Dallas, TX
‘More and more unpredictable’: How the Dallas Arboretum is preparing for the frost
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/IBGMTBXA2BBMJMXWJLMOER7FZQ.jpg "‘More and more unpredictable’: How the Dallas Arboretum is preparing for the frost")
The Dallas Arboretum is helping its tropical plants brace for an earlier-than-usual frost that has blanketed the region the past couple of days.
On Monday night, Arboretum crews draped cloth over thousands of plants as temperatures dropped and a freeze warning was issued in many parts of North Texas. The chilly weather was expected to persist through Tuesday night, with temperatures set to remain near-freezing Wednesday, according to forecasts.
This type of weather usually doesn’t occur until late November, which prompted workers to cover up to 2 acres of plants, explained Dave Forehand, the Arboretum’s vice president of gardens.
Nevertheless, the Arboretum knew how to handle the erratic weather.
“We are prepared because we have to be ready,” Forehand said. “We know things happen, and in the last four years, the weather has gotten more and more unpredictable.”
After unseasonably warm temperatures this September and October, this year’s early freeze felt remarkable, said Forehand, who has been the VP of gardens for the last 23 years.
The last time a freeze settled over North Texas this early was Oct. 31, 2019, according to National Weather Service records. Typically, the region sees its first freeze around Nov. 22 each year, said Matt Stalley, a meteorologist with the weather service.
Overnight Monday, workers used a frost cloth to cover plants and keep them somewhat warm. Cold weather can stunt their growth, but a certain amount of cold weather can also bring out the color in some plants, Forehand said.
“What we’re doing is covering all the things that are cold-sensitive that are in the garden, that are a part of our fall color display, because we’re not ready for them to go away yet,” he said.
Some plants that are cold-resistant — including kale, cabbage and pink dianthus — did not get the frost cloth treatment. The Arboretum’s Pumpkin Village was also spared from the cold since pumpkins can withstand freezing temperatures. This weekend marks the pumpkin display’s last until next season.
The fabric cloth will likely remain secured around some plants until Thursday, which is the last chance for frost in the area.
“We’ll pull them off, and we’ll be able to enjoy our display for a few more weeks hopefully,” Forehand said.
For those who have heat-resistant plants at home, Forehand recommends using a thin, breathable fabric, preferably old sheets or a lightweight towel. Blankets can also be used to keep plants warm and prevent them from developing frost.
He cautions gardeners against using plastic as that material tends to condensate water and causes the plant to freeze.
This isn’t the first time the Arboretum has had to prepare its plants for extreme weather. Scorching temperatures this summer also impacted the plants’ growth at the botanical garden, with the heat slowing down its food production and affecting moisture levels in the soil.
“And then we got right into this early freeze,” Forehand said. “It’s just been more extreme.”
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that Shannon Herklotz, who has overseen the Dallas County jail system for just under two years, was hired to oversee its own jail operations.
The role Herklotz stepped into has been vacant since May, following a retirement. The former chief deputy’s retirement came as the jail is facing rising scrutiny over in-custody deaths, including one that led to a criminal investigation and the arrest of two jailers.
Herklotz, 54, joined Dallas County in February 2023 after leaving Harris County, where he managed operations at the Harris County Jail in Houston — the largest county jail system in Texas.
Before then, he worked at the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, the state regulator responsible for overseeing county jails and privately operated jails in the state.
“Shannon brings more than three decades of detention experience to TCSO and we are lucky to have him,” Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn said in a news release announcing the hire. Waybourn has pushed back on criticism over the in-custody deaths, saying many were the result of natural causes.
A spokesperson for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond Monday afternoon to a request for comment about Herklotz’s departure.
A Tarrant County spokesperson said Herklotz would not be made available for interviews Monday.
Herklotz left Dallas County in December and joined Tarrant County earlier this month, according to Texas Commission on Law Enforcement records.
Herklotz began his career in 1990 as a correctional officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which oversees the state’s prison system.
Herklotz joined the Texas Commission on Jail Standards in 1998 as a field inspector for South Texas and was promoted to assistant director of inspections and jail management in 2007, according to a bio on the Dallas County sheriff’s website.
The Sam Houston State University graduate was inducted into the Texas Jail Association Hall of Fame in 2009 and received the association’s President’s Award in 2019, according to the release and the bio.
Herklotz, after more than 20 years with the commission, joined the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in 2021. He remained there until January 2023, when he told the sheriff he would resign.
In a letter obtained and published by the Houston Chronicle, Herklotz told Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez that he pushed himself to “new limits” in the role, but the results were “not always what I/we expected.”
