State Fair news

Ken Paxton's attempt to halt State Fair of Texas gun ban gets denied

Guns will not be allowed at the State Fair this year.

Photo courtesy of the State Fair of Texas

A judge on Thursday, September 19 denied an effort by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to halt the recently announced ban on guns at the State Fair of Texas.

Dallas County District Judge Emily Tobolowsky denied the state's request for a temporary injunction to stop the ban from taking effect when the fair opens on September 27.

Fair officials’ announcement of the ban last month, which follows a shooting last year at the fair, was met with swift criticism from Republican state lawmakers, who have expanded gun rights in recent years. Texas allows people to carry a handgun without a license, background check, or training.

Paxton threatened to sue if the ban wasn’t repealed, and when fair officials stood their ground, he filed a lawsuit against the State Fair of Texas and the City of Dallas. The city owns Fair Park, the 277-acre grounds where the event is held.

Paxton has called the the ban an illegal restriction on gun owners’ rights, saying Texas allows gun owners to carry firearms in places owned or leased by government entities unless otherwise prohibited by law.

But Dallas city officials and fair officials have said the State Fair of Texas is a private nonprofit that leases the property from the city for its event. The city has said that the State Fair of Texas is allowed by law to decide whether or not they choose to allow fair-goers to carry firearms. Fair officials have said the fair is not a government entity, nor is it controlled by one.

Last year three people were injured in the shooting at the fair after one man opened fire on another. Videos posted on social media showed groups of people running along sidewalks and climbing barriers as they fled.

The fair, which runs 24 days, from September 27-October 20, dates back to 1886. In addition to a giant Ferris wheel and a maze of midway games, the fairgrounds are home to the annual college football rivalry between the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma.

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This week's hot headlines

Michelin Guide awards shine in 5 most-read Dallas stories of the week

dallas.culturemap.com

Tatsu Dallas

Editor's note: Restaurants that received Michelin Guide honors were the hottest topic of the week in Dallas and all across Texas. Also of note: The death of a beloved Dallas restaurateur, a new wing joint, and more. Here are the most-read stories of the week. Looking for things to do this weekend? That list is here.

1. More than a dozen Dallas restaurants earn Michelin Guide awards. The winners of the first Michelin Guide awards in Texas have been revealed, with 117 restaurants earning some kind of nod, including 15 one-star establishments. More than two dozen restaurants across Dallas-Fort Worth earned some kind of nod or another, but only one won a star. Then, oops, there was a goof on Michelin's list.

2. Reducetarian Summit had to be unlikeliest convention in Dallas ever. Dallas likes to promote itself as a great place to host conventions, but one of the most unpredictable would have to be the Reducetarian Summit, which took place at the end of October at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas, where 500 people from around the world met to brainstorm on ways to reduce consumption of animal products.

3. Where to eat in Dallas right now: 10 hot new restaurants for November. This month's installment of Where to Eat is bursting at the seams with newcomers and spinoffs. For November, we've got a vast range of cuisines, from Asian to seafood to the beloved Dallas staple, the Irish pub. To find many cuisines in one spot, there's also a new food-hall near downtown Dallas.

Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, RIP. Facebook

4. Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat dies at 69 after ALS battle. Beloved Dallas restaurateur Al Biernat, founder of the acclaimed local steakhouse Al Biernat's, passed away on November 13, following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; he was 69.

5. Pluckers Wing Bar opens first Dallas location in a decade in Mesquite. A Texas wing staple is bringing the wings to Mesquite: Pluckers, famous for its wings in many flavors, is opening at 1340 N. Peachtree Rd., in the old Joe’s Crab Shack space. According a marketing spokesperson, it's opening in mid-December.