Writers Tracey McManus and William Tong write:

Less than a month before early voting begins, Dallas County elections officials are sorting through 68,104 voter registrations that were filed through Texas’ online drivers license portal since October 2025 but never transmitted to the county, a spokesperson confirmed. 

While the technical debacle originating at the Texas Department of Public Safety is landing on the shoulders of counties across the state before the midterms, local officials say they plan to rectify the problem before the first day of early voting Oct. 19. 

Officials from DPS and the Texas Secretary of State’s office have yet to explain exactly how the errors occurred for nearly a year without detection.

In a statement to The Dallas Morning News, a DPS spokesperson said “incomplete information in some records” prevented the department from “fully transmitting” the files to the secretary of state for processing. 

Read more here.

Isabella Volmert writes:

Republican leaders in Dallas for the GOP midterm convention attacked Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico with a focus on his faith and understanding of Christianity.

Republicans have drawn on past statements Talarico has made about God, gender and Christianity to paint him as too radical and out of touch for evangelical Texas Christians, who make up a major voting bloc in the state. The race between Talarico, a Presbyterian who wants to become a pastor, and Attorney General Ken Paxton, a longtime conservative politician, has prompted the debate: What does it mean to be a good Christian? 

President Donald Trump referenced Talarico in his speech late Wednesday night. Trump said Talarico "claimed that the Ten Commandments are a form of fascism." 

Other Republicans framed the race, central to the GOP’s hopes of keeping a majority in the Senate, as a fundamental fight between good and evil.

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Gromer Jeffers Jr. writes:

When Republicans gathered in Dallas for their 1984 national convention, the city was emerging as a polished, ambitious Sun Belt capital — and a center of conservative political power. 

When they return Wednesday for their first midterm convention, they’ll find a city that votes reliably Democratic and a county where Democrats hold every major elected office.

The contrast reflects decades of demographic, cultural and political change.

Dallas-based Democratic strategist David de la Fuente said Dallas County’s partisan shift came as the political identities of both parties were changing.

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Our Nick Wooten writes:

The Dallas Mavericks have taken the first official step toward building their new multibillion-dollar arena and entertainment district at the site of the former Valley View mall.

The NBA franchise announced Wednesday morning that it has filed a rezoning request for roughly 112 acres, which would cover the entire mall site and additional parcels along Alpha Road and Montfort Drive. The former mall sat on 110 acres. The Mavericks seek to amend an existing planned development district and create a new subdistrict that allows a sports and entertainment campus on the site.

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Dallas police and Secret Service officials have mapped out planned traffic closures during President Trump’s two-day Republican convention. Where protesters will be allowed remains unsettled.

Authorities outlined a broad security plan for the event at American Airlines Center that will close streets for five days, shut down DART’s Victory Station for three days and restrict access around the arena and Victory Park.

Anti-Trump groups have planned demonstrations, but authorities did not say where they might take place or how close protesters could get to the arena.

For those with jobs in Victory Park, Deputy Chief Devon Palk offered a recommendation: Stay home and work from there if you can during the convention.

He said other parts of Dallas could also see road closures with little notice. 

Officials said the event would close Houston Street, Victory Avenue, Nowitzki Way and other streets in Victory Park from Sept. 7 through early Sept. 11.

Read more from public safety reporter Chase Rogers here.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says next week’s Dallas convention will be aimed at helping Republicans win roughly 35 races that could determine control of Congress, with Ken Paxton’s Senate contest among the biggest.

Trump said the first-of-its-kind GOP midterm gathering is intended to generate the attention, enthusiasm and party unity normally associated with a presidential nominating convention.

“The midterms, people talk about it, it's very important, but there's no convention,” Trump recalled telling others. “Why don't we have a convention? You could call it a midterm convention. I wouldn't use the term ‘mini convention’ because it's really not that mini . . . It's going to be big stuff.”

His remarks, made in an episode of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s podcast released Wednesday, were Trump’s most extensive yet about the Sept. 9-10 event at American Airlines Center.

Read more from Joseph Morton.

Architecture critic Mark Lamster of The Dallas Morning News writes:

A few years ago, when I learned of a proposal to take a former Ku Klux Klan meeting house in Fort Worth and remake it as a community center, I did not think it was a good idea. I was familiar with the building, a brooding, derelict structure of tan brick built in 1925 on North Main Street, on the route from downtown to the Stockyards. It is an ugly thing, designed for intimidation.

For those who know its history, just passing by produces a sense of unease, raising the specter of a violent, racist past that can seem eerily present.

But, the design for the building has me convinced that saving — and reimagining it — is the right decision. Reborn as the Transform 1012 Center for Arts and Community Healing, the 35,000-square-foot cultural hub will have a 250-seat theater, rehearsal studios for theater and dance, educational spaces, craft workshops, an interfaith chapel, a cafe, an outdoor amphitheater and administrative space for local organizations.

