Dallas, TX
Yes, Dallas police are cracking down on reckless drivers
If you haven’t seen any crazy drivers around North Texas lately, you haven’t been on the roads. Motorists treat red lights as stop signs — or ignore them altogether. They zoom at 55 mph on streets with a posted 35 mph speed limit. They slalom down freeways, distracted by cellphones.
Many of us picked up bad habits during the pandemic, when roads were empty, and it’s time to unlearn them now. Thanks to the Dallas Police Department, which has a new focus on traffic enforcement, reckless drivers could soon learn that those bad habits can be very expensive. The department launched Operation Slowdown to crack down on dangerous motorists.
In two weeks, officers have handed out 2,058 citations and 339 warnings. They’ve used data to scan the city for locations with the highest number of speeding-related crashes and have increased enforcement in those places.
Cynics may grouse that the city just wants to issue citations to collect fines. For our part, we welcome safer streets and more police presence, and we suspect most Dallasites do, too. Traffic wrecks are far more costly, to people and property, than most drivers realize.
For the past two years, Dallas has experienced a little more than 200 traffic fatalities annually. There were tens of thousands of wrecks during that period, and many of those caused injuries and property damage.
It would be interesting to know how much money the city of Dallas spends cleaning up after preventable wrecks. A Wednesday afternoon crash in north Oak Cliff on Beckley Avenue involved a Dallas Area Rapid Transit bus, a FedEx delivery truck and at least two passenger cars. All were badly damaged, with debris scattered across the entire intersection.
A large traffic light was knocked down, and the delivery truck ended up mashed against a utility pole, which thankfully didn’t break. Two ambulances, a fire truck and multiple units from DART and Dallas police had to secure the scene, direct traffic and investigate what happened. We couldn’t obtain the accident report by the time of this writing, but we wonder whether speeding — perhaps someone trying to beat a red light at that broad intersection — factored in the mishap.
Most traffic accidents aren’t accidental. They may be unintended, but there are specific factors that often produce wrecks: speeding, distractions, failing to yield during left turns, alcohol and drug use, and running red lights. We know how to drive more safely — and if we forget, Dallas police officers will be waiting to remind us.
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DALLAS – Slow-moving thunderstorms brought localized flash flooding to parts of North Texas on Tuesday evening, blocking highways near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and dropping several inches of rain in portions of Tarrant and Parker counties.
Flash Flood Warnings
Local perspective:
Flash flood warnings are in effect for Hopkins, Hunt, Rains and Van Zandt counties until 7:45 p.m.
Flooding was reported along Texas 183 near Valley View Lane south of DFW Airport, where stranded vehicles and water-covered roadways created hazardous travel conditions.
A flash flood warning remained in effect near the airport, although rainfall rates had begun to diminish as the storm weakened.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
The National Weather Service also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Hood County, citing the potential for gusty winds and small hail. Forecasters reported hail ranging from pea-sized to marble-sized in parts of Hood, Parker and Denton counties.
Forecasters attributed the weakening storms in Denton County to an outflow boundary, a meteorological feature that can disrupt thunderstorm development.
The warning area was reduced as the storm weakened near sunset.
LIVE RADAR
What they’re saying:
FOX 4’s Kylie Capps said the storms moved unusually slowly from east to west, allowing heavy rain to accumulate over the same areas for several hours.
Rainfall estimates showed some locations in eastern Parker County and western Tarrant County received nearly 5 inches of rain during a six-hour period, while areas near DFW Airport recorded more than 2 inches.
Elsewhere in North Texas, northern Rains County received nearly 5 inches of rain.
7-Day Forecast
What’s next:
Forecasters expect a quieter overnight period, with only isolated showers lingering into the evening. Additional thunderstorms are possible Wednesday afternoon, though coverage and the threat of severe weather are expected to remain limited.
Temperatures are forecast to reach about 90 degrees Wednesday.
Rain chances are expected to continue through the remainder of the workweek and into the weekend as an upper-level low-pressure system sends multiple disturbances across North Texas.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Weather Team
Monday was a wild day for the NFL with two blockbuster trades. First was Myles Garrett, who both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles were rumored to have interest in.
Cowboys fans never bought into these rumors, knowing that Jerry Jones was unlikely to make such an investment. The Eagles, however, have been known to get aggressive. Thankfully for Dallas fans, they didn’t make the move as the Cleveland Browns sent Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Verse and a package of picks.
Not long after that trade was finalized, the Eagles did wind up making a trade. After months of speculation surrounding A.J. Brown and the New England Patriots, the two sides made it official as Brown was reunited with Mike Vrabel in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder.
Dallas Cowboys could take the NFC East crown in 2026
The writing has been on the wall all offseason regarding Brown, who has been unhappy with the Eagles for a while. His departure seemed confirmed when they traded up with Dallas in the 2026 NFL draft for USC receiver Makai Lemon.
While Lemon has the tools to be a difference-maker, he won’t be able to perform at the same level as Brown during his rookie season. The Eagles do still have DeVonta Smith at receiver as well as running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts.
That said, there’s no denying that they’re weaker this season than they were with Brown. Just as important, however, is the fact that general manager Howie Roseman didn’t pull off a shocking move for Garrett, which would have made them the overwhelming favorites in the division.
Cowboys chances hinge on defensive changes
Another reason the Cowboys are confident they can hang with Philadelphia this season is the presence of Christian Parker, who they hired as their defensive coordinator after he spent the past two seasons as the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach with the Eagles.
Parker brings in a new scheme and plenty of confidence, but more importantly, he has several new weapons at his disposal. Dallas traded for veterans Rashan Gary and Dee Winters, signed Jalen Thompson and Cobie Durant, and selected Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence in the draft.
Those are just some of the moves they made on defense, and they’re banking on that to be enough to help propel them past the team that has won the division the past two seasons.
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