Dallas, TX
How the departure of Dallas’ police chief could impact the city’s November election
With Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia retiring and heading to Austin to become an Assistant City Manager, how this could affect three ballot initiatives city voters will consider on Election Day. The State Fair of Texas can keep its new policy banning guns after a judge decides in its favor and against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Plus, there’s political fallout between the Tarrant County GOP and two Republican county commissioners who voted in favor of keeping polling locations at local universities. Jack Fink covers these stories and more in the latest episode of Eye on Politics (original air date: Sept 22, 2024).
Big D Departure
After more than three years, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia is retiring from the city of Dallas and will start his new job as an Assistant City Manager overseeing public safety for the City of Austin on November 4th.
He’s following the man who hired him in Dallas: former City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who’s now running Austin. It comes several months after the Chief agreed to stay on through May 2027 as Chief.
In a statement, Garcia said, “…Deciding to step away from this profession has been one of the most challenging decisions of my life. Law enforcement has shaped who I am, providing me with a strong sense of purpose, responsibility, and camaraderie.”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and interim City Manager Kim Tolbert released a joint statement saying, “We are immensely grateful to Chief Garcia for his dedicated service and unwavering commitment to the safety of our residents.. While we are sorry to see him go, we also know that the big city police chiefs never stick around forever.”
Dallas City Council members Paula Blackmon and Adam Bazaldua have expressed concerns that more people will follow Chief Garcia out the door. They said they worry that three proposed charter amendments voters will consider on Election Day, known as the Dallas HERO Initiative, may have led the Chief to leave the city.
The Initiative’s organizers submitted more than 169,000 signatures to get them on the ballot. One amendment would require the city to maintain a police force of at least four thousand officers, which is about 900 more than in the city now and increase their starting salaries. Another amendment would have the city survey about 1,400 residents asking if the city manager should get a bonus or be fired. The third amendment would allow residents to sue the city if they felt the city isn’t complying with state law or its own charter or ordinances.
Watch Jack’s interview with Council Members Blackmon and Bazaldua:
Jack also spoke with Pete Marocco, Executive Director of the Dallas HERO Initiative.
Marocco responded to council members by saying they have it all wrong.
Watch Jack’s interview with Pete Marocco, Executive Director of the Dallas HERO Initiative:
A nationwide search will start soon for Garcia’s replacement.
It comes at the same time that Dallas is looking for a permanent city manager after Broadnax left earlier this year.
Fair Fight
The State Fair of Texas will be able to keep visitors with concealed carry permits from bringing their guns into Fair Park. This after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took the city of Dallas to court. The city leases the land to the Fair.
The Attorney General’s Office argued in court that Fair Park was public property, and a firearms ban would violate gun owners’ Second Amendment rights. The Fair put the ban into place after a shooting last year injured three people.
Under the new rules, only active or retired police officers would be allowed to carry firearms.
Political Fallout
Now to the political fallout among Tarrant County Republicans over last week’s controversial vote by County Commissioners to keep polling locations at local universities.
Among the four votes to give the green light, Republicans Manny Ramirez and Gary Fickes joined the two Democrats on the court, Alisa Simmons and Roy Brooks. Republican County Judge Tim O’Hare was the only “no” vote. After that, the Tarrant County GOP passed a unanimous resolution expressing disapproval of the vote and criticizing Fickes and Ramirez.
Jack spoke with Commissioner Ramirez and Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French about this issue.
Watch Jack’s interview with Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez:
Watch Jack’s interview with Tarrant County GOP Chair Bo French:
Texas Senate Debate
In the U.S. Senate race in Texas, there will be a debate between Republican incumbent Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger, North Texas Congressman Colin Allred. The two will square off in their first televised debate in Dallas on October 15th. It will be broadcast on the Tegna-owned TV stations across the state.
FC Dallas returns home tonight to host Western Conference rivals Real Salt Lake.
Lineups are in from both sides. Let’s dive into what Eric Quill’s starting group looks like, who is on the bench, and who we believe will see minutes later on in this one.
What Changed From Last Match
If it ain’t broke, right? This is the same group as last week that picked up three points in New York.
