The Dallas Morning News

Vamos Mexico!

Mexican fans in Dallas rang in the start of the 2026 World Cup with explosive, jubilant and deeply emotional celebrations. Surrounded by ice-cold buckets of beer, guacamole the same bright green as the Mexican national team’s jersey, and carne asada...

Soccer epicenter

ARLINGTON – Metaphorically, the clock ticks more loudly by the hour, with a mounting blend of urgency and excitement. For the first time since 1994, the outer band of the monthlong World Cup cyclone has arrived in North Texas, with preparations and...

Anthony declines to testify

MCKINNEY — Karmelo Anthony, the teen whose lawyers insist he was defending himself when he fatally stabbed a fellow student-athlete at a high school track meet last year, chose not to testify during his murder trial. Anthony’s attorneys rested Monday...

First Baptist Dallas breaks ground

Nearly two years ago, First Baptist Dallas senior pastor Robert Jeffress was driving home from Vacation Bible School when he got a call: A fire raged at the church’s 134-year-old historic sanctuary. Recounting the story Sunday during his sermon,...

Getting ready for FIFA fever

Workers covered the AT&T Stadium sign atop the stadium’s roof Thursday in Arlington in preparation for the FIFA World Cup. The home of the Dallas Cowboys will be referred to as Dallas Stadium for the duration of the international soccer tournament to...

Mavs choose Valley View

After more than a year of analyzing Dallas sites for their planned multi-billion-dollar arena and entertainment district, the Mavericks have chosen Valley View, dealing a major setback to efforts to bring the project downtown. The Mavericks on Monday...

Vigil honors mother, son killed in blaze

Calls, texts and prayers all went unanswered Thursday afternoon — the day Marisol Pérez and her 18month-old son’s Oak Cliff apartment was demolished by an explosion that sparked a five-alarm fire. Nora Carmona and Maria Lopez, Pérez’s sisters, were...

Fire results in injuries, fatalities

They heard what they thought was a bomb, a plane crash, a big kaboom. By the time residents of the Oak Cliff apartment complex registered the building had exploded, their homes were engulfed in roaring flames. At an 8 p.m. news conference, city...

City at policy crossroads

Dallas zoning regulations for data centers lack rules tailored to their growing demand for power and infrastructure. That could soon change, as the city is in the midst of a zoning reform project. As demand for data centers and supporting...

Paxton topples Cornyn

WASHINGTON — Texas Republicans on Tuesday chose Attorney General Ken Paxton’s hard-charging MAGA style over Sen. John Cornyn’s seasoned establishment conservatism after one of the state’s most bruising races in years. Paxton’s commanding win reflected...

Honoring the fallen

Above: U.S. Air Force Korean War veteran Randy Dellis, 92, of Fort Worth, saluted as members of the U.S. Navy color guard held the flags during the national anthem in the 97th annual Fort Worth Memorial Day service, on Monday, at Mount Olivet Cemetery...

Carry the load

Hundreds of participants gathered Sunday at Reverchon Park for Carry The Load’s annual Dallas Memorial March, walking past rows of flags and story boards bearing the names and faces of fallen service members, veterans and first responders. Many...

Gambling or skill?

For decades, Texas’ gambling opponents have demanded strict enforcement of the state’s gaming laws, prompting local prosecutors to crack down on the spread of slot machines known as eight-liners. Now, a new generation of bellringing slots are popping...

Pedaling to Messi

For nine months, the road has been their home. Three heavily loaded bicycles have carried them across mountains, jungles, deserts and borders in pursuit of a dream most people would never dare attempt. Their mission sounds almost impossible: ride...

Finding the T. rex of the sea

As the saying goes, everything’s bigger in Texas — it just so happens that applies to ancient marine lizards, too. On Thursday, researchers at the American Museum of Natural History, the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and Southern Methodist...

Meeting draws lively crowd

Just three months after a council meeting where activists and residents alleged rampant H-1B fraud and an ‘Indian takeover,’ Frisco City Hall once again became a packed house for people to air their views on the city’s changing demographics. More than...

