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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Dallas. Written by Michael Mooney, Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi and Tasha Tsiaperas.

Axios Dallas Thought Bubble

Axios Dallas

The Longhorn Ballroom's reopening will feature headliners Asleep at the Wheel on Thursday night and Old Crow Medicine Show on Friday night.

Asleep at the Wheel played at the Longhorn in the 1970s, a few years after the band started.

Yes, but: Dallas native Joshua Ray Walker will also play Friday night. 

Saturday night will feature rising star Morgan Wade and the Memphis band Lucero.

Where: The Longhorn Ballroom, 216 Corinth St.

When: Thursday and Friday, doors open at 6:30pm, shows start at 8pm.

Saturday doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7:15pm.

Cost: Asleep at the Wheel tickets start at $28.

Tickets to Old Crow Medicine Show and Joshua Ray Walker start at $34.

Morgan Wade's show Saturday is already sold out, but secondary tickets start at $44.

What's next: The legendary Emmylou Harris is playing two nights in April.

Longhorn Ballroom's reopening lineup

Saturday night will feature rising star Morgan Wade and the Memphis band, Lucero.

A green-haired musician rocks a guitar on stage

If you aren't already listening to Joshua Ray Walker, change your ways. Photo: Erika Goldring/FilmMagic

The Longhorn Ballroom&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reopening" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2023/03/28/dallas-longhorn-ballroom-reopening" data-vars-content-id="14907bfd-0822-4ba6-ab81-ed5967bca5d6" data-vars-headline="Longhorn Ballroom&#x27;s reopening lineup" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2023/03/28/dallas-longhorn-ballroom-reopening" target="_self">reopening</a> will feature headliners <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Asleep at the Wheel" data-vars-click-url="https://www.asleepatthewheel.com/" data-vars-content-id="14907bfd-0822-4ba6-ab81-ed5967bca5d6" data-vars-headline="Longhorn Ballroom&#x27;s reopening lineup" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.asleepatthewheel.com/" target="_blank">Asleep at the Wheel</a> on Thursday night and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Old Crow Medicine Show" data-vars-click-url="https://www.crowmedicine.com/" data-vars-content-id="14907bfd-0822-4ba6-ab81-ed5967bca5d6" data-vars-headline="Longhorn Ballroom&#x27;s reopening lineup" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.crowmedicine.com/" target="_blank">Old Crow Medicine Show</a> on Friday night.<ul><li>Asleep at the Wheel played at the Longhorn in the 1970s, a few years after the band started.</li></ul>

News

Things to Do

The fate of the 2023 Texas Rangers will rise and fall with the success of a few superstars.

Yes, but: Last year was rough. The team finished 2022 with a 68-94 record — good enough for fourth in the division, 38 games behind the first-place Astros.

The big pitcher: The Rangers enter the season with what's likely the most impressive pitching rotation in franchise history. The team signed the best pitcher in baseball this offseason, inking two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million contract.

The Rangers also signed pitchers Nathan Eovaldi, Martín Pérez and Andrew Heaney to contracts worth a total of nearly $80 million.

New manager: The club also brought in a new manager, Bruce Bochy. He led the San Francisco Giants to three World Series championships, including one against the Rangers in 2010.

Plus: The front office also brought back longtime Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler, who was named special assistant to general manager Chris Young.

Returning stars: Despite all the losing, shortstop Corey Seager — who signed a franchise-record 10-year $325 million contract at the end of 2021 — became just the fifth player in team history to hit at least 30 home runs and 80 RBIs and to score 80 runs in his first season.

Other names on that list include Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Alex Rodriguez and Pete Incaviglia.

Current field players the team will be counting on: Nathaniel Lowe, Marcus Semien and Adolis García.

Not so fun facts: The last time this franchise finished a season with a winning record was 2016.

The last time the Rangers won a postseason series was 2011.

The Rangers are one of only six Major League teams that have never won a World Series.

Between the lines: Owner Ray Davis and Young said in February they're "tired of losing." Spending this much money to bring in this level of talent both on the field and in the clubhouse shows a distinct dedication to winning now.

What we're watching: The Rangers will be tested early, starting with the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Then we face the New York Yankees and defending World Series champion Astros within the first month of play.

Texas Rangers 2023 season preview

A Rangers pitcher is about to throw a ball as two coaches look on

In Jake we trust. Photo: Bailey Orr/Texas Rangers/Getty Images

Major League Baseball (MLB)

The fate of the 2023 Texas Rangers will rise and fall with the success of a few superstars.Yes, but: Last year was rough. The team finished 2022 with a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="68-94 record" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2022/10/07/texas-rangers-awful-season" data-vars-content-id="27818ac4-d6bc-4e79-afbf-0844207c34d3" data-vars-headline="Texas Rangers 2023 season preview" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2022/10/07/texas-rangers-awful-season" target="_self">68-94 record</a> — good enough for fourth in the division, 38 games behind the first-place Astros.