FC Dallas Lineup Notes:
Starting XI
Formation: 3-4-3
Bench
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Who should come off the bench?
I almost think you roll out the same group of subs that worked last week in New York. That would be Chris Cappis, Logan Farrington, Sebastien Ibeagha, Sam Sarver and maybe more minutes for Caleb Swann. That, or give Nicholas Simmonds a few more minutes out there.
Key Question Heading Into Kickoff
After ending a couple of streaks last week, can FC Dallas finally put together a complete performance at home?
There is no getting around it: this is a big one for FC Dallas tonight. They need to figure out how to get the most out of their home games here this week (and next) before being gone for three and a half months. If they can replicate what they did last week in New York where the defense was stout, the attack was clinical, and everything else in between came together…there is no reason why they can’t string together a couple of wins in a row here starting tonight.
Suspended: none
International duty: none
Season-ending injury list: Kaka Scabin (knee)
Out: Anderson Julio (Lower leg), Bernard Kamungo (lower leg)
Questionable: none
On Loan: Tsiki Ntsabeleng (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Enes Sali (Al-Riyadh), Malachi Molina (Nashville SC), Geovane Jesus (North Texas SC), Enzo Newman (North Texas SC)
Unavailable (off-roster): Daniel Baran, Jaidyn Contreras
RSL Lineup Notes:
Formation: 5-4-1
Starting XI
How to watch
📅 Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
⚽️ Kickoff: 7:30 PM
🏟 Venue: Toyota Stadium
📺 Streaming: MLS Season Pass
💬 Gameday Social: #FCDvRSL
☀️ Weather: 87, sunny
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FC Dallas returns home this weekend looking to build off last week’s road result as Real Salt lake comes to town for another important Western Conference matchup. With the schedule beginning to pile up before the summer World Cup break in June, grabbing points at Toyota Stadium feels more important than ever right now.
RSL arrives with one of the more balanced attacks in the conference and enough pace to punish mistakes in transition. For Dallas, this one is about staying organized defensively, controlling the midfield battle, and continuing to find consistency in the final third. If those three items can be checked off this weekend, there’s a real opportunity to keep the momentum moving in the right direction before a long summer road trip.
Let’s dive into some notes, predictions, and more.
TL;DR: Match Preview
Quick hits before kickoff.
- Score prediction: FC Dallas 2 – 1 Real Salt Lake
- Key player to watch: Petar Musa – To make the World Cup roster later this month for Croatia, Musa has to continue scoring here and guide the team to a big home win.
- Why this game matters: The next two are at home and after that there are nine straight road games. Dallas has to bank some points at home while they can before the long summer road trip.
FC Dallas Notes:
All-time vs RSL: FC Dallas holds a 24-15-13 all-time regular-season record against RSL. Dallas has scored 79 goals against Salt Lake. RSL has scored 63.
Home record vs RSL: Dallas has a solid 14-2-8 at home against RSL in regular season meetings. Dallas has scored 44 home goals against RSL. Salt Lake has scored 23 goals at Toyota Stadium versus Dallas. Dallas last won at home versus RSL on April 16, 2023. Jesús Ferreira and Bernanrd Kamungo scored for Dallas that night.
Homegrown clock: Homegrown keeper Michael Collodi was the only HGP earning minutes this season until Nolan Norris joined him on the field. Collodi has played the full 90 in each match, while Norris has been in and out of the lineup. Norris also has one goal on the season. Caleb Swann also made his debut off the bench in New York. Together, they have played 1595 minutes. To add more perspective here, Dallas HGPs only accounted for 1683 minutes in 2025.
What to Watch For: FC Dallas vs. Real Salt Lake FC Dallas returns to Toyota Stadium riding momentum from a historic road win in New York, but RSL arrives with one of the most dangerous young attacks in MLS. Here’s what to watch when the Burn host the Claret-and-Cobalt on Saturday.
Notable season stats:
- FCD is 7th in crosses in MLS with 144.
- The Burn are 6th in total distance covered in MLS with 286.24 km (800 miles).
- FCD is third in MLS in aerial challenges won with 171.
