Farenthold urged to fund election, Mansfield ISD renews teacher's contract, NFL Draft set: Your Thursday morning roundup

April 26,  2018 By Carla Solórzano and Dom DiFurio Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌞 Weather: Mainly sunny. High 76 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Rep. Blake Farenthold, a Republican from Corpus Christi, resigned from Congress on April 6, a few months after he dropped plans to run for re-election. (Susan Walsh/AP) taxpayer money Gov. Abbott wants Farenthold to cover taxpayer cost of special election to replace him in Congress Gov. Greg Abbott declared a special election must be held to fill Blake Farenthold’s U.S. House seat, and now [he wants the ex-representative to pay for it](. The Corpus Christi Republican resigned April 6, a few months after dropping re-election plans amid revelations that he used $84,000 in taxpayer money to pay a woman who accused him of sexual harassment in 2014. Farenthold promised to repay the money but has not done so. In a letter Wednesday, Abbott urged Farenthold to use the $84,000 to pay the counties in his former district, rather than the federal government, to cover the cost of the election. Meanwhile: Three Texans nominated for lifetime posts [were grilled about political bias by Senate panel](. And: Odd couple, Reps. Beto O'Rourke and Will Hurd, [continued to pitch bipartisanship at a forum hosted by the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce](. Mansfield ISD parent Tamika Dean told trustees she believed the decision to suspend Stacy Bailey, an art teacher at Charlotte Anderson Elementary, was justified. (Elvia Limon/Staff) renewed Mansfield ISD renews teacher's contract months after suspending her for discussing her sexual orientation The teaching contract of a Mansfield ISD elementary school teacher who was suspended after at least one parent complained that she had discussed her sexual orientation with her students [was renewed Tuesday night](. Stacy Bailey, an art teacher at Charlotte Anderson Elementary, was one of several Mansfield ISD teachers whose contracts were renewed for the 2018-19 school year. The district previously said it had put Bailey on paid leave last fall because parents had the right to "control the conversation with their children, especially as it relates to religion, politics, sex/sexual education, etc." District spokeswoman Hope Boyd said Wednesday that the investigation into Bailey's case was close to an end, but she could not say if the teacher would return to Anderson Elementary for the upcoming school year. Courts: [A Tarrant County jury found a man guilty of murdering his estranged wife in 2016]( while she sat at a red light near the Southlake Town Square.  Commentary: More and more of the interesting [political discussions are going off-line and occurring in private groups]( to escape the glare of social media and political correctness. NFL Draft prospect Ohio State's Denzel Ward, right, gives high-fives to participants during a Play Football Clinic Wednesday, April 25, 2018, in Arlington. The 2018 NFL Draft begins Thursday at AT&T Stadium. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) nfl NFL draft weekend at AT&T Stadium expected to boost local businesses If the Super Bowl, the NFL's annual high-dollar extravaganza, is largely attractive to the expense-account crowd, [think of the NFL draft, coming this weekend to Arlington, as an event for the everyday fan](. The 2018 NFL Draft comes to AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Thursday, Friday and Saturday — the first NFL draft to be held in a stadium. That will allow up to 24,000 select fans to be inside, close to the action, while thousands more participate in free events set up in three of the stadium's parking lots. And the broad fan appeal means hotels at varying price points will have more chances to put heads in beds. Also: There is so much more to go to and do at the [2018 NFL Draft Experience, so here are some highlights](. And: Here's a quick breakdown of [whom draft experts have going to the Cowboys in the first round](. Advertisement (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)  Photo of the Morning Marcia Niemann places flowers on a Dallas police vehicle in honor of Dallas Police Officer Rogelio Santander outside the Dallas Northeast Patrol Division in Dallas on Wednesday. Niemann lives close to the police substation. Santander was [shot and killed outside of a Home Depot]( in Lake Highlands on Tuesday. Officer Crystal Almeida and Home Depot employee Scott Painter were also shot and they remain in critical condition. Around The Site - Obituary: [The so-called "intellectual father" of UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dr. Donald W. Seldin](, died Tuesday. He was 97. - Mark your calendar: Ava DuVernay, the filmmaker behind A Wrinkle in Time, [will be the guest of honor at the Dallas Women's Foundation luncheon later this year](. - Editorial: With foreign policy issues looming, [the Senate should confirm Mike Pompeo to be Secretary of State](. - Congregation honors teacher: A synagogue [commissioned a torah in honor of a Jewish educator who died after she was diagnosed]( with Stage 4 lung cancer. - Crime: A Houston man turned in his son after [the 18-year-old bragged about items he'd stolen](. - Get medieval: Here are 10 things to know [before going to Scarborough Renaissance Festival](. - Ear candy: [Crank things up to 11 for a fleet of rock concerts]( in the Dallas-Fort Worth area this week. (Courtesy Dana Adam Shapiro) Finally ... See how the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders became 'Daughters of the Sexual Revolution' As the story goes, [the phenomenon of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders]( started with an impromptu stroll by one Bubbles Cash. Cash, an adult entertainer of a more innocent era, was walking to her seat at the Cotton Bowl during a Cowboys/Falcons game in 1967. She wasn't wearing much, and the entire stadium took notice. So did Tex Schramm, the Cowboys' original president and general manager. This, he thought, is something we could sell. [Keep reading]( 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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