A pair of North Texas residents pleaded not guilty on Dec. 16 to charges they defrauded insurers of more than $7 million via fake COVID-19 tests. A statement released by the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Leigha Simonton, claims that Terrance Barnard, 39, and Connie Jo Clampitt,…
Since 2007, school districts across Texas have been adopting the “guardian plan,” a rule that allows select faculty to carry guns on campus in the hopes that teachers can defend their students in the event of a school shooting. Many rural districts in Texas have adopted the plan over the…
Dallas bought a luxury apartment complex called The Briscoe in an attempt to provide affordable rents to teachers, first responders and nurses.
Attorney General Ken Paxton is fighting for faith-based adoption agencies to have the right to discriminate on the basis of gender-identity, sexual orientation, and same-sex marriage status.
All too often, Dr. Amite Dominick receives letters containing some variation of the sentence, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.” Dominick, the founder and director of Texas Prisons Community Advocates, is in frequent contact with incarcerated people, their families and beleaguered corrections officers. Each of these groups has…
Despite constitutional concerns, Dallas passed an ordinance banning people, including panhandlers, from standing on medians. Now, the city is getting sued over it, with the Texas Civil Rights Project claiming it violates the First Amendment.
If it wasn’t obvious before, we can say it’s official now: We like reading about polarizing public figures. They really move the needle. Perhaps it’s a schadenfreude thing, or perhaps we just want to keep tabs on the people who seek to have more power over others. Either way, the…
Police maimed protesters with less-lethal ammunition during the 2020 protests against police brutality. Ever since, states and municipalities across the country have considered bans on these types of ammunition. Texas will take up the issue in the upcoming legislative session after the filing of House Bill 974 by Rep. Erin Zwiener.
Rafael Munoz understands the importance of the issue facing “Dreamers” in the federal courts. He’s a first-generation child of an immigrant family from a border town near Del Rio, where he was born. It was a personal journey for him and his family, and one he’s been trying to help…
If passed, a permanent eviction ordinance in Dallas could give tenants up to 20 days to settle late rent with their landlord and stay in their home.
Last week a Texas court handed abortion-rights advocates a victory when it dismissed a lawsuit against a San Antonio doctor who provided an abortion in September to a woman who was more than six weeks pregnant. It’s a significant win for those who oppose Texas Senate Bill 8, also known…
While one recent report suggests that the City of Dallas is putting too much of its money into arresting, prosecuting and jailing its citizens, and not enough on providing what it calls Systems of Community Care, a different, new report says that Dallas is doing well in another area of…
Local author and researcher Edward Sebesta says people with ties to anti-LGBTQ institutions are routinely chosen to give invocation speeches before City Council meetings. It’s unclear who exactly is choosing these speakers, but some say the picks come from the mayor’s office. At least one council member is concerned about the lack of separation between church and state with invocation speeches.
Republican lawmakers in Texas are coming after trans rights this upcoming legislative session, and they’re starting with gender-affirming care for minors and drag shows they want to be labeled as sexual-oriented businesses.
‘Tis the season for hot button issues as the Texas Legislature prepares for its upcoming session in 2023. Bills touching on topics ranging from abolishing the city of Austin, marijuana reform, legal sports gambling and school library books will be on the table during the 88th legislative session, which begins…
In 2019, then Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedic Brad Cox kicked a mentally ill man named Kyle Vess several times while he was on the ground. A new Dallas Police Department investigation sheds new light on details about the altercation as Vess’ family sues Cox in federal court.
A new report shows that Dallas and Fort Worth are among several large U.S. cities dedicating a disproportionate amount of money to criminal justice and legal systems instead of programs designed to enrich its population and possibly prevent more arrests and incarceration. The Criminalization v. Care Report 2022, authored by…
Sen. Charles Perry’s Senate Bill 264 could stomp out the state’s market of hemp derived THC.
There were plenty of close contests on the midterm ballot in November, but Proposition A in Dallas wasn’t one of them. Dallas voters overwhelmingly approved the $1.5 billion plan to build a new and expanded Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center and to pay for a major refurbishment of the historic…
In November the University of Texas System Board of Regents adopted a version of the Chicago Statement, calling it a formal commitment to freedom of speech on its campuses. Released by the University of Chicago in 2015, the Chicago Statement, formally known as the Report on the Committee on Freedom of…
West Dallas community members are not happy with the owners of a long-standing asphalt shingle manufacturing factory that says it doesn’t plan shut down operations until 2029. Members of the community say they want it gone five years sooner.
Several bills filed ahead of the upcoming legislative session in Texas aim to change the state’s tune on cannabis. It will likely be an uphill battle.
