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Dallas News •

‘Unacceptable’: Rural Collin County may lose fire protection as tax district vote nears

Jo Ann Graham’s family has called an ambulance twice and the fire department once in the eight years they have lived just outside McKinney. Each of those times, she said, help arrived in minutes.

The wait could soon be much longer, when first responders from McKinney next year halt service to areas outside the city. If that happens, the nearest alternative might be Weston’s volunteer fire department, which is about 12 miles away, much of it on two-lane county roads.

“You never know when a gras...
Dallas News •

4 Collin County mayors share vision for fast-growing region

From within their council chambers, city leaders in Collin County have steered small, sleepy suburbs into booming hubs.

City councils across the county — and the mayors who lead them — have sought to address the growing pains.

Over the last year, the county added almost 76,000 new residents — the most in North Texas. Since the 2020 U.S. Census, the county grew by more than 240,000 people, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments. In all, an estimated 1.3 million people now c...
Dallas News •

Rural Collin County voters to consider new tax for emergency services

Faced with losing fire protection, residents in rural Collin County will decide in November if they will pay a new tax to cover emergency services.

The county’s Commissioners Court, heeding a resident petition from earlier this year, voted unanimously Monday to place the proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot. If approved, it would create the county’s first emergency services district.

Richard Hill, one of the residents who spearheaded the petition, told commissioners that “homes and other structures w...
Dallas News •

Prosper eyes bond package to fund library, police HQ expansion

Strapped for cash to pay for a new library, expand its police headquarters and make a permanent space for town departments, Prosper leaders could decide next month if they will ask voters to approve a $183.8 million bond package in November.

The package, which Prosper’s Bond Committee presented to the Town Council earlier this week, will not raise the town’s current tax rate.

“I can say with absolute confidence that our recommendations ensure this bond package truly reflects the diverse voices...
Dallas News •

From schoolhouse to hub of hope: Esperanza Community Center aims to uplift neighborhood

A weathered red sign stood outside J. Frank Dobie Pre-K School on a recent afternoon, two months after it announced the last day of classes — and the end of the school itself. Across the street, Victoria Gonzalez, 59, has been keeping an eye on the schoolhouse. Her family has lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years, and she worries that the building would sit empty and attract vandals. “We were pretty upset when they closed it, because we were like, ‘Wow, this is the perfect pre-K bui...
Dallas News •

Trump signs disaster declaration, activates federal aid to Kerr County

President Donald Trump on Sunday signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County after deadly flash flooding through Texas’ Hill Country. Authorities said the death toll had climbed to 68 in Kerr County alone.

“These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,” Trump said in a social media post announcing the signing.

The declaration comes one day after U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem arrived to survey the storm-battered regi...
Dallas News •

What to know about Camp Mystic, summer camp deluged by historic Texas flood

Along the Guadalupe River and just miles south of the unincorporated community of Hunt, population 1,300, sits Camp Mystic. The private Christian summer camp has hosted generations of Texas girls for almost a century.

The camp was thrust into a national spotlight after a “catastrophic” deadly flood inundated its grounds Friday. As of Saturday afternoon, at least 27 girls were still missing as search and rescue efforts continue.

Here’s what to know about Camp Mystic.

Camp Mystic, which is set...
Dallas News •

A look at some of the worst floods in Texas history

As search and rescue efforts continue in response to the “catastrophic” and deadly flooding of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County on Friday morning, many Texans are reminded of the state’s long history with floods.

Here is a look back at four of the worst floods Texas has faced.

On July 16-17, 1987, more than 11 inches of rain fell near Hunt. The rain flooded the Guadalupe River through Ingram, Kerrville and eventually Comfort, about 15 miles southeast of Kerrville.

In Comfort, the river rose...
Dallas News •

About 150 gather in downtown Dallas for Independence Day rally, Trump protests

A crowd of about 150 gathered at Main Street Garden on a cloudy Friday, holding American flags and signs in protest of the Trump administration.

