12 minute read
Crime
Aug. 16
Reported at 10:04 a.m.: a thief took the taillights from a Ford F150 in the 3300 block of Wentwood Drive and presumably hightailed it out of there.
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Aug. 17
Reported at 10:24 a.m.: a crook pilfered a pricey catalytic converter from a Toyota Prius in the 4500 block of Westway Avenue.
Aug. 18
A burglar got into a Ford F150 and a Jeep in the 5000 block of Airline Road, and left an iPad that’d been taken from the 3700 block of Potomac Avenue in the driver’s seat of the Jeep before fleeing toward the Katy Trail around 6:07 a.m.
Aug. 20
An opportunistic thief drove away in a BMW M4 as it was idling unoccupied at Vintage Car Wash in the 6800 block of Preston Road around noon.
Aug. 23
Reported at 6:44 a.m.: a thief took taillights from a Ford Raptor truck parked in the 3400 block of Villanova Drive. More taillights were reported stolen from the 4000 block of Amherst Street at 7:10 a.m., and from the 4100 block of Purdue Street at 7:50 a.m.
Aug. 26
A ne’er do well swiped two rear taillights from a Ford F150 parked in the 2800 block of Fondren Drive overnight before 7 a.m. Taillights were also taken from a Ford F150 in the 3800 block of Colgate Avenue before 6 a.m.
Aug. 27
A burglar broke the driver’s side front window of a Chevrolet Silverado in the 4800 block of Lakeside Drive and took an envelope containing $5,600 around 3:33 p.m.
Aug. 28
Reported at 2:07 p.m.: radio silence. A rogue took a stereo from a Chevrolet Avalanche in the 6000 block of Auburndale Avenue.
Aug. 31
A prowler broke into an Audi S5 that was parked in the 4100 block of Lomo Alto Drive and made off with a briefcase containing $7,100 around 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 3
A thief took taillights from a Ford F150 in the 2900 block of McFarlin Boulevard before 11:43 p.m. Additional taillights were taken from a Ford F150 in the 4000 block of McFarlin Boulevard before 9:30 a.m. the next day. Yet another Ford F150 had taillights taken from the 6300 block of Boedeker Street before 10:50 a.m. Saturday. Still another taillight theft off a Ford F150 was reported at 12:04 p.m. Saturday in the 4400 block of San Carlos Drive.
Sept. 4
A crook took taillights from a Ford F150 in the 4300 block of McFarlin Boulevard before 5:50 a.m. Still another taillight theft was reported from a Ford F150 in the 4400 block of Windsor Parkway before 3:04 a.m. the next day.
Sept. 7
Reported at 3:42 p.m.: a thief found easy pickings of a pistol that was left in a holster in the console of a Dodge pickup truck parked in the 4500 block of Westside Drive.
Sept. 8
A burglar got into a carport closet in the 4500 block of Versailles Avenue and took two Beretta pistols and a Wilson Combat pistol around 2 p.m.
Sept. 9
A thief left a box of ammunition taken from a home in the 4500 block of S. Versailles Avenue in a nearby alley around 9:31 a.m.
Sept. 10
A shoplifter took about $3,925 worth of football trading cards from Triple Cards in Snider Plaza around 1:28 p.m.
Sept. 11
A robber approached five people walking in the 4200 block of Edmondson Avenue at 11:57 a.m. and demanded a replica Rolex watch, two iPhones, and a Louis Vuitton wallet at gunpoint and took the items before running to a waiting white sedan that sped away eastbound.
Sept. 12
A robber took a pair of AirPods at gunpoint from a woman walking in the 3600 block of Caruth Boulevard at 3:54 p.m. Dallas Police arrested two suspects hours later.
SKULDUGGERY of the MONTH: CARD SHARK?
Reported at 8 p.m. Aug. 30: a Pokemon villain. A trickster talked a man from the 3300 block of
Rosedale Avenue
into wiring $35,000 to buy a rare collectible card that was never delivered.
