City News Roundup

Tragic shooting of Botham Shen Jean dominates Dallas city news

Botham Shen Jean

Photo courtesy of Facebook/Botham Shen Jean

Dallas mayor Mike Rawlings walked out of a Dallas City Council meeting. The City Council blew $300,000 on a winter game at the Cotton Bowl. And Dallas Love Field has finally added a key service.

Here’s what went down in Dallas city news this week.

Rawlings walks
The Dallas City Council meeting on December 12 was interrupted by a large number of citizens protesting the death of Botham Jean, the Dallas man who was shot dead in his apartment by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger.

They were there to urge the city council to crack down on police brutality while improving relations between the department and the public. But as chants of "No justice, no peace" broke out, Rawlings called an abrupt recess to the meeting and left.

Mayor Pro Tem Casey Thomas explained that Rawlings left for a private meeting. The council reconvened and voted to allow an open mic session at the end of the meeting.

Guyger was arrested on September 9 on a manslaughter warrant in the shooting of Botham Shem Jean. She was booked into the Kaufman County Jail, where she posted a bond of $300,000 and was released. Since her release, conflicting accounts about what happened have emerged, with one version stating that Jean was at the door when Guyger entered, and another stating that he was across the room.

Memorials, protests
About 200 protestors rallying against the shooting gathered at the Dallas Police Department on September 10, and police used pepper spray to contain the crowd.

A funeral service held at the Greenville Avenue Church of Christ on September 13, attended by Jean's parents and siblings, drew more than 1,500 people.

First Responders Bowl
The Dallas City Council approved a $300,000 investment in the football bowl game once known as the Heart of Dallas Bowl — now the Servpro First Responders Bowl — despite the fact that the game has never drawn more than 50,000 fans.

The game is held in Fair Park's Cotton Bowl during Christmas week, and matches two college teams against each other, primarily for a TV audience and with only a meager crowd of attendees.

The measure passed by 8 to 6. The taxpayer-subsidized event will be funded from the Parks and Recreation Department’s annual budget.

Members who voted to spend the money were Mayor Rawlings, Adam McGough, Casey Thomas, Jennifer Gates, Mark Clayton, Rick Callahan, Sandy Greyson, and Tennell Atkins.

Voting against the expenditure were Adam Medrano, Lee Kleinman, Kevin Felder, Philip Kingston, Scott Griggs, and Omar Narvaez.

Love Field wifi
At long last, free wifi is coming to Dallas Love Field airport. Approved by the Dallas City Council at an Aug. 22 meeting, the service made its debut on September 7.

The airport previously offered 30 minutes of free wifi; this represents an extension. Free wifi is considered a standard amenity at most airports.

Travelers can choose between free, fixed-speed wifi or pay for access to a network with faster speeds.

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Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

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Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

dance clubs fun cities nightlife parties recreation wallethub