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

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Aviation and aerospace are booming in North Texas, pitting companies against each other for a limited pool of workers, industry experts said at an Axios Live event at Dallas Executive Airport on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The need for workers extends far beyond air traffic controllers and pilots, spanning both commercial and business aviation.

While many industries have contracted in recent years, aerospace companies are always on the hunt for more workers. Some are now trying to appeal to prospective future talent as early as elementary school.

The latest: GE Aerospace, which sponsored Wednesday's Axios Live event, announced that its foundation will spend $1 million on workforce training to develop a stronger talent pipeline into the industry. 

The money will fund efforts such as adding instructors at Dallas College and boosting enrollment for the aviation maintenance technician labs at Tarrant County College.

The intrigue: Jobs in aviation pay well and tend to be stable — but the industry isn't always top of mind for job seekers looking to transition out of other industries, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas CEO Laura Ward said.

What they're doing: Companies such as GE Aerospace, Lockheed Martin and Bell are collaborating more with each other — and with local community colleges — to address the gap.

"The pros are you have a huge workforce. The cons are there's a lot of competitors for that workforce. And so I think we've got to kind of transform our minds that we can't be competitors anymore," said Michael Patton, a VP at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.

What we're watching: How AI and automation impact an industry where attention to detail and hands-on work are valued.

Aviation jobs take off in Dallas

GE Aerospace's foundation will spend $1 million on workforce training to develop a better talent pipeline.

Inside a large hangar, a silver propeller airplane sits near a blue Axios stage with two panelists; a large American flag hangs on the white wall as attendees watch the discussion.

Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas CEO Laura Ward (right) joins Axios Dallas reporter Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi for a discussion about aerospace and aviation jobs. Photo: Jacque Manaugh for Axios

Aviation and aerospace are booming in North Texas, pitting companies against each other for a limited pool of workers, industry experts said at an Axios Live event at Dallas Executive Airport on Wednesday.Why it matters: The need for workers extends far beyond air traffic controllers and pilots, spanning both commercial and business aviation.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Dallas police say they have noticed a spike in family violence cases across the city this year in comparison to last year.

Why it matters: More than 10 million people nationwide are affected by relationship abuse every year, per National Domestic Violence Hotline CEO Katie Ray-Jones.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

By the numbers: Dallas police received 10,537 reports of domestic violence between January and Sept. 30 this year, compared to 10,046 during the same period last year.

Murder cases, aggravated assaults and sex offenses tied to allegations of family violence have declined, but simple assault, kidnapping and intimidation cases have increased, per a police presentation yesterday at the Dallas City Council's Public Safety Committee.

Dallas police say 102 of this year's cases through Sept. 30 involved allegations of strangulation and losing consciousness. 839 cases involved allegations of strangulation where the person did not lose consciousness.

What they're saying: Fear plays a big role in victims' hesitation to report family violence to police, Dallas police Major Phyllis Nobles told the committee yesterday.

"Fear of losing their children, fear of relocating their children to different schools, fear of losing financial stability, and fear of losing everything that they have," Nobles said.

What they're doing: Dallas police officers conduct lethality assessments in family violence cases to identify individuals who may be at the highest risk of being killed by an intimate partner.

If someone is determined to be at high risk and agrees to receiving extra help, they are connected to advocates and additional resources such as housing at local shelters and time with a mental health counselor.

The city updated the form last year to make strangulation cases an automatic trigger for extra support.

Reality check: While Dallas police regularly make arrests in domestic violence cases, the domestic violence unit still has hundreds of outstanding warrants.

The bottom line: "If it's happening in one generation, it probably happened in the generation before, and it will probably happen in the generation hence if it's not disrupted," ​​​Council Member Gay Donnell Willis, who chairs the public safety committee, said at yesterday's meeting.

National Domestic Violence Hotline CEO Katie Ray-Jones

Domestic violence reports spike in Dallas

Dallas police received 10,537 reports of domestic violence between January and Sept. 30 this year.

Illustration of a purple awareness ribbon with a loose thread unraveling from it.

Dallas police say they have noticed a spike in family violence cases across the city this year in comparison to last year.Why it matters: More than 10 million people nationwide are affected by relationship abuse every year, per <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="National Domestic Violence Hotline CEO Katie Ray-Jones" data-vars-click-url="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/03/09/national-domestic-violence-hotline-funding-cuts/88883097007/" data-vars-content-id="391b32c3-3cfa-479e-90fb-39b720ca093d" data-vars-headline="Domestic violence reports spike in Dallas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/03/09/national-domestic-violence-hotline-funding-cuts/88883097007/" target="_blank">National Domestic Violence Hotline CEO Katie Ray-Jones</a>.

News

The Perot Museum plans to expand to 4 acres — doubling its footprint in downtown Dallas — by late 2028.

Why it matters: Open since 2012, the museum of nature and science says STEM jobs in Texas are expanding at twice the national rate, highlighting the need for more science education.

State of play: The expansion will include an outdoor living laboratory with roughly 25 large-scale exhibits and demonstrations of weather elements such as wind gusts, thunder, fire tornados and water vortexes.

A paleontology garden, pollinator habitat and shaded river in the outdoor area will offer lessons on biodiversity and ecological systems.

The Perot's lobby, event spaces and parking options are also getting a facelift.

Exterior view of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science with a large overhead canopy, modern beige walls, and a crowd of families, strollers, and a yellow school bus; purple flowers line the landscaped foreground.

The Perot's arrival plaza and pavilion design will emphasize its focus on science and nature. Rendering: Courtesy of Perot Museum

Follow the money: The updates are estimated to cost $185 million and bring in 400,000 more visitors per year. The museum says it has raised $135 million of its funding goal.

What they're saying: "This project represents an opportunity to rethink how and where people experience science … Our goal is to create an environment where discovery feels unexpected and alive," Mike Spiewak, the Perot's vice president of exhibitions, said in a statement.

What's next: Construction is slated to begin early next year.

Dallas' Perot Museum plans multi-acre expansion

The expansion will include an outdoor living laboratory with roughly 25 large-scale exhibits.

Sunset at a modern plaza featuring a tall glass flame cylinder ringed by a gold circle; people sit around the fiery pillar among trees and a pale building in the background.

This isn't a fire pit — it's a science lesson on fire tornados. Rendering: Courtesy of the Perot Museum

The Perot Museum plans to expand to 4 acres — doubling its footprint in downtown Dallas — by late 2028.Why it matters: Open since 2012, the museum of nature and science says STEM jobs in Texas are expanding at twice the national rate, highlighting the need for more science education.

Things to Do

If you frequent Bishop Arts or Downtown Dallas, you may run into Matthew Norton and his camera.

If you're extra lucky, he might ask you to pose for some quick portraits. For free.

Why it matters: Norton's Stranger Portraits series highlights and celebrates unassuming North Texans as they go about their lives.

"When I photograph people, I try to make community out of it," Norton tells Axios.

State of play: Norton, a self-taught photographer, left his job as an executive assistant in July to address his "creative deficit" and explore what might come next in his career. 

The photo series is, in part, inspired by his Christian faith.

"You can engage, interact and become very generous, gracious, friendly, hospitable with any person if you're willing — but the problem is, too many people just aren't willing," Norton says.

Since July, he's counted 50 interactions with strangers, sometimes including multiple people at a time.

A bearded man in a denim jacket and cap films a smiling woman posing on a white porch railing, wearing a white tank top and plaid shirt, while a red canopy looms overhead.

Bri Hayes (left) rocked her impromptu photo shoot with Matthew Norton. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios

How it works: Norton walks around areas in Dallas with a video camera attached to his shirt, just in case he finds someone to photograph. Clips from his interactions sometimes appear on his Instagram account.

The conversations usually start with, "Excuse me, when was the last time someone took a portrait of you?" He then explains that the portraits are free — the individual can DM him on Instagram to receive their images.

"They may not be welcome to having a conversation or being asked detailed questions, but at the end of the day, they met someone who didn't need anything from them," Norton says.

Reality check: Photographing strangers in random places means accepting that the lighting or backdrop may not be perfect.

