Witten rejoins Cowboys, Whitley closer to confirmation: Your Thursday evening roundup

Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day  [Evening roundup]( 02/28/2019 By Todd Davis Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( David Whitley (left) arrives for his confirmation hearing in Austin on Feb. 7. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) POLITICS [Secretary of State’s confirmation moves forward after vote follows party lines]( The Republican-dominated Senate Nominations Committee on Thursday moved forward the confirmation of embattled interim Secretary of State David Whitley on a party-line vote. After leaving Whitley’s confirmation pending for nearly a month as the problematic rollout of his office’s directive to review the citizenship of thousands of Texas voters continued to play out, [the nominations committee approved his nomination by a vote of 4-3](. The vote came a day after a federal judge ordered Whitley’s office to tell Texas counties not to send any more "notices of examination" to people whose citizenship is being reviewed and not to remove any people from voter rolls without his approval until several lawsuits against the state play out in court. The committee will send Whitley’s nomination to the full Senate and recommend adoption. And: Gov. Abbott urged Texas agencies to follow the 'spirit' of open meetings after [a court axed a key provision](. Also: A new poll indicates that Beto O'Rourke would have been a good match for John Cornyn in a senate race, and [President Trump might not be a slam-dunk to take Texas](. ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [Is Warren Buffett interested in buying Southwest? Wall Street thinks he might]( Famed billionaire investor Warren Buffett has made it known he's shopping for a business to buy. Now, some analysts are speculating that it could be Southwest Airlines. The talk of a potential bid on the Dallas-based airline by Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway appeared on Twitter with a mention by StockTradersNET, which called the speculation "unconfirmed." It also circulated on Wall Street insider websites. The chatter caused Southwest Airlines' stock to jump the most in a month on Thursday. [Southwest Airlines acknowledged the takeover talk in a statement]( — but declined to say if it had merit. And: [Michaels CEO Chuck Rubin]( is leaving the Irving-based arts and crafts retailer, saying it's a 'mutually agreed' termination. Also: [Medical City]( will open a heart hospital and a spine hospital in Dallas this fall. SPORTS [Jason Witten leaves Monday Night Football, agrees to deal to rejoin Cowboys]( Jason Witten is back with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys great-turned-Monday Night Football broadcaster has decided to leave the booth to return the gridiron for the only NFL team he has ever played for, the club announced Thursday. [The deal is for one year, $5 million, a source told SportsDay's Jon Machota.]( "The fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong," Witten said in a statement distributed by the team. "This team has a great group of rising young stars, and I want to help them make a run at a championship. This was completely my decision, and I am very comfortable with it. I'm looking forward to getting back in the dirt." And: 'Welcome baaaaack': Dirk, DeMarcus Ware and others react to [Jason Witten's Dallas Cowboys return](. Also: Dirk Nowitzki's body finally is cooperating. So what does that mean for a [potential 22nd season]( (Irwin Thompson / Staff Photographer) PHOTO OF THE DAY Richard Garay (left) of Express Towing, Inc., talks to Dallas Police officer J. W. Jacobs after he arrived at the scene of the wreck on the southbound lanes Hwy. 67 over Camp Wisdom Road. Icy conditions led to hazardous roads and [dozens of wrecks]( in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Thursday. EDITORS' PICKS - No smoking: [DART rail service was temporarily delayed]( after a fire broke out in Zenna Thai & Japanese Restaurant in downtown Dallas. - Crime: [A Denton high school teacher]( had sex with a student in a classroom, police say. - Slip slidin' away: [A wanted suspect]( eluded police after a chase from Fort Worth to DeSoto, with help from the bad weather. FINALLY... [7-Eleven's new test store opens in Oak Cliff with beer on tap and more]( A new 7-Eleven store is opening Monday on Sylvan Avenue and Interstate 30 with beer on tap, along with a coffee bar and a Laredo Taco Company taqueria. [A company spokeswoman confirmed the store is opening]( and that there are half a dozen other test stores but provided no details. The number of convenience stores in the U.S. is shrinking along with other categories of retailers, but dollar stores are growing, said Steve Holtz, editor of convenience store industry trade publication CSP Magazine, during a recent presentation at a 7-Eleven franchisee meeting in Dallas. 👋 That's all for this afternoon! 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=). 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