Dallas Public Library will not be so public this week.
Courtesy photo
It came for our parade and it took our concerts. Now the latest shutter: our parks and rec centers.
According to a release, public access is closed to all city of Dallas libraries, neighborhood cultural centers, and recreation centers, to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, AKA COVID-19.
It's part of a proclamation by Mayor Eric Johnson that declared Dallas a Local State of Disaster in response to evidence of community spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) within the city of Dallas.
So far, it's only a week: starting Saturday, March 14, through Friday, March 20.
All City programs are suspended until further notice and the City is contacting groups with reservations to cancel and reschedule those bookings.
Athletic fields will be closed for all reservations and organized play. For additional information from Parks & Recreation, please see www.dallasparks.org.
Dallas Public Library will still have staff answering phones and responding to customer emails. To find the contact information for your library branch, visit www.dallaslibrary.org.
For additional information about neighborhood cultural centers including the Bath House Cultural Center, Latino Cultural Center, Oak Cliff Cultural Center and South Dallas Cultural Center, visit www.dallasculture.org.
Dallas' inflation has cooled off after it was last saddled with the highest inflation rate nationally in January 2024.
Inflation has been one of the biggest hot-button issues in the country in 2025, but a new study says inflation not impacting Dallas nearly as much as it is other U.S. cities.
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ranked as the metro with the smallest inflation problem in the U.S. in WalletHub's new report, "Changes in Inflation by City."
The report analyzed the impact of inflation across 23 major metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) using Consumer Price Index data from the latest month available and compared to data from two months prior. The analysis also factored in inflation data from last year to better track both short- and long-term inflation changes.
Dallas saw only a 0.10 percent increase in its local inflation rate when compared to two months prior, and the rate is only 0.60 percent higher than it was this time last year.
Dallas residents may be feeling the sting a lot less than they did in January 2024, when WalletHub said the city had the No. 1 highest inflation rate in the U.S. In April 2023, Dallas-Fort Worth had the 10th highest inflation rate nationwide.
The study found Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts-New Hampshire is the MSA that is currently being rattled by the highest inflation rate in the nation. The northeastern metro saw a 1.10 percent uptick in inflation when compared to two months ago, and it's 3 percent higher than it was a year ago.
Inflation has continued to fluctuate throughout the year in different areas, but WalletHub said the national inflation rate has significantly lowered since it last hit a 40-year high during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The year-over-year inflation rate sits at 2.4 percent as of May 2025, which is still above the target rate of 2 percent," the report said. "Various factors, such as the war in Ukraine, labor shortages and recent tariffs, drive this higher than average inflation. Despite the country not meeting its target yet, the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates at the level set in December 2024."
Elsewhere in Texas, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land experienced the 13th highest inflation rate in the U.S., the report found. Inflation in the region increased 0.90 percent over the last two months, and it is currently 1.2 percent higher than it was one year ago.
The top 10 metros where inflation has risen the most are:
