Gas leak found at house explosion, fluctuating rent prices: Your Friday evening news roundup

March 02,  2018 By Holly Rusak Happy Texas Independence Day, y'all! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. A failed service tee connection to 3524 Espanola Drive, is marked with NTSB evidence tags in preparation for transport to the NTSB's materials lab in Washington (National Transportation Safety Board/Courtesy) NORTHWEST DALLAS At least one gas pipe leak found at site of deadly Dallas house explosion A federal inquiry into an explosion that killed a 12-year-old Dallas girl has [found at least one gas leak at her home as the investigation continues to determine what went wrong](. Atmos Energy has shut off service to the neighborhood, leaving 2,800 people without gas for as long as three weeks. the National Transportation Safety Board says rain has delayed its search for leaks and other evidence. The investigation continued Friday. "A leak has been found at a service tee connection to 3524 Espanola Drive. This 6-foot long distribution mainline segment has been collected and will be shipped to the NTSB materials laboratory in Washington for examination," the NTSB said in a written statement. "The NTSB plans to conduct further pressure tests on customer gas lines at 3534 Espanola Drive in the next three to four days." Among the possible causes federal investigators will consider is whether the combination of clay soil and recent rains put too much pressure on old steel pipes and caused leaks. Two nearby homes caught fire in the two days before Michellita's death. School lockdown: An [incorrect 911 report about gunfire at a Dallas' Comstock Middle School]( triggered a lockdown and elicited a large police response Friday morning. Meanwhile: Three Plano oil companies and their executives took $11.7 million from "unsophisticated" investors and [spent some of it on alcohol, strip club visits and cocaine](, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Abuse in sports: [What local gymnastics coaches are doing to keep your kids safe]( amid largest sexual abuse scandal in sports history. (Graphic/DMN Staff) REAL ESTATE Why do D-FW apartment rents vary so much, even within the same complex? If you’re a renter in Dallas, you’ve likely experienced the disorientation that comes with apartment-hunting in one of the nation’s fastest-growing markets. It’s all part of a [shifting landscape in which rents are set more and more like airfares](, changing daily in response to huge amounts of information. “No one sets rent for more than a day anymore unless the property doesn’t lease up,” said David Kahn, Dallas-Fort Worth senior market analyst for the real estate data firm CoStar, which bought Apartments.com in 2014. The Dallas Morning News spoke with Kahn and other experts about what’s driving the changes and got some tips for the next time you’re shopping for a place to live. CEO talk: [Southwest Airlines' Gary Kelly talks]( about flights to Hawaii, assigned seats and retirement. Ups and downs: J.C. Penney on Friday reported a [fourth-quarter profit and announced a restructuring that cuts 360 jobs]( to reduce costs and eliminate "bureaucracy." We have Texas-shaped pools (like the Texas Pool on the Creek in Plano) because that's how we roll. (Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer) CURIOUS TEXAS Why is Texas so big - and why are we so bsessed with its size? On our state's 182nd birthday, we're asked: [Why is Texas so big - and why are we so obsessed with its size?]( The question comes from 7-year-old Lily, who wrote in looking for answers from [Curious Texas, a project fromÂ]([The Dallas Morning News]( that invites you to join in our reporting process. Texas is big, which is less an observation than a statement of the woefully obvious. Yes, our state is freaking enormous. In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state, putting an end to Texas' pride of first-in-size. Alaska may be more than twice our size - as long as you count the parts that are perpetually frozen or habitable only by bears - but we brushed it off like a pesky gnat. A single word in the state song was changed - "largest" became "boldest," which sounds more badass anyway. From the archives: "Remember Goliad" [the massacre often overshadowed by the Alamo](. Trivia time: [Ten things you didn't know about the Texas Revolution](. One man's take: [The definitive list of best songs about Texas](. [Sign up for breaking news alerts]( Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) Photo of the Day Okay, FINE, so the Dallas Stars lost in the shoot-out to the Tampa may Lightning last night. That's still a point! And let's focus on happier times, like when Tyler Seguin (91) celebrated (not pictured) Mattias Janmark's game-tying goal with just seconds to spare. Captain Jamie Benn looks pretty happy, too. [Check out many more photos from Thursday night's game](. Around The Site - Commentary: The [untold tale of the amazing but doomed house]( that sits on five acres of prime Preston Hollow real estate, writes Robert Wilonsky. - Vindicated: Former Dallas City Council member [Tiffinni Young wins "ambulance chaser" lawsuit]( filed after dog mauling. - Adventure: When she left her job and he lost his, [their loving partnership kicked into high gear](. - Road trip: [A year-long journey means learning to live in the moment]( — while frantically planning ahead. - Commentary: [It's morally wrong for a Christian school to arm teachers](, writes Ryan Waller, assistant rector at Church of the Incarnation. - Trade troubles: As President Donald pushes the U.S. toward a global trade war over new tariffs on steel and aluminum, [there also remains the sizable skirmish that's emerged over the North American Free Trade Agreement](. Around The Site Primary Election - Voter Guide: [Create a personalized ballot]( and see candidate answers to a host of questions. - Editorial: Our recommendations for the [Republican primary]( and the [Democratic primary](. - Republican races: With top-of-the-ticket races all but decided, the[lesser-known GOP races are benefiting from a media boost](. - Tax revamp: Dallas Rep. Pete Sessions, engaged in his toughest re-election fight in years, is [counting on the GOP’s $1.5 trillion tax overhaul to serve as the ultimate trump card](. - Editorial: [Who's to blame as lawsuit persists]( that would kick 127 Dallas Democrats off the ballot. - Editorial: [Texas needs to build on early-voting momentum]( on Election Day. Finally... Another Dallas restaurant airs on Guy Fieri's 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' T cozy little Thai shop in Uptown Dallas is about to get the Guy Fieri treatment. A 30-minute episode featuring [CrushCraft Thai will air onÂ]([Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives]([ on March 9 at 8 p.m. on the Food Network](. CrushCraft joins a list of five other Dallas-area restaurants that Fieri visited in fall 2017 when he was here hosting a kids' cooking contest at the State Fair of Texas. The other five restaurants, detailed here, premiered on the show in January and February; the CrushCraft date was unknown back then. Advertisement [Subscribe to our Real Estate newsletter]( 👋 That's all for this evening! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. 💖 Share the love! If you like this newsletter, please [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=Evening%20Roundup%20Feedback).[Dennis Jansen](mailto:djansen@dallasnews.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) 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](#)