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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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Texas leads the U.S. in school book bans

Texas surpassed Florida for the first time in three years in the number of banned books, per PEN America.

Education

School districts in Texas imposed almost 8,200 book bans in the 2025-26 school year, per a PEN America <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://pen.org/report/book-bans-spotlight-2026/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="1b35938f-730c-4f5d-83c7-b13d13fcb001" data-vars-headline="Texas leads the U.S. in school book bans" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://pen.org/report/book-bans-spotlight-2026/?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" target="_blank">report</a>.Why it matters: Book bans highlight the expanding influence of state politics on schools and how subjective the guardrails can be.

National Juneteenth Museum project moves forward

Work began on "Grandmother of Juneteenth" Opal Lee's 100th birthday.

Culture

<figure><img alt="Large yellow and black excavator labeled sits amid rubble and a partially demolished building." height="450" id="0714bdd4-6d16-4eb9-8053-4a4c750215a5" src="https://images.axios.com/eJ3sjqACuDnWsoPOs5ykRpgkspw=/2026/10/07/1791410486109.gif" width="800"/><figcaption>The original Southside Community Center closed in August and moved to another location nearby earlier this month. GIF: Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi/Axios</figcaption></figure>&quot;Grandmother of Juneteenth&quot; Opal Lee turned 100 Wednesday and, in true Opal Lee fashion, celebrated the milestone by promoting freedom and justice all day long.Why it matters: Lee&#x27;s legacy includes the National Juneteenth Museum, which will be constructed in the neighborhood where she has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="continued to live" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2024/03/22/opal-lee-fort-worth-house-burned-down-rebuilt" data-vars-content-id="326bb295-401e-4355-b7e7-6a74fe9fe929" data-vars-headline="National Juneteenth Museum project moves forward" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2024/03/22/opal-lee-fort-worth-house-burned-down-rebuilt" target="_self">continued to live</a> despite a white mob burning down her childhood home in 1939.

Fort Worth's Goldee's BBQ now has a Michelin star

The guide awarded new stars to just three restaurants in Texas.

Food and Drink

Goldee&#x27;s Bar-B-Q in Fort Worth earned a Michelin star on Thursday, joining Tatsu Dallas and Mamani as the only Michelin-starred restaurants in North Texas.Why it matters: The guide awarded new stars to just three restaurants across the state. Texas still doesn&#x27;t have any two- or three-starred restaurants.

New platform helps North Texans plan their outings

Culturalyst Dallas promotes local arts organizations and their events in one place.

Things to Do

Your social life just got easier to plan, thanks to a new platform that consolidates local arts and culture events into one calendar.Why it matters: The Arts Community Alliance (TACA) and Dallas&#x27; Office of Arts and Culture have launched <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Culturalyst Dallas" data-vars-click-url="https://dallas.culturalyst.com/explore" data-vars-content-id="bba13f2b-7aa2-4168-b717-7c55b493e6d8" data-vars-headline="New platform helps North Texans plan their outings" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://dallas.culturalyst.com/explore" target="_blank">Culturalyst Dallas</a>, which promotes local arts organizations and their events in one place.

Trump praises trucks, tariffs and Paxton during Denton visit

The North Texas stop comes one month before the midterm elections.

News

President Trump visited a manufacturing plant in Denton Thursday to tout his economic agenda, brag about tariffs and highlight how American manufacturing jobs boost local economies.Why it matters: With Election Day just one month away, the president is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="visiting Republican-majority states" data-vars-click-url="https://thehill.com/video-clips/6123945-watch-live-donald-trump-texas-manufacturing-economy-ken-paxton-senate-race/" data-vars-content-id="7f0ed53d-a616-43b0-a5db-10e6ae13dbff" data-vars-headline="Trump praises trucks, tariffs and Paxton during Denton visit" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thehill.com/video-clips/6123945-watch-live-donald-trump-texas-manufacturing-economy-ken-paxton-senate-race/" target="_blank">visiting Republican-majority states</a> to appeal to voters.

KFC pilots new concept in McKinney

Lobby hosts and expanded menu options are among the new features.

Patio seating, a booth for special celebrations, lobby hosts and expanded menu options are part of a new concept that KFC is testing in McKinney.Why it matters: Tracing its roots to the 1930s, the fried chicken chain has built a strong presence around the world but has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="lost its luster" data-vars-click-url="https://www.foodrepublic.com/1851195/kfc-struggling-to-stay-open/" data-vars-content-id="cfed879e-dd75-467d-b3ea-0aa92ebe3cf3" data-vars-headline="KFC pilots new concept in McKinney" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.foodrepublic.com/1851195/kfc-struggling-to-stay-open/" target="_blank">lost its luster</a> among Americans.

SMU, TCU move up in latest U.S. News rankings

Meanwhile, UT Dallas dropped 11 spots and UT Arlington dropped 14.

SMU moved up three spots and TCU moved up seven in new U.S. News rankings released Tuesday.<ul><li>Meanwhile, UT Dallas dropped 11 spots and UT Arlington dropped 14.</li></ul>

Electric air taxis take off for testing in Dallas-Fort Worth

Joby believes it can operate up to 50 electric air taxi operations per hour in North Texas.

