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    This year's hottest headlines

    The 10 hottest stories that had Dallas talking in 2020

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    Dec 31, 2020 | 12:01 pm

     Editor's note: What was Dallas reading in 2020? We are so glad you asked. A curious thing happened as we began to compile our annual list of most popular stories: In a year of "bad news" headlines, our readers clamored for "good." They clicked on stories about new vacation destinations and travel deals, local cities earning prestigious distinctions, and most of all, Christmas lights that were sure to make spirits brighter at the end of the year. There were some sad restaurant closures that got a lot of attention, and important coronavirus news to keep up with. These are the stories that readers devoured this year. Find out our most popular dining, arts and entertainment, travel, and real estate stories in their own lists, too.

     

     1. Where to see the most spectacular Christmas lights around Dallas in 2020. Never had we needed the joy of holiday lights to brighten a dark year like we did in 2020. Beginning Thanksgiving weekend, readers devoured our list of the biggest, brightest, most spectacular Christmas light displays in the area, making it our most-read story of the year. There was no better way to enjoy our socially distanced holidays than to pour the hot chocolate, load up the car, flip on the holiday tunes, and explore these merry, magical wonderlands.

     

     2. Texas' largest crystal lagoon makes waves as cool new summer vacation spot. Texans looking to make a splash — but with a healthy distance from others — had a chance to dive into a massive island-style getaway this summer. A 12-acre lagoon opened to the public during the limited-capacity Summer Lagoonfest at Lago Mar in Texas City (in the Houston area) from July 15 through September 13. It then offered some special events in the fall.

     

     3. New drive-thru 'holiday light spectacular' to debut in 3 North Texas cities. In October, a new holiday lights event was on its way to brighten up 2020 for North Texas. "Radiance! A Holiday Light Spectacular" announced it would be flicking on in Frisco, Weatherford, and Decatur this holiday season. (It runs through January 3, 2021.) Radiance hopped on the hottest trend of the year as a drive-thru experience that would be more than a mile long and take 20 to 30 minutes to complete.

     

     4. Dallas suburb packs up title as America's best city for a staycation. In May, personal finance site WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 15 key metrics, evaluating things like parks per capita, average home square footage, and the best summer weather, to determine the very best spots for staycationing. And guess who landed at No. 1? The North Texas suburb of Plano.

     

     5. 6 affluent Dallas-Fort Worth cities cash in as the richest in Texas. Forget Beverly Hills. Move over, Manhattan. These Dallas-Fort Worth cities are cashing in as the richest in Texas for 2020. A list published in January from data provider HomeSnacks ranked six spots in North Texas among the 10 richest places in the state with at least 5,000 residents. Highland Park took the No. 3 spot statewide.

     

     6. Dallas' Gas Monkey Live fronted by Fast N' Loud's Richard Rawlings closes. The live music spot Gas Monkey Live in Northwest Dallas confirmed in May it was closing, but the live music — and scheduled shows — would live on. The venue, which initially closed in late March due to COVID-19, would merge with its nearby sibling Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill, personnel said then. It is not open now. A December 9 message on Gas Monkey's website says it is "hibernating for the winter."

     

     7. North Dallas steakhouse gets locked out and relocates to Frisco. The Dallas location of III Forks Steakhouse closed September 9 after being locked out by the landlord, but set up shop in a sister restaurant in Frisco. Located at 17776 N. Dallas Pkwy., the steakhouse shut down after nearly 23 years at that location, citing the impact of COVID-19 as a cause. It relocated to 1303 Legacy Dr., taking over the space occupied by its sibling steakhouse, Silver Fox.

     

     8. Texas governor finally issues statewide shutdown of restaurants and bars. After avoiding the inevitable for more than a week into Texas' early outbreak of coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott on March 19 finally shut down dining in restaurants and bars across the state. Restaurants could still do takeout and delivery, and, notably, Abbott also allowed them to sell beer, wine, and mixed drinks to-go. They reopened later in spring, but limits on crowd capacities and other strict COVID-19 protocols have continued throughout the year.

     

     9. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines takes off with new Texas route for $29. In early December, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines wheeled out a new way to get to Houston — cheap. Beginning April 12, 2021, Southwest customers can fly between Love Field and Houston's George Bush Intercontinental, nonstop, for $29 one way. The new flights are part of Southwest's new service in and out of Bush in Houston.

     

     10. Master list of every Dallas restaurant and bar that closed in 2020. It's a gloomy CultureMap tradition to compile an annual list of restaurant closures, although it's usually framed as more as an homage to what came and went. But the 2020 version was more brutal than usual, since so many restaurants and bars closed due to COVID-19. Here was that end-of-year list, published on December 28.

    Not one but two stories about Christmas lights appeared on the list.

    Vitruvian Lights in Addison
      
    Photo by Stevan Koye
    Not one but two stories about Christmas lights appeared on the list.
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    Media News

    Dallas Morning News is acquired by media company Hearst

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jul 10, 2025 | 8:51 am
    stack of newspapers
    Photo courtesy of VishwaGujarat.com
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    Dallas' daily newspaper The Dallas Morning News has been acquired by New York-based Hearst, where it will join a portfolio of 28 daily and 50 weekly newspapers.

    According to a release, the announcement was made on July 10 by Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO of Hearst, and Grant Moise, CEO of DallasNews Corporation and publisher of The Dallas Morning News.

    Hearst's portfolio includes ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, and ESPN; 35 television stations; newspapers across the U.S., including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle, and Times Union (Albany); digital services businesses; and more than 200 magazine editions around the world.

    The transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, is expected to close during the third or early fourth quarter. It will also include Medium Giant, DallasNews’ marketing agency.

    Upon closing, The Dallas Morning News will join Hearst Newspapers, the operating group responsible for Hearst’s newspapers, local digital marketing services businesses and directories, which publishes 28 dailies and 50 weeklies across the United States.

    The acquisition of the DMN will give Hearst nearly a complete set of Texas newspapers: In addition to the Houston Chronicle, it also owns the Austin American Statesman and the San Antonio Express News, as well as smaller Texas newspapers such as the Plainview Herald, the Midland Reporter Telegram, the Laredo Morning Times, and the Beaumont Enterprise. The only one missing is the Fort Worth Star Telegram, which is owned by McClatchy.

    Jeff Johnson, president of Hearst Newspapers, stated, “Hearst Newspapers is committed to supporting The Dallas Morning News’ continued success through smart investments in their digital strategy, compelling journalism and expanded audience reach. This move aligns squarely with our strategy of backing trusted, high-impact local media brands in growth markets. We’re looking forward to working with the teams at The News and Medium Giant.”

    Robert W. Decherd, DallasNews Corporation’s former board chairman, president and chief executive officer during a career spanning 50 years, and current owner of a majority of the voting power of DallasNews Corporation stock, said, “The News’ 140-year commitment to distinguished journalism has been extraordinarily important to the evolution of Dallas as one of America’s greatest cities. We have generations of News employees to thank for this. I’m confident that the path forward with Hearst Newspapers assures The News’ ability to continue informing and strengthening North Texas for many years to come.”

    DallasNews shareholders will receive $14 in cash for each share of common stock - a premium of 219% based on the closing price of DallasNews’ common stock of $4.39 per share on July 9, 2025. The deal is valued at $79 million, according to the DMN. Upon closing of the transaction, DallasNews Corporation will become a private company and its shares will no longer trade on Nasdaq.

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