Chick-Fil-A protest, Stars continue in NHL Playoffs: Your Thursday morning roundup

 [Morning roundup]( 04/18/2019 By Nataly Keomoungkhoun and Carla Solórzano Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌤️ Weather: Partly sunny with a high of 71 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( People move their blankets down Park Ave next to The Stewpot in downtown Dallas on Jan. 16, 2018. (DMN File Photo) DALLAS CITY COUNCIL [Dallas council warned of 'hell of a fight' if churches can't shelter homeless during bad weather]( On a day when the forecast called for baseball-sized hail and possible tornadoes, the Dallas City Council could find [no easy answers to the question of how to provide temporary shelter to the homeless during bad weather.]( Wednesday's council briefing continued a debate that began in August, when the city's Office of Homeless Solutions proposed [using rec centers as temporary shelters]( — a suggestion the council quickly dashed. But in early November came the brutal cold, with lows in the 20s and wind chills in the teens, and [Oak Lawn United Methodist Church and other houses of worship opened their doors]( to those in need. That is what churches are meant to do, the Rev. Rachel Baughman of Oak Lawn United Methodist, told the council Wednesday. It is, she said, "the work of Christ." It's also technically not allowed in Dallas.  Petty crimes: A statewide police union, one of Texas' largest, [called for the removal of Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot]( who last week announced plans not to prosecute certain low-level crimes.   Commentary: [Theft in any amount must be prosecuted,]( writes Dallas County Commissioner J.J. Koch.  ADVERTISEMENT POLITICS ['Save Chick-Fil-A' protest held at Texas Capitol after airports turn away fast-food chain for 'anti-LGBTQ behavior']( AUSTIN — Conservative Christians gathered at the Texas Capitol on Wednesday to urge support for two bills, backed by North Texas lawmakers, that would [protect business owners who cite their faith to turn away certain customers.]( Dubbed "Save Chick-fil-A Day," the event was organized to protest the [San Antonio City Council's decision to ban the fast-food chain]( from a local airport because of the business' stance on LGBT rights. Texas Values, a Christian advocacy group [that has opposed greater rights for LGBT Texans]( hosted the protest and kicked off the event with a news conference. "This Legislature — this House and this Senate — has an opportunity to hold the San Antonio City Council accountable and make it clear that you should not discriminate based on religious beliefs," Texas Values President Jonathan Saenz said. "Save Chick-fil-A and help us support religious freedom."  Not interested: Beto O'Rourke [demurs on TV town halls]( and cites Dischord Records, a punk record label, as a role model for going his own way.   Cruz's backlash: Sen. Ted Cruz was [slammed for mocking Disney's $5 million pledge]( to help rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral.  BUSINESS [AT&T CEO encourages other Dallas employers to hire formerly incarcerated]( Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes challenged corporate leaders Wednesday to hire thousands of people who have been released from prison, but locked out of the workforce. He made his pitch with one of Dallas' most prominent CEOs by his side: Randall Stephenson of AT&T. The two Dallas leaders — pastor of megachurch The Potter's House and top executive of the nation's 9th largest company — struck up a friendship after meeting [two years ago at the Dallas Festival of Ideas](. They talked about barriers to opportunity, especially for the formerly incarcerated. They decided to team up. "If a guy gets out of prison and he can't get a place to stay because every application locks him out of a rental, much less ownership, he can't get a loan and he can't get a job, where else can he go except back to prison?" Jakes said. [AT&T has hired about a dozen employees who were formerly incarcerated]( work at a Richardson call center as part of a pilot program. Stephenson said the company now plans to expand the program to other cities.  Shop and sell: [Neiman Marcus invests in Fashionphile]( to get a cut of the growing pre-owned handbag market.   Also: J.C. Penney on Wednesday said it has [filled more positions in its executive ranks to help tackle its ongoing turnaround efforts](.  ADVERTISEMENT EDITORS' PICKS - Keep it moving: Beginning Thursday, ride-hailing passengers will have to [use designated pick-up and drop-off areas in Deep Ellum.]( - New record: A downtown Dallas tower has just [sold for the highest price ever]( for a similar office building in Texas. - Politics: A spokeswoman for Energy Secretary Rick Perry [has denied a report that the former Texas governor is planning to leave the Trump administration](. Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg (3) skates in to celebrate with center Justin Dowling (37), center Mats Zuccarello (36) and center Jason Spezza (90) during game four of the NHL Playoffs at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. (Shaban Athuman/Staff Photographer) FINALLY... [Redemption story: Stars smash Predators in Game 4 as series heads back to Nashville]( In the delirium of the green-tinted, laser-spewing, euphoria-inducing American Airlines Center on Wednesday night, the Stars authored a story of redemption. In their most important game of the season, a 5-1 win in Game 4 over Nashville that evened the first-round series at two games apiece, the Stars removed the doubt that followed them after Monday night's loss to the Predators. Redemption called Ben Bishop's name. Bishop is the Stars No. 1 goaltender, and potentially the best one in the league, maligned by an uncharacteristically leaky performance Monday night when he surrendered two soft goals in an otherwise strong game from Dallas. On Wednesday night, when coach Jim Montgomery showed faith in starting him again, Bishop responded with a 33-save victory. It was Bishop's return to the normally steady goalie he's been all year, when he led the league in save percentage and goals against average.  👋 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]()