Dallas, TX

Letters to the Editor — North Texas growth, Dallas County jail, agency cuts, mental health

Published

3 months ago

September 9, 2025

Press Room

Letters to the Editor — North Texas growth, Dallas County jail, agency cuts, mental health

Embrace density, efficiency

Re: “Promise or Peril? Initiative tracks key indicators as area transforms,” Sunday news story.

Metrics tell us a lot about what North Texas must do to thrive in the future. But culture drives a lot of those numbers. Sufficient energy, water and transportation resources are critical.

The predominant culture in North Texas embraces a 1950s aesthetic: single-family houses with lawns and cars as the primary mode of transportation.

When we moved from North Dallas to Uptown, we adopted a more energy- and water-efficient lifestyle. Because I walk and take public transit, I drive many fewer miles than I used to.

The quality of life in this densely populated neighborhood is fantastic. Density can be added without damaging existing neighborhoods, but it must be served by transit and have ground-level retail and services that encourage walking.

Too many people resist that type of change. Low-density, car-centric Plano is trying to cripple, if not destroy, our public transit system. Planning for the future should mean more resources for DART, not fewer.

Resource supply is only half of the story. A culture change that embraces density and its efficiencies to conserve limited resources, including the money needed for infrastructure, would be the truly conservative pro-growth strategy.

Ann Drumm, Dallas/Uptown

Stop wasting water

Texas needs to conserve water. I can’t imagine how many thousands of gallons of water are wasted in restaurants. All restaurants should be forced to ask customers if they want water. The only reason a glass of water should be on a table is if the patron requested it.

Many people over-water their yards. They don’t pay attention to the rainfall or if it is going to rain within a few days. Most people who have sprinkler systems think that their yard will not get watered if it has rained. This is not true. The only time a system won’t water (unless the system is turned off) is if it is raining while the system is watering. The system doesn’t know if it rained 15 minutes ago or is going to rain in a half hour.

Building reservoirs is not necessarily the answer if we don’t conserve.

Deborah Greenlee, Arlington

One reason jail is full

Re: “Jail hits capacity again — Tech issues in urgent need of addressing in crisis, DA says,” Thursday news story.

One of the reasons that the Dallas County jail is full is the Texas law that makes it a felony when a person in a mental hospital or any hospital intentionally or knowingly causes physical contact with another when the person knows or should reasonably believe that the other will regard the contact as offensive or provocative. The hospital staff does not have to be injured at all. They just have to say that the patient touched them.

When people with a mental illness are a danger to self or others, where do they go? They usually go to a hospital to be safe. If the hospital changes or reduces their medication that they need to be stable, an unstable person may touch a staff member while walking away or if the staff member is blocking them in and yelling.

One hospital in the Dallas area is known for charging people who are very unstable in a behavioral health hospital with a crime. Some spend a year or more in Dallas County jail since the jail may not give medication for a week or more after arrival. Then, the inmate can be declared incompetent to stand trial. It is a long process to be declared competent again. It is hard to get medical help in jail.

Joy Bergmann, Plano

Are troops coming?

Considering the high occupancy of Dallas jails, will we see National Guard troops being stationed in Dallas?

James J. Horn, Carrollton

Turn to clean energy

My home insurance premium has skyrocketed partially due to the rising cost of natural disasters. We have in recent years also personally suffered from severe storms, flooding and tornadoes.

Many types of natural disasters are made worse by climate change. People and governments around the world understand this, and therefore the world is decarbonizing and moving toward clean energy.

Now is not the time for us to roll back funding for research on clean energy, weather prediction and adaptation. We need to preserve critical science and research around our changing climate.

Robust funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and the Department of Energy is essential to strengthen U.S. energy leadership and competitiveness. We do not want to lose our energy dominance to, for example, China.

I am asking my U.S. representative, Beth Van Duyne, and Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz to reject the recently proposed cuts to these agencies.

Thomas Wikman, Dallas

Evaluate mental health

Every time another mass shooting makes the headlines, we hear the same tired refrain: “thoughts and prayers,” followed by little to no action.

