Police review board powers expanded, marijuana bill rewritten: Your Thursday morning roundup

 [Morning roundup]( 04/25/2019 By Nataly Keomoungkhoun and Carla Solórzano Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌦️Weather: A 30% chance for a few showers, mainly in the morning. Decreasing clouds in the afternoon. High of 78 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall answers questions from Dallas City council members during a meeting at Dallas City Hall. The City council voted to give more power to the citizen police review board. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer) DALLAS [Dallas City Council votes to expand police review board's oversight powers]( Dallas City Council members on Wednesday voted unanimously [to expand the power of its board that hears complaints about police misconduct.]( The vote occurred after months of town hall discussions — which often laid bare [political and racial tension]( between Dallas residents — and some initial push-back from law enforcement organizations. Several members of the Citizens Police Review Board — which will now be renamed the Community Police Oversight Board — called the vote a "historic victory," and activists lauded the effort required to win the unanimous vote. The board’s final restructuring amounted to far less than what activists had initially wanted. The revamped board still won’t have subpoena power over officers or the ability to conduct independent investigations of critical incidents such as police-involved shootings. And the police chief still maintains all final decisions related to discipline.  Paid for sickness: All Dallas employers would [have to provide paid sick leave for employees]( an ordinance approved Wednesday by the City Council.   Also: Can Sandy Greyson 'pass the crown' to ally [in Far North Dallas council race](  ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [AT&T loses more than half a million DirecTV customers, but CEO says it's on track]( Dallas-based AT&T lost more than half a million TV customers and about 83,000 subscribers to its streaming DirecTV Now service in the first three months of this year, the company reported Wednesday. [But AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the company is on track]( with its major goals: paying down billions of dollars in debt, boosting free cash flow and stabilizing its entertainment group. Stephenson also pointed to bright spots and growth areas in an earnings call with analysts. He said AT&T is investing significantly in its fiber network and 5G, the next-generation wireless network that will support its future video streaming business. It's also on track to launch a new subscription video service to challenge Netflix in the fourth quarter.  Real estate: A California-based investor [has purchased a Telecom Corridor office center](.   Aviation: How big is the 737 Max problem? [Boeing hangs a $1 billion price tag on the fix](.  POLITICS [Texas marijuana bill gets a serious mellow — but high penalties for possession could still come down]( A bill that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana [in Texas has been substantially rewritten]( -- on the day before its scheduled debate -- to increase its chances of becoming law. [As proposed]( House Bill 63 would have removed the current penalty for getting caught with an ounce or less of marijuana and [replaced it with a $250 fine](. But late Wednesday, Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, filed an amended version of the legislation. The new version would lessen penalties for possession of small amounts of pot, instead of removing them altogether, while making it easier to avoid a criminal record. Essentially, marijuana possession would remain a crime but with far fewer of the current consequences. The changes were necessary, Moody said, to overcome opposition to the bill.  Spring forward or back? The ballot language on whether Texas should go year-round to either Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time won tentative approval from the House -- but not before [a vigorous tussle between two experienced and influential Republicans.](   Also: A Texas lawmaker who almost quit after a failed school overhaul bill [is back with a transformative plan](.  ADVERTISEMENT EDITORS' PICKS - Immigration: About [17,000 Dreamers graduate from Texas high schools annually]( with and without DACA, a study finds. - Curious Texas investigates: A reader asked us "[What do Dallas mayors do once they’ve left the job]( - Arts: The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has announced dates and leaders for its [inaugural Women in Classical Music Symposium](. Construction continues along Interstate 35E near Marsalis Avenue in southern Dallas, part of a massive infrastructure effort known as the Southern Gateway project. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer) FINALLY... [Here’s why the next mayor needs to avoid southern Dallas fatigue]( From metro columnist Sharon Grigsby: You may disagree with how Mike Rawlings ran his eight-year Grow South crusade — and plenty of his political opponents have — but no Dallas mayor ever came close to matching his relentless commitment to the southern half of our city. As we get closer to electing Rawlings’ successor, [my greatest hope is that southern Dallas fatigue doesn’t set in.]( The dozens of diverse neighborhoods in southern Dallas — an area bigger than the entire city of Atlanta — have only begun to reap the over-investment they deserve after generations of neglect and discrimination. The wrongdoing isn’t just the stuff of our city’s ugly racial past. Present-day injustices — such as the one my colleague Robert Wilonsky recently revealed about [the environmental nightmare known as Shingle Mountain]( in southeast Dallas — should only redouble leaders’ resolve to set things right.  👋 That's all for this morning! 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