(PHOTO: PEXELS.COM, ILLUSTRATION: MELANIE THORNTON)
Fitting our local community for 19 years
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DALLAS 214-696-4313 4017 Northwest Parkway Dallas, TX 75225 The Plaza at Preston Center
To re-imagine the role of education and SMU itself in an era of rapid change, the university has launched a $1.5 billion fundraising campaign focused on opportunities created through scholarships, meaningful research and teaching, and its North Texas community.
“We are heartened by the opportunity to make an SMU education accessible for more excellent students from every background, and we’re energized by the opportunity to extend our impact – particularly through research – across North Texas and around the world,” President R. Gerald Turner said. “Quite simply, this effort is about strengthening our ability to do good in the world.”
SMU Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow with the largest fundraising target ever set by a private school in Texas has three primary objectives: • Transform the lives of high-achieving students regardless of finances by enabling them to come to SMU. The plan includes more need-and merit-based scholarships and provides a safety net for students who can be derailed by sudden financial crises. • Enrich teaching and research by investing
The public phase of the SMU Ignited campaign kicked off on the Main Quad in front of Dallas Hall, followed by an all-University picnic, accompanied by the SMU Mustang
Band and cheer squads. (PHOTO: COURTESY SMU)
in faculty pursuits that have substantial societal impact. The university’s plan to reach the highest level of research capability recognized by the Carnegie Classification system will also support excellent teaching, corporate and industrial partnerships, and Dallas’s emergence as a technology hub. • Enhance the campus and community by increasing partnerships with corporations and nonprofits, such as the West Dallas STEM School and Dedman School of Law legal clinics for those who cannot afford representation.
Tens of thousands of donors have established strong momentum during the planning phase of the SMU Ignited campaign by committing more than $654 million to date, an amount that already exceeds the $542 million raised during the entire life of SMU’s first campaign, A Time to Lead, from 1997–2002. The University raised $1.15 billion in its second campaign, SMU Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign, from 2008–2015.
– Staff report
Disheartened reader
I was disheartened by this paper’s reporting of the community’s views on masks in the last edition. There are reasoned opinions on both sides of the masks debate. This paper could have (i) searched those views out from residents in the park cities, (ii) reported on them, and (iii) provided a comprehensive, nuanced analysis.
For example, one of the mask stories was prefaced with a bombastic screenshot from Facebook (hardly a venue for anything of substance or meaning) about the protest in front of Clay Jenkins’ home and above a story entitled “What Neighbors Are Saying.” A Facebook screenshot of only a portion of a comments feed is not “what neighbors are saying” in this community.
This kind of reporting is a microcosm of the systemic problems in news/reporting across our country and takes away from the actual story you wrote. Instead of providing both sides of an issue and letting the reader decide, this paper chose the sensationalist route.
Please do better in reporting on issues in our community during these turbulent times in which we are all living.
Evan Baker Highland Park
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Visit ccyoung.org or call 214-304-2995 for more information. Two Year Mission: Get 2,600-Plus Homeless Into Supportive Housing
By Bethany Erickson
bethany.erickson@peoplenewspapers.com
The Dallas Real Time Rapid Rehousing initiative aims to get more than 2,600 homeless residents into supportive housing in the next two years.
“The key to ending homelessness is a home,” said Dallas city councilmember Casey Thomas before joining his colleagues in voting for the city to participate in the $72 million effort.
What’s next? The nonprofit Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance will help those selected for the program with at least a year of rent and connections to social services needed to help address the issues that contributed to their homelessness.
Funding will come from private donations, and the Dallas Housing Authority will provide $10 million in vouchers. The city of Dallas and Dallas County are contributing about $25 million each in federal stimulus funds.
The effort, however, doesn’t rest just on Dallas’ shoulders. It will happen in conjunction with efforts in Grand Prairie and Mesquite, as well as Dallas County.
But two councilmembers pointed out that the effort will be for naught if the region doesn’t get a handle on its need for affordable workforce housing.
