Cruz-O'Rourke race tightens, Cowboys fire O-line coach, Pittsburgh shooting hits home in Dallas: Your Monday evening roundup

October 29,  2018 By Wayne Carter Good evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Sen. Ted Cruz is clinging to a narrow lead as Election Day approaches, but his challenger, Beto O'Rourke is closing in, according to a new poll released Monday. (Daniel Carde, Rose Baca/Staff Photographers) Elections 2018 Beto O'Rourke closes in but Ted Cruz still holds narrow lead in Texas Senate race Challenger Beto O'Rourke is closing in on Sen. Ted Cruz, [though the incumbent is clinging to a 5-point lead in a Quinnipiac University Poll released Monday.]( With a 51-46 race eight days before Election Day, the El Paso congressman has cut Cruz's lead nearly in half in the last three weeks. The same pollsters found a 9 percentage point lead for Cruz in a poll released Oct. 11, and the same margin three weeks before that, despite the intervention of President Donald Trump, who headlined a rally of 16,000 in Houston for Cruz last Monday night. The latest figures put the Democrat within striking distance, thanks to a strong showing among independent voters, who favor the Democrat 56 to 40 percent. Cruz holds a 2-1 advantage among Anglo voters. Party lines: If the Texas Senate race is "about the base," [who’s wooing independents? Are there any left?]( Up to the challenge? Can Beto O'Rourke upset Ted Cruz? [Here are five questions to consider](leading up to the critical midterm elections. advertisement [( Cowboys Dallas Cowboys fire offensive line coach Paul Alexander, promote Marc Colombo The Dallas Cowboys are making more changes. [First-year offensive line coach Paul Alexander has been fired](, the team announced Monday. Former Cowboys offensive lineman and current assistant Marc Colombo will move into the role. Additionally, the team has hired Hudson Houck, a longtime offensive line coach for several NFL teams including Dallas, who will work with Colombo and the offensive staff in an advisory capacity. "While approaching the midpoint of the season, and going through an overall evaluation of our entire operation during the bye week, we felt that this move would serve the best interests of our team moving forward," head coach Jason Garrett said in a statement. Cowboys roundtable: Will the Cowboys make more moves before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline? [Our experts weigh in.]( His Cabo moment? If the Cowboys falter down the stretch, [Jason Garrett's World Series trip will be the snapshot of the last straw](, writes Kevin Sherrrington. synagogue shooting Why the killing of Jews 1,200 miles away in Pittsburgh hits home for us in Dallas From Metro columnist Robert Wilonsky: Sunday morning, 24 hours after 11 people were shot to death in Pittsburgh because they were Jewish, I went to shul. Because where else was I supposed to be? I began the day at Temple Emanu-El, our house of worship for the last decade; and ended it Congregation Shearith Israel, where my father, brother and I were bar mitzvahed. At temple, which shares the Hillcrest Road-West Northwest Highway intersection with a sprawling cemetery, armed uniformed marshals were at the entrances. That wasn't new; they're there every Sunday morning for religious school. Inside, the couches and tables in the bright, spacious lounge were filled with parents — some tapping on laptops, some talking into phones, many just sitting in silence. We usually drop off our kids and run errands, go the gym, get a little more sleep. Not on this Sunday morning. [Not after the massacre that happened 1,200 miles away but felt as though it had happened here, to us.]( Commentary: What is domestic tranquility? [It is not being gunned down in your house of worship](, writes Danielle Allen. Commentary: I am better for having the Jewish friends I have made [since moving to Texas from the Middle East,]( writes Dina Malki. advertisement [( (Rex C. Curry/Special Contributor) Photo of the Day Post Malone performs during Posty Fest on Sunday at Dos Equis Pavilion in Dallas. Guidelive's Brenna Rushing says the event could have been a fleeting one-day festival that didn't stand out in a music landscape oversaturated by similar events. But with a lineup stacked with hip-hop heavy hitters, including Grapevine's own Malone, who headlined on Sunday, [the inaugural event quickly proved to be something special.Â]( EDITORS' PICKS - Editorial: Dallas, settle the Exxxotica suit [and get out of the event-hosting business.]( - Real estate: [Big D is second only to the Big Apple]( in new building projects. - A dark and stormy night? After a warm start to the week, [rain and cold could haunt Halloween celebrations.]( - Accidental death: A man was [electrocuted while trimming trees]( Monday at a west Oak Cliff home. - Commentary: [Dallas must stop arresting homeless people for not having homes](, write Philip Kingston and Mark Clayton. Finally... Anti-abortion conservative running for Texas Legislature shares story of her three abortions Lisa Luby Ryan, a conservative Dallas Republican running for the Texas Legislature, wants people to know the truth. She opposes abortion, and she said she’ll always vote for life. But from the time Ryan was a teenager through her 30s, she had three abortions. She’s not hiding them, though, [and says they're part of her redemption story.]( Ryan, a businesswoman, wife and mother of two adult sons, is running against Democrat John Turner in House District 114, which encompasses North Dallas, Preston Hollow and Lake Highlands. About nine years ago, she started touring the country and attending Christian conferences to talk about how faith turned around her life. “I have a story, and I’m not proud of it, but it’s part of who I am,” said Ryan, 57. 👋 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]( [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](#)