We know you're busy, so here's a roundup of the week's news from the Dallas Observer.

Five Things You Should Know About the Newest Maverick, Nerlens Noel
The newest basketball star in town is manifestly talented and shares Dez Bryant's destruction of apartments.

Dallas City Council Brings Cite-and-Release for Weed Possession Back for Debate
Members of the council who support cite-and-release have twice pushed for changing the way Dallas cops handle pot arrests over the last couple of years, only to be stymied by recalcitrant City Council members and police brass. This time might be different, since the police brass seem to be cooperating.

Puppy OK and Owners in Jail After Dog ODs on Heroin in Carrollton
OK, so the dog comes through in the end. This is still a sad story for animal lovers. And home improvement store loss prevention experts.

Jury Picked as Legal Strategies Emerge on Day One of the John Wiley Price Trial
We endured eight grueling hours of jury selection to divine the strategies of this super-charged political trial.

Weekly Schutze

"The Dallas County Democratic organization itself has always been a puzzle. On the one hand, the local party has a great record in terms of getting Democrats elected to partisan local offices, mostly judgeships, obviously thanks to the overwhelmingly blue demographics of most of the county and to a heck of a lot of money from trial lawyers. On the other hand, whenever the leadership of the county organization does speak its mind, one can’t help wondering if Democrats here win elections in spite of their local party leaders, not because of them."

— Jim Schutze, from "Organized Democratic Activists? Not in This County. Not Organized, Anyway"

Horse's Mouth

The Roads Must Roll
Marc Williams, deputy executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation, tweeted this $9 billion update from Austin. 

The Rousting of the Panhandlers
Dallas police breakout the blue gloves and plastic cuffs to round up those begging for money.

• News