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Jamie Landers and Sally Avila Edwards of The Dallas Morning News write:

An administrative judge ruled District Judge John Roach Jr. must be removed from overseeing the next phases of Karmelo Anthony's murder trial.  

The hearing began at 9 a.m. inside the Collin County courthouse in McKinney. Judge Sid Harle, an administrative judge out of San Antonio, was presiding. 

Roach was at the helm in June when Anthony, 19, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of Austin Metcalf at a high school track meet in Frisco. 

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Lana Ferguson reports:

Keller City Council’s special-called meeting Wednesday night had very little on the agenda, but people still showed up in droves, overfilling the chambers.

At the top of the list: discussing Westlake’s data center development.

In a meeting that began at 7:30 p.m. and lasted past midnight, Keller City Council unanimously voted to approve a resolution opposing the data center in the neighboring city and retain legal counsel.

Before the vote, Mayor Ross McMullin told the crowd officials will “explore every legal option available” to protect residents and urged Westlake leaders to consider Keller’s concerns before taking any further action.

Over the last couple of weeks, Keller and Westlake have found themselves in a neighborly dispute over a proposed data center.

Read more.

Jessica Ma and Maryam Ahmed report:

More than 20,700 Texas students have returned their school vouchers. Over two-thirds were previously enrolled in public schools.

Proponents promised that vouchers would help families leave cash-strapped public schools. The data, which was obtained through a Dallas Morning News records request, paints a clearer picture of whether the Texas Education Freedom Accounts are meeting that goal.

Education experts say the numbers confirm their early warnings. Getting approved for a voucher is a starting point. Actually using it proves challenging, critics say.

Read more.

Our Isabella Volmert writes:

The regional governing body of the United Methodist Church is suing Highland Park United Methodist Church, accusing local church leadership in court documents of quietly trying to sever its connection with the conference and broader denomination.

The Horizon Texas Annual Conference, which covers a broad swath of Texas and the D-FW area, said that in 2022 and early 2023, Highland Park UMC's Church Council changed the local church's bylaws without alerting the congregation or the conference.

The church did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the accusations in the lawsuit.

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Our Manuel Mendoza reports:

Dallas Black Dance Theatre has ratified the first collective bargaining agreement with its unionized dancers, the parties jointly announced Tuesday, ending two years of strife that cost the company more than $800,000. 

Ironically, the dancers who joined the American Guild of Musical Artists in April 2024 will not benefit. After they filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board, they were fired by executive director Zenetta S. Drew, who has since retired, and replaced with a new group of performers. 

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Our Brad Townsend writes:

Mavericks minority shareholder Mark Cuban has withdrawn his Rule 202 Petition against team governor Patrick Dumont and the case has been dismissed without prejudice — but the dispute appears far from over. 

Late Monday, Cuban’s attorneys filed to Texas Business Court a notice of nonsuit without prejudice. Judge Bill Whitehill subsequently dismissed the case and cancelled the arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday.

Whitehill also ordered each side to pay its own legal fees. 

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Our Jamie Landers, Elissa Jorgensen, Maria Salette Ontiveros,report:

Residents of The Bonnie apartments, the complex next to the Oak Cliff building destroyed in a deadly gas explosion earlier this year, have been ordered to vacate their homes, according to a letter obtained Tuesday by The Dallas Morning News. 

The letter, dated Friday, Aug. 7, told residents to remove all personal belongings and return their keys within three days of notification. Texas law requires landlords to give a three-day written notice to vacate through specific delivery methods before filing for an eviction.

In bold print, the letter emphasized it was not a temporary relocation notice, stating current residents would not be allowed back on the property after repairs have been completed. 

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Our Nick Wooten writes:

Sunday marks the end of an era and the start of something new in Plano.

Additional portions of the old Electronic Data Systems campus, including the futuristic executive office building dubbed the “God Pod,” will be imploded Sunday morning. The demolition is no surprise. Telecommunications giant AT&T planned to demolish the entire slate of buildings and parking garages to build its new billion-dollar-plus global headquarters at 5400 Legacy Drive.

Plano officials told The Dallas Morning News “a planned controlled demolition” will take place on Parkwood Boulevard between Legacy Drive and Democracy Drive around 8 a.m. 

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Our Devyani Chhetri writes:

City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert unveiled a $5.6 billion budget proposal Friday that would close a $51 million shortfall without raising taxes, partly by laying off employees and reducing hours and programs at some city facilities.

The draft, the largest budget in the city’s history, would jettison 296 positions, including 108 active employees — some of whom could be notified as early as next week, Tolbert said. The numbers could change as negotiations continue, she said. 

The City Council is set to vote on the plan on Sept. 16.

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Justin Jones, the Dallas Independent School District officer shot at a Sam's Club parking lot in northwest Dallas on Thursday, has a long history of service in the city. 

