New star ratings for restaurants, Victory Park at 20, arming educators: Your Thursday evening roundup

August 23,  2018 By Wayne Carter Good evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Dallas Morning News restaurant critic Michalene Busico (Michael Hogue/Staff Artist) Dining and entertainment We're changing our restaurant ratings system from 5 stars to 4 — and here's why [From restaurant critic Michalene Busico:]( Forty years ago, on Oct. 20, 1978, The Dallas Morning News ran its first restaurant review with a star rating. It was for a French place on Lovers Lane called Marcel's, and it wasn't exactly an auspicious start. "The best bets are a smoky pate and the marinated mushrooms," critic Derro Evans wrote, "and the worst bets are anything else." The final tally: 1½ stars out of 5. Since then, through eight chief critics and thousands of reviews, the five-star system has remained pretty much the same. The top of the chart, 5 stars, rewarded "fine dining," the restaurants with white tablecloths and heavy silver, tabs that pay for a battalion of waiters and most likely a French menu. The bottom belonged to places with more humble surroundings — or to serious misfires, like Marcel's. To say that times have changed doesn't nearly reflect [how vast the shift in dining has been, particularly in the past 10 years.]( Previously: [Meet our new restaurant critic](, an experienced journalist with a well-trained palate. business Victory Park at 20: Dallas project finally comes into its own with new apartments and eateries Walk down the main drag at Dallas' Victory Park and you'll see a familiar urban vibe. There's a sandwich shop, a pizza place, coffee shop and spa. A Texas-style pub is buzzing with business across the street from the new multiscreen cinema. The candy store and an ice cream shop are open, along with the Asian bar and bistro. Customers coming to the retail street walk over from more than 3,000 apartments in the district. And nearby office towers provide a steady stream of lunchtime eaters. While the project on the northwest corner of downtown still carries the weight of failures in the early days, [new developments and reconstruction of the retail street have given Victory Park a reboot.]( Steering you wrong? A new AAA study claims ride-hailing services like Uber "are not a cost-effective replacement for vehicle ownership." [The Twitterverse isn't having it.]( Texas Report: Texas officials prompted U.S. education secretary to consider allowing use of federal funds to buy guns The U.S. Department of Education is contemplating allowing states to use federal funds to arm educators in the classroom — [an idea that appears to have been born in Texas.]( According to a post by Education Week's Andrew Ujifusa, a senior Trump administration official told EdWeek that the "question of using Title IV money for gun purchases was first raised in a letter from Texas officials who inquired whether the grants could be used in this way." It's unclear who in Texas government posed the question. A spokesperson for the Texas Education Agency said Thursday morning that they were investigating the matter. Watchdog: This is how the state of Texas [confuses you about the cost of your property taxes.]( [Sign up for breaking news alerts]( (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) Photo of the Day Andi and Craig Hoedebeck take a selfie in front of Miguel Covarrubias' "Genesis - the Gift of Life" at the Dallas Museum of Art. Critic Rick Brettell writes that murals are designed for specific buildings at specific times and, when installed, are expected to stay put for generations. But while murals weren't meant to be mobile, [it's often move it or lose it in our transient culture.]( Around The Site - Teen dies: A 13-year-old boy [died at a hospital after collapsing during football practice]( at a Crowley middle school. - Editorial: If you run a charity for slain police officers, [give all the money to the families.]( - Check this out: Kroger plans to end the use of plastic bags, [but shoppers have time to prepare.Â]( - Commentary: Community policing [has hidden costs](, writes Shefali V. Patil. - Power play: Trump's tax cuts will shave $1.2 billion from Texas electricity bills. [Here's how much you might save.]( - Heroic effort: Fort Worth police officers [saved a suicidal woman from jumping from a highway bridge.]( - Minaj au revoir: Nicki Minaj has canceled her Dallas concert on Nov. 1 but insists the tour will return. - Technology: Sure, you can archive your text messages. [Here's how.]( Houston SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carried Cathy Pham and then 13-month-old son, Aidan, to safety after they were rescued by boat from the flooding on Interstate 610 south in Houston on Aug. 27, 2017. (Louis DeLuca/File Photo) Finally... Woman's famed rescue in Houston SWAT officer's arms was just first step in arduous Harvey recovery The Pham family became the face of rescue efforts last year when an unforgettable photo captured during one of Texas’ worst hurricanes went viral. The image showed a sleeping baby boy cradled in his mother’s arms as a SWAT officer rescued them from Hurricane Harvey flood waters. Today, the Phams want people to know that life after that photo has been a long and difficult journey toward recovery. [And not just for them, but for thousands in Texas.]( [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! 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