Flawed voter data, children donate to City Council: Your Thursday morning roundup

 [Morning roundup]( 01/31/2019 By Mallorie Sullivan and Carla Solórzano Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌥️ Weather: Mostly cloudy and seasonably cool. High of 53. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( More than 20,000 people whose names were included on a list of potential non-citizen voters in Texas have now been removed from those lists, which were compiled by state officials, after the state told counties that data it provided were flawed, local officials said Wednesday. (File Photo/DMN Staff) TEXAS POLITICS [Tens of thousands removed from list of potential non-citizen voters after counties find flawed data]( At least 20,000 people whom state officials put on a list of potential non-citizen voters [have now been removed from those lists after the state told counties that data it provided were flawed]( local officials said on Wednesday. And Secretary of State David Whitley, whose office has gone silent in giving direction to county election administrators and responding to the news media, told civil rights groups late Wednesday that he’ll respond to them "within the next week." The 13 groups have asked Whitley, a recent appointee of Gov. Greg Abbott, to withdraw his request for counties to review nearly 100,000 Texans’ eligibility to vote. Amid widespread confusion, only fragmentary information on Whitley’s flawed data could be learned. Dallas County Elections Administrator Toni Pippins-Poole said the county’s voter-roll database vendor has identified 1,715 people as being incorrectly placed on an initial list of 9,938 registered voters sent to the county over the weekend. In some big urban counties, though, [the magnitude of error appeared to be massive](. Also: The only Texas Democrat appointed to the committee charged with wrangling a border security deal [has ruled out funding a wall](. And: Texas Republicans are fretting that Sen. Ted Cruz's close call signals their long grip on the state will end [unless they can reach beyond the party's die-hard base](. ADVERTISEMENT CITY HALL [Dallas lawyer's young children are listed as big donors for 3 City Council members]( Four young children [are among the city’s biggest political donors, according to campaign finance filings](. Over the past two years, the children of James M. Stanton, a former judge on Dallas County’s 134th Civil District Court, donated a total of $11,000 to three City Council members: District 6’s Omar Narvaez, District 14’s Philip Kingston and outgoing District 1 council member and current mayoral candidate Scott Griggs. Those donations appear to skirt the city’s campaign finance rules, which set a $1,000 individual contribution limit per election cycle for City Council races, and state that individuals can’t make contributions under any other name than their own, contributions must be made by the person who owns "the thing of value," and someone shall not make contributions on behalf of another person. Stanton's ex-wife, lawyer Britta Stanton, said Wednesday her children receive a $2 per week allowance from her, and they certainly didn't receive thousands of dollars in discretionary money when she and Stanton were married. The couple split, she said, in 2016. And: Has a Dallas school trustee resigned? [Because replacing him is on the board's agenda](. Also: Dallas police are seeking the public’s help in [finding a man who robbed two Pleasant Grove banks this month](. BUSINESS [Dallas' landmark Anatole Hotel is celebrating its 40th birthday this year]( A landmark Dallas hotel [is celebrating]( decades of business this year](. When the Hilton Anatole opened in 1979, it was the biggest hotel in North Texas, with 900 rooms and the largest meeting hotel in the entire country. Since then, it has grown even bigger, to more than 1,600 rooms. Over the years, the 45-acre hotel complex has hosted Hollywood celebs, visiting dignitaries and an endless stream of local social events. "This milestone could not have been achieved without the trust and support of our guests and faithful team members who have propelled the Anatole forward," Robert Watson, general manager of the Hilton Anatole, said in a statement. "In addition, our amazing owners, Crow Holdings, have continually invested in the hotel over the years to ensure its relevancy in an always-changing marketplace." Restaurant review: At the new French Room at Dallas' Adolphus Hotel, [a chef elegantly walks on eggshells](. Also: Fort Worth coffee shop Brewed is [heading to a hip neighborhood in Dallas](. The idea behind [Curious Texas]( is simple: You have questions, and our journalists are trained to track answers. Subscribe to this weekly newsletter for the latest answers to reader questions, featured Curious Texans and more delivered straight to your inbox. [SIGN UP HERE]( EDITORS' PICKS - Who's the boss: Dallas-Fort Worth [led the nation in jobs growth in 2018]( topping New York and Houston. - Perk up: Today is the [last day to score free coffee]( at three North Texas Dunkin' locations. - Bent into shape: [Frisco ISD’s elementary schools are finding new ways to get kids moving]( and keep them healthy. That means yoga classes, martial arts lessons and more. Ray Williams, of Frisco, eats ribs while John 'Smokey' Reaves (right) says a blessing during the weekly Tuesday Bible Study at Smokey John's Bar-B-Que & Home Cooking on Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. Reaves has been doing Tuesday Bible study at his barbecue joint since 1982. (Tom Fox/Staff Photographer) FINALLY... [A year after fire, Dallas barbecue joint gets back to serving up brisket with a side of Holy Spirit]( It felt like a church service, but for the faithful who stopped by Smokey John's Bar-B-Que for lunch, it was another Tuesday. The [barbecue joint near Dallas Love Field officially reopened Wednesday]( more than a year after it was destroyed by a fire. And that comes with the revival of a cherished weekly tradition at the restaurant: Bible study. John "Smokey" Reaves, the 74-year-old former owner of the restaurant, began the Bible study sessions in the 1980s after he rededicated his life to Christ. Tuesday's meeting was the first at the restaurant since the fire devastated the business and tested the family's faith in 2017. "It's like a family gathering," he said. "People have been gone and all of a sudden they're coming back. We just had a family reunion." 👋 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 [newsletters@dallasnews.com](mailto:newsletter-feedback@dallasnews.com?subject=). 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