Sports

A federal judge has upheld the Boy Scouts of America's $2.46 billion settlement with more than 80,000 men who say they were abused as children.

Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Richard Andrews in Delaware ruled Tuesday that the Irving-based Boy Scouts' bankruptcy agreement was a good faith effort to resolve the abuse claims, according to Reuters.

The Boy Scouts can now proceed with its bankruptcy reorganization plan.

Why it matters: The ruling upholds the largest sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history.

The case could set a precedent for large-scale tort litigation.

Zoom in: The amount of money that individual abuse survivors will receive from the settlement ranges from $3,500 to $2.7 million, depending on a variety of factors that include when and where the abuse occurred.

Survivors in Texas, for example, aren't eligible for as much as survivors in states like New York because Texas doesn't have a Child Victims Act.

Flashback: The organization first reached an agreement with a majority of claimants in February 2022.

The settlement was approved in bankruptcy court in September, with the support of 86% of abuse claimants and the Boy Scouts' two largest insurers.

Yes, but: Appeals filed on behalf of more than 100 abuse survivors and some insurers delayed the settlement and postponed the organization's planned exit from bankruptcy.

What they're saying: "This decision is a step toward closure and some measure of justice for tens of thousands of survivors of childhood sexual assault," Adam Slater, one of the attorneys who negotiated the settlement on behalf of survivors, tells Axios.

The Boy Scouts called the decision "a pivotal milestone" that "solidifies a path forward for both survivors and Scouting," per AP.

The other side: The appealing parties haven't commented publicly on the ruling yet.

Judge upholds Boy Scouts sex abuse settlement

The ruling upholds the largest sexual abuse settlement in U.S. history.

A photo of the Boy Scouts of America sign

A sign for the national office outside the Boy Scouts of America headquarters in Irving. Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images

A federal judge has upheld the Boy Scouts of America&#x27;s $2.46 billion settlement with more than 80,000 men who say they were abused as children.Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Richard Andrews in Delaware ruled Tuesday that the Irving-based Boy Scouts&#x27; bankruptcy agreement was a good faith effort to resolve the abuse claims, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Reuters" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reuters.com/legal/judge-affirms-boy-scouts-americas-246-bln-sex-abuse-settlement-2023-03-28/" data-vars-content-id="5db4cdf5-cc66-4ef2-95f0-bd5d7bf4afae" data-vars-headline="Judge upholds Boy Scouts sex abuse settlement" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/judge-affirms-boy-scouts-americas-246-bln-sex-abuse-settlement-2023-03-28/" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.

There's nothing like watching finely tuned professional athletes competing on a field while you sit still and fill yourself with thousands of calories of carnival-esque ballpark fare.

Here are some of the new, surprisingly calorie-free offerings at Globe Life Field…

Boomstick Burger: A cousin of the original Boomstick, this is a ginormous beef patty topped with chili, nacho cheese, jalapeños and onion rings.

Brisket croissant: A flaky pastry stuffed with slices of brisket and cheese.

Flamin' Hot Cheetos pretzel: Twisted bread dusted with crushed spicy corn puffs.

Literally every single food product ever is better when you add crushed spicy Cheetos. Photo: Courtesy of the Texas Rangers

Go deeper: Other new concoctions include a pizza-fied hot dog, corn on the cob sliced like ribs and a PLT (portobello, lettuce and tomato).

New foods at Globe Life Field

Here are some of the new, surprisingly calorie-free offerings.

A two-foot hamburger covered in onion rings and chili

How did we even live before we had a 2-foot burger covered in chili and onion rings? Photo: Courtesy of the Texas Rangers

Baseball

There&#x27;s nothing like watching finely tuned professional athletes competing on a field while you sit still and fill yourself with thousands of calories of carnival-esque ballpark fare.Here are some of the new, surprisingly calorie-free offerings at Globe Life Field…

Food and Drink

One of the most storied music venues in Texas is set to reopen Thursday after years of worry about its future.

Driving the news: The Longhorn Ballroom — a place Texas Monthly dubbed "the most historic music venue" in the state — will open its doors for public shows for the first time in nearly two decades.

Asleep at the Wheel and Old Crow Medicine Show will play there this week.

Why it matters: The Longhorn's rich history includes several famous owners, some legendary shows and appearances by American musical icons from a variety of eras and genres.

The big picture: Concert promoter Edwin Cabaniss has spent the last year restoring the 72-year-old venue — just south of downtown — after he purchased the building out of bankruptcy.