The “We the People, Celebrate the Constitution” demonstration was cohosted by Indivisible Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of 50501, the organization behind the nationwide “No Kings” protests on June 14 that drew a crowd of 10,000 in Dallas.

The event was a stationary demonstration, where speakers discussed grievances with the current presiden...
Dallas News •

Mother of missing Everman boy added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list

North Texas fugitive Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, charged in the death of her 6-year-old son, has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, authorities announced Tuesday.

The reward for information leading to her arrest has been increased to $250,000, the FBI and local law enforcement agencies said Tuesday morning at a news conference in Everman.

Rodriguez-Singh is charged with capital murder in the death of her 6-year-old son Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez.

“This is a case that is still fres...
Dallas News •

D-FW suburban rental markets surge amid affordable homeownership hurdles

Three years ago, a new job at Advanced Micro Devices in Plano brought Samuel Owens and his family to Dallas-Fort Worth, and they needed a new home. “I started with Plano and just circled out from there, trying to stay within a roughly 60-minute-or-less commute time,” Owens said. “There are definitely more apartments that are in my price range, but we were hoping to get an actual home.” Owens, 41, said the family ultimately settled down in Princeton, where he pays around $2,000 a month in rent...
Dallas News •

Frisco homeowners to get maximum homestead property tax exemption state allows

Just weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation for statewide property tax reforms, homeowners in Frisco are slated to see more property tax relief.

Frisco City Council unanimously approved an increase in the city’s homestead property tax exemption from 15% to 20% — the maximum allowed by state law — at a special meeting Monday.

Mayor Jeff Cheney said at the meeting that it has always been his and the council’s goal to raise the exemption to the state maximum.

“It’s been looking for the...
Dallas News •

North Texas Wildlife Center scouts for new facility as it faces shutdown risk

The North Texas Wildlife Center has taken in 2,500 animals so far this year — opossums, cottontail rabbits, birds and other injured or orphaned animals rescued from the wild.

But the nonprofit now has 60 days to find another home, said Rebecca Hamlin, the center’s president, after receiving a city notice on Friday that it may no longer operate from its facility tucked into a residential property in Plano.

“This is not an animal care issue. This is not that the cages are dirty or that we don’t...
Dallas News •

Allen police seize hemp products from Dallas warehouses as Abbott considers total ban

Allen’s smoke shop industry is once again under the spotlight amid a statewide push to ban some hemp products.

Allen police, in partnership with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, raided three Dallas warehouses and several homes for illegal THC products, the police department said in a Tuesday news release.

The city is already dealing with a lawsuit in connection with a string of Allen police raids on smoke shops last year.

Authorities carried out searches at the warehouses for hemp...
Dallas News •

What to know about the ‘No Kings’ protests across the U.S. today

Thousands of Dallas-Fort Worth area residents protested in rallies across North Texas on Saturday as part of a nationwide mobilization against the policies of President Donald Trump’s administration.

The protests coincided with Trump’s birthday and a military parade in Washington to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary.

The protests came a week after many took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies. On Monday, several hundred...
Dallas News •

Texas Capitol reopens after arrest connected to threat against lawmakers ahead of protest

The Texas Capitol has reopened after a trooper with the state’s Department of Public Safety arrested a man in connection with a threat, the DPS said in a statement posted on X.

In an email alert sent just before 1 p.m. Saturday to lawmakers and Capitol staffers, DPS said it had identified a threat against lawmakers planning to attend Austin’s “No Kings” protest at the Capitol at 5 p.m. DPS evacuated and closed the Capitol and its grounds at around 1 p.m.

