Dallas, TX
We recommend for Dallas City Council District 4
We have long touted southern Dallas as a land of untapped potential that needs leadership with a willingness to embrace change and opportunity.
The best candidate to do that for Dallas City Council District 4 is Maxie Johnson, a six-year Dallas ISD trustee who is leaving the school board for a chance to serve at City Hall.
Johnson’s tenure at DISD has been marked by deep investment in southern Dallas schools and a commitment to supporting reforms that are helping to elevate education opportunities for students throughout the district.
We believe Johnson, 47, will bring that same “let’s do it” spirit to City Hall.
“I serve a community that has been underfunded and disproportionately disenfranchised,” he told us in our recommendation interview. Job 1, he said, is “creating economic development that creates jobs, that creates opportunity for growth.”
A pro-growth mindset is exactly what this district needs. Johnson has a clear-eyed understanding that the development of Halperin Park, the new deck park spanning Interstate 35E between the Dallas Zoo and north Oak Cliff, represents a huge chance for District 4 to realize new prosperity.
“It’s going to be an economic engine. It’s going to help with jobs. It’s going to be educational, and it’s going to be a place where our community can come out and have access,” Johnson said.
District 4 stretches from the area around the zoo to the northwest through the Lancaster-Kiest corridor to Buckner Road to the northeast. This swath of southern Dallas includes historic neighborhoods like Cedar Crest, places that residents are rightly proud of and that they want to see protected from haphazard development.
Kebran Alexander, 55, is Johnson’s primary rival in a three-person race. Alexander, who works for the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, has many good qualities as a candidate. He cares deeply for the district’s people, but we aren’t convinced he is as eager to embrace the opportunities the district has.
We were surprised by his answer in our Voter Guide about whether plans in place for the coming deck park will satisfy neighborhood concerns. “I do not know enough to speak on that intelligently. I want to be more informed on the matter,” he wrote.
In our interview, he said that information has not been shared widely in the district. Johnson responded, correctly in our view, that there have been many community meetings about the park.
A third candidate, educator Avis Hardaman, 73, did not attend our candidate meeting. While she has a heart for the district, her responses to our Voter Guide questionnaire did not demonstrate the depth of knowledge that Johnson and Alexander have.
The winner will replace incumbent Carolyn King Arnold, who is term-limited.
We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com
Dallas, TX
Man dies after dog attack in Dallas home, police say
A man has died after a dog attacked him inside a home in North Texas on Thursday afternoon, officials say.
Dallas police officers responded to a call in the 4100 block of Esmalda Drive at about 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7. Investigators determined the man was attacked by a dog inside a residence in the 4100 block of Pringle Drive.
The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.
According to a press release, the Dallas Police Department is treating the case as a homicide.
Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Kenneth Castoral at 469‑781‑1261 or by email at kenneth.castoral@dallaspolice.gov.
Dallas, TX
Every Dallas Restaurant That Closed in 2025
Photos by Allison McLean
According to the Chinese New Year, 2025 was the year of the snake, and Dallas shed more than its fair share of restaurants and bars.
We actually started off on a high note with the closure of Salt Bae’s restaurant, Nusr-Et, which had the audacity to charge upwards of $1,000 for a steak.
After that, local favorites started dropping like flies. Many leases seemed to come to an end with an increase in demand for space sending rent skyrocketing. Along with rising food costs, local restaurants are taking a hit.
It’s not all bad, though. Peppered into the mix are some restaurants and bars in Dallas that closed, but were remodeled and reimagined into new concepts. Others are looking for new spaces with lower rent. The rest, however, are gone for good.
The beginning of this year will likely be no better than the last, and it’s as good a time as ever to get out and support your favorite local spots. Money tight? We know where to go.
These are all the Dallas restaurants that closed in 2025.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Mavericks’ Anthony Davis facing possible season-ending surgery on hand
Dallas Mavericks star big man Anthony Davis might be facing season-ending left hand surgery after being injured in Thursday night’s game against the Utah Jazz, ESPN reported on Friday.
Davis reportedly underwent an MRI exam on Friday that showed ligament damage in the hand. Davis reportedly will seek a second opinion to see if surgery is needed.
ESPN reported Davis would miss at least six weeks if surgery is avoided.
Davis was injured with 2:52 left in the 116-114 loss while defending Utah star Lauri Markkanen on a drive to the basket. Davis was in obvious pain after the play and left the contest with 2:08 remaining after he was holding the hand and unable to defend Markkanen’s next basket.
The timing of the injury could affect Dallas’ trade plans. The club reportedly planned to shop Davis prior to the 5 February trade deadline.
Davis hasn’t even been with the Mavericks for a year yet. He came over in the controversial and disastrous deal in which star Luka Dončić was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Davis, who turns 33 in March, is making $54.1m this season. He is due to make $58.5m next season and has a player option for $62.8m in 2027-28.
Davis has played in just 29 games for the Mavericks – nine last season and 20 this season.
He is averaging 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots this season. He is a 10-time All-Star.
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