- FC Dallas is 9th in MLS in xG with 18.81.
- FCD is 8th in MLS in shot efficiency with 1.19.
- Musa is 4th in MLS in xG with 7.77. He also ranks tied for 4th in MLS in shots with 40.
Potential FC Dallas Lineup:
With another three-games in seven days stretch coming up, Eric Quill will likely go with as strong of a lineup as possible in these next two home games.
Formation: 3-4-3
Projected Starting XI
Availability & Disciplinary Report
⚽
Disciplinary Report
Suspended: none
Suspended with next yellow card: none
Suspended with next two yellow cards: Osaze Urhoghide, Nolan Norris
🗒️
Availability Report
Season-ending injury list: Kaka Scabin
Out: Anderson Julio (Lower leg), Bernard Kamungo (lower leg)
Questionable: none
On Loan: Tsiki Ntsabeleng (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Enes Sali (Al-Riyadh), Malachi Molina (Nashville SC), Geovane Jesus (North Texas SC), Enzo Newman (North Texas SC)
Unavailable (off-roster): Daniel Baran, Jaidyn Contreras
International duty: none
Real Salt Lake Notes:
Key player for RSL: Diego Luna
Scouting Real Salt Lake: What FC Dallas Needs to Know 🔎 A detailed scouting report on RSL ahead of FC Dallas’ 2026 showdown, breaking down formations, key players, tendencies, and tactical edges.
Disciplinary Report
Suspended: none
Suspended on next yellow card: none
Availability Report
Out: Jesus Barea (knee), Emeka Eneli (knee), Ari Piol (Achilles)
Questionable: Juan Jose Arias (groin), Justen Glad (groin), Lukas Engel (hip)
International duty: none
Big game this week for FC Dallas. Before we get into it, members have the full scouting report, projected lineups, and injury report. If you want to go into Matchday actually knowing what to watch for, now’s the time.
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A mystery trust bought one of the most expensive homes in Texas this week — just months after buying another multimillion dollar property nearby.
The Lost River Trust bought the mansion at 4815 Saint Johns Drive in Highland Park from Dallas entrepreneurs Melbourne and Jamie O’Banion on May 5, according to county records. The final sale price is undisclosed, but the sellers had the home listed for $24.9 million at the time.
The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom home spans 11,433 square feet on a 0.6-acre lot, according to the listing. It was built by Mark Molthan and designed by Tom Weber. They listed the home on March 23 for about $2,200 per square foot.
Allie Beth Allman, founder of the eponymous brokerage, represented the sellers. Damon Williamson with The Agency represented the buyer, according to Redfin.
Just two Dallas homes last year sold with listing prices higher than $25 million, though both sold for well below what they asked. The trust of the late Fortress Investment Group CEO Josh Pack sold his former home at 6601 Hunters Glen Road for $30.5 million after asking $35 million, and manufacturer Guinn Crousen sold his home at 4000 Euclid Avenue for $25.5 million after asking $33 million.
Only six homes in Texas are asking a higher price, according to Zillow. Two effectively tie with the home on Saint Johns Drive: a spec mansion on Strait Lane that’s asking $25 million, and another new construction at 4 Lana Lane in Houston that’s asking $25.5 million.
The Lost River Trust bought another luxury home just six months ago. On Nov. 14, the trust purchased the home at 3709 Euclid Avenue, a four-bedroom, six-bathroom, 5,845-square-foot house that was asking $14 million when it withdrew from the market in September. It’s about half a mile south of the home on Saint Johns Drive.
Melbourne O’Banion is the CEO of Dallas-based tech startup Bestow, which produces software for life insurance companies. His wife Jamie O’Banion is the founder of Dallas-based cosmetics company BeautyBio.
The Crespi Estate at 5619 Walnut Hill Lane, listed by the Cox Family for $64 million, remains the most expensive home on the market in Texas.
Read more
Dallas entrepreneurs Jamie and Melbourne O’Banion list Highland Park mansion for $25M
Estate of late Dallas plastic surgeon Sam Hamra sells historic Highland Park teardown to mystery buyer
Robert Vaughn buys University Park spec mansion that asked $26M
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