There is no additional active threat fo...
The Daily Northwestern •

Evanston resident Rachel Ruttenberg prioritizes economic justice, policy expertise in state Senate bid

Rachel Ruttenberg (Medill M.S. ’04) wears many hats: attorney, advocate, policy advisor, local party leader, community organizer and more. But when asked why she’s running for public office, she reached — without hesitation — for a personal answer.
“I am the parent of two young girls, and they are growing up in a country where they have fewer rights than I did at their age,” the Evanston resident said. “That is a key driver of why I am in this work. I want to be building and making people’s live...
The Daily Northwestern •

Cook County to offer cash relief to homeowners amid long-term property tax reforms

Cook County will soon distribute $1,000 payments to some homeowners who saw a significant spike in property taxes in the past years, the county announced in April.
The Homeowner Relief Fund — a $15 million slice of the county’s 2025 budget the commissioners approved in October — will finance payments to homeowners whose household income is no more than the area median and whose property tax has increased by 50% in one year since 2021.
The county estimates roughly 110,000 households will be eligi...
The Daily Northwestern •

Three new councilmembers, incumbents sworn in as Evanston’s 82nd City Council

Members of Evanston’s 82nd City Council were inaugurated Monday, beginning a four-year term that is slated to shape key city initiatives like Envision Evanston 2045 and the future home of city operations — issues that emerged as major flashpoints leading up to April 1’s municipal election.
Three newcomers, Alds. Shawn Iles (3rd), Parielle Davis (7th) and Matt Rodgers (8th), now join the reelected Mayor Daniel Biss, City Clerk Stephanie Mendoza and incumbent councilmembers at the dais. 
Reflectin...
The Daily Northwestern •

Councilmembers, community activist propose ‘circuit breaker’ for property tax, rent relief

Evanston could soon begin offering financial assistance to long-term residents under a program City Council is currently considering. 
The proposed Property Tax and Rent Circuit Breaker would subsidize property tax or rent for some longtime residents facing housing burdens, said Ald. Clare Kelly (1st), who referred the proposal to City Council in February.
“Many people are chanting the mantra of ‘build affordable housing’ without expressing equal concern for protecting our long-term residents he...
The Daily Northwestern •

Illinois legislators, advocates rally to shield federal prescription drug discounts

Amid potential cuts to Medicaid funding from Washington, some Illinois lawmakers, advocates and medical practitioners are pushing to protect access to a federal program that discounts prescription drugs in what could be a clash with the nation’s top drug makers.
Legislators in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly are currently considering a bill that would prohibit pharmaceutical companies from restricting or interfering with drug discounts under what’s known as the 340B Drug Pricing p...
The Daily Northwestern •

Green Homes Pilot completes retrofit, aims for completion by year’s end

Three years since its inception, Evanston’s Green Homes Pilot is moving forward with the first retrofits funded by the program, according to two nonprofits spearheading the effort.
The pilot program is a collaboration between the city and two Chicago-based nonprofits: Elevate and the Center for Neighborhood Technology. It aims to provide free energy, health and safety improvements for up to 50 existing housing units in the 8092 and 8102 census tracts — two tracts that sit mostly in Evanston’s 5t...
The Daily Northwestern •

Bobby Burns has clear lead over Carlis Sutton in 5th Ward race

Ald. Bobby Burns (5th) is leading by 437 votes in Tuesday’s election as of 8:30 p.m., according to preliminary results from the Cook County Clerk’s office.
“I’m incredibly happy about the results,” Burns told The Daily Tuesday evening. “It shows that I’ve put in the work, and people think we are going in the right direction.”
Burns, a political consultant and entrepreneur, grew up in Evanston and now raises three children in the central Evanston ward he has represented since being first elected...
The Daily Northwestern •

In Focus: Colectivo Coffee workers allege toxic workplace environment, lack of accountability under current management

Interviews with seven current and former employees and internal communications obtained by The Daily reveal that the chain has faced a host of mismanagement allegations, including “inappropriate” behavior from the Evanston store manager, a “toxic” workplace culture and a lack of support from upper management.

These allegations contrast with the chain’s public image — Colectivo leaders have called their company “a deeply progressive organization,” and its members have been represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union since 2021.

“(Colectivo) say what they need to say and do certain things on the public scale that look good, that look like they are very pro-workers’ rights,” Ridenour said. “They want to look like a collective for Colectivo, and it’s not at all how they actually run their stores.”
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