City News Roundup

Richard Branson battles Bentley the Ebola dog for Dallas superstardom this week

This was a historic week in Dallas, as the Wright Amendment was finally lifted, allowing passengers to fly nonstop out of Love Field beyond Oklahoma to wherever their whims take them. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has become a rock star, and Dallas will get access to all the CBS sitcoms it wants.

Here are the highlights of Dallas news this week:

Sir Richard Branson rocks
Virgin America wins for best fanfare surrounding the end of the Wright Amendment. The airline, which has launched service from DAL to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington National and La Guardia, celebrated with trademark flair by flying a plane full of local VIPs from DFW Airport to Love Field. The flight would ordinarily take a few minutes but they stretched it to an hour, with a champagne toast from Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson and a performance by guitar-strumming singer Kacey Musgroves. Virgin also cut a fat check to KIPP DFW's Destiny Elementary.

Bentley the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is also a rock star
Ebola victim and nurse Nina Pham is in a hospital in Maryland, but whither Bentley, her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? Bentley is becoming a celebrity. The dog, who is healthy and under the care of Dallas Animal Services, is quarantined for 21 days at a temporary residence at the Hensley Field Services Center on West Jefferson Boulevard. He'll be featured on Fox News' On the Record with Greta van Susteren on October 17 at 6 pm.

In response to an outpouring of support from around the world for Bentley, the City of Dallas has partnered with Dallas Companion Animal Project to establish a fund whose donations will help Bentley and other pets in similar emergency situations in the future. Dallas Companion Animal Project is a non-profit dedicated to strengthening the connection between people and animals. To donate, visit DallasAnimals.org and click on “donate.” Choose the Dallas PETS fund.

Oak Lawn tear-down
A real estate developer wants to tear down a two-story house off Turtle Creek Boulevard facing Lee Park and replace it with a 10-story tower. The house was built in 1940 and is owned by Poston Real Estate and Poston Capital Corp. They already have the required zoning for the house, but they need to get the front and side yard rezoned too, just so they can build that tower right out to the curb. The Dallas Board of Adjustment will entertain testimony at a meeting on October 20 at 1 pm at Dallas City Hall.

Katy Trail ramp opens
Just across the way from that last house standing at Lee Park, the Friends of Katy Trail held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the new pedestrian ramp connecting the park to the Katy Trail. The ramp runs down a hillside slope and was designed to be an airy, floating link for walkers, runners, cyclists and strollers.

New library
A new Highland Hills replacement Branch Library will open at 6200 Bonnie View Rd. with an event on October 18 at 10 am. Entertainment includes a visit from McGruff the Crime Dog, giveaways, snacks and games for kids, as well as information on literacy, Cease the Grease, recycling and library card signup. Speakers include city officials Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins, director of libraries Jo Giudice and office of cultural affairs interim director David Fisher.

Dallas gets to pay for CBS
CBS unveiled an Internet subscription service for 14 markets in the United States, including Dallas, where you can watch thousands of current and past shows on demand. "CBS All Access" costs $5.99 a month and is the first time a network offers programming over the web.

Sir Richard Branson aboard the last Virgin America flight out of DFW Airport.

Photo courtesy of Virgin

Sir Richard Branson aboard the last Virgin America flight out of DFW Airport.

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income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

With costs to raise a child soaring over $20,000 a year in Texas, some households might decide to have one parent work while the other stays at home to raise their child.

The cost of raising a child has ballooned in major metros like Dallas-Fort Worth, forcing many families to weight the choice between paying for child care or having one parent stay home full-time.

A recent analysis from SmartAsset determined the minimum income one parent needs to earn to support their partner staying at home to raise one child in all 50 states. In Texas, that amount is just under $75,000.

The study used the MIT Living Wage Calculator to compare the annual living wages needed for a household with two working adults and one child, and a household with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child. The study also calculated how much it would cost to raise a child with two working parents based on factors such as "food, housing, childcare, healthcare, transportation, incremental income taxes and other necessities."

A Texas household with one working parent would need to earn $74,734 a year to support their stay-at-home partner and their child, the report found. If both parents worked in the household, it would require an additional $10,504 in annual income to raise their child.

SmartAsset said the cost to raise a child in Texas in a two-working-parent household adds up to $23,587. Raising a child in North Texas, however, is slightly more affordable. A separate SmartAsset study from June 2025 determined it costs $22,337 to raise a child in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In the report's ranking of states with the highest minimum income needed to support a family with one working adult, a stay-at-home parent, and one child, Texas ranked 32nd on the list.

In other states like Massachusetts where raising a child can cost more than $40,000 a year, the report's author says families will look for ways to reduce any financial burdens.

"This often includes considerations around who’s going to work in the household, and whether young children will require paid daycare services while parents are occupied," the report said. "With tradeoffs abound, many parents might seek to understand the minimum income needed to keep the family afloat while allowing the other parent to stay home to raise a young child."

The top 10 states with the lowest minimum income threshold to support a three-person family on one income are:

West Virginia – $68,099
Arkansas – $68,141
Mississippi – $70,242
Kentucky – $70,408
North Dakota – $70,949
Oklahoma – $71,718
Ohio – $72,114
South Dakota – $72,218
Alabama – $72,238
Nebraska – $72,966

texas income smartasset family

City News Roundup

Richard Branson battles Bentley the Ebola dog for Dallas superstardom this week

Sir Richard Branson aboard the last Virgin America flight out of DFW Airport.

Ambitious Indian restaurant Jashan opens at Plano's Legacy North

Colorful Mexican chain bringing tacos to McKinney leads week's top stories

Crazy wave of Dallas restaurants and bars have all just opened

income analysis

This is the family income needed for one parent to stay home in Texas