Dallas, TX
Letters to the Editor — Helping the homeless, whales, renewables, bad weather
Homeless need city services
Re: “Come in from the cold, we pleaded — A band of volunteers offers rides to unsheltered souls hiding in plain sight on a frigid night,” by Andrew McGregor, Tuesday Opinion.
With up to six inches of snow set to fall in Dallas this week, our homeless are the most vulnerable, but they are not receiving the support they need from the city. While McGregor and the KP Roadies are performing an invaluable public service by driving around to find local unsheltered people and offering a night in the Oak Lawn United Methodist Church shelter, this opinion piece should raise questions about why our local government is not able to provide these services.
Almost 4,000 people are estimated to experience homelessness on any given night in Dallas and Collin counties, and with the rate of deaths due to cold more than doubling in the last 25 years, we must do more to protect our unhoused from the incoming winter weather.
Additional funding must immediately be allocated to the Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions and similar programs throughout Dallas-Fort Worth, especially during inclement weather periods, to allow for more comprehensive services.
Brayden Soffa, Wylie
Grieving with orca mother
Re: “Whale’s grief signals bigger tragedy ahead — Scientists say dangers to dwindling species are many and varied,” Tuesday news story.
Thanks for making me cry. The tale of the orca mother Tahlequah and her grief over her daughter’s death broke my heart.
The fate of Tahlequah and her species is beyond dire, and we cannot repair the damage we have wrought. When the orcas are extinct, literally eons of evolution will disappear because of our mistakes. There are no do-overs, no divine intervention. Extinction is permanently forever.
I note with despair the cruel irony that our climate cataclysm is so perilous and dire that one of the earth’s largest creatures is the canary in our coal mine. Like I said, thanks for making me cry.
Jon Caswell, Dallas/Lake Highlands
Encourage renewables
Re: “Renewables may face more regulation — GOP bills would lead to increased oversight, could raise energy costs,” Saturday news story.
While it’s laudable to cite environmental and safety concerns for large scale solar and wind projects, these bills seem calculated to suppress renewables in Texas. Tuesday (Jan. 7) at noon, over 38% of Texas energy is being generated by wind and solar, according to ERCOT.
We need more encouragement, not less, and there are other ways to harness renewables. My 30 residential panels have annually generated 15 megawatts of power for the past five years. What we need on the table are bills to require net metering from Texas utilities, which would ensure each homeowner gets the full cost benefit of the power they produce.
We also need incentives for home builders to construct solar-friendly homes with adequate south-facing roofs so that a homeowner gets immediate benefit from this clean, productive technology.
Solar panel installation on commercial structures should be incentivized as well. Millions of square feet of warehouse and manufacturing roof space are ripe for installing solar panels and would bring an immediate benefit to business owners, our energy security and our environment.
Richard Jernigan, McKinney
Fossil fuel firms alarmed
Some fossil fuel companies are just now realizing that they are in a competition with a “new” product that is much better in many ways: it’s less expensive; there’s an inexhaustible supply; it has lower capital costs; it’s creating lots of new jobs and economic growth; it doesn’t cause health problems because it doesn’t emit polluting particles that are harmful to human health; and when combined with batteries, it provides a much less expensive way to provide dispatchable power.
Of course they are becoming alarmed at the exponential growth of renewable energy in Texas. The companies that do not have a transition strategy to renewables will suffer greatly.
Why should Texas legislators protect companies that will not (or cannot) adapt to a changing marketplace? Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, says that his proposed legislation is “not aimed at slowing down renewables.”
If the true purpose of the proposed HB 553 is to protect wildlife, ensure that all facilities are permitted and operate in the best interest of Texas taxpayers, then why not include fossil fuel development in the legislation? There are plenty of methane-leaking, abandoned wells that need to be capped off.
Georgeann Elliott Moss, Sunnyvale
Cold Cotton Bowl of 1979
Re: “A look back at instances where Dallas-area sports were impacted by inclement weather,” Dallas Morning News online story.
If your records go back that far (instead of just the last two or three decades), you should have mentioned the Cotton Bowl game played over New Year’s Day in 1979. There was an ice storm in Dallas which really caused problems for the game, and the city.
The University of Houston played, but unfortunately my memory at age 87 prevents me from remembering their opponent; it may have been Notre Dame. Anyway, Houston was ahead until the last minute or minutes when they were defeated.
There surely was a story about the conditions and havoc they caused. My fiancé and I had to travel from Oak Lawn to Lake Highlands (on East Northwest Highway) very slowly and watch out for dangerous drivers. We had them back then, too.
Cynthia R. Gudgel, Denison
Carter’s goal of service
I so love the video clips of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter dancing. They speak to me about the quest for harmony by this man who appears to have had the goal of service rather than personal acclaim. May these reflections on his life inspire us to return to the true definition of greatness. Those who are elected to public office would be wise to take heed.
Linda Johnston Arage, Waxahachie
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Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double in more than three years, helping the New York Knicks defeat the Dallas Mavericks 128-113 on Tuesday night.
OG Anunoby had 35 points, and Josh Hart added 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season. New York (45-26) shot 59.6% and won its second straight.