Last year, Dallas City Council agreed to provide more than $4 million to help fund the finished space. The total cost of renovations is an estimated $15 million, per KXT.

As the city plans to connect downtown to the Cedars neighborhood with a new convention center, Cabaniss tells Axios that he hopes to turn the Longhorn property into a music complex.

Between the lines: The Longhorn came perilously close to meeting the fate of another iconic Dallas music venue, the Bronco Bowl, which was razed in 2003 and replaced with a Home Depot.

The intrigue: Because the Longhorn was originally built in an unincorporated area of Dallas, the Dallas police didn't have jurisdiction and couldn't enforce segregation laws during the Jim Crow era.

Other artists who played at the Longhorn's "Black nights" included Otis Redding, Al Green, James Brown and Bobby Blue.

A photo of Nat King Cole performing in Dallas

Nat King Cole filled the room in 1954. Photo: Courtesy of RC Hickman photographic archive

Flashback: In 2009, Cabaniss rescued and restored North Oak Cliff's Kessler Theater, an art deco gem once owned by Gene Autry.

In 2016, he also restored the iconic Heights Theater in Houston.

What they did: Renovations to the Longhorn have included total overhauls of the plumbing, insulation, sprinkler system and air conditioning, and installing a giant steel beam to help support the structure, Cabaniss says.

State of play: Cabaniss hopes the restored venue, which holds about 2,000 people, will be a regular stop for artists who are too popular for small theaters but not big enough to sell out arenas.

What they're saying: "I'm just a steward of the Longhorn," Cabaniss says. "I want to leave a legacy for my city. This is our gift for Dallas and for Texas."

Reality check: Cabaniss says the next few months will be a "soft opening," and that his team will be figuring out what works and what doesn't.

"This is going to be a gift that evolves over time," he says.

A famous photo from 1978 features the legendary Longhorn Ballroom marquee advertising back-to-back shows by the Sex Pistols and Merle Haggard.

That basically sums up the vibe of the place.

Catch up fast: The music hall, originally called Bob Wills' Ranch House, was built for Bob Wills, the founder of Western Swing. It opened Nov. 15, 1950, with a parade and a two-hour television show on WFAA that night.

Nightclub owner Jack Ruby borrowed $3,700 to purchase the place in 1952, more than a decade before he shot assassin Lee Harvey Oswald on live television. Within a year, Ruby had what he called a "mental breakdown" and left Dallas for Chicago, per the Warren Commission Report.

At a 1954 Nat King Cole show (pictured above), affluent Black audience members sat up front while white guests stood at the back of the room — a reversal of the usual conditions in the Jim Crow South.

A photo of the marquee when the Sex Pistols and Merle Haggard played there back to back.

How it was done. Photo: Bob Gruen, courtesy of Longhorn Ballroom

Famous shows: The Sex Pistols played the Longhorn during the group's only tour of the U.S. — not long before breaking up. It became one of the most talked-about shows in Dallas history, thanks largely to bassist Sid Vicious playing most of the show covered in his own blood. (The cause of Vicious' injury is still a point of contention.)

In 1990, dozens of people smashed tables and chairs and threw bottles after a 2 Live Crew concert at the Longhorn was canceled. 

Aerosmith filmed the music video for "What It Takes" there in 1989.

An old post card featuring Bob Wills and what was called Bob Wills Ranch

A postcard from what was then Bob Wills' Ranch House. Image: Texas Historical Commission from Boston Public Library/The Tichnor Brothers Collection

Other acts that played the Longhorn include…

Megadeth — whose RV was almost toppled by Rigor Mortis after the two bands got into a skirmish, per Texas Monthly.

Dallas' iconic Longhorn Ballroom is reopening

A photo of the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas

The Longhorn Ballroom's famous marquee. Photo: Courtesy of Cormac West

Entertainment

One of the most storied music venues in Texas is set to reopen Thursday after years of worry about its future.Driving the news: The Longhorn Ballroom — a place Texas Monthly dubbed &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the most historic music venue" data-vars-click-url="https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/saving-the-longhorn-ballroom-texass-most-historic-music-venue/" data-vars-content-id="adfd3b6b-71db-42bb-a741-81e1b114a34f" data-vars-headline="Dallas&#x27; iconic Longhorn Ballroom is reopening" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/saving-the-longhorn-ballroom-texass-most-historic-music-venue/" target="_blank">the most historic music venue</a>&quot; in the state — will open its doors for public shows for the first time in nearly two decades.

Michael Mooney

Featured stories

Texas Rangers 2023 season preview

New foods at Globe Life Field

Judge upholds Boy Scouts sex abuse settlement

Dallas' iconic Longhorn Ballroom is reopening

Longhorn Ballroom's reopening lineup