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
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
The latest FC Dallas injury report is out ahead of their match against the Seattle Sounders. See who is out, who is questionable, and who will be missing for the hosts.
Here is the official list from MLS and FC Dallas1:
❌
Out: Anderson Julio (lower leg), Bernard Kamungo (lower leg)
Questionable: Logan Farrington (lower body), Petar Musa (lower body)
Suspended: 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
Seattle’s availability report:
Suspended: none
Out: Yeimar Gómez Andrade (hamstring), Paul Arriola (adductor), Pedro de la Vega (knee), Nikola Petkovic (knee), Cristian Roldan (head)
Questionable: Kim Kee-hee (calf), Albert Rusnak (hamstring), Ryan Sailor (knee)
International duty: none
BDS Notes:
This being the third game in seven days for FC Dallas, rotation was likely always going to be part of the story going into Seattle. Now layer in the injuries, and it becomes a requirement.
The big ones are on the questionable side with both Petar Musa and Logan Farrington coming in on the questionable side of things. Following the Minnesota game on Wednesday night, it did appear that Musa was carrying an injury of sorts when he exited the game in the second half. Head coach Eric Quill couldn’t fully comment on his status after the game, but seeing him land on the questionable side is what I was expecting.
Farrington on the other hand, that one is a bit of a surprise. It will be interesting to see if Quill opts to hold both players out and go with a different look up top this weekend from the jump, or if he rotates a bit more with his lineup.
My gut tells me we may see an attacking trio tomorrow night of Santiago Moreno, Joaquin Valiente and Patrickson Delgado. Which would be…wild.
Seattle on the other side, they’re dealing with several big injuries for this weekend. Cristian Roldan, Paul Arriola, and Yeimar being out is a bit of a surprise, though there were reports that Arriola was not in training this week.
Injury news changes everything heading into Matchday. Members get the full tactical breakdown of how FC Dallas adapts to the various injuries.
→ Join Big D Soccer
1 https://www.mlssoccer.com/media-resources/stats-and-gameday
UCF EDGE Malachi Lawrence is going to Jerry World.
On Thursday night, Lawrence was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 23rd overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, becoming the fifth first-round draft pick in Knights history. It also made him the highest non-quarterback draft pick in program history, the first UCF defensive lineman selected since defensive tackle Kalia Davis in 2022, and the first UCF defensive end/EDGE selected since Bruce Miller in 2011.
The moment Malachi Lawrence became our 5th first rounder in program history…
📺 2026 #NFLDraft April 23-25 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/jO4Rosteur
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) April 24, 2026
The selection also reunites Lawrence with another former UCF player, Demeitre Brim, who was hired by the Cowboys as their assistant defensive line coach back in February after spending the 2025 season with the Knights as a defensive analyst. So, Brim got to witness Lawrence record 28 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, three passes defended, and two forced fumbles on his way to a First-team All-Big 12 honor last season.
“He did an unbelievable job of working consistently and just continuing to get better in a year with Mike Dawson and Alex Grinch, and really happy for him,” UCF coach Scott Frost said of Lawrence on April 21.
“I got that call!”@Mzlzchi 🤝 @dallascowboys pic.twitter.com/q8QRB0jYLA
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) April 24, 2026
The Cowboys were a team particularly in need of pass rushers after finishing with the seventh-least sacks in the NFL last season. This was on top of them leading the league in passing yards allowed and rushing touchdowns allowed, though the latter is a shared title. Dallas also allowed the second-most passing touchdowns and the 10th-most rushing yards in the league last season.
Lawrence was not the Cowboys’ only roster addition to try to help address these defensive issues. Earlier in the draft, with the 11th overall pick, they selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, but what is of more concern for Lawrence is their trade to acquire pass rusher Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers back in March. With Gary’s starting experience with the Packers last season likely cementing him as a starting pass rusher on one side of the defense, that leaves just one starting spot on the other side for Lawrence to compete for.
Barring the Cowboys drafting any more pass rushers on Days 2 and 3 of the draft, Lawrence is most likely going to need to contend with the likes of Donovan Ezeiruaku and Sam Williams for that starting job. Both players were not regular starters last season, but still took the field in every game while logging a few starts.
