Cowboys win with giant plays, Uber driver accused of rape's credentials, police gun buybacks: Your Monday morning roundup

December 11,  2017 By Todd Davis Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌞 Weather: A mainly sunny sky with an expected high of 76 degrees. Tonight, a few clouds with a low of 42 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? [It's here.]( Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Dez Bryant celebrate running back Rod Smith's fourth-quarter touchdown catch-and-run against the New York Giants Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (Tom Fox/Staff Photographer) Cowboys Cowboys got lucky Sunday and will need a lot more of it If Jason Garrett had coached ol' Sisyphus, he'd have told him to keep rolling that rock up the hill, because sooner or later the results might actually change, columnist Kevin Sherrington writes. Next thing you knew, [the Cowboys swamped the hapless Giants, 30-10](, and the score makes it seem like you're carping for wondering what took them so long. So what happened? "Dallas made a couple [of] big plays," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said, "and we didn't." And that, friends, was the difference between a team harboring faint playoff hopes and a 2-11 bunch playing its first game under its new coach and old quarterback. And: How the Cowboys' offense exploded for big plays: [This isn't ultimate Frisbee](. Also: What stood out most about Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's play in win over Giants [wasn't his stats](. SPECIAL OFFER [special offer unlimited digital access]( (Eric Risberg/The Associated Press) uber sued Dallas Uber driver accused of rape had family violence arrest that should have barred him from job, suit says An elderly Tarrant County woman who told police an Uber driver raped her before dropping her off in October is suing the San Francisco company and the Dallas driver for more than $1 million. [Hashem Ramezanpour, 40, is wanted on a charge of aggravated sexual assault.Â](Fort Worth police said he may have fled the country. He is a citizen of Iran, according to court records. The 77-year-old woman is identified in court records only as "Jane Doe." The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Dallas. The woman's complaint alleges that lab tests confirmed Ramezanpour as her attacker. And: In August 2015, [Dallas and Uber disagreed]( on whether a driver accused of rape was licensed to drive. Fort Worth police officers J.M. Aguilar (left) and R. Delos Santos collect weapons during a gun buyback program on Saturday. (Rex Curry/Special Contributor) crime and safety Despite the buzz over buybacks, Texas police agencies put thousands of guns on the streets Fort Worth police are so serious about taking guns off the streets that they're willing to buy unwanted weapons from their owners and destroy them. Dallas police, on the other hand, have no interest in buybacks, but they destroy their own weapons once they've outlived their usefulness. Gun buyback programs have the potential to backfire, [a new report by the Texas Standard and the Center for Investigative Reporting's Reveal has found](. The report says nearly half of the 50 biggest law enforcement agencies sell their used weapons, creating a pipeline for old service weapons to land in the streets. And: Violence in Dallas and the U.S. increased last year, but [crime is still at historic lows](, FBI report says Also:  Dallas police to get [millions worth of security enhancements]( after City Council vote Advertisement (Nathan Hunsinger/Staff Photographer) Photo of the Morning Shalane Flanagan, four-time Olympian, (left) watches as BMW Dallas Marathon winner Chandler Self is helped by relay runner Ariana Luterman, 17, from Greenhill School, at the finish line Sunday in downtown. Self, who grew up in Texas and now lives in New York, started collapsing in the final half-mile of Sunday's race. In the final 200 yards, Luterman, who ran the final two miles with Self, repeatedly helped Self to her feet. [A video from WFAA-TV shows the struggle to reach the finish line.]( Around The Site - North Richland Hills: [Two children were killed by their father]( in an apparent murder-suicide Saturday morning. - Downtown Dallas: The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center was evacuated Sunday afternoon after [reports of a bomb threat](, the second evacuation in three days during the Call of Duty World League Championship and Spirit Championship. - Mavericks: On Sunday, Dallas unveiled a new way to fumble away a game that was there for the taking: [not converting the simplest of basketball plays]( -- the layup. - Fort Worth: Two adults and an infant [were killed and four others were injured]( in a crash Sunday night on Blue Mound Road near U.S. Highway 287. - Commentary: For every critic who believes we have come to regard mass murder with a cavalier indifference, there's another that holds the news media accountable for both exaggerating and exacerbating the threat, [writes Jacquielynn Floyd](. - Commentary: For every critic who believes we have come to regard mass murder with a cavalier indifference, there's another that holds the news media accountable for both exaggerating and exacerbating the threat, [writes Jacquielynn Floyd](. Finally... Former Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins said Sunday he won't run for his old job. "Dallas has been great to me," Watkins told The Dallas Morning News. "It's time to focus on my family." [With Watkins opting against a comeback attempt](, that leaves former state District Judges John Creuzot and Elizabeth Frizell as likely contenders for the Democratic Party nomination for district attorney. Creuzot has already filed his candidacy and Frizell is expected to do so by Monday's deadline. The winner will meet Republican incumbent Faith Johnson in the general election. AdVERTISEMENT 👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. 💖 Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. 📧 Do you have feedback? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to [newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com](mailto:newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com?subject=). STAY CONNECTED WITH US  [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [Tumblr]( [Google]( [Reddit](  [OTHER NEWSLETTERS]( [SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS]( [Unsubscribe](  |  [Manage Preferences](  |  [Privacy Policy](  |  [Contact](  |  [Advertise]( You received this message because you signed up for this Dallas Morning News newsletter or it was forwarded to you. Copyright 2017 - [The Dallas Morning News]( | [508 Young St., Dallas, TX 75202](#)