Clay Jenkins will face GOP challenge, abuse allegations against ex-St. Mark's teacher: Your Thursday evening roundup

August 30,  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 County Judge Clay Jenkins casts his ballot in the November 2016 general election at El Centro College in Dallas. A judge's ruling on Wednesday will allow Republicans to field a candidate to oppose Jenkins' bid for re-election this year. (2016 File Photo/Staff) politics Republicans will have an opponent for Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins after court rules in party's favor A Texas appeals court has sided with local Republicans [in their last-minute effort to salvage their nominee for Dallas County judge.]( The ruling issued Wednesday means that Clay Jenkins, the Democratic incumbent, will face a Republican challenger this fall after all. Jenkins temporarily forced out a GOP rival after he sued this month to block Republicans from replacing their original candidate for county judge, who dropped out in July. Former Rowlett Mayor Todd Gottel cited personal reasons for quitting the race. Republicans replaced him with Brian Hutcheson, a local justice of the peace who was disqualified from running for re-election after a judge ruled in July that he didn't have enough signatures to appear on the ballot. Governor's race: Incumbent Greg Abbott says Texas is in good shape [in his first statewide TV spot.]( abuse allegations 'I am not a predator': Ex-St. Mark's teacher responds to investigation at East Coast school An English teacher was quietly forced out of an elite New Hampshire prep school in 1980 for making sexual advances toward students before he went on to teach at St. Mark's School of Texas in Dallas for nearly three decades, [according to a recent internal investigation by the East Coast school.]( Henry Ploegstra, 84, retired from St. Mark's six years ago. "I am not a predator," he said in a telephone interview Thursday, acknowledging "an isolated incident" at the New Hampshire school, Phillips Exeter Academy. He said the report is a gross exaggeration of what happened. The allegations against Ploegstra and 10 other staff members at Exeter were detailed last week in a scathing report the school released after an extensive investigation into its failures to respond to sexual abuse cases. Commentary: As its child sex-abuse scandal escalates, [the Catholic Church is now at war with itself.]( editorial Dallas jury showed courage with murder conviction, 15-year sentence for cop who killed Jordan Edwards The truth is that nothing will bring Jordan back, and his family and many others understandably hoped for a longer sentence. But his family, along with the prosecutors, also argued that in its full context, [the resolution of this case is a historic step forward.]( Commentary: Any talk about impeachment is premature. [Here's what would have to happen.]( (Ben Torres/Special Contributor) Photo of the Day A chef's choice charcuterie board at Macellaio in Dallas' Bishop Arts District includes (front to back) speck, ventricina vastese, lonza, Texas wagyu pastrami, and mortadella. For a small restaurant, [Macellaio delivers a lot of different experiences, says DMN dining critic Michalene Busico](. Take a seat at the bar, order a spritz and snack to your heart's desire. Have a casual tapas-style meal and share a few dishes. Treat it like a chophouse, and the steak, lamb ribs and sensational beef tartare will not disappoint. editors' picks - Fort Worth: One person was killed and three were wounded [in shootings at a Fort Worth strip club.]( - Community theater: Five trained actors and 200 Dallas volunteers [are staging Public Works' "The Winter's Tale"]( at Wyly Theatre. - Wanted in Arlington: Police are looking for a pair who [stole a wallet and racked up credit-card charges.]( - Missing person: A 26-year-old man with developmental disabilities [was found safe](, Dallas police reported. - Home movies: This affordable HDR projector [can turn your living room into a theater](, tech columnist Jim Rossman says. - Wanted in Hurst: Police are searching for a suspect [who groped a woman on the Cottonbelt Trail.]( - Books: George Pelecanos' gritty new "The Man Who Came Uptown" [is a crime novel about the power of books.]( Finally... Who can save 'Disaster City'? Rescuers headed to Aggieland are about to find out At the ruins of a fake town about 2 ½ miles from Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field, rescue crews learn how to pull survivors from mounds of rubble. “Disaster City,” as it’s known, [is a training ground for urban search and rescue.]( And it just received a thumbs up from the federal government to continue as a premier place for the exercises — and to lead preparations for the rescuers’ online training course. For the next five years, it’ll prepare the curriculum and be one of the main places where the country’s 5,800 members of federally approved urban search and rescue teams are trained for disasters, A&M officials announced this week. [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 2018 - [The Dallas Morning News]( | [1954 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75201](#)