City News Roundup

Newly elected district attorney sworn in and more Dallas city news

John Creuzot with campaign sign.

Photo courtesy of Dallas County

Dallas County has a new district attorney, and Dallas' Fire Department has a new leader. The Dallas City Council took a look at city streets and how much it will cost to save the crumbling pavement.

Here's what happened in Dallas this week:

New Dallas DA
Dallas District Attorney John Cruezot was sworn into office on New Year's Day, declaring a new approach to criminal justice reform, particularly when it comes to pot and homelessness. Most notably, Cruezot has promised to dismiss all first-time pot possession charges, drastically expanding the county's cite-and-release program.

Under the cite-and-release initiative, officers can issue a court summons to someone who possesses less than 4 ounces of marijuana, rather than arresting them. The countywide program went into effect in 2018, though Dallas has been the only city to take part.

Cruezot’s department also will no longer prosecute simple criminal trespassing cases, which disproportionately punish the homeless. Tossing people in jail won't fix the problem, he said.

"They come out just as homeless as when they went in," Creuzot said. "All they do is relocate somewhere else."

The program won’t apply to residential trespassing.

He also promises to broaden diversion programs to provide treatment for drug users who enter the justice system and retrain prosecutors so they are better prepared to work with drug use and abuse.

Creuzot selected longtime Dallas County prosecutor Kevin Brooks to serve as his first assistant.

Potholes for days
The potholes in your neighborhood aren't getting filled anytime soon. That's the message Dallas city staff gave the city council during a meeting on January 2.

The Public Works Department presented new data about how poorly each thoroughfare and alley score on the city's new pavement condition index. This gives insight into which neighborhoods have the best and worst streets. Unsurprisingly, North Dallas districts have the best road conditions, and downtown and East Dallas score the worst.

A majority of streets will continue crumbling unless Public Works receives billions of dollars in additional funding over the next decade.

To maintain zero street degradation as defined by the pavement condition index, the city's new 0-100 grading system for streets, Dallas would need to budget $94 million more than what's projected for streets in 2021, almost $230 million more than projected for 2022 and more than $180 million above the amount projected in 2023 to be allocated to street maintenance.

New fire chief
A 23-year veteran of the Dallas Fire Rescue now leads the department. Assistant Chief Dominique Artis was promoted to Chief on December 28.

As assistant chief, he oversaw recruiting, which has experienced significant growth in the last two years. In 2018, Dallas Fire-Rescue reached a milestone with 265 new firefighters joining the force, and another 200 recruits in the pipeline.

Artis replaces former chief David Coatney who resigned in December to become director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service.

The city didn’t consider any outside applicants.

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Pestilence News

New invasive pest in Texas is destroying grasses and pasture

TAMU

Mealyworm is small but damaging.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an urgent alert to farmers to inspect their pastures for a newly detected and highly damaging pest: the pasture mealybug (Helicococcus summervillei).

According to a release from the Department of Agriculture (TDA), this invasive species, never before reported in North America, has been confirmed in multiple Texas counties and is already causing significant damage to pasture acreage across the southeast portion of the state.

The pasture mealybug causes “pasture dieback,” leaving expanding patches of yellowing, weakened, and ultimately dead turf.

This pest was first detected in Australia in 1928; its first detection in the Western Hemisphere occurred in the Caribbean between 2019 and 2020.

The TDA is working with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to coordinate a rapid response and protect Texas producers.

Mealybug history
Although the mealybug is just now being spotted, researchers suspect it may have been introduced before 2022.

Since mid-April 2025, southern Texas pasture and hay producers have been reporting problems in their fields. These fields show grass patches becoming brown or necrotic, or patches that are completely dead. Originally, it was presumed that symptoms were caused by another mealybug called the Rhodes grass mealybug, which has been reported in the U.S. since 1942. However, further investigations confirm that it's this new pasture mealybug (Heliococcus summervillei).

It has devastated millions of acres of grazing land in Australia and has since spread globally. Its rapid reproduction, hidden soil-level feeding, and broad host range make it a significant threat to pasture health and livestock operations.

MealybugTAMU

Adult females are approximately 2-5 mm long, covered in a white, waxy coating. They are capable of producing nearly 100 offspring within 24 hours, resulting in several generations per season. While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.

“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller says. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity. TDA is working hand-in-hand with federal and university partners to respond swiftly and protect our producers from this unprecedented threat.”

Houston has a problem
The estimated impact area currently covers 20 counties, primarily in the Houston area, including: Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Goliad, Dewitt, Lavaca, Fayette, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria, Galveston, Wharton, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Burleson, Brazos, and Robertson. AgriLife entomologists have submitted a formal Pest Incident Worksheet documenting significant damage to pastures and hayfields in Victoria County.

Research trials are underway to determine the best integrated pest management options. Currently, there is no known effective labeled insecticide for pasture mealybug.

Affected plants include: Bermudagrass, Bahia grass, Johnsongrass, hay grazer (sorghum–sudangrass), St. Augustine grass, various bluestem species, and other tropical or subtropical grasses. Damage can occur in leaves, stems, and roots.

Symptoms:

Yellowing and discoloration of leaves within a week of infestation
Purpling or reddening of foliage
Stunted growth and drought stress despite rainfall
Poorly developed root systems
Dieback starting at leaf tips and progressing downward
Premature aging, making plants more vulnerable to pathogens

How to spot it

Scout regularly for mealybugs on grass leaves, stems, soil surface, leaf litter, and under cow patties
Focus on unmanaged areas such as fence lines, ungrazed patches, and roadsides
Look for fluffy, white, waxy, or “fuzzy” insects on blades and stems
If plants appear unhealthy and insects match this description, investigate further

“Early identification is critical, and we need every producer’s eyes on the ground,” Commissioner Miller added. “We are working diligently with our federal and state partners to determine how to best combat this novel threat and stop it in its tracks.”

If you observe suspicious symptoms or insects matching the descriptions above, contact TDA at 1-800-TELL-TDA immediately.

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