Dallas, TX
The Dallas Morning News hosts listening session with Garland’s Asian American community
How can The Dallas Morning News better report on issues facing North Texas’ Asian American community?
About a dozen reporters, editors, photographers and other staff members of The News hosted a listening session Saturday morning at the busy Cali Saigon Mall in Garland. The team met with members of the Asian American community to better understand what they want to see from news coverage, find ways to bridge the gaps and make staff members more accessible.
At a series of tables in the middle of the mall’s food court, roughly 40 people chatted with The News and expressed the gaps they see in news coverage and how the newspaper can work to bridge these gaps.
The Cali Saigon Mall, located at 3212 N Jupiter Road, often hosts local Asian American events, many attendees said.
Jennifer Nguyen, a founder of Garland’s Vietnamese-American Activity Center and whose family owns the mall, said the space hosts a number of Asian restaurants and shops. The mall often serves as a place for the local Asian American community to come together, she said, as it is a place where people can see their heritage reflected in the Dallas area.
When The News reached out to her about having the listening session there, she said she saw a great opportunity to bring the community together and get the ball rolling on bridge-building.
“We will do whatever it takes to bring The Dallas Morning News closer to the Asian American community,” she said.
Nguyen said she wished The News covered more issues facing the Asian American community, such as mental health struggles.
Nguyen said she feels the lack of Asian American representation in The News‘ coverage is an issue both sides can work to address. She said if members of the Asian American community wish to see more coverage, they should reach out to The News or its reporters to request coverage.
Dr. Maria Borrinaga, who came to the event, said it is not always clear who to reach out to for story tips, and sometimes, there isn’t a follow-up when something is submitted. (For reference, anyone with a story idea can reach out directly to a reporter via email, or submit a tip through The News‘ website.)
“We do have a lot of activities, but since we don’t have that platform to advertise it and really reach out to certain communities, that’s where the gap is,” Borrinaga said.
Among issues with The News‘ coverage of the Asian American community is a lack of positive stories about cultural events in the community, said Preeya Kalayaboon. She said she and her husband are directors of the Miss Asia America International Pageant, and while the pageant has been going on for about a decade, it and other cultural events are not always covered in The News.
Journalists said members of the Asian American community expressed during their table talks that they wished for The News to share their voice with the government about issues facing their communities, such as property taxes and more jobs. They also spoke of wishing for news coverage to be proactive instead of reactive, in addition to seeing stories that promote the vibrant cultural identity of the many Asian heritages in North Texas.
Dee Doai, president of the Vietnamese American Community of Greater Dallas, said she felt the event was productive, as it provided a platform for members of the Asian American community and representatives of different organizations to meet one another, as well as The News’ staff.

Doai said the most productive part of the meeting was getting to meet a lot of people face-to-face and having open dialogues, but the loud volume at the Cali Saigon Mall’s food court sometimes made it difficult to hear.
“You have a chance to meet a lot of new faces and reach out to your organizations,” she said.
Dallas, TX
2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule officially announced
Behold the 2026 Dallas Cowboys schedule.
We knew coming into Thursday that the Cowboys would be on the road to take on the New York Giants in the season opener on Sunday Night Football, that Dallas is “hosting” the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil in Week 3, and that the Philadelphia Eagles would be in town for Thanksgiving Day. Now we know it all.
Among the first things that jump to mind is that bye week is late. Dallas isn’t on bye until Week 14, the Sunday of that week is December 13th for full perspective.
The Cowboys also only play twice in their own building, thanks to the Brazil game, before November. Sometimes those weird quirks show up in schedules and this is certainly one of them.
It is interesting to see that the NFL gave Dallas the longest amount of rest possible after their Thanksgiving tilt. It hasn’t been uncommon for the league to have the Cowboys play on consecutive Thursdays, but perhaps that is a thing of the past.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Approves $180,500 for New Botham Jean Boulevard Street Signs
Flashit Photography
On Wednesday, the Dallas City Council approved funding that will replace highway exit signs and road signs marking Lamar Street with new signage honoring Botham Jean, the 26-year-old Dallas accountant who was fatally shot in his own apartment by an off-duty Dallas police officer in 2018.
The $180,500 in funding for 13 signs to be installed by the Texas Department of Transportation is the final step in the street renaming that was unanimously approved by the council in 2021. The new signs will be placed at exits along Interstate 45, State Highway 310 and U.S. Highway 175.
Already, Botham Jean Boulevard signs run along the road in the Cedars, where Jean lived before he was killed.
“This street on which he chose to live and the street on which he died can serve as a lasting memory of the upstanding resident who loved Dallas so much,” his mother, Allison Jean, told the council in 2021.
Jean was shot by Amber Guyger, a Dallas police officer, after she entered his apartment believing it was her own. A Dallas jury found Guyger guilty of murder in 2019 and sentenced her to 10 years in prison. She has also been ordered to pay the Jean family nearly $100 million in a civil trial, which accused her of using excessive force.
The Jean family is seeking restitution from the city of Dallas because they argue that Dallas, as Guyger’s former employer, had a duty to defend Guyger and pay out claims brought against her. The Jean family filed suit against the city in April of this year.
On Wednesday, city council member Adam Bazaldua stated that the continued remembrance of Jean’s name is a reminder that “no one is above the law.”
“This has never simply been about changing street signs; it has always been about commemorating a life that was taken too soon,” said Bazaldua. “When driving down Botham Jean Boulevard, we are reminded of the thousands of lives lost across the country each year to senseless gun violence.”
Bazaldua said that once city leaders were made aware that some signs from the initial 2021 street name change had not materialized, the horseshoe took steps to correct the oversight “somewhat promptly.” But he acknowledged that Wednesday’s funding came on the heels of community advocacy urging the project’s completion.
Community leader Yafeuh Balogun said his organization, Community Movement Builders, began asking the city for the updated signs in September 2025. Addressing the council ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Balogun encouraged the horseshoe to vote in favor of the funds because it “would make no sense” to not follow through with the street renaming approved years ago.
“I think this is very powerful simply because driving here today, I still saw the Lamar Street Signs,” Balogun said. “I remember how powerful it was back in 2021 when the city council voted to rename Lamar Street to Botham Jean. I’d like to keep that legacy going.”
Dallas, TX
World Cup volunteers receive uniforms, new tickets released
We’re less than a month out from the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and North Texans volunteering in the event have received their uniforms. FOX 4’s Peyton Yager has more on that and the new hospitality tickets released today.
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