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More Grumbling Over City Manager Payout. Mayor Eric Johnson doesn’t like that City Manager T.C. Broadnax is getting a year’s salary, $423,246, as he heads to Austin to be their city manager. Johnson wants state lawmakers to ban such payouts. But City Councilmember Adam Bazaldua said the mayor has a “whining tone,” and Councilmember Jaime Resendez said part of the reason Broadnax is leaving is the mayor’s “consistent dishonesty and self-serving agenda.” So it seems like everything is going fine.

Inwood Tavern Gets Pub Thanks to Scheffler. I think we are the last outlet in town to mention that the night Scottie Scheffler won the Masters, he flew back to Dallas and went to the Inwood Tavern. This photo on the bar’s Instagram has been everywhere. Good for the bar. And good for Ryan, who wrote “pee pee poo poo” on the wall behind Scheffler.

Andy Reid Comments on Rashee Rice Hit-and-Run. But he didn’t really say anything. The Chiefs head coach said, “As far as Rashee Rice goes, his situation, I’m leaving that, like we’ve done with most of these, for the law enforcement part of it to take place and then we’ll go from there with that.”

Giraffe Born at Dallas Zoo. The birth happened April 1, but the Zoo officially announced the news yesterday. The baby boy doesn’t have a name yet. My suggestion: T.C. Broadnax.

Dallas’ update to its land use plan, which includes reexamining the city’s predominantly single-family zoning, has been met with significant pushback among vocal residents. But if some conservative state policymakers have their way, the debate could become moot. Lt. Dan Patrick has indicated a desire to at least discuss zoning as it relates to housing affordability in the next legislative session. Some conservative groups have also indicated their support for this legislation.

ForwardDallas, the city’s not-yet-adopted plan, would only inform the city’s land use and zoning in the future. A great deal of concern around single-family neighborhoods centers on where and how to allow for more density—specifically middle or “gentle” density like triplexes, duplexes, and the like. In our April issue, Matt Goodman wrote about how Dallas needs density to survive, and about just how nasty the fight over density has become. 

At a public information session at Samuell Grand Recreation Center recently, a mostly hostile audience took turns at the microphone, reiterating their distaste for the idea of eliminating what they felt protected “the character” of their neighborhoods: single-family zoning. 

There are very real questions about how and where to introduce middle density. But state Rep. John Bryant, D-Dallas, issued a warning before the discussion began: the harsh reality is that Dallas might not have the final say in its zoning updates. Bryant warned that there is an effort to change zoning “at the state level,” too. He couched this as another way Austin would wrest local control from cities and counties.

“The Legislature passed over the vigorous opposition of myself and others in this last session a bill that began the process of limiting the ability of cities to deal with a large number of matters that relate to us as local citizens,” he said. Bryant was referring to House Bill 2127, the so-called “Death Star” bill that limits city’s abilities to create ordinances that are more strict than state law.

While urbanists and historians have long pointed to the racist history of exclusionary zoning, removing lot size minimums has long been considered somewhat of a “liberal” idea. In fact, four years ago conservative policy analyst Stanley Kurtz warned in the National Review that then Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden planned to “abolish the suburbs” by eliminating single family zoning.

“It will mean the end of local control, the end of a style of living that many people prefer to the city, and therefore the end of meaningful choice in how Americans can live,” he warned.

Scottie Scheffler Wins Masters. That makes two Green Jackets already for the 27-year-old Highland Park grad. Pretty decent. Scottie, quit ducking us and come on EarBurner.

Wings Pick No. 5 in Tonight’s WNBA Draft. Consensus of the various mocks I’ve looked at suggests UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards will be the choice here. (The Wings also have the No. 9 pick in the first round.) Aaliyah, quit ducking us and come on EarBurner.

Mark Cuban Reveals Tax Bill. He said he would wire $288 million to the IRS today, which is obviously tax day, as well as my nephew Jonah’s birthday and the day that Joey Ramone died. Mark, quit ducking us and come back on EarBurner.

‘Mavs’ Lose Big. They rested their entire playoff rotation in the regular-season finale, so the 49-point loss, the second-biggest in franchise history, should have an asterisk. (Their first-round series against the Clippers tips off Sunday.) Anyway, Brandon Williams had a season-high 22. Brandon, quit earing us and come on DuckBurner.

Verne Lundquist Retires. The veteran broadcaster, who got his start in Dallas, signed off for the last time at the Masters yesterday. Here is a great story about how he met his wife at Arthur’s. Verne, enjoy your retirement. But also come on EarBurner and show Tim how to stop interrupting guests.

New data released by the city of Dallas and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals that the summer heat is far worse in some pockets of the city, exacerbated by concrete and a lack of shade that can make it feel up to 10 degrees warmer than what the thermometer says.

Last summer was brutally hot. North Texas recorded 47 days of triple-digit temperatures. Dallas ISD warned parents that school buses couldn’t cool down fast enough for their young riders. School districts moved football practices and games around to avoid the heat. Postal worker Eugene Gates died of heat illness in Lakewood while delivering mail.

