Businesses oppose anti-LGBTQ bills, Southwest loses $150M, Beard Foundation snubs Dallas: Your Wednesday evening roundup

Apple, Dell, PepsiCo and several other businesses, tourism groups and chambers of commerce have penned a letter to state lawmakers criticizing bills they say would hurt the Texas economy and target the LGBT community.  [Evening roundup]( 03/27/2019 By Wayne Carter Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Facebook is among the businesses, tourism groups and chambers of commerce that signed a letter opposing bills in the Texas Legislature that "allow for the exclusion of LGBTQ people." (File) TEXAS LEGISLATURE [Amazon, Google, Facebook pen letter opposing Texas bills 'that allow for the exclusion of LGBTQ people']( Apple, Dell, PepsiCo and several other businesses, tourism groups and chambers of commerce have penned a letter to state lawmakers [criticizing bills they say would hurt the Texas economy and target the LGBT community.]( "We will continue to oppose any unnecessary, discriminatory, and divisive measures that would damage Texas' reputation and create problems for our employees and their families," the letter reads. "These include policies that explicitly or implicitly allow for the exclusion of LGBTQ people, or anyone else." Apple, Amazon, Facebook, HP and Paypal also signed the letter, as did the Dallas, McKinney, Plano and Richardson Chambers of Commerce and the Dallas and Fort Worth convention and visitors bureaus. Senate Bill 15, which aims to do away with local sick leave policies, would also undo city rules that prohibit discrimination for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens, the coalition will say, and Senate Bill 17. which would give legal cover to occupational license holders who cite sincerely held religious beliefs to turn away clients or refuse services to certain people. Also: A Texas House committee's debate on a bill to cap property taxes could go deep into the night, [and possibly Thursday morning.]( ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [Southwest Airlines loses $150 million amid Boeing 737 Max 8 grounding and other disruptions]( Southwest Airlines' grounding of its 34 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets [has contributed to $150 million in lost revenue for the company]( according to a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company also revealed that it has canceled 9,400 flights in the first quarter. Most of the cancellations — about 3,800 — were due to winter weather, but the company said 2,800 were a result of the Boeing 737 Max 8 grounding and another 2,800 came from the mechanics union spat. The airline said it was actively managing the cancellations and working with passengers to avoid disruptions, though as a result of the cancellations its estimated first-quarter annual growth for 2019 has fallen from 3.5 percent to 1 percent. Aviation authorities around the world grounded all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash earlier this month that killed 157 people. New leases on life: An empty supermarket in Lakewood is getting carved up [for an ASI Gymnastics location and other neighborhood needs.]( New strategy: GameStop announced an impressive list of esports partnerships on Wednesday, [but is it enough to save the company?]( We've made it to the next round: the top 4. It's up to you to decide which brewery in D-FW is the best. [Click here to vote!]( you vote, you'll be entered to win the Best Brewery Sweepstakes: a package of prizes to the winning brewery. Vote now, vote in an hour, vote every hour. TABLE TALK [Once again, no Dallas restaurants are James Beard award nominees]( What started out as a great year for Dallas — and Texas — in the annual James Beard Foundation awards [fizzled this morning when the list of final nominees was announced in Houston.]( None of three Dallas semifinalists for national awards made the cut, and neither did the any of the Dallas semifinalists for best regional chef. Every Texas semifinalist was also eliminated for national awards in this round of voting. Oddly, Texas dominated the best chef category for the southwest, with four out of the five spots on the ballot going to Kevin Fink of Emmer & Rye, Michael Fojtasek of Olamaie and Bryce Gilmore of Barley Swine, all in Austin, and Steve McHugh of Cured in San Antonio. Charlene Badman of FnB in Scottsdale, Arizona, rounded out the category. Going in, Dallas held six semifinalist spots among 27 semifinalists from Texas, the most in the state's history. Pick a basket: Maroon Aggie carrots are among the plentiful early spring produce items [at the White Rock Farmers Market.]( And eat it, too: Brain cancer spurred this cookbook author to adapt cake recipes [to her new paleo diet.]( ADVERTISEMENT (Tom Fox/Staff Photographer) PHOTO OF THE DAY Jesus Perez Jr. uses a gas-powered leaf blower to clean a yard on along Inwood Road in Dallas. The City Council’s Quality of Life Committee on Monday [discussed possible changes to the city's noise ordinance]( after council member Philip Kingston requested a briefing on a possible moratorium on the leaf blowers. The blowers are also a symptom of a larger noise problem, council members said. Stay weather aware From snow to severe thunderstorms to 100-degree heat, Dallas-Fort Worth gets it all. Stay up to date with important weather news alerts for North Texas. [Click here to sign up for weather alerts]( Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer Mavs Fans! Want to win tickets to see Dirk's last home game? Witness history and enter the [Mavs Tickets sweepstakes]( to win two tickets and a parking pass to see Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns on April 9! Game starts at 7:30 P.M. [Click here to enter to win]( — Your friends at The Dallas Morning News Don't tweet about it. Don't complain about it. Vote about it. Dallas has the lowest voter turnout in the country for mayoral and municipal elections. Let's change that. Join The Dallas Morning News on Friday, March 29 at Klyde Warren Park for Vote About It, a voter registration event. Plus, when you register to vote, you'll get a free sweet treat from our friends at [Pop Star All Natural Frozen Treats](. [Click here to RSVP]( EDITORS' PICKS - Child injured: A toddler shot his 4-year-old brother early Wednesday in Dallas, [and the boys' father will likely face charges]( police said. - Editorial: Sexually transmitted diseases are rising in Dallas County, [and we aren't doing all we can to stop them.]( - Eye in the sky: A suspect who bailed out the back of a house during a drug raid was captured [with help from an Arlington police drone hovering overhead.]( EDITORIAL RECOMMENDATIONS - McKinney: Who we chose in the [City Council at large race]( among Frederick Frazier, Stephen Kallas and John Mott. - Southlake: Who we chose in the [City Council, Place 3 race]( between Inna Dietrich and Chad Patton. - McKinney: Who we chose in the [school trustee, Place 6 race]( between Chad Green and Stephanie O'Dell. FINALLY... [Blocks from last week’s vicious Deep Ellum beating, here’s the neighborhood’s real heartbeat]( From Metro columnist Sharon Grigsby: The most delightful part of my commute downtown is usually the drive through gentrifying-but-still-funky Deep Ellum, with its mashup of artists and entrepreneurs and its richly diverse pedestrian street scene. But this week I’ve rolled through the neighborhood while weighing a throbbing question: "What’s wrong with people?" Like many Dallas residents, my heart has been heavy since I saw the horrifying video of a white man repeatedly slugging a black woman during a predawn parking lot altercation in Deep Ellum. While we don’t know everything that led up to those awful moments last Thursday, the man’s actions were heinous and unjustifiable. Feeling short on hope and constructive commentary, I decided Monday was a good day to detour a few blocks and check out a Deep Ellum spot that I had heard is [an oasis that brings people together and ensures that every voice is honored.]( 👋 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=). 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]()