Five stories that have North Texas talking: Dale Hansen sounds off on the Dallas Cowboys signing Greg Hardy; the controversial Trinity Parkway project continues to be controversial; how a single accident can create a traffic headache for thousands; and more.
The Dallas Cowboys have signed defensive end Greg Hardy, who鈥檚 in the news for domestic violence charges. And that鈥檚 generated a lot of strong reactions, including a commentary from Dale Hansen, the longtime WFAA-TV sports anchor known for speaking his mind. Hardy was arrested last year and charged with assaulting and threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend. He faces an NFL suspension for violating the league鈥檚 domestic conduct policy. 鈥淛ust when I begin to think the Cowboys can't possibly sink any lower 鈥� they can't fall from grace any more than they have ... they find another shovel and dig a few feet deeper,鈥� 鈥淚 don't care how good he is. I don't care if the Cowboys made a great deal. And I absolutely don't care about the argument so many of you make that what he does off the field just doesn't matter if he can help you win on the field. Is there no line you won't cross? Is there no crime you won't accept? Is there no behavior you will not tolerate?鈥� Hardy鈥檚 one-year deal is worth at least $11 million, [Associated Press/ESPN/WFAA]
Watch Hansen鈥檚 commentary here:
- The Dallas chapter of the American Institute of Architects jumped into the hottest debate in town Wednesday. 四虎影院鈥檚 Courtney Collins reports the group came out against the controversial Trinity Parkway, saying the project will 鈥渄ivide the city and destroy the park鈥檚 unique potential.鈥� Chapter President Bob Bullis told 四虎影院: 鈥淚t just doesn鈥檛 make any sense to us to build a four- or six-lane highway that鈥檚 going to disconnect the neighborhood from the park itself.鈥� The 9-mile toll road is planned for inside the Trinity River levees next to proposed park land and lakes. The comes just days after Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings wrote an defending the project. Rawlings, who is running for re-election in May, argued the road will help connect south Dallas residents to jobs. He dismissed the project鈥檚 critics as 鈥渁 passionate, loud minority.鈥�
- How does a single accident snarl traffic in Dallas for tens of thousands of motorists? Blame the Mixmaster, the group of highways near downtown Dallas. 四虎影院鈥檚 Sam Baker and Krystina Martinez . 鈥淎nytime you get this many highways together, it doesn鈥檛 take a whole lot for one incident to really affect traffic for quite a long time, in some cases,鈥� said Tony Hartzel with the Texas Department of Transportation. 鈥淲e have I-30, I-35E, Woodall Rodgers, and even I-345 all coming together in the downtown area.鈥� Learn about Dallas鈥� traffic woes .
- Plans to hire of hundreds of new troopers for the Texas-Mexico border is part of sweeping border security measures tentatively approved by the Texas House. The Republican-controlled House on Wednesday continued making quick work of heightening border security, which is a priority under new Gov. Greg Abbott. But closing a $300 million gulf with the Senate over how much to spend on more troopers and border technology still remains. The Legislature is approaching the halfway mark of the 140-day session and the border security package is among the first bills passed by the House. The bill overwhelmingly advanced 131-12. Vastly outnumbered Democrats, who for years have hotly opposed calls to "militarize" the Texas border, mostly sat out this fight and let the bill pass without fireworks. [Associated Press]
- Join 四虎影院 tonight for a preview screening of Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. It happens at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the 四虎影院 studios in Dallas. 四虎影院 reporter Lauren Silverman will lead a conversation with producer and director Barak Goodman. The documentary airs on PBS later this month. And get a behind-the-scenes look at Thursday鈥檚 event is free, but RSVPs are required. In follow the journey of one North Texas boy and his family through his cancer diagnosis and recovery. Goodman will also speak with Krys Boyd at 1 p.m. Thursday on Think on 四虎影院 90.1 FM.
