Connect with us

Texas

Letters to the Editor — Texas Family Project, Sen. Lankford, stadium name, gas costs

Published

on

Letters to the Editor — Texas Family Project, Sen. Lankford, stadium name, gas costs


Respect religious beliefs of all

My state representative for District 89 is Republican Candy Noble, and she is running for re-election. I do not know Noble personally, nor do I know yet for whom I will vote in the primary election.

Delivered to my mailbox recently were two flyers from the Texas Family Project stating that Noble “voted to make the 88th Texas Legislature the most pro-Muslim session in Texas history” and asked “Why is Candy Noble voting to celebrate Texas Muslims?”

This example of religious bigotry must be a result of Noble supporting a resolution to recognize March 23, 2023, as Texas Muslim Day, as did many other House members from both political parties. But I suspect it has more to do with the fact that Noble voted to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and now she faces Paxton’s wrath.

Opinion

Advertisement

Get smart opinions on the topics North Texans care about.

I wonder if the Texas Family Project would insert Jewish, Hindu or Buddhist instead of Muslim if it helped them elect their chosen candidate. By the way, I am not Muslim, just a concerned citizen asking all of us to please respect others’ religious beliefs.

Jim Thomas, Allen

Censured for negotiating

Between newspapers, television and internet news, information is coming at us at a pace like we’ve never seen before. It is inevitable that some news items will slip by the average person. I’d like to offer a public service by highlighting a recent story that you may have missed. Apparently, stories such as this are deemed either too hot to handle or just not important to the mainstream media. But each week, you can find at least one item that makes you slap yourself in the forehead and scream, “Are you kidding me?”

Last week’s gem was given to us courtesy of the Oklahoma Republican Party. They “censured and condemned” U.S. Sen. James Lankford. Was he caught accepting bribes or guilty of inappropriate behavior? No. His “crime” was negotiating with Democrats on a bill to improve border security.

Advertisement

Lankford was dumbfounded by the move and remarked that he negotiated to give the Republicans what they asked for, but their response was, ” We don’t want a change in law because of the presidential election year.”

Slap! Are you kidding me?

John R. Dorgan, Flower Mound

Arlington, anyone?

Re: “What’s in a stadium’s name? Jokes, criticisms fly as new moniker favors Dallas over Arlington,” Tuesday news story.

Why are folks losing their minds over a name change for the soccer games? If Arlington is so incensed over the Dallas name, why don’t we call the Cowboys the Arlington Cowboys? Doesn’t that have a certain ring to it? After all, the Cowboys haven’t played in Dallas since 1971 or Dallas County since 2008. Better yet the Tarrant Cowboys.

Advertisement

If I were Dallas, I would sue Jerry Jones and Arlington for perpetuating a fraud with that name and demand payment annually for using the name Dallas Cowboys.

Gaylard French, Waxahachie

Try DFW Stadium

The stadium for the World Cup final has two names. Possibly we could call the one in our area Dallas Arlington or maybe DFW Stadium to represent the entire area.

Don DePuy, Richardson

Can’t blame liberals for gas bill

Re: “$361 gas bill for 63 degrees,” by Anton Skell, Monday Letters.

Advertisement

I share Skell’s frustration over soaring natural gas bills. Last month we paid more for natural gas than electricity at our home! I was right there with him until the last line of his letter, “Please vote for fiscal conservatives before we all go broke.”

No, our crazy utility bills are the result of 30 years of electing overwhelmingly right-wing lawmakers to every level of state government. In that three-decade run they have done what they always do — coddle and cuddle with the energy and utility industry, whose lobbyists have kept a torrent of campaign money flowing to Austin.

The result: — Texas taxpayers get to cover the industry’s losses from the February 2021 deep freeze. Plus, we’ll pay to beef up the grid, which the industry was supposed to be doing all along. It will cost us billions over the next 30 years. As a 2022 Dallas Morning News op-ed stated, “We are being cleverly asked to foot the bill for years of incompetence in Austin.”

We have given the far right in the Texas government more than enough time to prove they care about Texans. This is what we get. Are we not ready to try something else?

Andy Shaw, Dallas/Lake Highlands

Advertisement

Stop waving separatist flag

Re: “Texas is acting like California,” by Abby McCloskey, Jan. 21 Opinion.

I just want to applaud McCloskey’s comments about Texas’ winning attributes as a business magnet. I, too, want Austin politicians to realize that improving education will draw more business to our state than talking about the right to bear arms and red attitudes. Stop waving a Lone Star separatist flag and recognize that millions of middle-of-the-road good people live and work here.

