Dallas ISD to Test Water For Lead. The testing will occur at all district campuses by October 1. The decision comes after DISD learned that many of its school water fountains were made by the same manufacturers who supplied Fort Worth ISD. This summer FWISD found high lead levels in about three dozen schools and announced it would be replacing 500 fountains as a result. DISD has about 3,100 fountains at its 288 campuses.
Cop Sues City Over Temporary Termination. In 2014, Jesus Martinez was fired as a Dallas police officer for allegedly using excessive force while arresting a panhandler in Deep Ellum. The neighborhood rallied around Martinez, and he was eventually reinstated after a grand jury declined to indict him. Now he’s seeking between $200,000 and $1 million, saying his reputation was damaged by the termination and that he was never paid the 10-months back pay he was due after being rehired.
Blind Anti-Gang Leader Fights Off Robbers. Lamont Levels was once a gang member himself, but he lost his sight as a result of being shot during a drug deal gone wrong 15 years ago. Now he runs a nonprofit called Now Eye See that aims to keep kids from getting involved with gangs. Recently he was held at gunpoint by two would-be thieves, but he managed to grab their gun and send them running off.
