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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Dallas. Written by Michael Mooney and Tasha Tsiperas.

Axios Dallas Thought Bubble

Axios Dallas

Dallas now has a Trade Office of France to attract and retain French business in the region. 

Driving the news: The trade office is the first global outpost in the city's planned International District near the site of the partially demolished Valley View Mall in North Dallas, where city leaders plan for a 20-acre park to be a centerpiece of a tourist attraction.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced the opening of the office at an event Monday.

Why it matters: Whenever international businesses look to relocate or expand in Texas, business leaders could think of Dallas instead of just Houston, where most of the consulate offices in Texas are located.

By the numbers: The Dallas area was the sixth largest exporter among American metros last year, and Dallas County was the top exporter in the region, according to International Trade Administration data.

Trade between France and the region totaled $1.75 billion in 2021, higher than trade between Dallas and Mexico, per the Dallas Regional Chamber.

Details: The trade office is at the Prism Center, which is also home to the District 11 council office. 

Two full-time staff from the French-American Chamber of Commerce will work from the site. They hosted their first meeting there on Monday. 

They say having staff outside Houston will ensure the team is focused on French business in Texas beyond Harris County. 

Zoom out: French President Emmanuel Macron made his first visit during the Biden administration in Washington, D.C., last week, reaffirming America's oldest alliance. 

Of note: The mayor speaks some French and was complimented on his accent at Monday's event.

Dallas opens a French trade center in its new International District

The office is located near the partially demolished Valley View Mall in North Dallas.

Illustration of a horse spinning a globe on its hoof. 

Dallas now has a Trade Office of France to attract and retain French business in the region. Driving the news: The trade office is the first global outpost in the city&#x27;s planned <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="International District" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2022/02/23/dallas-international-district-name" data-vars-content-id="1e64bb9b-726f-49f4-bea7-3189e80fd9dc" data-vars-headline="Dallas opens a French trade center in its new International District" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2022/02/23/dallas-international-district-name" target="_self">International District</a> near the site of the partially demolished Valley View Mall in North Dallas, where city leaders plan for a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="20-acre park" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2022/01/04/dallas-central-park" data-vars-content-id="1e64bb9b-726f-49f4-bea7-3189e80fd9dc" data-vars-headline="Dallas opens a French trade center in its new International District" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2022/01/04/dallas-central-park" target="_self">20-acre park</a> to be a centerpiece of a tourist attraction.

Business

Testimony is scheduled to begin today in the murder trial of a former Fort Worth police officer who shot and killed a Black woman inside her home in 2019. 

Why it matters: Atatiana Jefferson's death sparked protests about biased policing, and her name was added to the long list of Black people killed by white police officers. 

What happened: Jefferson was playing video games with her then-8-year-old nephew inside her Fort Worth home when officer Aaron Dean walked into the backyard around 2:25am without announcing who he was or what he was doing, according to arrest records. 

Jefferson heard noises, pulled a gun from her handbag and pointed it toward the window, according to her nephew. 

Dean fired once into the house, killing Jefferson. 

Dean resigned before he could be fired and didn't give a statement to investigators. 

The intrigue: 12 jurors and two alternates were selected last week, and none of the jurors are Black.

Catch up fast: Activists questioned police actions during what was supposed to be a welfare check. A neighbor called the nonemergency police number after he saw the doors open at Jefferson's home, where she lived with her ailing mother. 

"This rookie cop is not going to be the scapegoat for what happened. Yes, he's going to take his punishment, but the system failed him," Jefferson's brother, Adarius Carr, told WFAA after the shooting. 

Of note: Defense attorney Jim Lane died the weekend before jury selection began. The judge presiding over the case said testimony will end early today to allow people to attend Lane's funeral in the afternoon, per KERA.

What we're watching: Judge George Gallagher has not yet ruled on the defense's request to move the trial out of Tarrant County, but he could do so today.

Testimony set to start in the Aaron Dean trial

Jefferson's death sparked protests about biased policing.

Photo: Yffy Yossifor/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Testimony is scheduled to begin today in the murder trial of a former Fort Worth police officer who shot and killed a Black woman inside her home in 2019. Why it matters: Atatiana Jefferson&#x27;s death sparked protests about biased policing, and her name was added to the long list of Black people killed by white police officers.

News

The new Texas Rangers manager, newest ace pitcher and the promoted executive of the ballclub will host their first joint news conference today. 

Driving the news: The Rangers have signed two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom to a five-year $185 million contract.

The team also drew World Series-winning manager Bruce Bochy out of retirement. 

Why it matters: The Rangers clubhouse is going all-in on making the team contenders next year with big-name additions to the roster. 

The team hasn't been in playoff contention since 2016, and fan attendance is down at the new $1.2 billion ballpark in Arlington. 

Catch up fast: This week, the club hired Michaelene Courtis as the senior director of baseball operations, making her the highest-ranking woman in Rangers history.

Pitching coach Mike Maddux is returning to the team after five years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Maddux was with the Rangers during their back-to-back trips to the 2010 and 2011 World Series.

The club also hired Dayton Moore, the fired Kansas City Royals GM, as a senior advisor in baseball operations.

The team rounded out its pitching rotation during the MLB winter meetings, which ended yesterday, by adding left-hander Andrew Heaney. He joins deGrom, Jon Gray, Jake Odorizzi, and Martín Pérez, who was the Rangers' only All-Star this year. 

