Record rain, Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke's debate: Your weekend roundup

September 23,  2018 By Carla Solórzano and Tommy Cummings Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines of the weekend so far. 🌥️ Weather: Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance for lingering showers and storms. High of 75 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Water floods out of the banks of White Rock Creek onto the Flagpole Hill Trail in Dallas on Saturday. (Brian Elledge/Staff photographer) WEATHER Wettest-ever September for Dallas-Fort Worth shatters 86-year-old record [Dallas-Fort Worth has received more than four times the normal amount of rain for the month of September]( — and there's more in the forecast next week. The normal rainfall average in September is 2.55 inches. As of 8:30 a.m. Saturday, the gauge at DFW International Airport had recorded 11.3 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record for the month of September was 10.8 inches, set in 1932, according to Patricia Sanchez, a weather service meteorologist. [D-FW also recorded its third wettest 24-hour period on record]( with 7.57 inches of rain through 6 a.m. Saturday. Rooftop rescues: [Flash flooding in Everman had residents scrambling to their to their rooftops]( while they waited for rescue early Saturday. Roads flood, creeks overflow: Torrential rain swamped much of North Texas early Saturday, [flooding roads and filling creeks to bursting.]( Flood rescue: Dallas Fire-Rescue officials [rescued 15 people from floodwaters in southeast Dallas]( early Saturday. Drowning: A man drowned near the University of Texas at Arlington [after being swept away by floodwaters early Saturday](, officials said.. Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Beto O'Rourke shake hands before their first debate, which took place Friday night at Southern Methodist University. The debate was co-hosted by The Dallas Morning News, KXAS-TV and SMU. (Nathan Hunsinger/Staff photographer) Ted Cruz-BETO O'ROURKE DEBATE Testy debate punctuated by clashes on immigrants, Kavanaugh, NFL protests [Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Beto O’Rourke engaged in a fierce clash Friday night, exposing deep rifts]( — and a clear choice for Texas voters — over immigration, police brutality, gun violence and the best way to deal with President Donald Trump. The rivals glared at each other throughout the debate, and their words were often biting — projecting mutual disdain if not outright contempt. Cruz called his rival a socialist. O'Rourke depicted the senator as derelict in his duty to stand up to an out-of-control president The debate, the first between the rivals, [took place at Southern Methodist University and was co-hosted byÂ]([The Dallas Morning News]([, KXAS-TV (NBC5) and SMU.]( The News and NBC5 provided moderators Gromer Jeffers Jr. and Julie Fine. It was broadcast and streamed live online and will be rebroadcast at 8 a.m. Sunday. Commentary: When stakes are high, candidates are going to be well-prepped, well-spoken and controlled, [writes contributor Roy R. Reynolds.]( Sports For Dallas ISD coaches, coming home is about more than returning to their roots. It’s about revitalizing them and changing kids' lives. On Herman Johnson's graduation day from Skyline, the last place he envisioned his life taking him was right back to his alma mater. That day in 1987, which also happened to be the same day he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves, Johnson's sights were set on a career in professional baseball and all the places it could take him. Fast-forward three decades, and Johnson is back strolling through the same hallways that he did as a student at Skyline. [But this time, it's as Skyline's athletic coordinator and head football coach](. "For me to come back here, it's special," Johnson said. "It really is." Johnson, who was hired by Skyline in spring 2018, is one of six Dallas Independent School District coaches who have returned to lead the football programs at their alma maters. It's not unheard of for coaches to return to where they got their starts. Similarly to DISD, six of Houston ISD's 23 varsity football coaches are currently coaching their alma maters. In Fort Worth ISD, only one head football coach is coaching at his alma mater, and no others graduated from FWISD. Riley Dodge made statewide headlines when he returned to Southlake Carroll this spring to lead the program he once led to a state championship. But for DISD coaches, coming home is about more than returning to their roots. It's about revitalizing them. And: The Longhorns came from behind and stormed past No. 17 TCU on Saturday, 31-16. [Here are five takeaways from Saturday's game](. Meanwhile: Jimbo Fisher wants to build a competitive Texas A&M team. [Alabama just showed the Aggies there's plenty of work left to get there](. Ashley Landis/Staff photographer Photo of the WEEKEND University of Texas mascot Bevo is led into Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin before UT's game against TCU on Saturday. Texas ended a four-game losing streak to No. 17 TCU [with a 31-16 victory in the Big 12 opener for both teams](. Around The Site - Suds with buds: Texas breweries brought home 18 medals, including six gold, [at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.]( - Where have all the horny toads gone? How Texans are[working together to protect the state reptile](. - Classical music: [Friday night's season-opening concert from Southern Methodist University's student orchestra]( wasn't as taut was subsequent performances surely will be. - Commentary: With decision day approaching on Amazon HQ2, [here’s a closing argument for North Texas](: We’ve done this before — and in a way few can match. - Superintendent resigns: The southeast Texas superintendent who said on Facebook that ["you can't count on a black quarterback" is out of a job](. - Dog walker stabbed: Police are[looking for a man who they say followed a woman into her North Dallas apartment]( and stabbed her to death. - Fatal shooting: [A man was fatally shot after a fight broke out at a part](y early Saturday in Fort Worth, police said. Isaiah Lee, 5, Weatherford, Texas, talks to his mom as Big Tex is raised by worker on Friday, September 21, 2018 at Fair Park in Dallas. Big Tex has been the official State Fair of Texas' icon for the past 66 years. (Shaban Athuman/Staff Photographer) Finally... A junior Big Tex upstages the real thing as giant cowboy goes up a week before State Fair opens [A pint-size version of Big Tex briefly upstaged the 55-foot cowboy](, who took his rightful place Friday a week before the State Fair of Texas opens. Five-year-old Isaiah Lee of Weatherford posed in front of the Fair Park icon wearing a perfect replica of the cowboy's attire and even mimicked his signature wave. "What does Big Tex say?" Holly Lee asked her son, and without hesitation, in the deepest voice he could muster, Isaiah replied, "Howdy, folks! Welcome to the State Fair of Texas!" With the fair opening Sept. 28, crew members were hard at work Friday setting up Big Tex, who each year towers above fair-goers enjoying the annual celebration of all things Texan. 👋 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=). 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](#)