Robert E. Lee statue, Trump's Harvey aid, UT's $25 million donation: Your Thursday morning news roundup

September 07,  2017 By Tara Bryant Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌞 Weather: [Sunny and comfortable.]( High: 85 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? [It's here](. Police officers patrol the area around the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, hours after a judge's order halted the statue's immediate removal, which was approved by a city council vote earlier in the day. (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) confederate monuments Legal fight over Robert E. Lee statue continues Thursday afternoon The battle over the future of Confederate monuments in Dallas appeared to be over Wednesday as the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in Oak Lawn sat wrapped in a harness. But as crews struggled to figure out exactly how to remove the 14-foot-tall, 81-year-old sculpture of Lee and an unnamed soldier on horseback from Lee Park, U.S. District Judge Sidney Fitzwater issued [a temporary restraining order that gave the statue a reprieve](. The dramatic turn meant the "historic day for the city of Dallas," as Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway dubbed it amid the spectacle of the attempted removal, would wait at least one more day — and possibly longer. Attorneys will argue for a longer-term injunction Thursday afternoon in Fitzwater's court. This story will be developing throughout the day. Visit [dallasnews.com]( for the latest updates. Flashback: On June 12, 1936, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was on hand to honor the "warriors in the lost cause of the Confederacy" by [unveiling the statue of Robert E. Lee in Dallas' Lee Park](. Commentary: A Stonewall Jackson biographer says Confederate statues [should be taken down](. SPECIAL OFFER For a limited time, newsletter readers can enjoy unlimited digital access to DallasNews.com for only $2.99 a week. [Sign up today]( and stay informed about the latest news that's important to you. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, meet people affected by Hurricane Harvey on Saturday during a visit to the NRG Center in Houston. It was his second trip to Texas in a week, and this time his first order of business was to meet with those barred from their homes by the record-setting rainfall and flooding. (Susan Walsh/The Associated Press) harvey Trump announces recipients of his $1 million Harvey relief donation A $1 million donation by President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, for Harvey relief [will be split among 12 charities](, the White House announced Wednesday. The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army will each receive $300,000 from the Trumps — the highest amounts to be distributed — the White House said. The next-largest gifts of $100,000 each went to Samaritan's Purse and Houston-based Reach Out America -- both Christian-based nonprofits. According to the White House, several of the groups were recommended by members of the White House press corps. [See the complete list here.]( Now what? Katrina survivors [share their lessons for what to do next]( after Harvey’s destruction. Commentary: How Dallas can — and must — [learn from flooding in Houston](. The UT-Austin School of Social Work is receiving a $25 million gift from Regent Steve Hicks. (Google Maps) higher education UT regent donates $25M to School of Social Work to alleviate students’ debt because 'they’re heroes' University of Texas Regent Steve Hicks is [donating $25 million to the University of Texas at Austin's School of Social Work](, in part to help cut the debt of students whom he calls "heroes." Hicks, a businessman with a UT government degree, doesn't have a background in social work, but he said he's always been focused on supporting institutions and causes that directly help people. He settled on the school after studying where he felt he could make the most difference. "I think we have a great society, but in every social system, parts of it break from time to time and the social workers are there to pick up the pieces, whether in the hospitals or recovery centers, assisted living facilities and the prisons," Hicks said in an interview. Advertisement An aerial photograph taken and released by the Dutch department of Defense shows the damage of Hurricane Irma in Philipsburg, on the Dutch Caribbean island of Sint Maarten. (Gerben Van Es/Dutch Defense Ministry/AFP/Getty Images) Photo of the Morning Hurricane Irma has killed at least 10 people as the dangerous Category 5 storm continued its [destructive march across the Caribbean]( early Thursday. At least eight people were killed and 23 injured in French Caribbean island territories, France's interior minister said. Speaking Thursday on French radio France Info, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the death toll in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthelemy could be higher because rescue teams have yet to finish their inspection of the islands. Around The Site Quick links - What’s up with Zeke? Here are [key questions, answers and deadlines]( about what comes next for Ezekiel Elliott. - In Carrollton: The city will [end its agreement with a controversial program](that partners local and federal law enforcement to enforce U.S. immigration laws. - In the running: Angela Paxton, wife of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, has officially [launched a campaign for Texas Senate](. - Real estate: Want to buy a Texas town? [There’s one for sale south of Dallas](. - Crime: An Arlington woman was sentenced Wednesday to [five years in prison]( for a series of explicit videos involving a child. Eighth-grade teacher Joan Brandt shows her class photos of the massive amount of water that was on her street in front of her house due to Hurricane Harvey. Students returned to Kleb Intermediate School in Spring on Wednesday. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer) Finally... Joan Brandt went back to school Wednesday, weary and wary, but [ready to focus on something besides herself and her ruined home](. She worried more about the emotional state of her students at Kleb Intermediate School in Klein ISD. She wanted them know that whatever they were feeling in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey was OK. "Excuse me while I cry every once in awhile," Brandt said, taking a deep breath. "Physically, I’m fine. Emotionally, you can tell I’m still going through some things. But this is all part of the process. ... We’ve all been through this.” So she opened the day sharing her own experience, showing a picture on an oversized monitor of high waters rushing by her house as a man on a jet ski fought against the current. Brandt began to choke up as she told them how grateful she was her family was alive though nearly everything on the first floor of her house was ruined. Then her eighth-graders asked their first question: Do we have to make up those six days we missed because of Harvey? Cheers erupted when she said, “No.” Advertisement 👋 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]( [Ello]( [Ello](  [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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