Flashback: The Rangers made major off-season additions last year with Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, who have a combined $500 million in long-term contracts.

Seager's contract is among the largest in the MLB. 

What they're saying: General manager Chris Young has "a real passion for trying to build a winning culture in Texas," Bochy said this week.

"It means a lot to improve the ballclub for the fans and get back to playing great baseball … and eventually hopefully winning a championship," Bochy said. 

What's next: The Rangers have the No. 4 spot for the MLB Draft in July.

Catch up on all the offseason Texas Rangers moves

The Rangers clubhouse is going all-in on making the team contenders next year.

Pitcher Jacob deGrom in a New York Mets uniform

Just picture him with a Rangers uniform. Photo: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Baseball

The new Texas Rangers manager, newest ace pitcher and the promoted executive of the ballclub will host their first joint news conference today. Driving the news: The Rangers have signed two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom to a five-year <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$185 million contract" data-vars-click-url="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35166769/sources-rangers-jacob-degrom-agree-5-year-185m-deal" data-vars-content-id="5db58735-3123-4113-960e-b56026503f88" data-vars-headline="Catch up on all the offseason Texas Rangers moves" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35166769/sources-rangers-jacob-degrom-agree-5-year-185m-deal" target="_blank">$185 million contract</a>.

Sports

The Dallas Central Appraisal District's online functions remain down a month after a ransomware attack shut down its email, website and servers.  

Driving the news: The Travis Central Appraisal District was hit with a separate ransomware attack that shut down an online chat and phone lines this week, per the Austin American-Statesman.

Unlike in Dallas, the Travis County attack didn't affect property tax bills or the appraisal district's website. 

Why it matters: Federal government officials have called ransomware a worsening problem. The Treasury Department reported last month that payments to ransomware gangs have skyrocketed, totaling an estimated $1.2 billion in 2021.

Catch up fast: The DCAD ransomware attack occurred Nov. 8 and has caused tax bill delays for thousands of property owners in Dallas County.

County officials reported the attack the next day to the City of Dallas IT department, which reviewed the city's servers and updated firewalls, per a memo. The city's systems were unaffected.

Flashback: Other local government agencies have been hit by ransomware attacks, including a cyberattack to the Mansfield school district's website, email and phone systems earlier this year, per FOX4. 

More than two dozen Texas school districts — including many in the Dallas area — were targeted by ransomware attacks between 2019 and 2021, per a WFAA investigation. 

In 2019, federal officials charged a Russian national accused of running attacks on 23 Texas businesses and government entities, none of which paid the ransom.

What's next: A limited DCAD website is expected to launch Dec. 14, giving the public access to some searches and forms. 

Texas appraisal districts hit by ransomware attacks

The Dallas Central Appraisal District's online functions remain down a month after a ransomware attack.

Ransomware

The Dallas Central Appraisal District&#x27;s online functions remain down a month after a ransomware attack shut down its email, website and servers.  Driving the news: The Travis Central Appraisal District was hit with a separate ransomware attack that shut down an online chat and phone lines this week, per the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Austin American-Statesman" data-vars-click-url="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/12/05/travis-county-tx-home-appraisals-ransomware-attack/69703419007/?utm_source=SND&amp;utm_medium=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=statesman" data-vars-content-id="b2eebf9f-a1e0-487b-9663-bc3e50b3dfdc" data-vars-headline="Texas appraisal districts hit by ransomware attacks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2022/12/05/travis-county-tx-home-appraisals-ransomware-attack/69703419007/?utm_source=SND&amp;utm_medium=Twitter&amp;utm_campaign=statesman" target="_blank">Austin American-Statesman</a>.

Dallas is launching a free cybersecurity app for residents today. 

Why it matters: Reports of text message scams are outpacing reported email scams for the first time.

Americans received 47.2 billion spam texts last month — an average of 173 per person — according to data from Robokiller, an app that blocks spam calls and texts.

How it works: The new app, called Dallas Secure, will block phishing texts, prevent the user from downloading malicious apps, and keep the phone or tablet from connecting to unsafe WiFi networks, according to Shridhar Mittal, CEO of Dallas-based Zimperium, which developed the app. 

Zoom out: Zimperium also developed a similar app that launched in 2018 for New York City. 

Of note: Hackers are targeting holiday shoppers with phony deals, prompting security experts to warn consumers to double-check website URLs and be suspicious of deals that look too good to be true. 

The bottom line: Mittal tells Axios that everyone receives phishing links in text messages and emails, and about 18% of people click on them, no matter how much cybersecurity training they've received. 

"Sometimes people just forget," Mittal says.

Dallas launches cybersecurity app for residents

Illustration of popup screens with dollar signs on them surrounding a closed lock

Cybersecurity

Dallas is launching a free cybersecurity app for residents today. Why it matters: Reports of text message scams are <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="outpacing reported email scams" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/26/text-message-phishing-scam-anatomy" data-vars-content-id="fe6c2b0b-7760-4bbb-bae4-6f3b79ea03d3" data-vars-headline="Dallas launches cybersecurity app for residents" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/08/26/text-message-phishing-scam-anatomy" target="_self">outpacing reported email scams</a> for the first time.

Tasha Tsiaperas

Featured stories

Catch up on all the offseason Texas Rangers moves

Texas appraisal districts hit by ransomware attacks

Dallas opens a French trade center in its new International District

Dallas launches cybersecurity app for residents

Testimony set to start in the Aaron Dean trial