City News Roundup

Composting company wants to hear your excuses and more Dallas news

If you're not doing this, then here's your chance to explain why.

Photo courtesy of Turn Compost

This roundup of Dallas news is brimming with info including a new parade in downtown Dallas, a possible new train route from Dallas to Atlanta, and new crosswalks in South Dallas. Other tidbits include the resurgence of omicron, the resignations of not one but two school district superintendents, and some scholarship money for college hopefuls. Last but not least, a composting company wants your opinion. You matter!

Here's what's happening in Dallas this week:

South Oak Cliff football
The city of Dallas honored South Oak Cliff High School's Golden Bears football team, who won the school's first football state title in December, and earned Dallas ISD's first state championship in more than 60 years. The celebration took place at Dallas City Hall Plaza with remarks from ex-Dallas Cowboys Russell Maryland and Charles Haley, plus video appearances from Emmitt Smith, Roger Staubach, and Greg Ellis, plus Barbara McCoy, a 1979 Women's World Championship Basketball Team and South Oak Cliff alumni. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has declared January 22 "South Oak Cliff Day" and the city will host a parade in downtown Dallas.

Dallas to Atlanta train
There's a new transportation proposal that would make it easy to get from Dallas to Atlanta via Amtrak train. The proposal from Canadian Pacific Railway Limited and Kansas City Southern railways includes two new routes: New Orleans to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Meridian, Mississippi, to Dallas. Connecting these routes to the I-20 Corridor passenger rail route would connect Dallas to Atlanta, and thus the entire East Coast.

School superintendent resignations
Dallas ISD superintendent Michael Hinojosa is resigning. His last official day is December 31. He's held the position since 2015, but was previously in that role from 2005-2011. He's supposedly running for mayor of Dallas in 2023.

Fort Worth ISD superintendent Kent Scribner is also resigning. He plans to retire in 2022.

Omicron 1
Dallas County state courts have delayed civil jury trials until the end of January, and the state appellate court in Dallas has pushed back its return to in-person oral arguments once again in response to the current surge of COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant. The daily tally of cases has increased dramatically in the past few weeks; for example, on January 13 Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 5,833 new positive cases and 13 deaths.

Omicron 2
There are two new free COVID-19 drive thru testing locations in Dallas:

Owenwood Farm and Neighbor Space at 1451 John West Rd. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 am-6 pm.
New Birth Baptist Church, 444 W. Ledbetter Dr., Dallas. Hours: Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 8 am-5 pm.

Residents are required to have an appointment and can sign up for testing at DOCSHealthTesting.com. There are no requirements for testing and results can be expected in 48 to 72 hours.

South Dallas crosswalks
Six intersections in South Dallas will soon sport red-and-white crosswalks featuring the phrase "All Black Lives Matter." The first has already been installed at 2800 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Other locations include Al Lipscomb Way & South Ervay Way; Al Lipscomb Way & South Harwood; Al Lipscomb Way & Malcolm X Blvd.; Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. & Colonial Avenue; and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. & Jackson Boulevard. There'll be an official unveiling on January 17 at 12:30 pm, hosted by Kirk Myers of Abounding Prosperity Inc., and Dallas City Council member Adam Bazaldua.

College scholarship contest
The "Don't Mess with Texas Scholarship Contest" is accepting applications for the 2022 school year. Any Texas high school senior currently attending public, private, or home school who is planning to attend an accredited Texas college or university in fall 2022 is eligible to apply. Judges will select winners based on the students' proven results in leading projects or events focused on educating communities about the importance of keeping our state clean and litter-free. Sponsored by Buc-ees and iHeart Media, the contest will award a total of $9,000 in scholarships in May 2022. Submit applications online at dontmesswithtexas.org by March 31 at 5 pm.

Fun little survey on why you hate composting so much
Turn Compost, a service company that picks up food scraps from restaurants, businesses, and residents, is seeking your opinion. The company is making a presentation at a national composting conference in Austin on food waste, and they need to offer some reasons why people won't compost. They've created a quick survey on Survey Monkey - only six questions, come on, it's easy - and are seeking feedback. Go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/5GDM9KB to anonymously share your anti-composting thoughts.

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Fugitive News

Dallas Police Department arrests 99 fugitives in summer crime program

Dallas Police/Facebook

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The Dallas Police Department has a new round of arrests in Operation Justice Trail, a coordinated effort led by Police Chief Daniel Comeaux to apprehend individuals with violent felony warrants, with 99 fugitives arrested and taken into custody during June.

The program is a partnership between the Dallas Police Department and the United States Marshals Service which began on May 1, with a goal to identify and take into custody violent criminals. During the firest month of May, a nearly-identical haul of 98 violent felons were arrested, and the initiative will continue through the summer.

“Our goal is simple: to make Dallas the safest large city in America,” Chief Comeaux says in a statement. “We know that a small percentage of violent criminals are responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. By focusing our efforts on these individuals, we are sending a clear message—violence will not be tolerated in our city.”

These 99 fugitives, who collectively have 616 total arrests for crimes such as Assault on a Public Servant, Manufacture/Delivery of a Controlled Substance, Murder, Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Sexual Abuse of a Child, Reckless Driving, and Stalking, were taken into custody by the Dallas Police Department Fugitive Unit and U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force between June 1–30.

Of those 99 fugitives, 22 were women and 77 were men. Three had arrests for Illegal Entry into the U.S., and one had an arrest for Alien Inadmissibility - Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Officials told Fox 4 that officers used "a combination of the city’s camera system and old-fashioned good police work" to make the arrests.

North Texas Crime Stoppers is offering a guaranteed $1,000 reward for tips submitted to the crime stoppers tipline that lead to the arrest of any individual with an existing felony warrant for specific crimes, until August 31.

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