State Fair News

Ken Paxton sues State Fair of Texas and other Dallas venues

Ken Paxton is on a lawsuit spree.

Photo courtesy of KVUE

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued two high-profile Dallas music venues as well as the State Fair of Texas.

The lawsuits were filed against The Factory and Texas Trust CU Theatre and allege that off-duty police officers were not allowed to enter with firearms. All three were filed on February 23 in Dallas County district court, and reference a 2017 law that allows officers to bring weapons into public venues, whether they're on duty or not.

According to the law, armed, licensed peace officers are allowed to enter restaurants, bars, retail establishments, sports, and entertainment venues ”regardless of whether the peace officer is engaged in the actual discharge of the officer’s duties while carrying the weapon.”

The suit against the State Fair says that on October 8, 2022, Abilene Police Department Lt. Michael Perry was not allowed to carry his gun when he tried to enter Gate 1.

On September 30, 2023, Ector County Hospital District Police captain Tommy Jones was not allowed to enter the fair with his weapon at the State Fair Classic game.

A spokesperson for the State Fair of Texas said that they're cognizant of the law and have at least one Dallas police officer stationed at each admission gate to check credentials and ensure compliance.

The lawsuit against the Factory in Deep Ellum alleges that at least eight off-duty officers were not allowed to bring their weapons into the venue in incidents dating back to 2021. Paxton's office sent a letter, but at least four more off-duty officers were prevented from bringing weapons between May and December 2023.

The lawsuit against Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie alleges that at least two off-duty officers were prevented from bringing their service weapons inside. Paxton’s office sent a letter to the city of Grand Prairie in February 2023, but another instance happened in April.

Dallas is not the only city where Paxton is filing lawsuits. On February 21, he sued Lucky Duck, a bar in San Antonio bar.

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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