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‘Finish the Fight’: Cancer survivor’s artwork inspires Dallas Stars fans after beating rare blood disease

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‘Finish the Fight’: Cancer survivor’s artwork inspires Dallas Stars fans after beating rare blood disease


A Dallas woman who beat a rare and aggressive cancer is being celebrated in a special way. The Dallas Stars Foundation recently honored her at a home game not just for her strength, but for the artwork that helped her heal.  

For Dallas attorney Gracen Moreno, last Friday’s Stars game was about more than hockey.

“The entire arena… it seemed like everyone was either holding a shirt or talking about the shirt,” she said. 

A shirt she designed carries a powerful message, “Finish the Fight.”  

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Last year, at just 29-years-old, Gracen was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer. At the time, she was preparing for a jury trial and planning a wedding two months away. The plans were suddenly moved up to just one week after her diagnosis.

“You kind of have your whole life ahead of you and then it turns out upside down,” she said. 

Her first symptom was a lingering cough. Then an X-ray revealed a nine-centimeter mass in her chest and a CT scan followed. 

“My doctor called me and said don’t panic but I need you to go to the emergency room to start getting the process in place to get out whatever is in your chest biopsied,” she said. 

Soon after came the news she feared most. 

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“When I heard or I found out that I had cancer, it’s like your worst nightmare ever coming true,” she said. 

“Alk-Negative Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma is one of the rarest types of what we call non-Hodgkins lymphoma and it’s particularly aggressive unless treated appropriately,” Jana Reynolds, MD, a Texas Oncology physician on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center said. 

Doctors told Gracen the prognosis wasn’t good, only about a 30% chance of surviving five years. 

“What happens when the worst possible thing that you think at the time is the worst possible thing happens to you?” she said.  “Well, you can either give up, which is not an option, or you can decide to fight.” 

Fight she did. Through several rounds of grueling chemotherapy and, ultimately, a bone marrow transplant at Baylor Scott & White’s Sammons Cancer Center.

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“On one of my lowest days of hospitalization my husband looked at me and said do you want to go paint something?” she said. “How do we make this better? I couldn’t see friends or family.”

Inside the hospital’s Arts in Medicine studio, Gracen began painting, using creativity to cope with the long days of treatment. 

While there, her art therapist learned she was a Dallas Stars season ticket holder and when an opportunity came up, she knew exactly who to recommend. 

“She came later to my hospital room and said you’ll never believe this, but I got an email from the Stars earlier today asking if I knew any cancer patients that also participated in the art program and I think you would be perfect for it,” she said. 

At last Friday’s home game, the Dallas Stars Foundation honored Gracen, celebrating her remission and her resilience.

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The team asked her to design custom artwork for a special T-shirt given to the first 500 fans and even players. 

“Everyone was really invested in the mission,” Gracen said. “It was really cool to see fans, players, coaches, all either wearing the shirt or just celebrating the fight against cancer itself.” 

Her team of doctors say the recognition was well deserved. 

  “I’m so proud of her for accepting the challenge and honestly bringing more attention to the serious things that we face,” Dr. Reynolds said.  

“It was a really special night,” Gracen said. 

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Dallas, TX

Dallas Police Bust Illegal Apartment Rentals On Forest Lane

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Dallas Police Bust Illegal Apartment Rentals On Forest Lane


Dallas police have arrested two suspects for illegally renting vacant apartment units to unsuspecting tenants.

The suspects had changed locks and illegally charged people to stay in 11 units at a Northeast Dallas complex.

William Reed, 50, returned to the apartments in the 9600 block of Forest Lane despite being formally trespassed. He changed locks on vacant units and collected money from people staying there.

Officers from the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) and Northeast Patrol cleared all 11 units simultaneously. They arrested Reed without incident and charged him with criminal trespass.

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Jasmine Landrum, 41, tried hiding a glass pipe when officers arrived. She faces criminal trespass, drug paraphernalia possession, and evidence tampering charges — the latter a third-degree felony.

Police recovered a large machete and a fake plastic firearm during the operation. Officers remained on-site while property management secured the vacant units.

“We are finding innovative ways to work collaboratively across our department,” said Assistant Chief Richard Foy. “Combining the manpower from our patrol divisions with the resources of our HOT team allow us to be more creative in how we help intervene and prevent these types of nuisance crimes.”

Northeast officers will work with apartment management to prevent future incidents. The investigation is documented under case number 00658-2026.

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Dallas City Council halts proposal to close four neighborhood libraries

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Dallas City Council halts proposal to close four neighborhood libraries


Dallas City Council members and residents slammed a proposal this week that would have closed at least four libraries throughout the city. While the plan to close these libraries is now on hold, a solution for what to do next is still up in the air.

