Probably the biggest news of the week in Dallas is the new COVID-19 rollback with bars now closed and other businesses at a reduced capacity, but that's already covered here. In other Dallas news, there's a run-off election next week, some road closures, some media scrutiny on street racing, and a kitten rescue in Grand Prairie.
Here's what happened in Dallas this week:
Runoff election
The Presidential election in November seems like a world away now, but there is a follow-up run-off taking place on Tuesday December 8.
Balch Springs, Coppell, Duncanville, and Irving all have city council races. In Dallas, there are two school board positions to be determined.
One is for the DISD Board of Trustees in District 2, with Nancy Rodriguez running against incumbent Dustin Marshall.
Rodriguez won the greatest number of votes in the November election, notable given the disparity between how much money the two candidates raised: Marshall raised $192,451 versus Rodriguez who raised $22,100.
The Texan did a story on their race.
The other is for Dallas College Board of Trustees in District 5, pitting William Wesley Jameson against Cliff Boyd.
Roadway closures
There are more closures on I-635 this weekend: Eastbound I-635 main lanes at Forest Lane will be closed on Friday December 4 and westbound I-635 main lanes at Forest Lane will be closed on Saturday December 5. The reason: to perform beam settings. Traffic will be detoured to the frontage roads. Street closures will also take place at Forest Lane, Abrams Road, and Markville Drive.
Westbound I-30 from Texas 161 to Great Southwest Parkway will have lane closures on December 5 from 7 am-3 pm, and on December 7 from 8 pm-5 am.
Street racing woes
Street racing keeps being a problem, and it's catching the media's eye.
Fox 4 notes that street racing incidents "have nearly doubled in 2020." CBS 11 quotes Dallas residents who are "Fed Up With Growing Street Racing Crowds" saying "Please help us." The Dallas Morning News says in an editorial that street racing in Dallas is "dangerously out of control."
It looks like Tim Rogers at D Magazine tried to post one of his "funny" blog items, titled "LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS TIM: Helping Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn Understand Street Racing." But if you click on the link, it says "Page Not Found."
The Dallas Observer did a post with a Journalist's idea of a catchy headline, "Dallas Tries To Tap The Brakes On Street Racing" — it's car-related, see. But "tap the brakes" is "to slow down or to be cautious, to carefully reconsider something." Seems like Dallas wants to hit the brakes or pump the brakes.
The Dallas Police Department briefed the Dallas City Council, with some numbers: Approximately 2,000 street racers are out on weekends. Some enforcement has occurred: 1,196 arrests, 612 spectator citations, 184 felony charges, and 48 gun seizures. Police have towed 659 vehicles and recovered 34 stolen vehicles.
Kitten rescued
Two heroic Grand Prairie police officers rescued a kitten from the cold. Grand Prairie officers Jones and Rodriguez were on patrol when they came across the stray kitten.
"He was so cold and scared but he walked right up to me. I picked him up and stuffed him in my jacket," they said.
The GPPD posted a video of the kitten inside the patrol car, saying, "This little furball went from brrr to prrr."
The kitten, which one commenter likened to a Maine coon, was taken in by Prairie Paws, the city's municipal animal shelter. He appears to be named "Badger," and already has an interested adoptee.