“I think we had three consecutive days where we hit 109 last summer,” says NBC DFW chief meteorologist Rick Mitchell. “It was just ridiculous, and I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting old, but last summer was just nuts. I started to be the cranky old man.”

Mitchell says we’re paying the price for all the attendant concrete and asphalt that goes with living in a city. 

“If you’re in an urban environment, that concrete, all that stuff just absorbs the heat and then gives it back off at night,” he says. “And that’s the whole thing of the urban heat island effect—it manufactures heat from all that stored heat within the concrete and those other surfaces.” 

Last summer, the city and the NOAA gathered data to map the city’s heat islands—areas where pavement is more plentiful than trees, which traps the heat. Urban heat islands can be up to 20 degrees hotter than parts of town with more trees and grass. (Dallas was one of 18 cities participating in the 2023 Urban Island Mapping Campaign.)

Dallas County Heritage Society Defends Sale of Old City Park Items. Before the society hands off control of the city’s oldest park to the Parks and Recreation Department, it is selling off over 22,000 items that reside inside the homes, other buildings, and a warehouse. Its CEO says the most valuable and historic items have already been off-loaded to other museums, and selling the rest of the items is the best chance at preserving them.

Duncanville Neighborhood Evacuated after Man Finds ‘Live Artillery Shell.’ Very Texas, this one. A man was doing yard work in his backyard in the 1300 block of Circle Drive when he found a “missile-shaped object” and called the police. Dallas PD’s bomb squad confirmed that the item was live artillery, shut down the block, and took the bomb away. A veteran lived in the house before the present homeowner and likely buried it. For some reason.

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice Surrenders in Glenn Heights. Rice faces one count of aggravated assault, another of collision involving serious bodily injury, and six counts of collision involving injury following a race-related wreck on Central Expressway last month. He bonded out shortly after turning himself in. SMU suspended sophomore cornerback Theodore “Teddy” Knox after learning that he was charged, too.

Sunny Weekend Ahead. Expect highs in the low 80s and some consistent breeze. It should be gorgeous.

Warrant Issued for Rashee Rice. An arrest warrant was issued for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice in connection to a multiple-vehicle crash last month. Rice has acknowledged being the driver of the Lamborghini involved in the crash and faces eight felony charges. SMU cornerback Theodore Cox, the alleged driver of the Corvette involved in the crash, faces the same charges.

Hillcrest Student Files Civil Rights Complaint Against DISD. A Hillcrest High School student filed a 17-page complaint against the district, saying that district officials failed to respond appropriately to antisemitic bullying. According to the complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, the student kept a log of incidents dating back to 2021. StandWithUs, an international nonprofit Israel education organization, filed the complaint with the student and has filed similar complaints against several universities. The student is an intern with that organization.  

Defense Rests in IV Tampering Case. Closing arguments will begin today in the case of a Dallas doctor accused of tampering with IV bags at Baylor Scott & White Surgicare in North Dallas. Prosecutors said that Dr. Raynaldo Ortiz tampered with the bags, which led to 11 patients suffering cardiac events and the death of a colleague. 

Stones Stolen from Grapevine 9/11 Memorial. Grapevine police are looking for two missing stones from the city’s 9/11 memorial site. A stone from the Flight 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and a limestone fragment from the Pentagon crash were part of a tribute to the crews aboard those flights.

R.I.P. James Washington, Longtime Publisher of the Dallas Weekly. Washington, 73, died in his home in Atlanta earlier this month. He acquired the Weekly in 1989, leading a paper that reported the news in Dallas’ Black communities that was often overlooked or missed by other publications in town. Today, the newspaper is operated by his children, Patrick and Jessica, who praised their father for creating an ecosystem that lifted up Black-owned businesses and their neighborhoods. His memorial will be on May 4 at Friendship-West Baptist Church.

Fort Worth Police Release Video of West 7th Shooters. Officers are searching for five suspects who were part of a shooting that resulted in a single injury in the crowded West 7th entertainment district near downtown Fort Worth. The weekend’s shooting escalated from a fistfight, and officers have pretty clear footage of who was holding the gun.

Dallas Police Oversight Board Continues to Review Veteran Harassment. The board voted unanimously on Tuesday to open an independent review of the police officers who mocked a veteran who urinated on himself after one of the cops denied him entry to a bathroom. The incident happened at Serious Pizza in Deep Ellum, and the off-duty officer refused to allow the man, who had a medical condition related to an injury at war, to come in and use the restroom after closing time. The cops were then caught on bodycam mocking him. They’ve received a written reprimand and will undergo sensitivity training while the board investigates.

Expect Rain Today, but More to the East. Dallas and Collin counties will likely have spotty showers throughout today, but the severe weather will remain east of us. It should be gone by about 7 p.m.

Programming Note: Matt Goodman, D Magazine’s Online Editorial Director, will be in conversation with Megan Kimble at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, at Interabang Books. Find more information here.