One of the libraries on the chopping block was the Oak Lawn Branch Library, a space referred to as a neighborhood staple.

“It brings, I think, just a good cultural piece to the community,” said Kevin Miller, the president of the Cedar Springs Merchants Association. “It has the greatest number of authored books for the LGBTQIA generation. It also serves as a resource for folks that may not have access to technology, or the internet, or materials that might be needed to help them get a job.”

But the future of this library is now in limbo, along with three other branches: Skyline, Renner Frankford and Arcadia Park. That’s after residents and city council members raised concerns Tuesday over a city proposal to close the four libraries under a new regional model.

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“I think that would be very hurtful for our community, and I know that’s a simple term, but I think it would have ripple effects for future generations,” Miller said.

The new regional model would have extended hours and shifted staff to larger branches. Library officials said the proposed model would have saved the city an estimated $4.5 million. But council member Cara Mendelsohn, whose district includes the Renner Frankford Branch, said the plan was poorly executed.

“The whole plan was developed without input from communities, without input from the library commission, which all of the council members appoint somebody to that, and without even talking to the council member who is in the affected area,” she said.

After unanimous pushback from the council, the plan is now on hold; however, Mendelsohn said taking away services from certain communities to save money isn’t the answer. Some of these libraries also serve as voting locations.

“The truth is we can save all these libraries and have them stay open and serve the residents, and reduce costs in other places pretty easily,” said Mendelsohn.

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Community members like Miller agree.

“Just because it’s the easiest doesn’t mean that’s the right thing,” said Miller. “So let’s look a little bit harder and see what else we can do to preserve these places, because they’re important to our community.”

Council is expected to revisit the issue sometime in March.



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2 Dallas-area ZIP codes among top U.S. places to move in December 2025

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2 Dallas-area ZIP codes among top U.S. places to move in December 2025


Dallas-Fort Worth solidified its place as the top U.S. destination for movers in 2025, and now two local ZIP codes are emerging among the top-10 most in-demand places people are moving to in 2026: 75114 in Crandall, and 75251 in North Dallas.

The two ZIPs appeared in MovingPlace’s new analysis of the U.S. ZIP codes that attracted the most movers based on December 2025 migration data. In all, the report said 696,230 moves took place across the country in the final month of 2025.

Crandall’s 75114 ZIP code ranked as the No. 2 hottest American ZIP code with 12.4 moves per 1,000 residents occurring in December. Crandall fell second nationally to 34987 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, whose move ratio was 16.2 moves per capita.

Crandall is located about 27 miles southeast of Dallas in nearby Kaufman County, where its 7,664 residents make a median household income of $88,829 per year, according to MovingPlace.

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The report said Crandall is a “more affordable alternative” to other Dallas-area suburbs, as its median housing prices stand at just under $266,500.

“Its high ranking reflects a significant influx of residents attracted to new housing developments and the area’s increasing accessibility,” the report’s author wrote.

Kaufman County is also home Forney, another fast-growing Dallas suburb. Forney has expanded so quickly that H-E-B is moving in to meet residents’ grocery needs, and the new store is expected to open at the end of January. If that’s any indication of Kaufman County’s growth, Crandall may soon be next to get its own H-E-B.

Dallas’ own 75251 ZIP code ranked 10th on the list with 9.6 moves per capita that took place in December. This ZIP is bordered by I-635 to the north, U.S. Hwy 75 to the east, Forest Lane to the south, and Park Central Drive to the west. This area boasts 3,529 residents, and might be attracting many newcomers because it contains many apartment complexes, a retirement community, and an assisted living facility. The area is also near multiple hotels and Medical City Dallas Hospital.

“This urban ZIP code, known for its mix of corporate offices and residential high-rises, continues to be a primary destination for those relocating to the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” the report said.

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Dallasites residing in 75251 ZIP code make a median household income of $84,791 annually. Rather than giving the specific housing prices for this ZIP, MovingPlace said Dallas’ citywide median home price is $458,000.

The only other Texas ZIP that had the most moves in December 2025 was 78701 in Austin, which ranked No. 7 nationwide.

The top 10 ZIP codes that had the highest moves per capita in December 2025 are:

  • No. 1 – 34987 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida
  • No. 2 – 75114 in Crandall, Texas
  • No. 3 – 87001 in Algodones, New Mexico
  • No. 4 – 80019 in Aurora, Colorado
  • No. 5 – 37228 in Nashville, Tennessee
  • No. 6 – 85387 in Surprise, Arizona
  • No. 7 – 78701 in Austin, Texas
  • No. 8 – 28445 in Holly Ridge, North Carolina
  • No. 9 – 33576 in San Antonio, Florida
  • No. 10 – 75251 in Dallas, Texas



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