Texans are a divergent and caring lot — whether families or singles. Politicians tend to see citizens through red- or blue-colored glasses, but we all (Texans and Californians alike) have health, educational and family needs. Don’t confuse that with your personal state power plays. We are a welcoming part of this nation’s future growth.

Elisa Berger, Carrollton

Who’ll stop the rain?

Another example of President Joe Biden’s incompetence. He has known for over a week of this impending storm coming to wreak havoc in California, yet did nothing to stop it. How much longer must we deal with this?

Advertisement

Jim Cargile, Plano

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



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Texas

Texas vs South Dakota State: Longhorns head into holiday break with a 46-point win

Published

on

Texas vs South Dakota State: Longhorns head into holiday break with a 46-point win


play

After a 103-57 win over South Dakota State on Sunday, the Texas Longhorns will head into their holiday break on a high note.

Sunday’s lopsided win at Moody Center came five days after Texas beat La Salle by a 111-49 score. Texas hadn’t scored 100 points in consecutive games since it did so against McNeese State and UTSA in November 2017.

Advertisement

Texas never trailed on Sunday, and freshmen Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton served as first-half catalysts for the No. 6 team in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll. Lee started and scored 10 first-quarter points while Carlton came off the bench to score 17 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting. Combined, Lee and Carlton had 29 points in the first half. South Dakota State’s entire team had 26.

While Texas built its 53-26 lead in the first half, eight of the nine Longhorns who played scored. The surprising exception was All-American Madison Booker, who distributed three assists and grabbed three rebounds but missed her three shots.

A perennial NCAA tournament qualifier that had split its prior games against ranked Creighton and Duke teams, South Dakota State (10-3) never cut into its 27-point halftime deficit in the second half.

Here are three observations from Sunday’s 46-point rout:

Advertisement

Mwenentanda remains patient with her process

Carlton finished with 19 points and nine rebounds while senior forward Taylor Jones had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Lee and senior guard Rori Harmon respectively added 14 and 13 points for a Texas team that shot 53.9% from the field. Booker was limited to nine points, but Harmon pointed out after the game that Booker’s +/- of 41 was the best among the Longhorns.

Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda was the fifth Longhorn to record a double-digit scoring total. Over 11 minutes, Mwenentanda scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

Mwenentanda grew up in South Dakota and was that state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. The school in Sioux Falls where she won a state championship is about an hour drive from South Dakota State’s campus. Mwenentanda was recruited by the Jackrabbits but she said that she was attracted to what Texas could offer her athletically and academically.

Since arriving on campus, Mwenentanda has shown glimpses of her potential since arriving at Texas, but she has mainly been a role player for the Longhorns. Sunday was the 11th time that she scored at least 10 points in a game. Just twice in her career has she played more than 25 minutes.

Advertisement

Mwenentanda sees herself as a Swiss Army Knife on the Texas roster. She’s listed as a 6-foot-2 guard on the team’s roster, but Vic Schaefer has mainly used her as a “4” player this season. Mwenentanda played some in the paint last season, but she got more playing time as a guard. Training more with the post players this offseason has helped her adjust to that role this season.

“I physically prepared for it, I mentally prepared for it. I’m enjoying it,” Mwenentanda said.

Schaefer praised the play of Mwenentanda in his postgame press conference on Sunday. Earlier in the week, Mwenentanda said that she was staying patient with her process.

“Everybody’s process is different. I feel like comparing myself to other people’s process would be one reason to give up,” Mwenentanda said. “Everybody on this team are great players, are great women so even though this process is a little bit different for me, it’s not something I look at negatively because I know everybody’s working hard and everybody’s pitching in.”

Advertisement

Status for sidelined Laila Phelia remains unclear

Texas senior Laila Phelia missed her third straight game on Sunday. Phelia suffered a detached retina during the offseason. Texas has not announced a timeline for her return, but Schaefer has said the program will soon release an update.

The leading scorer at Michigan last season, Phelia has played in just eight of the Longhorns’ 13 games. She is averaging 6.1 points and 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 40.5% from the field.

What’s next for Texas? Rest and one final tune-up

Next on the schedule for Texas is a home game against UTRGV (6-6) on Dec. 29. That will be the Longhorns’ final game until their Southeastern Conference debut at Oklahoma on Jan. 2, 2025.

But first, the Longhorns will get some rest. Mwenentanda won’t be able to fly back to South Dakota until Monday morning, but the rest of the Longhorns headed home after Sunday’s win. The Longhorns will return to practice on Dec. 27.

Advertisement

How will the Longhorns spend their break? The three players who attended Sunday’s postgame press conference – Carlton, Harmon and Mwenentanda – said they’d take some time off, but they added that they’ll get some workouts in with family and hometown trainers.

