City News Roundup

Donald Trump rally drops big surprises and more local news nuggets

The Fort Worth rally for Donald Trump dropped a couple of big ones.

The Dallas City Council studiously avoided making decisions on two big items this week, and Donald Trump was in town. Here's what happened in city news:

Exxxotica sues
Mayor Mike Rawlings and the seven city council members who voted to ban the Exxxotica convention from coming to Dallas got a second chance to save the city thousands of dollars. Exxxotica's lawyers offered the council a chance to reconsider the ban and not go to a lawsuit. "Exxxotica lawyer Roger Albright in the chamber like a predator stalking his weak and sick prey," tweeted council member Philip Kingston.

But the city council did not take them up on their offer. So Exxxotica filed a lawsuit. If Exxxotica doesn't get to do the event here, it will likely seek damages.

The seven council members who are potentially costing Dallas thousands in legal fees include Casey Thomas, Carolyn Arnold, Rickey Callahan, Tiffinni Young, Erik Wilson, Adam McGough, and Jennifer Staubach Gates. Don't be shy.

Whitewater punt
The city council bravely voted to do nothing for the time being about the Dallas Wave, the broken whitewater rafting feature in the Trinity River. If they don't do something, then the federal government may step in.

The city is working on a plan to get it fixed or removed by mid-2017.

Trinity lunch fest
Most politicians in Dallas were at the annual Trinity Commons luncheon on February 26. Mayor Mike Rawlings said that plans for the Trinity Parkway park can begin only after the road is finalized. That's supposed to happen in mid-March.

The process was supposed to be open to public input, but instead it has been shrouded in secrecy.

Trump was here
A rally held for Donald Trump in Fort Worth on February 26 was chock-a-block with big moments. Trump got an endorsement from Chris Christie. Creepy pastor Robert Jeffress showed up. So did some protesters.

If you missed it, it's on YouTube.

Tuesday vote
March 1 is voting day, which not only includes Super Tuesday action, but also elections for U.S. House districts and seats for the Texas Senate and House. In Dallas, Dwaine Caraway is running for Dallas County Commissioner. The League of Women Voters has an excellent summary with profiles of candidates for courts and railroad commissioner.

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Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

dallas fort worth thanksgiving wallethub rankings