Santa Fe school shooting, Dallas cop home from hospital, GOP slams 'Vic': Your weekend roundup

May 20,  2018 By Holly Rusak and Nicholas Friedman Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines of the weekend so far. 🌥️ Weather: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of scattered showers and storms. High: 86. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. A bouquet of flowers was left outside Santa Fe High School, which remained cordoned off Saturday morning. (Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photographer) school shooting School rampage came a week after girl rejected gunman, victim's mom says The teenage gunman arrested after a massacre that killed 10 people and wounded 13 at his school outside Houston confessed following a 15-minute firefight with authorities, court documents reveal. The confession left why he laid waste to Santa Fe High School a mystery, but a mother of one victim said [her daughter rejected his advances a week before the attack.]( Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a junior at the school, was taken into custody after he collapsed in front of an art lab, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed in court. The teenager waived his Miranda rights and "admitted to shooting multiple people inside the school," the document said. The victims: Here's what we know so far about the [victims who have been publicly identified by friends and family](. The families: For hours, the families waited at Barnett Intermediate School, down the street from the high school, [for word of their missing loved ones](. The day after: The Santa Fe baseball team [returned to the field]( and church members [took a course to get a license to carry.]( The vigil: Hundreds gathered on the lawn of Texas First Bank, holding candles, roses or both, as [Gov. Greg Abbott urged them to stand together]( and promised to be with them through the healing process. Officer Crystal Almeida's colleague waited at Baylor University Medical Center Saturday morning to surprise her as she was released from the hospital. (Senior Cpl. John Arnold/Dallas PD) Dallas police Cop who survived Home Depot shooting gets police escort home from hospital Officer Crystal Almeida lost her colleague — and almost her life — while trying to arrest a suspect at a Home Depot in Dallas last month. Almeida was shot in the face in the April 24 shooting, which also critically injured loss-prevention officer Scott Painter. Officer Rogelio Santander, Almeida's partner and close friend, died the next morning. On Saturday, three weeks after the shooting[,]( [about 50 Dallas officers lined up outside Baylor University Medical Center's rehab facility]( to surprise the 26-year-old Almeida as she was released from the facility. "Maybe she thought that we were going to let her go without a proper sendoff but that wasn't happening. No, no, no," said Sgt. Shannon Smith, who supervises Almeida in the northeast patrol division. Traffic fatality: [A motorcyclist was killed early Saturday]( after being hit by another vehicle on Central Expressway in North Dallas. Explosion: A large fire broke out after an [explosion at a manufacturing plant in Pasadena](, outside of Houston. A local fire marshal said 20 people were injured in the blast and one person is missing, according to the Associated Press. But the company where the explosion took place said six people were injured. Vickers "Vic" Cunningham speaks during an interview at The Dallas Morning News in Dallas on Friday, May 18, 2018. Cunningham is running for Dallas County commissioner court district 2. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer) elections Republican party slams Dallas County candidate's alleged 'racist language and behavior' The Dallas County Republican Party on Saturday rebuked Vickers "Vic" Cunningham, a former criminal district judge running for county commissioner, for what [officials called his alleged "racist behavior and language."]( The party's statement came after The Dallas Morning News revealed that people close to Cunningham say he has long expressed racial animosity and referred to black people using the N-word. And Cunningham admitted that he created a trust fund in 2010 that rewards his children if they marry a white, straight, Christian person. Republican Party Chairwoman Missy Shorey said the party "wholeheartedly rejects the racist behavior and language alleged." White, straight and Christian: Cunningham acknowledged Friday that [he set up a living trust with a clause rewarding his children if they marry a white person](. And: Republicans in Texas House runoffs Tuesday [are wallowing in money.]( Election day is Tuesday: [Meet the candidates]( and see who we recommend in the [Republican primary runoffs]( and the [Democratic primary runoffs](. Advertisement (Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photographer)  Photo of the Weekend Texas governor [Greg Abbott hugs Santa Fe High School student Rylie Bouvier](, 15, during a vigil following the shooting at Santa Fe High School. [Nine students and one educator were killed]( and 10 others injured after a shooting at the school Friday morning. Dimitrios Pagourtzis was booked into the Galveston County Jail on capital murder charges. Around The Site - Mansfield teacher: A memo by a Mansfield ISD elementary school principal outlines [steps the district took to investigate an art teacher after three people complained]( she had told her students that "girls can marry girls and boys can marry boys." - Dallas Cowboy arrested:[Terrance Williams was charged with public intoxication]( early Saturday morning, according to the Frisco police department. - Color change: The [two Democrats in Tuesday's runoff say they can turn the 3rd Congressional District blue](, despite the fact that the district encompassing much of Collin County has been solidly red for decades. - Back at it: Johnny Manziel signs a CFL contract and [will return to professional football for first time in three years.]( - Here, there, everywhere: Here's [why you may be noticing Topo Chico everywhere](, and why you'll likely be seeing more. - Happy birthday: See T. Boone Pickens' 90th birthday party, [and well wishes by Garth, Staubach, Switzer and Strait.]( - Ah, the symphony: Van Zweden delivers a hair-raising Wagner 'Die Walküre' — [with an extra helping of drama.]( Opinion roundup - Perspective: The [anti-mom bias at work]( is an open secret. - Editorial: [We withdraw Vickers Cunningham recommendation]( in GOP runoff for Dallas County Commissioners Court Precinct 2. - Analysis: The [simple explanation of the messy Russian investigation]( is one man's ego. - Perspective: Community colleges are a [microcosm of Texas' failure to protect women's health](. - Editorial: A new Trump [immigration policy that separates families is cruel]( and could make a bad situation worse for kids. - Commentary: [Why do so few talented minority students]( pursue doctorates? Matt Zoller Seitz with his wife, Nancy Dawson, on their wedding day next to a photograph of Matt Zoller Seitz and his former wife, Jennifer Dawson. (Chad Batka/Special Contributor) Finally... For writer Matt Zoller Seitz, movies are the secret to success and solace What makes Matt Seitz run?  Before he was one of the most respected critics in America, Seitz would sometimes cut class when he was a student at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He hunkered down in a room behind the school auditorium, where Octavio Solis was teaching his playwriting class. Yes, he cut class so he could write. And write. And write some more. "[I was trying to be Orson Welles when I was nine years old](," Seitz says. 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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