Cowboys win, donors save Christmas after fire, potential of snow in Dallas: Your Monday morning roundup

December 18,  2017 By Nicholas Friedman Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. ⛅ Weather: Becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance for isolated rain showers developing in the afternoon. High: 63 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? [It's here.]( Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams tries to elude Oakland Raiders cornerback Dexter McDonald in the first quarter Sunday night in Oakland. (Rose Baca/Staff Photographer) Sports Cowboys pull a 20-17 win over Raiders in a game that goes down to the wire A piece of paper might have saved the Cowboys' season. Dallas' playoff hopes are still alive after an improbable fumble into the end zone by Raiders QB Derek Carr in the final seconds. Here are SportsDay's Jon Machota's [thoughts on the Cowboys' 20-17 win over the Raiders Sunday night]( at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, including quarterback play, the running game and Chido. What's in a name? How Chidobe Awuzie's Nigerian background, Bay Area childhood [led him to Dallas.]( And: The latest report on what Ezekiel Elliott [did in his six weeks off in Cabo, Mexico.]( SPECIAL OFFER [special offer unlimited digital access]( Dorothy Polk adds two Christmas gifts to the growing collection at the Janie C. Turner Recreation Center in southeast Dallas Wednesday. (Guy Reynolds/Staff Photographer) philanthropy Donors triple number of families receiving Christmas gifts after fire destroyed toys at Dallas nonprofit A fire that destroyed a pile of Christmas gifts for needy Dallas families Tuesday sparked the giving spirit in people [who more than made up for the losses.]( The nonprofit Quest 4 Greater Success originally planned to give out toys to 54 families, but donors amassed enough replacement gifts for 182 families, said executive director Assata Thomas. The families couldn't afford to buy gifts this Christmas, so the nonprofit -- along with many benefactors -- stepped in to help. "We made a lot of kids happy," Thomas said. Double duty: Watch Dallas police chief go from [playing Santa to first responder]( in minutes. And: This Texas first-grader [has a simple wish list for Santa]( -- food and a blanket. Also: It's the final countdown for Christmas shipping. [Here’s what you need to know.]( Snow covered Flag Pole Hill Park in a layer of white during Christmas in Dallas in 2012. (File Photo/Staff) weather Will Dallas have a white Christmas? A much-needed, soaking rain is in the forecast again Monday night into Tuesday morning in North Texas, but come on, [let's get to what you really care about.]( Christmas is still a week away, but forecasters are keeping a close watch on our chances for snow. The good news for those pulling for a white Christmas? We have a chance. The bad news? "I wouldn't get your hopes up," said Lamont Bain, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in Fort Worth. Computer-generated forecasts are changing day to day, and it is far too early to know what exactly will happen. Have a local Christmas: These are [the best songs by D-FW artists]( for your Christmas playlist. Commentary: [How America changed Hanukkah.]( Advertisement (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News) Photo of the Morning Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones hugs his son, Highland Park quarterback John Stephen Jones after the Scots defeated Denton Ryan, 45-35, in the Class 4A Division I state semifinal Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The win [putsÂ](Highland Park in the state championship game for the second straight year. Around The Site - In Fort Worth: Police arrested a man early Sunday after [exchanging gunfire with him during a traffic stop]( along an Interstate 30 service road. - In San Antonio: A 39-year-old man [attacked his stepson with a machete]( Friday in the San Antonio-area city of Kirby, police said. - Travel: Authorities say a power outage at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport [has disrupted ingoing and outgoing flights.]( - Christmas: Santa Claus and his elves get all the credit, but the [magic really happens in a North Texas warehouse about the size of 13 football fields.]( - Lawsuit: The family of a Texas woman killed in a chairlift fall [says the resort knew of safety problems.]( - Crime: This year is [on track to be the deadliest in Mexico]( since the government began releasing crime records 20 years ago. (Michael Hogue/The Dallas Morning News) Finally... In 2014, Alicia Skeats couldn’t pay a $65 cab fare home from her methadone treatment clinic. It landed her in Dallas County jail. She died of drug withdrawal. A Dallas Morning News investigation found a substantial increase in the number of women going to county jails. From 2011 to 2016, they died of drugs and alcohol at a higher percentage than men. Texas has no minimum standards for detox in local jails. Skeats’ mother says her death never should have happened: “If it could happen to Alicia, it could happen to anybody... She didn’t deserve this.” [Read our investigation about women in Texas jails dying from withdrawal and other drug-related issues here.]( 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=). 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