Dallas, TX
Letters to the Editor — Texas A&M, preservation program, Dallas City Council, sheriff race
Bonfire wrong memorial
Texas A&M University is unique for many reasons. Its distinctive culture permeates every aspect of its existence. At the core of its culture is the courage to always do what is right regardless of opinion or consequences. While traditions are revered at A&M, those traditions can never supersede the dignity we accord every member of our community.
The effort to reinstate the bonfire tradition would disparage the memory of those students who lost their lives, including those who suffered enduring injuries, and it would tarnish the culture of Texas A&M University.
What is the appropriate memorial for the loss of 12 young, brilliant lives? Perhaps in this case, it is declaring that no amount of time erases that loss. Redemption is a powerful force, but must have a powerful purpose. Simply reinstating a symbol of sports rivalry does not carry that power; in fact it trivializes those 12 tragic deaths and deprives them of their basic dignity and the meaning of what they would have accomplished had they lived.
The reinstatement of the traditional Thanksgiving football game between the University of Texas and A&M is rousing, but the game can be played without demeaning our values and disrespecting those we’ve lost.
Don Powell ‘21 (graduate school), Amarillo
Former chairman of the board, Texas A&M University System
Officials must support preservation
Re: “Preservation gets fresh look — City Council to vote on proposal this week,” April 7 Metro story.
Kudos to Kate Singleton, who assumed directorship of the city’s preservation program and managed to turn it around. Nevertheless, it is with trepidation that I applaud this “fresh look.”
Under the previous director, the four historic preservation planners at that time (myself included) fought for additional staff, resources for community support, funds for translating materials into Spanish, money for educational outreach and resources for developing historic districts in underserved communities.
None of this was deemed important, and no one with authority supported us — not the former director, current mayor, departing city manager, nor most of the Landmark commissioners or City Council members. All stood by as our office imploded.
Upon realizing the futility in trying to advance the city’s preservation program, all four planners eventually left, determined to make a difference elsewhere and maintain their professional integrity. When an entire staff of dedicated, professional employees leaves, it is a huge red flag, but apart from one assistant city manager, no one raised an eyebrow.
My point is that no “fresh look” will succeed without the support of higher officials, Landmark commissioners, and City Council. Hopefully, a lesson has been learned. Dallas’ history and culture are too important to ignore.
Marsha Prior, McKinney
Pay officials for sacrifice
Re: “Money Can’t Buy a Better City Council — Dallas officials must recognize work as public service, not a career,” April 7 editorial.
In an era of significant challenges and demands to and on government, particularly local government, public “service” is more important and valuable than ever. In general, the ongoing exodus of experienced representation from such roles is hampering cities’ abilities to meet the needs of the day and effectively prepare for tomorrow.
It is high time to consider paying and/or increasing compensation to such individuals. Public service often requires great sacrifice on multiple fronts — every day, including weekends.
The public at large often misunderstands the complexity of public sector roles and the amount of commitment, effort, grit, tenacity and time to perform such jobs, let alone to perform them well.
An increase in pay would likely result in council members being better able to perform their roles as the full time jobs they actually are. This would benefit the communities they serve. Some City Council members must maintain full-time jobs while serving the public. This is almost impossible.
Dallas needs the most competent, available leaders possible in every seat — at all times. What happens in Dallas impacts North Texas, and sometimes you get what you pay for.
Mike Grace, southwest Dallas
GOP already capitulated
Re: “Don’t capitulate, GOP,” by William Pritchard, Wednesday Letters.
Pritchard exhorts Republicans not to capitulate to the Democrats’ immigration policies. He encourages them to back “a compromise that effectively controls immigration and grants amnesty to DACA individuals,” and then in the next sentence states that “Democrats seem dedicated to no compromise at all.”
He has evidently not been reading or watching the news recently, where we have all seen the collapse of a bipartisan immigration reform bill produced after months of work by a group of Democratic and Republican senators. After the House speaker declared that he would never allow that bill to reach the House floor for a vote, Republican senators “capitulated” and refused to support the bill, all of which happened at the behest of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who wants no immigration reform unless he can take credit for it.