Herklotz had recently been demoted and forced to take a salary cut, the Chronicle reported. The downtown jail, among other issues, was facing overcrowding and was shipping some inmates to facilities in West Texas and Louisiana.
“I have no regrets and there is very little that I would change,” Herklotz wrote in the 2023 resignation letter to Gonzalez. “However, I feel that you and [Chief Deputy Mike Lee] want to move in a new direction and I do not feel as I have a place in that vision. I respect your decision[s].”
Herklotz’s rationale for leaving Dallas County was not immediately clear Monday, but reporting by KERA suggests compensation was a factor.
Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price told the station that the county could not match the compensation package Tarrant County had offered Herklotz.
As of November 2023, Herklotz was making an annual salary of more than $158,600, according to personnel records obtained by The Dallas Morning News in a records request.
The Tarrant County spokesperson did not provide Herklotz’s new annual salary and advised The News to submit a records request seeking that information.
Herklotz has assumed the role previously held by Charles Eckert, the former chief deputy overseeing Tarrant County’s jail operations. His departure came shortly after the death of Anthony Johnson Jr.
In April, Johnson, 31, died after a struggle in which a jailer kneeled on his back and used pepper spray on him. Two jailers are facing murder charges in connection to the death, which the Tarrant County medical examiner’s office ruled as homicide caused by chemical and mechanical asphyxiation.
Johnson’s death sparked criticism and spotlighted an increase in in-custody deaths at the Tarrant County jail.
Eckert said his decision to retire was not a result of the mounting criticism over in-custody jail deaths — the majority of which he and Waybourn, the sheriff, have attributed to natural causes.
“We had the one where we had the two officers who acted unprofessionally and, in my opinion, violated the law, but, the others, it’s just a sad fact of life,” Eckert told The News at the time.
Some deaths have resulted in civil lawsuits against the county that were settled out of court. Last year, the county moved to pay out more than $2 million in settlements, including a $1.2 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by the family of a woman whose baby died 10 days after she gave birth in the jail.
The Dallas Cowboys have officially decided to part ways with Mike McCarthy, who has arguably been the team’s best head coach in the last two decades.
Dallas faces the challenge of finding a new leader to guide the franchise to glory. Given McCarthy’s track record, there’s hope that the Cowboys already have a few viable candidates in mind
One name that stands out is Kellen Moore, a former Cowboys quarterback and offensive coordinator. Moore has familiarity with the organization, which could make him an ideal candidate.
MORE: 4 candidates to replace Mike McCarthy as Cowboys head coach
Over the last two seasons, Moore has had stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
His time with the Chargers was brief, lasting only the 2023 season, but in 2024, he joined the Eagles, where he helped orchestrate the NFL’s top-ranked rushing attack. His impact was evident as Philadelphia secured a playoff win against the Green Bay Packers.
MORE: Cowboys missed out on Hall of Fame coach by Jerry Jones dragging his feet
Moore had several seasons in Dallas where the Cowboys boasted one of the league’s top offenses in terms of points per game, and his close relationship with quarterback Dak Prescott would make for a smooth transition.
Given his success with the Eagles’ offense and his proven track record in Dallas, Moore could be an excellent candidate to lead the Cowboys into their next chapter.
The Cowboys certainly dropped the ball with their decision regarding Mike McCarthy. Not only have they parted ways with McCarthy at a crucial time, but they’ve also missed the window to interview Kellen Moore this past week.
Now, Dallas will have to wait for the opportunity to speak with Moore, potentially complicating their coaching search.
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Associated Press
Dallas Stars (27-14-1, in the Central Division) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (27-15-2, in the Atlantic Division)
Toronto; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars face off in a non-conference matchup.
Toronto has a 17-8-0 record at home and a 27-15-2 record overall. The Maple Leafs have gone 25-2-1 in games they score at least three goals.
Dallas is 11-9-0 in road games and 27-14-1 overall. The Stars have a 21-3-0 record when scoring three or more goals.
The teams meet Tuesday for the second time this season. The Maple Leafs won 5-3 in the previous meeting. William Nylander led the Maple Leafs with two goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner has scored 14 goals with 45 assists for the Maple Leafs. John Tavares has five goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
Matt Duchene has 16 goals and 22 assists for the Stars. Jamie Benn has scored six goals with four assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Maple Leafs: 6-4-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 5.3 assists, 2.7 penalties and 6.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
Stars: 8-1-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.8 assists, 2.3 penalties and 4.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.
INJURIES: Maple Leafs: None listed.
Stars: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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