One commonsense step we continue to ignore is implementing mental health screenings and social media checks as part of the gun purchasing process. We require vision tests to drive a car, background checks to work with children and even credit checks for renting an apartment. Yet, purchasing a firearm often involves less scrutiny than getting a driver’s license.

Mental health evaluations could help identify individuals who are struggling and should not have access to lethal weapons. Social media checks could reveal red flags — violent threats, extremist ideologies or signs of radicalization — that too often are ignored until it’s too late.

This isn’t about taking away rights. It’s about using the tools we already have to keep our communities safe. Responsible gun owners should support measures that prevent firearms from falling into dangerous hands.

If we can agree that not everyone should own a gun, then we must be willing to identify who shouldn’t, and act accordingly.

Eric Stengel, Richardson

Source link

Click to comment

Dallas, TX

DraftKings Showdown MNF Tight End Strategy: Oronde Gadsden vs. Dallas Goedert

Published

6 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Press Room

DraftKings Showdown MNF Tight End Strategy: Oronde Gadsden vs. Dallas Goedert

The wild card for both offenses in this matchup is the tight end position. Oronde Gadsden is a developing player with a high ceiling, while Dallas Goedert has been scoring more this year and has the talent to post a big game if coverage favors his opportunities. Which tight end offers more value on tonight’s DraftKings Showdown slate for Monday Night Football?

Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers (DK: $5,800)

From Week 6 to Week 9, Gadsden was an excellent waiver wire find at tight end. He had a floor of 12.00 fantasy points in four contests (7/68, 7/164/1, 5/77/1, and 5/68), highlighted by his best fantasy day (32.40). His role has been much lower over his last three games (3/13, 2/41, and 1/27) while averaging 4.3 targets.

The Eagles rank fourth in tight end defense (109.00 fantasy points). They allow only 8.6 yards per catch, accounting for 15.3% of their receiving yards allowed. Only three tight ends scored.

Jake Ferguson (5/23)
Travis Kelce (4/61)
Evan Engram (4/33/1)
T.J. Hockenson (6/43)
Jake Ferguson (5/60)
Cole Kmet (3/36/1)

Gadsden doesn’t have a great matchup on paper, but the Eagles’ defense hasn’t played the most challenging tight end schedule. I like the pricing on the Chargers’ tight end in this matchup.

Best MNF Wide Receivers to Target for Tonight’s DraftKings Showdown Slate

Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (DK: $5,400)

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Goedert is another player in this matchup over a quiet six-game stretch (3/18, 3/28/2, 4/43, 2/24, 2/20, and 2/27) on 21 combined targets. He scored seven touchdowns between Week 3 and Week 8 (six games), with his impact showing coming in Week 6 (9/110/1).

The Chargers also play week against tight ends (130.60 fantasy points – 6th). They’ve allowed six touchdowns, with them catching 71.9% of their targets.

Travis Kelce (2/47/1)
Theo Johnson (3/17/1)
Tyler Warren (4/69/1)
Brock Bowers (4/63/2)

Goedert should be an overlooked asset by Los Angeles’ defense in this matchup. His ceiling supports his lower salary, putting him in the mix at the backend of the showdown ticket.

Best DraftKings Showdown Running Back For Monday Night Football!

DraftKings Showdown Lineup Strategy For Eagles vs. Chargers

Here’s my game plan for tonight’s showdown:

Jalen Hurts
Dallas Goedert/Oronde Gadsden/Cameron Dicker
Dallas Goedert/Oronde Gadsden/Cameron Dicker
DeVonta Smith/Ladd McConkey/A.J. Brown
Justin Herbert

Tre’ Harris is my top low-value filler.

My easier team builds have Oronde Gadsden or Dallas Goedert as the captain. Jalen Hurts is a must for me. I’m fading Saquon Barkley based on his salary and direction, while also rooting for the Eagles’ passing attack. The over/under (41.5) in this game is relatively low, suggesting slower drives and a faster-moving clock.

More Fantasy Sports On SI News:

Source link

Dallas, TX

Dallas beats Pittsburgh in shootout

Published

18 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Press Room

The Stars were able to squeeze a 3-2 win out against the Penguins Sunday evening at home after a rocky sixty minutes of regulation.

