Dallas Seminary Is First in U.S. to Mandate Course on Child Sex Abuse. Starting this semester at Dallas Theological Seminary, all ministerial students must take a one-hour course called Ministry Safe in order to graduate. This is the first seminary in the country to require a class like this. Ministry Safe was developed by Fort Worth couple Kimberlee Norris and Gregory Love, both lawyers, who wanted to partner with the seminary. The program instructs officials on how to spot predators, among other things. Norris and Love said the program is an important first step in addressing the issue.
Lakewood Theater Now a Historic Landmark. The 78-year-old “soul of East Dallas” is now an official city of Dallas landmark after the City Council voted unanimously yesterday. “The city of Dallas stands in a transitional moment where we are much more cognizant of our architectural patrimony and the need to keep some sense of place and who we are. This is a great example of Dallas not being so insecure, of looking at who we are and where we came from and saying, ‘This is something we need to preserve’,” council member Phillip Kingston said.
A Body Was Found Burned and Dismembered Near Grapevine Lake. Here’s a gruesome bit of news for the day. Yesterday police discovered a body in Acorn Woods Park near Grapevine Lake that had been burned and dismembered. They have not identified the body yet, and the FBI is on the case too.
New Tom Thumbs to Replace Fresh Markets. Three Fresh Market stores in Dallas and Fort Worth closed in May, and they will now become Tom Thumbs. Albertsons, which owns Safeway, Tom Thumb’s parent company, says it will reopen stores as Tom Thumbs in Lakewood, Oak Lawn, and Fort Worth’s University District by the end of 2016.
