Texas Capitol evacuation, the Beto effect in Dallas County, Jerry on Jason: Your Tuesday evening roundup

October 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](. The Texas Capitol was evacuated Tuesday after a suspicious package was delivered to the office of a Democratic lawmaker. (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) texas Evacuation of a few Texas Capitol offices ends after bomb squad finds package isn't a threat Police lifted an evacuation order at the state Capitol on Tuesday after determining that [a suspicious package delivered to a Democratic lawmaker posed "no viable threat" to public safety](. Poncho Nevarez, a Democrat who represents parts of Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border, told The Dallas Morning News he learned this morning his office and several others had been evacuated after he'd received a suspicious package. Nevarez, who was at home in Eagle Pass, said he didn't know what was in the package. It was discovered just days after a Florida man was arrested after being accused of sending pipe bombs to critics of President Donald Trump. "I couldn't tell you if it is a bomb or not. All I know is it was just something that was odd," Nevarez said. Lessons learned: Amazon gave Houston a Texas-sized wake-up call, [and it's changing the city's business image](, writes Mitchell Schnurman. Missing child: The mother of a missing Texas 2-year-old was charged with child endangerment [after the toddler's clothes were found in a dumpster](. advertisement [( Elections 2018 Dallas County Democrats could ride Beto O'Rourke's coattails in area critical to his Senate hopes Beto O'Rourke's Dallas County onslaught of appearances [could result in victories for Democrats up and down the local ballot](, even if the Senate candidate comes up short in his statewide race against Ted Cruz. For O'Rourke, Dallas County voters are critical to his strategy to upset Cruz. An overwhelming showing in the blue county could give him the boost he needs to be the first Democrat to win a statewide race since 1994. With the O'Rourke-Cruz showdown leading the way, Dallas County is ground zero for Texas politics, including a critical congressional battle and hard-fought state legislative races. But some Republicans say O'Rourke's impact on the election is just hype. Craig Murphy, the political consultant for Republican incumbent state Rep. Linda Koop, said the heavy turnout in the midterm election is being driven by national politics, not O'Rourke. Ask me anything: Texas political reporters [answer your questions about the race between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke.]( Political ambitions: Annie List's first black leader hopes to [diversify the progressive group and get more women elected](, writes political columnist Gromer Jeffers Jr. sports Big 12 clears Baylor after verification of sex assault safeguards, levies $2M fine for 'reputational damage to the conference' Baylor University is now in full compliance with the Big 12 following a third-party review of recommendations implemented in the wake of its sexual assault scandal. [But the school was hit with a $2 million fine from the Big 12 for "reputational damage to the conference and its members" and will have to pay $1.65 million in legal fees.]( Baylor will also have to wait 48 months to possibility receive the 25 percent in financial distributions that the Big 12 has withheld since February 2017 following the scandal that rocked the football program and brought down coach Art Briles. The amount totals $14.25 million. Minus the fine and legal fees, that would be about $10.6 million. Overall, the announcement was a mixed bag for Baylor, which also is facing notice of allegations from the NCAA, several federal victim lawsuits and a federal Office of Civil Rights investigation. Cowboys: Jerry Jones weighed in Tuesday [on Jason Garrett's World Series visit and the decision to fire offensive line coach Paul Alexander.]( College football: The current playoff process doesn't make sense, [but an 8-team field would](, writes Tim Cowlishaw. advertisement [( (Rose Baca/Staff Photographer) Photo of the Day A headstone in the historic Collinsworth Cemetery in Plano, where many victims of an 1895 smallpox epidemic were buried, marks the final resting place of a woman who died in 1902. Metro columnist Sharon Grigsby visited with author Mary Jacobs, who discovered after she moved to Plano that counter to its sterile, soulless image, [local ghost stories play a big role in the city's history](. They may be fanciful, but they connect the past to the present in a way that a litany of dry facts and dates cannot. EDITORS' PICKS - Hot shots: Toyota will help the Pizza Hut delivery guy [show up at your door with an oven](. - New concept: Walmart [wants to turn some stores into Town Centers](, including two in Texas. - Declining market: Dallas-area home prices [grew by less than 5 percent in the latest national comparison](. - Murder-for-hire case: Police say a Bedford man [wanted his wife to overdose on tainted cocaine]( after she filed for divorce. - Blame it on the rain: Saturated soil? [Here's how to get better drainage in your yard](. Finally... New Harwood hotel will be an eye-popping addition to Uptown Dallas' skyline A new high-rise on the way in the Uptown area [could be one of the most sculptural towers in the works for Dallas](. Developer Harwood International started work several months ago on a 20-story hotel tower being built on the vacant half block at the corner of McKinnon and Moody streets, just west of the Crescent and Tower Residences Ritz-Carlton condo building. The hotel site is directly across the street from the original Rolex Building — Harwood International's first project in the neighborhood, which opened in 1984. 👋 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. 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