As for Schaefer? He’ll do some work over the break, but he won’t be in his office.

“I’m going to be standing in about knee-deep water in the morning calling a duck and having my son (Logan) with me and my dog, my hunting dog, not my show dog. We’ll enjoy some time together in the morning and then we’ll wet a line and fish in the afternoon,” Schaefer said. “I’ll probably sit in my bow stand a couple of nights with my computer in my lap and watch film. I don’t really care if I see anything or not, but I usually see a lot. I get more work done sitting in a bow stand in a bow blind than I do a lot of times sitting at my desk.

“I’ll just enjoy time with family. I’m really blessed with Holly and Logan and Blair here and we’re all together at Christmas, and it’s just a special time for us. We really embrace the Christmas season.”

Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Texas

Former Colorado defensive end Dayon Hayes transfers to Texas A&M

Published

on

Former Colorado defensive end Dayon Hayes transfers to Texas A&M


Former Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Dayon Hayes is set to continue his collegiate career at Texas A&M after transferring following a season-ending injury. Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defender, began his journey at Pitt, where he played from 2020 to 2023, accumulating 13 sacks and 80 tackles over four seasons.

At Pitt, Hayes showcased his potential in his sophomore and junior years, logging around 500 combined snaps and producing 30 pressures. His breakout came in 2023 when he amassed 44 pressures and a 13% pass rush win rate, ranking 12th in the ACC. Hayes also demonstrated solid run defense, posting an average tackle depth of 1.6 yards and recording 10.5 stops for loss. His ability to set the edge and prevent runners from escaping outside made him a critical piece of Pitt’s defense.

Following his success at Pitt, Hayes transferred to Colorado as a highly sought-after addition to Deion Sanders’ revamped Buffaloes roster. He made an immediate impact, registering two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in Colorado’s first three games. However, his promising start was cut short by a knee injury in the fourth game, sidelining him for the rest of the season.

Deion Sanders says he won’t attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay

Advertisement

Despite the setback, Hayes’ strong early performance likely earned him a medical redshirt, granting him another year of eligibility. With his final collegiate season on the horizon, Hayes opted to join Texas A&M, bringing his pass-rushing skills to the SEC. The Aggies, coming off an eight-win season, are set to face USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. Hayes’ ability to pressure quarterbacks and defend the run should bolster Texas A&M’s defensive front, adding experience and depth to their edge rotation for the 2024 season.



Source link

Continue Reading

Texas

D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas

Published

on

D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas


ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.

Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.

But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.

Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.

Advertisement

High School Sports

The latest news, analysis, predictions and more for each season.

“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”

Texas high school football central: 2024 state championship game stories, photos and more

Smithson Valley, from the San Antonio area, topped Highland Park 32-20 as the six-time state champion faded in the second half of the 5A Division I state title game Saturday afternoon.

In the second game of the day, eight-time state champion Southlake Carroll extended its title drought to 13 years with a 24-17 loss to Austin Vandegrift in the 6A Division II game.

Advertisement

“It’ll happen one day. I’m excited about what the future holds,” said Carroll coach Riley Dodge, who fell to 0-2 in state title games as a coach.

The Dallas area claimed three football state champions in 2023 with Anna winning the 4A Division I state title and Duncanville and DeSoto sweeping the 6A Division I and II state championships, respectively. The southern Dallas County schools also swept the 6A state championships in 2022, when South Oak Cliff won its second straight 5A Division II state title.

But this year, the rest of Texas didn’t let the Dallas area, a high school football mecca, run the table. Teams from each of the state’s major metros — Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio —- won a title in each division of the UIL’s two highest classifications.

Even before this week’s state championship games, 2024 seemed to mark a changing of the guard. Neither Duncanville, DeSoto nor Houston-area power Galena Park North Shore made it to AT&T Stadium this year. Nor did 12-time UIL state champion Aledo, the juggernaut west of Fort Worth that had won the last two 5A Division I state championships.

North Crowley, coach Ray Gates didn’t ‘duck any smoke’ in bold state championship season

But North Crowley did, after knocking off both DeSoto and Duncanville this season. North Texas might not have dominated the competition as it has in recent years, but for a third straight season, the king of 6A reigns in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Advertisement

“When you get to this point, there’s only one team that’s standing that’s hoisting the trophy. And fortunately for us, this year it’s us and we just happen to be from 817,” North Crowley coach Ray Gates said. “We’re elated to be able to bring that type of recognition back to our community, just to let people know that when you talk about this area, when you talk about Metroplex football, you can’t forget about us.”

On Twitter/X: @t_myah

Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending