City News

Celebrities help Texas weather storm aftermath in this Dallas news roundup

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Matthew McConaughey donated funds to help feed families in Dallas.

There was really only one thing that happened this week in Dallas: the epically awful winter weather storm. Now we wade through the aftermath, with generous donations from celebrities, politicians, and chefs.

Here's what happened in Dallas this week:

AOC raises a million for TX
While Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was scuttling back from his aborted Cancun getaway, N.Y. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was raising $1 million for Texans. On February 18, she launched a fund-raiser for five Texas organizations including The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, Ending Community Homeless Coalition (ECHO), Family Eldercare, Houston Food Bank, and Feeding Texas, all of whom have been working around the clock to assist houseless, hungry, and senior Texans in Travis and Dallas County, and beyond. She managed to raise the money in four hours. UPDATE 2-20-2021: AOC has now raised more than $3.2 million and is volunteering on Saturday at the Houston Food Bank.

Dak & McConaughey donate
While Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was making reservations for $309 per night at the Ritz Carlton in Cancun, Dak Prescott and Matthew McConaughey were teaming up with Dallas charity OurCalling, who oversaw the opening of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center as a warming center for those displaced from their homes. McConaughey and Prescott both donated money to purchase meals for individuals and families.

Trash collection is back
The winter storm delayed trash collection and other basic city services across DFW, but those are all back online or will return by next week. That includes the U.S. mail, which suspended delivery for three days because of the weather and power outages, as well as garbage and recycling.

In Dallas, full operations will restart on Monday on the normal collection schedule.

In Fort Worth, garbage and recycling resumed on February 19. The city has suspended its usual policy requiring that garage cart lids be closed through February 27. Extra garbage can be placed in the cart even if the lid does not close, and up to two additional bags of garbage can be placed next to or behind the cart.

Soup's On! later
The 13th annual Stewpot Alliance Soup's On! Luncheon and Art Sale goes virtual Thursday, March 4 at 12 pm featuring award-winning chef, restaurateur, and humanitarian José Andrés. This is a new date; the event was originally February 25. Robert Wilonsky, Communications Director for Heritage Auctions and op-ed columnist for the Dallas Morning News joins Chef Andrés for a conversation about how his efforts ensure people worldwide are fed in the wake of catastrophe.

Proceeds from the luncheon benefit The Stewpot which now, in its 46th year serves our neighbors who are experiencing and at risk of homelessness by providing meals (over 8,000,000 to date), counseling and case management, medical and dental services via onsite partners, youth and family stabilization programs, as well as therapeutic and vocational activities.

This year, the art sale, featuring original pieces of art from the artists at The Stewpot will take place online in conjunction with the virtual luncheon. Single tickets begin at $250, which includes a gift box with sponsorships opportunities available. Since the 2021 event is virtual, a $35 view-only option will be offered. For more information, sponsorship and tickets, visit estewpot.org/soups-on.

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Unhappy holidays

Porch pirates pilfer nearly $2B worth of Texas packages, study shows

Porch Pirate Person in Glasses Steals Packages

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’Tis the season for porch pirates. If past trends are an indicator, the Grinch will swipe close to $2 billion worth of packages delivered to Texas households this year, with many of those thefts happening ahead of the holiday season.

An analysis of FBI and survey data by ecommerce marketing company Omnisend shows porch pirates stole more than $1.8 billion worth of packages from Texans’ porches last year. Porch pirates hit nearly one-third of the state’s households in 2024, according to the analysis.

Omnisend’s analysis reveals these statistics about porch piracy in Texas:

30.1 million residential package thefts in 2024.
An average household loss of $169 per year.
An annual average of 2.9 package thefts per household.

“Most stolen items are cheap on their own, but add them up, and retailers and consumers are facing an enormous bill,” says Omnisend.

Another data analysis, this one from The Action Network sports betting platform, unwraps different figures regarding porch piracy in Texas.

The platform’s 2025 Porch Pirate Index ranks Texas as the state with the highest volume of residential thefts, based on 2023-24 FBI data.

Researchers at The Action Network uncovered 26,293 reports of personal property thefts at Texas residences during that period. The network’s survey data indicates 5 percent of Texas residents had a package stolen in the three months before the pre-holiday survey.

The Porch Pirate Index calculates a 25.8 percent risk of a Texas household being victimized by porch pirates, putting it in the No. 5 spot among states with the highest risk of porch piracy.

The Action Network included online-search volume for terms like “package stolen” and “porch pirates.” Sustained spikes in these searches suggest that “people are actively looking for guidance after something has happened. Search trends serve as an early warning system, revealing emerging-risk areas well before annual crime statistics are released,” the network says.

Tips to avoid being a victim
So, how do you prevent porch pirates from snatching packages that end up on your porch? Omnisend, The Action Network and Amazon offer these eight tips:

Closely monitor deliveries and quickly retrieve packages.
Schedule deliveries for times when you’ll be home.
Use delivery lockers or in-store pickup when possible.
Ask delivery services to hide packages in out-of-sight spots outside your home.
Install a visible doorbell camera or security camera.
Coordinate deliveries with neighbors or building managers if you’ll be away from your home when packages are supposed to arrive.
Request that delivery services hold your packages if you can’t be home when they’re scheduled to come.
Illuminate the path to your doorstep and keep porch lights on.

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