Latino Cultural Center hosts Dia de Los Muertos fest and more Dallas news

This roundup of Dallas news has scuffles, investigations, skulls, and tree plantings. Here's what happened in Dallas this week:

LULAC meltdown
There's a scuffle for control over the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the oldest Hispanic civil rights organization, which has two factions: Dallas and Washington, D.C. Members in D.C. are trying to oust Dallas-based Domingo Garcia, the national president who has been accused of violating LULAC's constitution. Dallas is retaliating by trying to terminate CEO Sindy Benavides and Northeast VP Ralina Cardona. LULAC has been in a "legal limbo" since its annual convention in July when they failed to elect a new president.

Hospital shooting
State Rep. Rafael Anchia is calling for an investigation into the shooting at Methodist Medical Center in Dallas where Nestor Hernandez, a violent felon who was on parole and wearing an ankle monitor, allegedly assaulted his girlfriend at the hospital, then shot and killed two nurses. The hospital is in Anchia's district. He's calling for an investigation into the State Board of Pardons and Parole who released Hernandez nearly two years early. Hernandez also violated his parole twice.

Anchia is not the only one: The Dallas Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with the Dallas Police Department, is tracking down how and where Hernandez got a gun.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who's in charge of appointing members of the Parole Board and who oversees the Department of Corrections, has refused to answer questions about the incident.

Students plant trees
Students, faculty, and volunteers at San Jacinto Elementary School planted 96 trees around campus. The event was led by the Texas Trees Foundation and its Cool Schools program, launched in 2015, which works to plant trees at Dallas ISD schools to increase the local tree canopy to 30 percent. As of 2019, the average tree canopy around Dallas ISD schools was 7 percent, making for hotter play and learning areas.

During the planting, students and teachers teamed up with staff from Texas Trees Foundation to install previously potted trees around campus, while receiving guidance and education on the benefits of trees and urban forestry. As a Cool School Neighborhood Park, San Jacinto Elementary is set to receive a new outdoor classroom, custom playground, seating, and a walking trail which will be available to the public after school hours and on the weekends.

Dia de los Muertos Festival
The Latino Cultural Center is partnering with Cascabel Group, Candelaria & Co. and Hecho con Amor to present the annual Día de los Muertos Festival & Exhibition will take place on Saturday October 29 11 am-4 pm at the Latino Cultural Center, with live performances, food vendors, and arts & crafts stations including a "decorate your own sugar skull" booth. This event is free and open to the public.