Dallas officer's family says they aren't racist, chemicals leaked under homes in Grand Prairie: Your Wednesday morning roundup

September 12,  2018 By Nataly Keomoungkhoun and Dom DiFurio Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. ☁️Weather: Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. High 83 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Dallas police Officer Amber Guyger with her family at Joe's Crab Shack in 2016. (Facebook) Botham Jean Dallas police officer Amber Guyger's family says they aren't racist, deny gestures in photos are white power signs After the fatal shooting of Bowtham Jean by Dallas officer Amber Guyger, social media users noted photos of Guyger's brother-law, Noe Garza, making hand gestures that some believed might symbolize white power. After the shooting, social media users noted photos of Guyger's brother-law, Noe Garza, making hand gestures that some believed might symbolize white power. But in a telephone interview Tuesday, [Garza denied he or any member of Guyger's family has connections to white supremacists]( or supports their causes. He said the gestures were meant to be silly and fun. "My last name is Garza. I'm a Mexican," he said. "I don't care about your nationality. I don't care about the color of your skin. We all bleed red." Family members declined to discuss the shooting or Guyger, who has been charged with manslaughter. But they said they wanted to address accusations Guyger and her family are racists. The Dallas Morning News reached out to the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti Defamation League — both of which are known for identifying hate groups — to examine the photos. The SPLC didn't have an expert available, and the ADL didn't respond. Botham Jean case: [Did Amber Guyger get special treatment]( as a Dallas officer after she shot Botham Jean? Meanwhile: A man [is in critical condition after he was shot by a police officer]( Monday when he pulled a gun and fled a traffic stop in White Settlement, officials said. And: Gov. Greg Abbott invited a number of Dallas-Fort Worth first responders to Austin on Tuesday and [presented them with Star of Texas Awards](. Advertisement [ immigration U.S. to triple number of beds at tent camp for immigrant children near El Paso The government said Tuesday that it plans to [triple the amount of space for migrant children traveling without a parent]( at the Tornillo immigrant detention camp so that up to  3,800 of the children can be held there. That’s a 20 percent increase in the number of beds for unaccompanied minors, now at 12,800, in the controversial network of more than 100 shelters overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It comes as the length of stay for unaccompanied minors has lengthened to an average of 59 days — nearly double what it was four years ago. Meanwhile: The Bipartisan Policy Center says results of a survey to be released Friday support the view that [Texas and its historic, pragmatic views on immigration are key to pushing for future reform](. Also: Texas [probably won't ax a reference to 'heroic' Alamo defenders]( from history classes despite controversy. pollution Grand Prairie industrial site that leaked cancer-causing chemicals under homes gets Feds' attention A Grand Prairie industrial site [that leaked cancer-causing chemicals under more than 100 homes]( is now eligible for cleanup funding, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday. The 1.1-acre Delfasco Forge property has been placed on the Superfund National Priorities List, which features some of the nation's most polluted sites. Still, funding and cleanup of the toxic groundwater and soil could take 10 to 15 more years, said Jim Cummings, Grand Prairie's environmental services director. "It's a step in the right direction, but it's just a step," said Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen. "I don't want anybody to think that everything is going to be good next year. It's a long process. We're going to have to be patient and vigilant." And: Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is planning [an aggressive push to bolster security]( over the next five years. Also: Cedar Hill ISD's tax-rate election failed, and it [could have implications for other Texas school districts' tax-rate elections](. Advertisement [ editor's picks - Weather: Texas coast could see tropical depression — [what will that mean for Dallas-Fort Worth?]( - Jobs: [Tribune Broadcasting Co. is cutting 120 people]( at its television stations in Dallas and Houston. - Crime: North Texas sisters [bilked $90,000 from an elderly man]( they met at casino with a "diminished mental capacity," police said. - Dallas Police: A Dallas police officer was arrested early Tuesday [on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.]( - Real Estate: A new shopping center is on the way [at the old Sam's Club site near Dallas' Cityplace](, one of the largest vacant building sites on North Central Expressway. The African-American Museum at Fair Park will feature an exhibit titled Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty during the State Fair of Texas. (Dallas Morning News File Photo) Finally... African American Museum at Fair Park to host Sally Hemings exhibit during State Fair of Texas The Monticello exhibit at the African American Museum will be one of the standout features at the State Fair of Texas this year, museum officials say. Dallas is the first city to host the groundbreaking, upgraded touring exhibit that curators say for the first time[tells the most detailed story of Sally Hemings, an enslaved black woman who historians say was the mother of six children of former President Thomas Jefferson.]( The exhibit title, Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty, alludes to the paradox of the Declaration of Independence's credo "that all men are created equal." Historians say Jefferson owned more than 600 enslaved black men and women despite serving as the document's primary author. Read more about the exhibit [here.]( 👋 That's all for this morning! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. 💖 Share the love! 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