Environmental News

Dallas plastic bag ban gains steam with MoveOn petition

Dallas' proposed plastic bag ban, to be considered by the city council in August, has caught the eye of national activist group MoveOn.org and now has its own petition.

The petition addresses Mayor Mike Rawlings and the city council members and urges them to "please make Dallas an environmental leader by banning single-use plastic bags in Dallas." It has garnered 250 signatures in two days.

The petition was launched by Luke Metzger, director of Austin-based Environment Texas, an environmental advocacy group. He began petitions for both Dallas and San Antonio.

"Those are the two cities that are furthest along in terms of actively considering bans," he says. "I feel confident about Dallas. City council member Dwaine Caraway suggested the ordinance, and we're seeing lots of enthusiasm for the ban.

"The wave is crossing the country. Los Angeles just voted in a ban, along with hundreds of cities. Austin’s experience has gone over quite successfully. Dallas can look at all of those models as proof that it's a good idea."

Metzger anticipates a fight from the plastics and chemical industries, which have swooped in everywhere a ban on plastic bags has been considered to spread misinformation, including the myth that plastic bags will be banned entirely.

"If you want plastic bags, you'll be able to buy them," he says. "It's not like they'll be completely unavailable. This will just put an end to the single-use bags that are given out for free without even asking customers."

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Animal News

Hunt County man arrested for animal cruelty to puppy from Dallas

SPCA

Jacob Paul Nichols arrested for animal cruelty in Hunt County, Texas.

On Tuesday, June 17, a resident of Greenville, Texas was arrested for animal cruelty after allegedly letting a puppy starve to death.

According to a release, Jacob Paul Nichols was arrested and charged with Texas Penal Code 42.092, Cruelty to Non-Livestock Animals (b)(1) after allegedly torturing his puppy over a span of several months, causing unjustifiable pain and suffering which ultimately resulted in her death — a felony of the third degree.

Nichols was located and arrested in Johnson County where he was booked into Johnson County Jail and held on a $200,000 bond.

On June 6, SPCA of Texas’ Animal Cruelty Investigations (ACI) Unit Chief Investigator was contacted by the ever-diligent Hunt County Sheriff’s Office in reference to a deceased puppy that was discovered inside a dumpster at a Greenville apartment complex.

The small tan puppy was found lying on her side in a medium-sized crate. She was emaciated and had sharp, overgrown nails.

An SPCA of Texas Investigator took the puppy to the SPCA's Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center for a forensic necropsy. The exam showed the puppy was 5.5 months old and weighed only 7.6 pounds when she died. She perished due to long-term starvation and dehydration, and had suffered for a prolonged period of time.

The puppy had a microchip, which revealed that she had been adopted by a Dallas resident from a North Texas animal shelter in January 2025. The puppy, named Sandy, was rehomed to Nichols on February 13 through a rehoming website that allows potential adopters to be screened prior to rehoming. (The release does not identify the adopter or explain why the adopter was dumping the puppy after only a month of ownership.)

Nichols signed a contract stating that he agreed to “care for the pet in a humane and responsible manner and to provide him/her with clean and adequate shelter, food, water and veterinary care.”

The SPCA of Texas ACI Unit confirmed with Nichols that the dog had been in his care. Interviews with Nichols and other witnesses revealed evidence that the dog had been neglected over a span of months and left to die in the crate without food or water.

“No animal deserves to suffer in silence the way this puppy did. The evidence indicates that she was trapped, neglected and ultimately starved to death over a span of months,” said SPCA of Texas’ ACI Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns, CAWA. “The level of cruelty in this case is staggering, and the SPCA of Texas and Hunt County Sheriff’s Office are committed to ensuring justice is served.”

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