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Silas Allen

Silas Allen has been the Dallas Observer's news editor since March 2019. Before coming to Dallas, he worked as a reporter and editor at the Oklahoman in Oklahoma City. He's a Missouri native and a graduate of the University of Missouri.

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Clearer Picture of Dallas ISD's School Year Emerges

By Silas Allen
Jul 21, 2020

Dallas ISD's plan for what the coming school year will look like is becoming clearer. Monday, the district released details of a proposed calendar for the upcoming school year. The updated calendar moves the first day of school to the Tuesday after Labor Day, moves the end of the school...
Dallas Morning News Newsroom Employees Are Unionizing

By Silas Allen
Jul 20, 2020

The Dallas Morning News' newsroom is looking to unionize, journalists at the newspaper announced Monday morning. Newsroom employees, along with those from the newspaper's sister publication, Al Dia, requested voluntary recognition of the Dallas News Guild from parent company A.H. Belo. That request marks the first major step in forming a...
Dallas County Schools to Remain Closed Until at Least Sept. 8

By Silas Allen
Jul 16, 2020

Schools in Dallas County will be online-only until at least Sept. 8, following an order by county health officials. Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, issued the order Thursday afternoon. The order, which applies to both public and private schools in the county, allows teachers,...
Dallas ISD Pushes Back on Charter School's Move to Paul Quinn College

By Silas Allen
Jul 15, 2020

Dallas ISD officials are pushing back on a charter school's plan to move its Oak Cliff campus to Paul Quinn College. Officials at KIPP Oak Cliff Academy plan to move the high school, which is operating in a shopping center in Oak Cliff, to the college campus in the spring...
Candace Valenzuela Bests Kim Olson in 24th Congressional District Runoff

By Silas Allen
Jul 15, 2020

Candace Valenzuela, a member of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees, defeated retired Air Force Col. Kim Olson Tuesday in the Democratic runoff for Texas' 24th Congressional District. In a speech to supporters via Zoom, Valenzuela emphasized her background and how it informed her decision to run for Congress...
With Fall Semester Approaching, University Faculty and Staff Worry About COVID-19 Outbreaks

By Silas Allen
Jul 13, 2020

When he's in the office, Aaron Anderson spends most of his day sitting at his desk, wearing his mask and trying to touch as few things as he can. He worries about whether it's safe to lay out his lunch on his desk, so he doesn't eat anything from the...
As Start of School Nears, Texas Parents Worry About Safety of In-Person Classes

By Silas Allen
Jul 9, 2020

For the past few weeks, Amanda Scott has watched with growing concern as the days until school starts tick away and the number of reported cases of COVID-19 in Dallas climb ever higher. Scott's son Fletcher will be going into second grade at Mockingbird Elementary School in East Dallas. With...
State Fair of Texas Canceled Amid Coronavirus Concerns

By Silas Allen
Jul 7, 2020

This year's State Fair of Texas is canceled due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19, organizers announced Tuesday morning. This year marks the first time since World War II that the fair has been canceled. It was canceled once during World War I, for three years in the 1930s...
Majority of Texans Think Coronavirus Response Is Going Badly, Poll Shows

By Silas Allen
Jul 7, 2020

As infections of the novel coronavirus surge across North Texas and around the state, a majority of Texans now say efforts to control the spread of the virus are going badly, according to a poll released this week. The poll, conducted by the Texas Politics Project at the University of...
Abbott Issues Statewide Mask Order

By Silas Allen
Jul 2, 2020

Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday issued an order requiring people to wear masks in public in any county with 20 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19. The order comes as cases of the novel coronavirus continue to surge statewide and public health officials worry about how Independence Day gatherings could fuel...
Dallas County Posts 601 New Coronavirus Cases, 20 Deaths

By Silas Allen
Jun 30, 2020

Dallas County crossed two grim thresholds Tuesday in its ongoing surge of cases of the novel coronavirus. County health officials reported 601 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday afternoon, marking the first time the county has reported more than 600 cases in a single day. The county also reported 20 coronavirus-related...
Texas Democrats Lose Bid to Expand Early Voting Before Runoff