Democrats are willing to compromise; Trump and his Republican sycophants are not.
Karen Rosenthal, Irving
No more cutting taxes
There seems to be so much need in our country, in many areas. I am just a retired teacher, not an economist, but I have a novel idea. For years, the emphasis has been on cutting taxes. What about the very unpopular idea of increasing taxes and eliminating loopholes as well as cutting the fat in government?
We must try to help save democracy here and around the world. Poverty and homelessness are heartbreakingly prevalent. Teachers can’t live on their income. The border needs funds as well as ways to eliminate the causes of mass exodus from other countries.
It is going to take sacrifice from all of us to climb out of our herculean debt while caring for those who desperately need help.
Carol McNatt, Athens
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The Dallas Cowboys boasted one of the best offenses in the NFL this past season, but it wasn’t enough to get them into the playoffs. Even with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams, they were unable to make up for their porous defense, finishing the season 7-9-1.
This offseason, Dallas was on a mission to fix that defense. Jerry Jones vowed he would put in the work and while they might not have an elite unit, they definitely look improved on paper.
With the biggest moves this offseason done, let’s rank the position groups for the Cowboys, which begins with the most obvious strength.
Wide Receiver
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are arguably the best duo in the game, which makes this the Cowboys’ strongest position on its own. Throw in Ryan Flournoy, who had a breakout season in 2025, and it looks even better.
Dallas has depth beyond this as well, with KaVontae Turpin, who had 396 yards receiving last year, as their WR4. Even rookie seventh-round pick Anthony Smith has some upside.
Safety
Rookie Caleb Downs immediately makes this group better, but he’s not the only addition. The Cowboys also signed Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency. For good measure, they also have Malik Hooker as they turned a perennial weakness into a strength this offseason.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott carries this group, especially after another spectacular season. Behind Prescott, however, the Cowboys are still strong with Joe Milton III and Sam Howell. Either player could wind up as the QB2 and could keep the offense going in the short-term.
Defensive Line
Defensive tackle has been a weakness for years, but Jones decided that had to change. Entering 2026, Dallas has Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otitto Ogbonnia, Jonathan Bullard, and rookie LT Overton, which is a solid group.
Offensive Line
The interior of the Dallas offensive line could make this one of the best groups overall with Cooper Beebe, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Guyton all standing out at their respective positions.
The problem is that offensive tackle has some concerns. Tyler Guyton hasn’t lived up to his draft status and Terence Steele hasn’t played up to his contract. Drew Shelton could eventually take over for one, but the rookie needs time to develop.
EDGE
There’s not an All-Pro on the edge like there was when Micah Parsons was in Dallas, but the group is much deeper this season. Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence, and James Houston can all have big roles this season. They’re even going to try Marist Liufau on the edge, but the depth might be an issue for him.
Tight End
Jake Ferguson had eight touchdowns in 2025, which was huge. The problem is that he struggled with ball security, hardly had any yards after the catch, and finished with an average of just 7.3 yards per reception.
Luke Schoonmaker has been the TE2, but he could be pushed by Brevyn Spann-Ford. Undrafted free agent Michael Trigg is a player to watch, but he’s unlikely to produce much as a rookie.
Cornerback
Defensive coordinator Christian Parker is a fan of Shavon Revel, and if he can turn him into a starter, that would be huge for this position.
Right now, there are far too many questions, with the durability of DaRon Bland being chief among them.
Entering OTAs, there’s a chance free agent pickup Cobie Durant could be their best option at cornerback. He’s a solid addition, but they need someone else to step up as well.
Linebacker
We recently noted that linebacker remains the greatest need on this team. They did a great job by trading for Dee Winters and rookie Jaishawn Barham could wind up being a great fit.
That said, they need DeMarvion Overshown to stay healthy for this group to succeed. If he misses time, their lack of depth will hurt them.
Running Back
Linebacker might be the primary need, but running back comes in last here due to the concerns behind Javonte Williams.
There’s no denying that Williams is a stud. He broke out in 2025 with 1,201 yards but the depth is questionable. If second-year back Jaydon Blue improves, this position group would climb the ranks in a hurry. For now, however, there are too many question marks.
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Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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