Confederate statue declared 'surplus,' 737 Max talks, Dallas Symphony takes the Meyerson: Your Thursday morning roundup

On a packed City Council agenda Wednesday morning, the subject that consumed your elected representatives' time was an old familiar: Alexander Phimister Proctor's 1935 bronze sculpture Robert E. Lee and Young Soldier, which has been in hiding at Hensley Field since its removal from an Oak Lawn park in September 2017.  [Morning roundup]( 05/23/2019 By Nataly Keomoungkhoun and Carla Solórzano Good morning! Here is a look at the top headlines as we start the day. 🌥️ Weather: Partly cloudy, windy and warm. High of 88 degrees. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [her]( The secure storage area where the statue of the Confederate general is being kept in an enclosure of plywood and metal studs, at Hensley Field, the former Naval Air Station on the west side of Mountain Creek Lake in Dallas. (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) DALLAS [Dallas' Robert E. Lee statue declared 'surplus property' and will be sold to the highest bidder]( From city columnist Robert Wilonsky: On a packed City Council agenda Wednesday morning, the subject that consumed your elected representatives' time was an old familiar: Alexander Phimister Proctor's 1935 bronze sculpture Robert E. Lee and Young Soldier, which has been in hiding at Hensley Field since its removal from an Oak Lawn park in September 2017. Talk about beating a dead horse — or, at least, a bronze one. After much hand-wringing, teeth-gnashing and general confusion, the council voted 12-3 to [declare the sculpture "surplus property"]( so it could be sold to the highest bidder. That was the expected outcome, as Mayor Mike Rawlings and City Manager T.C. Broadnax hope the sculpture will fetch upward of $950,000 — its appraised value — and that its sale will fund the removal of the Confederate War Memorial, the fate of which lies with a downtown Dallas court.  Other action: The City Council on Wednesday [awarded a $750,000 grant in bond funding]( a development company owned by Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith.   Climate plan: City Hall wants to know [how Dallas residents want to combat climate change]( and other environmental challenges.  ADVERTISEMENT BUSINESS [FAA chief casts doubt on August timetable for 737 Max's return to the skies]( The aviation world's eyes are on Fort Worth, where U.S. and global regulators meet behind closed doors Thursday to discuss [if the Boeing 737 Max is safe to return to the skies.]( Federal Aviation Administration acting administrator Dan Elwell, speaking with reporters Wednesday in Fort Worth, said much work remains before the aircraft can be recertified, casting doubts on an August timetable targeted by U.S. carriers such as Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. "If it takes a year to find everything we need to give us the confidence to lift the order, then so be it," Elwell said. "We will not lift the prohibition until it's safe to do so."  Demographics: Little Elm is the region's newest big city, [surpassing 50,000 residents in newly released population estimates]( from the U.S. Census Bureau. Retail: As companies replace employees with tech, H-E-B's president says the grocer is [doubling down on people.]( POLITICS[Felons can't run for office just because they can vote, Texas attorney general says]( Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says[felons aren't eligible to run for office]( because they had their voting rights restored. Paxton, [who faces felony charges himself]( issued an opinion Wednesday that states Texans convicted of a felony offense cannot run for or hold public office unless they are granted gubernatorial or judicial clemency. Webb County Attorney Marco Montemayor asked Paxton to weigh in after Lewis Conway Jr., a convicted felon, was allowed to run for local office in Austin. Paxton's opinion does not have the force of law. But it could be used to support this argument in court, a blow to criminal justice advocates who say Texans who complete their sentences and have their voting rights restored should be allowed to run for office.  Hollywood problem: [Jimmy Kimmel pokes at Ted Cruz for 'space pirates']( -- the latest friction between Hollywood and Texas' senators.   Also: [Dan Crenshaw is pushing for more GOP veterans to run for Congress](.  ADVERTISEMENT EDITORS' PICKS - Arts: The Dallas City Council voted unanimously to [transfer management of the Meyerson Symphony Center to the Dallas Symphony Association](. - Curious Texas: [Do Texans need to pay their fines once red-light cameras are banned]( - Restaurants: [At Desi District in Irving]( tacos meet dosas in a deliriously delicious mashup . Architect I.M. Pei, who designed the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, calls attention to details as he leads a media tour of the new hall in September 1989. More than 200 journalists, many of them foreign music and architecture critics, were visiting. (David Leeson/Staff photographer) FINALLY... [Thank you, I.M. Pei, for the Meyerson Symphony Center]( From special contributor Scott Cantrell: [I'll never forget the first sounds I heard in the Meyerson Symphony Center](. It was the blazing hot beginning of September 1989. Then the music critic of the Rochester, N.Y. Times-Union, I was part of an international contingent of music, architecture and travel writers at the opening of architect I.M. Pei's first — and ultimately only — symphony hall. Pei's death on May 16, at age 102, brings back those memories. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra was rehearsing for one of the Meyerson's inaugural concerts. It was one of the musicians' first chances to adjust to acoustics of a hall that could not have been more different from the previous home at Fair Park Music Hall. The atmosphere was tense.  👋 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]() | [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]()