Rattled by shooting

Outside the tinted windows of Omi Korean Grill in Carrollton, Danny Shin sees a few scattered shoppers make their way in and out of H Mart. Employees are preparing booths and setting up tables. Upbeat music turns on, filling the space. His restaurant...

A celebration of life, liberty

Standing in front of a full-length mirror in the living room of his Dallas apartment Saturday, Chris Young readied himself for a reunion. He fastened silver cuff links and a crimson tie to a crisp white button-down, and while he wouldn’t take the...

The women of Route 237

Araceli Campos says bye to a friend and hops off the bus on Route 237, colorful purse in hand and blue sneakers on her feet. She starts her walk through the tree-lined streets of Highland Park, past historic estates and designer stores. It’s been...

HVAC upgrade becomes symbol of mistrust

On any given day at Dallas City Hall, it’s hard to dress for the job. Complaints roll in regularly from employees in the summer as they reach for jackets in a freezing City Council chamber. When temperatures drop, space heaters hum under desks, even...

$10M boost for college access

A $10 million investment into a Dallas nonprofit aims to expand college and career guidance for tens of thousands of students across southern Dallas County. Education is Freedom, a nonprofit that advises Dallas County students on college and career...

Under the lights

The pink glow of specialized LED grow lights illuminated freshly laid sod inside AT&T Stadium on Thursday. The lights, designed to stimulate photosynthesis and accelerate turf growth, are being used on the pitch ahead of FIFA World Cup matches at the...

Farmersville ISD rethinks lunch

When lunch hour rolled around, Farmersville High School junior Deborah Azubike snatched her usual table, settling between two friends with her tray. She poked her spoon into a medley of fragrant Spanish rice, juicy diced tomato and creamy cheese...

Red Oak approves 830 acres to be rezoned for latest data center build

RED OAK — The tension between preserving a slower, quieter way of life and embracing a high-tech future with promises of economic prosperity was on full display Monday night in a City Council meeting about 20 miles south of Dallas. For now, the latter...

Trump rejects Tehran’s proposal

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump on Monday said the Iran ceasefire is on “life support” after rejecting Tehran’s latest proposal, which officials said included some nuclear concessions. Trump also proposed suspending the federal gas...

Proposal: Cuts, no closures

leaders want to cut $2.6 million from the city’s library budget without closing any libraries. Their latest plan would slash dozens of jobs and designate five libraries as flagship hubs while others operate with reduced hours and staff. A proposal...

Struggling to stay afloat

In 2014, when Diane Shields turned 65, she retired from her well-paying job at a bank in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and withdrew a portion of her 401(k) to prepare for the next phase. “I used my savings to fix up my house, my car and to just make sure...

Bald is beautiful

A bald eagle fed its eaglets fish at White Rock Lake on Thursday in Dallas. The three eaglets are entering a life stage called branching, where they leave the nest and begin to hop, climb and flutter from branch to branch.

A ‘tail’ of three horses

Flipping through his book, first grader Briden Green stretched out vowels, feeling the curvatures of each word. Sometimes, he repeated the sentences, printed in black ink, until they sounded just right. Lending him an ear was his new friend Kali, a...

Dallas ISD raises bar

Standing in front of a room full of educators, district staff and community members, Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said Tuesday that the district needs a new vision — one that sets a higher bar for what the district is striving...

Killer sentenced to death

FORT WORTH — A former Fedex driver was sentenced to death Tuesday for abducting and killing 7-yearold Athena Strand after delivering a package of Barbie dolls to her Wise County home. Tanner Horner, 34, didn’t react as his sentence was read aloud by...

Critic wins Pulitzer

Mark Lamster, longtime architecture critic of The Dallas Morning News, has been awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Lamster won for a series of columns about downtown Dallas that sparked civic debate and revealed how past decisions have...

Counting on voucher program

Sebastian Gonzales shyly gestured toward a poster hanging in the back of his second grade classroom. On this large slip of construction paper, he paid tribute to his namesake: Saint Sebastian. With blue and yellow colored pencils, Sebastian filled in...

Reliable rides make a difference

For Brianna Lambert, the math is simple. No ride equals no job. On a recent Thursday evening, shortly before six, the 20-year-old climbed into the back seat of a black GMC Denali, a full-size SUV with room for seven, outside a strip of businesses near...

