Dallas, TX
Letters to the Editor — SMU and UMC, dumpster diving, Dallas leadership, animal fights
Negotiate on SMU control
Re: “United Methodists should have control of SMU — Issue has been settled in church’s favor since 1911,” by Cynthia B. Astle, Sunday Opinion.
Astle provides a good summary of the argument about relations between Southern Methodist University and the United Methodist Church. As a retired faculty member at SMU, former dean of SMU’s Perkins School of Theology and a United Methodist minister, I find myself on both sides of the question.
Astle is quite right to say that the relation between church and university set out in the founding documents is part of the university’s heritage and part of its commitment to past generations of supporters. If this relationship is going to be changed, it should be done by mutual negotiation, not by legal action from one side or the other.
On the other hand, the productive history of this relationship, especially in the work of Perkins School of Theology, is not dependent on specific legal arrangements. In the United States, the United Methodist Church has five theological schools that are integral parts of a church-affiliated university at Boston, Drew, Duke and Emory, as well as SMU. The legal relationships between the church and these universities vary, but at all of them the school of theology builds important connections between the university and the community. And the university provides educational resources that no theological school could offer on its own.
The future of this collaboration at SMU does not rest on the outcome of a lawsuit. It depends on both church and university moving beyond recent disputes about ownership and control to rediscover their shared interests in truth and justice.
Robin W. Lovin, Dallas
Don’t dump, donate
Re: “Stores’ trash is a treasure for the taking — Dumpster divers find perfectly good merchandise that’s been tossed,” Sunday news story.
I read this story about dumpster diving with a combination of disgust and outrage. Can someone explain why retailers aren’t donating these goods to shelters, thrift stores, the homeless, schools or some other worthy outlet? Not only are they bypassing an opportunity to help the less fortunate, they are filling our landfills with more trash, most of which is not biodegradable.
Jim Welch, Dallas/Northaven Park
Politicians the nouveau riche
Re: “Salary set for new city manager — Base pay of $450K decided by council in 13-2 vote is third highest in Texas,” Friday news story.
If you’re scraping by on a teacher’s salary or on some kind of retirement that barely pays the rent, be happy, don’t worry, even though you are paying our politicians a king’s ransom in salary. Almost a half million dollars a year for a city manager voted on by the Dallas City Council is evidence that politicians are the nouveau riche in our society.
Don Skaggs, Garland
Enforce term limits
Recently, the Neighborhood Coalition of Dallas called on city leaders to comply with the city code regarding term limits for boards and commissions. As a resident invested in our city’s future, I echo their plea: Dallas leadership must replace all termed-out appointees immediately.
This simple action would demonstrate a commitment to the city charter and save taxpayers the cost of an unnecessary and preventable lawsuit. Dallas voters approved Proposition S, allowing citizens to sue the city to enforce the charter. Along with rejecting council pay raises, this sent a clear message: Public trust in the Dallas City Council is deeply eroded.
Ignoring citizen concerns, as seen during the Forward Dallas 2.0 process, will only widen the divide. Instead, leaders should seize this opportunity to rebuild trust. By acknowledging missteps, committing to transparency and appointing representatives who genuinely reflect the will of Dallas residents, city leaders can begin repairing their relationship with the community.
This is a chance for Dallas to turn the tide and reestablish confidence in its leadership. It’s time for city leaders to rise to the occasion and demonstrate responsible governance.
Natalie LeVeck, Dallas
Support bloodsport legislation
Re: “Texas’ Bloodsport Laws Must Be Toughened — Dog and cockfighting will be curbed only if the penalties are severe,” Friday editorial.
The SPCA of Texas urges North Texans to support the efforts of Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, who, working with Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, recently filed House Bill 1795 to strengthen penalties for animal fighting. If passed, this law would make most animal fighting-related offenses felonies, aligning penalties for cockfighting with those for dogfighting.
The importance of this legislation is clear following the Dec. 17, 2024, animal seizure, resulting in the SPCA of Texas taking custody of 50 roosters, 43 hens, 34 adult dogs and 10 puppies from the Kaufman County property in partnership with law enforcement. The animals were found in appalling conditions, some with injuries consistent with fighting. Many dogs were unlawfully restrained without adequate shelter or water, clear violations of the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act.
While the SPCA of Texas is dedicated to evaluating, treating and caring for the animals we rescue, including these animals, stronger laws are critical to deterring and preventing such cruelty.
We call on North Texans to work with the Texas Humane Legislation Network, which makes it easy for citizens to ask their state legislators to support this legislation, and to report suspected animal abuse to law enforcement authorities.
Together, we can significantly reduce the horrors of animal fighting and cruelty. The SPCA of Texas will continue to speak for animals, but we need the community’s help to make lasting change.
Chris Luna, Dallas
President and CEO, SPCA of Texas
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 search for the next general manager or president of basketball operations of the Dallas Mavericks has begun. They terminated Nico Harrison in November, which was about nine months too late, and gave any available candidates clear notice that they were open for business.
The plan was always to wait until after the season to start the search. While names popped up as the season reached an end, they didn’t begin turning over the staff until the Monday after the season ended. However, Dallas Mavericks fans are not going to like how the team is going about the search.
Patrick Dumont Leading Search for General Manager
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Mavericks are not hiring a search firm in their hunt for a new lead executive. Instead, team governor Patrick Dumont is “acting as his own point person.”