By Silas Allen
Jun 26, 2020

Unless you fall into one of a handful of categories that would allow you to cast a ballot by mail, you'll need to show up in person if you want to vote in next month's runoff election, coronavirus or not. That's the takeaway from the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to...
Bars Ordered Closed, Restaurant Capacity Limited as Abbott Dials Up Coronavirus Restrictions

By Silas Allen
Jun 26, 2020

A day after he hit the pause button on the state's reopening plan, Gov. Greg Abbott is reinstating some restrictions designed to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Friday morning, Abbott issued an executive order closing bars across the state at noon Friday and placing a 50% occupancy...
As COVID-19 Cases Skyrocket, Greg Abbott Hits the Pause Button

By Silas Allen
Jun 25, 2020

As Texas' coronavirus numbers continue their rapid climb, Gov. Greg Abbott put the state's reopening plan on hold Thursday morning. In a news release, Abbott said the state will pause all scheduled phases of reopening, meaning any businesses that would have been allowed to reopen in the coming weeks will...
Dallas County Reports 454 New Cases of Coronavirus, 3 Deaths

By Silas Allen
Jun 22, 2020

Dallas County's coronavirus numbers continued their upward trend Monday, as county health officials announced 454 new cases of COVID-19. That total represents a 10% increase over the county's previous single-day record, which the county set Wednesday. The county also announced three more deaths from the novel coronavirus: a Dallas man...
Dallas County Tops 400 New Cases of COVID-19

By Silas Allen
Jun 17, 2020

Dallas County reported 416 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, far exceeding the county's previous single-day record. That report marks the first time the county has reported more than 400 new cases of the novel coronavirus infections in a single day. The county's previous single-day record was 345 new cases, set...
Abbott Congratulates Counties on Solving His Clever Mask Riddle

By Silas Allen
Jun 17, 2020

As it turned out, the answer for Texas counties that wanted to require people to wear face masks in public was there all along. All they needed to do was read between the lines and decipher Gov. Greg Abbott's winks, nods and vague gestures. On Wednesday morning, Bexar County Judge...
With Juneteenth Approaching, Calls for Racial Equality Continue

By Silas Allen
Jun 15, 2020

In some ways, Juneteenth couldn't have fallen at a more appropriate time this year. In others, the timing couldn't be worse. Juneteenth, which marks the anniversary of the emancipation of the last remaining black slaves in the South, is Friday. In normal times, the day is usually marked in Dallas...
Dallas County Reports 298 COVID-19 Cases, Tying Single-Day Record

By Silas Allen
Jun 9, 2020

Dallas County reported 298 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, tying a single-day record the county set Friday. County Judge Clay Jenkins said the recent uptick in cases is likely related to increased testing capacity, and that those numbers would likely continue to ramp up over the coming days...
Kettling Tactic Dallas Police Used Against Protesters Is Steeped in Controversy

By Silas Allen
Jun 8, 2020

On the evening of June 1, hundreds of protesters left a rally at the Frank Crowley Courts Building, just outside the city's curfew zone, and marched north on Riverfront Boulevard. They carried signs calling for justice for George Floyd, a black man killed last month by a Minneapolis police officer,...
Dallas Officials Expand Curfew Zone

By Silas Allen
Jun 2, 2020

Dallas is expanding the area covered by a curfew order, city officials announced Tuesday afternoon. The newly expanded curfew zone includes Trinity Groves and West Village. It also now includes the Frank Crowley Courts Building, where a demonstration began Monday evening, and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, where police detained...
Hall Defends Dallas Police's Handling of Monday Night Protest

By Silas Allen
Jun 2, 2020

Chief U. Renee Hall on Tuesday morning defended the police department's handling of a protest that ended in a mass detainment Monday night on the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. During the demonstration, police allowed hundreds of protesters to march into the westbound lanes of the bridge at about 8:30 p.m...