Persisting in prayer

Between a concrete barrier and a busy Stemmons Freeway frontage road, about a dozen people recently gathered for prayer outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas, as they have most every week for the past year. The...

DART exit drives turnout

Early voting produced strong turnout in Dallas Area Rapid Transit withdrawal elections in Addison, Highland Park and University Park, with momentum for and against remaining in the public transportation system energizing residents to get to the...

Tornado touches down

Parts of Mineral Wells, a city about 83 miles west of Dallas, were reeling Wednesday morning after a large storm system and a tornado touched down and left significant damage. (Above) A tornado-leveled structure seen at Wolters Industrial Park.

Chasing Stars

The last three Stars’ seasons have ended on May 29 (here against Vegas), June 2 (in Edmonton) and May 29 again last year (here against Edmonton). That final one also ended Pete Deboer’s time here in Dallas, and nothing quite so drastic awaits Glen...

Celebrating a woman of change

Friends, family and well-wishers gathered Monday to offer their final goodbyes to Anita N. Martinez, the pioneering civic activist linked to the El Fenix restaurant chain but who also rose on her own to become the first Mexican American elected to the...

How does housing affordability shape the North Texas miracle?

The average North Texan’s ability to afford an average home in North Texas has been on the decline since 2012 as home prices surged ahead of wages. The chasm between who could afford to own a home in North Texas and who could not has widened as the...

North Texas not immune to growing water crisis

It’s spring and Dallas-Fort Worth feels lush again. Gardeners plant colorful flowers, runners take laps around White Rock Lake, and boaters and anglers rejoice in warmer days out on the water. Yet about 400 miles south in Corpus Christi, life looks...

Appeals court rules Trump’s asylum ban illegal

WASHINGTON — An appeals court on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending asylum access at the southern border of the U.S., a key pillar of the Republican president’s plan to crack down on migration. A three-judge panel from...

ZIP code shapes lifespan

Staff Writer [email protected] For years, communities in southern Dallas have grappled with dire health needs, including higher rates of chronic disease, fewer resources and earlier deaths. South of Interstate 30, life expectancy is about 17...

Clinton drops in on Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (left) shared a laugh with former President Bill Clinton when Clinton made a surprise visit during a predraft news conference, at The Star in Frisco, on Wednesday.

Sustainable soccer

As North Texas prepares to welcome a surge of visitors for the FIFA World Cup, hosting an event of this scale will put pressure on transportation systems, public spaces and city services. But it also offers a unique opportunity to strengthen...

Demand for power grows

While there’s little doubt electricity demand in Texas will continue to grow these next few years — especially with new data centers being constructed in hubs like Dallas-fort Worth — determining just how much growth will come to fruition has been more...

An influx of injured animals

PLANO — Five babies burrowed into a blanket, tucked into an incubator in the critical care unit. Just days old, the eastern gray screech owls arrived at the North Texas Wildlife Center as eggs after their home, a tree in Richardson, was cut down this...

A toilet and a battle for soul of rural Texas

George Dunham traded the suburbs for the sleepy town of Bartonville nearly 20 years ago. “We moved here for the quiet,” says the Ticket radio host, one-third of the sports station’s top-rated morning show The Musers. Bartonville — population 1,700 —...

A wedding on death row

LIVINGSTON — It’s almost time for the ceremony, and Tiana Krasniqi is changing into her wedding dress in the back of her Kia Soul, parked in the prison lot. She grabs her marriage license and her vows Tuesday evening before heading inside; first...

Working for the impact

On a recent afternoon, Harrison Blair ambled through the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, gazing at the art adorning the office’s walls. In a painting hung in the foyer, a young boy held wads of cash against his ears. A message, “money can’t buy...

Mother delivers emotional testimony

Every day since 7-year-old Athena Strand’s battered and bruised body was pulled from a North Texas river more than three years ago, Maitlyn Gandy has talked to her deceased daughter. “I tell her that I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect her and to stop...

Official says she was unaware of alerts

AUSTIN —The woman who serves as Camp Mystic’s chief health officer told a state district court Tuesday that she wasn’t aware the area was under a flash flood watch before water engulfed the Texas Hill Country retreat, killing 25 children and two...