This is an… interesting decision, to say the least. Dumont is not a basketball person whatsoever, and most organizations usually hire a search firm. The Chicago Bulls hired one as they look for their replacement for Arturas Karnisovas. Just because a firm is hired doesn’t mean a team will listen, though.
The Mavericks hired a firm in their last search for a GM. They let Donnie Nelson go in 2021 after a long tenure with the Mavs. Instead of listening to the firm, though, Mark Cuban ignored it to hire Nico Harrison, who had no previous NBA front office experience. Harrison had been an executive with Nike, which gave him connections with players like Kyrie Irving, Anthony Davis, and plenty of others.
For a while, that seemed to be working out okay. While he still had some questionable transactions, such as trading for Christian Wood and letting Jalen Brunson walk in free agency, they were still able to make a run to the NBA Finals in 2024. Then, he blew it all up, trading away Luka Doncic for an older and injured Anthony Davis, and the team hasn’t been the same since.
It’s imperative that the Mavericks get this hire correct. The interim Co-GM setup with Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley has performed admirably, but the 2026 NBA Draft is important for the Mavs to get right. It’s their best chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star, as they don’t own their first-round pick again until 2031 after this.
Hiring the right GM could help bring in more draft capital by bringing in bad contracts or flipping veterans into picks.
Dumont was able to convince Rick Welts, a Hall of Famer, to come out of retirement to be the CEO and lead the charge for a new arena. Maybe Dumont pulls another rabbit out of his hat for the GM.
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For a moment, it looked like FC Dallas was on its way to another statement win at home tonight.
Petar Musa scored two first half goals, to extend his Golden Boot leading tally to nine goals. But after Dallas grabbed control, the Galaxy found a way back before halftime with goals from Lucas Sanabria and Joseph Paintsil.
The second half brought more chances and more frustration for Dallas, which finished the night with 13 shots to LA’s nine. In the end, the point stretched Dallas’ unbeaten run to five games, though just like last week, it felt like another match where Dallas left points on the table.
Key Moments
7’ – GOAL! After a poor pass back by a LA defender, Petar Musa was free to go one-on-one with the LA goalkeeper. After a touch to get ahead of a defender, Musa slotted home his eighth goal of the season from outside the penalty box.
21’ – Offside! Joaquin Valiente sent a floating ball over the Galaxy defense, where Musa was able to get behind the defense and make an easy play for what appeared to be his second goal of the night. The play was called offside despite a fairly lengthy review period.
38’ – GOAL! This one counts! Musa gets his second of the night off a great ball from Chris Cappis. Logan Farrington picked off the ball in the midfield. He then played Cappis wide to the left of the penalty area. Cappis immediately played a ball back across the goal for Musa to slide in and finish for his ninth of the season.
43’ – Goal LA. Lucas Sanabria got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He took a couple of touches to get outside the penalty box before firing a shot that beat Michael Collodi at the near post.
45+4’ – Goal LA. Gabriel Pec got the ball near the top of the penalty area. He pulled the ball back a bit, which caught a pair of Dallas defenders. This allowed Joseph Painstil to get free behind the Dallas defense as Pec played him through inside the penalty area. Pec immediately smashed home a shot above Collodi to tie the game.
75’ – Another offside goal. This time on a corner kick for Dallas, after a scrum in the penalty box, Kaick hammered home what looked to be the go-ahead goal. But after a few seconds the flag was raised due to a deflection on Osaze Urhoghide, who was in an offside position.
Instant Reaction
Yeah, this is another disappointing result for this team. In a real way, it felt like the first half against Houston from last month. Dallas grabbed the lead, looked in control, but some defensive miscues opened the game up for the visitors to climb back.
With a double-game week coming up, this will certainly be another game where Dallas will wonder ‘what if’ more than anything else…especially when you factor in the two goals called off for offside.
About the Subs
Eric Quill went to his bench for the first time in the 66th minute, as he brought on Santiago Moreno for Logan Farrington. Quill went to his bench again 81st minute with Ran Binyamin and Nolan Norris coming on for Sebastien Ibeagha and Deedson. The final sub came during stoppage time with Herman Johansson and Joaquin Valiente coming off for Sam Sarver and rookie Nick Simmonds, who made his MLS debut.
Man of the Match
No question about it tonight, it has to be Musa.
Where does this fit into the season
As of this writing, the draw puts Dallas into a three-way tie for 5th place with Real Salt Lake and Seattle. Both are in action right now and look firmly in control of their games. I’d expect Dallas to be in 7th place by the end of the night.
What’s next for FC Dallas
Dallas wraps up a three-game homestand next Wednesday night as they host Minnesota United.
Dallas, TX
Akheem Mesidor selected by Cowboys by Blogging The Boys in SB Nation’s community mock draft
Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
Pass rush has been an issue since the Micah Parsons trade. The Rashan Gary trade helped, but Dallas still needs an injection of talent. Akheem Mesidor fits here because his body size allows for some versatility inside and out, something DC Christian Parker utilizes. Mesidor is also a high-motor player with a deep bag of pass rush moves.
His last season at Miami was full of disruption in the offensive backfield and he shows an all-around game, not just a bend-around-the-edge pass rusher. Yes, he’s a little older than you’d like in a rookie (25), but his motor, pass rush toolbox, and ability to play the run matches up with a need and makes him a quality pick at number 20.
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