The Stars welcomed back two key players who had been out of the lineup for weeks. Forward Matt Duchene and defenseman Nils Lundkvist were thrown right back into the swing of things in a game that never seemed fully in Dallas’ control.

The Stars struggled to get rolling in the first period. Passes were not connecting and shots were not going in. Thanks to goalie Jake Oettinger, the Penguins were held scoreless until Connor Dewar slapped a puck past him and got Pittsburgh on the board as the period winded down.

The Stars came out hot in the second period, with Jamie Benn leading the charge. Just under a minute and a half into play, Roope Hintz slid the puck to the captain, who shot it in and evened out the score. This is Benn’s fourth goal of the season after missing most of it due to a collapsed lung.

But the Stars’ momentum started to falter. They could not clear their own zone and took on two penalties in the process of trying to slow down the Penguins. Although the Stars killed both power plays, they could not manage to score on the other end, either. The Stars only recorded three shots on goal in the second period.

“It wasn’t our best game. I thought they were better than us tonight, five-on-five, especially in that second period,” head coach Glen Gulutzan said. “It took us a while to generate, we actually didn’t generate a ton… We’ve got to find our footing here a little bit. Whether it’s a little bit more rest or a couple practices to get sharpened up.”

Pittsburgh, who had 11 shots on goal in the second, scored with five minutes to go after Thomas Novak deflected a shot by Kris Letang into Oettinger’s goal.

Dallas came into the third period down 2-1, and for just over twelve minutes Dallas struggled to clear their zone and only recorded four shots on goal. Then, they were handed a chance after Ville Koivunen got sent to the box for slashing. But the Stars’ power play, which has been strong this season, could not deliver.

With just under five minutes to play, desperation for Dallas started to set in. The Stars fired off shots, but none could connect with the back of the net. Instead, they emptied their own net. The extra attacker gave Dallas the edge and defenseman Miro Heiskanen slapped a wrist shot past Tristan Jarry and tied things up.

This uphill battle of a game for Dallas was headed to overtime. Every possession looked like it could be the one to end things. Jason Robertson had a close chance, then Wyatt Johnston and then Robertson again. The Penguins had their own fair share of opportunities, but once again, Oettinger bailed out his team. Neither club could capitalize and the game went to a shootout.

Robertson missed the first shot and Oettinger gloved Bryan Rust’s attempt. Matt Duchene, who missed 24 games, could not convert his chance and neither could Sidney Crosby on the other end.

Mikko Rantanen lined up next, and as chants of “Moooose,” filled the arena, the forward shot the puck past Jarry. Letang had a chance to match that goal, but Oettinger stonewalled him. The Stars recorded another win, despite the uphill battle it took to get there.

“You don’t remember these games in a couple of weeks,” Rantanen said. ” You just remember the two points. So, we’ll take it.”

Dallas will travel to Winnipeg on Tuesday to take on the Jets at 7 p.m. CT.

Source link

Dallas, TX

Former Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks dies at 79

Published

1 day ago

December 7, 2025

Press Room

Former Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks dies at 79

Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman who owned two pro sports franchises in the Dallas area, as well as an English Premier League soccer team, died Saturday, Dec. 6, at the age of 79.

Hicks died peacefully in Dallas, surrounded by family, a spokesperson said in a press release on Sunday.

As the owner of MLB’s Texas Rangers, Hicks signed shortstop Alex Rodriguez to what was then the largest contract in baseball history − a 10-year, $252 million deal at the 2000 Winter Meetings − one that wouldn’t be surpassed until Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million pact with the Miami Marlins 15 years later.

Hicks owned the Rangers from 1998 to 2010 as they won three division titles and appeared in the 2010 World Series.

Three years earlier, Hicks purchased the Dallas Stars of the NHL, owning them from 1995 to 2011 and winning a Stanley Cup in 1999.

“Our franchise would not be in the position we are today without the ownership of Mr. Hicks,” the team said in a statement. “His legacy will be honored by our franchise for decades to come.”

Hicks expanded his sports empire into the world of seccer in 2007, when he acquired a 50% stake in Liverpool of the EPL.

He also served on the University of Texas’s board of regents from 1994 to 1999.

Source link