Crystal Lagoon in flux, gas leak evacuations, First Ladies exhibit: Your Thursday morning roundup

March 01,  2018 By Holly Rusak Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day.  🌥️ Weather: Cloudy skies early, then partly sunny. High: 64 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. The $1 billion Bayside project was originally planned with commercial and residential construction surrounding a Crystal Lagoon water feature. DEVELOPMENT New developer on Rowlett's $1B Bayside project puts Crystal Lagoon plans in flux Rowlett's $1 billion Bayside project has a new developer. And [plans are up in the air for the long-awaited Crystal Lagoon]( in the project on Lake Ray Hubbard. The owners of the 262-acre mixed-use Bayside development on Interstate 30 say they have hired longtime Texas developer Tom D'Alesandro to lead the lakeside commercial and residential project in Rowlett. Developer Kent Donahue, who has worked on the Bayside project for three years, is no longer involved in the project. October 2016: Can man-made Crystal Lagoons wedge Texas vacationers away from golf courses? [This guy thinks so](. September 2017: Eye-popping [Crystal Lagoons' developers are prepping Lake Ray Hubbard site]( and considering Prosper. October 2017: Crystal Lagoons waterpark will [make a splash in Prosper home community](. Construction crews work on gas lines near the intersection of Bowman Boulevard and Chireno Street in Dallas on Wednesday. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer) northwest dallas More homes evacuated, fire station given all-clear after gas leak [Residents continued to be evacuated from their homes Wednesday]( near the northwest Dallas house that exploded last week. Another round of homes — the even addresses in the 3800 block of Cortez and the odd addresses in the 3800 block of Cortez and the 3900 block of Wemdon — were evacuated in the neighborhood Wednesday, according to Atmos Energy. Crews were also going door to door Wednesday to restore natural gas serviceto about 80 homes by 5 p.m., the company said. Different set of problems: [Sewage backups shut down two Dallas fire stations]( deemed to be "unlivable." Punishment fit the crime: A [McKinney farmer put teen trespassers to work]( repairing muddy fields they tore up. Some big banks were more than willing to hand out loans without verifying applicants' employment and income, according to a federal bank fraud case in Dallas. (Photo illustration/Jeff Woon) Crime Banks gave millions in loans to fraudsters who simply made stuff up, feds say Most of Eddie Contreraz's clients either didn't work or didn't earn enough money to qualify for loans, authorities say. But that didn't stop them from getting bank loans, credit cards and lines of credit with his help. [Contreraz did so by studying lending patterns at various banks to find out what information was required, according to federal prosecutors in Dallas](. Then he had his customers submit faked documents like pay stubs, tax records and utility bills to qualify for the loans, prosecutors say. Contreraz last week agreed to plead guilty to bank fraud and now faces up to 30 years in federal prison for his trickery, as well as a maximum fine of $1 million and restitution to his victims, court records show. His schemes resulted in about $30 million in loans being dispersed, according to plea documents. The Dallas bank fraud case exposes internal weaknesses at some banks such as lack of verification of customer information, said Catherine A. Ghiglieri, the former Texas banking commissioner who is now a bank consultant in Austin. No indictment: A Plano police officer has been [cleared of criminal charges for killing the man responsible for the city's worst mass shooting]( in decades that left eight people dead. Sentenced: A Frisco man gets [10 years in prison for assaulting man because he was gay](. Not playing ball: Texas Wesleyan University officials say the school does not discriminate after the [baseball coach told a potential student in an email that the university no longer recruits student-athletes from Colorado]( because of that state's drug laws. Advertisement (Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photographer) Photo of the Morning If there’s one thing Laura Bush wants you to know about being a first lady of the United States, it’s that far more goes into it than just hosting events and dressing well. In fact, she’s dedicated an entire exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum to showcase the impact first ladies have had on U.S. politics, policy and the White House. [She gave]([The Dallas Morning News]([a tour of the new exhibit, "First Ladies: Style of Influence."]( Around The Site - Aw, man! [Gordon Biersch brewpub will close its final location](, in Plano, on Sunday. - And another one: [All 250 Best Buy Mobile stores are closing]( including four in D-FW. - Bad luck: McDonald's [Shamrock Shake is skipping Texas this year](. - Commentary: In Dallas, [we are setting up our high school students to fail](. - Out in D.C.: SMU alumna [Hope Hicks is resigning]( as White House Communications Director. - Mavericks scandal: Fans don't deserve to be punished for this scandal but [Mark Cuban does, and here's how it should be done](. - Crime and courts: The family of an [elderly Dallas woman who said she was raped by a cable installer last year]( is seeking more than $1 million in a lawsuit filed against him and the companies who employed him. The 5-bedroom house was built of stone imported from England. (Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate) Finally... Dallas oilman Trevor Rees-Jones sells $15.9 million University Park mansion [Dallas oilman Trevor Rees-Jones has sold his almost 2-acre University Park estate](. The 12,458-square-foot mansion on Turtle Creek was built in 1996. The English Tudor Revival house has five bedrooms, 6 1/2 baths and eight fireplaces. It was built of limestone imported from England and assembled by English craftsmen. The Volk Estates property was listed for sale for $15.9 million. Kathy Myers and Lacy Schultz of Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate sold the house for an undisclosed price. 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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