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Dak Prescott signs historic contract extension with Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys have agreed to a $240 million contract extension that will keep the 31-year-old quarterback in Dallas through the 2028 season. Why it matters: The deal makes Prescott the highest paid player in NFL history, ESPN reports. It was announced just hours before the Cowboys' season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
Harris narrows Trump's lead in Texas poll
Vice President Kamala Harris has narrowed former President Trump's lead in the presidential race in Texas, according to a new Texas Politics Project poll.Why it matters: Texas is less of a Republican stronghold since President Biden dropped his re-election bid in July, the new poll and other recent polls suggest.The latest: Trump leads Harris 49% to 44% in the presidential race, per the August poll from the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project.In the project's June poll, Trump led then-candidate Biden by 7 points at 46% to 39%. He now leads by 5.Zoom in: The August poll also shows Sen. Ted...
The Dallas Cowboys face Cleveland in season opener
The Dallas Cowboys start their 2024 season Sunday with a road game against the Cleveland Browns.Why it matters: The Browns and Cowboys are in different conferences and play each other every four years.The Browns are favored to win on Sunday. They were 8-1 at home during the regular season last year, but the Cowboys had a better overall record.Flashback: Both teams played in a Wild Card game last year and lost.The intrigue: The Browns feature former Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper and Arlington native Myles Garrett, a linebacker who grew up rooting for Dallas.Quarterback Dak Prescott returns for his ninth...
How Texas became a Republican stronghold
Texas has been in its GOP era for more than two decades, but it was Democratic for far longer than it has been Republican. Why it matters: The party in control decides the state's political agenda, how political districts should be drawn and how Texas should spend its money. The...
How North Texans can vote in November
Texans have about a month to register ahead of the November election.Why it matters: Texas could be in play in the presidential race this year, with poll published Aug. 22 showing Vice President Kamala Harris shrinking former President Trump's lead in the state.Driving the news: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Bexar County over its plan to mail residents voter registration forms. He has also threatened to sue Harris County if it adopts a similar plan.And Gov. Greg Abbott announced last week that more than 1 million names had been purged from the state's voter rolls since 2021 in...
School vaccine exemptions rising in Dallas-Fort Worth
Data: CDC; Map: Axios VisualsA growing number of Dallas-Fort Worth parents have been opting out of vaccines for religious or personal reasons.Why it matters: While official data lags, public health experts tell Axios anecdotal reports suggest vaccination rates continue to fall, leaving the population more vulnerable to outbreaks.Zoom in: About 3.5% of Texas kindergartners had vaccine exemptions in the 2022-23 school year, more than the national median of 3.3%, per the CDC.In Dallas County, 2.6% of kindergarteners in 2022-23 were exempted from vaccines for religious or personal beliefs, compared to 0.84% in 2013-14, per state health department data.In Tarrant County,...
The students entangled in Southlake's school politics
Southlake's Carroll ISD is fighting with the Biden administration again — and the district's LGBTQ+ students are caught in the middle. Why it matters: The affluent Tarrant County district has for years been at the center of school culture wars. Leaders of the 8,400-student district have clashed with Democratic...
Dallas becomes women's sports hub
Dallas' new professional sports team kicks off its first home game Friday in a friendly match against FC Barcelona.Why it matters: The launch of Dallas Trinity FC is the latest example of how North Texas is embracing the women's sports boom seen nationwide.Corporate sponsors are starting to see women's sports as a good investment. Women's sports fans have higher engagement rates than fans of men's sports and are more likely to buy apparel when they attend a game, per PwC research.Driving the news: It's the inaugural season of the USL Super League, a new first division women's soccer league rivaling...
Meet Dallas Trinity FC, professional women's soccer team
Dallas Trinity FC has home games for the next three weeks, giving locals a chance to meet their new heroes. Why it matters: North Texas girls now have the opportunity to see professional soccer players who look like them. The big picture: The Neil family, owners of the team, have...
Victims' families sue over 2023 Allen outlets shooting
Some of the families of the victims of last year's mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets are suing the mall's owner, security contractor, the shooter's estate and the hotel where he was staying.Why it matters: The incident was one of the biggest mass shootings in North Texas. Eight people were killed, including three members of one family, and seven were wounded.Context: Mauricio Garcia was staying at a Budget Suites in Dallas while planning the shooting and stockpiling weapons and gear, the suit says.Allen Premium Outlets are owned by Simon Property Group, which also owns Grapevine Mills and the high-end Shops...
A brochure created as part of a job search for Dallas city manager displays Houston skyline
Dallas is hiring a new city manager. There's one problem: a draft brochure about the position has the Houston skyline on it.Why it matters: No Dallasite wants to be mistaken for a Houstonian. Plus, it's disrespectful to mix up our iconic skyline with their basic-looking downtown.Catch up quick: City Manager TC Broadnax resigned earlier this year, after seven tumultuous years in the position. He was the city's highest paid public official.Kimberly Bizor Tolbert from Broadnax's office was appointed as interim city manager. Broadnax is now Austin's city manager.State of play: Dallas is paying national consultant Baker Tilly up to $134,375...
Fort Worth sees declining incomes among residents born to low-income families
Data: The Opportunity Atlas; Note: Ranking measured by percentage change in income, adjusted to 2023 dollars; Chart: Axios VisualsFort Worth residents born to low-income families are faring worse than the previous generation, per a Harvard University analysis.It matches a national trend.Why it matters: Intergenerational mobility — the idea that you'll do better than your parents, your children will do better than you, and so on — is core to the American dream.The big picture: In 38 of the 50 biggest U.S. metro areas, Americans born to low-income families in 1992 were doing worse at age 27 than those born in...