The history of Texas highways—and across the nation, really—is fraught with examples of how these enormous capital projects have damaged cities. In Dallas, 1944’s Federal Highway Act and 1956’s Interstate Highway Act produced highways that made it faster to move from point A to point B, but also cut off entire Black and Brown neighborhoods and communities from the rest of the city, enveloping them in traffic noise and polluted air. 

This month, Texas journalist Megan Kimble’s book, City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America’s Highways, looks at three different communities and their fight to have more say in how the Texas Department of Transportation envisions their neighborhoods. Kimble looks at the impact I-10, I-35, and I-345 had on Houston’s Fifth Ward, East Austin, and Deep Ellum in Dallas, respectively.

The book could have become a wonky slog, but Kimble deftly weaves the stories of the residents who joined the fight into the narrative. Dallas readers will see familiar names (including D’s own Matt Goodman and DART board member Patrick Kennedy), but more importantly, they’ll see how the three stretches of highway are intertwined.

It’s a smart, compelling read that raises questions we should all be asking, whether our homes are adjacent to a highway or not. What would Dallas look like if I-345 had never existed? How do we get past the siloed expectations of each entity involved: TxDOT’s mission to move cars, the regionally-minded priorities of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, and Dallas’ economic realities that dovetail with its relatively new racial equity, climate, and land use plans?

Kimble also homes in on the fact that when the federal interstate system was initially planned, there was a push for a more thoughtful approach. President Dwight D. Eisenhower had tasked Gen. John S. Bragdon with researching plans. Bragdon’s findings, if they had been followed, would’ve meant something much different for Dallas, Austin, and Houston. 

“We do not believe that the Interstate System is the vehicle for solving rush-hour traffic problems, or for local bottlenecks,” Bragdon said in his report. “Rapid transit and mass transit systems are the solution.”  He argued that communities should not develop around highways but should be developed through economic growth and land use plans. Bragdon pointed out what has become a familiar refrain during current discussions about TxDOT’s plans—the bigger the road, the more people travel on it, the more traffic increases. 

There Was an Eclipse. Nearly all of the Morning News’ site is dedicated to eclipse coverage, including a story about what you should know if you burned your eyes. I hope you didn’t burn your eyes. But you know which story the newspaper missed? The world’s largest edible Moon Pie was consumed in Irving.

Beth Van Duyne Recruits New York Cops. The U.S. representative from Irving bought a full-page ad in the New York Post with this headline: “Ladies and Gentlemen of Law Enforcement It’s Time to Escape New York and Move To Texas!” In part, the ad reads, “You don’t have to be beaten on the streets by gangs of illegal immigrant criminals.” Perhaps she’s not aware that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S. born residents.

Rangers Lose to Astros. That’s how little non-eclipse news was generated yesterday. I’m giving you a baseball score. It was 10-5.

The cloud cover that stressed us out all morning miraculously parted around 11 a.m.

This made for some pretty darn perfect eclipse viewing, which is almost uniquely special. That Dallas-Fort Worth was in the path of totality meant a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the phenomenon, unless you’re the type who chases the celestial event elsewhere. North Texas will not be in this position again until 2317.

As the eclipse reached totality from my front porch in North Dallas, cheers went up from my normally quiet neighborhood. Someone set off some fireworks. And then, as the moon orbited away, the lawn chairs were picked up, the cardboard eclipse glasses got tucked into shirt pockets, and we all went back to work.

As the time to clock out nears, so comes another thing to watch for in the sky. Storms are heading in tonight. Some of the action could be severe, according to the National Weather Service. 

In the meantime, we asked our colleagues and readers to share their eclipse photos. Find some here, but see more below. We’ll update as we get more. John Gay, D Magazine’s production director, took some incredible shots from Rockwall. Even if you can’t do better, email me your photos!

It’s Eclipse Time. I mean, most likely. Sorry. To clarify: the eclipse is still absolutely happening, but the chance to see it in its full totality (around 1:40, should last four minutes) remains a bit iffy. The projections show 60 percent cloud cover at 1 p.m., and the National Weather Service says if there aren’t breaks by noon, they probably aren’t coming. I’ve been in Tulsa since Friday and I’ve been looking up since early Sunday.

(The Tulsa thing is a cover story I’ve been pushing for weeks. I’m actually at home, waiting for the beautiful Ocean’s Eleven-style heist I have planned for exactly 1:40. It involves a Boesky, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros, and a Leon Spinks, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald ever.)

(Kidding, I left town because I heard there were 200,000-plus expected, and downtown was gonna be crazy, so I selflessly decided to make a little room.)

Mavs Rally From 22-Point Deficit to Defeat the Rockets. Kyrie Irving (48 points) and Luka Doncic (37) did the heaviest lifting, but Dante Exum’s buzzer-beating three (after two gut-punch misses from Jabari Smith at the foul line) is what sent it to overtime. And, once there, two straight P.J. Washington threes sealed the deal. We are in full-on montage mode, with Mavs winning 14 out of the last 16 and moving up from 8th in the Western Conference to the No. 5 seed and a potential first-round matchup with the Clippers. Look at this. Also, Luka hit yet another insane shot in pregame warmups.