“We’ll have nothing to show for this plan in three years, in five years or 10 years, because we’ll have spent it all on rent instead of spending it and investing it in structures that could last decades,” council member Cara Mendelsohn said. “Our work is not finished. This council along with city staff must now help launch a similar community-wide commitment to build and retain affordable housing,” councilmember Chad West agreed. The homeless population has increased since the pandemic. In September, the Dallas Morning News reported that homeless encampments increased by 30% in Dallas during the pandemic, partly because shelters have been forced to take in fewer residents to improve social distancing efforts. During a recent discussion hosted by MDHA, Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot detailed other plans for helping homeless indi-
Our work is not viduals, including his Dallas Deflects finished. This council initiative. along with city staff “We want peo ple who are home must now help launch less, mentally ill, a similar community- and maybe some other low-level ofwide commitment fenses … introto build and retain duced to services,” he explained. “We affordable housing. want them to start Chad West off with medical services if necessary, health services, a path to a home — but to get well, to have a home, and to be a productive citizen.” The initiative addresses petty offenses like criminal trespass (which often land homeless individuals in jail) by having police officers take them to the Homeward Bound treatment center to access social services, health services, and mental health services. Last year, county commissioners approved $1 million to renovate an unused wing of the treatment center, turning it into a diversion center.
HPISD wants four to address staff pay
Highland Park ISD trustees approved calling a tax rate election in hopes of accessing four ‘golden pennies’ from the tax rate to raise revenue for staff pay and voters will weigh in on the issue this fall. (PHOTOS: RACHEL
SNYDER, PEXELS.COM)
By Rachel Snyder
rachel.snyder@peoplenewspapers.com
This fall, voters will head to the polls to decide whether to allow Highland Park ISD to use four’ golden pennies’ from the tax rate to raise additional revenue for staff pay.
House Bill 3 passed by the Legislature in 2019 allows districts up to eight “golden pennies” on their maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate that aren’t subject to recapture under Texas’ Robin Hood school finance system.
If approved, four “golden pennies” would raise a projected $3.6 million, which HPISD would use for staff compensation.
“We expect HPISD staff to be the best of the best, yet they are underpaid compared to their colleagues in neighboring school districts, and we have had limited options to address this disparity until now,” Superintendent Tom Trigg said.
Because of the tax rate compression mandated by HB3, HPISD’s property tax rate is scheduled to decrease in 2021-22 by 6.1 cents (per $100 of assessed value) compared to 2020-21, making it the lowest in five years.
However, with voter approval in the golden penny election, the tax rate would drop by only 2.1 cents. That would still be the district’s lowest rate in five years.
“Trustees have put forth what we consider to be a fiscally responsible approach to addressing District needs while maximizing local funding and local control,” said trustee Edward Herring, the Finance Committee chair.
Projections put the tax burden difference between the two options at $310 annually (less than $26 per month) on a home with a taxable value of $1 million, according to HPISD. Property owners 65 and older, who have a homestead tax ceiling, would experience no change to their taxes. District officials noted that while HB3 provided more state-level funding for education statewide,
We expect HPISD HPISD received less than many other disstaff to be the best of tricts as a percentage. the best, yet they are A $3 million temporary five-year tranunderpaid compared sition grant the disto their colleagues in trict received to help alleviate the disparineighboring school ty will end after the districts. 2023-24 school year. And officials Tom Trigg say that hasn’t been enough for the district to keep pace with staff compensation offered by other North Texas districts. “I don’t think this is the last we’ll hear of this issue,” trustee Doug Woodward said. “I think this is a step in the right direction, but I don’t think it gets us to where we would ultimately like to be in terms of teacher and staff compensation. I think we’ll continue to be looking for additional solutions in years ahead.” TAX RATE ELECTION Election Day: November 2 Last day to register to vote: October 4 Last day to apply for a ballot by mail: October 22 Early Voting: Oct. 18-Oct. 29
