Where Kids Rule

Plano praised as one of America's best cities for kids

While many cities in Dallas-Fort Worth have a lot to offer when it comes to entertaining children, Plano can now claim superiority over all of them. Livability.com's 2014 list of the top 10 best cities for kids includes just one North Texas address, and it's in Plano.

Coming in at No. 5, the survey calls Plano "one giant playground." It's hardly an exaggeration, considering the city boasts 83 public parks that offer myriad options, including tons of soccer fields. Plano also offers unique options like indoor surfing and the annual Plano Balloon Festival.

Plano ranks just behind cities like Boise, Idaho; Downers Grove, Illinois; Overland Park, Kansas; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. With little crime, affordable homes and well over half of the city's restaurants offering menus for kids, it's a wonder Plano didn't rank higher on the list.

Livability judged the cities on six factors, including the percentage of households with school-age children, environment, crime rate, school ranking, cost of living and restaurants with kids' menus. One factor could be that Plano had by far the highest population of any city on the list, meaning its percentage of homes with kids would naturally be lower.

But with major corporations like Toyota moving their headquarters there, making it one of best places to find a job, Plano should hang onto its high ranking for years to come.

The survey ranked cities on six factors, including percentage of households with school-age children.

Photo by Dawn McMullan

The survey ranked cities on six factors, including percentage of households with school-age children.

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Weed News

Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Dallas over decriminalization of marijuana

Photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife

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The City of Dallas has been sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for its efforts to decriminalize marijuana.

According to a release, Paxton has sued the city for adopting a city charter amendment that would decriminalize marijuana-related offenses and prohibit police from enforcing Texas law.

That amendment was Proposition R, or Dallas Freedom Act, which decriminalizes possession of four ounces of marijuana or less. Voters passed the amendment in the November 5 election, with 67 percent voting in favor.

The lawsuit, filed against the Dallas City Council, alleges that Proposition R is unconstitutional and violates Texas drug laws criminalizing any amount of marijuana.

Paxton says that cities can't "pick and choose which state laws to follow." He's proposing a permanent injunction to stop Proposition R from going into effect.

"The City of Dallas has no authority to override Texas drug laws or prohibit the police from enforcing them," says Paxton in a statement. "This is a backdoor attempt to violate the Texas Constitution, and any city that tries to constrain police in this fashion will be met swiftly with a lawsuit by my office.”

Before the recent election, possession of two to four ounces of marijuana could result in a punishment of 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Ground Game Texas, the activist nonprofit that has also helped get marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in elections across Texas, first got the issue on the ballot in July with the necessary 50,000 signatures.

Dallas is not the only city to be sued; Paxton also filed lawsuits against five other cities in Austin, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and San Marcos in January for their ballots and policies decriminalizing marijuana.

Both Austin and San Marcos had a judge overturn their cases, according to a FOX 4 report.

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