

Dowdle didn’t play against the San Francisco 49ers due to an illness. The Cowboys finally smarten up and made Dowdle the unquestioned lead back in November, which is when he took off. He goes into the final week of the season with four 100-yard games in the last five weeks, and he’s also hit the 1,000 yard mark for the year. While that’s great for Dowdle, seeing as he’s in a contract year, he may have priced himself out of Dallas with how frugal they are in free agency. So, if he is to go elsewhere, the Cowboys will once again be left in dire straits at the running back position.

It’s pretty simple for the Cowboys. They can’t let the 2025 NFL Draft go by without getting a running back. In fact, they may even need to consider double-dipping at the position with how deep it is and how much they need quality talent in the room. The only thing is, the Cowboys need to fill a lot of holes, and they don’t make a lot of moves in free agency, which makes the draft where they do the most damage. They’re without a fourth-round pick again in 2025. So, it will be interesting to see how they address the needs or if they value the running back spot to invest seriously in it.

Building a roster is difficult enough in the NFL, and the Cowboys have made it harder on themselves when it comes to having a quality rushing attack.

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Dallas, TX

Hundreds of animals killed in Dallas shopping center fire – Times of India

Published

21 hours ago

January 4, 2025

Press Room

Hundreds of animals killed in Dallas shopping center fire (Picture credit: X)

DALLAS: A fire that broke out at a shopping centre in Dallas on Friday morning killed more than 500 animals, most of which were small birds, authorities said.
The 579 animals in the pet shop at Plaza Latina in Northwest Dallas died from smoke inhalation, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans said in a statement.
The flames from the fire never reached the animals. Chickens, hamsters, two dogs and two cats also died, Evans said.

The two-alarm fire took about two hours and as many as 45 firefighters to extinguish around 11 am (local time), Evans said.
“While DFR personnel did search and attempt rescue, all animals in the shop unfortunately perished due to smoke inhalation,” Evans said.
No people were injured in the fire. The structure of the large, one-story shopping center was severely damaged, including a partially collapsed roof, Evans said.
The shopping centre includes multiple small businesses and was described on its Facebook page as “a place where people can go to eat, and buy all sorts of Latin goods and services.” A post on the page in Spanish asked for prayers for the families who work there.
Evans said the cause of the fire was not immediately determined and is under investigation.

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