A network of highways has divided Dallas' neighborhoods for decades, but a series of deck parks — including one opening Saturday — are stitching them back together.

Why it matters: Halperin Park attempts to mend a historically Black community that was divided when Interstate 35E opened in the 1960s.

• The park over I-35E, at least for a short stretch, reconnects North Oak Cliff with East Oak Cliff.

The latest: Halperin Park opens at 7am tomorrow with a grand opening celebration starting at 9am.

• The park will host yoga, story times, craft zones, concerts, face painting and a Mother's Day picnic as part of the two-day opening event.

State of play: The park is much like Klyde Warren Park, which joins Uptown and Downtown and has inspired other deck park projects in the country.

• The parks each have a mix of greenspace, walking paths, fountains and areas for entertainment.

What they're saying: Mayor Eric Johnson said he expects Halperin Park to attract new investment and development in the area, like Klyde Warren, which has had a $3 billion economic impact since opening in 2012.

• The park is "not a frivolous amenity," Johnson said during a private opening ceremony Thursday evening, but "a strategic investment."

How it works: The park was built through a public-private partnership, which included the Texas Department of Transportation.

• TxDOT built the "cap" over the highway, between Ewing and Lancaster avenues. The city and private donations helped finish the first phase of the park.
• The deck construction was paid for with $7 million in city bond money and $40 million from the North Central Texas Council of Governments. The foundation that runs the park raised more than $62 million for the amenities.

If you go: The park opens every day at 7 am. It closes at 10pm Sunday–Thursday and at 11pm Friday and Saturday.

• Using public transportation is recommended. Paid parking is available nearby at the Dallas Zoo.
• Rideshare dropoff is located on Ewing Avenue.

The Dallas Foundation will invest $2 million toward improving pediatric and maternal health in underserved parts of Dallas County, the foundation announced this week.

Why it matters: The foundation hopes to address what it calls a "clear maternal health crisis" in North Texas, saying complications during pregnancy and birth are costly, hurt worker productivity and impact the next generation of workers.

Threat level: Nationally and in Texas, Black and Hispanic women have significantly higher rates of mortality and complications compared to white women.

• Black women in Texas had the highest rate of hospitalizations related to severe maternal morbidity— 130 per 10,000 hospitalizations — in 2023, per the state's latest data.

Zoom in: In Dallas County, the infant mortality rate increased by more than 6% from 2013-23, per the Dallas Foundation.

What they're doing: The foundation's grants will be split between the Child Poverty Action Lab and the Parkland Health Foundation over the next four years.

• The Child Poverty Action Lab will use the funds on contraceptive care accessibility, data-informed strategies for reducing severe complications and a regional platform aimed at improving the birthing experience at more than two dozen local hospitals.
• Parkland plans to expand its postpartum nurse home visits to every Dallas County ZIP code and establish a service line for prenatal, maternity and postpartum care at 10 primary clinics and its Medical District hospital. The funding would also be spent on mental health support and doula programs.

Bumble's swipe feature — responsible for countless connections, breakups and everything in between — will soon be no more, founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd announced this week on "The Axios Show."

Why it matters: Wolfe Herd, an SMU graduate who returned to Austin-based Bumble as CEO last year, is making a big bet: ditching core features to pivot toward AI-driven matchmaking and attract new users ahead of a relaunch this year.

Between the lines: It's a ripe time for a product overhaul as Bumble deals with a sagging business, Gen Z dating app fatigue and stiff competition from Tinder and Hinge.

Driving the news: Bumble's changes will roll out in select markets starting in the fourth quarter of this year, and Wolfe Herd was vague on what exactly will replace the swipe.

• The app's signature women-go-first rule is also changing.
• "We will not force one gender over another to do something first," Wolfe Herd said.

Go deeper: Share this story and subscribe to Axios on YouTube, where the full episode with Wolfe Herd will premiere next week.

🙏 Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is investigating the Dallas, Plano and Fort Worth school districts over the state's requirement to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms and offer prayer time. (DMN)

✈️ Spirit Airlines has laid off nearly 950 employees across Texas, including 444 at DFW Airport, to end its operations. (KERA)

🚨 A Richardson restaurant remained closed a day after police fatally shot a man suspected of stabbing four people inside. (FOX4)

The Fort Worth Zoo debuted a new Asian elephant calf yesterday and his name couldn't be more Texan.

• Sam Houston was born at a whopping 285 pounds last month, joining his brother Travis and half-sister Lady Bird.

Why it matters: The Fort Worth Zoo is part of a conservation program to boost the populations of endangered species such as the Asian elephant.

Driving the news: Sam Houston bonded with his mom, Bluebell, and learned how to swim before making his public debut yesterday at the zoo's Elephant Springs habitat.

• "Given his remarkable size – the largest calf in zoo history – it felt only fitting to honor one of Texas' most iconic figures, Sam Houston," the zoo said in a news release.

If you go: The zoo's visitors can catch Sam Houston 11am-2pm daily.