Naji Marshall had a career-high 38 points, and Brandon Williams chipped in 22 points. The Mavericks (35-38) fell for the 10th time in 13 games.
Takeaways
Dallas: A night after shooting 56.3% from the field in their win Monday in Brooklyn, the Mavericks again started hot by making 28 of 43 field goals in the first half. But Dallas was worn down by New York’s depth, getting outscored 60-45 in the second half.
New York: With Mavericks center Anthony Davis (adductor strain) out, Towns went to work, scoring 24 first-half points. The center, who is third in the NBA in double-doubles, posted his first triple-double since Jan. 30, 2022, and helped New York record 40 assists on 59 field goals.
Key moment
Marshall made 13 of 15 first-half field goals and helped Dallas shoot 65.1% and remain even at 68 at halftime.
But the Knicks turned up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, opening with a 7-0 run. The Mavericks made just 4 of 18 field goals, and New York outscored Dallas 30-16 in the third.
European sauna culture is taking off in Dallas.
Romanian spa company Therme Group is opening its first U.S. location here, the Dallas Morning News reported. The firm is buying 24 acres near 1500 South Riverfront Boulevard, just outside of downtown, with plans to build an $800 million resort. The seller was Lewisville-based development firm Matthews Southwest.
Therme expects to spend $500 million on construction and $300 million on design fees and interest.
It still has to get planning and zoning approval from the city; it also plans to apply for incentives. The resort could generate $1.8 billion in tax revenues over the next 30 years and would create more than 1,000 permanent jobs, Therme US’s John Alschuler told the outlet.
The Dallas location could open as early as 2030.
It will include a 450,000-square-foot facility with baths, saunas, a waterpark and restaurants. Georgetown Company owns a 25 percent stake in Therme US and plans to build a hotel on the site, too.
Alschuler said day passes at the facility would cost about $60.
Cedars neighborhood association president Kirk Jordan visited Therme’s Bucharest facility and has voiced support for the project, which he said would be “transformative” for the area.
Therme recently announced plans for a similar resort in Washington, D.C. It already operates two facilities, in Romania and Germany.
The land buy comes less than a year after the opening of WorldSprings, a 10-acre outdoor resort with 46 mineral pools. The $32 million facility is located in the Colony.
North Texas has become a hotspot for experiential developments, with the $520 million PGA Omni Frisco leading the charge. Peppa Pig Theme Park recently opened in North Richland Hills. Universal Kids Resort is on deck to open next year in Frisco. Wisconsin-based Kalahari Resorts & Conventions announced plans for an Allen waterpark resort earlier this year.
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Anthony Davis could not help but grin.
A moment earlier, the 10-time All-Star cut baseline and accepted a pass from P.J. Washington before throwing down a two-handed dunk for the first points in what would be a 120-101 win for his Dallas Mavericks over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
Not a bad way to come back after missing six weeks with a groin injury.
“I feel good,” Davis said after scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds. “I feel like I had a great rhythm, to be honest. I wasn’t trying to force anything.”
Davis shot 6-for-9 from the field and added three assists, a steal and a blocked shot in his first game since injuring his groin in his Dallas debut on Feb. 8. That was about a week after the seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to Los Angeles and enraged many Mavericks fans.
He had been listed as out until the Mavs changed Davis’ injury designation for the first time Sunday when they listed him as doubtful. The designation changed again Monday when Dallas said he was questionable.
During his pregame availability, coach Jason Kidd said Davis would be on a minutes restriction. He was in Dallas’ starting lineup at power forward and played 26:32.
“I stressed to (Mavericks management) that once I’m 100%, whatever that time was and we had games left, I’m going to play,” Davis said. “We all huddled up and got on the same page and like I (said), went through the rehab process and was able to play tonight.
“(There) was never a moment in my mind — unless we ran out of games (or) I wasn’t 100% — I wasn’t going to play.”
The defending Western Conference champions are in a tight race with Phoenix for 10th place in the West, the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Dallas will be without Kyrie Irving for the rest of the season. The star guard tore the ACL in his left knee in a 122-98 loss to Sacramento on March 3.
While the injury to Irving could have been a reason for the Mavericks to consider shutting down Davis, he has continued to work toward a return, going on road trips and staying engaged with his teammates.
Davis had an abdominal injury before the trade, missing his last two games with the Lakers and the first two he could have played for Dallas. When asked if the groin and abdominal injuries were related, Davis said he was unsure.
“You have to commend him for working to get back because it is his job,” Kidd said before the game. “He feels responsible to get back to work. Just understanding that first part is who he is and I think the second part is, yeah, we can always talk about the future and that’s the balance that we have to look at.”
When he did return in a 116-105 victory at home against Houston, Davis had 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and all three of his blocks in the first half before pulling up late in the third quarter with a groin injury. He finished with 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
Seven of Dallas’ remaining 11 games are on the road. The Mavericks are at the New York Knicks on Tuesday, at Orlando on Thursday and at Chicago on Saturday.
“Working to get back with 12 games left just shows how much he cares about what he wants to do, and that’s to help his team win,” Kidd said.
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