Still, Norton's series brought a Dallas police sergeant to tears, gave a history lesson about the M-Line Trolley, and featured a FOX 4 technical director who is usually behind the scenes during broadcasts.

Zoom in: We tagged along with Norton in Bishop Arts on a recent afternoon. 

Bri Hayes and Brian Patterson caught Norton's eye as they were walking to a record store. After Norton explained his series, they agreed to pose for portraits in front of some businesses.

The interaction took less than 15 minutes and included small talk about analog versus digital forms of music. Hayes is a DJ.

The intrigue: Norton is finding that his acts of kindness toward strangers have resulted in new friendships.

Norton planned to only photograph strangers the day we met up in Bishop Arts. But, in less than an hour, we ran into three people he has photographed before.

The bottom line: "My whole goal is, I want people to know that they're seen," Norton says.

Why this Dallas photographer stops strangers on the street

"When I photograph people, I try to make community out of it," Matthew Norton tells Axios.

Bearded man in a blue denim jacket and black cap holds a camera outside a brown storefront with signs reading EAT and Chocolate Here, surrounded by green plants and a white railing.

Matthew Norton wants people to feel good about themselves again. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios

If you frequent Bishop Arts or Downtown Dallas, you may run into Matthew Norton and his camera.<ul><li>If you&#x27;re extra lucky, he might ask you to pose for some quick portraits. For free.</li></ul>

Culture

Kathryn Hedrick has spent the last few years educating herself and other people about World War II aircraft. The irony: She wasn't even alive for the war — she was born 55 years later.

Why it matters: The nonprofit Commemorative Air Force displays and flies historic military aircraft, educating the public about warplanes.

"We try to keep airplanes that would most likely otherwise be forgotten still flying. It's kind of our mission to preserve history in a way that we can make it more accessible to people," Hedrick, 25, tells Axios.

Interior of a vintage military aircraft with a mounted gun-like apparatus on a tripod, riveted gray walls with handwritten signatures, and a circular aft opening visible at the far end.

Diamond Lil is a girl's girl who has kept the writing of the women who helped build her. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios

Zoom in: Diamond Lil, a 1940s-built B-24, sits outside the Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center at Dallas Executive Airport.

The aircraft's nose art depicts a woman in a state of undress. The metal inside bears signatures of the women who helped build the aircraft.

Hedrick is among a group of people who have maintained the plane. She is part of the flight crew, monitoring the engines, making sure the pilots engage the right switches and diagnosing any problems.

"After my first flight, I actually cried a little bit. I was so grateful for all of the work that I put in and all the work that other people put in to allow me to get to do this," Hedrick says.

The intrigue: Hedrick says her respect for World War II aircraft honors her late grandfather, who fled Poland to escape the Holocaust and built a new life in the U.S.

"This is the history that's slowly, as we get further and further away from it, slowly being forgotten," she says.

What's next: Hedrick has eight months left until she finishes aircraft mechanic school. She has no plans to abandon her girl, Diamond Lil.

Henry B. Tippie National Aviation Education Center

This flight engineer's career is ready for takeoff

Kathryn Hedrick helps maintain Diamond Lil, a 1940s-built B-24.

Side view of a vintage bomber named "DIAMOND LIL" with pinup art; a woman stands in front in a navy shirt and brown shorts; large black propeller engine on the right, airfield background.

Kathryn Hedrick tells Axios she's the Commemorative Air Force's first female flight engineer. Photo: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios

Kathryn Hedrick has spent the last few years educating herself and other people about World War II aircraft. The irony: She wasn&#x27;t even alive for the war — she was born 55 years later.Why it matters: The nonprofit <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Commemorative Air Force" data-vars-click-url="https://commemorativeairforce.org/pages/About-the-CAF" data-vars-content-id="cda4cc0e-b7b6-459e-a2d5-8edefd3dfabc" data-vars-headline="This flight engineer&#x27;s career is ready for takeoff" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://commemorativeairforce.org/pages/About-the-CAF" target="_blank">Commemorative Air Force</a> displays and flies historic military aircraft, educating the public about warplanes.

Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi

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Why this Dallas photographer stops strangers on the street

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Aviation jobs take off in Dallas