Dallas, TX
Young hockey star chases 2026 Olympic dreams
Team USA women’s hockey is heading into the 2026 Winter Olympics hoping for more than the silver medal finish from Beijing in 2022.
While they have dreams of gold, they are also inspiring the next generation of potential Olympians, some of whom are being coached in North Texas.
One of them is Angel Zerby, who has already caught the attention of USA Hockey.
“I want to be at the highest level that I can be,” Zerby said. “It’s hard to lose. Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to win when you have to be mentally tough in every scenario.”
Tough lessons learned at just 16-years-old, but she says they are lessons that are worth it. That mental toughness and her love of hockey started when her dad took her to her first Dallas Stars game.
“I decided that I thought that it looked cool, and I wanted to try that. So ever since then, he put me in skates,” Zerby said.
She learned to skate when she was just 8 years old. She was playing hockey by the age of 9 years old and then leveled up to the traveling Dallas Stars Elite when she was 10. She quickly realized that this was a lot different from the sports that her other friends were playing.
“So there’s not really enough girl competition here to have [a big league]. I think there are only three girls’ teams in Texas. There’s only one Tier One, which would be Dallas Stars Elite. So there’s not really enough for us to play other girls’ teams in Texas regularly,” Zerby said.
Her team has seen a lot of success. They have won regionals and been to nationals. Zerby herself has plenty of personal accomplishments to celebrate already.
“I was selected in 2024 for the USA player development camp. So that means I was invited by USA Hockey. That was a big deal for me. I was just super excited to go and do that,” Zerby said.
She was just one of four defensewomen in her region of several states to be invited. Her hard work was all in hopes of following in the skates of North Texas women who came before her from the Dallas Stars Elite Program.
Coppell’s own Hannah Bilka, who plays in the Professional Women’s Hockey League for Seattle, was on the USA Women’s National Team when they won the World Championship in 2024. Bilka has been named to Team USA’s roster for the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.
Allyson Simpson from Frisco plays professional women’s hockey for the New York Sirens and was also a member of the Dallas Stars Elite in her early career.
It’s a spotlight Angel says she has trained most of her life for.
“We can go at this and be scared, or we can go at this as a challenge and see what we can do,” Zerby said.
While girls like Angel are still playing with the guys… the sport is growing. According to Dallas Stars Hockey programs, the girls’ side saw an 18-percent increase year over year. Since 2013, the Dallas Stars Elite has helped more than 90 North Texas girls earn scholarships for higher education.
Dallas, TX
Top 10 Dallas Cowboys of 2026: Rashan Gary is Complete EDGE Dallas Needed
In need of help on the edge, the Dallas Cowboys tried to make a huge move this offseason. They made multiple attempts to trade for Las Vegas Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby, but were never able to get a deal done.
Once that one was off the table, they decided to send a fourth round pick to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for veteran Rashan Gary. The move was criticized, which is rather confusing when you think about it. Dallas gave up a mid-round pick, and reworked his contract to where it hardly makes any impact on a salary cap. They also filled a position of a great need with a player who might not threaten to lead the league in sacks, but is well-rounded and can help against the run just as much as he does when rushing the passer.
Gary is entering his eighth season in the league and has 271 tackles and 46.5 sacks. He’s coming off another solid campaign, which is why he’s No. 9 on our list of top 10 players on the Cowboys’ roster.
Rashan Gary 2025 review
Gary’s numbers in 2025 were respectable, but could be misleading. He was on pace to record 18 sacks, as he had 7.5 through the first seven games of the year. He then disappeared for the final nine games, recording no sacks while struggling to generate pressure.
That led to his season as a whole being considered rather disappointing, which is why the Packers were willing to move on. It’s also why Dallas was able to convince him to take a pay cut after he joined their team. What was most frustrating for Green Bay was the fact that they needed him to step up when Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL late in the year and Gary was unable to do so.
Rashan Gary 2026 prediction
One thing critics of the move are failing to see is the fact that Dallas doesn’t need Gary to record double-digit sacks. They need him to be the veteran voice for a group of young pass rushers who are trying to find their footing in the league.
Second year player, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and rookie Malachi Lawrence both have the talent to be game-changers off of the edge. What they don’t have, is the experience. That’s where Gary comes in.
As those two continue to develop, Gary will be the stabilizing veteran force who can make plays on early downs, while also being disruptive as a pass rusher. We can’t ignore the struggles that he had in 2025, but perhaps the change of scenery will give him some motivation to turn back the clock. And Dallas didn’t have to give up much to give him that opportunity.
—Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI—
Follow
Dallas, TX
Former Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa runs for Dallas Mayor
DALLAS – Former Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announced that he is running for Mayor of Dallas on Monday.
Hinojosa says the city needs experienced leadership to address the budget challenges and pro sports teams leaving Downtown Dallas.
Addressing Dallas’ budget and pro sports team
Local perspective:
Michael Hinojosa served two stints as superintendent of Dallas ISD, totaling 13 years. He told FOX 4 that he officially filed paperwork to enter the race and plans to formally launch his campaign at a Tuesday morning news conference at Dallas City Hall.
Hinojosa points to financial track record at Dallas ISD
What they’re saying:
Hinojosa cited his tenure leading Dallas ISD as evidence of his financial management experience, saying the district’s reserves grew from about $32 million when he took over in 2005 to nearly $1 billion in obligated and unobligated fund balances by the time he left.
“I think that it’s really important for this community to know that we’re at an inflection point and that the city and the community need a strong, proven leader,” Hinojosa said.
He pointed to the city’s budget shortfall, employee furloughs and concerns over major sports franchises potentially leaving downtown as examples of challenges facing Dallas.
He said solving the city’s challenges would require coalition-building and pledged to focus on issues important to residents, taxpayers and businesses.
“I believe that a vision is a dream with a deadline,” Hinojosa said, adding that if elected he would aim to address the city’s biggest challenges within two terms.
Campaign announcement at Dallas City Hall
What’s next:
Hinojosa said he will outline his priorities during a 10 a.m. campaign announcement on Tuesday, July 14, at Dallas City Hall.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by an interview conducted by FOX 4’s Shaun Rabb.
Dallas, TX
Viral East Dallas coffee shop fears major sales drop amid six-week road closure
Construction plans disrupt business in East Dallas. Just a few days ago, the owners of Juju’s Coffee off La Vista Drive in Dallas were informed by Oncor that the street on which their shop is located will be closed.
One of the owners, Nick Rocha, said the closure will last six weeks, but if there are any delays, it could be extended until October.
The coffee shop, which opened in 2023, has recently gained a lot of popularity. One of their drinks, called the “do-si-dos,” has gone viral, and now they have lines out the door on a regular basis.
“It’s a peanut butter milk latte… We probably doubled our sales or more if I had to be honest,” said Rocha.
Since the drink’s release in April, the flow of customers has been nonstop.
“We were like, ‘We’ll go viral and then we’ll die out.’ Then we’re like, ‘Well, when is it going to be over, because we’re just getting slammed?’ We were both doing like 60- to 70-hour weeks… And it just kept going, and it turned from like, ‘Okay, we’re scared of it,’ to, ‘Okay, we can do this,’” said Rojas.
Rojas says that just as they were adjusting to the new normal, the notice from Oncor came.
“They were just like, ‘Yeah, so we’re going to close the street, sorry.’ That was tough… because we’re in the middle of dreaming and vision casting for what’s coming and what’s next,” said Rojas.
Starting July 20, La Vista Drive will be closed, sidewalk accessibility will be difficult, and street visibility will be too. Rojas believes the impact could drop their sales by about 50%. He says they’ve had meetings with the city and Oncor, but says there’s nothing they can do, and now their only plea is to their customers.
“Anybody that comes in and supports, it’s a genuine gratitude from us,” said Rojas.
-
Detroit, MI4 minutes agoHow to watch ‘The Odyssey’ in IMAX, 70mm and more in metro Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA16 minutes agoSold-Out SF Marathon 2026: The Races, Routes and Road Closures (Plus How to Watch It All) | KQED
-
Dallas, TX22 minutes agoTop 10 Dallas Cowboys of 2026: Rashan Gary is Complete EDGE Dallas Needed
-
Miami, FL28 minutes agoGirl, 12, shot while sitting in parked car in northwest Miami-Dade, deputies say
-
Boston, MA34 minutes agoGBH Daily: Come sail away
-
Denver, CO40 minutes agoNew ice cream shop with a ‘waffle theater’ bets big on downtown Denver
-
Seattle, WA46 minutes agoSeattle weather: Sunny skies and warmer temperatures Tuesday
-
Milwaukee, WI58 minutes agoMilwaukee cooling centers, heat advisory tips; what to know