However, Lawrence seems to be up for that challenge.
“They’re gonna receive, shoot, a dog, like a great player, like somebody that’s gonna come in and work from day one, great motor, and just bringing that pass rush ability to your team,” Lawrence said about what he would bring to the team that would draft him at UCF’s Pro Day.
Lawrence also already knows what he is going to do with his first NFL contract, which, based on being selected with the 23rd overall pick, is valued at $20,220,666, according to Spotrac.
“Shoot, I want to invest it,” Lawrence said.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
The Next Breakout NFL Prospect From The UCF Knights
Underrated UCF Knights Prospects Who Could Sneak Into the NFL Draft
List of Every UCF Knights First-Round Pick in NFL Draft History
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Top cornerback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft
USA TODAY Sports’ Christian D’Andrea breaks down the top cornerback studs, sleepers and deep sleepers in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Defense still wins championships, which is perhaps why the 2025 Dallas Cowboys were nowhere near a Super Bowl in 2025.
As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones’ full, undivided attention should be on improving his team’s defense. There was a microscope on the Cowboys’ defense in 2025 after Jones traded All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before the start of the season. The roster did nothing to validate that decision in the season that ensued.
Dallas ranked near or at the bottom of the league in several statistical categories on defense while simultaneously ranking near the top of the league in several offensive statistics. That ultimately led to a 7-9-1 record that was not enough to make the playoffs, and the Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after the end of the season.
Jones made some moves to address the Cowboys’ defense in the offseason. He signed safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke to reinforce the secondary, while defensive end Rashan Gary came over in a trade.
There’s still plenty of work to do to build up the roster in the 2026 NFL Draft. Fortunately, the Cowboys have two first-round picks to get the momentum started early.
Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft picks
The Cowboys have eight picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here’s the complete list:
- Round 1, Pick 12
- Round 1, Pick 20 (from Packers)
- Round 3, Pick 92 (from 49ers)
- Round 4, Pick 112
- Round 5, Pick 152
- Round 5, Pick 177 (compensatory pick)
- Round 5, Pick 180 (compensatory pick)
- Round 7, Pick 218 (from Titans)
Cowboys NFL draft grades
This section will be updated after the Cowboys make their first selection.
Cowboys 2026 NFL Draft needs
Edge rusher
The rumors are true: the team that traded away elite edge rusher Micah Parsons ahead of the 2025 season needs a new edge rusher on their roster. Despite finishing with the ninth-best pass-rush win rate, per ESPN, the Cowboys also finished tied for the seventh-fewest sacks in the NFL in 2025.
Dallas’ 2025 sacks leader, Jadeveon Clowney, had 8.5 sacks last year and is still a free agent. Behind him was James Houston with 5.5 sacks despite not starting a single game and playing fewer than 30% of Dallas’ defensive snaps. Even after trading for Gary, the Cowboys could use more help on the edge to improve their overall defensive shortcomings.
Cornerback
Dallas allowed the third-highest completion rate, second-highest passer rating and most passing yards to opponents in 2025. Re-signing Corey Ballentine and bringing in Cobie Durant in free agency are not transactions that significantly moved the needle.
Adding a secondary defender on the outside should be among top priorities for the Cowboys with one of their two first-round picks. LSU’s Mansoor Delane could be a strong consideration at 12, and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy could be available at either pick slot for Dallas.
Cowboys 2026 NFL mock draft
Here’s what the Cowboys could do come draft night, per Ayrton Ostly’s seven-round mock draft:
- Round 1, Pick 8 (trade up with Saints): LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
- Round 1, Pick 12: Traded to Saints
- Round 1, Pick 20 (from Packers): CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
- Round 3, Pick 92 (from 49ers): Traded to Saints
- Round 4, Pick 112: CB Julian Neal, Arkansas
- Round 5, Pick 152: Traded to Saints
- Round 5, Pick 177 (compensatory pick): Edge Mikail Kamara, Indiana
- Round 5, Pick 180 (compensatory pick): S Jalen Stroman, Notre Dame
- Round 7, Pick 218 (from Titans): Edge Logan Fano, Utah
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