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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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Dallas furloughs temporarily close libraries, cultural centers

Dallas is trying to plug a projected $25 million funding gap for the current fiscal year.

Politics

Dallas&#x27; public libraries, cultural centers and code compliance offices are closed Friday while the city furloughs thousands of employees to address a budget shortfall.Why it matters: Furloughs are a rarely used cost-saving measure in the public and private sectors because they can disrupt operations while forcing employees to bear the cost and inconvenience of unpaid leave.

Texas aviation pioneer Wally Funk dies at 87

In 2021, Funk became the oldest woman to fly to space.

News

Wally Funk, a pioneer of aviation and longtime Grapevine resident, died on Wednesday. She was 87.The big picture: Funk logged over 30,000 hours of flight time and taught more than 3,000 people to fly — but her dream of becoming an astronaut didn&#x27;t take flight until she was 82 years old.

This Dallas-based DJ inspired England's new World Cup tradition

Dallas-based DJ Jesus Salazar spins the tunes in Dallas Stadium for the World Cup.

For three weeks, AT&amp;T Stadium has given over half a million people a crash course on unfamiliar cultures — including the Netherlands&#x27; Orange Army, Japan&#x27;s Samurai Blue, Norway&#x27;s Viking Row and Argentina&#x27;s Messi mania.<ul><li>Setting the vibes is 25-year-old Jesus Salazar, a Dallas-based DJ who hasn&#x27;t fully processed the significance of entertaining the biggest crowds of his career.</li></ul>

Why "Friday Night Lights" defined Texas forever

Some of the cast members kicked off the show's 20th anniversary tour in Dallas last week.

The fictional town of Dillon, Texas, won over TV audiences 20 years ago and is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="still giving millennials parenting advice" data-vars-click-url="https://www.parents.com/why-millennial-parents-are-rewatching-friday-night-lights-12007749" data-vars-content-id="53f33bf1-ee31-49e5-ba39-a4370cf6edee" data-vars-headline="Why &quot;Friday Night Lights&quot; defined Texas forever" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.parents.com/why-millennial-parents-are-rewatching-friday-night-lights-12007749" target="_blank">still giving millennials parenting advice</a>.Why it matters: &quot;Friday Night Lights,&quot; which ran for five seasons, introduced Texas&#x27; competitive high school football culture to viewers around the world while tracing heartfelt storylines that broader audiences could relate to.

Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks

Irving's parks ranked lowest among the most populous U.S. cities, per the Trust for Public Land annual ranking.

Plano has the best city park system in Texas, per a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new ranking" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/21/best-parks-cities" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/21/best-parks-cities" target="_self">new ranking</a>.<ul><li>Dallas, meanwhile, has jumped up in the annual ranking.</li></ul>Why it matters: Public parks offer greenery, shade and fresh air on hot days and a free gathering space for community groups.Driving the news: None of the biggest Texas cities landed in the Top 10 in the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2025 ParkScore index" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/parkscore" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/parkscore" target="_blank">2025 ParkScore index</a>, an annual ranking from the Trust for Public Land, a pro-park nonprofit.<ul><li>The report ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities&#x27; park systems relative to one another based on five categories: acreage, access, amenities, investment and equity.</li></ul>Zoom in: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Plano" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/city/plano-texas" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/city/plano-texas" target="_blank">Plano</a> landed in the Top 25 at 17, followed by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dallas" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/city/dallas-texas" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/city/dallas-texas" target="_blank">Dallas</a> (34), Frisco (37), <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Arlington" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/city/arlington-texas" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/city/arlington-texas" target="_blank">Arlington</a> (46), <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Garland" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/city/garland-texas" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/city/garland-texas" target="_blank">Garland</a> (67) and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fort Worth" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/city/fort-worth-texas" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/city/fort-worth-texas" target="_blank">Fort Worth</a> (72).<ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Irving" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/city/irving-texas" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/city/irving-texas" target="_blank">Irving</a> was bottom ranked at 99.</li></ul>State of greenery: Dallas was ranked 53 in 2022, with 73% of residents within a 10-minute walk of a park. Now 81% of residents are within a 10-minute walk to green space.<ul><li>City leaders have prioritized <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="adding park space" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2023/03/10/dallas-parks" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2023/03/10/dallas-parks" target="_self">adding park space</a>, but Dallas still lags the national median for percentage of land used for parks and recreation.</li></ul><div><figure><div id="datawrapper-embed-Ln82Q" data-datawrapper-id="Ln82Q" data-datawrapper-version="1"></div><img src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ln82Q/full.png" alt="Bar chart showing the 2025 ParkScore for Dallas. The city earned 61 points out of 100 for the overall quality of its parks system, higher than the national median of 54 points. It scored highest in park equity, at 76 points, and lowest in amenities, at 45 points."/><iframe alt="Bar chart showing the 2025 ParkScore for Dallas. The city earned 61 points out of 100 for the overall quality of its parks system, higher than the national median of 54 points. It scored highest in park equity, at 76 points, and lowest in amenities, at 45 points." hidden="" frameborder="0" height="400" id="datawrapper-chart-Ln82Q" scrolling="no" data-src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Ln82Q/1/" title="2025 ParkScore for Dallas-Fort Worth"></iframe><figcaption>Data: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trust for Public Land" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tpl.org/parkscore" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tpl.org/parkscore" target="_blank">Trust for Public Land</a>; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios</figcaption></figure></div>Zoom out: Mayor Mattie Parker launched the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Good Natured Greenspace Initiative" data-vars-click-url="https://goodnaturedfw.com/" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://goodnaturedfw.com/" target="_blank">Good Natured Greenspace Initiative</a> two years ago to ensure Fort Worth preserves park space as the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="city rapidly grows" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2025/05/15/fort-worth-dallas-population-census-bureau" data-vars-content-id="228adf78-39ff-4ab3-a5ef-3f703878151c" data-vars-headline="Plano and Dallas have the best Texas city parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2025/05/15/fort-worth-dallas-population-census-bureau" target="_self">city rapidly grows</a>.<ul><li>Fort Worth loses about 50 acres of open land every week to new development, the Trust report says. To offset that, the city has increased its parks funding from $73 million to $111 million in the past four years.</li></ul>By the numbers: In Fort Worth, 69% of residents live within a 10-minute walk to a park. And just 6% of the land is used for parks and recreation.<ul><li>81% of Plano residents live within 10 minutes of a park. The city scores well for its park amenities, including having 19.2 playgrounds per 10,000 children and two bathrooms per 10,000 people.</li><li>63% of Irving residents live walking distance to a park, and 5% of the city&#x27;s land is dedicated to parks.</li></ul>Yes, but: Parks are not evenly distributed among low-income and high-income neighborhoods.<ul><li>For example, in Irving, low-income neighborhoods have 31% less park space per person than residents in an average neighborhood. High-income residents have access to 47% more park space in their neighborhoods than the average resident.</li></ul>

Fall photos from around Dallas-Fort Worth

Environment

The recent rainfall may have shortened the amount of time that&#x27;s left to enjoy this year&#x27;s fall foliage.<ul><li>But, you can live vicariously through other Axios Dallas readers.</li></ul>

Environment

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