California-based Joby Aviation is testing electric air taxis in North Texas to see how the public can use them in the future.Why it matters: Joby says it&#x27;s collecting data for the Federal Aviation Administration so the agency can devise safety rules for air taxis offering commercial service at scale.

At SMU, Shaquille O'Neal's wisdom comes with a DJ set

Shaq is on a college tour teaching about credit scores and fiscal responsibility.

Shaquille O&#x27;Neal turned SMU&#x27;s Moody Coliseum into a rave Monday night, spinning tunes for hundreds of students after teaching them about credit scores and fiscal responsibility for nearly an hour.Why it matters: The NBA legend and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="North Texan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2025/06/23/dallas-shaq-babes-big-chicken" data-vars-content-id="c6d8d49e-a0e1-4be8-8356-3da03926df1b" data-vars-headline="At SMU, Shaquille O&#x27;Neal&#x27;s wisdom comes with a DJ set" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas/2025/06/23/dallas-shaq-babes-big-chicken" target="_self">North Texan</a> is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="making stops at four universities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.creditonetipofftour.com/" data-vars-content-id="c6d8d49e-a0e1-4be8-8356-3da03926df1b" data-vars-headline="At SMU, Shaquille O&#x27;Neal&#x27;s wisdom comes with a DJ set" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.creditonetipofftour.com/" target="_blank">making stops at four universities</a> to educate college students about financial literacy, hoping they will learn from the mistakes he made as a young adult.

Dallas "cancels" most Flock cameras amid blowback

Gov. Greg Abbott temporarily blocked state agencies from funding Flock cameras.

The Dallas Police Department is among a slew of law enforcement agencies reducing their use of Flock cameras after pushback from activists and residents over privacy concerns and suspected police misuse.Why it matters: Flock cameras are suddenly a big target of populist anti-tech, pro-privacy sentiment, along with the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data centers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/18/data-center-growth-map-states" data-vars-content-id="e8c15c82-b60b-4338-9394-5ca8af7dc4f1" data-vars-headline="Dallas &quot;cancels&quot; most Flock cameras amid blowback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/18/data-center-growth-map-states" target="_self">data centers</a> fueling the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="AI boom" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/12/ai-boom-goldman-sachs" data-vars-content-id="e8c15c82-b60b-4338-9394-5ca8af7dc4f1" data-vars-headline="Dallas &quot;cancels&quot; most Flock cameras amid blowback" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/12/ai-boom-goldman-sachs" target="_self">AI boom</a>.

TSA dog at DFW Airport voted top for 2026 

"He works hard and plays even harder," his handler Daphne Wang says.

DFW Airport has the good-est dog in all of TSA this year, the agency says.Driving the news: TSA&#x27;s social media followers voted to name Bolt, a 3-year-old German shorthaired pointer who works at DFW, the agency&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="top dog for 2026" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2026/08/26/vote-bolt-dallas-fort-worth-international-airport-named-2026-tsa-top" data-vars-content-id="7e7a201f-f3c5-4c91-a73c-5aaf2fa7d999" data-vars-headline="TSA dog at DFW Airport voted top for 2026 " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/releases/2026/08/26/vote-bolt-dallas-fort-worth-international-airport-named-2026-tsa-top" target="_blank">top dog for 2026</a>.

Gov. Greg Abbott visits Dallas to unveil NYSE Texas' new office

127 companies currently have listings in NYSE Texas.

With the strike of a gavel in Dallas, Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday marked the end of the day&#x27;s trading on the New York Stock Exchange over 1,500 miles away.<ul><li>The governor was in Dallas to unveil the new NYSE Texas office, located on the Old Parkland campus.</li></ul>

Axios readers' tips for minimizing your summertime electric bill

Hose off your outside AC condenser, ditch the dryer and other tips.

We can&#x27;t make the Texas heat go away, but we do have some tips to make it hurt your wallet less.Driving the news: Earlier this month, we asked <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios Dallas" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas" data-vars-content-id="b3ac2d26-3cc8-4f76-963e-b070a4ae9afe" data-vars-headline="Axios readers&#x27; tips for minimizing your summertime electric bill" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/dallas" target="_self">Axios Dallas</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios San Antonio" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio" data-vars-content-id="b3ac2d26-3cc8-4f76-963e-b070a4ae9afe" data-vars-headline="Axios readers&#x27; tips for minimizing your summertime electric bill" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio" target="_self">Axios San Antonio</a> readers to share what they do to keep their electric bills as low as possible.

Fort Worth settles with Atatiana Jefferson's family

The Fort Worth City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the $11.25 million settlement

The city of Fort Worth has agreed to pay Atatiana Jefferson&#x27;s family $11.25 million to settle a civil lawsuit related to her killing in 2019.Why it matters: The settlement is one of Fort Worth&#x27;s largest ever payouts and ends a multi-year civil case against the city after a police officer fatally shot Jefferson while responding to a call for a welfare check at her home.

News 🗞

Abbott outpaces Hinojosa in third quarter fundraising

Volvo and Waabi launch autonomous freight runs between Houston and Dallas

Trump praises trucks, tariffs and Paxton during Denton visit

How Paxton vs. Talarico compares to Cruz vs. O'Rourke

KFC pilots new concept in McKinney