A Dallas law firm did something good that it hopes will bring meaningful change to kids as they move past the teenage years and into adulthood.

The BT Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the law firm Barnes & Thornburg, gave $50,000 grants to each of five organizations where it has a presence.

Irving-based Project XVI was one of the recipients.

Radio personality Lady Jade founded the nonprofit more than a decade ago. It focuses on education, exposure to career possibilities and mental health wellbeing to give kids essential life skills and nurture their personal growth and resilience.

Project XVI will use the $50,000 grant to deliver mental health counseling and monthly life-skills workshops to students facing poverty and trauma.

Lady Jade says she named her nonprofit Project XVI because that number is a sweet spot in the transition from childhood to adulthood.

BT Foundation says it’s committed to ensuring that Barnes & Thornburg is a good citizen to the communities in which we live, work and serve by supporting non-profit organizations in these communities that help ensure access to resources and opportunities for all.

DALLAS – After voter confusion on primary election day in March, Dallas County Republicans want to change how the May runoff elections will work.

Dallas County GOP returns to countywide polling sites

What we know:

The Dallas County Republican Party announced it wants to return to countywide elections for the May 26 runoff elections.

For the March primary elections, Republicans had requested a split primary. That decision split the two parties’ voting locations instead of holding a joint election with countywide voting centers. Polling locations were instead determined by precincts.

Dallas County GOP Chairman Allen West released the following statement on the change.

“I have made the decision that seeking to do precinct based operations for the runoff Election Day exposes the DCRP to increased risk and voter confusion. From the end of April through May there will be municipal elections and early voting for the runoff. All of these elections are countywide voting. To then shift for the one day runoff election to precincts would bring about large scale disruption. This week I will sign an amended contract for the DCRP to execute non-joint countywide runoff election.”

The Dallas County Elections Department confirmed that both parties appear in agreement on countywide voting locations in May.

Split primary causes confusion on election day

The backstory:

The split primary led to confusion for Dallas County voters on March 3, mainly from Democrats.

Many voters were turned away from their usual polling locations due to the change. An error on the Texas Secretary of State’s website gave voters incorrect information on polling locations and led to even more people being turned away, and the Dallas County website crashed with voters trying to figure out where they could vote.

Based on the early confusion, Dallas County Democrats asked for and received a court ruling that extended voting hours in Dallas County until 9 p.m. for Democrats.

Ten minutes before the new deadline, the Texas State Supreme Court overruled the Dallas County judge, meaning that any of the around 2,000 votes cast after the original 7 p.m. deadline did not count.

Dallas County Democrats respond

The other side:

Dallas County Democrats ridiculed the change in a statement, saying the change is “a clear admission that their own election changes were a failure.”

“After causing chaos on Election Day, Republicans are now scrambling to undo the damage they created,” said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Kendall Scudder. “For months, Democrats warned that forcing a return to a precinct-only system during Election Day would confuse voters, create long lines, and turn people away from the polls, and that’s exactly what happened. This was a completely avoidable failure that wasted taxpayer dollars and undermined voter confidence.”

“Now that the consequences are impossible to ignore, Republicans are suddenly trying to remember what it means to serve the people. Texans shouldn’t have to endure manufactured crises just so politicians can score points with their base. Democrats will continue fighting to ensure every voter can cast their ballot freely, fairly, and without unnecessary barriers.”

Explaining the change

Dig deeper:

FOX 4’s Amelia Jones talked to Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at SMU, about why both parties will be happy with the change.

“It’s not clear what the party really gained from preventing countywide voting on Election Day in the first place, and we know that some voters in Dallas County were confused,” Wilson told Jones. “I think Democrats will be happy with this change. Democrats never really wanted to go to precincts limited voting on Election Day in the first place, that was primarily a Republican initiative.”

The runoff election between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton for the Republican nomination for Senate might have gone into the party’s decision to return to countywide polling. Wilson says countywide voting could increase voter turnout for Republicans.

“That will be the main thing driving turnout during the runoff cycle. And so, yeah, I think definitely calculations surrounding that were central to the party’s decision-making in this case,” Wilson said.

What’s next:

The Dallas County Elections Department says both parties were given amended contracts to implement the changes. Once finalized, more information will be shared with voters, including voting locations and election schedules.

The runoff elections are scheduled for May 26.

A member of Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s security team was killed by police in Dallas during a standoff, the congresswoman confirmed in a statement, writing that she was “shocked by some of the concerning revelations.”

Officials say Diamon Robinson, 39, was confronted in a parking lot by Dallas police before he barricaded himself in a car, was forced out with tear gas and allegedly pulled a firearm on officers. Police shot and killed him.

Authorities said Robinson had a criminal history and was the subject of multiple “felony warrants.” Despite his criminal record, Robinson was able to work as security for a sitting member of Congress.

Crockett said her team followed protocols in contracting additional security and said the vendor had worked closely with law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Capitol Police. Crockett called it “alarming” that Robinson was able to “circumvent the vetting process” and said the situation highlighted loopholes in the system.