Texas stomps opening efforts

More than 40 years ago, on a crisp pre-dawn November morning in Deep East Texas, three Native American hunters — a father and his two sons, ages 17 and 24 — scoured the Piney Woods for signs of live game. Just as sunlight peaked over the limbs of the...

Neighbors coming together

ERATH COUNTY — In this piece of Texas, “love thy neighbor” is more than Sunday school talk. It’s a way of small town life, often shown through small gestures like waving to the folks on the sidewalk, rooting for each other’s kids at the baseball game,...

Life after loss

For years, Hollie Cunningham longed to give her sons a baby sister, and for years, that dream failed to materialize. In early 2025, when she learned she was pregnant again, her husband, Cody, was excited they had been given another chance. Hollie was...

Astronauts return home

HOUSTON — Artemis II’S astronauts returned from the moon with a dramatic splashdown in the Pacific on Friday to close out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than a half-century. It was a triumphant homecoming for the crew of four whose...

Council OKS renos at Roseland

Dallas City Council on Wednesday gave a unanimous, key stamp of approval needed to renovate Roseland Townhomes and Roseland Estates, the neighboring public housing complexes featured in a 2025 Dallas Morning News investigation into failed efforts to...

Ceasefire threatened

TEHRAN, Iran — A ceasefire deal to pause the war in Iran appeared to hang by a thread Wednesday after the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon. The White House demanded that the channel be...

Driver pleads guilty in girl’s murder

FORT WORTH — Prosecutors laid out what they called a brutal killing while defense attorneys urged jurors to choose life without parole Tuesday, after Tanner Horner pleaded guilty in the death of 7-year-old Athena Strand. Horner’s surprise plea to...

Another leap for mankind

HOUSTON — With the moon now filling their windows, the Artemis II astronauts kicked off their lunar flyby Monday, taking in magnificent views of the far side never before witnessed while setting a new distance record for humanity. The six-hour flyby...

Joy, praise and worship

With joy, praise and worship, Christians in North Texas celebrated Easter Sunday morning. At Friendship-west Baptist Church in Dallas, hundreds of members gathered with family and friends to mark the holiday, also called Resurrection Sunday, which...

TV king of North Texas

If you live in North Texas, you may have recently stumbled across a peculiar road closure. Perhaps you saw a clue in the form of a sign that read “SET.” The commotion most likely traced back to Taylor Sheridan, the Fort Worth-raised show creator who...

Let’s play ball

Home away from home

When 28-year-old Rebecca Pels called her mother Wednesday morning, her mom said she couldn’t wait to see her extended family from the New York City area at Passover Seder that night. “I had that pang in my heart,” said Pels, who moved to Dallas about...

Trump: U.S. forces will press on

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will “finish the job” in Iran soon as “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” offering a full-throated defense of the war Wednesday night in his first national address since the conflict...

A peek inside Dallas’ $5B project

Dallas’ new children’s hospital is still five years away from opening, but hospital leaders this week offered a peek at what the inside of the building will look like. Moody Children’s Hospital is a project of UT Southwestern Medical Center and...

Last curtain call for hall

Dallas officials have begun taking apart the gargantuan Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. On Monday, cranes and demolition excavators tore down the exhibition hall closest to the Omni Hotel, dismembering parts of the building that will...

Groundbreaking announced

Questions surround the future of downtown Dallas, as posed by First Baptist Dallas executive pastor Ben Lovvorn. But for his church, the future clear. The church in the heart of downtown Dallas announced on Sunday – Palm Sunday – that construction...

Slipping through the cracks

The sonogram operator at the crisis pregnancy center recorded the details of Kaylee Hall’s pregnancy. Likely due in the middle of June. Fetal heart rate measured at 156 beats per minute. The box for intrauterine pregnancy marked as “yes.” An OB-GYN...

Resurrection plan

students hover over Dallas City Hall’s miniature. They are just minutes away from unveiling a plan they say could resurrect downtown. In a landscape of miniature models, the I.M Pei-designed buildment ing’s replica is lonely in its habitat, except for...