Deep Ellum assault victim speaks out, four House Democrats skip abortion hearing: Your Tuesday morning roundup

L'daijohnique Lee said she's been so fearful since she was beaten last week in Deep Ellum, she has had to sleep in hotels.  [Morning roundup]( 03/26/2019 By Chelsea Watkins and Mallorie Sullivan Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌞 Weather: Sunny and pleasant. High of 72. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( L'Daijohnique Lee before a press conference in Dallas on Monday. Lee was allegedly attacked Thursday morning by Austin Shuffield, not pictured, in Deep Ellum. (Daniel Carde/Staff Photographer) DALLAS [‘You let this man back out on the streets’: Protests at Dallas City Hall as Deep Ellum assault victim speaks out]( L'daijohnique Lee said she's been so fearful [since she was beaten last week in Deep Ellum]( she has had to sleep in hotels. "I’m scared. I don’t know who is following me, who is behind me, who is watching me," Lee said. "My body still hurts. Everything still hurts." Lee spoke out Monday as outrage continued to swell over the brutal attack captured on a viral video. She said she's still recovering. Her black eye has faded in the days since the attack, but after three trips to the emergency room, she said a doctor recommended she see a facial surgeon and neurological specialist to continue treatment for a concussion and swollen jaw. On Monday, civil rights activists, domestic violence survivors, clergy and protesters rushed to her side, calling on officials to upgrade the charges against her alleged attacker, Austin Shuffield. Lee and the protesters say they're upset that Shuffield, a former bartender at High & Tight, is now out of jail after posting a $2,000 bond. Watch: About 75 protesters on Saturday night [marched in support of L'daijohnique Lee after she was beaten]( by a bartender in Deep Ellum. And: Dallas City Council is leaving the door open for [a possible moratorium on gas-powered leaf blowers.]( ADVERTISEMENT COMMENTARY [Here’s how Dallas-area Methodist churches are dealing with the anti-LGBTQ vote fallout]( From Metro columnist Sharon Grigsby: The next time you’re tempted to complain about how hard your job is, give a thought to the pastors leading North Texas United Methodist churches in the weeks since their denomination’s controversial LGBTQ vote. The February decision to reinforce the denomination’s ban on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ clergy — and to punish rule-breakers — is challenging most every local church, regardless of where the majority of its congregants fell in the debate. Many Methodists, myself included, wanted a different outcome at the St. Louis conference. But the traditional point of view has the support of many who sit in North Texas pews. [And the debate is far from over.]( Editorial: In Dallas, [construction detours turn driving into an absurdity](. Commentary: A large field of candidates and voter apathy [is making the race for Dallas mayor too unpredictable to call.]( TEXAS LEGISLATURE [Four female Texas Democrats skipped a House hearing on an abortion bill. Here's why]( AUSTIN — Four House Democrats boycotted a committee hearing Monday, temporarily blocking debate on a bill that could result in fines of doctors who fail to provide "appropriate medical treatment" in the event that a fetus lives through an attempted abortion. The four Democratic women's absences and a late arrival by Republican Dallas Rep. Morgan Meyer [wound up denying the nine-member panel the five members needed to have a quorum](. That frustrated Plano GOP Rep. Jeff Leach, chairman of the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee and the bill's author. "I'm extremely disappointed and disheartened in the decision by my friends and fellow committee members to skip this morning's hearing simply because they don't agree on the issue at hand," Leach said in a written statement issued early Monday afternoon. Also: Texans caught with a small amounts of marijuana could get fined instead of jail time [under a bill that cleared its first hurdle in Texas House](. And: Are you worried you'll be scammed by a roofer? [A Tarrant County lawmaker proposed a bill to help protect homeowners.]( ADVERTISEMENT EDITORS' PICKS - On the road: Two Texas beer bloggers are embarking on road trip [to hit 50-plus breweries in 9 days](. - Weather: [Plano will use its ‘wail-only’ sirens]( after confusion over a funnel cloud during Sunday’s storms. - Starry-eyed: Here's [how to watch SpaceX's South Texas test launches]( this week. The Fowl Pole, a 2-pound chicken tender, is the largest new concessions item at Globe Life Park in Arlington this season. (Rose Baca / Staff Photographer) FINALLY... [Just how big — and blue — are the Texas Rangers' new concessions items this year?]( Go big. Then go home. The Texas Rangers' concessions team is selling some shocking snacks for the 2019 season. After a game at Globe Life Park, [you're going to want to go home — for a nap.]( The biggest newcomer at the ballpark is a 2-pound piece of fried chicken called the Fowl Pole. Like many of the oversized gut-busters before it, this giant hunk of meat comes in a cardboard carrying case with a handle. It's the same holder — one we called a "hot-dog suitcase" — used for the Boomstick, a 24-inch loaded chili dog that helped kick off the Rangers' colossal concessions in 2012. Over the years, Globe Life Park has sold a 24-inch brownie dipped in funnel cake batter and fried, a 2-pound bacon cheeseburger that could feed a family of four, a 24-inch tamale dog and a chicken sandwich the size of a Frisbee. 👋 That's all for this morning! 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