CeeDee Lamb signs four-year contract extension
CeeDee Lamb's summer holdout paid off — he will start the football season with a $136 million, four-year contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys.Why it matters: Lamb is a big part of the Cowboys' offense, and one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.With the extension, he will have the second-highest average annual salary among non-quarterbacks at $34 million per year, per the NFL Network.State of play: Lamb didn't appear at this year's training camp or preseason games, a typical tactic for players trying to get the best deal in a new contract.Leaving Dallas never seemed likely, but the...
Fort Worth evictions rise compared with before the pandemic
Data: Eviction Lab; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosNew evictions in Dallas are about on par with pre-pandemic filings, but new eviction filings in Fort Worth are about 25% higher than before 2020.Why it matters: Dallas-Fort Worth renters are more cost-burdened than ever — meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.Texas pandemic-era eviction protections ended in July 2023.The big picture: Eviction filings in June were about 80% of the pre-pandemic national average, per Eviction Lab data.The Princeton University research unit tracks eviction filings in 34 cities to create the most comprehensive snapshot of evictions nationwide.By the numbers: There were 47,055 eviction filings in Fort Worth in the year that ended July 1.Dallas had 38,017.Zoom in: In Fort Worth, eviction filings affect 8% of renter households, per Eviction Lab data.In Dallas, the filings affect 6% of renter households.
Southlake sprinter competing in Paralymic Games in Paris
A 21-year-old Southlake man will sprint for two medals at the Paralympic Games in Paris.State of play: Korban Best, who was born with ulnar dysplasia in his right arm, will compete in the men's 100m - T47 race and universal relay.His family plans to travel from Southlake to cheer him on."Korban's arm was our normal, but we never limited him because of it. We never called it a disability — just a difference," his mom, Kimberly Best, told Southlake Style.The intrigue: Best started calling himself "Cheetah Fast" while in elementary school.He ran track and field and played football at Southlake's Carroll Senior High School. He studied sports science and performance at Arizona State University."I keep hearing that [Paris] track is fast, so hoping to break the record and come out with gold," he said during an interview at the paralympic track and field trials.What's next: The opening ceremonies are Wednesday. The men's 100m - T47 event is Friday. The universal relay is Sept. 6.The games will be on NBC and Peacock.
Comstock doesn't want Jerry Jones mentioned in Mississippi trial
The former owner of a small Mississippi oilfield doesn't want any mention of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones when a pending lawsuit goes to trial to determine if the operation harmed the environment and people living nearby.Why it matters: Jones has a large stake in Comstock Resources, a Dallas-based energy company that used to own the Laurel, Mississippi, oilfield.A Laurel couple alleges that Comstock should be held liable for the medical issues that they and other families experienced while living nearby.State of play: The field was decades past its heyday when Comstock was trying to sell it in 2010, Forbes...
Dallas Cowboys come home for final preseason game
It's about to get hotter in North Texas. Football season is here.The Cowboys are back home this weekend to play their final preseason game against the Chargers.Why it matters: The team's regular season roster remains up in the air, most notably with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb still holding out for a better contract.Plus, the future of the Cowboys remains in limbo because the team has yet to sign a contract extension with quarterback Dak Prescott.Catch up fast: Lamb is one of the best wide receivers in the league and wants a paycheck to match his performance.His rookie contract ends after...
BigTex Choice Awards winners named for 2024 State Fair
Bacon fried in cotton candy and a Dominican take on a hot dog will have extra bragging rights at this year's State Fair of Texas.Driving the news: The fair hosted its annual Big Tex Choice Awards competition Thursday, with four judges from the Dallas food and beverage industry deciding the winners after a live tasting.Why it matters: The competition started 20 years ago among fair vendors and has evolved from mostly fried foods to a tough battle to come up with the wildest flavor blends that are still delicious.State of play: The 10 finalists were split into two categories —...
Burn bans and water restrictions: How North Texas cities are tackling the heat
Texas is in better shape this summer compared to this time last year, but people, crops and livestock remain at risk amid searing heat and intensifying drought conditions.Why it matters: Many North Texas cities are asking residents to help mitigate the impacts by conserving water, energy and emergency resources.The big picture: Burn bans are in effect for 118 of Texas' 254 counties, per the Texas A&M Forest Service.Texas is also the country's hot spot for heat-related illnesses, per CDC data tracking emergency department visits.Threat level: Dallas-Fort Worth has seen 21 days over 100 degrees so far this year, compared to...
Life expectancy for Texans lower than the average American
Data: CDC; Map: Axios VisualsTexans have a lower life expectancy at birth than the average American, the CDC says.The state is No. 31 in the country for the figure, which estimates the average lifespan a newborn can be expected to live if age-specific mortality levels stay the same.The big picture: Life expectancy nationwide fell by 0.6 years between 2020 and 2021 — largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and drug overdoses, per the report.States in the Southeast generally have a lower life expectancy at birth as of 2021, while states in the Northeast and West have higher life expectancy, per CDC data. Women are also expected to live longer than men.Zoom in: The U.S. life expectancy at birth is 76.4 years. In Texas, it's 75.4 years.People in Hawaii (79.9 years) and Massachusetts (79.6 years) have the longest life expectancy at birth as of 2021.Mississippi (70.9 years) and West Virginia (71 years) have the shortest.Zoom out: Life expectancies in dozens of countries are much higher than in the U.S. The Japanese are expected to live 84 years.Yes, but: Texans are still better off than their neighbors. Life expectancies are shorter in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas.
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