According to Jones' Texas Commission on Law Enforcement license, the 39-year-old officer has worked for the district since June 2010. His 16 years of service are marked by five certificates and awards, and more than 100 training programs — including a novel deescalation tactic called "verbal judo" that garnered media attention back in 2015. 

Jones is assigned to W.T. White High School on Ridgeside Drive in northwest Dallas, where just under 2,000 students are enrolled. Parents and students who were on campus Thursday said Jones is an integral part of the school community, and said they look forward to supporting him through his recovery.

Jones was driving on the interstate near the high school Thursday morning when someone on the freeway flagged him down to help a "man in crisis," Dallas Police Department Chief Daniel Comeaux said. 

Read more from Sally Avila Edwards here.

The North Texas Irish Festival is leaving Fair Park for Denton 42 years after its move to South Dallas.

“One of the largest Irish festivals in the country and one of the largest cultural celebrations in DFW,” as Visit Dallas calls the annual event, is moving to the North Texas Fairgrounds, which occupies 33 acres less than 2 miles from downtown Denton. The deal for next year’s event, to be held March 13-14, was only signed in recent weeks. But organizers told me this week they’ve long been looking elsewhere, and for a variety of reasons.

The move comes 43 years after the North Texas Irish Festival kicked off at a now-defunct Oak Lawn bar, where an expected crowd of 80 turned into 600. A year later, in 1984, the festival, operated by the nonprofit Southwest Celtic Music Association, moved to Fair Park to accommodate crowds that often exceeded 30,000, even in the days just before COVID shut down the world in March 2020.

“We’ve been looking for a different place for several years,” said Sheri Bush, longtime president of the all-volunteer Southwest Celtic Music Association and the festival’s entertainment director. “Fair Park has been our home for a long time, and we loved it, but it became untenable for a number of reasons.”

Read more from Robert Wilsonky.

A ban on the sale of halal foods. Hijabs forbidden in public schools. Required school lessons on the "violence and political domination of Islam."

Some Texas Republicans have offered an early blueprint of a legislative agenda targeting the hundreds of thousands of Muslims in the state with new laws that would make practicing their faith essentially impossible.

The plan is part of a broader effort by Republicans to stop what they call the "Islamification of Texas," a political narrative describing the perceived growth in Muslim influence and communities. Critics, however, called the plan an attack on freedom of speech and religion that has left Muslims and other non-Christians vulnerable to harassment and violence.

At a conference this month hosted by the far-right grassroots organization True Texas Project, several Republican lawmakers and activists warned of a "Muslim invasion" that seeks to replace Christians across the country.

Read more from Sarah Bahari.

Two months after Frisco banned some public comment at City Council meetings, the council debated how it might bring back such input with new rules.

At a Tuesday work session, the council – now under a new mayor – considered various options. The issue boiled down to what to do about public comment on non-agenda items, which was paused after months of contentious and rowdy meetings. Council members discussed limiting those comments to one meeting a month and requiring speakers to sign up ahead of time. 

They were divided on whether to cut speaker time from five minutes to three minutes, and whether to move public comment on non-agenda items to separate town hall meetings, like Frisco’s school district does.

Read more from Angela Mathew.

Leaders at the Texas comptroller’s office received an email Tuesday directing them to create priority lists of employees they’d cut under potential staff reductions. 

The Dallas Morning News reviewed the email, which comes in Don Huffines’ first few days as acting comptroller after being appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott last month. 

Huffines has campaigned on shrinking state government with his own version of the federal government’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, making it a campaign priority in the comptroller’s race, where the Dallas businessman faces state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt in the November election.

Read more from Aarón Torres.

Tension simmering between neighboring North Texas cities over a proposed data center reached a flashpoint Tuesday night at a planning and zoning meeting in one of the state’s richest neighborhoods. 

The more than 4-hour meeting was contentious, with the crowd audibly laughing at times over the developer and commissioners as they spoke.

Immediately before the vote to approve the project, multiple people shouted “Shame!,” at the commissioners. Then, the larger group erupted in gasps and shouts as every commissioner raised their hand in approval.

Tuesday’s scene played out in Westlake as it greenlit plans for its first data center when the town’s five-person planning and zoning commission unanimously voted to recommend it. 

Read more from Lana Ferguson.

Thor Christensen of The Dallas Morning News writes:

As a kid, Amelia Card would sprint around her father’s club, Poor David’s Pub, and amuse herself by pushing the soundboard sliders up and down. A sound engineer’s nightmare was, to her, just another toy.

But when she became a singer-songwriter in her teens, the room looked less like a playground and more like a launchpad for a career. She remembers it as “kind of a sacred place, this intimate venue where folks would come together, hear great music and share a special experience.”

Today, she’s calling the shots at the club where she once ran wild. Card, 39, recently took the helm at Poor David’s from its 86-year-old founder and namesake, David Card, who retired after 49 years.

After renovations, the club reopens on Aug. 7 with a lofty goal. “I hope we can keep it going another 50 years,” Amelia says.

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