Walkable News

DART rail adds another convenient extension that stretches Blue Line south

DART will soon extend the Blue Line to UNT-Dallas.

Photo courtesy of DART

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has nailed down a date on the southern extension of the Blue Line that will go to UNT-Dallas.

Called "the South Oak Cliff Blue Line Extension," it will extend the Blue Line south approximately 2.6 miles, from the Ledbetter Station toward the University of North Texas (UNT) Dallas Campus, at the southeast corner of Camp Wisdom Road and University Hills Boulevard.

This will be the southernmost end of the Blue Line, running approximately 3 miles past the current end station at Ledbetter. The extension is scheduled to open on Monday, October 24.

The project includes two new ground-level stations in southern Dallas: a Camp Wisdom Station, near the intersection of Patrol Way and Camp Wisdom, and a UNT Dallas Station, on the southeast portion of the university’s campus located on University Hills Boulevard (near Camp Wisdom Road).

The proposed project runs along the east side of Runyon Creek, crosses over Crouch Road west of the Magnolia Trace Senior Housing, crosses over a knoll north of the police station (South Central Patrol Division), follows Patrol Way east of the police station, then turns southwest toward the UNT-Dallas campus.

The Camp Wisdom Station sits on a knoll north of the police station on the west side of Patrol Way, with bus access off Patrol Way. The UNT Dallas Station is on the southern boundary of the campus, near University Hills Boulevard. Bus access, "kiss and ride" access, general parking, and handicap parking are provided at both stations.

In addition to the new stops, the existing Ledbetter Station has been modified. The station was lengthened, the platform raised, and a canopy was added over the extended platform section.

The last extension to the Blue Line was in 2012, when nearly five miles were added to the northern end, to extend to downtown Rowlett.

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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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