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City Council's Decision On Dallas' Confederate Symbols Won't Come Until Early Next Year

Christopher Connelly
/
KERA News
A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee at Lee Park (now Oak Lawn Park) in Oak Lawn before it was removed on Sept. 15.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Latest on Confederate symbols in Dallas; Astros win the World Series; Trump nominates Dan Patrick’s son as U.S. attorney; and more. 

A decision on what to do next with Dallas' Confederate symbols likely won’t be made until the first quarter of 2018.

The Dallas City Council was on track to vote next week on the recommendations made by the Mayor’s Task Force on Confederate Monuments. But in their briefing meeting Wednesday, council members signaled that there are more details needed on the process, particularly the costs to implement the recommendations, according to The Dallas Morning News.

City staff will bring back the additional information to the City Council early next year. Watch the meeting here.

The Morning News reports: “Some of the costs are already known. Jennifer Scripps, head of the Office of Cultural Affairs, told the council it will likely cost more than $1 million to remove the 1896 war memorial next door to Dallas City Hall. But most of the price tags are unknown.”

The task force’s recommendations include relocating the statue of Robert E. Lee in Oak Lawn Park (which was removed in September) and the Confederate War Memorial in Pioneer Park Cemetery to a museum, educational institution or educational site in North Texas. Here are the other recommendations.

Rawlings announced he wanted to form the task force in the days after the violent clash in August between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

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  • Earn History: The Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1 Wednesday night in Game 7 of the World Series. It's the first championship in the franchise's 56-year history. [NPR]

 

  • Tapped by Trump: Ryan Patrick, a former state district judge and son of Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, has been nominated by President Trump to serve as the top federal prosecutor in one of the busiest districts in the country. [The Texas Tribune]

 

  • Lawsuit settled: Irving-based Exxon Mobil Corp. has agreed to pay $300 million to settle air pollution allegations. The Environmental Protection Agency alleged the company violated air pollution rules at chemical plants in Texas and Louisiana. [Houston Public Media]

 

  • Attention, Potterheads: LeakyCon is coming to Dallas next year. [GuideLive]

The High Five is KERA’s daily roundup of stories from Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state. Explore our archives here. And sign up for our weekly email for the North Texas news you need to know.