This roundup of Dallas news includes a shakeup in sanitation, a new job fair at DART, a new inclusive arts program, and a new scholarship program from Sephora. Also, Texas is #1 in a dubious list.

Here's what's happening around Dallas this week:

Sanitation blues
The director of Dallas' Sanitation department, Jay Council, has left his job after three months. Cliff Gillespie has been appointed as interim head. No reason was given. The role is responsible for executive oversight and administration of the city's solid waste collection and disposal utility system, which has had some bumps in recent months, with a disruptive change in schedule that left many residents with trash not picked up in a timely manner.

DART open house
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will begin hosting a monthly career fair on Saturday, February 25, from 10 am-2 pm at DART Headquarters, at 1401 Pacific Ave. The agency is seeking applicants for open positions in transit operations (bus and rail operators and mechanics), administrative fields (including engineering, finance, technology, and human resources), and the DART Police department. DART bus operators get a starting pay of $23.08/hour, and if applicants live outside Dallas, they're eligible for a relocation stipend of $1,500, paid after their first pay period. DART Police and Fare Enforcement Officers.

Equitable arts opps
The Creative Arts Center of Dallas, located on a two-acre campus four miles east of downtown Dallas at 2360 Laughlin Dr., is a safe haven for artists to explore creative avenues. They also provide outreach to underserved and children and teens. They've launched a new residency program, “Equitable Artist Residency,” which features an array of artists with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Dallas-based Latino artist Benjamin Muñoz is the first resident and his exhibition “Influenced” is on view until Friday, March 31.

Sephora scholarships
Applications are open for the annual Sephora Scholarship program, created to empower and support diverse students in the Dallas-Fort Worth area pursuing a licensed career in beauty through professional training and education. As a release notes, BIPOC professionals hold only 36 percent of professional beauty service roles. Licensure allows for greater opportunities, but tuition costs can be a barrier for BIPOC communities. Sephora provides each scholar with up to $7,500 for tuition. The six-month program provides participants with:

• $7,500 in tuition for cosmetology and esthetician school
• A paid internship at Sephora
• Firsthand industry experience
• Mentorship and access to open roles following graduation

Applications close on March 12. The 2023 program will run from April through September.

Texas is #1
Texas came in first on a list of the top 15 states for animal abuse in 2021, according to a mildly trolly study by Veterinarians.org. (Don't click on their site if you don't like insistent pop-ups.) Their list of states with the most animal abuse offenses was compiled from data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System. Texas was #1 with 2,952 animal cruelty offenses - more than double the #2 state on the list, Delaware, which had 1,280 offenses. Virginia was #3, followed by Georgia, Colorado, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Oregon. They estimate that every year, 10 million animals die from abuse in just the U.S.