Dallas, TX
Missing Dallas man’s case distressing Louisiana mother
DALLAS – Eva Celestine-Alexander tearfully admitted that people who video call see her burgundy bedroom wall. It’s where she sits, tries to sleep, prays, and scrounges for answers about her missing son, Rakim Jamal Celestine.
“I keep getting rejected from Dallas,” Celestine-Alexander said. “And if I can’t I go out there to find him, then I stay right here in these burgundy walls.”
Her son was 33 years old when he went missing on February 7, 2023. It was the last time she spoke with him. Celestine-Alexander said she didn’t want him to come to Dallas, but her youngest of four was determined to go to North Texas. She gave him a cell phone and footed the bill to stay in touch with him.
“And he made it his business to talk to me all the time,” she said.
Unanswered calls turned into concern for Celestine-Alexander. A call from one of her son’s friends underscored in alarm eventually brought her to Dallas and a journey of uncertainty.
Celestine was a rapper who went by the name “Mr. Celestine Mafia.” His mother said people in Dallas called him Lafayette. His music and friends considered him edgy, so Celestine-Alexander does not believe the Dallas Police Department is taking his disappearance seriously.
DPD said the case is assigned to the Missing Persons division. Police said the case is what they describe as “a want to talk to” because Celestine is an adult, and they haven’t seen evidence of foul play.
His mother said the streets are speaking to her. Theories range from her son and a friend incidentally witnessing a murder on a Dallas roadway to Celestine becoming the victim of being too much of a lady’s man.
“Rakim, if you can find a way to check your messages. Please call your mommy. I’m waiting on you,” Celestine-Alexander said.
The 61-year-old still calls the cell phone number she pays for to stay in touch with her missing son. She continues to leave messages, hoping he will respond one day.
The Lafayette, Louisiana, mother is appealing to anyone to provide information to police to give her answers. In the meantime, she also speaks to her son in case he can see or hear her words.
“I’ve been like this for a whole year waking up–crying, looking for you,” she said. “I’ve been to Dallas numerous times— riding around looking for you, and I can’t find you, papi. And I need you so bad because I can’t breathe without you.”
Dallas, TX
Dallas weather: Storms return this week with large hail and tornado threat
DALLAS – North Texans will enjoy a brief break today before the next weather system arrives, bringing multiple rounds of storms. A warmup is on the way, with temperatures climbing back into the mid-80s by the weekend.
Monday Forecast
Following a few morning showers in the eastern counties, expect a warm and breezy Monday. High temperatures will climb into the low 80s under partly cloudy skies.
Tuesday Forecast
As an upper-level low-pressure system moves to the west, scattered storms will move into the region Tuesday afternoon. Some of these storms could become severe, with the primary threats being large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.
Simultaneously, storms are expected to develop ahead of a dryline to the west. While the tornado threat remains low in this area, any storms that form could produce large hail and damaging wind gusts.
7-Day Forecast
Those overnight storms should push out to the east by Wednesday morning, but don’t put the umbrella away just yet. As the main weather system moves directly over us Wednesday afternoon, we’ll likely see another round of scattered storms that could still bring with some hail. Once everything finally clears out Wednesday evening, we can look forward to some drier, much more comfortable air moving back into the area.
Thursday will be noticeably cooler, with high temperatures settling in the mid-60s. However, sunshine and a quick warmup are expected by the weekend. Temperatures will rebound into the 80s on Friday and Saturday.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Weather Service and FOX 4 forecasters.
Dallas, TX
Off-duty Dallas officer shoots at suspects allegedly trying to steal his vehicle in Addison, police say
An off-duty Dallas police officer shot at a group of people allegedly trying to steal his personal vehicle on Sunday afternoon in Addison, officials said.
According to the Addison Police Department, around 2:15 p.m., the off-duty Dallas officer saw a group of people trying to steal his vehicle in a parking lot at 5000 Belt Line Road. He confronted the suspects, “and during the encounter, fired a weapon at the suspects’ vehicle.”
The suspects fled in their vehicle, Addison police said, and it is unknown if any suspects were hit by gunfire.
The investigation is ongoing.
Dallas, TX
Dallas dropped the ball on the Wings’ practice facility
The Dallas Wings can’t seem to get a win, at least when it comes to the team’s training facility and arena. Not only is its practice facility in west Oak Cliff, approved over the summer and fast-tracked to open ahead of the team’s spring season, now running behind schedule, it is also somehow over budget.
Dallas had already committed $55 million for the team’s practice facility, a price tag we were uncomfortable with from the beginning. At the time, city staff said that was the amount needed to build a training facility with the amenities and infrastructure required for a WNBA team. The city argued there were few viable alternative locations for the practice facility after delays with the convention center, and they were running out of time. Enter the $55 million facility at Joey Georgusis Park.
But now the project needs an additional $27 million to cross the finish line. How did costs increase so much in just a few months? And how did a project that was expedited to meet the team’s deadline end up falling behind and over budget?
City staff attribute the holdup to missed deadlines by the project management firm McKissack and McKissack and new requirements from the WNBA that weren’t part of the original scope. McKissack and McKissack didn’t respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this editorial. Whatever the company’s missteps, the city is ultimately responsible for conducting due diligence and making sure the project stays on track, and it couldn’t deliver what it promised.
Now the city wants the Wings to take over. The city would cap its total contributions at $57 million, which includes $653,000 in delay reimbursements. The Wings would then cover the remaining costs, at least $27 million, needed to finish the practice facility and agree not to sue Dallas for the delays.
Some City Council members have suggested that Dallas should consider the American Airlines Center for the Wings’ practice facility and arena. But even though the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars, who currently play at the AAC, are looking to leave, their lease agreements run through 2031. That doesn’t do much for the Wings who need a practice facility now.
Maybe all of this could have been avoided if the city had more seriously considered existing facilities that could have accommodated the Wings. That’s not to say the team doesn’t deserve a training space that will meet their needs, but repurposing an existing space instead of starting from the ground up might have saved both time and money.
This debacle is frustrating for the Wings, and it also isn’t a good look for the city. If Dallas can’t figure out how to deliver a practice facility that it promised to one of its professional sports teams, how can it hope to attract more businesses and major investments? Anyone watching this unfold would have good reason to question the city’s ability to deliver.
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