DPD creating new task force, Dallas County STD rates increased: Your Wednesday morning roundup

Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day.  [Morning roundup]( 03/20/2019 By Nataly Keomoungkhoun and Chelsea Watkins Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌥️ Weather: Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of sprinkles. High of 64 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( SWAT officers return to their vehicles after an incident near the corner of Fitzhugh and Buena Vista (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News) DALLAS POLICE [Dallas Police Department creating task force to combat area's surge in armed robberies]( With armed robberies on the rise this year, Dallas police are turning to a time-tested approach to combat the problem: [a task force.]( Plans for a 100-member task force were detailed in a presentation emailed to some officers and obtained by The Dallas Morning News. But critics raise questions about the effectiveness of task forces and believe the city would be better served with putting more patrol officers on the streets to address staffing and response issues. So far this year, armed robberies of businesses are up substantially — 30.5 percent — when compared to the same period last year, according to statistics from the Dallas Police Department. Robberies of individuals are up by about 18 percent so far this year compared to a year ago. Also: A teen was [charged with capital murder]( of a far northeast Dallas man who was shot in a robbery attempt. And: Dallas police [found a body in a vehicle parked in front of a Walmart in Red Bird]( on Tuesday morning, and say it may have been there for weeks. ADVERTISEMENT CRIME Intellectually disabled man who murdered Dallas cop shouldn't be executed, DA says Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot announced Tuesday that [he no longer believes a man sentenced to death for murdering a Dallas police officer in November 2005 should be executed for his crime.]( Juan Lizcano should instead spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole, Creuzot said. The change in position follows a [Supreme Court ruling in February]( that stopped Texas from executing another intellectually disabled murderer, saying the state's judgment of such disabilities relies on inaccurate stereotypes. The DA's office had opposed a reduced sentence for Lizcano before Creuzot took office Jan. 1. Lizcano does not currently have a scheduled execution date. Also: A driver who was killed in a fiery crash in Fort Worth [had also caused a hit-and-run minutes earlier](. IMMIGRATION [It's the workforce, stupid: Why Texas business is gearing up to fight for immigrants]( From business columnist Mitchell Schnurman: It’s the workforce, stupid. That’s one way to sum up the rationale behind a new push by Texas businesses to rally support for immigrants and immigration reform. At a time of low unemployment and strong demand for workers, the group wants to stop scaring off potential newcomers to Texas. Some are even pushing for a way to let unauthorized immigrants work here legally. In late February, over 50 companies and chambers of commerce formed the Texans for Economic Growth Coalition to take their message to lawmakers in Austin and Washington. One goal is to head off bills that would punish immigrants and hurt the economy. There are proposals in the Texas House and Senate to end in-state tuition for high school graduates who don't have legal status. If enacted, Texas could lose $400 million in annual economic activity, one study found. Another goal is to make a persuasive case on the economic value of immigration. [The group wants the Texas delegation to push for more immigrants, not fewer.]( Also: [A Mexican man died in U.S. custody Monday]( a day after Border Patrol agents apprehended him. Commentary: Many of the soldiers securing our borders [are immigrants who are proud to defend the U.S.]( writes Adebayo Adeleke. ADVERTISEMENT EDITORS' PICKS - Good news for 'Hamilton' ticket seekers: [No performance has sold out yet, and now, there's a lottery.]( - Public health: Dallas County had the highest increase in the U.S. for chlamydia and gonorrhea rates last year, [a study shows](. - From homeschool to law school: [Meet the 16-year-old Texan who will be attending SMU's law school this fall](. Code officials have slapped an "open structure violation" on the old JR's Game Room on Silkwood Street in Bonton. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer) FINALLY... [Along a reborn South Dallas street in Bonton, how does an old 'game room' still stand?]( From city columnist Robert Wilonsky: 2718 Silkwood Street, in the heart of the Bonton neighborhood in South Dallas, is not the likeliest landmark. Far, far from it. For most in this neighborhood, this place once known as JR's Game Room is little more than an aging eyesore — a cinder-block structure peeling and disintegrating in slow motion, inside and out. Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity homes now line almost the entirety of Silkwood, and more are under construction, some right next to and across from JR's. This makeover, taking place on several streets throughout this neighborhood, was kick-started long before Daron Babcock planted the beloved Bonton Farms at the end of nearby Bexar Street in 2012. And through it all, JR's Game Room survived, [looking today exactly as it did when Habitat broke ground on its first two Silkwood homes eight years ago](. 👋 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=). STAY CONNECTED WITH US [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [Tumblr]( [Reddit]( [OTHER FREE NEWSLETTERS]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Dallasnews.com]() | [Subscribe to The Dallas Morning News]() | [Subscriber login]() | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( You received this message because you signed up for this Dallas Morning News newsletter or it was forwarded to you. Copyright 2019 - [The Dallas Morning News, 1954 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75201, United States]()