This Week's Hot Headlines

Glam Dallas wedding takes the cake in this week's 5 hottest headlines

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines.

1. Glamorous Dallas wedding whisks in fun Hollywood surprise — complete with swear jar. Kristin Sanders and James Hallam had a specific intention for their post-pandemic dream wedding in April 2021: provide an event where friends and family can finally get dressed up again and dance the night away to incredible music. To pull it off, the Dallas couple surprised guests by bringing in a famous band from Los Angeles and re-creating a funny scene from a Hollywood movie, swear jar and all.

2. Downtown Dallas freeway exit kindof like amusement park ride shutters. There's a high-profile freeway ramp in downtown Dallas used by drivers headed for downtown, Uptown, and destinations north that's being replaced. The exit ramp that you used to take if you were driving southbound on I-35 and going to Woodall Rodgers Freeway is being closed down, with a new exit ramp opening a half-mile away, starting Saturday, May 29.

3. French-Asian bakery chain opens first standalone store in Dallas area. A French-Asian bakery café known for cakes, pastries, and breads, has opened its first standalone location in the DFW area: Called Tous Les Jours, it's part of a Korea-based chain and just opened a new outlet off SH-121 in Carrollton, near the Galleria Market.

4. Fowl new restaurant in hot Uptown Dallas address is strictly for the birds. An address in Uptown Dallas with good times in its bones has landed a new tenant: Called Firebird Fowl, it's a restaurant with what is truly a unique angle, set to open at 2816 Fairmount St. this summer.

5. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 restaurants to hit post-vaccine. You've been cooped up for more than a year. Now you've been vaccinated and at long last, you've got your free pass. There's so much catching up to do. So many meals to eat. Where do you start? These restaurants around Dallas, combining essential new arrivals with persevering stalwarts, are the ones to visit first after getting your vaccine.

James Hallam and Kristin Sanders celebrated their wedding with a two-day extravaganza, April 23-24, 2021.

Photo by Danny Campbell Photography and Bryan Chatlien Photography

James Hallam and Kristin Sanders celebrated their wedding with a two-day extravaganza, April 23-24, 2021.

weddings hot-headlines

RIP Joe

Texas country music singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer, and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

According to a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife Sharon, and daughter Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings."

Read the full story at KVUE.com.

obituary music country music celebrities deaths