Five stories that have North Texas talking: Donald Trump campaigns in Dallas tonight; the Cowboys score a last-minute victory; more Cubans are coming to Texas; and more.
The Donald's doing Dallas. Donald Trump is holding a big rally in Big D tonight. He’s scheduled to appear at 6 p.m. at the American Airlines Center. Up to 20,000 people are expected to attend. There are no tickets left, but Politico reports some people are going online to eBay and Craigslist to sell their tickets, asking $200 in some cases. The Dallas Morning News reports: “Even in Texas, where favorite son Ted Cruz is expected to be a tough competitor for the bulk of the state’s delegates, Trump is culling together a following. And it’s not just Republicans he’s attracting. Political observers expect Monday’s crowd will contain hard-right conservatives, moderates, independents, some Democrats and even folks from the Green Party.” Here are more details from WFAA. Meanwhile, thousands are expected to “dump the Trump” at a protest starting at 5 p.m. in Dallas – it’s being organized by the North Texas chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Mark Cuban, who knows a thing or two about American Airlines Center (he's owner of the Dallas Mavericks), sent out this Tweet:
Click here for updated details about tonight's Dallas rally.
Watch the rally live here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhERfHaAYKI
- The Dallas Cowboys scored a last-minute victory Sunday night in the season opener, defeating the New York Giants 27-26. ESPN reports: “There was 89 seconds left when Tony Romo jogged on the field for the final time Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys were 72 yards away from a game-winning touchdown and had no timeouts.. ... Romo and his teammates were nearly flawless when they needed to be, especially with Dez Bryant in the locker room because of a broken bone in his right foot that will require surgery and keep him out 4-6 weeks.” [ESPN]
- Former Blue Bell employees point to a long history of issues at the company’s Brenham plant. The Houston Chronicle reports: “In interviews with the Houston Chronicle, more than a dozen former employees of Blue Bell's flagship Brenham plant described a company fighting to keep up with its growing customer base while sanitation and safety slipped. Cleanup workers regularly ran out of hot water, making machinery susceptible to pathogens and allergens. Reused packaging brought grime into the factory. Equipment went without safeguards for years, and several workers lost parts of one or more fingers.” Blue Bell says workplace safety and sanitation are the company’s “highest priorities.” [Houston Chronicle]
- Cubans are flooding Texas ports. The Texas Tribune reports: “Call it another immigration surge of the United States’ own making. But unlike last summer’s crisis of children and families arriving from Central America, lawmakers aren’t quick to call on this current group of refugees to go home. From October 2014 to June 2015, about 18,520 Cubans have sought entry to the United States through Texas’ Laredo field office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which includes ports from Del Rio to Brownsville. That’s compared to the 18,240 unaccompanied minors that were caught or surrendered to U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley from October 2014 through July of this year, according to CBP statistics.” [Texas Tribune]
- A dance legend is in Dallas. KERA’s Stephen Becker reports: “To celebrate 50 years in dance, Twyla Tharp has created a work that will debut in Dallas at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Today at noon on KERA’s Think, Krys Boyd will talk with Tharp about her evolution as a choreographer, and she’ll also be joined by TITAS executive director Charles Santos to talk about the importance of the premiere to the arts in North Texas.”
