City News

Suspect arrested for murder of rapper Mo3 and more Dallas news

Dallas rapper Mo3 was killed on I-35 on November 11.

Mo3/Instagram

In this roundup of Dallas news, a suspect was arrested for a high-profile rapper's murder. The city council is spending big money on a bailout. And the library has expanded a lending program to meet stay-at-home needs.

Here's what happened in Dallas this week:

Rapper murder arrest
A suspect has been arrested for the murder of Dallas rapper Mo3, real name Melvin Noble, who was gunned down and killed on I-35 on November 11: Kewon Dontrell White, who is either 21 or 22, depending on which site you read, was arrested for first degree murder. Police said that he was identified by a witness.

A very confusing release from the office of U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox says that White went to "extreme lengths" to get away from authorities when they attempted to make a traffic stop, first fleeing on a dirt bike, then taking off on foot. But that seems to have taken place in "late November." White was apparently then arrested again? by the ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Dallas Police Department officers in Oak Cliff on December 9. He's in federal custody, indicted for possession of a firearm.

Missing woman foul play
Marisela Botello Valadez, 23, went missing in October in Deep Ellum, and police are finally taking her disappearance seriously. Valadez came to visit Dallas from Seattle and was last seen on October 5 leaving a club in Deep Ellum at 1:15 am.

Her family began raising alarms immediately, but it wasn't until November that the DPD changed her status from "want to locate" to "endangered missing." At that time, detectives identified Charles Beltran as a person of interest. He has not been located.

The police now believe she may have been the victim of foul play and are asking anyone with information to contact Det. Ramirez at 214-671-3668 or christine.ramirez@dallascityhall.com, reference case #177834-2020.

Aquarium bailout
The Dallas City Council approved an expenditure of $300,000 to keep the Children's Aquarium at Fair Park open.

The Dallas Zoo was operating the aquarium but it's been losing money. The zoo announced a plan to close the aquarium, but for some idiotic reason, the council is determined to keep it running and are looking for another operator. The zoo itself is also operating at a loss.

Library hotspots
Dallas residents without home broadband now have ways to access internet, via the Dallas Public Library. Beginning December 15, every Dallas Public Library location (except for Bookmarks at NorthPark Center) will have at least 85 hotspots available for at-home internet use.

Dallas City Council approved the purchase of 2,100 additional hotspots during the budget process in September.

Hotspots can be requested online at www.dallaslibrary.org, by phone at 214-670-7809, or by contacting a local library branch. The wi-fi hotspots can be checked out for 30 days with the option to renew if there are no outstanding requests. Up to five devices can be used on one hotspot. Dallas Public Library remains closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, instead offering curbside pick-up of materials and virtual programming.

politics city-news-roundup

Turkey Day news

Dallas eats up top-5 rank on list of best cities for Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Razzoo's

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Dallas is sitting at the head of the table as one of the best places in the country to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, a new study has revealed.

Dallas ranked No. 5 out of 100 of the largest U.S. cities in WalletHub's annual "Best Places to Go for Thanksgiving" report, published November 12. The city made a huge leap over its 2023 ranking as No. 17, and remains the highest-ranking Texas city.

The study analyzed each city based on 18 metrics to determine the best places for Thanksgiving, such as the number of pumpkin patches per capita, the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner, the number of volunteer opportunities, the average weather forecast, and more. The metrics were then organized into five overall categories to determine the rankings.

The category that Dallas ranked the highest in was the number of celebrations and traditions (No. 2), and the average weather forecast during the holiday period (No. 9), while the lowest-ranked category was for safety and accessibility (No. 82). Other categories that determined Dallas' overall ranking were affordability (No. 60), and a "giving thanks" rank (No. 26).

Dallas restaurants are getting prepared for their big Turkey Day feasts, and CultureMap has rounded up a thorough list of all of the local restaurants hosting holiday feasts, from brunch to dinner.

"The best cities for celebrating Thanksgiving all have an abundance of high-quality restaurants and places to buy festive decorations, and their residents get very excited for the holiday based on their Google search history," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

By Thanksgiving on November 28, Dallas will be fully decked for the December holidays. Dallasites who will have extended family in town during Thanksgiving weekend can take in of all the marvelous Christmas lights brightening the city. Dallas-Fort Worth goes all out for the most wonderful time of year.

Across North Texas, three Dallas-area cities also made big improvements from their 2023 rankings. Irving moved up 10 spots to claim No. 19 this year, and Garland jumped up 21 spots on the list as No. 34. Arlington made the biggest improvement in the region, moving from No. 78 last year to No. 55 this year.

Meanwhile, Plano and Fort Worth slipped in the rankings, falling into No. 44 and No. 45 in 2024, respectively. Plano previously ranked No. 38 in 2023, and Fort Worth was No. 36.

San Diego, California (No. 1) topped the overall list of best places to go for Thanksgiving this year, followed by its Golden State neighbors San Francisco (No. 3) and San Jose (No. 4). Atlanta, Georgia (No. 2) rounds out the top five.

dallas fort worth thanksgiving wallethub rankings